Chapter 54 Chapter 54 [VIP]

Dozens of thieves were tied up in the village office building, and countless angry villagers beat, scolded and spat on them.

The village chief was in a terrible dilemma. First, he had to prevent the villagers from beating him to death due to emotional outbursts. Second, the town police station was closed, and he didn't know what to do with these people if they were caught.

Murakami also suffered heavy casualties, with sixteen people killed and countless injured, some of whom were seriously injured and had to be sent to the hospital for treatment.

Many villagers had their homes ransacked and were crying outside the village office building.

Today is a sleepless night for the people of Sheshui Village, and there will be more and more such days in the future.

…

The village cadres of Sheshui Village worked hard all night, and the next day they were ready to venture to the military base more than ten kilometers away to seek help.

The troops arrived at the village ahead of time.

The familiar green figure brought a sense of security to people. But it also made those who had lost their loved ones yesterday collapse all at once. Young and old hugged the soldiers and cried and made a fuss.

"Why didn't you come earlier? My husband is dead."

"You guys keep saying you're defending our country, but why didn't any of you show up when we needed you? My Xiaowu isn't married yet... wuwu..."

This group of soldiers, whose average age was not very old, remained motionless in the face of the old man's beating and scolding, with guilt in their eyes.

The village chief who came in a hurry sighed when he saw this scene, and then he pulled himself together to dissuade them.

"What are you doing?"

"I know you're sad, but is this the army's responsibility? You can't just vent your anger on them because they're easy to talk to."

"Mrs. Wang, help your mother-in-law."

"Xiao Zuo and Xiao You, come and help."

…

After finally pulling the people away, the village chief said earnestly, "This country is going through a difficult time. Look at these comrades, their clothes are covered in mud, but they haven't given up on us."

But how could those who had lost their loved ones and their food supplies listen to him? They only wanted to vent their inner pain.

"My family is law-abiding and has never done anything wrong. My parents-in-law, who are in their seventies, were beaten yesterday and are now lying in bed unable to move. Everything in our house was stolen and smashed. Our family of eight is starving to death."

"What do you government officials and soldiers do for a living?"

"If you had come earlier, how could my brother have died? How could my family be gone? Wuwu..."

…

Emotions are easily aroused. The villagers who were originally immersed in sadness and excitement now couldn't help but feel resentment and anger towards the army and the government.

Although some people in the crowd argued that it was not the army's fault, their voices were too weak.

As the atmosphere became increasingly tense, some people started swearing without restraint.

The village chief's face darkened and he roared, "Look carefully, they were the ones who robbed and injured people. What reason do you have to blame them? The comrades have always been considerate of you. Don't do that. If anyone makes trouble again? If you hinder the comrades from performing their duties, don't blame me, the village chief, for being rude."

The village chief is a retired soldier. He is conscientious and responsible in his work, has helped many villagers, and enjoys a high prestige in the village.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent, suppressing their anger.

"Comrade, I'm sorry. A group of people broke into the village yesterday and caused many casualties. The relatives of the villagers have not yet recovered from the grief." The village chief apologized.

"Sorry, we are late." The leading captain saluted everyone cautiously.

This action immediately made many people's eyes red and they couldn't help but wipe away their tears.

It’s too late!

…

This group of soldiers were from a nearby tank unit and they had brought a lot of supplies.

These supplies greatly alleviated the villagers' panic. The military action brought them a sense of security and stability, especially those whose homes had been looted. It felt like a new life. Several elderly villagers quietly put down their pesticide bottles.

The arrival of the troops has injected a ray of vitality and life into the village. The villagers no longer have to worry about the criminals breaking in again one day. Everyone can finally relax and have a good rest.

What made the villagers most relieved was that the robbers and murderers were taken directly to the city and shot, while those with less serious crimes were taken to mine coal, build engineering projects...

To quickly restore social order and resolve numerous social problems, the state employed harsh punishments. Those who took advantage of the natural disaster to commit crimes were severely punished. The country was in a period of reconstruction and desperately needed manpower. Those criminals not worthy of the death penalty were assigned to the harshest and most dangerous labor. Every prisoner released after completing their sentence had lost half their life.

The seriously injured in the village were taken to the hospital for treatment. Families with casualties or theft received compensation. This compensation was certainly paltry compared to normal circumstances. Many people started rioting again, but were forcefully suppressed by the village chief. The village chief saw clearly that society was no longer what it used to be, and if he continued to cause trouble, he would be the one to suffer.

In short, everything was resolved better.

The army's heavy blow suppressed many sneaky intentions. Even within Sheshui Village, many people were influenced by the bad atmosphere and were about to make a batch of zero-yuan purchases, but after learning from the previous experience, they immediately killed this idea.

When the troops arrived, the Bai family eagerly searched for Bai Duan among the crowd, but unfortunately, they didn't see him. They also couldn't get any specific information from the troops.

Uncle Bai returned home feeling lost, and the village chief patted his shoulder comfortingly. The village chief's two sons were both serving in the army, and he was the one who understood Uncle Bai's feelings best.

More than ten people died, and the village was shrouded in a gloom. Even the ignorant children did not dare to play and laugh.

The younger generation didn't have coffins, so they had to buy them from the older generation at a high price. They couldn't afford a funeral, so they just asked a few acquaintances to help dig the grave and carry the coffin, then scattered a handful of white paper and burned a handful of paper money.

A person's life is very heavy, yet seems very light.

Bai He stood beside his cousin's grave, watching his family kneeling beside the coffin in grief, crying heart-wrenchingly.

Bai He's deepest impression of this cousin was when he was a child. He was three grades lower than him and Bai Duan, and he had always been their little follower, always following them to and from school. He was very well-behaved, quiet, and a little timid.

Every morning, he would wait for them at the door. After school, Bai He was restless, taking him to his classmates' houses to play with roller skates, pick wild fruits in the mountains, steal oranges... Whenever he played late, the child would panic, afraid of being taken away by kidnappers, afraid of ghosts, afraid of being scolded by his parents...

As he grew older, he became more withdrawn and silent. His bright eyes disappeared, and when elders spoke to him, he was always at a loss and used his phone to ease the awkwardness. He would also consciously avoid Bai He when he saw him.

It is said that this time he was hacked to death for protecting his sister. He was hacked more than ten times and looked unrecognizable.

…

After this day, everyone saw more and more soldiers.

Xia was a major grain producer with ample reserves. The army opened its granaries and distributed relief food to every household in the town and village. Without a survival crisis, few were willing to risk their lives for illegal activities.

Public order improved noticeably. The public executions in towns and cities were particularly effective in deterring the public. As the town's poisonous vermin and cannibals were shot one by one, the victims cheered and the lawbreakers trembled.

The police station has resumed operations, and now every village and town has soldiers stationed there. They are armed and can shoot people directly in special circumstances.

Under the effective management of the army, social order was quickly restored and everyone dared to go out.

…

There was a knock on the door of the Bai family that day. Bai Yu peeked out through the crack of the door and after a while of careful identification, she realized that it was her aunt and uncle who lived in the town.

Both were retired workers, receiving generous monthly pensions. They had always prioritized health and maintained excellent figures. But now, they had lost none of their former charm. Their hair was gray, their complexions were haggard, and their round faces looked as if all the fat had been sucked out in six months. Their skin was sagging, and their cheekbones jutted out from their sunken faces like reefs at low tide. They had aged ten years, seemingly unnoticed.

"Open the door."

Bai Yueji anxiously banged on the iron gate, and the "bang bang" sound attracted the barking of two dogs.

The iron gate swung open with a click, and Bai Yueji and Bai Qiujin rushed in impatiently. Without waiting for Bai Yu to greet them, they both shouted loudly.

"Second brother, second brother."

The people inside the house came over after hearing the noise. Grandpa Bai was stunned when he saw the two people. If he hadn't heard the familiar voices, he wouldn't have recognized them at first.

"Brother, I almost didn't get to see you anymore." Bai Yueji hugged Grandpa Bai, who was stunned, and said with tears in her eyes. Bai Qiujin, who was standing next to her, couldn't do such an intimate gesture, but his eyes were also red.

"You've suffered." Grandpa Bai patted his brother and sister-in-law on the shoulder and said soothingly. It was clear from their expressions that they had been through a difficult six months.

The tears they'd been trying to hold back suddenly burst. Bai Yuelan collapsed onto Grandpa Bai, sobbing breathlessly. She was a strong-willed woman. As a child, she couldn't stand the slightest loss. After marriage, she was controlling, controlling her husband and daughter. She'd been competitive her whole life, but now, regardless of the younger generation and her sister-in-law, she cried without regard for her appearance. She couldn't bear it any longer.

"I was halfway to hell a few months ago. If it weren't for my granddaughter, I really couldn't have endured it."

When they were young, their parents were busy working in the fields, earning work points, and the two younger children were raised by their older siblings. The older children led the younger ones, busy in the kitchen, in the mountains, and in the fields. Their older siblings played a significant role in their upbringing. As they grew older and their abilities improved, their older siblings became less prominent. Sometimes, they even felt that their older siblings had no future, destined to spend their lives toiling in the countryside, earning a hard-earned living.

But when they encounter something really bad when they are old, the first people they think of are still their relatives.

"What nonsense are you talking about? You are still young and have plenty of good days to live." Grandpa Bai patted her shoulder angrily.

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