It’s not shameful to have a hard time these days, and Qin Huai is not afraid to admit it.

Yu Zhennan said, "How about this, just pretend I don't know anything about this matter. You can do whatever you need to do. But when the time comes, you can give me a lower price for the soap so that I can explain it to the factory."

"Okay, Brother Yu, you can set the price when the time comes. As long as it's enough for our family to have enough food to eat, that's fine."

"Brother, you've done me a great favor. If you have any trouble, just tell me. It's easier for me in the city than it is for you."

Qin Huai pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Yu, speaking of this, I may really need your help. Making soap requires a place and water. We are doing it secretly in the village and have to be wary of the villagers. It is easy to be discovered and arrested for speculation."

Yu Zhennan said, "That's easy. I have a yard near the chemical plant. It belongs to my relative. They were transferred to another job, so the yard is now idle. It has electricity and running water. Do you think it's okay?"

Qin Huai was overjoyed and said, "That's great."

"Okay, if you're okay, I'll take you there."

When Qin Huai came to Yu Zhennan's big yard, he was very satisfied. The yard was paved with cement, and the tap water was near the wall. All he had to do was build an earthen stove.

Yu Zhennan said, "Okay, I'll ask the factory to get you a small cart so you can move the waste more easily."

Qin Huai said gratefully, "Brother Yu, you really helped me a lot."

Yu Zhennan said: "Let's not be polite. Today I help you, and you help me in return. In times like this, only by helping each other can we survive. Please don't be polite to me."

He didn't ask Qin Huai how to make soap, but just offered help silently, for which Qin Huai was very grateful.

After Lao Yu left, Qin Xiaoyun said in disbelief, "Brother, can we make soap here in the future?"

Qin Huai said, "Of course not. Brother Yu has already given me all the keys."

Qin Xiaomi said, "Can we live here? We have electricity and running water. We don't have to carry water or light oil lamps. It's great."

Qin Huai was startled and said, "Don't talk nonsense. We have to go back to the village to live. I'm going to make a rule for you. When we go back to the village, you are not allowed to tell anyone about our soap making here. Do you understand?"

Seeing that he was serious, Qin Xiaomi nodded hurriedly, and Qin Xiaoyun gave her a few more serious instructions.

Qin Huai said, "Okay, we've been out long enough today. We have to go back. Bring Grandpa here tomorrow morning and officially start making soap."

This time, he had thought that he might gain something from the poetry reading, but nothing happened. Qin Xiaomi wanted to visit his parents, but was very angry. It was not until he came to Yu Zhennan that he gained something. It can be said that Yu Zhennan helped him solve the problem of survival.

When the three siblings returned to the village, it was already dark. A group of children were standing at the entrance of the village, looking forward to it. When they saw the three of them coming back, they called them and asked if they had seen their families. Qin Huai said no.

The children's stomachs were rumbling one after another, and they were all very hungry.

After a few words, Qin Laoshuan came over with a big pipe in his mouth and said, "Qin Huai, you're back just in time. Come with me to Bai Qijun's house."

Qin Huai said, "Okay, shall we go now?"

"Um."

"Why go to his house now?"

"His little girl has been dead for two days." The tone was light, but the words made Qin Huai feel cold in his heart.

Qin Laoshuan's face was not good, and he did not dare to ask any more questions. He followed the captain forward silently. The northwest wind blew, and Qin Huai shivered. Qin Laoshuan suddenly said: "You make clothes for this person and that person, but you don't even know to make one for yourself."

Qin Huai thought he had misheard and said, "Uncle, what did you say?"

"Hmph." He was answered with a muffled groan.

Qin Huai realized he had heard correctly and hurriedly explained, "Uncle, it's so cold and I want to make myself a cotton-padded jacket, but where can I get the money? I can make two for Yaya and Xiaomi. They are still young and weak and can't stand the cold, but I'm a man and I can do it."

Qin Laoshuan sighed and continued smoking.

Arriving at Bai Qijun's house, the door was dark and silent. Qin Huai said, "It seems no one is home."

"Don't talk nonsense, just follow me in."

The two men walked into the house. The situation inside was not much better than outside. Qin Huai got used to the darkness and found that there were three people lying on the earthen kang. When they saw someone coming, the person at the edge got up.

Qin Laoshuan said, "Bai Qijun, get out of here!"

Qin Huai knew that the person he called was the adult in the family, and the person who got up was a child. He thought that Bai Qijun was the adult lying inside.

There was a person lying between the two of them, and a faint stench could be smelled in the nose. It was estimated that the person lying there this time was the little girl who had died two days ago that Qin Laoshuan mentioned.

He felt a chill in his heart. There was no one at home, but they just let the child die on the kang?

Bai Laoqi spoke: "Brother, you are here."

Qin Laoshuan cursed angrily, "I'm not your brother. Your leg is broken and you're going to die. Your child starved to death at home, and you don't care?"

"Brother, I haven't eaten for seven days. I have no strength at all. I am almost dead."

The child next to him cried, "Captain, my sister is dead. I asked my father to get up and bury her, but he said he didn't care and just left her there. I wanted to carry her out, but my legs were too weak to walk. After two days, she started to stink."

Qin Huai asked, "Have you been sleeping next to corpses these days?"

The child nodded.

Qin Laoshuan said, "Bai Qijun, you bastard, you're still a father, and you don't feel bad at all when your child dies?"

Bai Qi said, "It's so hard. I had packed my things and was ready to leave, but you took my bedding and said I wanted to escape. Where can I escape to? I can't survive in the village, but you won't let me leave. I haven't eaten for days, my legs and feet are weak, and I'm going to die anyway. Why do you care so much?"

"If you ran away, what would you do with your two children at home? Your daughter is only four years old and your son is only seven. If you were a human being, you would not do such a thing."

Bai Qi gave up on himself and said, "I can't even survive myself, how can I care about so many things?"

His son suddenly stood up and said, "Dad, I hate you. Why don't you die when you said you would?"

After he said that, he fell on the kang excitedly.

The captain said to Qin Huai, "Don't worry about that. Let's bury the little girl first, and then find a way to get something to eat for the boy."

"Okay." Qin Huai reached out to support the little girl, only to find that her whole body was stiff and her face was as thin as a fingernail.

Even though he was hard and couldn't hold more than 20 kilograms, Qin Laoshuan grabbed the girl and said, "Just take the thing and follow me. You're still young and can't stand the corpse's qi."