Chapter 36

Jiashu went out with the money early in the morning.

He said he wanted to try his luck at the market first to see if the government-run grain sales points were still there and whether there was any grain for sale.

In the early days, in order to prevent the collapse of social order and panic among the people, the government set up grain sales points in many crowded places and sold a small amount of grain every day.

Although one person can only buy a few items, and sometimes you may not be able to get a seat even after waiting in line for a long time, it is better than nothing.

Not long after he left, Chen Cong and his wife also left.

But before going downstairs, they went to Shi's house first.

Because anti-theft doors have been installed outside and the garbage in the passage has been thrown down, there is now room to step at the doors of the two houses.

Shi Chen must have swept the entire corridor in the morning. Although he didn't sprinkle water, the doors of the two houses were all clean, and you could even see traces of the rag wiping the previously dirty spots on the walls.

The two of them couldn't help but sigh in their hearts, thinking that it was a pity that Shi Chen was born in troubled times.

If there hadn't been the natural disaster, with his intelligence and abilities, he would have been able to live a good life in the future.

After they introduced their names at the door, Shi Can quickly opened the door for them and happily let them in.

This was the first time that Chen Cong and his wife entered the Shi family.

Although the house was also in great disrepair, from the remaining decorations and furniture, it can be seen that the Shi family must have lived a good life before, at least they were well-off.

But this is also normal. People who can afford to buy a penthouse are not too poor.

But looking at the two thinly cut slices of steamed bread on the table that Shi Chan was obviously eating before the door opened, Chen Cong and the others realized that there was no food stored in the family of these two children.

Jiashu told them about the government's food allowance standards when recruiting workers, and that skilled workers were given the most preferential treatment.

They are usually able to get long-term work quotas, so that even when there is a food shortage, they can still have two meals a day, each with two steamed buns or an equivalent amount of other dry food.

In addition to this, they can also be given a bowl of vegetable soup. Sometimes after working overtime or doing heavy or dirty work, they can also be given a bag of biscuits or shredded pickled mustard tubers as subsidies.

Then there are those who do the hard labor, and they will be given food according to the amount of work they do.

Generally, workers would be given a steamed bun or a sesame cake after working for half a day, and also a bowl of mixed grain porridge.

Although the porridge is not so sturdy that it will not fall over even if you stick chopsticks in it, it is still enough to fill you up.

You won’t be full but you won’t starve to death either.

This is the kind of job that everyone likes the most and hopes to get the most, because if you control your eating habits and eat less, you can almost support two people with one job.

Another type of work is the easiest work that Jiashu did in the hospital before, such as washing gauze, wiping patients' bodies, and cleaning.

However, this is generally a special position provided for people who are old or sick. You will be given a steamed bun for half a day's work to ensure that you have food to eat.

But other than that, nothing else will be given.

But this kind of job has certain requirements for applicants, so it is very difficult to find.

If you meet him, it's luck. If you don't meet him, there's nothing you can do.

But whether it is hard labor or doing special light work, except for long-term work in non-governmental organizations, such as building roads and bridges outside, or caring for critically ill patients, who have to accompany them all the time, few can work full time.

Especially for hard work, usually a group of people are hired at a time according to the workload, and the work is completed as quickly as possible. Generally, things like cleaning up construction waste and moving fallen trees are mostly completed in half a day.

So it is difficult for a person to get enough food for two meals in a row.

This can also be considered a control measure of the government. At least it can give more people the opportunity to receive food.

Looking at the cracked slices of steamed bread on the table, Chen Cong and the others knew that this must have been squeezed out from between Shi Chen's teeth for his sister.

He is a high school student and has no technical knowledge, so the only thing he can do is physical work.

But if a person who does physical work can only get one meal a day, he cannot even eat enough, let alone have to do the work to feed two people.

If this continues, how long can this child last?

Chen Cong couldn't help but think of Shi Chen's appearance when he was as thin as a bamboo pole.

Gu Kai obviously thought of this problem as well.

He frowned and asked, "Can't children like Cancan receive relief?"

"Don't you have to queue up to get relief? And there's a time limit. Cancan is so young, Shi Chen must be worried about her queuing by herself. He has to go out and find a job, so it's impossible for him to spend all his time queuing up." Chen Cong said.

After hearing what his wife said, Gu Kai pursed his lips, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Cancan didn’t know that the two adults were worried about the future of her and her brother. Usually, she was the only one at home when her brother went out. It was rare for someone to come and the little girl was very happy.

She pulled the two people to sit on the stool, and seemed to have no idea how to entertain them. She took the two steamed buns that she had not touched yet and handed them to them: "Uncle and aunt, eat."

"Uncle and aunt have finished their meal, Cancan can eat by yourself." Chen Cong touched the little girl's head and said to her gently.

"Where is your brother? Has he gone out to find a job?" Gu Kai asked.

"Well, my brother wants to build a bridge!" Cancan gestured to them with a proud look on his face.

"Build a bridge?" The two looked at each other and asked, "Is it the highway bridge outside the south city?"

The little girl blinked but could not answer.

Obviously given her age, there are many things she doesn't understand yet.

"Brother is going to build a bridge, what about Cancan?" Chen Cong couldn't help but ask again.

"Cancan is home alone, I'm not afraid!" the little girl said proudly, patting her chest.

If in prosperous times, a family would be blamed by everyone if they locked a child under the age of six at home every day.

Even within two days, the neighborhood committee or police station might call the parents in for a good chat.

But now, it is impossible not to lock Cancan at home, Shichen must go out to earn food for the two of them.

But building a bridge?!

The entire Bac Ninh City is between South City and North City!

If Shi Chen really went to work over there, there was no way he would be able to come back at night.

What should Cancan do?

Is it true as the little girl said, that she was locked up at home all the time?

It is impossible for Shi Chen not to think of the dangers that might be encountered.

If he still wants to go even though he knows this, it must mean that this child really can’t support him and his sister.

"Cancan, when your brother comes back, tell him that your uncle and aunt want to see him about something, and ask him to come to our house in the evening." Chen Cong said.

The little girl nodded quickly to show that she understood.

The two of them did not leave much at home. They just gave the little girl two honey breads that they had eaten yesterday and two pieces of military chocolate sent by Wei Yan.

Then they left together.

After going downstairs, Gu Kai asked, "What do you think about Shi Chen and the others?"

"I haven't thought about it yet. I'll ask his opinion tonight."

Gu Kai obviously had the same idea as her. Without asking any more questions, he nodded, and the two of them left the community together.

They still want to go to the antique city today as planned.

Although money is of little use now, they have no shortage of food.

If they could exchange the grain for a batch of jade, then their trip back to the city would be worthwhile.

The Antique City is actually not too far from the Fulin Community. It usually takes less than half an hour to drive there.

But now this distance cannot be calculated by time.

Fortunately, the two were not in a hurry. Also, it was dark when they entered the city, so they didn't see what the city of Bac Ninh had become.

As they walked along this path, they gained a deeper understanding of the disaster.

The two asked for directions as they walked, bypassing many collapsed buildings and suddenly appearing wide and narrow cracks. When they finally arrived near the antique city, it was already noon.

The sun is so bright that it is hard to open your eyes.

Sweat was pouring down, and the clothes on his body looked like they had been washed.

Standing in front of another collapsed building blocking the way, Chen Cong wiped the sweat off his forehead and really didn't even have the desire to speak.

"I'll go ask someone." Gu Kai handed the bottle of mineral water in his hand to his wife and said soothingly.

"Come together. It's so hot, you should walk less."

Chen Cong said as she picked up the water bottle and took two big gulps, then followed her husband towards a group of people who were cleaning up garbage not far away.

"Excuse me, how do I get to the Antique City?"

Walking up to a woman who was squatting with her back to them and filling a basket with construction waste, Chen Cong bent down and asked.

The man was obviously stunned for a moment, then raised his head.

"Xiao Shen?"

"Zhou Ying?"

“Uncle Gu!”

Three voices suddenly sounded at the same time.

Chen Cong looked at the woman covered in dust and sweat, and asked in surprise: "Zhou Ying, are you back in the city? That's great, we have been worried. My mother was still talking about it a few days ago, afraid that something might happen to you on the way."

Zhou Ying has stood up now.

She rubbed her dirty hands on her body, then looked at the two people in front of her with a smile on her face and nodded happily.

"I'm back, I'm back. Thank you so much. Without your help and the help of uncle and aunt, Xiaoyu and I might not be able to come back!"

After that, she turned to look for her son who was following her: "Xiaoyu?"

A voice nearby said, "I'm here!"

Then a little head popped out from behind Gu Kai's body.

It was Gu Kai who carried the little guy into the house during the earthquake.

I don’t know if it’s the fledgling complex, but the child became particularly dependent on Gu Kai after that.

Whenever his mother cried or encountered something scary, he would subconsciously look for Gu Kai with his eyes, and would only calm down when he saw him.

So, when Zhou Ying recognized Chen Cong, Xiaoyu, who was following beside him, had already pounced on Gu Kai.

Zhou Ying was extremely happy to meet her acquaintances.

He stopped working and handed his earth basket to his friend who came with him, and then he personally led the way for them.

Chen Cong and the others did not refuse.

After all, they were friends who had gone through hardships together, and they also wanted to know what happened to Zhou Ying and her son after they left.

The author has something to say:

Sorry, sorry, it’s late. This is an extra update. I will update it as usual in the evening.

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2022-07-08 23:25:35~2022-07-09 19:03:36~

Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: Xizihupanna and Yimeng 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 25729715 13 bottles; cucumber and West Lake 10 bottles;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!