Chapter 161: Meet Brother Tan Again

Luo Feng was scratching his head in worry, while Lin Qi stood by and remained indifferent.

"Hehe, why don't you express your opinion?" Luo Feng asked.

Lin Qi raised her eyelids and glanced at him calmly, "Due to the drought, all the animals have fled to the mountains. There is no hunting."

"All ran away?" Luo Feng did not give up.

"There aren't many anyway." Lin Qi said seriously. She hesitated for a moment, "I still have some sweet potatoes. I'll get them to the cafeteria. Can you let everyone eat in the cafeteria?"

"Oh! OK!" Luo Feng agreed very straightforwardly. Even without meat, it was good to have food. He then asked, "How many sweet potatoes do you have?"

"About twenty sacks." Lin Qi said, "In addition to sweet potatoes, there are also potatoes and taro."

"Okay, okay!" Luo Feng, who was still worried a minute ago, was now beaming with joy, and said hypocritically, "It's been transported to the cafeteria. Do you have anything to eat?"

"No." Lin Qi rolled her eyes at him and turned away.

"Hey, where are you going? I'll ask Xu Hexiao to pull a ox cart to transport the sweet potatoes to the canteen. We'll open for dinner tomorrow." Luo Feng shouted at Lin Qi's back.

"Go back and count my sweet potatoes."

It is true that Lin Qi said that she had stored sweet potatoes, taro and potatoes, but the actual quantity was not that much, just a few bags. Now she can only go back and grow these crops.

The canteen reopened, and when the members of the Anliang Brigade heard that the food was provided by Lin Qi, they almost burst into tears.

So on the day the cafeteria opened, Lin Qi listened to thank yous all day long, and the team members looked at her with such scorching eyes that they almost burned her.

"How long will this drought last?" Xu Hexiao asked.

Lin Qi shook her head. "I don't know. From the current perspective, it won't rain in the short term."

Xu Hexiao frowned, "Will it be like before——"

"I don't know." Lin Qi couldn't give a definite answer.

"If a disaster year really comes again, I hope you will act within your ability and not put yourself in danger." Xu Hexiao said seriously.

Lin Qi nodded slowly, "Okay."

On the second night after the autumn harvest, team leader Luo Feng and several young team members discovered people stealing grain in the grain field.

"The captain suspected that someone would come to steal food, so he asked a few of us to go on night watch. Unexpectedly, we actually encountered someone who came to steal food."

"It was dark and the other party was running fast, so the captain didn't let us chase him."

"It's right not to chase him, because I'm afraid he has a weapon in his hand."

"It should be someone from a nearby brigade. Only people from nearby brigades know that our brigade's crop yield this year is higher than that of other brigades."

"They can't steal our food just because we have a high yield. We carry water every day and dozens of people faint. It's so hard, how can they bear it!"

"Why would we be so reluctant to let people starve to death? In those years, there were many people who exchanged their own children for food."

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

After a long while, the captain said, "Everyone will take turns to keep watch until the grain is returned to the warehouse."

Xu Hexiao was assigned to guard the first half of the night. Before he left, Lin Qi grew some mint, crushed it, and asked him to apply it to various parts of his body to repel mosquitoes.

"I don't know how long the effect of this mint will last. Take this one in your hand. When you feel the effect is weakening, crush the mint and apply it on yourself." Lin Qi reminded.

Xu Hexiao took the lush mint. Such a green and fresh plant can’t be found outside nowadays.

"There's mung bean porridge in this kettle, freshly taken from the well. You can take it with you and drink it when you're thirsty." Lin Qi hung a military kettle around his neck.

Xu Hexiao looked at her careful instructions and felt warm in his heart, "I will stay here all night, don't wait for me, just go to sleep."

Those who are keeping watch with Xu Hexiao tonight include Jian Tongyi, Luo Dali, Luo Dawei, Luo Cheng and others. They are all quite familiar with each other.

"Each of you come here and get a flashlight, then divide your patrol area into your own areas. If anything happens, shout loudly immediately." The captain instructed.

Xu Hexiao and others agreed and received flashlights. Then Luo Cheng divided the patrol areas for everyone. Xu Hexiao was assigned to the area farthest from the team.

"You have the highest fighting power. The farther you are from the team, the greater the probability of thieves. That's why I assigned you there. Do you have any objection?" Luo Cheng asked him.

"No." Xu Hexiao said neither humble nor arrogant.

"That's good. What are you holding in your hand?" Luo Cheng asked curiously.

Everyone also looked at Xu Hexiao's hand. They didn't know mint and just thought it was a bunch of weeds.

"Mint, Qiqi said it can repel mosquitoes." Xu Hexiao's tone unconsciously carried a hint of boasting.

The faces of several young men present changed, they were jealous!

"Since you have such good stuff, how can you not share it with me? Give two to your brother." Luo Cheng stretched out his hand towards Xu Hexiao.

"I want two too."

"And me."

“.......”

In the end, Xu Hexiao only had a mint plant left in his hand.

Luo Cheng took the mint, put it close to his nose and sniffed it, only smelling a faint fragrance, "How do I use this?"

"Crush it and smear it on yourself." Xu Hexiao said expressionlessly.

Luo Cheng tried to crush a leaf with his hand and wiped it on the back of his hand. It felt cool and comfortable. He looked at Xu Hexiao again, "What is your military canteen?"

Xu Hexiao subconsciously covered his kettle and turned to leave. "I'm going to inspect my area first. Bye."

"Hey, hey, hey, Xu Hexiao, you haven't answered my question yet." Luo Cheng shouted behind Xu Hexiao.

However, the more he shouted, the faster Xu Hexiao walked.

"There must be something good in his kettle!" Luo Cheng said regretfully.

The others nodded. How could it not be a good thing if it was protected like that?

Although grain production has decreased this year, the task of autumn harvest is not as heavy as in previous years.

At the end of the autumn harvest, everyone found that this year's output was more than 50% less than in previous years.

The situation was a little worse than they thought.

"After the autumn harvest this year, you will no longer be arranged to work. You can go to the mountains to look for wild fruits and vegetables, and go to the river to look for clams and cockles. Now the river water has dropped a lot, and some sections of the river have dried up. You can go to the river to catch fish and shrimps, and store as much food as you can." The team leader said earnestly.

The team members had originally thought so, and now with the captain's order, the whole family was mobilized, some went into the mountains, some went into the river.

That night, Lin Qi and Xu Hexiao were having dinner when there was a knock on their door.

Xu Hexiao put down his bowl and chopsticks, "I'll go out and take a look."

Lin Qi thought that the people who came to see her so late were either Luo Cheng and others who wanted to invite her into the mountains again, or the captain who wanted her to lead the team into the mountains to hunt.

The person who came was an unexpected person - Brother Tan.

"I haven't seen you for two years. You look more and more beautiful." Brother Tan said with a smile.

Lin Qi stood up, scooped some water for him to wash his hands, and brought him bowls and chopsticks. "It's only been two years, but you look darker and older, Brother Tan."

"well--"

Brother Tan sighed, "Life in the countryside is not easy, especially this year. Our brigade can be said to have no harvest. Even in the town and county, there are fewer people selling grain. Now to buy grain, not only do you need a ticket, but you also need a proof of work or a proof of residence issued by the street."

The ones we are guarding against are the country people.

Country people are no longer allowed to go to the city to buy rice because there is not enough rice in the city.

Lin Qi and Xu Hexiao looked at each other. Is the situation so serious?

But thinking about it, their brigade's rice was taken away again this year, but the rice promised to them has not yet arrived. I'm afraid that the higher-ups can't provide them with rice.

"This drought affects a wide area. It's not just our province, the two neighboring provinces are in the same situation as well." Brother Tan said with a worried look on his face.

Is the neighboring province also experiencing drought?

Lin Qi and Xu Hexiao's faces turned serious.

"I heard that your team had a pretty good harvest." Brother Tan looked at Lin Qi and Xu Hexiao. He saw that they had rosy complexions and shiny skin, and it was obvious that they had never been hungry.

"It's barely 50% of what it was in previous years." Xu Hexiao said, "Brother Tan will take two bags of rice back later. Don't let my sister-in-law and my nephews and nieces go hungry."

Brother Tan patted Xu Hexiao on the shoulder and said, "Brother, you are generous. I didn't make a mistake in choosing you. But two bags are not enough. I want a lot of rice."

"Are you going back to your old job?" Xu Hexiao instantly thought of this possibility.

"That's right." Brother Tan sighed, "It's not that I want to go back to my old job. Someone from above found me and asked me to look for food. They also gave me a certificate and a job as a temporary worker in the purchasing department."

Xu Hexiao raised his eyebrows, "That's a good thing."

"It's a good thing, but it's not that easy to get such a good thing. If I can't find the supplies, my job will be in vain." Brother Tan smiled bitterly. The intention of the higher-ups in giving him this job at this time was obvious.

Xu Hexiao didn't respond but looked at Lin Qi, who was concentrating on eating.

"I haven't been here for two years. Do you have any food stock?" Brother Tan thought, if these two people had not cooperated with others, they should have been able to save a lot of food.

"Yes, we do, but we don't want to cooperate with anyone other than you, Brother Tan. Except for you, we don't want anyone to know that the things were sent from us." Xu Hexiao looked serious.

When Brother Tan heard that there was food, he breathed a sigh of relief, "There is no problem with this. This was the first condition I put forward when I took this job, and the higher-ups agreed to it."

"That's the best." Xu Hexiao said, "We store the food in the mountains in large vats and jars. If you want food, you have to bring sacks."

"I brought sacks. One hundred of them." Brother Tan said with a smile.

Xu Hexiao glanced at him and said, "You are well prepared."

"The higher-ups are in a hurry for food, and there's nothing I can do. Can we get the food tomorrow?" asked Brother Tan.

"It will take time for us to pack the food into bags and move it out. There will be vegetables tomorrow, do you want some?" Lin Qi finally spoke.

"Yes. Then we can deliver the vegetables tomorrow night and the grain the night after tomorrow?"

"Are you in such a hurry? I remember you always waited one or two nights before."

"I used to have to transport things to the city, but now I only have to transport them to the county, and someone else will take over and transport them to other places. I can go back home that night, sleep at home, and come here at night."

"So you can come over every night to pick up the goods now?"

"Yes, but the premise is that you have goods every day. Now I am the one who gets paid, and I don't need to use connections, so the previous distribution is no longer suitable. How about this, you take 90% and I take 10%?" When Brother Tan proposed this, he felt a little uneasy. After all, he was now getting paid and did not have to take any risks.

"You take 20% and I take 80%." Lin Qi said.

"No need. If you take 90% and I take 10%, I'm taking advantage of you. Even if you don't give it to me, I can't bear to give up this job. I still want to do business with you. Moreover, because it's a formal purchase, the price will be slightly lower than before. Things that used to sell for ten yuan can now only be sold for eight yuan." This was the price after he negotiated for it.

Lin Qi hesitated for a while before saying, "Okay, then let's do as you say."