During mealtime, people working on other floors also gathered together, making the small room even more crowded. There were more than 20 people and there were not enough seats by the stove.
There was no seat for women and children, so they had to eat by leaning against the wall with their plates in hand.
The aunt took two small bowls, took some out of her own bowl, and called Qiao Xuejun: "Come, you eat some too, and your sister, feed her some too."
There wasn’t much food on the aunt’s own plate, and even less for Qiao Xuejun, just half a bowl.
To eat or not to eat, that is the question.
Qiao Xuejun only had breakfast that day and did physical work all morning. When she was about to have lunch, she was pulled into the water by the sea monster. After struggling for a long time, she was already exhausted.
It’s good to have a bite.
Qiao Xuejun was sitting on the sofa watching. When she heard what her aunt said, she immediately stood up and took it, smiling at her aunt: "Thank you, aunt, you are so kind."
The girl who had been talking to Qiao Xuejun before also wanted to share some food with Qiao Xuejun, but when she looked at the equally pitiful amount in her own bowl, she became conflicted and finally gave up.
The aunt also smiled and said: "Eat, and when you're done, ask your sister to get up and eat too. Having an empty stomach will only make you sicker."
Qiao Xuejun nodded.
While they were talking, everyone else had already started eating. Qiao Xuejun watched her aunt pick up her chopsticks and take a bite, and she felt relieved that she was edible.
She calmly leaned closer and sniffed. There was only the scent of shrimp and algae in the bowl, no other strange smell.
Most poisonous substances have strange smells. Besides, the other side is outnumbered and both of them are in a weak state. If they want to kill them, they can just do it directly. There is no need to poison precious food.
Qiao Xuejun picked up the chopsticks and took a bite.
This is not regular food. It tastes similar to seaweed and shrimp soup, but the texture is completely different. Most of the algae in it are the same as seaweed, and have a crispy texture, while some are hard.
The experience wasn’t great, but the food was edible.
Being able to turn something that doesn't look like food into food is a skill.
The system said: "Host, can you recruit them all back to the first base? When the number of people in the base reaches 5,000, a new stage of rewards will be unlocked!"
Qiao Xuejun: "How many people are missing from the base now?"
System: "There are currently 3,621 people in the base, and 1,379 more are needed."
Qiao Xuejun: "...Can there be so many people in this city?"
System: “There must be.”
"Ah, I'm not full. When can I eat more?" Someone finished his meal and complained while looking at the empty plate.
Due to the shortage of food, everyone ate very quickly, finishing their meal in just three or five bites. There would not be any shrimp or vegetables left on the plate.
Qiao Xuejun also finished her meal in two bites: "We can eat our fill if we get to the First Base earlier."
She roughly calculated that there were about 100g of food in the aunt's bowl. If this amount was calculated for three meals, it would be 300g a day.
The person with the most food on his plate was the one in black cotton-padded jacket. He was a young and middle-aged man and he ate almost twice the amount, which was 600g that day.
These are far less than the basic meal portions provided by the First Base.
After she provided potatoes to the base, the basic daily meal was 500g of potatoes plus 300g of fish meal and 120g of military rations. That’s 920g of food a day.
Now we have pumpkin and corn, which enriches the food variety, but the basic quantity has not changed, so there is no problem in eating enough.
If the production staff or patrol team do heavy physical work, the share will be even greater, and may even reach 1,500g depending on the situation.
Not to mention, most of the algae on these plates have little nutritional value, and eating them is no different from drinking cold water to fill your stomach. Just look at how pale and skinny they all are.
When people heard Qiao Xuejun say this, they looked at her and thought it was ridiculous: "You still know what to eat at the First Base? No one believes your story, and you're still going back to the First Base? Don't fool yourself."
The girl who had been chatting with Qiao Xuejun about the First Base immediately said, "The First Base eats potatoes, pumpkins, and corn, right? You just told me that."
Qiao Xuejun nodded: "Yes."
The girl helped Qiao Xuejun argue with the man, "That's right. We've all heard the radio. That's what the First Base's radio propaganda said. There are potatoes and pumpkins to eat."
She said, "It's more true than what the dead pretender said. The dead pretender said that the first base eats dried earthworms!"
The man still shook his head: "Who doesn't listen to the radio? It's nothing if you can talk about it after listening to it."
The girl wanted to say something to refute, but the man said, "Just listen to it as a story, don't really believe it. You will be disappointed and cry later."
The girl stopped talking.
They had a lot of hope after the disaster. In the early stage of the disaster, they hoped that the high temperature would pass quickly and return to normal. After the disaster began, they hoped that the federal government would come to rescue them.
Until now, they no longer have any hope that the natural disaster will pass or that a savior will come to save them.
I just hope the floating grass in the backyard will grow a little bit longer so I don’t go hungry anymore.
The greater the hope, the deeper the despair.
Qiao Xuejun stopped talking. She took Xun Muqing's bowl of food, gently helped her up, woke her up, and fed her the food.
Xun Muqing finally woke up vaguely. When he saw Qiao Xuejun, he wanted to speak, but started coughing first. When he saw the environment he was in, he immediately tensed up.
Qiao Xuejun patted her back to comfort her and whispered in her ear about their situation.
After knowing the situation, Xun Muqing also calmed down and quietly looked around.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
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