Today's county town is not like the county town of decades ago, which was surrounded by farmland.
Nowadays, with the development of science and technology and the evolution of cities, except for a few places that are farmland, the rest of the areas around the county towns have long been turned into urban buildings. Most people living in the county towns do not farm at home, and like urban residents, they commute to get off work every day.
Therefore, it goes without saying that the county town’s food reserves should not be very large, especially now after the earthquake, when many houses and shops in the county town have collapsed, so this group of people can collect even less food.
If there were no planes up there to deliver relief supplies, based on the other party's style, they would most likely expand outward as the young man with a crew cut said.
Wanxi Village happened to be located to the west of the county seat, which was one of the three areas governed by this group of people.
Everyone's heart sank, and their faces turned ugly.
Especially Qin Suyun thought even more.
During this time, her home had electricity, and she kept the radio on whenever she woke up. But for some reason, the radio host who had been constantly comforting the public seemed to have disappeared...
There is only a rustling sound in the daily radio broadcasts, and the voice of the radio host that used to reassure people has long disappeared.
If it weren't for the radio host announcing the more than 40 temporary bases some time ago, letting everyone know that the higher-ups paid close attention to the disaster-stricken people below them, she would have doubted whether the others had been completely abandoned?
Qin Suyun's face was grim, and so was Zhao Xingguo's beside her. He, Zhao Zhengde, and Uncle Nine all knew that the radio station hadn't had any news in the past few days, but in order to appease people, they didn't publicize the matter and pretended not to know about it...
But now that the young man with a crew cut mentioned it, both Zhao Xingguo and Qin Suyun thought of this matter at the same time.
"Did everyone hear what this person just said?" Zhao Xingguo said to the crowd with a serious face, "I'm sure you all understand the seriousness of this matter... So let me explain to you all today... About 20 days ago, the radio broadcasts stopped. Even three days ago, after the snowstorm stopped, there were no further announcements from the authorities... So there's a high probability that we won't be able to receive any relief supplies from above in the coming days."
"There's not much food in the county to begin with, and it doesn't look like the higher-ups are planning to distribute more. If this continues, once the existing food is almost gone, those people will most likely come to our side to steal it... So I think starting tomorrow, we need to set up a patrol team in our village to patrol at night. We should also build a fence at the entrance to our village to prevent those guys from sneaking into our village in the middle of the night like they did!" Zhao Xingguo frowned and said, "Let's go back and discuss this matter. We'll see tomorrow how to deal with the patrol team."
Zhao Xingguo's words quieted the surrounding villagers. Initially, there was a hint of hesitation and worry on everyone's faces, but after hearing what the village chief said, they all nodded, believing that this method was feasible.
However, a thin-looking woman in the crowd said timidly, "Village Chief... aren't you being a little paranoid? These people are clearly exaggerating. Our village is dozens of kilometers away from the town. Even if they wanted to come, they wouldn't come to our village right away. Besides, didn't these people just say that even if they stole the food, they didn't harm them... So, Village Chief, there's no need to be so nervous..."
Their village used to be known as a poor village in the entire region. Even if the guys from the county town wanted to rob something, they would definitely think of stealing food from other villages. Why would they come to their poor mountain valley? They were just one man. If he went on patrol late at night and left the women at home, what would they do if something happened?
What's more, if there really was a conflict and she got hurt, would she still be alive? It would be better to throw away some food and money to avoid disaster!
"Sister Lu, I'm not being paranoid... Just think about it. The six of them were able to come to our village to steal things. Those guys are even more powerful than them. Wouldn't it be easy for them to come to our village? What's more... If we don't prepare now, what should we do when they really come?" Zhao Xingguo frowned and looked at the thin woman with a serious face. He said, "We only have so much food now. The earthquake and collapse buried a lot of food in the rubble, and only a little was rescued... No one is distributing relief supplies. If all the food we have is taken away... The whole winter is still so long. Without food, how can we survive?"
"The village chief is right. Whether they come or not, we must prepare in advance to avoid being caught off guard." A dark-skinned middle-aged man in his thirties or forties nodded sullenly. "Last year's weather was terrible, and this year's isn't likely to be much better either. Earthquakes, blizzards, ice storms... What if natural disasters continue when spring arrives... then we won't have any food for the entire year."
What the middle-aged man said happened to be exactly what Zhao Xingguo was thinking. Most of the people in their village were honest farmers. It would be fine if they had no money, but now they had no food, and they were really panicked!
After hearing this, almost all the other villagers frowned and thought carefully about the words of the village chief and the middle-aged man.
Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be safe!
If all the food supplies were taken away by the enemy, everyone in their village would have no chance of survival.
Seeing that everyone had changed sides so quickly, the thin woman became a little angry. She gasped and said hurriedly, "How can you think so? The people above will definitely not abandon us! In the past, no matter where an earthquake or tsunami occurred, didn't the country rush to rescue and distribute supplies? There are also so many kind-hearted people in society who raise funds and donate to the residents of the disaster area... I say, Village Chief, you are thinking too seriously, aren't you? What's more, even if there is nothing... Don't we still have a temporary base? At worst, we can go to the temporary base when the time comes..."
"Temporary base? We can protect our homes and the food at home by working a little harder. Why should we wait for those people to rob our food before going to the temporary base?... How could you have such an idea?" Zhao Xingguo looked at the thin woman in astonishment, his heart filled with surprise. He had no idea what the person opposite him was thinking.
"Besides, the temporary base is so good, and I haven't seen anyone in the county go directly to the temporary base!" Zhao Xingguo frowned again, his face serious. "Earthquakes struck over 50 places across China simultaneously, and the blizzard affected more than just these 50 cities. And there are only 40 temporary bases... so many disaster victims are flocking to the temporary base... even if there is abundant food there, they will definitely not last long. Moreover, it is still hundreds of kilometers from here to the temporary base. What if something happens along the way? Who will take responsibility for this? Is it you?"
After being scolded, the thin woman felt very aggrieved. You are not afraid of those people in the county town, and you dare to confront them head-on, but what should her family do? There is only one man in her family! Isn't this clearly asking her man to die?
"The village chief is right. It's better to stay in the village than to go to the temporary base... If the temporary base was so good, those people in the county town would have gone there long ago. They would have been the kings of the county town. We should discuss the village patrol tomorrow morning. Otherwise, these wooden houses we live in now won't be able to withstand those bandits!"
"Yes, we have to block the area at the entrance to the village to prevent those guys from running into our village! By the way, we can also dig a few traps at the entrance of the village. If those guys dare to come, we will make them suffer in silence!"
"That's right! We must not let those people take away our food!"
It was winter now, and there was snow all around. The villagers didn't have much other farm work to do, so setting up patrols and installing fences and traps at the entrance of the village became the top priority for the entire village, and everyone started discussing it unconsciously.
The young man with the crew cut and the fourth brother didn't dare to interrupt at this time. They could only huddle together and listen to everyone talking and spitting. After they stood in the snow and discussed intensely for thirty or forty minutes, they talked until their mouths were dry and they slowly stopped. They planned to discuss the patrol team's matter with their families after returning home and then decide what to do next.
"That... hehe... village chief... you see our information is so important... are you just going to treat us like shit?" Sandwiched between several people, the fourth brother spoke timidly. He had not forgotten that everyone had said they would catch him and hang him on a tree.
"Hmph! I have to ask Sister Qin about the matter you mentioned...you stole things from her house before!" Zhao Xingguo glanced at the group of thieves before turning around to ask Qin Suyun for her opinion.
"The village chief can decide on this matter. I will listen to him." How could Qin Suyun hold the village chief back at this time? Naturally, she handed over all matters to Zhao Xingguo.
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