Chapter 103
Jian Chu and his companions had been out for five days and four nights. Qin Huai originally thought that if they didn't come back, perhaps they had encountered some accidents on the road. Fortunately, the superiors also knew that uncontrollable situations could happen outside at any time. Although there was a time limit for vehicle rental, the time was not set too strictly. If they came back a day or two later, they could make up the points then. But if they didn't come back for more than seven days, then the problem would be serious.
Fortunately, although they were delayed for one more day, at least they came back.
Qin Huai covered Mu Nan with the quilt: "I'll go check it out, don't get off the kang."
Jian Chu and his companions drove the car directly to the door. As expected, they were not as lucky as last time, as they did not hunt much. They did catch two wild rabbits, both alive. One was caught in a snow cave, and the other was shot by Xu Ming with an arrow through the rabbit's ear. In addition to the two live rabbits, they also caught a pheasant and some rabbit skins.
As soon as he saw Qin Huai, Jian Chu waved at him: "Is everything okay at home?"
Qin Huai nodded: "Not bad." Then he looked at the things they were holding: "Is this all you got?"
Jian Chu sighed, "Yes, it's too difficult. There's nothing in the vast sea of snow, let alone deer. We haven't even seen any rabbits. We finally caught these. We plan to catch the chicken and eat it together. As for the rabbit, we'll share one with Xu Ming and the other for Song Jia. We were able to find this rabbit thanks to Niuniu."
The main reason was that the harvest was too small, only two, and they really couldn't afford to be as generous as they did the first time they harvested so many. Anyway, Xu Ming was eating with them, so they just gave one rabbit to each family. It wouldn't be good to divide the two rabbits into three parts, that would be too stingy.
Qin Huai asked: "This rabbit skin?"
Jian Chu smiled and explained, "This time we are heading towards Monkey Mountain. Many people there have dug holes in the mountains to avoid the cold. There are many rabbits on the mountain, but we have little time and cannot set up an ambush. They live in the mountains and are close to water. They don't crave meat, but they are very short of seasonings. It's covered with snow and we can't come over to exchange them. So we exchanged the seasonings we brought with some flour, sauerkraut and the like for some rabbit skins. If we save more, maybe we can make a rabbit skin coat."
While Jian Chu was talking, Song Jia also came down with Niuniu. Seeing Jian Chu talking at the door of Qin Huai's house, he walked over and asked, "Is everything okay at home?"
This question was exactly the same as Jian Chu's. Qin Huai smiled and replied again: "It's okay. It's just that you were notified to change your ID cards the day after you left. You have to change them in the greenhouse. Now that you are back, they should also reschedule the time for you to register and change your ID cards. Gather at Building No. 1 and drive back by car."
Hearing Qin Huai say this, Song Jia saw that Xu Ming and the others had not yet driven the car away, so he quickly handed the tow rope to Jian Chu, then ran over to tell them that when they went to Building No. 1 to return the car, they could ask about the ID card registration.
Seeing that it was still early, Jian Chu said, "I'll go get the chicken. It's still early, so if I hurry up I can come over for dinner in the evening."
Qin Huai shook his head: "No, you guys eat it yourself. Nan Nan has had a stomachache these days and can only eat light food. If you need any seasoning, you can come and get it later."
Jian Chu exclaimed, "Is it serious? Do you have any medicine?"
Qin Huai nodded: "There are medicines. You have been tossing and turning for a few days. Go back and rest. We will meet again when Nan Nan is better."
Jian Chu couldn't help but say, "Stomach problems are troublesome. It's not easy to take care of it in these conditions."
Thinking of their previous plan, Jian Chu felt a little regretful: "We plan to go again in a few days. This time, we will make an agreement with the people on the other side of the mountain and ask them to catch a few live rabbits. We will bring oil, salt, rice and flour to exchange directly with them. Will you go then?"
Qin Huai shook his head: "No, Nan Nan's stomach disease can't be cured so quickly. She needs to be nursed back to health for a while. The meat she hunted last time can be eaten for a while, so she won't go out and run around anymore."
Jian Chu also felt that Qin Huai might not go. Normally, Qin Huai was worried about Mu Nan being alone when he was well, and now that he was sick, it was even more impossible for him to be alone. Jian Chu thought that when the time comes, he could ask Qin Huai's family to bring some seasonings, rice and flour, and they would take them with them to exchange. In this way, Qin Huai would not have to go with them, and he could stay at home to look after the house.
After Yu Zibai and Xu Ming drove away, Song Jia came to pick up Niuniu. Jian Chu also felt that he should go back to the house to warm up first. He was shivering with cold all over, so he said to Qin Huai: "Then let's go back first. I'll go to see Mu Nan later."
Song Jia asked in confusion: "What happened to Mu Nan?"
Jian Chu said, "I have a stomachache. You should go back first. I just saw your brother open the door and take a look outside. It's two o'clock now. Come over for dinner at seven o'clock."
The two of them went back to their respective homes. Although it was unknown whether Jian Chu had said it casually, after Qin Huai returned to the house, he still asked Mu Nan to put the things that shouldn't be outside into the space. However, Jian Chu really didn't say it casually. He knocked on the door at about four o'clock.
Qin Huai was cleaning the charcoal ash on the stove. The charcoal ash did not need to be cleaned out every time it was burned. Just clear some space regularly and leave at least half of it in the stove. The burning charcoal ash could generate a little heat. In the past, some rural people who did not have the conditions for heating at home would use a small porcelain jar that could be held in the hand and filled with hot charcoal ash. The heat could last at least a day.
The space inside the stove is not small. In addition to the fire burning under the boiler, there are piles of ash in some corners next to it. Qin Huai buried two sweet potatoes in the ash in the corner. There is no need to roast them over a high fire. Just use the temperature in the stove and the residual heat of the ash to bake them. In this way, the slowly baked sweet potatoes will produce honey and taste unique like charcoal fire.
Probably because he had been eating light food these days and his mouth was tasteless, Mu Nan wanted to eat some roasted sweet potatoes, so Qin Huai naturally roasted some for him. However, he couldn't eat too much. Just a few bites to taste it would be fine. If he ate too much, he would feel uncomfortable again. When Jian Chu knocked on the door, Qin Huai had just buried the sweet potatoes. When he got up to open the door, he lifted the curtain outside the kang and looked in. He saw that Mu Nan was sleeping soundly. Because the temperature on the kang was high these two days, his hot and red face was mostly buried in the quilt. Qin Huai smiled, put down the curtain, and then went to open the door for Jian Chu.
Jian Chu came from the garage, so he didn't wear too much, just a down jacket. Now down jackets have become the most basic home wear. You have to wear down jackets indoors and even cover yourself with a quilt to avoid feeling cold. Down jackets that used to be able to resist wind and snow, now if you wear them outside, you will be frozen to the bone in three minutes.
As soon as he saw Qin Huai, Jian Chu handed him a bowl of chicken breast and said, "I can't eat greasy food, so make some chicken shredded porridge for Mu Nan. It happens that the chicken breast is hard to taste after cooking, so it's better to make it into minced meat and add it to the porridge."
Qin Huai did not refuse. Being polite when there was no need to be polite would seem hypocritical. After thanking him and accepting it, he let Jian Chu into the house: "Nan Nan is asleep."
Jian Chu hurriedly slowed down his movements, but when he lifted the curtain covering the kang, he saw Mu Nan rubbing his eyes and sitting up. Jian Chu couldn't help but said, "Oh my god, I've only been away for a few days, and my face is so thin. What happened? Could it be that he's trying to save food and got a stomachache because of hunger?"
Of course, this was a joke. Just because they had grown tomatoes and peppers, they were already wealthy. Besides, Qin Huai would rather die of thirst than let Mu Nan starve, so there was no way he would let him get himself sick just for a little food.
Mu Nan moved the quilt back and asked Jian Chu to sit on the kang. It was too cold down there. "No, it should be that the cold wind blew in when we went to register our ID card. It's okay now. We've been much better these past two days. Did you have a smooth trip this time? Did you gain much?"
Jian Chu said, "Didn't your brother tell you that we were in such a bad situation? We didn't catch any rabbits. There was an endless sea of snow. I almost got snow blindness from looking through the telescope all the way. Finally, we dug out a rabbit nest among countless snow holes. One of them was so stupid that we were caught, and the other one ran away after hiding in the hole. Fortunately, Xu Ming reacted quickly and shot an arrow at the rabbit's ear, so we got two rabbits."
Mu Nan asked, "Just two?"
Jian Chu sighed, "Of course, but it's good to have a harvest. Moreover, we have established a relationship with the people in Monkey Mountain. They live in the mountains and can set traps. They have a geographical advantage over us. We have more materials here than they do. For example, they are in short supply of oil and salt, so we can trade. We agreed to trade once in ten days. Anyway, we try to get living rabbits. If they are dead, we can exchange them for points. There are instruments on them. Let them check first to see if there are any problems and whether they can be eaten. This way we can save a lot of trouble. If we go quickly, we can make a round trip on the same day. We didn't bring much this time. We only exchanged a pheasant and a few rabbit skins. I hope we can exchange more things next time."
Mu Nan frowned slightly when he heard that. He had a feeling that it was not safe. "Is it reliable? If they robbed us, it would not matter. But if they robbed our cars and clothes, we would lose our lives. There are only a few of us. If they have more people, it would be easy for them to rob us. And you also said that they have a geographical advantage. Monkey Mountain is like their nest. I heard that the people who lived there were originally some residents nearby. Many of them are relatives. Are you sure they can trade with integrity?"
Jian Chu was not a naive person who believed in the truth, kindness and beauty of the world. After hearing what Mu Nan said, he began to feel uneasy: "No way, this isn't a TV show, how could it be so vicious?"
Mu Nan said, "What if they didn't rob you this time? Maybe they think you don't have enough stuff. If they really have this idea, they'll play the long game and catch the big fish. Next time you go, you should bring rice, flour, grain and oil. In this world, do you think people can be tested?"
After Mu Nan finished speaking, he saw Qin Huai pouring tea for Jian Chu, and hurriedly asked: "Brother, what do you think? Is there any chance that what I said will happen?"
Qin Huai handed the tea to Jian Chu, then sat next to Mu Nan, looked at Jian Chu and said, "I haven't seen the person you are in contact with, so it is hard to judge whether the other party is sincere in the transaction or has ill intentions, but it is always better to be careful, and it is not a bad thing to be more careful."
Jian Chu pursed his lips slightly, frowned slightly, held the teacup with both hands and took a sip. After a long while, he said, "So what do you think, should we go for the deal?"
Mu Nan thought it was better not to do it. He was timid and afraid of death anyway. He would rather not do this kind of behavior which he knew was dangerous.
Qin Huai thought it was worth a try: "If you can convince the military, or rent some firearms for self-defense, I think it's okay, but if there are still a few of you next time, or even a dog, it's best not to take the risk."
Jian Chu said: "Lending hot weapons? This is impossible. Not to mention that our country has strict controls. Even if the controls are not strict, these things cannot be rented to civilians at will. As for convincing the military, how can we persuade them?"
Mu Nan said, "If you can't rent hot weapons, then you can rent someone who can carry hot weapons. Didn't you exchange rabbit skins? Clothes are scarce now, and animal fur is a good way to keep warm. I think the military should also need it. Although there are few people over there and they may not be able to provide much, it is better to have it than not. Also, I don't know if the higher-ups know the situation at Monkey Mountain. If they do, you can ask them. If not, you can use the possibility of occupying the mountain as the king to convince them to send one or two soldiers to go with you to check the situation. You can also get points by renting a car, so that they won't suffer any loss. I think you can convince them."
Jian Chu thought that this was something they could give a try. Although they had no intention of harming anyone, it was still okay to be on guard.
Mu Nan said, "We saw Daniu when we went to register our ID cards that day."
Jian Chu was a little surprised. In this world where separation might mean forever, he still ran into some acquaintances. He was really lucky: "How are they? Where do they live now?"
Mu Nan sighed, "Daniu's wife is gone. It seems that she had a serious illness before and finally died. Daniu lives alone in the greenhouse. Maybe his wife's health is not good and she can't stand it. So when the military drove back to pick them up, Daniu and his family didn't come. When he came, there was no place to live here, so he lived directly in the greenhouse."
Jian Chu sighed when he heard this: "I thought his wife was just in poor health, but it turns out she is sick. Did Daniu tell me what the situation is like at our house now?"
Mu Nan said, "It's very chaotic. When the government left, they left those who were already sick behind. Now the entire city is a major epidemic area, with layers of blockades to prevent people from coming out. Those whose body temperatures are normal will be taken away for quarantine and observation. If they are fine, they will be brought here and then undergo another quarantine and observation. Only those who pass the quarantine can be allowed into the residential area. For those who are already sick, there is really nothing we can do."
Hearing this, Jian Chu felt his hair stand on end. If they had left a little later, they couldn't even imagine what the situation would be like now: "So people in the city can't come out now? Are they just waiting to die in there?"
Mu Nan said, "There is no other way but this. But the government is not ignoring it. I heard from Daniel that when he was observing in the quarantine area, he could see vehicles coming in and out every day. Some medical staff and various medicines were being transported to the city. It is definitely impossible to ignore it. We can only manage it to the best of our ability. Under the current conditions, it is difficult for the country to do anything."
Jian Chu rubbed his arms. "This is similar to a foreign infectious disease movie I watched before. The sick were kept together, while the healthy were kept outside. The people inside were left to fend for themselves. As a result, as the years passed, the diseases evolved through various mutations in humans and actually coexisted with humans. However, the healthy people outside did not have as strong antibodies as them, so humans were divided into two camps. Those who were abandoned hated the government, and those who hated the healthy people became opposites."
Mu Nan asked curiously: "Who won in the end?"
Qin Huai at the side couldn't help but laugh: "You have seen a lot of such movies, so you can imagine that in the end there must be a great reconciliation among mankind. There must be a conspiracy planned by some scientists, using humans as experiments. In the end, the people in the epidemic area got the final antibody drug and solved those conspirators."
Jian Chu gave Qin Huai a thumbs up and said, "That's the routine, but I didn't expect that those things that I thought were just science fiction movies are actually happening now."
Mu Nan shook his head: "This kind of thing will not happen in our country. Even though it is so dangerous inside now, there are still many medical staff who have entered. There will be a vaccine soon, and the plague will eventually pass."
Jian Chu sighed silently. Who doesn't want the disaster to pass quickly? Although they are now living in a government-controlled area and it seems that everything is fine, that is because they had accumulated sufficient supplies before. How many people can have such sufficient supplies now? I am afraid that many people are starving and freezing, so they can't feel that their current life is okay. It's as if the situation outside is what they see before their eyes. Maybe the place just separated by a wall from them is hell on earth.
Jian Chu sat for a while and then left. He had to go back to sort out the remaining chicken. One chicken was definitely not enough for so many people. Even if Qin Huai and Mu Nan didn't come to eat, it wouldn't be enough. He gave half of the chicken breast to Qin Huai, and chopped the remaining half into minced meat, seasoned it, added some chili powder, and then wrapped it in a pancake. This way, there was both meat and staple food. Qin Huai gave Jian Chu two tomatoes and made tomato soup. He ate the roasted chicken nuggets and chicken pancakes, which was quite rich.
Qin Huai was afraid that Mu Nan would also want to eat, so after Jian Chu left, he comforted her, "When you get better, I'll make you whatever you want to eat."
Mu Nan leaned against the pillow hugging it: "Brother, do you want to go to exchange things?"
Qin Huai said: "If you are fine, maybe I will go, but it's okay. If this kind of transaction is not a scam, there will always be a next time."
Because the next transaction time was agreed upon, Yu Zibai and his team did not want to break their promise, so they asked the military early to see if they could have soldiers with weapons in addition to vehicles. Even the higher-ups had not thought of such an operation, but after someone proposed it, they considered it and refused it. This loophole must not be opened. His soldiers are not mercenaries. This kind of thing will happen again. Although these people now directly ask their officials to borrow people, once a precedent is set, many things cannot be stopped, especially in this disaster year, having extra income to earn supplies is more attractive than money.
But even though they refused, the higher-ups did want to learn about the situation at Monkey Mountain. The rescue team had been to Monkey Mountain before, but at that time, the people who had dug caves and lived there had almost settled down. They had lived there for the summer, and they were not without cold-proof clothing in the winter, so many people were reluctant to live in the residential area. This might be due to the psychological trauma of people who had been sick before, and they felt that it was unsafe for too many people to live together. So the rescue team did not force everyone to leave at that time. Later, there were too many people who came back from the rescue, and they didn't have many people to use. They had to plant, prevent epidemics, and collect supplies. They were too busy to take care of the small group of people at Monkey Mountain.
However, they are now intending to start animal husbandry. It would be better if they could trade more living things. So they confirmed the travel time of Jian Chu and his team, and prepared to arrange a car with some supplies, pretending to be ordinary people going with them. In addition to those living things, they don't know if they can exchange them for some mountain products. But considering the hot temperature before, it is a blessing that there was no forest fire in Monkey Mountain. It is better not to have any expectations for mountain products.
After confirming that there were soldiers accompanying them, Jian Chu and his companions felt relieved. The last bit of worry was dispelled. It was also a good opportunity for them to observe carefully whether the people on the Monkey Mountain were good citizens or bad ones.
What Jian Chu and his friends didn't expect was that the person leading the team this time was someone they knew, the squad leader who was in charge of the rescue at the cold supply point before, whose surname was Yuan. At that time, the soldiers there simply called him Captain Yuan, so they followed suit. The few solar panels on their roof were given by Captain Yuan. It has been almost a year since they last saw them, but they didn't expect that they would be acting together again.
Yuan Gang still had some impression of those young men. After all, they were the only ones who came to him for solar panels. The only difference was that there were two new faces and two familiar faces missing, which made Yuan Gang ask one more question.
Jian Chu said, "You are asking about Qin Huai, right? We are all together. He also has a share of the supplies this time, but there is no one at home, so someone has to stay at home to look after the house, so he didn't go this time." It is better not to tell others about someone's illness, even if it is just a stomach disease which has nothing to do with infectious diseases. It is better to have less trouble than more.
Hearing that these young men were still together, Yuan Gang sighed and said, "This is fate." In times of disaster, friendship in times of adversity is the most precious.
After counting the supplies brought by Jian Chu and his companions, Yuan Gang asked, "Have you discussed the details of the previous transaction?"
Jian Chu shook his head: "Not yet. We should have a detailed discussion this time. If we want to maintain the subsequent transactions, there must be a standard. We can't go there in the wind and snow and let them raise the price."
Yuan Gang nodded: "Okay, we will follow you this time. You come out to talk first, and we will discuss any problems later."
Yuan Gang brought two people with him, and there were three of them in one car. Jian Chu and his group were still four people, but Song Jia did not bring Niu Niu this time. The purpose of this trip was to exchange supplies, so it would not be appropriate to bring Niu Niu. Even though the people of Monkey Mountain lived in the mountains for hunting convenience, there was no wild meat everywhere in the mountains. It would be troublesome if someone saw the dog and became interested.
The group got on the road smoothly. Mu Nan looked at the snow and wind that seemed to be about to change the weather, and couldn't help but sighed: "I hope everything goes well."
Qin Huai reached out and hugged him, and lowered the raised curtain: "Yes, with soldiers following us, it will definitely go smoothly."
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