Chapter 148
Looking at the long queue, Song Jia couldn't help but say while fanning himself: "It feels like I'm back in the Jinglin community."
Talking about the time when they lived in the city center, Song Jia smiled and said to Jian Chu and the others, "Do you know how we walked the dog back then?"
Jian Chu said, "It's late at night, dark and windy, when there's no one around?"
Wu Zheng said: "Song Jia and I were walking around with a kitchen knife in our hands."
At the beginning, because Niu Niu was not trained to poop at home, she had to go out at a certain time and refused to do it at home. Later, the situation outside became worse and worse, and Wu Zheng made up his mind to let Niu Niu stay at home to poop. But after all, she was a large dog, and it would be uncomfortable for the dog to stay at home for a long time. Some people can go crazy if they are locked up in the house, let alone a dog. Therefore, he could only take Niu Niu out for a walk every week, and he had to guard her closely with weapons.
Song Jia said: "At that time, I thought, if anyone dares to snatch Niuniu, or those who drive fast, I will swing a kitchen knife at them and kill them all."
Jian Chu said, "When we were there, we once saw a golden retriever being robbed. The owner was in the car and simply dragged the dog on the ground and ran away."
Song Jia sighed, "That golden retriever was called Nai Si, and was a good friend of Niu Niu. At that time, the pet group in our neighborhood wanted to curse the ancestors of the people, but what could they do? Nai Si, who was dragged away, could not come back. You don't know that some people take care of cats and dogs as if they were their own children. Some people directly exchange cats and dogs that they have raised for several years for food, just because they can't bear to kill them. Hey, there are all kinds of people."
While they were chatting, Mu Nan hung on Qin Huai: "It's so hot..."
Qin Huai fanned him with a small fan: "Bear with it, we'll go back after we get some water."
They were wearing protective nets, so they didn't have to worry about mosquitoes. But even though it was a net, it covered them from head to toe. Plus, there was no wind in the small square, and water was being distributed from several districts at the same time, reportedly supplied by water trucks. Many people were afraid that if they arrived late there would be no water, so they lined up early. By the time Qin Huai and his friends arrived, there was already a long queue. The more people there were, the hotter it got, and the longer it queued, the more uncomfortable it was.
Jian Chu was also feeling very hot, and was complaining to Yu Zibai as well: "Why can't we use pipes to supply water when water trucks can be used? There are so many people queuing up every day. If there's an infectious disease, no one will be able to escape."
Yu Zibai also fanned him with a fan: "Hold on, we will be here soon."
Song Jia couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the two of them, then turned to look at Wu Zheng: "Brother, I'm hot too."
Wu Zheng said without any brotherly love: "You don't have hands?"
Song Jia looked up at the sky. He had no love for this world anymore. Let it be destroyed.
Finally, when they slowly moved to the vicinity of the waterwheel, Qin Huai noticed that there was an open space behind the waterwheel that was being fenced off, as if they were planning to build something. Seeing Qin Huai looking over there, Mu Nan poked him with a grin: "Do you know what's going on over there?"
Qin Huai shook his head. Seeing Mu Nan's expression that said "ask me what I know", Qin Huai smiled and said, "What are you doing over there?"
Mu Nan said: "Maybe they are building a water station."
Jian Chu came over and asked curiously, "What water station? What does a water station do? What news did you hear?"
Mu Nan said, "I'm just guessing. I'm serializing comics. A lot of people are discussing the recent water outage. There's a comment section under my comics, and some people are complaining about the hot weather, the water outage, and the mosquito bites. One reader said this is temporary, and it seems that there is a plan to build a water station in each district. Although I don't know what a water station is, it feels a bit like the construction of a small area like this now."
Qin Huai said: "That's probably the case. Recently, the higher-ups are working on a new program. It's free once within 24 hours, but the second time will be charged."
The procedure was not complicated, but because it involved charging and had to be bound to the ID card system for verification, system encryption was required. It was also a government project, so it was a bit troublesome. Several people he had led before who had encountered problems with their cards coming in had come to ask him about it, so he knew a little bit about it.
Song Jia didn't quite understand: "What do you mean? What's the charge?"
Jian Chu said, "Maybe we can build a water station, and people can come to get water anytime in the future. It's free once a day, and if you want more, you have to pay."
Song Jia looked puzzled: "Then why don't you use sewer pipes to supply water? It's not like we don't pay the water bill."
Wu Zheng guessed, "Maybe there is no condition to supply water to a large area, for example, the depth of groundwater is different, and the water extraction rate is different. I am just guessing, and I don't know the specific situation."
Mu Nan said: "I don't know if it is a water station yet. I just thought of the comments from readers before and made a guess."
Yu Zibai said: "If it is true, does that mean that we are now in a position to dig a deep well?"
Everyone turned to look at him, and Yu Zibai said, "If this condition exists, then our courtyards can join forces to fight one."
Qin Huai hadn't spoken yet, but it was clear that after the last conversation in the car about digging a well, Qin Huai's safety theory had caught Wu Zheng's attention, so Wu Zheng said directly: "Let's see first. If there are many people digging wells, then we will dig. If no one takes action, we'd better not be the first to try it."
As a few people were chatting, the queue seemed to move much faster. There were so many of them, and it would be too tiring for them to carry a bucket of water home, so they just rode tricycles over, put buckets of water on the tricycles and pulled them back. After everyone took their own buckets off the tricycles, they parked the tricycles in a corner of the yard where a shed was built later, and put them outside for public use. The girls hadn't gotten water yet, so it would be a little easier for them to ride over on the tricycles.
After returning home, Mu Nan and Qin Huai took a bath one after another. The bath water was saved to flush the toilet, and the rest was used to water the vegetables upstairs and downstairs. The water they pumped back was almost used up.
Mu Nan was lying on the bed fanning herself because Qin Huai refused to lower the air conditioner temperature too much. The temperature was just right for sleeping. The room would get a little hot if she moved a little, so she still needed to fan herself manually. She sighed, "I ran out of water after coming back from a trip, and I was exhausted and sweating all over. What's the point of this?"
Qin Huai: "I want you to go out and get in touch with the world."
Mu Nan turned over, resting his head on Qin Huai's legs, and even crossed his legs and shook his feet: "Do you think it's possible to dig this well?"
Qin Huai: "We can still look forward to the possibility. If the water station is built, I guess many people with some conditions will have some ideas. Our area is originally a wealthy residential area, and there are many people with conditions. Now it depends on who has the courage to be the first to try it."
Obviously, after going through batches of elimination, those who can still take root in the small villas and low-rise buildings in District 2 are not stupid, regardless of how capable they are. Through various government measures, they can more or less see the signs of future difficulties. At this time, it is better to think more than to muddle through the day and maximize the crisis, so that they can better protect themselves.
Therefore, there are many people who have the same idea as Qin Huai. Apart from anything else, not everyone has the courage to shoulder the hidden dangers brought about by being the first to stand out. Therefore, until the water station was built, there was no movement in the residential area.
The water station was just as Qin Huai had guessed before. It was a small spire-shaped building with an area of about ten square meters. There should be an electric water pump installed inside, just like the old vending machines. Water could be dispensed by swiping a card. It was free once every 24 hours, and the second time was 20 cents per bucket of water. Three liters of water were dispensed each time, which was not much, but barely enough for one person's food and drink. If you wanted more, you would have to pay for it.
Because the water station has always been there, people can go to get water at any time, which also reduces the pressure of gathering in queues. Mu Nan, who has been queuing for almost a week, finally feels like he has made it.
When the water station was completed, it was time for Qin Huai and his friends to get the bamboo worms as agreed. Since this was not their first time and they were familiar with the process, Mu Nan and his friends were more relieved and prepared the boiler early. They even went to bed early and waited for them to come back and set up a stall in the small square.
It's just that getting the bamboo worms went smoothly, but setting up the stall was not so smooth. Because the news of setting up a stall today was posted in the bamboo worm group in advance, many people were strolling in the small square early waiting for the stalls to come out. Mu Nan and Song Jia were packing things onto the tricycle, and Jian Chu was checking the group chat, and his face sank.
"Our previous stall was occupied by someone!"
Mu Nan said indifferently: "Then just set up the stall somewhere else."
The small square over there is circular and covers a large area. One side has developed into a market. Some people will take out things that they don't use at home and set up stalls to trade. Some are good at handicrafts, such as woven bags, woven shoes and clothes, and even bamboo baskets and benches. They earn some food by handwork. People who live nearby will want to take a stroll and join in the fun even if they don't buy anything.
As for the other side, it is a place for residents living nearby to take a walk, but the temperature is too hot. Unless they are extremely restless and want to go out for a stroll, some elderly people and children cannot stand the heat and will not go out at all, so there are relatively few people. The place where Mu Nan and his friends set up their stall is almost in the middle, close to the market but not in the market.
So it’s okay even if someone occupies your stall. Just move it to the side. Anyway, there’s no urban management to control where you set up your stall. Just don’t cause trouble and go to the police station.
Jian Chu said: "No, there is a stall over there selling bamboo worms!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Nan stretched his head to look at Jian Chu's phone. Someone in the group had also sent a photo of the stall. It didn't matter. What was important was that the other party's price was cheaper than theirs, three for one dollar!
Song Jia also came over: "Someone is trying to steal our business. Can we sell out all the goods this morning?"
Mu Nan had never done business before, and didn't know what to do in such a situation. Besides, bamboo worms were not something they bought out. If they sold them, others could go to Qinghe to collect bamboo worms and sell them back. There was no reason to stop them, so he said, "Don't worry about it. Let's wait for Qin Huai and the others to come back. If we can't sell them all, we can continue tomorrow. We can always sell them all. Anyway, we only go to collect them once a week. If someone steals our business and we don't make any money, then we won't do it. We'd better raise chickens at home peacefully."
Jian Chu also knew this was the truth, but how could he not be angry when he was faced with a price war when his business had just started? But it was useless to be angry, and being angry couldn't change the current situation. He could only go first and see what happened next.
Qin Huai and the others hadn't arrived yet, so Mu Nan, Jian Chu and Song Jia first found a place with a stone block to sit and wait. The stall selling bamboo worms over there was already packed with people because of the cheap price and the tempting aroma of oil.
There were too many people over there, so Mu Nan and the others found a place a little further away. Now the three of them were sitting in a row, watching the excitement over there that had nothing to do with them, with eyes full of envy.
Jian Chu: "There are so many people."
Song Jia: "Will anyone buy our bamboo worms when they arrive?"
Mu Nan: "They're selling three for one dollar. If they have cheaper ones, would you be willing to buy the more expensive ones?"
The three people sitting in a row: "...Hey."
Jian Chu was still checking the group chat. The more he read, the more he felt that it was wrong for them to focus on water and well digging during this period. They didn't even pay attention to such a lucrative part-time job. It was no wonder that they couldn't blame others for losing their business.
Jian Chu said: "They come to set up stalls every day. Today is already the third day."
Mu Nan and Song Jia looked at Jian Chu: "As the Minister of Information, your information radar is not sensitive enough. They have been setting up a stall in front of our house for three days, and you only found out about it today."
Jian Chu lowered his head silently: "My pot."
Mu Nan: "Should we lower the price then?"
Song Jia counted on his fingers and said, "If we lower the price, we will lose money."
For safety reasons, many people went there, so it has to be calculated according to the shareholding ratio. Of course, it is not divided equally. Capital investment and manpower investment. For example, Da Niu's manpower investment, because he did not put in the capital, so he earned less. Some of them stayed at home, but came out to help set up the stalls, so their manpower investment was also counted as part of their investment. As for the other capital investment, how much share does he have, and how much he gets in the final profit share.
If the shares are dispersed and the price is lowered, then no money can be made. One trip can't make any more money than raising a few eggs at home, so why bother running so hard? So there is no way to lower the price. Oil, salt and seasonings are all their costs. If they lower the price further, they may even lose money.
The three of them couldn't help but sigh again, seeing that more and more people were buying bamboo worms over there. A burly man was maintaining order with a loudspeaker, and kept shouting the last hundred, the last seventy, and the last fifty. Some people who might have originally just wanted to join in the fun and had no intention of buying were influenced by his atmosphere and felt that they would be missing out if they didn't buy, so they also joined the crowd and shouted for them.
Song Jia looked at Jian Chu and said, "You didn't shout passionately enough last time. Learn from others."
Mu Nan was surprised: "Could this guy have been a live broadcaster before? He is so good at livening up the atmosphere. He makes me feel like it's such a bargain and I'd be missing out if I don't buy it." What about protein and medicinal value? Those who know know that he is selling bamboo worms, while those who don't think he is selling Cordyceps. It's really deceptive.
Jian Chu touched his chin and said, "What a pity. I used to spend all my time working part-time, and I didn't watch live broadcasts a few times. If I had known earlier, I should have paid more attention and learned how to create a good atmosphere."
Song Jia: "I watch it often. I would stay in other people's live broadcast room for hours just to grab those penny benefits. But now when people ask me how to create a good atmosphere, I suddenly can't remember how they create a good atmosphere."
Mu Nan: "That's why they say everyone has their own specialty. People think they can earn hundreds of millions of dollars just by yelling in front of the screen. Who knows how much they have learned behind the scenes for that one or two minutes of yelling? If you can't learn it, forget it. If you can't sell it, you can take it back to feed the chickens. My chickens have started laying eggs. How about yours?"
Speaking of chickens, Jian Chu instantly smiled: "It's laid. Although not many, there are only two at the moment, but the prospects are promising. Mu Nan, I'll borrow your rooster after I raise some more chickens."
A chicken was not cheap and they had no money, so he and Song Jia each asked for a hen. They had no money left for a rooster, so they could only borrow one for breeding.
Mu Nan said: "No problem, I will lend you a rooster with the brightest fur and the most majestic appearance."
Jian Chu hissed after he finished speaking, holding his stomach and said, "No, I have to go to the bathroom."
Song Jia quickly looked around: "How about finding a place where there is no one?"
Jian Chu rolled his eyes. "There's not even a tree here, how can there be no one here? Am I going to hide behind someone's wall? I'll go back and be back soon."
As soon as Jian Chuyi left, Mu Nan and Song Jia couldn't help sighing. They fanned themselves while waiting for the driver to come back. They said it would only take about ten minutes to get there. Fortunately, they were wearing fishnet clothes, otherwise sitting here would be like a mosquito feeding station.
However, what the two did not expect was that before Qin Huai and his companions came back, a group of people with baseball bats arrived first. When the group of people came from afar, Song Jia could not help but hold Mu Nan's arm: "Why do I feel murderous intent?"
Mu Nan also felt that the group of people had a clear target and were heading straight for the bamboo worm, so he instinctively measured the distance between the two sides and said, "Should we step aside?"
Song Jia was also a little timid, fearing that innocent people would be implicated, so he nodded repeatedly, and then the two of them rode the tricycle to a farther place.
As they moved, the aggressive group of people directly surrounded the stall, and those walking in the front pushed aside the people who were surrounding to buy bamboo worms like they were pushing away chicks.
Those who were dragged down, some of whom even lost their balance and fell to the ground, almost couldn't help cursing, but seeing this group of men with fierce faces and weapons in their hands who looked like they were not to be trifled with, they immediately became cowardly and ran away quickly, not daring to say a word.
The owner of the bamboo worm stall also realized that these people were not friendly and quickly picked up their sticks and machetes. As soon as the group of people walked to the stall, without saying a word, they directly poured the boiling hot oil towards the stall owner who was standing next to the stall.
This move was so swift, fierce and accurate. It was a boiling wok of oil, and the whole wok of oil was poured directly on the man's body. The man was immediately crippled. After a shrill scream, he fell to the ground and rolled around in pain.
Mu Nan and Song Jia were stunned, and immediately felt that the place where they were staying was not safe either. However, there was a fight going on on the road leading home, so they didn't dare to go over there. They could only retreat again and again, hoping that no one would come to fight. Song Jia hugged Mu Nan's arm tightly, "They won't fight, will they?"
Mu Nan: "It shouldn't happen. At worst we can just take a detour. The square is so big and there's a police station. What's there to be afraid of?"
Song Jia couldn't help but say, "Isn't the police station just a background board? It only appears after something is done."
Mu Nan covered Song Jia's mouth with his hand: "What nonsense are you talking about."
Jian Chu went back to use the restroom. When he rode back again, the sky had changed. Although a group of people looked panicked, they were mostly watching the fun and gossiping. Even many people were standing on the platform of the low building behind the small square, all looking towards the small square. When Jian Chu heard about someone being hacked to death and the bamboo worm stall, his face turned pale with fright. He did not think that the stall was stealing their business. His first instinct was that something had happened to one of their own people, so he quickly pushed the crowd away and went up the opposite direction.
As a result, he finally broke through the encirclement, just in time, a man covered in blood was kicked and fell in front of him. Jian Chu, his face turned pale with anxiety: "???" I don't know him.
When he looked around for someone, he saw a small tricycle parked on the other side of the small square, and two people squatting behind the tricycle. He didn't know whether they were huddled together in fear or hiding and peeking: "..."
Jian Chu immediately took a picture of the situation in the small square and sent it to the group, and then sent a picture of the two cowards hiding behind the tricycle to the group. Otherwise, when they arrived and heard that something happened in the small square and didn't see anyone, they would be scared to death. He didn't know whether Yu Zibai would fly or not, but because Qin Huai was nervous about Mu Nan, he would definitely fly.
This time the police arrived quickly, and because the noise was so loud, they even fired warning shots.
Mu Nan didn't cover his ears in time, and although the distance was not very close, his ears were still hit by the explosion and buzzed.
Just as he was rubbing his ears, a hand reached out and covered his eyes. Mu Nan was startled, but the next second he smelled a familiar scent. So he stopped struggling and turned around to hug the person.
Unfortunately, he was wearing a fishnet top with a steel ring inside, which blocked the person from hugging him fully.
Wu Zheng looked at Song Jia with disdain on his face: "Are you a coward?"
Song Jia was about to retort when he saw Wu Zheng taking out his cell phone. The photo on the screen showed the backs of him and Mu Nan squatting behind a tricycle. It was obviously taken secretly by Wu Zheng and his friends when they came over. It must be said that he was indeed quite cowardly.
Yu Zibai didn't see Jian Chu, and frowned, "Where's Jian Chu?"
Mu Nan: "He went home to use the bathroom and hasn't come yet."
Wu Zheng: "What's going on?"
The two shook their heads. Song Jia said, "I don't know. Suddenly a group of people came over aggressively. They first overturned the oil pan, then hacked people. Blood and flesh flew everywhere. They also blocked our way home. We can only hide here for now."
Mu Nan said, "Should we go home first? The group of people who were chopped just now were selling bamboo worms. They have set up their stalls here for three days. They sell them cheaper than us, three for one dollar. Although I don't know why they are fighting, it may be a conflict of interest. Should we go back and see the situation first?"
Daniu said, "Wait a minute, I'll go ask."
After Daniu finished speaking, he walked towards the police station. Everyone then realized that Daniu was now working in the community as a contract worker, mainly responsible for security and the like, so he should be able to get information by going to the police station.
The two gangs fought with each other, resulting in heavy casualties. The ground was covered with blood and flesh, and there were frying pans all over the place. But even so, when the injured and the dead were taken away, some people rushed directly to the scene. Those who reacted quickly grabbed other people's pots and a pile of seasonings scattered on the ground and ran away. Others also rushed forward after reacting, not caring about the blood on the ground. They took whatever they could, not afraid of the bloody scene at all, and they were happy as if they had picked up a great bargain.
After a while, Daniu came back and said directly, "It's not a dispute over interests. It's a black-hearted stall owner who sells dead insects. Some of the meat is rotten. They rinse it with water, fry it in a wok, and then add seasoning. Even if someone can tell that the taste is not right, they are reluctant to give up the meat and oil. As a result, people die."
Song Jia was shocked: "Eating dead people?"
Daniu said, "Well, two children and an old man, they ate so much that they had vomiting, diarrhea, inflammation and high fever, and they died."
The crowd of onlookers all ran over to grab the goods, and those who were blocking the road dispersed. Jian Chu quickly rode over and looked at them and said, "Are you still selling today?"
Qin Huai said, "Why don't we go back today? It's getting late, and we won't be able to sell them for long. Besides, after something like this happened, maybe the buyers will have some psychological trauma. Not too many bamboo worms should die in a day. We can wait until dark to set up the stall directly. Daniu, do you have time?" Yu Zibai and Wu Zheng had to go to work in the evening, so if they set up a stall, it would probably be just him, Daniu, and Nan Nan.
Daniu nodded: "Yes." He was supposed to rest today and go to work tomorrow night.
Jian Chu followed them and pushed the cart slowly behind them, whispering to Mu Nan, "I thought there would be a business fight, but I didn't expect it to end like this."
Mu Nan looked at the people picking up things on the ground over there, some of whom were even getting red in the face over a few pieces of firewood for the stove. As for the people who were just chopped to death over there, no one cared at all. The doomsday environment had long since eroded people's awe of life and death.
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