Chapter 152
When the well in the small courtyard was dug, the convoy from the north had just arrived in their province. They contacted the local military base via radio, and then bypassed the epidemic area in the city center that had not yet been completely cleared, and came to the residential area.
Qin Huai gave the workers extra eggs as a personal sponsor, so that they could deepen the well by ten meters. Since the government's underground water line was fifty meters, they dug it to sixty meters. It would not hurt to deepen it a little. Although they now had their own well water, the free water from the government water station could not be wasted.
For example, he would fetch some water when he sold bamboo worms every week, or when Jian Chu went to sell bread every now and then, he would also fetch some water. Because he set up the stall more frequently, sometimes after dinner when he had nothing to do, he would carry a bucket and stroll to the small square to fetch some water. He was in contact with people so frequently, so even though there were not many people in their courtyard working in government agencies, they had many channels to get information. They heard the news when the military vehicles just arrived in Kangyun.
It is said that there is an extreme water shortage in the north, so much so that water resources are being exploited as if they were oil, but there is still no way to maintain the supply and demand of the entire northern region. In addition, due to the terrain, the intense heat has dried up the green plants on the ground. The plantless north has been swept by sandstorms more than once.
The sky was filled with rolling dust, and even with the doors and windows closed, the house seemed to be buried in the desert. Many people tried to hide underground, but the earthquake destroyed many underground facilities, and there were not many places for people to hide.
In the past, people could have endured such a huge dust storm, but now there is a shortage of supplies and the reconstruction speed is slow. Many people are even crowded in the rescue cabins without even a place to live. No one knows how many people will die in a sandstorm. When many people were found, they were buried in several meters of sand and suffocated to death.
In addition, the diseases caused by sandstorms and the damage to plants and various buildings are even more serious. Coupled with the scarcity of water resources, people have almost no way to survive.
If it were not for this, who would be willing to leave their homeland? However, not many people could leave. Those places that were not severely affected by the sandstorm stayed there and continued to suffer. This convoy that came here for refuge could not endure it any longer. They were hungry and thirsty all the way just to survive.
Mu Nan had never left the place where he grew up, so he didn't have a deep understanding of the terrible dust storms caused by the climate in the north. He just heard others talk about how miserable the northerners who fled here were, and he inexplicably felt a sense of crisis: "Brother, if the sun continues to shine like this, there will be fewer and fewer plants, and it will be dry and rainless. Will there be a sandstorm rolling over to our side one day?"
Qin Huai was holding his Kindle and reading a novel that Mu Nan had downloaded before. He was a little confused about the point of a plot of more than 100,000 words where one person eats spicy food and the other doesn't because of their eating habits. Wouldn't it be enough for each of them to order a dish of their favorite food and another dish of their favorite food? Listening to Mu Nan's question, he casually said, "Yes, it will happen. It's just a matter of time."
Mu Nan came over and said, "What are you looking at? You're not even answering my questions seriously."
Qin Huai said without even looking up: "The romance novels you downloaded in there."
Mu Nan looked at him with disdain: "Why are you still reading this? Shouldn't a person like you be signing contracts or typing code with an expensive notebook? You're actually reading a romance novel. This is too much."
Qin Huai smiled and said, "What's wrong with romance? There are many things worth learning from romance."
Mu Nan complained without thinking: "What are you learning? Learning other people's cheesy love words or flirting routines?"
Mu Nan responded with a chuckle, and Qin Huai held him in his arms and whispered in his ear: "There is a golden house in the book. I found that the door to my new world can be opened from here."
“???” Mu Nan looked confused.
Qin Huai kindly explained: "For example, there are many new postures that I have never thought of before."
Mu Nan was startled instantly, staring at Qin Huai with eyes wide open in disbelief, trying to find a pose in the book. How could he survive like this!
"I'm telling you about the apocalypse, and you're telling me this!"
Qin Huai chuckled and said, "Isn't it because of the great disaster that we should cherish every day?"
Seeing Qin Huai's serious look, as if he was planning to study the novel as a subject, Mu Nan quickly snatched the Kindle from his hand. He was so scared! He couldn't bear to read this thing!
The sound of the cell phone alarm brought Mu Nan back to his senses from the panic, and he quickly pushed Qin Huai: "Hurry up and grab the flour!"
Flour is still for sale online, but the purchase is limited every day. Rice and other items have been purchased on a per-person basis starting last week. Each person has only one chance to buy it a week, and can only buy a maximum of five kilograms at a time. The purchase is limited in quantity, but it is better than before when you couldn't get it at all due to speed. At least everyone has a chance to buy it.
Now Jian Chu is selling bread and snacks, and flour is consumed the fastest, so Mu Nan and the others set an alarm and waited for the right time to buy.
Unfortunately, there were too many people trying to grab it, so Mu Nan didn't get it, but Qin Huai did. Mu Nan exclaimed: "As expected of the speed of typing code, this hand speed is amazing."
Qin Huai tapped his forehead lightly, then handed him the phone: "See what else you want to buy, and put together an order for delivery."
Mu Nan was flipping through his phone, but there was nothing worth buying on it. Most of them were daily necessities, clothes, cups, plates and the like, as well as some second-hand home appliances, such as juicers and hair dryers. Anyway, anything edible and drinkable had to be snatched away. Mu Nan really had nothing else to buy, so he bought a bunch of dried grubs, the kind that were air-dried without any seasoning added. His chickens loved it the most.
Ever since he found dried white grubs for sale, Mu Nan bought some to feed his chickens for the first time. His chickens loved them so much that they started laying eggs more actively. They also looked fatter and were getting better and better. These dried grubs were not expensive anyway. One dollar could buy two or three pounds of them, which was more economical than feeding the chickens with rice. So he would buy some every now and then as a meal for his chickens.
It's a pity that the rabbit doesn't like to eat. Rabbits love grass the most, but grass doesn't grow that fast. Now the first crop hasn't grown yet, so they can only eat vegetable leaves. Fortunately, there are enough fresh vegetables in his space, otherwise, the rabbit's belly will get bigger again, and the food alone will not be enough to feed the rabbit.
The fastest growing grass in the planting areas on the second floor and the rooftop is alfalfa. It has already turned green, but it has not grown up yet and can be harvested to feed the rabbits. It will probably take another month. By then, the alfalfa for Song Jia and Jian Chu's families can be harvested, and the little rabbits will be born, so they won't have to worry about food.
The watermelon vines have already grown, but they need to be pollinated. Mu Nan paid to find an expert online to teach him one-on-one how to pollinate. Anyway, the expert watched the video and said that there is a high possibility of successful fruit production, and there is enough sunlight. As long as there is enough fertilizer and water, the fruiting watermelon will definitely taste good.
In addition, the cabbages are also growing well. Since there is no shortage of water, they grow a little bit higher almost every day, and they will be ready for harvest soon.
Chickens lay eggs every day, but recently the hens started to sit on roosts. Qin Huai went to take a look and saw that the eggs were all capable of hatching chicks, so their family’s food army will be expanded again in a while!
Mu Nan lay on Qin Huai's body and counted the family's assets: "I don't know how much cloth they can collect from Qinghe this time. Yang Jing's cloth has been made, and the finished clothes have almost been sold. One family even ordered two sets of children's clothes. They use less material, but the price is the same as adults. Yang Jing said that he would make more women's clothes this time, and the girls' clothes sold more."
Qin Huai played with his hair, listened to him calculating the family's expenses and income, and said with a smile: "Not bad, quite like a good wife."
Mu Nan turned over and pinched his waist: "I'm counting our assets with you! We spent two roosters to dig a well before. Now one of the two roosters has been lent out, and soon a bunch of chicks will be hatched. Jian Chu makes a lot of money from desserts. He can make more than a hundred every time he sets up a stall. Even if he splits it 50-50 with me, he can make fifty. There is also the income from Yu Zibai and others running Qinghe. But all this is money. Do you think we should ask Yu Feng where we can sell food? We are not short of food, but they are. Having money in hand is not safe. It is better to exchange it all for food. Now there are many people coming from the north. I heard that there will be more behind. When this person comes, they will definitely be treated the same. With so many people, food consumption is high. I feel uneasy just thinking about it."
Before Qin Huai could say anything, a car horn was heard outside. Mu Nan quickly got up, opened the curtain and looked out. Seeing that it was their car, he subconsciously glanced at the time. It was just past nine o'clock. They had left for Qinghe at seven o'clock. It was impossible for them to make a round trip so quickly. Even an airplane couldn't be that fast.
Looking at Qin Huai who was walking over, Mu Nan couldn't help but ask, "Nothing will happen, so you're turning back, right?"
Qin Huai said, "I'll go down and take a look."
Mu Nan quickly took the vest from the sofa and put it on: "I'll go with you."
As soon as they got downstairs, Jian Chu ran out to open the door. Fortunately, one carload of people went out and another carload of people came back, and no one was missing. They all looked intact without any broken arms or legs. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Song Jia said: "What's going on? Why are you back? Is there something wrong with the person or the car?"
Daniu said, "Nothing is wrong. It's Qinghe who has the problem."
Jian Chu couldn't help but frown: "What's wrong? Are they not going to riot due to lack of food?"
Yu Zibai said, "We were almost at the border of Qinghe, but suddenly many cars drove out, and the sky on the Qinghe side was all red. We couldn't stop people to ask what was going on, but it looked like there might be a wildfire, so we turned back and didn't dare to risk going over."
Mu Nan looked at Qin Huai: "But the mountains in Qinghe are almost all bald."
The last time they went there, the mountain was basically dried up. Even the hundred-year-old trees had died. Due to the scorching sun in the summer and the logging for heating in the winter, even though Qinghe was located along the mountain, the bare mountain was left with only patches of cracked land.
Qin Huai: "The bald area is the outer part of the mountain. There is also a dense forest of poisonous insects inside. If it is a forest fire, it may have started inside the mountain."
Song Jia said, "Is that dense forest close to the Cai family?"
Song Jia had not been to Qinghe yet, and didn't know where the Cai family lived. He didn't know whether the forest fire would burn their homes. After all, they had been cooperating for almost two months. From bamboo worms in the beginning to even sharing some mushrooms with them later, the profits were huge once the mushrooms were brought back. It was truly unique, especially now when there was a water shortage. Whether it was fried mushrooms or fresh mushrooms, the price was expensive but many people were scrambling to buy them.
The cooperation is so good, of course he hopes that the other family will be safe, even though he has never met anyone from the Cai family.
Mu Nan said: "The Cai family is at the foot of the mountain. It's not too close, but not too far either. If the mountain fire burns down, they will definitely have time to escape."
Jian Chu hesitated and said, "Now they can only run to our side. If they come to our side, should we take them in?"
After all, they are in a cooperative relationship. When they went to Qinghe, they stayed at other people's homes. Although they received money, they have taken good care of them during the more than two months of interaction. They cannot turn people away, but they can take them in. There is really no room at home. Although people haven't come yet and they don't know if they will come, they still have to plan things out. It is better than making hasty decisions at the last minute.
Wu Zheng said: "If they really come, they can stay on the second floor of my place if they are willing."
Qin Huai said, "Let's go back to the house first. If you have anything to say, let's talk in the group. It's hot and there are a lot of mosquitoes here."
Everyone went upstairs, and Daniu returned to his side. Mu Nan walked upstairs while saying, "Will the fire burn over here?"
Qin Huai: "It shouldn't happen. Without continuous mountains and forests, it would be difficult for the fire to burn over. I guess the official news will talk about this in the next two days. Let's wait and see what happens."
Mu Nan sighed: "How could a fire break out when all is well? This life is really despairing. I don't know if there is enough water to put out the fire."
The fire in Qinghe was on the news that evening, not even until the next day, and many people were talking about it.
Since the two sides were opened to traffic, the two sides began to communicate with each other, because Qinghe has some special products that they don't have here, and they also have such a large commercial district ruins to search through, with many daily necessities, which are also the things Qinghe lacks the most. There are many people like Yu Zibai who trade between the two sides, so any big movement on either side cannot be concealed at all.
When the northern convoy came to seek refuge, Qinghe received the news. At that time, it was said that the population in Kangyun had increased dramatically, and it was feared that sooner or later there would be trouble due to lack of food and water.
As a result, before anything happened to them, a forest fire broke out in Qinghe first.
The official news showed photos of the sky in Qinghe that was burning red. Even though it was not close to the Qinghe area, the entire night sky was burned red in the middle of the night.
In addition, there are many photos of people running away in a hurry with dishevelled clothes, some even clinging to some cars to try to be carried away, but they lost their grip and fell to the ground and were trampled to death by the crowd running behind. Some tried to stop the car, but were knocked away by the driver without hesitation.
It is impossible to fully describe the current situation of Qinghe with just some words and pictures, but with just these few photos, it can be seen that the impact of the fire is definitely not small.
Mu Nan's original understanding of the Qinghe mountain fire was that the fire had started, but people living at the foot of the mountain still had enough time to escape, because the mountainside residential areas were so dry and cracked that there was not even grass roots. There was nothing on the mountain, so it was naturally difficult to burn down. As long as they followed the government to evacuate, the situation should not be serious.
But the pictures show that the residential areas were on fire. Many people were even running barefoot on the ground. The crowded refugees pushed each other and were trampled to death. It seemed as if they had no time to react when the fire started.
As for vehicles, there are very few people who can afford private cars. Even the Cai family, who are making huge profits by cooperating with them across regions, do not have the conditions to own a car. Therefore, the first batch of people who escaped are those who have cars. As for the remaining many people who do not have cars, it is really uncertain whether they can escape.
Mu Nan flipped through the news related to Qing He and said worriedly, "The situation seems to be more serious than I thought. How great would it be if there was a heavy rain like the one that flooded the area before?"
Qin Huai rubbed his hair and said, "How can it be so coincidental? Besides, if it rains, the wildfire won't start."
Mu Nan leaned into Qin Huai's arms and sighed: "Can the Cai family get out safely?"
Qin Huai really had no way to answer this question, so he just comforted him, "I hope so."
It's not easy for the Cai family to really run away. If they were all young people, it would be fine, but there is also an old grandmother who has to use a cane to walk. Uncle Cai can't just abandon his biological mother, and they don't have a car, so it's hard to say. I just hope everyone is safe.
The fire over at Qinghe's place was still burning, but their life here went on as usual, the night market was still bustling, and the occasional discussions were just gossips that had nothing to do with them. In Jianchu's message group, there were people who tagged Jianchu and asked if there were any more bamboo worms or mushrooms. Of course, this was normal. After all, it was a matter of life and death that had nothing to do with them, so they naturally wouldn't take it to heart.
Just like they didn't know anyone in the North, so they didn't care much about the water depletion and deaths caused by sandstorms in the north, there were too many people asking, so Jian Chu simply posted a notice in the group to suspend the business of bamboo worms and mushrooms.
And those people in the group were just lamenting that it was a pity that there was one less thing to eat, that's all.
But while people were seeking refuge from the sandstorm in the north, and there was a wildfire in Qinghe, the next obvious problem was the population explosion. With a larger population, resource consumption would increase. Therefore, even though they did not want to trouble others, Yu Zibai and the others still discussed it and decided to find Xu Ming to ask Yu Feng if he had any other channels to buy food, even at a high price.
Unfortunately, Yu Feng didn't have that kind of access this time. He couldn't buy rice even at a high price, and could only purchase the quota issued by the government every week. It would be fine if it could always be like this, but he was afraid that one day the national stockpile would be emptied and he would have nothing to eat.
In view of the current situation, Jian Chu tried to exchange food for egg cakes and no longer charged money. He could buy five egg cakes for one pound of rice, and each cake weighed one hundred grams. And it was not limited to rice, glutinous rice, corn flour, millet cakes, etc. As long as it was food, it would be fine.
Although bartering is a bit troublesome because there is no unified pricing standard and it takes half a day to bargain with people, you can get a lot of rice and flour in return for each stall, which is much more reassuring than making money.
………………………………
The Cai family was not in a good situation when the forest fire broke out. If it was just a forest fire, the situation would not have been so bad. The fire broke out during the day, and every household keeps their doors and windows closed during the day, and they block out any light. How could they discover the fire on the mountain in the first place? By the time they realized something was wrong, the fire was already out of control.
But the fire did not burn down at that time, because even the soil on the edge of the mountain had been dug up and people had taken it back to their homes to make small fields to grow vegetables. The trees and grass had long since died and served as fuel, and there was nothing to burn, so many people thought that the fire might not spread down. In addition, the sun was scorching outside, and there was nowhere to run. Running outside for more than ten or twenty minutes would almost cause heatstroke and dehydration, so many people had no choice but to stay at home.
Those who have the conditions, like the Cai family, quickly prepared enough water. If the crisis really happens, they can still buy some time to save themselves. Those who don't have the conditions can only pack up their belongings at home and be ready to run at any time.
But what was unexpected was that along with the wildfire, there was also a strong wind, and the sparks were scattered by the wind, directly igniting the residential area.
Those who had cars no longer cared about anything and just drove away. Those who didn't have cars ran under the scorching sun with their families. Fortunately, it was already six or seven o'clock and the sun was still there, but not so strong that it would kill people.
No one knew where the government rescue team was, or whether they were putting out the fire on the mountain. No one came to organize the evacuation, and many people could only instinctively follow the direction of the crowd and run away. Just like the pictures, those who didn't have cars wanted to jump into other people's cars, and those who were driving and whose roads were blocked were afraid that the fire that had already burned the residential area would catch up with them, so they just drove their cars to run over people to clear the road.
The Cai family had no car, so they could only follow the crowd. The daughter-in-law, daughter, and niece took all the edible food and water in the house. Other valuable things were no longer important. Food and water were life-saving. Uncle Cai and his son Cai Wentao took turns carrying Mrs. Cai, and Uncle Cai's comrade-in-arms Guo Hui when he was young also helped from time to time. Three-year-old Xiaozhu tried her best to hold her mother's hand and run with them, and would only let her mother and aunt hold her when she really couldn't run anymore.
When the fire broke out, they were lucky enough to run out of the residential area and followed a group of people walking on the main road. Now they only have two ways to go. They can turn back and take another road to the former urban area, and then cross the urban area to other residential areas. However, the mountains of Qinghe are connected. In other words, even if there are mountains a little distance away, as long as the mountain wind is strong enough to blow a little spark over, other places can also catch fire.
Another option is to walk along the national highway to Kangyun, which is the closest to Qinghe. Although the distance between provinces is a bit farther than that between cities, it is obviously easier to travel because it is a highway open to traffic and there are not many collapsed buildings. But the problem is whether they can get there before dawn. If they can't reach Kangyun before dawn, they won't even have a place to shelter from the sun.
Uncle Cai and his family followed the fleeing crowd and chose to cross the province to Kangyun. There were residential areas and a military base in Kangyun. Even if the wildfire spread there, the situation would not necessarily get out of control. Besides, they at least knew someone in Kangyun. If nothing else, giving them some water and food to give them some time to rest should be enough.
On the way, Uncle Cai's daughter Cai Wenwen was still saying: "Today was supposed to be the time for trading, and I don't know if I will meet them on the way."
Cai Wentao said: "It's definitely impossible to encounter them. I guess they turned around when they saw the red sky. But it's a good thing they didn't come over, otherwise the people would be able to escape, but the car might not. They are not the kind of people who can be so cruel as to knock people away."
When they said this, Yu Zibai and his companions just turned around in the middle of the road, and the people on both sides were only one kilometer apart. If Yu Zibai and his companions had driven a little further, they would have met them, but unfortunately they missed them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
