Chapter 153
It was already the evening of the second day when the Cai family arrived at Kangyun. During the day, they happened to walk to the highway. There were some former rural earthen houses on both sides of the highway. Although they were empty now, there were some remnants of buildings that could be used to hide in them to avoid being exposed to the sun in broad daylight. But even so, it was still so hot that it almost killed them.
There were four or five other families hiding with them at the time, all with their families. Fortunately, no vicious criminals came to take advantage of the situation. They all found a corner where they could not get the sun and hid there without disturbing each other.
People were naturally very alert outside. Although they brought food with them, they didn't dare to eat it directly. There were several residential areas in Qinghe, all built around the city center and against the mountain. The residential area where they were located had the best conditions, because they were the first group to evacuate with supplies, and the damage to the houses there was the least, so they chose there.
As for other residential areas, I heard that there were places with such a food shortage that even children had starved to death. Now that they were fleeing, they were indeed afraid of having their food snatched away, so they only took out a few sips of the water they brought with them. Even the youngest Xiaozhu knew that something was not right, so he didn't make a fuss. He didn't dare to say that he was hungry. He drank a little water like his mother, and then endured the rumbling sound in his stomach.
Uncle Cai had been to Kangyun before. The surrounding provinces and cities were not far away, and sometimes the unit would choose these places for team-building activities. Although many places had been damaged and changed due to the earthquake, he still had some impression of the general route. So he discussed with his former comrade-in-arms Guo Hui how to go next.
After arriving in Kangyun, it would be best if they could find someone to borrow a cell phone to call Yu Zibai and the others. It would be better to have a local acquaintance than to grope around blindly on their own. They also didn't know if Kangyun was ready to accept these refugees, and whether the local government had any emergency plans.
But before they could get back on the road after dark, they saw military vehicles heading towards Qinghe. The people hiding in the house ran out shouting and waving. Finally, they left the smallest car, which turned back halfway and drove them to Kangyun. If they had not met the rescue military vehicles halfway, it would probably take them another day to reach Kangyun.
After arriving at Kangyun, there were people in charge of receiving the people. They had probably started preparing for rescue operations since they received the news of the fire in Qinghe. In addition to those who went to rescue people, there were also people who stayed here to receive the people. The receiving place was a large indoor square. The venue was very large and there were already quite a few people inside, speaking the local dialect of Qinghe. It was obvious that they were people who had run over from there.
Cai Wentao looked at the situation inside the room, turned to his father and asked, "Should we stay here, or contact Daniu and the others?"
Uncle Cai said, "Let's find a place to sit down first, then ask about the situation here, and then find someone to borrow a phone to contact them."
When Cai Wentao contacted Yu Zibai, he was at work. He, Daniu and Wu Zheng both had full-time jobs, and they would only go to Qinghe to do business on their day off every week. So they couldn't leave now, so they could only let Qin Huai at home go and check on the situation.
They had discussed this before. If the Cai family really came, they could live on the second floor of Wu Zheng's house if necessary. If they were just staying temporarily, they would have to take care of their own meals. Under the current conditions, forget about water. There was a well in the yard. They should have brought their ID cards and could get free water at the water station. However, they had to pay for electricity themselves. The current electricity consumption was high and the electricity bill was not cheap. They had to calculate it however they wanted. The conditions were not good now. The most they could do was provide a place to live for the people they took in, but they certainly couldn't afford the food. They were still trying to store food.
If it is for a long term, it is better to apply to register and rent a house there. Wu Zheng and his family are used to living there by themselves. If they both find their other half in the future, it will just be a family on one floor. Therefore, it is not suitable to rent out the current house. So they can only stay there temporarily. These things must be made clear to the Cai family in advance.
Since those who work can't go, Qin Huai has to go. When Qin Huai goes out, Mu Nan will definitely follow him. Thinking that they are fleeing, Mu Nan also prepared some food. Steamed buns and other things are definitely not allowed, as there are already signs of a food crisis.
Although flour and other things are not so luxurious that they cannot be bought on the market, they are really expensive, costing five yuan per pound, and you may not even be able to get one.
Some people at the market directly sold it at double the price, ten yuan per pound, so many people could not afford steamed buns. Although Mu Nan had piles of ready-made steamed buns in his space, he could not take them out casually, so he brought some coarse grain cakes made by Qin Huai. This is a very common staple food nowadays, coarse grain cakes, multi-grain cakes, corn cakes and the like, but they used a wall breaking machine to beat the coarse grains very finely, and added a little sugar, so the taste is definitely much better than what you can buy on the market.
The Cai family is in Square No. 3 in the rescue zone. These squares were used to accommodate sick people in isolation before, but after the plague vaccine was administered, the plague was gradually brought under control. Other infectious diseases were immediately isolated and blocked as soon as there was any sign. The few major diseases that still exist in the residential area are all transmitted by mosquitoes, and the infection rate between people is extremely low. Therefore, this isolation area was later temporarily vacant.
Unexpectedly, the first few indoor squares were just used to accommodate the convoys from the north, but the ones at the back could not be left empty, and the people of Qinghe also turned around and moved in.
This is the eastern suburb of the residential area. It takes nearly half an hour to drive here. It is a bit far from the densely populated residential area. Although it is in a different direction from the chaotic outer city, because it is far away, most of the places here are construction sites and there are no residential houses. The surroundings look particularly desolate, but it is also a good place for isolation.
Mu Nan had never been here before. While sitting in the car, he looked around curiously. Seeing that some construction was still going on on the square, he asked Qin Huai, "What are you going to build here? Two floors?"
Qin Huai: "It should be prepared for winter. If the heating can't keep up this winter, it will be impossible to live in the greenhouse, so we need to prepare a heating area that can accommodate the entire residential area in advance."
Along the way, I saw construction work everywhere. Some were building houses, some were building squares. There were excavators, cranes, and trucks carrying various construction materials. There were bustling construction sites. Just looking at the scene, it really didn't look like the end of the world at all.
But the workers who didn't even have a safety helmet, their thin bodies and dark skin, their weathered and tired looks, and the desolation around them all seemed different from before.
Mu Nan suddenly thought of some memes he had seen on the Internet before. "I'll support you by moving bricks". What simple four words! They were said casually as a joke without any weight. But now, who can say these four words without a sense of responsibility?
Thinking of this, Mu Nan turned his head and kissed Qin Huai on the lips.
Qin Huai, who was driving, was stunned by the kiss. Although he didn't understand why, he was still happy: "What's wrong?"
Mu Nan smiled without saying anything, just thinking that if he didn't have the golden finger, if Qin Huai was not as smart and capable as he is now, even if he could only make a living by physical labor, he believed that Qin Huai would definitely say to him: "I will support you by moving bricks." Thinking of this, he felt inexplicably happy.
When the car arrived at Square No. 3, a large military truck drove over and a group of people got off. They looked miserable, with many injured, perhaps from falls or other injuries. Some of them didn't even have shoes, and their feet were covered in blood, which looked painful.
Just as Mu Nan was about to get off the car, he was stopped by Qin Huai. Only after all the people had registered and entered the square did Qin Huai let Mu Nan put on a mask and get off the car together.
There were not many people coming to Qinghe at the moment, so it was relatively easy to find them. The two of them strolled around inside and saw Lao Cai's family in a corner.
Seeing Qin Huai and the others really coming, Uncle Cai was greatly relieved. Mu Nan handed them the food he brought. Seeing that they and the old lady were fine, he felt relieved.
Xiao Zhu really liked Mu Nan. As soon as she saw him, she rushed over and hugged his legs, calling him in a childish voice, "Brother Mu."
Mu Nan ruffled his hair: "Are you tired on the road? Are you good?"
Xiao Zhu quickly shook his head: "I'm not tired, I'm doing well!"
Mu Nan handed him a pancake with a smile. Xiao Zhu first looked at his mother, and when he saw that she had no objection, he thanked her sweetly and took it.
Qin Huai was talking to Uncle Cai and Cai Wentao, and then conveyed Wu Zheng and the others' intention. They had a house to live in, but of course no one would be willing to live in such a big bunk bed. Not to mention anything else, just eating, drinking and washing were troublesome. Although they felt that this was really a bit of a hassle for others, their family had old and young people, and it would be fatal if they got sick.
Uncle Cai said, "I just asked the people in charge here, and they don't know the current situation of Qinghe, and whether the wildfire has been controlled. But a new batch of rescuers have just been sent here, and they said that the fire is very big and it may not be put out for a while, so I'm afraid we will have to disturb you for a while."
Qin Huai said: "That's fine. If you want, you can also apply for a rental house here, but there are many people and few houses. If you have this plan, you need to apply as soon as possible. It may take several months to get a conditional allocation."
Qin Huai also briefly talked about the situation at Wu Zheng's home. It was estimated that in the past, they could only sleep on an air mattress, and there was no bed. There was also a dog at home, and they had to pay for their own electricity and food. There was a well in the yard, and they could get free water at the water station with their ID card. There was also air conditioning, but because Wu Zheng and his family lived on the third floor, the air conditioning on the second floor was only in the living room. As for how the family wanted to live, they had to arrange it themselves.
Uncle Cai weighed the pros and cons for a moment and decided to go with Qin Huai and the others. However, one car could not fit them all, so Qin Huai took the woman and child first. When he went to pick up people the second time, Mu Nan did not follow, but sent the two air cushions from home over. He did not expect that the air cushions that had been used in the cave before had such a high usage rate and could still be used now.
They were also given three thin blankets, which were all used in the cave before. The Cai family had to find ways to solve the other difficulties themselves. Every household was in poor conditions now, with not enough food or clothing. This was all the help they could give. Any more would be a bit too generous.
Xiao Zhu couldn't control himself when he saw Niu Niu. He had never seen a dog in his life. Although he had seen pictures of it on his mother's mobile phone, he had never seen a real dog. Plus, Niu Niu was quite big, so Xiao Zhu wanted to lie on the dog's back.
Aunt Yin was as energetic as ever and did things very efficiently. She first borrowed a water bucket from Song Jia, and then the whole family washed their bodies thoroughly with water in the yard and changed into clean clothes before entering the house to avoid dirtying other people's homes.
They borrowed some cleaning tools and cleaned the second floor carefully. It was not that they were particular, but they decided to sleep in the living room on the second floor. Otherwise, it would be so hot during the day that even if the door of the room was open, the air conditioning in the room might not be enough, which would increase the consumption of the air conditioner. It would be better for them to just sleep in the living room.
Song Jia was a person who liked to be lively. Before, he had nothing to do at home after his brother went to work. The dishes upstairs didn't need anyone to watch them all the time, so he couldn't help wanting to play with Mu Nan and Jian Chu. However, Mu Nan stayed with Qin Huai all day long. She would rather stare at Qin Huai at home than come out.
Fortunately, later when Jian Chu was making pastries, he had to help shoot and edit the video, so he finally had something to kill time. Now a bunch of people came to his house, even if they were strangers, there were a few who were about his age, and they quickly got along well. Not to mention the child Xiao Zhu. He was happy just watching the liveliness.
Mu Nan had no way of understanding the joy that Song Jia felt when playing with others. If it were him, if a group of strangers came to his house, and maybe even asked them to stay for a while, he would definitely feel very uncomfortable. Not to mention socializing, he would probably just lock himself in the house and wouldn't even go downstairs. So people are really different.
When Uncle Cai and his friends came back, they were still sighing that they had chosen a good place to live. They had a yard and neighbors, so they didn't need to interact with too many people, but they were not completely without neighbors. After entering the yard, they said, "If we put up a shed here, this yard would be even more comfortable."
Cai Wentao also said: "Yes, and how many buildings do you have? Two or four residents, living with a group of friends, if it was in the past, it would be so much fun, barbecuing in the yard, eating hot pot, just thinking about it makes me happy."
Qin Huai smiled and said, "We just dug a well, so we don't have the conditions to build a shed. We can slowly improve it when conditions permit. There are four buildings over here, two by two. This is Wu Zheng's family, and there are three girls living next to them. This is my home, and next to it is Jian Chu's home."
When Cai Wentao heard about the three girls, his eyes lit up: "Girls, are they pretty?"
Uncle Cai slapped him on the back of the head: "Did I teach you to be so frivolous since you were a child?"
Cai Wentao touched the back of his head and couldn't help but say, "I'm just asking. I'm fine."
Qin Huai led them into Wu Zheng's house and said, "They are beautiful, but they are not easy to mess with. I suggest you watch from a distance."
The car was temporarily parked in the yard and would be driven into the garage later. Qin Huai took them upstairs, where they were talking lively and there was Xiao Zhu's childish laughter. She was playing a game of chase with Niu Niu and they didn't seem tired at all.
Qin Huai gave Song Jia a brief introduction. They had been traveling all the way and were probably tired. They had said almost everything they needed to say. In addition, Cai Wentao was about the same age as Song Jia, and neither of them was the kind of person who was shy or reserved, so they became familiar with each other in just a short while. If there was anything he needed help with, he would probably say it directly, so there was no need for him to stay here.
Just as he was about to go home, Uncle Cai stopped him and said, "We discussed it before. When Lao Guo first came back, although he brought mushroom bags and knew some of the procedures, he had never personally cultivated the mushrooms and didn't know if he could make it flourish. Later, after he successfully cultivated them, he planned to continue developing in this direction. However, growing mushrooms is a very tiring job, especially since there are no ready-made sterilizers or ready-made mushrooms. Everything has to be created from scratch, which is not an easy task. I saw that you were also interested in this area before. Now that the Qinghe Mountain Fire is extinguished, I'm afraid you won't be able to go back for a while. It's just right that we can take advantage of this time to communicate with each other. If you are interested, you can learn to do it together."
Wu Zheng had discussed this matter with Song Jia at home before, but at that time the Cai family had just started and were not veterans. Many aspects still needed to be figured out from theory to practice. In addition, they only went there once a week and could not stay there to learn all the time, so the matter was put aside for the time being. Unexpectedly, the Cai family would take the initiative to bring it up this time. If they could be taught how to make mushroom bags and grow mushrooms, that would naturally be great, as it would give them an extra survival skill.
Qin Huai said, "Of course we are willing to do this. You can tell us what you need and we will try our best to get it. We will discuss the details after Zibai and the others get off work. You must be tired from the journey, so take a good rest first."
Uncle Cai's family is indeed tired. If he were ten years younger, he wouldn't be so overwhelmed as he is now.
After Qin Huai returned home, he told Mu Nan about the mushroom bags.
Mu Nan had downloaded some information and even had tutorial videos, but he had never practiced the actual operation. Because he had watched the video explanations, he knew how complicated the process was and how high the temperature and humidity requirements were.
Apart from anything else, the process of growing, ripening, sterilizing and disinfecting the sawdust is very tiring, so he never thought of doing it himself. At most, he would use the ready-made mushroom bags in the space to grow some mushrooms, but he would only eat them himself. It would be impossible to start a planting business from scratch. It is too tiring.
But Jian Chu and the others were very interested in it. Of course they knew it was tiring, but if they really learned how to plant, it would be a scarce commodity. To plant vegetables, all you need is seeds and the willingness to take good care of the fields. There are so many experience sharing posts in the agricultural forum that anyone who is not a fool can learn to plant some on a small scale.
But it is not so easy to deal with mushrooms, especially when there is a shortage of water, tender mushrooms are definitely very popular in the market.
They discussed in a small group who wanted to learn this and how the tuition should be calculated. You can't learn other people's skills for free. You have to pay to find a one-on-one expert online.
Finally, they agreed that the Cai family would not charge rent or electricity bills for living at Wu Zheng's house. Learning this technology would benefit three families: Wu Zheng's family, Mu Nan's family, and Jian Chu's family. Therefore, the expenses of the Cai family at Wu Zheng's house would be shared equally by the three families.
Wu Zheng's family didn't charge rent and just considered it tuition. Mu Nan and Jian Chu shared the electricity bill consumed by the Cai family. As for water, the well was free and didn't cost much.
As for food, there is really no other way. The Cai family can only find a way to buy it themselves. Kangyun has a large population now, and the famine crisis is like a knife hanging over everyone's head, which can fall at any time. Now the only way to feel safe is to stockpile food at home, and giving it away is impossible.
After they finished discussing it in the small group, they waited for the two people who were at work to come back and make arrangements. Mu Nan then looked at Qin Huai: "Do you really want to learn? It's very tiring, and it's also very hot, and it's that kind of humid and stuffy heat."
Qin Huai: "If you have the chance, learn it. It's always easier than figuring it out on your own. We don't grow mushrooms, but we learned how to make them in case we need them someday."
Mu Nan couldn't help laughing: "Song Jia is happy, there is someone at home to play with him, he just asked me to give him the playing cards."
Qin Huai: "You can go out and play mahjong in a couple of days."
Mu Nan glanced at him and said, "You don't like to play." He had mahjong in his space, both new and old. The old ones were used many years ago when his parents were still alive, so if he had to take anything, it would definitely be better to take out the old ones.
Qin Huai smiled gently: "You can give them something to play with. This is also considered leaving home. Having more entertainment channels can help them relax."
The important thing is that now that there are more people, they can play mahjong together, so that Song Jia and Jian Chu don't have to come to Mu Nan for no reason, either to play poker or to play with the dog and chat. Now that the Cai family has joined, they can play mahjong together. With mahjong, they won't worry about Mu Nan who can't play cards.
Mu Nan felt that even though his brother loved to argue with him and always made trouble for him, he was still the best in the world. He had never thought so carefully about his friend.
After get off work, Wu Zheng and his colleagues came with Xu Ming to meet the people from the Cai family. Although Xu Ming did not do much to run the stall, he had invested in it after all. He had made a lot of money, including principal and interest, during this period of time. Now they were temporarily living in the same yard, so they would inevitably run into each other, so it would be better to get to know each other first.
Although the Cai family felt embarrassed, they had a mutually beneficial relationship and were kind enough to take them in. Even if they charged them rent, it was reasonable as they were not very close relatives or friends. They had previously offered to teach the other party how to grow mushrooms not because they wanted to live in their place for free, but because they really wanted to thank them for taking them in. Now that their rent and electricity bills had been waived, the Cai family felt that they were taking advantage of them.
But both parties were straightforward people, and finally decided that after Qin Huai and his team had gathered all the materials, they would convert the second bedroom on the second floor of Wu Zheng's house into a mushroom room, where they would grow mushrooms and teach at the same time. After the mushrooms were grown, they would not take any money, but would just consider it as a reward for living in someone else's house.
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