Chapter 164
Song Jia collapsed in the living room of Jian Chu's house. Although the air conditioner was on in the house, he couldn't help but fan himself with a fan. It wasn't really hot, but he was restless and couldn't calm down. Recently, there have been several incidents due to the water restriction at the water station. Once, when his brother was getting off work, he was stuck on the road because of a crowd causing trouble. He didn't return until dawn, which scared him to death.
"You say, is the current water restriction because Qinghe pumped too much water to put out the fire, resulting in insufficient groundwater?"
When Mu Nan came over with a pot of iced milk tea, he heard Song Jia asking Jian Chu a thousand questions and said with a smile, "Why don't you ask if the groundwater was burned dry by Qinghe's fire?"
Song Jia turned around and saw the transparent kettle of milk tea in his hand, and his eyes lit up immediately: "Didn't you say last time that there was no milk tea at home?"
Mu Nan asked Jian Chu to get a cup: "There is no milk tea, but there is milk powder. I made it myself. Drinking something sweet occasionally will increase your sense of happiness."
There has been quite a commotion outside in recent days because of the water restriction. The last time Wu Zheng was trapped on the road, he was just blocked and there was no danger. But what happened to Yu Zibai and Xu Ming later was really frightening.
In addition to farms built by the government, there are also many privately contracted farms. I don’t know if it is because the atmosphere instigated by people in the past two days is too suffocating, or if people’s psychological stress resistance has been stretched to a limit after experiencing a series of natural disasters. The emotional collapse has become seriously contagious among people, with people gathering to cause trouble, reporting in public places, and some people even burning farms with the idea of dying together.
This incident seems to be related to a previous news story, which was accidentally photographed and leaked by someone. A young man under 20 years old disliked the whole grain steamed bun, frowned in dissatisfaction after taking a bite, and threw the whole grain steamed bun away.
What is most lacking at this time is food. Many people would like to eat one coarse grain steamed bun for three meals. Although we know that there will always be a gap between the rich and the poor, the exposure of such news at this time is simply igniting people's anger. The grain harvest is about to fail, and some people even throw away food because they think it tastes bad. It was found that this person is the only son of a private farmer.
Everyone suddenly realized, no wonder, he had contracted a farm, and he probably wouldn't suffer from food shortages outside, so he was so extravagant and wasteful. In the past, such news might have been condemned and criticized online, but now everyone's emotions were already tense and were affected all of a sudden, causing many people who were already collapsed and twisted to gather together and directly burnt down the farm.
However, those people had no idea which ones were privately contracted and which ones were government-invested. The farm that was burned was the one where Xu Ming, Yu Zibai and others were.
Fortunately, this is an indoor cultivation field. Both animals and plants are raised indoors. Without an ID card, one cannot even enter the farm gate, so those people only burned the outer perimeter of the farm.
But the noise still scared people a lot. If Yu Zibai hadn't called Jian Chu in advance, when Jian Chu saw the news, he would have been even more frightened than Song Jia.
After this incident, Song Jia and Jian Chu didn't want Wu Zheng and Yu Zibai to continue working. They might be a little safer at work, but on the way to and from work, there were precedents for this kind of thing. When they were still in the city center, didn't someone specifically target government supermarket staff to rob and kill them? This made them afraid.
But they are not like Mu Nan who has the confidence of space and materials. The more chaotic the outside world is, the harder they have to work to keep their jobs, especially for skilled workers like Wu Zheng and those with good welfare benefits like Yu Zibai and Xu Ming Farm, who cannot afford to lose their jobs.
Because of this, the atmosphere in the small courtyard has been particularly depressing these past two days. Song Jia didn't want to stay at home alone and think about random things. His brother was not at home, so he would just imagine all kinds of accidents outside and scare himself to death.
Although there were many people in the Cai family, Uncle Cai and Cai Wentao had gone to the construction site to move bricks, leaving only a room full of women. Guo Hui was not a talkative person, so after much thought, he had no choice but to come to Jian Chu for mutual warmth. Otherwise, Yu Zibai was outside, and Jian Chu might have scared herself to death with her own imagination.
Seeing that they were so tense, Mu Nan simply made some milk tea. Sweet things can effectively relieve a tense mood.
Smelling the sweet smell, Niu Niu kept rubbing against Song Jia, but unfortunately, although there was milk in it, there was also tea, so she couldn't give it to the dog, so she could only push the dog's head out.
Seeing that Song Jia refused to give it to her, Niu Niu cleverly went to find her second poop scooper, Mu Nan. Mu Nan could only touch Niu Niu's head to comfort her. This was not his home. If it were at his home, he could give Niu Niu some dried meat when no one was around.
Seeing that there was really nothing to eat, Niu Niu whimpered twice, then laid down with her head on Mu Nan's legs.
Jian Chu took a few cups and the three of them shared the milk tea. Looking at the milk tea, Song Jia's thoughts wandered to the cows: "Are there any cows in our residential area?"
Jian Chu: "Yes, there are a few on the farm, but if you want to buy milk, it probably won't be possible in the next few years. The scale is too small. I heard that they are recruiting workers in the next few days and are preparing to raze the city center."
Mu Nan had not heard of the news: "Demolish? Didn't they rebuild a virus research institute in the city center? I saw news last time saying that the plague virus mutated after coexisting with the human body for a long time, and many people are quarantined there now." Jian Chu had only heard what Yu Zibai said. The place where he worked was a farm invested and built by the government, not a private one. Some of the regular workers were state-funded staff, so he knew a little more about the news. It was said that this job was a job with both risks and opportunities, but the risk was also a relatively low-probability risk.
Since there is action, it proves that the virus has been completely cleared. Otherwise, if the terrible plague and infectious disease were controlled within a controllable range, no one would be able to withstand it if it broke out again due to reconstruction. Therefore, the construction area must be safe. But this safety is not necessarily 100%. So many people died in the city before, and there may still be corpses buried there. There is always a chance of something happening.
The opportunity is that in such a big city center, which was once a first-tier city, food is definitely not something you can count on. It has been a few years, and there have been high temperatures, blizzards, and floods. But there might be other things. If nothing else, some gold, silver, and jade articles can definitely be found. There are so many shops, and if you are lucky, you might be able to find some useful daily necessities.
In addition, there are a lot of steel and even some machines in the factory. Regardless of whether they can be used or not, if some of the parts can still be used after being dismantled, it will be a profit.
Previously, the city center was surrounded by the plague. Before the blockade was lifted, many people wanted to go and plunder and make some money, but they didn't have the courage to do so. If they were infected with the plague, it would be a waste of time.
Now that the lockdown has been lifted and we are preparing to start construction towards the city center, then here comes the opportunity.
When it comes to this topic, Song Jia's focus is not on the gold rush in the city, but the life in the past: "If I can, I still want to live in the city center. I mean the old city center. As long as you have money, you can have everything without leaving home. I can't count on it in three to five years. I hope that in ten years, we can sit on the busy streets and eat skewers!"
Mu Nan said: "If the higher-ups really issue this recruitment notice, I think there will be a lot of private groups going there to pan for gold. They can make some money by looking for some machinery or steel and selling it to the government."
Seeing that they ignored him, Song Jia forcefully joined the conversation: "Would you like to go? It's like a treasure hunt. Maybe you can find all kinds of canned food that can be stored for several years."
Mu Nan shook his head: "I won't go. I feel tired just thinking about it. I know my physical strength well. Growing some vegetables is my ultimate entrepreneurial endeavor."
Jian Chu: "I think, forget it, life is okay now, why bother anymore, it's not easy to have a stable life for a while."
Mu Nan agreed with this: "That's right. When we have chickens at home, we can breed them one by one. We can kill a chicken every week to eat. We can exchange the vegetables we grow for food and the grass we grow for rabbits. It would be great for Yu Zibai to go to work and make money. It's not as tiring as going out to pan for gold. Who knows if the virus has been cleared up or if there are any mutations lurking."
After finishing a cup of milk tea, Mu Nan received a call from Qin Huai: "My brother called me home for dinner, you guys continue chatting, I'll get the kettle next time, you guys drink slowly."
Jian Chu: "Let's play cards together later."
Mu Nan shook his head: "No, you guys play, I can't even understand what you guys are doing. If you guys play cards, I'll go down and get Niuniu to play with me."
Watching Mu Nan strolling down the stairs in slippers, Song Jia said to Jian Chu, "Why don't you open up the balcony? It would be so convenient to go directly from the second floor."
Jian Chu laughed: "Are you too lazy to even walk these two steps?"
Mu Nan walked through the garage. The air conditioner was on in the house and the doors and windows upstairs and downstairs were closed, so there would be a lot fewer mosquitoes. It would be easy to bring mosquitoes into the house if you passed by outside, so the garage doors on both sides were not locked, and you would go through the garage when going in and out.
After passing through door after door, Mu Nan climbed to the third floor. Qin Huai had just brought the cooked dishes to the table: "Go wash your hands quickly."
Mu Nan glanced at the table and saw stir-fried beef with green peppers, stir-fried wild rice stems, and a plate of steamed shrimps. That was fine, as they were all his favorites.
During the meal, Mu Nan told Qin Huai the news he heard from Jian Chu, but Qin Huai already knew about it: "This is the news that was released in the past two days. It should be planned by the higher-ups a long time ago. Recently, both food and water have attracted too much attention. The public's reaction has always been within the government's expectations. When it reaches a tense point, they will issue news that can divert public attention and ease this tense atmosphere."
After hearing what Qin Huai said, Mu Nan thought so too. Now people's focus is on food and water. If they can enter the city now, it means that they have an opportunity to get rich quickly. The government's recruitment can alleviate some of the employment pressure. Other people who want to get rich quickly will naturally be the first to go out to dig for gold and will no longer focus on the matters of this small piece of land.
No matter what can be earned in the city center, people's attention will immediately shift and will no longer be focused on food and water. Even if food is still insufficient and water is still scarce, at least there is still the goal of getting rich that can be pursued.
The fact that everyone can see the overall situation and control people's hearts shows that the officialdom is indeed very complicated.
Mu Nan peeled shrimps and asked Qin Huai, "Do you want to go?"
Qin Huai refused without hesitation: "I don't want to, I'm tired."
Hearing the same reason as his own, Mu Nan laughed out loud: "Let's change our names. You'll be Qin Xian, and I'll be Mu Yu. Together we'll be called the Salted Fish Brothers!"
Qin Huai picked up a piece of beef and put it in his bowl: "Eat more meat and fish."
Mu Nan fed the peeled shrimp to Qin Huai's mouth: "Eat more shrimp Qin Xian!"
After eating and drinking, the Salted Fish brothers took a quick shower and lay down on the sofa feeling refreshed. The older brother continued to work on his game data, while the younger brother slowly slid down on the sofa from leaning back to watch a movie, with one side of his face pressed on the pillow, drooling in his sleep.
Qin Huai took an ugly picture of him sleeping, then printed it out and pasted it on the sofa, the coffee table, and the pillow, making sure that Mu Nan could see it as soon as he woke up. The adult world is so childish and boring.
When Mu Nan woke up, there was another round of commotion. Life repeated itself over and over again, and every day was different.
Two days later, Wang Xiaoli rented a car and came to take the vegetables away. He also asked Qin Huai if he had any ideas about going to the city center.
Qin Huai shook his head directly: "I don't ask for great wealth and honor these days, it's enough for me to live in peace and have some food stored."
Wang Xiaoli couldn't help laughing when he heard this. To be honest, this was really not like the Qin Huai he knew. Even though he and Qin Huai were just ordinary classmates who sat in the same classroom and didn't even say a word to each other for ten days or half a month, Qin Huai was the kind of person who was still a legend even after ten years of graduation.
Needless to say, his appearance is outstanding. Among the ordinary people who are 1.7 meters tall, Qin Huai, who is already 1.80 meters tall in his second year of high school, definitely stands out from the crowd. His handsome eyes and eyebrows are even more beautiful than those of celebrities with filters. Of course, these are not the point. The point is that there are a few people who can earn more than 10,000 yuan a month in their first and second years of high school. This is just the money earned from selling study materials. He also won all the first place scholarships in other competitions, big and small. The scholarships from every major exam alone are quite a lot.
It is said that someone once made a rough calculation that the total amount of scholarships for junior high school competitions, various high school competitions, and the first place in each semester is about 300,000 or 400,000 yuan. Others speculate that with Qinhuai's annual test scores consistently above 740, if he is lucky enough to get the provincial top score in the college entrance examination in the future, the bonuses at the school, district, city and provincial levels, not to mention millions, would definitely be hundreds of thousands.
At that time, someone asked Qin Huai how he planned to spend so much money if he was really rewarded. Wang Xiaoli still remembered that he was collecting homework books at that time. He heard Qin Huai say that after the college entrance examination, he would go to the capital to pay a down payment for a house and then transfer his brother to another school. His words were full of confidence. He didn't think that he would not be able to get the top score in the college entrance examination, nor did he think that he could not afford the loan for a house in the capital, even though he was still just a student.
Such people, no matter what environment they are in, are not the kind of people who are satisfied with a little bit of stable status quo.
As a result, a person who is not lacking in ability but is still struggling with books, and who he probably has already planned for the next ten years, is now told that a little surplus food at home is enough.
It's not that this is bad, it's just that it makes people feel like someone who always gets full marks in exams suddenly only gets a passing score and is told that just passing is enough. The gap is too big, and it makes people feel uncomfortable for a moment.
Seeing that Qin Huai really had no idea at all, Wang Xiaoli naturally stopped talking. Everyone has their own aspirations. Others want to live an ordinary life, but he wants to take the opportunity to save more for his family or even start a career. Although they choose different paths, it does not prevent them from being friends.
Moreover, Wang Xiaoli really has to thank Qin Huai, because this time he was able to find a gold-mining team that could come up with the capital, all thanks to Qin Huai and his people. He hopes that one day in the future he will be able to repay this favor.
Knowing that Wang Xiaoli was also going to the city, Mu Nan couldn't help but sigh: "It's great to be young." He probably would never have the drive to fight for the future in his entire life.
Qin Huai glanced at the man who was only in his twenties but sounded like he was in his seventies or eighties: "Envy? I can also help you find your youth again."
Mu Nan: "Thank you for the invitation, I'll decline."
Qin Huai laughed, closed the door, and took Mu Nan upstairs: "Are you hungry?"
Mu Nan climbed the stairs two steps at a time: "Are you a feeding machine? You ask me at least three times a day. Or are you too idle, so you waste your energy in the kitchen?"
"I'll make food for you when you're hungry. Eat less snacks. Puffed foods, biscuits, and plums are not enough to fill your stomach."
Mu Nan was about to refute this: "Aren't they cookies? Then what are cookies for?"
Qin Huai put one hand on the back of his neck: "Did you have bloating in the past two days? It's because of eating these snacks. You better behave yourself for a few days, or I'll make you eat porridge and noodles for a week."
Mu Nan quickly smiled at him in a flattering manner and changed the subject: "Brother, if we don't have space, will you go to the city center?"
Qin Huai: "Yes, I don't want to spend too much time on my career, but the prerequisite is that I can guarantee our lives."
Mu Nan threw herself on Qin Huai's back and asked him to carry her upstairs, her feet still dangling: "Brother."
Qin Huai: “Hmm?”
Mu Nan hugged his neck and rested his chin on his shoulder: "It's okay, I just wanted to call you."
Qin Huai smiled when he heard that, and his naturally cold eyes and brows revealed a gentleness that he only showed to Mu Nan.
The gold rush to the city center really diverted everyone's attention. Almost all the vehicles that could be rented out in the residential area were rented out. The others who owned their own vehicles were all large and small forces. They were not that kind of forces, but just some people who had foresight before the end of the world.
The country's wealthy entrepreneurs who stood at the top of the pyramid gathered in the capital early, so the capital was also the fastest to be rebuilt after the earthquake. Whether it was scientific research, medicine or any other aspect, some other provinces and cities had some local wealthy businessmen. Those who were capable prepared some supplies in advance, and those who were far-sighted early on joined the country in the name of donations.
The earthquake happened unexpectedly. The first thing most people did after the earthquake was to collect supplies to accumulate capital for themselves, but some people handed over their supplies to the government just in the hope of getting corresponding benefits in the future.
Otherwise, an earthquake would have reshuffled most of the rich and poor classes. Why are there still people who are able to contract farms and buy land to build houses? These are just the exchanges of interests that were made with the government in the past.
Now these people have survived the initial difficulties and have gradually developed and have people in their hands, so when the city was unsealed, they became the first batch of gold diggers. This is why, whether in the past or now, the rich are getting richer, while it is so difficult for the poor to get rich, because the rich themselves have far more capital than the poor.
Those who are still struggling to make ends meet, even if they want to go into the city to pan for gold, can only watch helplessly because they have no car and no people. If Wang Xiaoli had not established connections with some small forces by helping Qin Huai sell those cabbages, Wang Xiaoli would not have been able to get this car.
As most people flocked to the city, the residential area that was chaotic a few days ago seemed to become quiet in an instant. Even at night, few people could be seen hanging around in the small square.
Jian Chu was pulling a small trailer, while Mu Nan got a scooter. He saw a private shop selling it in an online mall a few days ago. The price was not expensive, only about ten yuan, so he bought one. It was about 70% new, but not used by anyone. You could tell from the wheels that it had not been used much. It might have been dug out from the ruins a long time ago. There were a lot of scratches on the scooter, but everything else was in good condition. It was rare to see that there were not many people outside, so he took it and played with it while Jian Chu and the others were out for a walk and fetching water.
Seeing that there was no one outside, Song Jia specially brought Niu Niu out for a walk. Usually, they would go to the deserted river to take a walk, and go home immediately after five minutes, for fear of being spotted and causing trouble. Today was a good opportunity to let Niu Niu run outside.
Mu Nan played skateboarding when he was very young, and at first it was roller skates. He even took classes. The photo of him wearing cool gear and making a V sign to the camera when he was four or five years old is still in his photo album. Later he switched to skateboarding and stopped playing after his parents died unexpectedly.
After finding the feeling for a few minutes, she started to slide smoothly in the square. Niu Niu chased Mu Nan, her tongue hanging out and saliva dripping. Song Jia had to feed her water every once in a while. Although it was night, the temperature was still very high. It was okay to run for a while, but it was easy to get heatstroke if she ran for too long.
Qin Huai also followed slowly behind with a kettle, and occasionally when he saw Mu Nan rushing too fast, he would remind him to slow down.
Jian Chu pulled a small cart with buckets of water in it, looked at the scene of people running and dogs chasing in front of him, and said with a smile: "It's great to be carefree."
Qin Huai smiled silently when he heard this. He had already tasted the bitter fruit of all worries. The laughter he felt now was just the result of bitterness before sweetness.
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