Chapter 188
After the sandstorm, life did not experience any major changes. Except for the increasing drought, people were trying hard to move towards the end of the world. Although it might take another 10 to 20 years for them to return to their previous living standards, they had already adapted to the current alternation of cold and hot weather. With the government's orderly reconstruction, this residential area was becoming more and more complete, like a city.
After the snowless winter that year, the subway was officially opened. It was said that there were plans to build underground trains to connect to other cities underground. Once public transportation was restored, it would be a major step forward in the reconstruction and economic recovery of the entire country. However, the project was too large, especially in terms of geology, and site selection was a very difficult task.
But according to the news brought back by some trade convoys, the country has not completely closed its borders in recent years, and many national treasures in scientific research from our country or other countries have been rescued from the chaos of natural disasters and civil unrest in other countries. They are now secretly gathered together, as if they are building a refuge city built with the strength of the whole country.
As for where this city of refuge is, there are many opinions. Most people think that this city of refuge should be in the capital.
After all, the core strength of the country is in the capital. When supplies were scarce and food was insufficient in recent years, it was the capital that transported food to get through the most difficult period. The highest command and dispatch orders that every city obeys now are still issued from the capital, so everyone naturally thinks that the refuge city should be built in the most important place in the country.
But some people think that the refuge city may be built deep underground somewhere, and the climate environment on the ground is too harsh. Due to the geological environment of their country, there are not many volcanoes, so the difficulties they experienced after the earthquake were not only the natural climate, but also some landslides and tsunamis caused by the earthquake.
Other countries were swallowed up by volcanic magma in the blink of an eye, or became underwater civilizations, a destruction from which they had no chance of escape.
No one knows whether such things will happen again in the future, or whether the eruption of some volcanoes will cause a more difficult survival situation for mankind. It is better to avoid land and build the refuge city directly underground. At least underground can avoid extreme heat and cold.
Some people even have the wild idea that maybe the refuge city is built on the seabed, just like the scenes in those science fiction movies, where there is a huge technology city on the seabed with a high-tech protective shield. In this way, even if the glaciers melt and the seawater flows back in the future, they are already on the seabed, so there is no need to worry.
Until there is any confirmed news from the official announcement, all speculations can only be speculations.
But perhaps there are too many seemingly plausible messages being passed on, and these rumors all have one central point, which is that the country is devoting everything to the construction of shelters. Perhaps they know in their hearts that no matter how difficult the environment is, no matter how many terrorist remarks there are about the future, the country's strength is still there, so people have not given up hope of survival.
Because the government has been conveying this awareness to the people, no matter how difficult life is, those who are still alive will not give up easily.
The snowless winter of that year was the beginning of an extreme drought. At first, people were still looking forward to snow, but when the temperature dropped to 50 or 60 degrees and there was still no snow, many people gave up hope and turned their attention to the ice outside, the ice on the ground, the ice on the walls, the ice on the wires, as long as it was ice, they would collect all that could be accumulated.
The melted water cannot be used for drinking, but at least it can be used for bathing and washing clothes.
That's how they survived the winter of that year, but in the summer, without the low temperature to freeze, using water became even more difficult. They even built public toilets in every community to prevent many people from having no water at home. This also facilitated the secondary utilization of waste, although it was very painful for people to go to the toilet.
Moreover, there are many mosquitoes in the summer, which further increases the infection rate. Fortunately, the production of anthelmintics has increased. People with jobs will receive them regularly from their work units, and unemployed people can purchase them according to the quota with their ID cards.
But even so, many people still die from parasitic infections every year. Some people think they are lucky or don't go out, so they sell their medicine quota. When they need medicine, they can't buy it and can only wait to die.
Over the past three years, people's lives have become increasingly difficult due to water shortage. Many sanitary conditions cannot be met and more and more people are getting sick.
Many people couldn't stand such an environment and believed all the comments on the Internet, so they fled to the capital, thinking that by going to the capital, they would have hope of survival.
Some people left, and naturally some came. The original coastal cities were submerged one after another, and people had to migrate upstream. Some chose to pass by here, and some chose to stay temporarily.
In fact, compared with many provinces and cities, the living conditions here are considered to be very suitable for living. It is not too far to the north, so the water supply is barely enough for survival. It is not too far to the south, and the areas to the south have now become a vast ocean.
The water they use now is not only groundwater, but also seawater transported from coastal cities in winter.
In winter, the seawater freezes, and the ice is fresh water that can be used directly. In addition to the low temperature climate conditions, the cost of water is not too high, so people are busy storing water throughout the winter. Unfortunately, as the winter months are getting shorter and shorter, the storage volume of a few months cannot supply the hot weather for a whole year, so water is still in short supply. The wells that Qin Huai and his team spent a lot of money to build have also played a powerful role in this difficult drought period. Although the groundwater is getting less and less as the government machines extract it, they can still accumulate a few buckets of water every day, which is barely enough to ensure the family's food, drink and washing. At least in the three years of drought, they did not suffer too much because of water use.
Jian Chu's noodle shop has been unable to sell noodles since last year because of water problems. Even the water they can draw from their own well is not enough, so how can they sell soupy noodles? So Jian Chu changed the noodle shop into a steamed bun shop, selling steamed buns and kang cakes. The business is not too good and they can barely make a living.
He is not the only one selling food here. The only advantage is the price. Mu Nan has been growing vegetables, raising rabbits and chickens at home. Batches of rabbits grow up and chicks mature. The accumulated eggs, chicken and rabbit meat are basically sold to them at cost price. Therefore, the price for selling outside cannot be compared with other stores.
However, these businesses will gradually stop now, and Qin Huai told them that they should prepare to leave.
But when they were planning to leave, something happened that everyone knew would happen one day but didn't want to happen: Niu Niu got older and it was time.
In fact, Song Jia has had a premonition these days that Niu Niu is very old, almost thirteen years old.
Life has been hard these years, and Niu Niu has suffered as a result. There is no nutritious dog food, no supplements to build up bones and hair, no calcium tablets, no health products to protect the heart and joints, nothing at all. She always eats rice and steamed buns, and because of the bad environment, she has to be kept at home most of the time, and it is considered good enough if she can run in the yard occasionally.
It is really not easy to live to the age of thirteen without suffering any serious illness.
Seeing Niu Niu suddenly losing her appetite and lying on the ground without the strength to move, Song Jia hurriedly called Xu Ming. As Xu Ming shook his head gently, Song Jia had to accept this fact that no one wanted to face.
Niu Niu, who is very human, probably knows that her time is up. Although she is reluctant, she still licks Song Jia's palm with her tongue to comfort him silently, staring at her master without blinking, as if she wants to take a closer look at the person she loves most while she still has the strength to do so.
Mu Nan made a small cake with chicken, shaped it into meat paste, and inserted small candles with the words "Thirteen Years Old" on it. Although Niu Niu's thirteenth birthday is still two months away, they want to celebrate it for Niu Niu in advance.
Niu Niu has been completely unable to eat for the past two days. Xu Ming said that it was because of her old age and the dog's heart can no longer bear the burden. Every breath is difficult and painful, let alone eating.
But when she saw the birthday cake and heard her owner singing the birthday song while crying, Niu Niu climbed up tremblingly, stuck out her tongue, rolled up two mouthfuls of chicken paste and put them into her mouth.
Mu Nan couldn't stand such a scene. He was afraid to see Niu Niu close her eyes, so after watching Niu Niu eat two bites of chicken cake and then lie on the ground again without strength, he hid on the balcony.
Qin Huai gently pinched the back of his neck and sighed softly: "Their lifespan is only so long, there is nothing we can do about it. Niuniu is already very happy. In such a world, she can still accompany her master for so many years and has never been abandoned. She has no regrets."
Mu Nan hugged Qin Huai and couldn't help crying: "I can't bear it, wuuuu..."
Qin Huai patted his back: "Okay, okay, don't cry anymore. Your eyes will get swollen if you cry any more."
However, Qin Huai's comfort did not work, because Song Jia burst into tears from inside the house, causing Mu Nan to hug Qin Huai and cry miserably. This was the first time in so many years that Mu Nan cried to the point of sobbing.
Although Niu Niu is not his dog, she has followed him closely since the first time she was put in his house. Later, she would throw herself on him and get close to him when she saw him. He has bathed Niu Niu, secretly fed her dried meat, and taught her to make chicken cake. After so many years of getting along, they have a lot of feelings for each other.
How could I bear the sudden loss of a little life by my side?
Because Niu Niu's condition had been unwell two days ago, they were more or less mentally prepared. Wu Zheng even asked about the cremation in advance. They couldn't bury Niu Niu anywhere, so they might as well spend money to cremate her. Song Jia also wanted to keep some of Niu Niu's ashes and seal them in a pendant to accompany him forever.
Xiao Zhu, who is already in school this year, found out after school that Niuniu was gone. He cried while holding Niuniu's body, which no longer had any temperature. His mother and uncle couldn't stop him, and in the end Cai Wentao forcibly took Xiao Zhu away.
Xiao Zhu hugged her uncle’s neck and cried so hard that she couldn’t catch her breath: “Wuuu… From now on, I will call Niu Niu, but Niu Niu will never, ever run towards me again, wuuu…”
Niu Niu was cremated, and Song Jia collected Niu Niu's ashes in a palm-sized bottle. The atmosphere in the whole courtyard was gloomy for several days, but they did not have much time to be depressed because they had to start preparing to leave.
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