Chapter 65
The Zhang family did come here to discuss exchanging the house with Daniu. They had exchanged houses with Daniu to save trouble and to make it easier to escape in case of an emergency. In particular, Daniu's family had three bedrooms and one living room, and it was too big for them as they were just a couple. The Zhang family had four people, and it would be too crowded to live in a two-bedroom house. Coincidentally, both parties had this intention, so the exchange went smoothly.
But now the plague has broken out, people are dying outside every day, and the residents on the lower floors are surrounded by the stench almost every day even if they close the doors and windows. What's more, because of the collapse everywhere, the low floors like theirs are blocked by all kinds of ruins. The sultry temperature, the rotten smell, and the air that cannot circulate on the low floors caused by the ruins have all become fatal factors for the low floors. So they want to return to their homes, the 17th floor. If nothing else, the surrounding area is open and unobstructed, and the natural wind can dispel the surrounding stench. Once the doors and windows are closed, it is much easier to endure than living downstairs.
But how could the person who got up here easily go down? He had worked so hard to climb up by carrying the luggage. Now that the elevator is powered on and the thresholds of the high floors have been leveled, allowing him to come up easily, it would not be possible for him to get back here.
Daniu stood at the door of his house, looking at the Zhang family members with a dissatisfied expression and a hint of ferocity: "This is not the way to do things. We agreed to exchange houses at the beginning. We even wrote an agreement. I will exchange my three-bedroom apartment for your two-bedroom apartment. You carried so many things up here. Now the elevator is powered on. You want to come back? It's not that easy."
Zhang Yi is a coward. He has lived under the pressure of his father since he was a child, which makes him have almost no opinions of his own. After his father died, as a man, he should have been the head of the family. However, because of his overly cowardly character, he is always controlled by his mother who has gradually become strong after his father's death. His wife was also chosen by his parents and has a gentle character. Therefore, in the current Zhang family, no one can refute what Grandma Zhang has decided.
It was she who had said earlier that she wanted to change houses. Due to the shadow of the previous earthquake, Mrs. Zhang always felt that it was safer to live lower down. If this earthquake or fire happened again, it would be unrealistic to run down from the 17th floor. Just because their building did not collapse last time did not mean it would be safe again. If she lived lower down, her chances of escape would be greater. Plus, with her old arms and legs, climbing to the 17th floor was simply impossible for her. When she met a big shot who was interested in changing houses, and his house was bigger than hers, Mrs. Zhang felt that she had taken advantage of him. She was even afraid that the other party would regret it later, so she took the initiative to sign an agreement.
Now that he knows it's better to live upstairs, he regrets it and wants to come back and get the house back. However, Zhang Yi thinks this is unlikely and that Daniu looks like someone who is not easy to mess with. He wants his mother to mind her own business and not cause any more trouble since they have already moved the house and shouldn't cause any more trouble. But he can't be persuaded. Or he said "forget it" and his mother yelled at him and he never spoke again.
Of course, there are definitely no legal documents now. There are just two pieces of paper with the intention to exchange houses written down and signed by each other as evidence of voluntary consent, but it certainly has no legal effect. It was because of this that Mrs. Zhang went back on her word and came up. The house was hers, so why couldn't she take it back? Moreover, when she came up, she found that anti-theft doors were installed on both sides of the stairs. If one more door was installed at this time, the security would be greatly guaranteed. If she had known what would happen, she would never have exchanged houses with anyone else.
But they can play the sympathy card. They don't want to offend anyone. After all, this big bull looks very fierce. If they offend him, they don't know how he will retaliate. So Mrs. Zhang wiped her tears and cried, "Young man, please be considerate of us old people. We didn't expect the environment downstairs to be like that before. It's not because of anything else. There are too many people coming in and out. The floors are low. We are always worried when someone passes by the door every day. Look at our family of old, weak, women and children. If someone really robs our door, it will be a matter of life and death. You are strong and healthy. People living there may not even dare to open the door. Big Bull, please come back with us. We will give you more food, okay?"
In fact, it doesn't matter to Daniu where he lives, but the premise is that if he is alone, but he is with his wife, so naturally the farther away from the danger zone the better, so he doesn't agree to change back at all. He directly blocks the door with one hand, and his arm muscles are deliberately tense. His expression becomes more and more ferocious as he looks at the Zhang family members: "Impossible! Since you have changed, there is no reason to change back. I warn you not to entangle, otherwise I will make you pay for it!"
After saying that, he slammed the door shut, mercilessly locking the Zhang family members out. But after the door was closed, he thought about it, reopened the door, looked at the people at the door who hadn't reacted yet, and warned again: "Stay away from my house, if you dare to make a scene at the door, I will throw you down from the 17th floor one by one. Anyway, there are so many people who can't survive now, it's not impossible for the whole family to jump off the building!"
These words really frightened the Zhang family members, mainly because Da Niu was very tall and strong, with a fierce expression. He didn't look like someone who would use soft power. Old Mrs. Zhang was almost frightened to death.
Zhang Yi hurriedly supported his mother, but was slapped by Old Lady Zhang: "You are useless! Your house was robbed and you kept silent! Why did I give birth to such a useless thing like you? Poor my grandson, what a sin! Why did you leave, leaving us orphans and widows? What are we going to do in the future!"
Zhang Yi's wife was not very courageous. After being frightened by Daniu just now and hearing her mother-in-law crying, she quickly pulled her mother-in-law and said, "He just said that if we make a scene at the door, he will throw us all down. Mother-in-law, please stop making a scene. Let's go down."
Old Mrs. Zhang glared at her daughter-in-law, then looked at her little grandson who had been tortured beyond recognition by a series of misfortunes. She made up her mind and decided to find another way to get the house back. She could live anywhere, but her only grandson couldn't suffer with them. The environment downstairs was too bad. Some people threw domestic garbage directly into the corridor. Even with the doors and windows closed, they could smell a foul odor. Some people even used the platforms on the first and second floors as toilets. The mosquitoes were infested and it was a disaster. It was not as clean as upstairs. No matter what, this house must be taken back!
After the Zhang family members went down, Mu Nan, who was peeking out through the peephole of the iron gate, returned to the house. "I thought there would be a commotion, but I didn't expect that the family would go down after that big guy said a few harsh words. Hey, brother, do you think we can use something to block the elevator? The elevator is powered on, and anyone can get up."
Qin Huai said, "I still have two large cabinets over there. Just move them out and block them."
Mu Nan: "Then I should put it into the space first, and then release it?"
Qin Huai said, "No, moving out without making any noise may not make people think too much, but it is still a bit strange. You stay at home, I will go call Yu Zibai over."
Mu Nan: "I'll help too. The two big wardrobes in your house are super heavy. They are made of solid wood that grandma ordered."
The big wardrobe was an old-style carved one, and it was quite old. The wood used was all good wood, but now the paint seemed to be peeling off, and it looked old and shabby. Mu Nan had thought before that when he left here in the future, he would put all the furniture of the Qin Huai family into the space, and also dismantle some of his own cabinets, which were all made of wood. If he ran out of resources one day, he could chop these things up and use them to make a fire for heating.
Yu Zibai and Jian Chu came over soon. The elevator was usable. They did not feel safe on this floor anymore. Anyway, they would not go out unless there was something important. The food at home could last at least one or two months, but they should save water as much as possible. Fortunately, they had moved several large barrels of water from upstairs and exchanged some at the military headquarters. A barrel of water could be used every ten days or half a month, which could last for a while. So it would be best if they could block the elevator.
Qin Huai's wardrobe was really heavy. In order to avoid making harsh noises when moving on the ground, it had to be lifted up and moved out. Four people put in a lot of effort to carry it.
They were probably making too much noise outside, so the big guy in the house came out to check on them. When he saw that they were trying to block the elevator, he immediately came over to help: "I'll do it, I'll do it, you guys have skinny arms and legs."
Da Niu is strong, so with him helping to carry, Mu Nan and Jian Chu gave up their seats. Instead of occupying the seats and not being able to contribute, it is better to give Da Niu more space to play. After the elevators on both sides were blocked, Da Niu patted the dust on his hands and said, "It's good now. If you want to get out of the elevator, you have to move the wardrobe. You don't have to worry about someone sneaking up quietly. This wardrobe is made of good materials and solid workmanship. It looks like it has been around for many years."
Qin Huai hummed, but didn't say much: "That's it, at least I can sleep well during the day, let's go into the house first."
Yu Zibai smiled and said to Daniu, "Thank you for your help. Otherwise, it would take a lot of effort for just a few of us to lift such a heavy wardrobe."
Daniu laughed and said, "That's nothing. This floor is safe and we can live in peace."
After returning to the house, Mu Nan immediately said to Qin Huai: "That big bull looks so fierce, with well-developed muscles. It feels like he can kill a person with one punch."
Qin Huai said: "People should be good people."
Mu Nan wiped his sweat with a wet tissue: "How do you know? How did you see it?"
Qin Huai: "As for his eyes, there is nothing calculating about them. He is quite open when he looks at people. He may not be a very good person, but he is not a bad person either. He is the typical person who will not offend you if you don't offend me."
Mu Nan: "This kind of person can be considered a good person. You should know that there are many people who are sinister and evil. They look like good guys at ordinary times, but they do bad things to you behind your back. They are the kind of people who can't get any benefits themselves, but they still want to do bad things to make you suffer heavy losses!"
Qin Huai didn't let Mu Nan wipe his sweat and sit under the air conditioner. Instead, he used a towel to wipe the place where the wet tissue had just wiped, absorbing some of the remaining sweat beads: "Have you encountered this?"
Mu Nan: "No, it's disgusting. When I was drawing comics, there were some comic friends I would chat with, and there were such villains among them! They would be friends with you on the surface, but secretly report you!"
Qin Huai: "Report what?"
Mu Nan almost blurted out what else to report. Of course, report the pornographic comics that skirt the line, but it seems that this matter cannot be said in front of the head of the family, so he said vaguely: "Just report you for skirting the line of some more restricted topics."
Qin Huai followed up on his words and asked, "What topics are restricted?"
Mu Nan hummed: "It's just the age difference, we're underage, and there's a household registration book, these are all restrictions."
Although Mu Nan's words were vague, Qin Huai understood what he meant, so he pinched his face and said, "Have you ever drawn something like this? Is this considered driving by an experienced driver?"
Mu Nan looked at him with an expression that said, "So you are this kind of Qin Huai." "You are so understanding."
Qin Huai chuckled: "Not as good as you."
Fortunately, the internet was down now. Mu Nan refused Qin Huai's attempt to dig up the past on the grounds that the comics he had published before were not archived. Such large-scale paintings were not suitable to be shown to parents. Seeing Qin Huai's meaningful eyes, Mu Nan reflected on himself, wondering why he was talking like that for no reason.
Seeing that the child would become autistic if he continued this topic, Qin Huai let him go and asked, "What do you want to eat?"
Mu Nan immediately jumped back on the bed to get the menu: "You choose, or do you want me to eat whatever page I turn to?"
Qin Huai: "Turn it over and see what our blind box lunch is."
Mu Nan closed his eyes and said, "Roast chicken!"
Qin Huai: "Then let's eat roast chicken. Is it a small chicken or a big chicken?" If it's a small chicken, it might not be enough for two people.
Mu Nan took out a honey-roasted chicken from the space. It wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. However, it wasn't enough for two people, so he took out a box of fruit salad and a plate of vegetables. "Brother, do you want to drink or eat?"
Qin Huai looked at his sparkling eyes and said, "Let's drink beer. Bring out some fried rice and we'll have half each."
Mu Nan took out some drinks, beer and fried rice from the space, as well as a portion of cold edamame and a box of stir-fried potato shreds, which were all appetizers.
This time, Mu Nan didn't play his anime. How could he watch his favorites every time? So he found a foreign movie, a classic action movie, and pointed at Dwayne Johnson in it: "Brother, if you have this physique, you can walk sideways in the whole neighborhood!"
Qin Huai smiled and said, "This kind of physique would have no aesthetic appeal on an Asian face. Do you like this kind?"
Mu Nan's eyes were full of envy: "I want to be like this."
Qin Huai glanced at his small body and said mercilessly: "Then you can only think about it for the rest of your life."
Mu Nan immediately turned his grief and anger into appetite and took a big bite of the chicken leg!
The Zhang family's determination to not give up was reflected on the next day. However, when they came up again the next day, they brought two soldiers with them. When the elevator door opened, the two soldiers were stunned when they saw the large cabinet blocking the door. However, they thought in their hearts that the protective awareness of this floor was really strong. With this blockade, they did feel safe.
The Zhang family didn't expect that they were able to pass through unimpeded yesterday, but were blocked today. This must be done by Daniu's family, probably to prevent them from coming up. So they immediately looked at the two soldiers with red eyes: "We've been stopped, we really can't go home!"
Two soldiers stepped forward and worked together to move the wardrobe open to create a gap for someone to pass through. The noise outside quickly attracted the attention of several residents. Qin Huai looked outside through the peephole in the security door and smiled. Mu Nan squeezed over to peek and whispered, "What are they doing? Two soldiers? Are they looking for soldiers to help them rob the house?"
Qin Huai said: "I guess so. There is also the possibility of turning the tables."
Mu Nan clicked his tongue twice: "That's too much."
When Daniu opened the door, he saw two soldiers and the old lady of the Zhang family with her grandson. Her son and daughter-in-law didn't see them, but they realized what the Zhang family was up to almost instantly, so they said, "The exchange of houses was agreed upon by both parties. Before, the elevator had no power, so we climbed up to the 17th floor with our luggage. Now that the elevator has power, we don't have to climb the stairs anymore, and they want to take back their own house. Are they taking advantage of all this good stuff?"
The soldier turned to look at Mrs. Zhang, who shook her head quickly. It would be a shame if she didn't win an Oscar for her acting skills. "He said that we have a large family and living together is more likely to get sick. There are only two of them but three rooms. He said he wanted to switch with us. I didn't understand, but I thought what he said made sense, so I switched. But I didn't expect the conditions downstairs were like that. I just wanted to go back to my own home. I don't want a big house, I want my own small house. You have to help me!"
What he said implicitly implied that the big shot had deceived the old woman. However, she was an old woman in her seventies, whose husband had passed away recently and who had suffered one disaster after another. She had taken good care of herself before, but now had white hair, looked haggard and old, and looked older than her actual age. It was not impossible that she was deceived because of her old age.
Daniu quickly took out the agreement he had signed earlier: "It's written in black and white that this is a voluntary exchange, and you were the one who took the initiative to ask me to exchange houses, how come I have to ask you now!"
Old lady Zhang protected her grandson and hid behind the soldier, seeming to be afraid that this big shot would take action directly: "If you ask me to sign, I will sign. What do you say about giving me security and making me feel at ease? How would I know? I don't understand."
Mu Nan, who was hiding behind the security door, was amazed: "Wow, this is the first time I've seen a live performance, and it was so vivid and natural. It's a waste of talent for Zhang Nan not to go into the film and television industry."
Qin Huai touched someone who was enjoying the show: "In reality, everyone is an acting expert as long as it is profitable."
The two soldiers had never dealt with such a family affair where both parties had different opinions. They thought that someone had forcibly occupied the old man's house. In that case, the occupier would be taken away directly. But now, it seems that is not the case. However, Mr. Niu's appearance is really a disadvantage. An old man and a rough and unruly man, put them together, anyone would think that the old man's house was forcibly occupied, and he was even deceived into signing some kind of house exchange agreement.
At this time, a thin woman came out of the house, looked at the group of people outside, reached out and pulled her husband, and said softly: "Forget it, let's go down and stop arguing."
When Mrs. Zhang heard the woman say this, her eyes lit up.
But Daniu was a man who would not swallow his anger. But facing his wife, he still spoke softly: "You go into the house first, I will take care of this matter."
The woman looked at her husband hesitantly, and under his repeated urging, she had no choice but to go into the house.
Daniu said, "I will never take advantage of you. You can't let someone take advantage of you. It was this old woman who found me and said she wanted to change the house. She was afraid that I would regret it, so she took the initiative to sign an agreement with me. This agreement was written by someone in her family. She also has a son and a daughter-in-law. The four of them live together. She is old and confused, and her son and his wife are also old and confused. If I really want to force them to change the house, why didn't I find you before? Now that the elevator is open and I don't have to climb the stairs, I will find you now?"
The soldier was just about to say that the two families should go to the military headquarters together to talk this out. They didn't have that much time to waste on such things. The situation outside was already overwhelming, and they were racing against time to clean up the corpses and prevent the plague. How could they have that much time to deal with these trivial matters?
As a result, a family living next door to them opened the door and said directly: "They came up to make a scene yesterday and said they regretted it. If they had known the situation down there would be like this, they would not have changed it. I don't think they were forced at all. It was very voluntary. But the change has already been made. They worked hard to climb up. Now the elevator can be used. How can they not change it? I'm afraid no one wants to suffer this loss."
The person who spoke was Jian Chu. He watched everything from beginning to end yesterday. It was clear that the change of house was a voluntary act by both parties. Even if this old lady was shrewd, she couldn't be schemed. If there was no profit to be gained, she would not do it in the first place. Even if she was shrewd, she was only a little shrewd and only saw the immediate benefits.
Old Lady Zhang didn't expect that someone would show up to trouble the soldiers, so she quickly said to the two soldiers, "Don't believe what he says. They had a fight when I was still alive, and the old grudges are deep!"
Jian Chu sneered: "I swear that if I tell even a single lie, I will die a miserable death. Do you dare to swear that if you tell even a single lie, your grandson will die a miserable death?"
Although she knew that oaths were empty and illusory, she would not dare to swear an oath to the person she cared about the most, even if it was a false oath. What's more, her grandson was the lifeblood of the Zhang family. She would feel heartbroken if he got hurt. How could she dare to swear such a vicious oath?
Old lady Zhang rushed over and tried to pounce on Jian Chu, but Jian Chu was standing at the door of his house. He stepped inside and closed the door, so the old lady missed.
After Mrs. Zhang's attack failed, Jian Chu opened the door again, leaned forward and said to the two soldiers, "Don't assume that the weaker one will suffer just because of a big and strong man and an old and weak woman or child!" After that, he closed the door with a snap.
Mu Nan was eager to open the door, but he looked at Qin Huai, who said, "Do whatever you want."
Mu Nan chuckled, then opened the iron gate and shouted, "I'm reporting it! They came up here yesterday to make a scene, saying that if they had known they wouldn't have changed it, they shouldn't have coveted someone else's three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment!"
After saying that, he slammed the door shut just like Jian Chu did, fearing that Old Lady Zhang would come up and scratch her.
Old Mrs. Zhang was shaking with anger. Jian Chu had a grudge against her family, so it was normal for him to take advantage of her misfortune when he got the chance. But Mu Nan was the child she had watched grow up. He always came to her house to eat snacks when he was a child. How could he be so confused about right and wrong?
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