Chapter 72
If stuffing himself with food could divert Mu Nan's attention, Qin Huai would naturally let him do it until he was so full that he could not eat anymore. Then he pulled away his hand that had been covering his mouth, wiped his hand with a tissue, and swallowed the last piece of food in his mouth, which he was not sure whether it was crispy meat or fried pork belly strips. He almost burped from being so full.
After feeding Qin Huai, I was in a slightly better mood when I suddenly heard Jian Chu say, "I think I smell meat?"
Mu Nan froze and subconsciously looked at Qin Huai. He had stuffed it directly into his mouth, even through a mask. It wasn't something with a strong smell, so how could he smell it?
Yu Zibai took out a backpack from the trailer and unzipped it while saying, "Are you hungry? Eat something."
Jian Chu shook his head: "I won't eat anymore. I haven't digested the pot cake I just ate. It's hard and it makes my stomach uncomfortable." He calculated the strength of his teeth, but not his digestive ability.
Yu Zibai said, "Drink some water. It looks like we won't be traveling any further today. It's a good time to take a rest."
Qin Huai wiped Mu Nan's hand several times, then held it under his nose and sniffed it. He only smelled the smell of wet wipes, without any smell of food. Then he let him go: "Go to sleep for a while, I'll call you if we need to leave."
Mu Nan nodded, and Qin Huai took out a large mat that had been used at home from the trailer. He asked Jian Chu and Yu Zibai to stand up and put the mat on the ground, with half of it covering their backs. This would prevent some small insects or rats or cockroaches from crawling out of the cracks in the ruins behind them and biting them unexpectedly. They could just sleep on the remaining half of the mat to avoid dirtying their bodies that had just been wiped clean.
Seeing Qin Huai taking out the insect repellent from his bag, Mu Nan couldn't help but ask Jian Chu, "Do you have a particularly sensitive nose?"
Jian Chu nodded: "Yes, my sense of smell is very developed. During the smog period, whenever you started a fire, I suffered a lot."
Mu Nan exclaimed.
Jian Chu sighed, "You don't know how poor we were back then. We couldn't afford meat, and we had to struggle for a long time before placing an order for vegetables. We had to eat vegetables worth less than a hundred yuan for a week. What could a hundred yuan buy back then? A pound of radish and a handful of green leafy vegetables cost almost a hundred yuan. We lived frugally every day. It would have been fine if we couldn't smell or see this, but your family cooked shrimps today, stewed bone soup tomorrow, and even had hot pot, right? You've eaten hot pot at home, right? The spicy smell of the beef oil pot in the middle of the night made me so hungry that I was vomiting. Every night I was so hungry that I had to eat a bowl of plain noodles to fall asleep, and they didn't even put a tomato in the noodles. Tell me, am I miserable?"
Mu Nan nodded: "That's too bad. If I had known you so well back then, I would have invited you to come over and eat together often."
Jian Chu smiled and said, "I can see that if your brother hadn't come back, you wouldn't have gotten to know us. Even though your brother doesn't seem to talk much, he's much better at making friends than you are. You seem to be easy to get along with, but unless others take the initiative and are not discouraged by your initial indifference, you won't be able to make friends."
Mu Nan smiled awkwardly. He was not good at, or did not like, making friends. He felt that maintaining a relationship required dedication. There was no such thing as a relationship that would appear when you needed it and be left alone when you did not. However, the process of maintaining a relationship was a bit like socializing for him. He felt very tired and just wanted to live in his own world. But now, following Qin Huai and getting familiar with Jian Chu and the others, he felt that making friends was not as troublesome as he had imagined.
Qin Huai held a bottle of insect repellent and said to him, "Close your eyes and hold your breath."
The two of them quickly closed their eyes, and then they were sprayed from head to toe. After spraying the front, Qin Huai asked them to turn around and sprayed their backs. After the two of them were finished, Mu Nan asked Yu Zibai and Qin Huai to stand together and sprayed them from head to toe again. Fortunately, the insect repellent smelled good, with a minty smell. After spraying it, they felt more at ease when sleeping.
Jian Chu felt a little distressed when he saw that half a bottle of insect repellent was gone in just a short time. "You used it too quickly. Spray less next time."
Mu Nan said, "We can't save it. If we get bit by bugs, we'll be done for. I still have a few bottles left. It should be enough to get us to the university town. I just don't know what the situation is like there."
Jian Chu was also a little melancholy: "I hope it's better than here. After all, there are fewer people there. I just don't know how long it will take before I can move into the house and sleep on the bed. The bed should be gone. Where can I dig out furniture at this time? I don't know how long it will take for these things to be produced again."
Mu Nan lay on the mat and said, "Let's take it one day at a time."
Qin Huai placed a small rechargeable fan next to Mu Nan: "You go to sleep, I'll go check on the situation over there."
Mu Nan pulled him: "The protective suit is not dry yet."
Qin Huai said: "It's okay, you don't need to wear protective clothing for the time being after spraying the insect repellent. I'll go find Shi Yuanfei to ask about the situation and I'll be back soon."
Mu Nan then let go: "Stay away from those who have been bitten."
Qin Huai nodded, watched Mu Nan lie down again, and then walked towards Shi Yuanfei.
Shi Yuanfei had not expected such a thing to happen suddenly. He was completely anxious. When he set out, he did not think that more than 300 people would be able to reach the university town safely. There would definitely be some casualties on the way. After all, they had to pass through many ruins. The physical strength along the way, the emergency test in this environment, and even the physical fitness to resist the virus were all very important. If any link was weak, they might not be able to hold on to the end.
Therefore, the first batch of people they selected who were willing to migrate in the first wave were all in good physical condition. People like Qin Huai's younger brother Mu Nan were directly eliminated. If it weren't for Qin Huai, they would never have taken such a thin body to go in the first batch. However, they had expected everything, but they didn't expect that they would be attacked by rats.
Seeing Qin Huai coming over, not yet wearing the protective suit, Shi Yuanfei asked in a hoarse voice: "How are you? Did you bite the protective suit?"
Qin Huai: "The protective suit blocked it. It's okay. Should we stop here today?"
Shi Yuanfei nodded: "We have no choice but to stop. Those who were bitten don't seem to have any problems for the time being. Many of them bumped into each other in the chaos. The worst one fell to the ground with his thigh pierced. He can't walk anymore. It's good that you reacted quickly and thought of using fire at that time."
Qin Huai frowned slightly: "What are you going to do next?"
Shi Yuanfei said, "I was thinking that there must be many people who want to back out. Those who don't want to go on will probably die on the road if they are forced. So let's just stop here. They should remember the way they came and walk back to the camp by themselves. For those who are too seriously injured to walk, I plan to leave two soldiers to take them back to the camp. The rest can go together if they are willing. It's all up to them whether to continue or go back."
Qin Huai nodded: "Then let's rest first, and let me know if there is anything else."
Shi Yuanfei sighed. He had been in the army for so many years, experiencing all kinds of dangerous scenarios, repeated field exercises, and had done many missions on the edge of danger. However, he had never imagined that one day, this kind of constant crisis and death would become the norm in life. Looking at those people sitting on the ground with dejected expressions or groaning in pain, his heart felt so heavy that he could hardly breathe.
Qin Huai came back, and Mu Nan felt relieved. He lay on the ground and put his hand on Qin Huai. Seeing Qin Huai sitting, he turned his head to look at him: "Aren't you going to sleep?"
Qin Huai said: "It's still early, you go to sleep, I'll stay for a while."
Mu Nan lay down again and muttered, "I can't sleep either. It feels like I just got up and fell asleep again."
Qin Huai stretched out his hand and gently stroked the back of his neck. As a result, the man who had just said he couldn't sleep fell asleep all of a sudden.
Jian Chu, who was standing by, laughed and couldn't help but give Qin Huai a thumbs up. He really had a way to deal with his younger brother. It was obvious at a glance that he was his real brother.
Xu Ming came back in the second half of the night. Not all of the team of more than 300 people were attacked by rats. The most ferocious attack came from the group in front of them. Those in the middle were slightly affected. Some were frightened by some rats that suddenly ran out. Those walking at the back only saw a few scattered rats crawling on the ground. They were frightened by the sudden burst of terrified shouts and cries from the people in front. However, the injuries they suffered from knocking and falling in panic were more serious than those bitten by rats. Some had broken bones, some were cut by sharp objects and needed stitches, and there was a wound that went directly through the thigh, which was pierced by a spiral steel bar, the other end of which was still connected to the concrete wall. At this time, they had no tools or anesthetics, and the surgical knives they brought were not enough to deal with such a big scene.
The other end of the steel bar was connected to the wall, so it was impossible to lift both the person and the wall back together. If it was not dealt with quickly, it was not known whether he would get infected and die, but he would definitely die from excessive blood loss. Unfortunately, the steel bar was spiral-shaped, so in the end there was really no other way but to rely on brute force to pull the steel bar out of the man's leg.
Mu Nan was awakened by this terrifying scream, the sound was so tragic that even Qin Huai's hands covering his ears could not block it.
It was impossible to fall asleep again immediately after being awakened. Mu Nan got up and looked at the time. It was past three in the morning. It had just gotten dark when they encountered the rats. It seemed to be past eleven o'clock. They were busy and bustling for a while, which meant that he probably only slept for two or three hours.
He stretched so lazily that his bones crackled, and the first thing he asked was if Qin Huai was hungry.
Qin Huai looked at him with amusement: "Are you my feeding machine?"
Mu Nan also laughed: "Isn't it your feeding machine?" Then he came close to him and asked in a low voice: "Is there anything you want to eat? Do you want something to drink?" He had opened some beer and drinks before, and inserted straws into them before putting them into the space, so that he could quickly drink a sip or two when hiding from people.
Qin Huai shook his head. Seeing that Yu Zibai and Jian Chu were also awakened by the scream, he said, "Eat something now that you're awake. Brother Xu just came over and brought us our naan."
Jane Chu wailed, "I feel like my stomach is rejecting it."
Yu Zibai comforted them, "It's good enough that we have something to eat now, just hold on for a while." As for the future, if production cannot be resumed, I really don't know what humans can eat. They are not close to the mountains or the sea, and they are surrounded by a pile of cold steel. I'm afraid there will be no wild vegetables to dig.
Qin Huai said: "Let's cook some noodles. Those who can eat naan can eat naan, and those who can't eat can eat noodles."
Yu Zibai took out a large pack of mushroom-flavored instant noodles from his bag: "Do you have any kimchi soup? I don't think they want to eat mushrooms. Separate the noodles from the seasoning. The seasoning can be used to make soup later." Qin Huai did not refuse. Although he knew that Jian Chu and the others did not have much food, he was willing to give it to them. He would not let them starve to death along the way: "Two packs of noodles will be enough. Put the rest aside. They eat noodles and we eat naan."
Yu Zibai nodded, and Jian Chu quickly said, "Cook the naan until it's softer. Cook it first and then put the noodles in. We can still eat naan, but don't make it too hard."
Qin Huai smiled and said, "Okay, cook it softer. It was my first time cooking it yesterday and I didn't control the time well. Nan Nan, bring out a can."
Mu Nan said okay, then ran to overturn the car, and took out a can of luncheon meat from the space under cover.
Jian Chu's eyes suddenly lit up: "You guys are still carrying this, won't it break in the high temperature?"
Qin Huai: "As long as canned food is not opened or placed under high temperature for a long time, it is generally difficult to spoil, and our air conditioning was not disconnected for a long time before."
Qin Huai poured the soup sachet into the pot, Yu Zibai took a bottle of mineral water and added it, then put on the disposable gloves handed to him by Mu Nan, tore three pieces of naan and threw them in. This time he tore them into pieces, because they were not soft enough yesterday, and another reason was that the pieces were a little too big, but they were all eating naan for the first time and had no experience, but they would know today. The luncheon meat was cut into large pieces with a Swiss Army knife and put into the pot. The aroma soon spread.
When Xu Ming came back, they were throwing noodles into the pot: "Tsk, a group of people are staring at you with green eyes."
Jian Chu: "Just stare at me. You can't just stop eating because you're afraid of being stared at."
Yu Zibai: "Looking at what they brought, we know they must have a lot of food, but they might not be willing to take it out. Those who were smart enough to follow the first group of troops to migrate probably had a lot of food in their hands."
Qin Huai asked, "Has it been dealt with over there?"
Xu Ming shook his head: "It's not finished yet, I just did what I could."
Jian Chu helped him spray disinfectant on his body and washed his hands, then asked, "Are there any casualties?"
Xu Ming: "It should be available soon. The one with the pierced thigh is probably not going to survive."
Jian Chu felt pain just thinking about it, and had no idea that someone could be injured so seriously. Mu Nan immediately showed a painful expression: "How did the thigh get pierced? What if it was pierced? Should I pull it out?"
Xu Ming nodded. "It's a live extraction. There's no anesthesia. Imagine the feeling of the spiral steel bar being pulled out of the flesh. We've used up all the hemostatic powder the military doctor brought. We're making a stretcher now. We'll try to carry it back. If it dies along the way, we'll just have to bury it anywhere."
Yu Zibai said quickly: "Stop talking, I can't eat anymore."
Xu Ming smiled and said, "You have to get used to it. If the conditions don't improve in the future, remember the environment under our building before? It was a place full of filth. We had to eat without batting an eyelid, otherwise we would starve to death. In times of disaster, only those who can endure can survive to the end."
This time the naan was cooked for a long time, so it was soft and flavorful. It tasted much better than the one we had yesterday. Even Mu Nan and Jian Chu ate a lot and finished a bowl each. Qin Huai had been fed by Mu Nan before, so he didn't eat much. As a result, there was still a little soup left at the bottom of the pot that he couldn't finish. Brother Xu, who was in charge of their team, came over and seeing that Qin Huai didn't mind, he poured the last bit of soup to him.
Old Xu smiled so hard that wrinkles appeared on his face. He sighed and said, "As long as there is food to eat, what's the big deal? Thanks. I'll go find the soldier to share some."
Mu Nan said: "What is the soldier's name? We don't know his name yet."
Old Xu said: "His surname is Qin, and his name is Qin Bing. We all call him Xiao Bing."
Mu Nan exclaimed: "My brother has the same last name as me."
Old Xu smiled and said, "But they are definitely not from the same family. The soldier is not as handsome as your brother."
Mu Nan thought to himself that was for sure. Although the soldier was not bad looking, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, he was only good-looking at an average level. His brother was still more handsome.
After eating and drinking, they took a short rest. The situation over there had not been settled yet. Mu Nan and his companions sat there in a daze for a long time, and then someone came over and said that the team needed to be reorganized.
Some people, even if they had no injuries, were determined to give up after being frightened by the rats. Perhaps the intensity of walking on the first day exceeded their expectations and their physical endurance. Regardless of whether their bodies could still go on, they couldn't bear it mentally, so they chose to go back. Some people were bitten by rats and had collapsed. They didn't have the endurance to continue the long journey, so they gave up.
Of course, there were some who were slightly injured or bitten by rats, but they did not believe in fate and were unwilling to give up. These people were assigned to the last team, and two military doctors followed behind to check on their conditions at any time.
In the end, it was counted that less than two hundred people were willing to move forward, and one third backed out. People have a herd mentality. Some may not have wanted to leave, but when they saw more and more people leaving, and thought that they almost died on the road the second day after they came out, and they didn't know what terrible things would happen on the road ahead, they couldn't help but follow along.
Shi Yuanfei arranged two soldiers to lead the way for those who were leaving, and distributed nearly three days' worth of food to them. Although it only took them one day to get here, they were all injured, and their return journey might be much slower, so three days of food was considered sufficient.
The remaining people reorganized the teams, reducing the number of people in each team to twenty-five people each, with two soldiers still in charge of the entire brigade. This was because the previous teams in the lead had suffered heavy losses, with many injured and frightened people, and many people retreated, so the people were dispersed, especially those who had had unpleasantness in the same team before, so they were separated this time.
Before, Jian Chu saw that the two brothers with a white dog were assigned to the first team. It seemed that there was a man in their team who was always sarcastic to the two brothers. When he saw them feeding the dog, he cursed them and even said that the dog would become a meal sooner or later. He also said that it was a disaster and their parents didn't care but still kept a dog. He simply put himself on the moral high ground and criticized them.
The younger one lost his temper and wanted to hit someone several times, but was stopped by his brother. He endured it for a day and then encountered this incident. He could re-arrange the team, so he immediately asked to change the team. If he continued to walk in the same team with that kind of person, he would really want to kill someone.
Mu Nan liked dogs very much. When he saw the two brothers walking over with their dogs, he took a closer look. However, the white dog was obviously not a Labrador. It looked like a pastoral dog. So he asked Qin Huai, "Brother, can you tell what breed this dog is?"
Qin Huai took a look and said, "It looks a bit like Xiasi dog."
Mu Nan had never heard of this kind of dog, and immediately had a lot of questions in his head: "Is there such a breed?"
They were not far away, so Qin Huai told the breed of the dog right away. The young man was surprised for a moment, but saw that they were just curious but not malicious. Although they had not had much contact yet, he had developed some good feelings for them.
Qin Huai said: "Yes, it is a very powerful breed in our country. In the past, many hunters raised Xiasi specifically. This breed of dog is an expert hunter and is famous for its lethality and ferocity."
Mu Nan immediately moved closer to Qin Huai. He liked dogs, but he was afraid of dogs that were too ferocious, and this dog looked really fierce.
Because it was going to be daybreak soon, everyone quickly organized the team. The first team was still led by Lao Xu and Qin Bing. When they were patrolling here before, they had already seen some places that could hide from the sun. After the personnel were arranged, Lao Xu asked everyone to pack up and move to another place: "We have just distributed a meal. The next meal will be distributed before we get up and travel tomorrow. I have a list of people who have handed in supplies before. I will check it with you later. If you have any questions, come and tell me. Now pack up your things and we will find a place to settle down first."
Qin Huai and his friends had very simple things. They could just roll up the mats on the ground and put them on a trailer and take them away. Yesterday they found a bank, and today they found a hotel. The hotel was not seriously damaged, with some floors collapsed and cracks on the walls. However, the hall was supported by several pillars, so it could accommodate about 20 people to avoid the sun during the day. However, there were too many rubble and bricks on the ground, so they needed to be cleaned up a little before they could sleep.
While Qin Huai and his companions were cleaning the ground, the two brothers with the dog came over, but stood at a certain distance. They pointed to a corner not far from them and asked, "Can we sleep over there?"
Qin Huai glanced at them, then turned back to look at Mu Nan and said, "Okay, but please keep an eye on the dog. My brother is a little afraid of this big dog."
The two breathed a sigh of relief. The place they chose to sleep just now was pushed away by many people with disgust. Some directly occupied the place they liked, and some simply asked them to move to another place, saying that they were afraid of their dog. The two had no choice but to find a new place with the dog. They didn't know how many days they would have to stay with this new team, so it would be better to avoid conflicts with others. Although they were not welcome, it was not bad compared to the bad words of the previous team.
When Jian first saw the white dog sitting obediently beside its owner, he couldn't help but move closer and asked, "What's its name?"
The younger boy said, "Call her Niuniu."
Jian Chu subconsciously glanced at the dog's belly and asked uncertainly, "Is it a boy?"
The boy smiled and said, "Yes, it is a boy, but his name is Niuniu."
Jian Chu was obviously good at socializing, and soon he started chatting: "You are brothers too, we also have a pair of brothers here, but they also have different surnames."
The boy said, "We have the same mother but different fathers, so we have different surnames."
Jian Chu suddenly looked at Mu Nan and asked with a little curiosity: "Come to think of it, I haven't asked you before, why do you and your brother have different surnames? One with dad and the other with mom?"
Mu Nan looked at Jian Chu in confusion: "Don't you know that my brother and I are not brothers?"
Jian Chu was stunned: "You two are not relatives?!"
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