Chapter 85
There are many people who have not eaten meat for almost a year. Although canned meat can be exchanged at the exchange points now, one can of meat costs five points, and half a day's wages is only three points. Those who need to support a family are reluctant to spend money, and those who don't need to support a family live every day as if it were their last, leaving no money at all. In addition, supplies are indeed scarce now, and those cans of meat are in limited supply, with only a little bit released every day for fear that someone will hoard and resell them. So when a group of people who haven't eaten meat for more than a year saw a wounded tiger lying on the ground, they wanted to die. Whether they ate the tiger themselves or handed it over, they wouldn't lose anything.
Thinking that they had more people, and that the tiger was covered in blood, and seemed to be seriously injured. During this period, wild beasts were roaming around, and for safety reasons, those who had the conditions even brought knives to work to protect themselves from both animals and people. Now that they had knives in their hands, couldn't they kill a wounded tiger?
The result was that not only did he fail to kill him, but he also lost his head.
It was not known whether the tiger was using clever camouflage or had a hunting instinct, but when the group of people approached it, it was dying and did not react at all. However, once it entered the hunting range, it instantly counterattacked.
A group of people who had probably never killed a live chicken were so frightened by the tiger's sudden attack that they dropped their knives and ran away in all directions.
When Brother Xu followed the sound, he saw a man lying on the ground. Half of his stomach had been bitten off and his intestines were hanging out. He was still convulsing and even instinctively reached out for help when he saw people. Unfortunately, he was only half alive. With such a serious injury, he would have been impossible to save before, let alone now.
There was another person lying on the ground nearby, with deep scratches on his back that were probably caused by the tiger, and his thick clothes were torn through by the scratches. Brother Xu immediately raised his gun and shot the tiger dead. He then went forward to drag the one who could still be saved into the car, leaving two people to guard the other one who was completely beyond saving, and directly called a corpse transport vehicle to clean up.
This matter was directly reported on the police report on the Internet. Currently, only people who can access the Internet are from the military, as the Internet has not been fully opened to civilian use. The police report is also to make other soldiers pay more attention. There have been many wild beasts roaming around recently. It is not known whether they are too hungry and are gathering here based on the scent of humans, or because it is too cold and are looking for shelter from the cold in buildings. Anyway, at least more than a dozen people have died in the past week. They don't know whether they were eaten by this tiger, and it is estimated that a later autopsy will be required.
In addition to tigers, a group of hyenas were shot dead two days ago, but several of them escaped. Those hyenas were too fast and could hide behind the walls of houses in the blink of an eye. The soldiers could only aim and shoot from the car, and it would be dangerous as soon as they got off the car. However, the car was not as flexible as these four legs. Therefore, patrols in the surrounding area have been intensified in recent days. This is why as soon as Mu Nan sent a photo to Brother Xu, he immediately brought people over.
Although Mu Nan's voice sounded okay, Qin Huai still came back early today. When he heard movement at the door, Mu Nan was startled. After all, it was not the time for his brother and Jian Chu to get off work. He opened the curtains and saw that it was Qin Huai who entered the yard. He quickly ran downstairs and opened the door before Qin Huai opened it: "You are so early today!"
Qin Huai pulled Mu Nan to look around, and then looked at Niu Niu who was following Mu Nan. Although he knew that the dog was innocent, he still felt a little dissatisfied. He didn't know why the tiger stayed at their doorstep, whether it was because it smelled the dog, but when the two happened at the same time, the tiger stayed and there was a dog at home, it was hard not to make associations. Fortunately, the Internet was connected today, so Mu Nan could contact the army immediately. If there was no Internet, who would Mu Nan ask for help? What's more, what if Niu Niu had cried at home at that time? When he thought of various possibilities, even though everything was fine now, he was still scared.
As soon as she saw Qin Huai's expression, Mu Nan knew what he was thinking. She was afraid that he would blame Niuniu for this, so she quickly said, "Luckily, Niuniu is here today. You don't know, I didn't notice any movement outside. I was still watching a movie. Niuniu was super alert and immediately became alert at the slightest movement. Maybe it was the sound of my movie that attracted the tiger. Isn't it said that their hearing is very good?"
Seeing Mu Nan being so protective and wanting to hide Niu Niu behind him, Qin Huai said helplessly: "I haven't said anything yet."
Mu Nan hung the heavy coat he took off on the clothes drying rack on the second floor: "It's no use talking to her. Niuniu is very smart and can understand. Alas, it's a pity that she is not my dog."
Soon, the incident was reported to the military. Qin Huai had internal authority, so he naturally saw it. He told Mu Nan about the follow-up of the tiger and warned him, "So if you see a wounded wild animal outside, even if it is seriously injured, you must not approach it casually. Look at these people, they are a lesson for us. If you see one lying motionless in the snow, you must not approach it. We won't eat those that are frozen to death, and we can't mess with those that are not frozen to death. Look, these are all bloody examples."
Mu Nan took a quick look, but there were only words and no pictures on it, so he was too lazy to read it: "I won't go out alone, I will definitely be with you when I go out."
Qin Huai said: "You have to have a certain understanding of this situation. What if you are as stupid as this group of people? But speaking of it, we also know the dead man."
Mu Nan was stunned: "Do we know each other?" The only people who could recognize him now were the people next door: "Who is it? Is he from the same group that migrated here?"
Qin Huai shook his head: "Deng Yichuan, male, 24 years old, his age and name match. He is your elementary school classmate. You suspected that he was the one who cut the wires in the home of the sick family. Although no one knows whether he cut it or not, he was the one who jumped the most at that time, so there is a 50% chance. I didn't expect that he finally made it here, but he lost his life because of provoking a tiger."
Mu Nan felt that he was the one who cut it. Although he had no evidence, the person was gone and it was not easy for him to say anything about retribution. He could only sigh and think of the fickle fate.
Qin Huai would associate Tiger with Niu Niu, so Wu Zheng and the others would naturally think in this direction as well. After all, raising a dog is a very sensitive matter nowadays. If the neighbors really encounter an accident because of his dog, not to mention what would happen to Qin Huai, they themselves would not forgive themselves. Plus, the weather is indeed getting colder and colder. The lowest temperature in the south used to be around minus ten degrees Celsius. This is the first time they have felt a temperature of more than twenty degrees below zero, and the temperature seems to be continuing to drop every day. So Wu Zheng simply didn't let Song Jia work with him. Anyway, they still had a lot of points, so he let Song Jia and Niu Niu stay at home to avoid always bothering the neighbors.
Mu Nan still felt a little regretful: "I just developed feelings for Niuniu."
Song Jia said: "Anyway, we are the only two at home during the day, you can come and play with me anytime."
Because the civilian channel has not yet been officially opened, Jian Chu has an internal test account that can be used, but Song Jia does not, so Jian Chu gave the wireless walkie-talkie to Song Jia, so that if anything happens, the two of them can contact each other. After all, if someone really wants to climb over the wall and come in, they can't stand upstairs and shout at each other.
Mu Nan was a little uncomfortable without the little tail behind him. If it weren't for this bad day, he should have already had a dog. He originally planned to have a dog after graduation and when his life became stable. But soon Mu Nan didn't have time to get used to it, because the government had issued an announcement that the local area network would be officially opened next Monday. The network account would be three points a month. At that time, mobile phones would be available at the exchange point. 15 points for a mobile phone, and the first month's network monthly fee would be waived.
There is a statement at the end that it is a local area network and can only be used for communication within the coverage area. There are certain entertainment resources, but not many, and some newly developed modules, such as material information, recruitment information, missing persons platform, etc. A poster was also made and hung outside the exchange point so that many people can see it.
Mu Nan even sighed to Qin Huai: "The salary I earn is so little, and I need a lot of points for rent, water, electricity, food and drink. Now I have to set up a network to restore the use of mobile phones. Those modules should not be all free, there must be paid items."
Qin Huai said: "That's for sure. This kind of supply and demand relationship must not saturate the market. Only with demand can progress be driven. Otherwise, if you work half a day, you can get three points, and meals are provided. The rent is not expensive, so ten points is enough. People like us only get twenty points a month, which is more than enough for the rest of our lives. If there is no place to spend points, people will be satisfied on the spot. If they can achieve the minimum food and clothing, who would be willing to work hard?"
The restoration of the Internet, even if it is only a local area network, is a signal to many people that life is getting back on track. However, many people are heartbroken because of this. Some people did not take any mobile phones and computers that they had dug out from the ruins. They disliked these things because they were too heavy and useless, just like they disliked winter clothes. Now that they see someone has made a fortune thanks to their original foresight, they still want to search through the ruins, but there is nothing left.
At that time, Mu Nan and Jian Chu emptied out the mobile phone store. Boxes of brand new mobile phones, computers, and laptops that had not been opened were now piled in Jian Chu's garage.
Therefore, Jian Chu planned to take advantage of the opportunity to exchange those things that could not be eaten or drunk for points to buy some supplies to store for the winter.
It is definitely not cost-effective to hand it in at this time, it is better to sell it yourself. Sometimes when Jian Chu and his colleagues come back from work, they see some people setting up stalls in the snow. A new phone is 20 points, and an old phone is 15 points. But this is outside, and you don’t know if those old phones can be used. The temperature is too low to turn on, so many people prefer new phones.
The number of exchange points is limited, and the daily quota is limited. People who cannot live without their mobile phones can now use the Internet, even if they just hang on it to watch other people chatting. However, their mobile phones were either broken in the earthquake or lost in various chaotic situations. Not many people can keep their unusable mobile phones until today. Those who have mobile phones can now use them by paying the monthly rent. Those who don’t have mobile phones will naturally have to buy new ones. Some of them even used to be very cheap low-end phones. Now they see that they can’t afford to buy tens of thousands of mobile phones in the past, but now they only need 20 points at private stalls outside, so they want to bite the bullet and buy one.
No matter what time, spiritual entertainment and satisfaction are always indispensable.
Of course, Mu Nan and Jian Chu couldn't be the only ones selling the mobile phones, as it would be too easy for the two of them to be robbed. And it was impossible for Yu Zibai and Wu Zheng not to work, so they had to take a day off. Qin Huai also took a day off that day, as he was worried about Mu Nan going out to set up the stall.
The group found a place near Building No. 1 and an open space. The weather was good today, with only snow and not such a strong cold wind, so they built a simple shed and put a pile of mobile phones, tablets, and computers, and chose according to their needs. The price they offered was not expensive but not cheap either, 18 points for a mobile phone, 25 points for a tablet, and 30 points for a computer, all of which were brand new and unopened.
As soon as the price sign was put up, many people who were going home from get off work or strolling around this simple market gathered around. Jian Chu hurriedly shouted, "Selling at a low price, selling at a low price. Pay the points here and get the machine there. The machine can be disassembled in public, and the screen can be replaced immediately if it is damaged. We will not provide after-sales service once you leave the stall!"
Some people complained that the redemption points were only 15 points, and one month's internet subscription was given for free, but they wanted 18 points, which was too expensive.
Jian Chu smiled and said, "There are still some over there for 20 points each. You can also go over there and have a look. It's 18 points for a phone. Don't bother bargaining. It's freezing cold, so let's make it quick, okay?"
Mu Nan hid behind Qin Huai and laughed: "Jian Chu is really suitable for doing business."
Qin Huai pulled his mask and scarf tighter: "Everyone has their own strengths."
Mu Nan asked: "Then what is my strength?"
Qin Huai pretended to be silent for a moment and then said, "Eat."
If the clothes he wore weren't too thick, Mu Nan would have pinched Qin Huai hard and would have thought he would not be able to talk properly.
No matter what time it is, there are always people who have money. In just a short while, Jian Chu sold several mobile phones. He and Xu Ming collected points, Mu Nan and Song Jia had people unpack the phones in front of them, Qin Huai, Yu Zibai and Wu Zheng stood at the back to watch the whole scene. After all, these phones were dug out from the ruins, and who knows if the phones inside are broken even if they look fine on the outside. Although the price they sell is slightly higher than the exchange point, they can't cheat people, so they check them in person and exchange them directly if there are any problems.
Fortunately, the opened phones were all in good condition. The screen was not broken, but it was too cold to be turned on for inspection. However, the surface was fine, so the possibility of problems inside was low. So the people who bought the phones happily went directly to the exchange points to pay the monthly Internet rental and go home to access the Internet.
After a busy day, I sold a lot of mobile phones and tablets, but no one bought laptops. I don’t know if it’s because they are too expensive or because people think they are inconvenient to use. But it doesn’t matter if no one buys it. When more and more people use mobile phones, I will put one up on the supplies section and let those in need contact me to buy it.
In the past, the most enjoyable thing was counting money, but now the most enjoyable thing is counting points. Jian Chu looked at each point carefully. They were all stamped and there was absolutely no way to forge them. The four families also divided it equally. Xu Ming said, "In the future, divide it according to the number of people. It will always be divided equally among the four families. I will get the most benefit."
Jian Chu smiled and gave him Xu Ming's points: "It's okay, it's okay. This is a manifestation of our care for singles. We don't care about so much."
Xu Ming has a special skill, which is absolutely popular in such troubled times. So after settling down here, Xu Ming did not do hard labor, but continued to be a surgeon. His salary can be said to be the highest among them, even higher than Qin Huai. So he doesn't really care about these points. Therefore, even if it is given to him more points according to the family share, he will buy some things that are now scarce to treat guests on weekdays. After all, people are like this, give and take, and if you take advantage of others, you will suffer a great loss.
The stall is only open for one day, and it's not easy for Qin Huai and Xu Ming to take a day off, plus they've sold quite a few, so the remaining ones will be put aside for the time being. They can decide whether to sell them online or keep them for their own use. There's no rush anyway.
After distributing the points, everyone else went home. Qin Huai rode the tricycle and let Mu Nan get on.
Jian Chu looked at them as if they were about to go out again and asked, "Where are you going so late? It's almost dark."
Qin Huai: "When you earn points, go to the exchange point to stock up on some things. It's most reassuring to exchange them for physical goods."
Jian Chu said "oh" and waved to them. He and Yu Zibai were going too, but they would have to wait for two days. They were too tired today and their voices were hoarse.
Mu Nan had not been to the exchange point before. He had heard Qin Huai talk about what was in the exchange point before, and he had been thinking about what to exchange all the way. He had everything in the exchange point in his space, and he also had things that were not in the exchange point in his space. But if he didn't exchange the hard-earned money for supplies, he always felt like he was losing out. He didn't know if he was addicted to hoarding or if he felt insecure about the current world. He always felt that the so-called money could no longer make him feel at ease, and he would only feel at ease if he exchanged everything for things that could be stored in his space.
The exchange point is a small greenhouse built later in the open space of the community. In front of it are several large blackboards with the exchangeable items and points written on them. Some of the items that are no longer available today have the word "sold out" written on them. Things like canned rice and noodles are basically sold out as soon as the store opens in the morning. As a sequelae of the disaster, people feel anxious if they don't stock up more food at home. Other items like soybeans and mung beans are not bought by many people, so they are still available in the evening. Air conditioners and electric fans for summer use were snapped up before, but now no one is interested in them. In addition to these, there are also TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, etc. I don't know how their sales are, but they can still be bought so late at night, so they should not be hot-selling items.
Mu Nan looked around and it seemed like there was nothing good to exchange: "How about exchanging some mung beans and soybeans? I can process them at home if I have nothing else to do. If I can't sell them, I can eat them myself."
Qin Huai nodded: "Let's exchange, two points for one kilogram, we can exchange for ten kilograms, what else do you want?"
Mu Nan walked around the big blackboard: "There are drinks here, I like this cereal." He had some in his space. Qin Huai had bought several boxes before, but it was hard to say whether they would be available in the future, so he could buy it when he saw it, and he felt it was worth it to exchange it with points.
Qin Huai said, "Then change it." The big bag contains 15 small bags, and each bag costs 10 points. The price is not cheap, but in such a cold day, a cup of sweet oatmeal can fill your stomach and replenish sugar calories, so it is a little expensive. Mu Nan ordered everything he wanted, and Qin Huai settled the points at the counter to pick up the goods. An older lady next to him was holding a bag of corn flour tightly in her hand and looked disgusted: "Young man, you have a little money and you spend it recklessly. You just buy things that can't fill your stomach."
Qin Huai generally ignores such sour remarks. Some people just say a few sarcastic remarks to satisfy their desire, but if they meet those who keep talking, they are asking for a beating. But there are actually not many such people, except for a few who may have some problems with their brains. Who would bother to meddle in other people's affairs? Even if they do, they will mostly just talk behind their backs.
Mu Nan went around and came back. There was nothing left to exchange, but it felt like he didn’t exchange much. He always felt like he was at a loss for not spending many points.
Qin Huai said, "I'll change to a cured chicken. Do you want to eat it?"
Mu Nan was a little hesitant: "Will it taste bad?" He has never liked cured meat, probably because he was born not to like it.
Qin Huai: "I'll make you something delicious." Seeing that Mu Nan was interested, although a little hesitant, he felt unsatisfied if he didn't spend some points, so he decided to change one.
The soldier at the counter moved the things they wanted to the tricycle outside. Mu Nan hurried forward and covered them with the prepared cloth. Mu Nan was about to go to see if Qin Huai had finished, when he saw someone approaching him from the corner of his eye. He was very close, so he instinctively shouted "Brother" and ran forward. However, the ground was too slippery, his feet slipped, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
Qin Huai ran out almost the moment Mu Nan called him, but he was still not as fast as Mu Nan falling. He failed to catch him and could only watch Mu Nan fall.
There was a lot of noise outside, and the soldiers inside came out to check the situation. It couldn't be that there was a robbery at the door of the exchange point.
Qin Huai helped Mu Nan up from the ground: "Where did you fall? Move your hands and feet to see."
Mu Nan looked back and saw that it was the middle-aged woman who had been in the store just now. However, her head and face were wrapped tightly, so he could not see her face clearly. She was so close to him and raised her hands as if she was going to do something to him. This scared him. Seeing that Qin Huai was still pinching his hands and feet, he quickly said, "You didn't fall. You were wearing thick clothes."
Qin Huai finally breathed a sigh of relief, turned to look at the person standing next to him, and asked coldly, "What's the matter?"
The lady didn't expect that she would scare people, and she cried out, "Young people are so timid. I just want to ask if you can sell the cereal you just bought. I bought too much of this bag, so I want to give you some points so I can exchange it for a few smaller bags."
Qin Huai helped Mu Nan get into the car and refused directly: "Sorry, if you want, you can exchange it for some. We don't even have enough to drink ourselves."
After Qin Huai finished speaking, he got on the tricycle and left the exchange point without arguing with the old lady. It was freezing cold, so why waste time on unimportant people? The old lady was still shouting behind him, saying that one point could be exchanged for three small bags.
Mu Nan sat in the back and rolled his eyes. "There are only fifteen bags in a bag, and it costs ten points. She wants to exchange three bags for one point. Why not just give it to her for free?"
When they got home, it was completely dark. Fortunately, they had a safe journey without encountering any problems. Moreover, the snow outside gradually got heavier after they came back. Qin Huai parked the car at the door: "I will buy anything for you directly at the exchange point in the future. You should stay at home honestly."
Mu Nan grumbled, "Who knew someone would suddenly approach? It was so dark outside and we were shopping. You trained me so that my instinctive reaction was to run away, and you didn't even praise me."
Mu Nan was talking as he was about to jump off the tricycle, but suddenly he cried out "ouch!" Qin Huai was reaching out to help him. Although snow was shoveled in the yard every day and would not accumulate into ice, there was already a thin layer of snow on the ground. He was afraid of slipping, so he reached out to help. But when Mu Nan jumped, it seemed that he suddenly had no foothold, and Qin Huai hurriedly hugged him, fearing that he would fall to the ground.
Hearing the noise outside, Jian Chu ran to the balcony on their floor and looked out. He saw Qin Huai and Mu Nan hugging each other in the yard. He was immediately shocked, and then pushed Yu Zibai, who also came out to see the situation, in. Although he knew that they were not real brothers, didn't this change of identity require a transition?
Mu Nan was held by Qin Huai so that she didn't fall to the ground again, but as soon as she landed, she couldn't help but hold her waist: "I, I think I twisted it."
Qin Huai thought firmly again that he would forget about going out for a walk in the future.
After parking the tricycle in the garage, he saw Mu Nan holding the handrail of the stairs, moving up step by step like a turtle. He took two or three steps forward, took off two pieces of Mu Nan's coat, threw them directly on the stairs, and then turned his back to him: "Come up, I'm afraid you won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow after you climb up."
Mu Nan simply lay on his back. It was good to have a brother. It was easy to climb to the third floor in one breath!
Jian Chu felt that it was necessary to discuss the identity issue with his neighbor. If they really had that kind of relationship, he would have to avoid suspicion in the future. So he sent a message to Mu Nan early in the morning: "Are you awake? What did you buy yesterday? For reference."
Mu Nan lay on the bed: "Soybeans, mung beans, and a cured chicken. Have you ever eaten bean shreds? I just happened to find a wall-breaking machine. I plan to soak some mung beans and try making them myself. I will dry them when the time comes. They can be stored for a long time and still be filling."
Jian Chu: "I've eaten it, but I've never made it. Can you teach me? I'll go get some green beans. When will you make it? I'll come find you later."
Mu Nan: "Maybe in two days. I need to rest for two days."
Jian Chu: "It takes two days to recover the money from setting up a stall."
Mu Nan held the phone and sighed, then replied, "My waist hurts, I have to lie down for two days."
Jian Chu held up his phone and exclaimed, it was confirmed without him even waiting for any indirect clues!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
