Seeing the short-haired boy running home, Jiang Wu instantly appeared beside him.
He asked casually, "What's your name? How old are you?"
As a result, the boy didn't say a word, but simply held the two large snails in his arms and walked with his head down.
Jiang Wu was taken aback, still thinking of going to his house to find out what was going on.
It turns out he was mute.
It doesn't matter anyway, I'm going to check out the shantytown anyway.
Soon, the three of them walked through the narrow alleys of the shack area, surrounded by a strange smell that was a mixture of rot, fishy stench, and mold.
The makeshift shacks were haphazardly built together, resembling a maze pieced together from dilapidated materials.
The shacks were all dilapidated, some even supported by just a few rags and sticks.
They were rickety and seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
Around these makeshift shacks, useless garbage littered the ground, creating a scene of utter chaos.
Here, the boy held the large snail even tighter, almost hunching over.
Jiang Wu and Su Ziyu, on the other hand, became like pandas in a zoo, attracting the attention of countless survivors.
These survivors were ragged, haggard, and their eyes revealed confusion.
More often, however, there is a sense of listlessness and numbness.
Some people watched Jiang Wu and his two companions silently, seemingly deep in thought.
Others looked wary, as if they were uneasy about the appearance of Jiang Wu and Su Ziyu.
Some women tried to flirt with Jiang Wu, making various inviting gestures, hoping that Jiang Wu would take a liking to them.
From their gestures and words, Jiang Wu understood that it was two liang of rice at a time.
For the nicer ones, half a pound of rice per serving.
Or exchange it for something of equal value...
......
After wandering through the shack maze for a while, the boy finally slowed down.
Eventually, they arrived at a secluded corner.
This area stinks even more than the area we just passed through.
The strong smell of feces and urine made Jiang Wu realize that there must be a large public toilet nearby.
Looking around, Jiang Wu saw a towering sign.
[Dry Toilet No. 3 at Donghu Base]
Even with such a strong smell, there were still quite a few shacks around.
It wasn't until they reached this side that Jiang Wu realized the boy had finally lowered his guard a bit.
He straightened his back a little.
This area clearly formed a courtyard, and the people living here developed neighborly relationships.
Some women and children even greeted the boy.
However, the boy simply nodded in acknowledgment.
The boy's house was built from twigs and mud, and the roof was covered with a tattered tarpaulin that had been picked up from some garbage dump.
A few wooden sticks tied together in a row make a simple door.
A long vine tightly wrapped around the door and attached it to the support beside it.
Another shack right next to his house.
A slender woman with a flushed face saw a man to the door, waving her hand and saying in a sweet voice, "Brother Chen, come again next time~ My place is the cheapest~"
Only after the man had walked away did the woman notice Jiang Wu and Su Ziyu standing beside her.
She secretly glanced at Jiang Wu a few times, assessing the likelihood of a successful business deal.
However, upon seeing Su Ziyu's appearance, she immediately gave up.
Just as I was about to go back and tidy up, I noticed the boy who had opened the door next to me.
Seeing the boy and the snail in his hand, the woman exclaimed softly, "Oh dear, Li boy, why are you at the lake again! Are you crazy?!"
Her startled breath attracted the attention of Jiang Wu, who was looking around.
Jiang Wu glanced at the woman; she was of average appearance and had a strong scent of photinia flowers on her.
However, since I'm here to learn about the real living conditions of the survivors in the shantytown, it doesn't matter.
He asked casually, "Do you know him? What's your name?"
The woman then realized that the two strangely dressed people had come with Li, the boy from next door.
Could it be that Li made a mistake?
The woman thought for a moment, then smiled and said cautiously, "My name is Tang Jia. Sir, may I ask what brings you here?"
Just as Jiang Wu was about to speak, a series of childish coughs came from the boy's makeshift shack.
The cough was trembling.
It sounds like there's something wrong with his lungs.
Jiang Wu frowned.
There was even a little boy in the room who was coughing so badly he was about to have a serious problem.
Tang Jia carefully observed Jiang Wu's expression.
Seeing his furrowed brows, Tang Jia knew that the man in front of her still had compassion for the weak.
He couldn't help but sigh, "The Li family boy is really pitiful. The three of them fled here. First, his mother was summoned to the core area, but she died under mysterious circumstances. Her body was thrown naked in the open space between the core area and the safe zone."
"Later, his younger brother also got sick and coughed for a long time without getting better. He took care of his brother by himself, and together they only had two ounces of rice a day."
Jiang Wu asked calmly, "Core area and safe zone?"
Tang Jia was taken aback, and said cautiously, "The core area is where those forces are located, and the safe zone is here."
The door next to them opened, and the boy surnamed Li crawled inside.
Jiang Wu took a Snickers bar out of his pocket and handed it to Tang Jia, saying casually, "Come in with us, I want to talk to you about something."
Tang Jia was surprised when she saw the Snickers bar.
Such a rare commodity could definitely be exchanged for five kilograms of rice at the market!
He quickly took the Snickers bar, hid it inside his clothes, and nodded with a smile, saying, "It's my pleasure."
Then, she quickly closed the makeshift door of her house.
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