Chapter 165 I Can't Wait for That Day
"With dozens of people pooling their resources, how much can each person contribute? Don't you even consider how many people you've saved!"
Brother Liu has the loudest voice and speaks the most directly.
After hearing what Brother Liu said, I do find it easier to accept.
After inviting everyone into the house, Brother Liu and Taozi carried the 200-pound fat pig directly into the kitchen.
"If you're too difficult to handle, I'll just disassemble it for you. Do you have a cleaver?"
Taking a large axe from the cupboard, Brother Liu deftly used a cleaver to first cut the pork open, and then used the axe to chop the bones into pieces.
Taozi helped out from the side, while I, Aunt Liu, and the base manager sat on the side watching and chatting.
"What's the situation at the base now?"
I originally planned to visit the base, but since they're here, I won't go. However, I still want to find out about the base.
"Alas, quite a few people died, but thankfully you were there to treat them, and most of them survived."
The base commander looked troubled and shook his head.
"I didn't come a few days ago because we buried the residents who died of illness together with them."
Brother Liu said this while chopping bones.
"Are you feeling alright now? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
Seeing everyone walking so briskly, I completely forgot that these people were sick. I only remembered when I heard that someone had died from the illness.
"What else could be uncomfortable? A few bowls of the miracle medicine the girl brought will make you feel better."
Brother Liu looked up and chuckled.
The base elder seemed a bit unhappy. He had asked all the questions I wanted to ask, and the base elder hadn't gotten a chance to speak. He was probably just secretly being petty.
"If you ever have a headache or fever that you can't cure, you can come to me for a try. I know a little about medicine."
He arrogantly uttered the words "I know a little about medicine," his vanity overflowing.
"It's really a good thing you know medicine! Our base barely escaped a disaster. Yesterday we received news that most of the people in many bases have died, and in some bases, all the residents have been wiped out."
Hearing the base commander describe such a tragic situation, I felt a pang of pity.
"Wouldn't that mean there are more than half fewer people? It would be even harder for society to return to what it was before, wouldn't it?"
If there are enough people, rebuilding society is possible. But with so few people surviving, it's a problem for them to even survive themselves. How much more difficult would it be to rebuild society?
"It's going to be tough. I guess we won't live to see that day."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room fell silent. We all knew perfectly well that we would probably never see the comfortable life before the extreme cold and apocalypse in our lifetime.
"Are Brother Liu and Sister-in-law Wang's families alright?"
Suddenly, I remembered a few families I had met.
"They're fine; most of the people who died were elderly."
The room fell even more silent, with only the sounds of Brother Liu and Taozi chopping bones audible.
To ease the tension, I took out the freshly made flower cakes from the refrigerator.
"Try the flower cakes I made yesterday."
They distributed the flower cakes to Sister Liu and the base manager. Brother Liu and Taozi, their hands covered in lard, placed the remaining flower cakes on the stove.
"Wow, this is delicious! It's my first time eating it. What kind of flower is this?"
As she ate, Aunt Liu observed the flower-shaped filling inside.
"It's wild roses from the mountain. Just add some sugar and boil them when you get back, and you can make this filling."
"This is the first time I've heard that roses can be eaten. They smell so good! You're so skillful, I'm so clumsy, I could never do this."
"It's not that difficult. If you want to do it, I'll teach you in detail another day."
After Aunt Liu finished her pancake, I handed her another one.
"No, no, this candy is precious. You've put a lot of sugar in it. I'll just have one piece to taste."
"Oh, just eat. Why be so frugal these days? You never know when you might be gone. Eat as much as you can while you can."
They forced the flower cake into her hand, unable to bear Liu Sao's stingy attitude towards food and clothing.
Upon hearing what I said, Aunt Liu quickly took the flower cake, saying, "Okay, I'll eat it."
"Let's stay for lunch together, we'll cook something delicious."
Brother Liu didn't speak, but looked up at the base elder.
The base elder thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright, let's eat and cool off before we go back."
Upon hearing that the base commander had agreed, Brother Liu immediately exclaimed happily, "That's great, Base Commander! Try the girl's cooking; she's incredibly delicious!"
"After you've chopped the pork, could you also kill a rabbit and a chicken for me? We're so glad we survived this ordeal, let's have a good meal!"
I was quite happy to hear that everyone was staying for dinner.
After all, we rarely have guests at home, and I'm the only one who eats the delicious food I make. Of course, I'm happy when someone comes to try my cooking.
"We came to deliver pork to you, but we ended up begging for it at your house!"
Brother Liu laughed heartily and said whatever came to mind.
"You two keep working, Liu Sao and I are going to the fields. Do you want to come with us, Base Manager?"
"You two go ahead, I'll stay here."
He took a basket and led Aunt Liu to the vegetable garden.
Seeing the vegetables scattered on the ground, some just sprouting and others ripe and hanging on the vines, Aunt Liu exclaimed in amazement, "I never expected you to grow vegetables so well, young lady! With your delicate skin, you can grow vegetables so well!"
"Where is the delicate skin? I've been working all day."
Responding to Aunt Liu's words, he squatted down next to the potato vines and dug potatoes.
Finally, I dug up a small pile of potatoes, picked two handfuls of green beans, green peppers, cucumbers, scallions, and some celery.
Before leaving, they picked out a ripe, large watermelon and carried it home with them.
As soon as Liu's wife and I entered the kitchen with a huge pile of stuff, Brother Liu's eyes widened when he saw us: "Well, that's enough, girl, you've emptied the vegetable garden!"
"Why are you talking so rudely? That girl has a huge vegetable garden; she's much better at managing her household than you are."
Aunt Liu put the watermelon on the ground and glared at Brother Liu.
I watched with a smile as Sister Liu and Brother Liu argued, while I pondered what dishes to cook.
Cold cucumber salad, spicy rabbit meat, pork ribs stewed with potatoes and green beans, chicken stewed with poplar mushrooms, celery stir-fried with meat, chili stir-fried with meat, and watermelon platter.
Seven dishes don't look good, so we need to add another one. Considering that everyone is reluctant to eat anything sweet, let's make a peach version of "blueberry mashed potatoes".
The whole pig on the ground had been almost completely dismembered. They took out a plastic bag and, just like when they bought a pig for the first time, asked Brother Liu to sort the pork from different parts and pack them together.
As he put on his clothes, he recalled the scene of my first time buying a pig: "Sigh, back when you came to my house to buy a pig, we were so happy. We had everything we wanted, and we could even watch TV at night."
Brother Liu suddenly looked up at me and said, "But speaking of which, did you know about that extreme cold beforehand? How come you were so well prepared? You not only bought meat, but you also have solar power at home."
"Yes, yes, I could foresee all of that."
I couldn't explain it, so I just pretended to jokingly admit it, and the topic passed.
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