Heavy snow was falling from the sky, and the entrance to the supply center was crowded with residents of Shanghai Shelter No. 3 who came to collect supplies.
It was very cold. Everyone was wearing thick down jackets and sturdy leather boots. Those who were better off also wore cotton hats and masks. Every time they spoke, a puff of white breath would come out.
—It's so cold, especially after this heavy snowfall, the temperature dropped to minus thirty degrees Celsius at night.
A man wrapped up like a "cotton ball" stamped his foot and chatted casually with the person behind him:
"My goodness, it's getting colder and colder. I remember back when Northeast China wasn't flooded, we still had earthen kang beds at home. In winter, we'd add a bundle of firewood to the kang's firebox, and we'd stay warm and cozy all winter long... Hehe, why is this line not moving? Should we switch to another line?"
"Come on, what if that line is even slower? Just wait in line. I'll be grateful to get some food. I have three sick family members waiting for chemotherapy. If it weren't for these supplies, my whole family would probably starve to death..."
"Hey! These days, everyone has a sick person in their family. My third son's wife works at the Women's Federation, right? I heard they're giving out dumplings for Chinese New Year this year—"
"Oh, that's great! The only thing to look forward to all year is the New Year when we can see meat. I'm so tired of eating dried earthworms and cockroach chunks all the time."
A group of people queuing to receive supplies chatted, but above them was not a normal sky, but a hazy blue light, and even the stars were nowhere to be seen—that blue light was the tail of a giant comet produced by a planetary engine on the moon.
"Sigh! This generation of children has it tough. They've never seen a normal sky since they were born. If this were twenty years ago, at least they could see blue skies..."
"I saw on the news the other day that the moon is getting farther and farther away from us. I didn't quite understand the specifics, but isn't that a good thing?"
"Probably. We ordinary folks don't really understand those things. You know, our ancestors observed the moon for thousands of years, so how could it be getting in the way of our Earth? Why did we have to build an engine to drive it away?"
"I don't care about that. I just want to eat mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival again. Will we get a holiday then?"
"I heard that you can trade gold for dumplings around Qianmen!"
"Really? I'll go check later. Anyway, there's no use keeping the gold. I'll exchange it for a couple of dumplings for my daughter."
The group chatted enthusiastically, seemingly forgetting the cold.
The snow intensified; what were once light, fluffy snowflakes swirled into larger flakes, making a soft rustling sound as they hit people's clothes. The joint government staff, armed with megaphones, tirelessly reminded everyone:
"Everyone, please don't push! A new batch of supplies has arrived. We guarantee that everyone will receive their supplies for this week. Once you have your supplies, please leave as soon as possible. Don't linger! I repeat, don't linger! -- The person in the back, everyone is queuing. No cutting in line. If you cut in line again, you'd better go to the back of the line..."
Those who received the supplies didn't linger, but quickly left with them in their arms—supplies were becoming increasingly scarce, and although there were police patrols at the shelter, starving people might still come and steal them.
The staff at the supplies window shouted:
"Okay, next one."
Liu Peiqiang adjusted his collar, took out a card from his pocket and handed it over. A moment later, several packets of food were passed through the iron window.
A package of compressed biscuit chunks in a plastic bag, a bag of cornstarch sticks, and three small bags of powder that, when crushed, were of indistinct contents.
"Twenty-five compressed energy biscuits, ten corn protein bars, and three 500-gram packs of children's supplement rice cereal. Take a look."
After checking and finding no problems, Liu Peiqiang silently stuffed the items into his backpack, thus warding off any overt or covert covetousness.
The people in line behind immediately exclaimed, "Hey? How come he has rice noodle collars?"
After a busy day, the staff member was also annoyed and said impatiently:
“The couple are both veterans and have a seven-year-old child, so they receive child allowances. If you have a child, I will also give you one.”
The group fell silent.
These days, fewer children are born, and it's rare to see a baby on the street, so when people heard it was a child subsidy, they all understood.
—With supplies scarce right now, food rations for every household are distributed by the government on a need-based basis. If you're not really hungry, who would argue with someone over a bite to eat?
Liu Peiqiang didn't say anything, but just hugged the bag in his arms tighter and strode into the snow.
These supplies are strictly calculated per person. Even if they eat sparingly, the family of four can only barely make ends meet, not to mention that his wife is still in the hospital and needs nutritional supplements.
As the Earth's rotation slows down, a day has become 60 hours instead of 24. The Earth's surface has been without sunlight for long periods, seawater has flooded large areas of land, and extreme low temperatures have caused massive deaths of crops and animals. With food scarce, even having enough to eat has become a luxury for humans.
His son, Liu Qi, is only seven years old this year. He has never drunk a drop of milk since he was born. He has only relied on rice cereal porridge provided by the government to fill his stomach. But now, even the rice cereal that provides nutrition is becoming less and less available.
But this is already a privilege many people envy. Some children are born without even knowing what "fruit" is, or what rice tastes like.
"call--"
Liu Peiqiang exhaled a puff of white breath.
...
...
"Crunch—crunch—"
The snow on the ground was so thick it covered his calves. Liu Peiqiang walked silently toward the hospital. When he passed a residential building with lights on in front of it, he stopped for a moment.
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