"You can't say they're stupid." Liang Shengdi retorted softly.
"The county magistrate is the most powerful person in the entire county. If something goes wrong, who else can they turn to? At least someone has come forward to demand an explanation. This is much better than everyone staying at home and not daring to move."
The incident in the county was a major uproar, and the entire town was in chaos. However, the county magistrate sent people with guns to suppress the situation, and the officials and businessmen closed their doors and went about their business. The farmers could not get an explanation, and the common people still could not afford to buy food.
The owner of the cigarette factory also started to selectively lay off people. I heard that he was not originally from Shan County. He followed his boss here to seek refuge when Shanghai fell. Then, relying on his boss's business, he started his own small workshop here.
His family is not that wealthy, and he has a wife, children and mother to support. When food prices go up, he can only try to reduce expenses to protect his family's stomachs.
Liang Shengdi hasn't been fired yet, simply because she works so hard, doing the work of two people, and the boss thinks the salary is worth it.
A sister-in-law who had always had a good relationship with Liang Shengdi was also leaving, saying that she was going to follow her husband to the provincial capital to live with her elder sister-in-law.
"Isn't it said that the capital city is constantly bombed? It's not as peaceful as farming here. Why do you still want to go?"
The sister-in-law sighed, "In this world, where is there a truly safe place? It's just that big cities always have more hope than our small place.
In small places, even if you want to sell yourself into slavery, there might not be anyone willing to buy you. But in big cities... I heard that the prostitutes there can wear gold and silver!"
Liang Shengdi was deeply moved by what she heard and nodded, accepting the lesson.
She also decided to leave here. Since she was not able to eat enough anyway, she might as well go to a big city to try her luck.
She is still young. If she really can't make it, why not become a prostitute?
Liang Shengdi didn't have a high level of ideological awareness. She could just turn around and walk away when she saw the obscene looks from the servants of wealthy families. That was because she could be self-reliant and still have enough to eat.
And now, God has given her a chance to eat her fill!
Liang Shengdi found the previous agent and said she wanted to sell the two rooms as soon as possible.
The agent said with a friendly smile, "Are you leaving too?"
"Houses are hard to sell right now. You don't see how many people are selling their houses every day, but you don't necessarily see anyone buying them to settle down in...House prices are getting cheaper every day."
"If you're in a hurry to leave... Since you're a little girl, I'll reluctantly help you. I'll help you pack up the house first so you can leave faster."
"You're a regular customer, so I won't cheat you. I'll give you this amount."
The agent stretched out his two hands and gestured, which made Liang Shengdi's eyes widen.
"!!! Fifteen dollars?! Why don't you just go and rob it!"
She bought it last year for a small yellow croaker! Wasn't that small yellow croaker worth 35 yuan? In just one year, she's already lost 20 yuan?!
What kind of house is this! It still sheds debris even after living in it!
"Tsk! How can a little girl talk like that!" The agent said in annoyance.
"Fifteen dollars is too high! I don't know when I can sell it after I buy it! With the current situation in the city! You can't help but see it!
If you are not careful, you may end up losing all your money!
I'm helping you out of kindness! And you think I'm a bad person?!
You can sell it or not! "
…
Liang Shengdi walked out of the agency's house with a deposit of 5 dollars in her hands, tears in her eyes.
She had to stay one more night. Tomorrow was the day when the cigarette factory would pay wages, and she had to get the money before leaving.
Today, while she has some time, she has to clean up the things in the house and sell everything that can be sold for cash. She can't leave even a single piece of wood for the unscrupulous businessmen!
There is also half a bag of brown rice left at home, which needs to be ground into powder and made into cakes so that it is convenient to carry with you.
But the fact is that in a famine, money is worthless except for food, let alone a pile of rotten wood.
The house that Liang Shengdi carefully decorated was only exchanged for a few copper coins in the end, apart from the 15 oceans for the house itself.
Adding the 5 yuan given by the cigarette factory, he had a total of 20 yuan. He also carried the old guys and the stack of flatbreads in his backpack. This was all Liang Shengdi's family belongings.
But this time she was not as aggressive as before, not flaunting her bag around. Instead, she covered it with a layer of cloth before setting off.
There were many more people selling their children on the roadside, carrying baskets on their shoulders. The children in the baskets all had their eyes wide open, staring at the passersby in fear. They looked very young, and it was hard to tell whether they knew what their parents were doing.
There were quite a lot of people running out of the city. Liang Shengdi just followed the group quietly, listening to the chatter of the people in front. After a year in Shan County, she could already understand the local dialect.
This direction is towards Shunjiang County. Ahead of Shunjiang is the provincial capital, and ahead of the provincial capital are Shanyin County and the provincial capital. Everyone feels that with so many places, there is always a place to stay.
When passing by a stream, Liang Shengdi thought for a moment and decided to fill her canteen with water before continuing on her way.
As a result, when she turned around, she saw a skinny old man carrying a little baby and holding a slightly older child standing behind her. She was so scared that she almost stepped into the water with her hind leg.
The old man showed an expression that was not sure whether to cry or laugh, pointing at the older child in his hand whose gender was unclear and whose appearance was not clear, and whispered in dialect,
"Boss, do you want a child? No money, just give him something to eat. Don't underestimate his small size, he can do anything. As long as you give him something to eat, he will be fine, even if you hit or scold him!"
Liang Shengdi held the pot tightly and swallowed nervously, "...Do you think I look like someone with food? I am also fleeing because I can't make ends meet..."
The old man's cloudy eyes looked from the pot in her hand to the new shoes on her feet. Oh, those were the new shoes that Liang Shengdi and he had bought with a little money before the autumn harvest last year.
Liang Shengdi looked down at the pair of shoes on her feet that didn't look very new, but had no holes or patches, and was speechless.
"I bought these shoes last summer! I thought the autumn harvest was coming soon and we'd be able to eat cheap new grain! I bought a pair of shoes on impulse. If I had known, I would have bought grain with that little money!"
"Yes..." the old man murmured, "It's better to buy food..."
"Boss, do you want a child? No money, just give him something to eat. Don't underestimate his small size, he can do anything. As long as you give him something to eat, he will be fine, even if you hit or scold him!"
He repeated what he had just said. Neither he nor the child had any expression on their faces, only numbness.
Liang Shengdi pursed her lips and whispered, "I really have no food, I'm sorry." Then she ran away quickly holding her water bottle.
As he ran, he looked back and saw that the old man was still carrying a little baby on his shoulder and holding the slightly older child, standing by the stream, motionless.
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