Chapter 57
"Director Zhu, where are Tong Shu and her family? Why are you the only one who came back?" A large group of people from the community had gathered in the open space outside the North Gate. Zhang Ming saw Zhu Cheng rowing back alone and hurriedly went up to ask.
Zhu Cheng shook his head and sighed, "Their family won't be moving with us."
"What do you mean?" Zhang Ming asked anxiously and confusedly. "The situation is critical now, why are they acting alone?"
Zhu Cheng briefly mentioned the matter of the convenience store, and the people gathered around all showed expressions of anger.
"What heartless bastards! How much have we received help from the Tong family these past few months? Now that the building is about to collapse, they're the first to try and take advantage of the situation!" The elderly woman from Building 6 shouted angrily. She and her husband had only been able to live peacefully until now thanks to Tong Shu's occasional relief.
"No wonder these people gathered together and talked for a while before going back to the neighborhood to get something important. So that's what they were thinking," Chen Fenfang chimed in.
...
Those with a conscience, and those who had more dealings with Tong Shu's family, spoke out in condemnation. Zhu Cheng looked around and saw that several people looked regretful, probably regretting that they hadn't participated in the operation.
"Will those people come back?" someone asked quietly in the crowd.
"Hmph." Zhu Cheng snorted. "They still have the nerve to come back? Even if they dare to come back, I won't take them with me. What's the difference between having someone like that around and having a bunch of time bombs next to you?"
"Exactly, I don't want to move with people like that. What if they steal my supplies in the middle of the night? How am I supposed to survive?"
"They all went back with their families, which I found strange at the time. Now that I think about it, they probably already planned not to come back..."
...
As everyone chatted amongst themselves, they didn't notice Liu Wanqi approaching. It was Zhu Cheng who spotted him and immediately asked, "Lieutenant Liu, has the matter with the supply ship been settled?"
Liu Wanqi glanced at the crowd quickly but didn't see Tong Shu. "The ship has been moved out of the community and is now parked in that open space over there." He pointed to the right. "There are maintenance workers repairing the ship's facilities. The major is worried that the rampant plant growth might be due to water under the ice, so he asked me to come and tell everyone that those with ships should get on board, and those without ships should follow the supply ship."
Upon hearing this, no one wanted to continue the discussion, and they all sought out people they were on good terms with to share a boat.
"Lieutenant Liu, did the major say where he's headed?" Zhu Cheng asked, pulling Liu Wanqi back as he was about to leave.
“Go towards central China; the terrain there is high and there are many plains. We might be able to find a place to live there,” Liu Wanqi said.
Zhu Cheng was stunned, a strong sense of reluctance welling up in his heart. Z City was where he had lived since childhood. He grew up here, studied here, and started working here after graduation. He never thought that after more than half his life, at this age, he would have to leave his hometown and leave the place where he had lived for decades.
Many residents of the community, upon hearing this, felt as heartbroken as Zhu Cheng. They looked up at the community and saw that the once neat buildings were now teetering on the verge of collapse, all of which represented their life savings.
A silent and sorrowful atmosphere permeated the crowd.
Liu Wanqi sighed and said softly, "Let's go."
On the other side.
Tong Shu led Tong Songming a short distance to the other side. This side was closer to the mountain, and some trees had already grown their canopies, with countless branches emerging from the ice. It would probably grow into a dense forest soon.
"Shushu, did you know this would happen all along?" Tong Songming asked, supporting his arm.
Tong Shu nodded and then shook her head: "I can only see the changes in the crystal ball, but I can't guess what kind of disaster it will be."
Tong Songming nodded and said no more. He changed the subject: "What do you plan to do next? Our family can't stay on the island forever. If you don't move, your island will stay in the same place forever. In the current situation, the outside world is changing every day. We need to find a place that is least affected by disasters to settle down."
“Let’s sit down together as a family and talk it over. Don’t think about it by yourself. You’ve been keeping everything bottled up inside lately, and your mother is very worried about you,” Tong Songming added.
After a moment's hesitation, Tong Shuxin nodded.
The two found a secluded spot and entered the island together.
On the island, everyone gathered in the small park, anxiously waiting for Tong Shu to come in.
They were all busy with their own things on the island. After Shuhua finished cooking, she planned to take the food out to call people to eat, but she found that she couldn't get out. After asking the others, she found that they were in the same situation. They all panicked and had a feeling that something bad had happened outside.
Seeing Tong Shu and Tong Songming enter, Shu Hua, Grandpa Tong, and Grandma Tong all breathed a sigh of relief and rushed forward to inquire about the situation.
"Old Tong! What happened to your arm?" Shu Hua saw Tong Songming holding his arm and nervously tried to take off his coat to check.
"It's nothing, I just got hit by a falling jar. I'll apply some medicated oil later." Tong Songming waved his hand. "That's not the important thing right now. We came in because the weather outside has changed again."
Everyone's expression changed simultaneously. Wang Jie handed a bottle of medicated oil to Shu Hua and asked, "What's going on?"
“Many trees have grown under the ice, causing the building to tilt. It may collapse soon, and the community and government are already preparing to evacuate people,” Tong Shu said.
"...Oh, where are we moving to?" Shu Hua was quite reluctant to leave. This was the home she and Tong Songming planned to use for their retirement, and now it was gone.
Tong Shu shook her head and said, "I don't know, we're not going with them."
"W-what's wrong? Why aren't you with the others? There are troops over there, it's quite safe." Shuya asked, not quite understanding.
Tong Songming frowned and recounted how a group of people had looted the convenience store and attempted to forcibly break into the house to rob it.
"Damn it, my good intentions were wasted!" Wang Jianye cursed, glaring at the dogs.
Tong Songming stopped the others from uttering their angry curses and said, "Our family was never really suited to relocate with the community. Now that we've lost our house, we'll be exposed if we're not careful. The trouble that will come won't be as simple as just losing the convenience store. This is a good opportunity to break away from the situation."
The anger on everyone's faces gradually subsided. Tong Songming's words were indeed reasonable. His family was used to a life of plenty, and suddenly having to travel with the crowds, without being able to eat or sleep well, was something the young people could handle, but the two elderly people would find it hard to cope.
"Then we should move too, right? Shushu, Uncle, have you thought about which way to go?" Wang Jie asked.
“We came in to discuss this matter. Actually, I had thought about it before I came in. Since we are going to relocate, we should find a place where we can live stably for a long time. If these trees continue to grow like this, we are not sure if the ice will melt. Why don’t we just go to a high place and settle down there again?” Tong Songming said.
"Then let's go to the central region of China. The terrain there is high and the climate is good," Grandpa Tong suggested, having traveled extensively in his youth.
This idea coincided with Tong Shu's, who also preferred to go to central China.
"Going so far away..." Shu Li had never traveled far before. Going to central China meant leaving Z City to live in a completely new place, which made her feel somewhat uneasy.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Didn't you hear what your brother-in-law said? Things will change drastically soon, and Z City will be unbearable." Wang Jianye was reluctant to leave, but there was no other way. If he wanted to live a good life, he had to leave.
"How are we going to get around with so many of us? Mom and Dad are getting old, so they'll definitely stay here, but I'm worried about Shushu walking alone outside. Besides, how long will it take her to get around by herself..." Shuhua started to worry again.
"Mom, don't forget, we also have a motorhome." Tong Shu squeezed Shu Hua's hand and smiled faintly.
The person who had been frowning in thought suddenly remembered, "That's right! They also have a motorhome that the system rewarded them with. At the beginning of the disaster, they thought they had to abandon their house and a group of people hid in the motorhome watching the city collapse. Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better. After spending half a year at the Tong family's house, they actually forgot about the motorhome."
“Yes, yes, yes! We also have a motorhome.” Shu Hua was no longer worried: “That’s very convenient. We don’t have to stay cooped up on the island all the time. I can even go out and cook for you.”
“My two brothers-in-law and I can all drive. The three of us can take turns driving, and we’ll be able to drive to central China very soon!” Wang Jianye chimed in.
...
Seeing her family members' worried expressions change and they were discussing things with ease, Tong Shu felt much more relieved.
“Then it’s settled. I’ll travel for a few days first, and once we’re out of Z City, we’ll find a place to take the RV out, and then we’ll head towards central China together,” Tong Shu said.
Seeing the worry on his aunt's face, Wang Jie immediately said, "My dad, my uncle, and I will accompany Shushu. She'll definitely be fine."
Tong Shu had a gun, so she wasn't too worried about being robbed. She was more concerned about the abnormally growing plants than people.
"Mom, relax a little." Tong Shu smiled. "I've been exercising a lot lately, and it's been quite effective. If all else fails, I can always hide on the island. Don't worry too much." After comforting Shu Hua, Tong Shu took out the pesticide she had prepared in a spray bottle and distributed it to Wang Jie, Tong Songming, and her two uncles.
“If you’re going to come with me outside, bring this pesticide. If there are any trees or vines that might trip you up, just spray them with the sprayer,” Tong Shu said. Explaining that plants might attack people might be a fantasy, but this explanation would probably be more acceptable to them.
Apart from Wang Jie, the others had been up and down mountains and rivers a lot when they were young. If they encountered any plants blocking their way, they would just cut them down. Pesticides were unnecessary. But since Tong Shu had prepared them, they would take them. They wouldn't take up much space in their backpacks.
After resting for a while, Tong Shu dragged out a small sled that Tong Songming had made in his spare time, and left the island with Wang Jie.
As if by fate, Tong Shu and Wen Shaocheng once again chose to move in the same direction.
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