On the other side, Lin Man followed to where the Du family lived.
The place where they lived was even more crowded and dilapidated than the Zhao family's area. It was in a very remote and outermost corner of the Nanming base. The road was no longer a concrete road, but a bumpy and uneven dirt road. It was usually dusty and muddy when it rained. There was a lot of garbage and waste on the roadside, and the smell was also very unpleasant.
The Du siblings said that people who had just joined the base basically lived in this area. They had to go through tests or find a job before they could be truly recognized by the base and then have the opportunity to move to other places.
Lin Man asked: "Does everyone live here now?"
"It's all here."
Lin Man followed the two men to a cluster of huts. These huts, constructed from a variety of materials, were uneven, chaotic, and crowded. Clearly newly constructed, they were piled to the east and west. Lin Man realized that many of the people from the Heping Base had died along the way, leaving them scattered. Ultimately, fewer than a hundred people had arrived at the Nanming Base.
But the conflicts between these people were also great. After arriving here, they were divided into two camps, one centered around Du Chun, and the other centered around Zhang Chengtao. The two sides seemed to be clearly separated and had no contact with each other, but in this unfamiliar base, they did not dare to really not contact each other, so there was a vague sense of mutual care and reliance on each other.
"It's just that when Lin Cheng asked someone to question him, it was me who was called, not Zhang Chengtao. Zhang Chengtao hated me a little because of this incident. We haven't had any contact for several days." Du Chun said with a wry smile.
Du Chun seemed to be explaining something, and Lin Man found that he was a little cautious towards him. Even though he was no longer the leader he used to be, he was still an elder, and there was really no need for him to be so reserved in front of him.
She thought about it and felt that it must be because of Lin Cheng. Du Qiu was originally very enthusiastic towards her, but after she talked to Lin Cheng, he didn't say much along the way, and even glanced at Lin Man from time to time.
Du Chun added, "But I heard that Zhang Chengtao has been talking to some big shot recently, and they are preparing to go north."
It can be seen that people are packing up in the shacks to the west. It is already dark, and they are packing up at night. It seems that they are about to leave.
A woman came out and said, "Hey, Boss Du, you're back from delivering water. You've worked so hard. But our Brother Zhang is different. He's found favor with a big shot, and he's taking us north in the next couple of days. When we're successful and well-off, we'll find a way to support you."
Du Chun and Du Qiu both looked grim, but ignored each other. Lin Man felt that this person looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was. He had a vague impression that he was always around Madam Zhang.
The other party didn't recognize Lin Manlai either. They were busy packing up their things while looking at him with a subtle expression, as if they were people who were about to escape from the sea of suffering and looked at those who were still struggling below with a smug sense of superiority.
The closer Lin Man got, the more he realized that these huts were in such dilapidated condition that they were even worse than those at the Peace Base. Even though the materials were limited back then, at least they were all made of solid rammed earth and stone masonry. Moreover, the land area was large and everyone had their own door and yard.
Here, the houses are low and crowded, with gaps here and there, and all kinds of materials can be seen on the sheds.
Lin Man felt a little heavy-hearted. These two groups of people were the strongest and had the best physical fitness among those who came out of the Peace Base. Basically, all of them could work, and they had the best life when they were in the Peace Base, but they only received such treatment when they arrived at the Nanming Base.
What about the remaining 300 or so people?
If the conditions are so bad, it would be better to go to the north than to come to the Nanming base. At least the latter is a large base, and the guarantees in all aspects should be higher than those of the Nanming base.
Lin Man followed him into the Du siblings' shack. It was supposedly the best shack on the east side, but it was only five or six square meters. Furnished with two wooden beds, a table, a stove, and boxes, there was barely enough room to turn around. It was windowless and extremely hot. They had no electricity, and it was nighttime, so the inside was completely dark. There were no candles, only a small glow from the fire Du Chun had lit in the stove.
Fortunately, mosquitoes are almost extinct now, otherwise in a place like this with such hot weather, I would be bitten to death by mosquitoes.
Lin Man felt that the conditions here were much worse than the house he and his mother lived in at the Peace Base, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.
She absolutely could not accept letting her mother live in such an environment. Even if she had enough food and drink, the living conditions were depressing enough.
Lin Man asked, "I don't think the conditions here are good either. Why don't you go to the base in the north?"
Du Chun came in with a cart and said with a wry smile, "If we had been able to hold out a little longer before entering the Nanming Base and met people from the Northern Base, we would have definitely gone with them. But now we have joined the Nanming Base and are its people. The northern bases want the entire Nanming Base, not just a few dozen people from the Nanming Base. That would do them no good and would only anger the Nanming Base. So if people from the Nanming Base want to go north, they first need to get permission from the base and second, they need to establish connections with those people in the north. Otherwise, they can't leave at all."
Zhang Chengtao is the second type.
And I heard that the way he got here was not an ordinary one. No wonder those people in the west were so proud.
"By the way, is everyone okay?" Du Chun suddenly asked, and then he felt that he asked the wrong question. Even Lin Man had come out, so what good could there be in that mountain? I'm afraid everyone was dead. Even if they were not dead, Lin Man would not be able to know the situation.
But Lin Man said, "It's fine. We were almost dying, but it suddenly rained and things are getting better."
Lin Man didn't say much, and he didn't want to say that everyone is living much better than you guys now. You can find food to eat in the mountains every day, and you don't have to worry about drinking water. There are sweet potatoes, corn, wild vegetables, cabbage, etc. in the fields. Every day is full of hope.
She didn't want these people to think about going back. Since they had left in the first place, no matter for what reason, they had abandoned the old, weak and sick people in the Peace Base. Now that the mountain was revived, it had nothing to do with them.
Moreover, although the current peace base is very weak, the relationship between people is very good. It can be said that they are surviving by relying on each other. If dozens of young and strong people are put in at this time, that friendly atmosphere will definitely be broken.
"That's good, that's good." Du Chun seemed a little ashamed. It was a helpless act for him to leave so many people behind, but he did give up his responsibility as the leader.
Du Qiu quickly tried to smooth things over: "After the rain, everyone's life has indeed become much better. There are several pools of water on the mountain here. We are now fetching water from them, transporting it back and selling it. Although it is hard work, we can at least earn some food."
"What about those who can't find work and have no income?" Lin Man asked.
"Then we have no choice but to go out and look for food. The base won't care about these people." Du Chun sighed, "There are only one or two mountains here, which is nothing compared to our Peace Base. It's hard to find food, and many people starve to death every day."
Du Qiu also said: "I heard that those bases in the north distribute basic rations every day. Anyone who officially settles down can get it. Although it's not much, at least they won't starve to death." There was longing and regret in her tone. They only gradually learned these things after entering the Nanming base. If they had known the gap was so huge earlier, they would never have entered the Nanming base.
The more Lin Man listened, the more she felt that the north was better. She completely eliminated the Nanming base from her options, but the problem was that she had no way to go to the north. There was originally a way to go to the Dongyang base, but now, she decided to forget about the Dongyang base.
How about choosing Tuanyuan Base? She heard that Tuanyuan Base was the strongest and had the largest population, so it would probably have more security. She also barely knew Lin Cheng from Tuanyuan Base, so she wondered if he would be willing to help.
If people look down on them because they are old and weak, then they still have a token of their loyalty. Sweet potatoes are worthless, but they still have corn, potatoes, and wheat, all of which can be saved for seeds and passed down from generation to generation!
But no matter where she went, she felt that it was not as free, leisurely and comfortable as her own home in the mountains. She wished she could stay in the mountains forever.
Because of Lin Man's arrival, some people came over to take a look and talk. Lin Man didn't know many of them, so she just answered a few words. Seeing that she had learned everything she wanted to know and it was getting late, she prepared to leave.
However, she paused at this moment, and Guan Guan in the space suddenly shouted: "Lin Man, murder!"
Lin Man's expression was solemn: "I know." She smelled blood, and weren't those people to the west just packing up and talking lively? Why was there no movement now? Were they all asleep?
Du Chun saw that she was about to go out but suddenly stopped, and was about to ask, but Lin Man raised his hand to stop them.
She walked quietly to the door and suddenly felt that this scene was inexplicably familiar. Why did she always encounter such things?
She looked around and picked up the stove that was about to burn out. It was called a stove, but in fact it was just a barrel carved out of stone. It was heavy and huge, and the whole body was very hot. However, Lin Man picked it up easily and didn't seem to feel the heat.
Du Chun and the other man were stunned. They both knew that Lin Man was very strong, but at this moment, it seemed that she was not only strong, but also had something else on her body.
A figure suddenly rushed in without even listening to any noise in the house. Although there was no sound of footsteps, his attitude was not cautious at all. He probably felt that there was nothing in this small shed worth his caution.
He rushed in casually and unrestrainedly, and when he saw the Du brothers and sisters, he casually raised his hands to kill them, but suddenly a man appeared next to him and hit him hard with a stone bucket stove.
This blow was really cruel. Because Lin Man didn't know what level this person was at and was worried that he was just another tough hammer man, he used a lot of strength. Then he felt something warm splashing on his face. Du Chun and the other guy obviously felt it too. Du Qiu let out a short cry and was covered by Du Chun's hand over his mouth.
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