Chapter 122 Jinjiang Exclusive Release
County government office.
The county magistrate, who looked a little weak with gray hair and droopy eye bags, yawned and listened to his subordinates' discussion with a dull look.
"Have you found out where those people came from?"
"Someone overheard the conversation between Miao An and that group of people. It is said that this group of people are all from the same village, called Yunlu Village."
"Yunlu Village? There's no village with that name in this county. He probably isn't from this county."
The former chief escort of the escort agency frowned and said, "Wait, so many people are from the same village? How is that possible! They have so many people alive?"
The accountant nodded in agreement. "They probably thought that saying they were from the same place would make them look more capable and less likely to be looked down upon, so they deliberately deceived Miao An."
The chief escort felt something was wrong, but couldn't figure it out for a moment, so he could only ask, "Did they say they would join Miao An?"
"The other party hasn't expressed their stance yet. They might be trying to understand more about the strength of the various forces in the city before waiting for a good price."
The old county magistrate became impatient and frowned, saying, "Whether the survivors are from one village or several, they are all just peasants. There's no need to take them too seriously."
The accountant reminded him, "But sir, they have several strange-looking cars that look very impressive. They say they can float and their windows are made of glass."
"What do you mean by floating? It must be some kind of sleight of hand, just to create mystery." The chief escort said with disdain.
The old county magistrate also felt that the floating cars did not exist at all. However, when he learned that the windows of those strange cars were made of glass, he sat up slightly, and a hint of greed and dissatisfaction appeared in his turbid eyes.
"A bunch of peasants think they deserve such a good thing? Tomorrow, find someone to hint to them to turn in the car. If they are willing to hand it over, I will reluctantly provide them with shelter."
At this point, the old county magistrate paused. "By the way, you said there were women among those people? See if there are any young and beautiful ones. I'm a little tired of those in the backyard."
The criminal lawyer asked, "What if they don't obey..."
The old county magistrate sneered, "How dare they! Tomorrow, you go there in your official uniforms. They won't dare to resist. If they really don't appreciate it, don't they live on our territory? Just kick them out and teach them a lesson in private. Let them know who has the final say in this county."
Several people nodded, indicating that they understood what to do.
"That's it," the old county magistrate said impatiently, "I'm going to the backyard. My concubines are still waiting for me. If you have nothing else to do, please don't bother me."
"Take care, sir."
"We will definitely send you a new beauty as soon as possible."
…
In the study of a mansion in the south of the city.
Several wealthy businessmen and landlords sat around the table.
"Some people saw live cattle and sheep in the strange carts those people brought."
"Didn't they say they were cattle and horses? And they weren't from that group, they belonged to Chen Bing's caravan. The people have been separated from them."
"No, in addition to the Chen family caravan, that group of people also had a lot of cattle and sheep. My friend saw them clearly through the glass window of the car when Miao An took them to the east of the city."
"Are there any supplies in the car?"
"It doesn't look like it from the outside, but to be able to support so many cattle, sheep and people, they must have needed supplies."
Landlord Zhao, the most affluent and harmless-looking, tutted his words. "That's not necessarily true. During famines, there were people who traded their own children for food, even eating two-legged sheep. I heard they were farmers. Have you ever seen any farmers who looked better than the rest of us during a famine?"
The others' faces darkened when they heard this.
Indeed, the conditions of those people were indeed somewhat unbelievably good.
If those people really ate things they shouldn't have, I'm afraid they won't change their habits after coming here.
That's dangerous.
The tall and thin Boss Zheng said in a deep voice, "That's just your guess. I don't think so. I heard that Miao An got a lot of steamed buns. It doesn't look like those people are short of food."
Landlord Zhao shrugged. "It's not necessarily the best, but they simply have more supplies. We could consider exchanging what we have with them."
Another landlord, Liu, said, "Those people seem to have some pretty good weapons. If we can get them, or even have them join us, not only will we have more supplies, but we'll also have more people to protect them, so that those people in the gambling house won't always covet our things."
Others thought it made sense.
Finally, the slightly portly Boss Wang slammed his hands on the table and said, "They'll definitely go to the trading area after they enter the city. Let's have someone go observe them tomorrow to see what supplies they've sold. Then we'll have a rough idea of what's going on."
Boss Zheng added, "We can also find out what they are interested in so we can tailor our approach."
No matter how much they try to win over the other party, the deal still needs to be done. If they happen to have the supplies that the other party urgently needs, the initiative is in their hands. They can sit back and relax, make a fortune first, and then talk about other things.
"Okay, let's do it!"
…
The reaction of the gambling houses in the south of the city was much more direct.
Feng Hu, the flabby-faced gambling house owner, was holding the top prostitute from the county's largest brothel in his arms. He grabbed a chicken leg and was about to take a big bite. As he ate, he shouted, "Those guys have women, cattle, sheep, strange cars, weapons. I want them all!"
The brothers below shouted excitedly: "That's right! We want them all!"
Feng Hu taunted him, "The other three factions are so weak in combat, they're definitely going to resort to some crazy tactics. I'd say that's bullshit! In this world, fists are the way to go!"
Go test their abilities tomorrow. If they have some skills, win them over. Beat them if they don't obey! Beat them into submission and they'll behave! If they don't want to give us things, we'll take them away! In short, there's no need to be too polite, otherwise they'll think they're powerful and try to bully us."
"That's right! Just beat them into submission and take away all the supplies!" The gambling thugs and ruffians shouted.
But someone soon said, "Boss Chen Bing seems to know them. What if the gentry comes to our aid? Although they can't fight, they do outnumber us..."
The screaming thugs' voices became quieter, and their expressions showed obvious hesitation.
Feng Hu's face darkened, and he spat on the ground, cursing fiercely, "Those old bastards, how could one of them die in such hot weather a while ago? It would be better if they were all dead!"
"And the old guy from the county government office, he's over sixty years old and almost sucked dry by those women in the backyard, yet he's still here. What a bunch of old fools!"
If he could take control of the officials and bodyguards in the county government, no matter how many connections the gentry and elders had, they would have to bow to him in front of his fists!
"Boss? Then should we still try those people?"
Feng Hu's eyes flashed with ferocity as he said, "Try! Why not try? Do you think I'm afraid of those old guys? If they dare to interfere, I'll deal with them too! Tomorrow you go and have a good meeting with the newcomers!"
"yes!"
…
In a small courtyard in a civilian area.
A middle-aged man with ordinary looks but gentle eyes said helplessly to the other elders, "My nephew told those people about the situation in the city, but he didn't get much information from them. I can only assume that they are not short of food and weapons. If you want more detailed information, I'm afraid I'll have to find Chen Bing and ask him."
The old men nodded in understanding at first, then their expressions became a little subtle.
"Chen Bing... He's been gone for several months. It's a good thing that he's returned safely with his wife and children. But he probably doesn't know the situation in the north of the city yet."
"Cough." Several young people standing at the back and listening couldn't help but cough dryly, and silently looked at another old man who looked three-quarters like Chen Bing.
An elder said gently, "Old Chen, Chen Bing is your cousin. Talk to him tomorrow. His caravan has quite a few talented individuals who could be a great help to us when they return. If all goes well, we might be able to settle down in peace."
Old Master Chen nodded and said, "It shouldn't be a problem. The small courtyard next to my house is vacant, so it's a good opportunity for them to move in and look after each other. But it's late today, and I'm afraid we won't be able to find them for a while."
Logically speaking, he should come to find him after discovering that something was wrong in Chengbei.
It's so late and he hasn't come yet. It's probably because there are so many people and it's inconvenient to go around the city, so he found a temporary place to stay for the night.
The other official, who had been silent the whole time, said with some worry, "The other three groups will definitely make a move tomorrow. If we're a step slower than them, will things go wrong? What if we win over the newcomers..."
Old Master Chen shook his head and said, "Probably not. When An invited them today, they didn't rush to express their opinions, which shows that they are not impulsive people. There is nothing wrong with taking it slow. We can see how they react to the other three forces tomorrow."
From Yunlu Village’s attitude towards them, one can basically judge whether the other party is suitable to contact.
If the people of Yunlu Village get along well with those three groups of people, it would be a bad idea to force them to join their side.
Their situation is relatively stable at the moment, but once a group of troublemakers appear, there will be no peace.
It is better to have a slightly weaker overall strength than to disrupt the hard-earned peace.
The other elderly people had similar ideas as he did. They all felt that they could wait and see and remain unchanged in the face of all changes.
·
Not only the four major forces, but other victims in the city were also talking enthusiastically about the newcomers who entered the city today.
When the adults learned that Miao An not only did not get 'eaten' after leading the team today, but also gained a lot of benefits, they immediately forgot their guess that those big guys were 'monsters', and they all thought about going to the east of the city tomorrow to see what was new. Maybe those people had other needs, and they could take the opportunity to earn some food.
If it really doesn't work, they can actually join those people!
Many people saw it today, and Miao An got several soft two-grain steamed buns.
As city dwellers in the past, they might not have cared about this thing.
But I have been eating whole grain dry noodles and soft steamed buns for almost two months... just imagining it makes me feel greedy.
However, the focus of those children who lost their parents and became orphans in the earthquake is somewhat different.
In a dilapidated house that had collapsed more than half and looked like a complete ruin.
The eight-year-old, somewhat frail boy excitedly said to his sister, who was half asleep on the hard bed, "Sister, did you see those children during the day? Those people are willing to raise so many children, and they are all chubby. They must not be bad people. Do you think they will clean up the bad guys in the city?"
Without even turning her head, her sister muttered, "They don't know anyone in the city, and they don't have any grudges against them. Why would they kill them? Stop dreaming and go to sleep."
My brother slumped his shoulders in disappointment. After a moment of silence, he muttered, "What if they're just being kind? Or maybe those forces are actively provoking them, so they'll definitely resist, right?"
My sister said impatiently, "If they have the ability, they can just leave this troubled place and move to another place. People who have enough supplies can live well anywhere, unlike us."
My brother opened his mouth and was speechless.
After a while, a gurgling sound came from the brother's abdomen. He touched his shriveled stomach, leaned against his sister's back pitifully, and whispered, "Sister, I'm so hungry."
The elder sister sighed secretly, turned around and hugged her younger brother, patting his back gently like her mother used to do, and said, "Go to sleep. You won't be hungry when you fall asleep."
My brother hummed and closed his eyes to suppress his hunger.
A ray of moonlight shone into the broken house through the cracks, just illuminating my sister's little face which was a little dirty but had exceptionally bright eyes.
She looked up at the faint moonlight, holding her only relative in her arms, thinking about what her brother had just said, a hint of contemplation appeared in her eyes.
·
As the sky brightened, the villagers of Yunlu Village got up early, washed, and had breakfast. After leaving some of the elderly, Ye Jing, who was getting older, and one-third of the young and strong people behind, the remaining hundred or so people set out in a mighty procession to the free trade street they had heard about from Miao An.
Most of the supplies looted by the disaster victims from the ruins had to be kept to exchange for food with the four major forces, but there were always some left over, and these items would be exchanged with others at the Free Trade Street in the center of the county town.
The people from the four major forces in this area will not interfere too much and will not charge stall fees.
Correspondingly, if someone's stall is picked on, no one will help and they can only find a way to solve the problem by themselves.
The villagers want to know more about the city as soon as possible, so going there is the easiest way. They can also go shopping and find some good things at low prices.
As soon as such a large group of people appeared at the entrance of the trading area, they instantly attracted the attention of the victims on the entire street.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
