From that day on, they would come with them in the morning to fish, and go back home in the evening.
We couldn't worry about the checkpoints anymore. We left two brothers behind each day to guard the house with guns, while the rest of us went fishing.
Bai Shuang had heard Bai Di's parents mention before that the small base in Tong County was not far away, and their grandson could walk back, which was at most a few dozen miles of mountain road. So Bai Shuang thought she would take some time to go and see it.
What exactly does it look like? What's inside? They even managed to catch fish in broad daylight, using it as an excuse to leave.
After finishing their fishing day, the three ate the biangbiang noodles they had stored before heading to the Tongxian base.
I initially thought it would take a long time to drive there, but it only took three hours.
This is a relatively stable and gentle hillside. If it weren't for the extreme cold, there would be a small river nearby formed by snowmelt from the high mountains.
It's a very comfortable place, and the person who chose the location is quite capable. Of course, it's also an official base, but it's at the county level, much smaller than a typical provincial capital.
The entrance fee here is 20 catties of grain. Those without grain must have labor power to enter, and they can exchange their labor for it. Those without grain and without the ability to work are not accepted here.
There's no other way; resources are limited, and all bases are overcrowded. Official bases prioritize protecting those who are capable of surviving.
Bai Shuang and the other two were only staying temporarily, so they didn't need to pay much. Each person paid two jin of grain for one night, and Bai Shuang paid six jin of cold-resistant potatoes.
The base was surrounded by large tents, which were probably communal sleeping areas. It was getting dark, and Bai Shuang and the others didn't have time to take a closer look.
The three of them shared a room on the second floor. There was no bathroom; they had to use a public toilet outside. However, they made do for one night, so it didn't matter.
After checking out the dormitories, the three of them went to the points hall to see the rates there, which was their main purpose for coming here.
The three of them left the dormitory building, and a man on a tricycle came up to them, asking, "Want a ride?"
"Go to the points hall, how much food do I need?"
"One pack of instant noodles or half a pound of grain for each person, anything will do."
Bai Shuang and the others didn't know the way, so it was good for him to lead the way.
The carriage wasn't big, and Bai Shuang got on by herself. The other person pedaled slowly, and Bai Jiu and the other person followed behind.
Twenty minutes later, the tricycle stopped at the entrance of the points hall. Bai Shuang got off, handed the man a packet of instant noodles, and went inside.
The points hall was quite warm, with temperatures above zero. It was already dark, and there weren't many people redeeming points. However, just inside the entrance, outside the yellow line, there was a bunch of people taking advantage of the warmth. Inside the yellow line, law enforcement officers were on duty, and unauthorized personnel were not allowed to enter.
With Bai Shuang and her two companions dressed neatly and walking with agile and graceful gait due to their long-term martial arts training, no one would have thought they were there to freeload off the heating.
The sentry gestured for them to proceed, and the three crossed the yellow line and walked toward the price list posted on the wall.
I glanced at the price list on the wall:
Refueling: 20 points per liter of gasoline (maximum 50 liters per person per trip).
One pound of refined grains can be exchanged for 5 points, one pound of wet coarse grains (potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.) can be exchanged for 1.5 points, and one pound of dry coarse grains (corn, sorghum, etc.) can be exchanged for 3 points.
One pound of meat (chicken, duck, fish, etc.) can be exchanged for 10 points.
Looking at the metal section, gold is 10 points per gram.
The price seems reasonable; that is, one pound of fish can be exchanged for two pounds of rice and flour, or half a liter of gasoline.
A 500-gram gold bar can be exchanged for 5,000 points, or 1,000 kilograms of rice, or 250 liters of fuel.
In short, food is expensive, meat is expensive, and fuel is even more expensive.
Another important piece of information is that the points from all official bases across the country are interchangeable. This way, Bai Tian and the others will know that the fish that Bai Shuang and the others have caught these past few days have been converted into points.
Otherwise, even though they followed the rules and didn't ask, wouldn't they be wondering where all the fish Bai Shuang and the others had caught these past few days had gone?
Bai Shuang didn't read any more of the unrelated stuff. She took out 10 jin of old grain that she had collected at the Wolong Society and gave it to Bai Chang to exchange for 50 points. She then credited the points to her temporary points card, and the three of them walked out of the hall.
Then, we went to the supermarket next door. It had a wide variety of daily necessities, but the food items were very expensive.
There was milk powder on the shelf, it was expired, but the packaging was still intact, so it shouldn't be spoiled.
When I saw the price, I was shocked. An 800-gram can of domestic milk powder costs 250 points, which is equivalent to 50 kilograms of rice!
The supermarket also had leafy greens, but they were three times the price of rice. They must have been grown indoors with heating, which must have been quite difficult.
I have all of these things, so I didn't buy any.
After leaving the supermarket, the three of them went to check out the night market not far away. It was like the trade market in Tangcheng, with all sorts of things on both sides of the night market.
However, it was richer in goods than the Tangcheng trade market because it had many wealthy households and powerful figures from the county. With people living in concentrated areas, resources were also concentrated, allowing for mutual benefit.
Some people brought out two bunches of vegetables they had grown themselves to exchange for grain, some brought combs and hair ornaments, and some brought slightly worn radios that could play music when plugged in. Of course, there were also piles of old cotton-padded clothes...
At a stall selling children's toys, there were rattles, bells, plush toys, and Lego sets, which must have been used by that family's child. I gave them 5 points to exchange for Niu Niu.
There was a stall selling old children's clothes, but Bai Shuang dared not take them.
The group continued walking and finally found a half-new fishing net at a stall, which cost 20 points.
Bai Chang: "So expensive?"
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