Like Li the Butcher and his men, other civilians were also questioned by officers and soldiers when they arrived at the town gate.
Only after the people voluntarily paid the entrance fee to the town would the officers and soldiers say a few pretentious words before letting them pass.
For those who didn't pay, if they said they wouldn't make a fuss, they'd be chased away. If they were going to make a fuss, they'd be arrested.
Ji the butcher and his group entered Hukou Town with a nervous mood. There were not many people on the streets of Hukou Town, with only one or two vendors selling things occasionally.
Other people were even rarer, and the whole town seemed extremely deserted.
"Hey, Butcher Li, there really are so few people in this town. Could it be that these people are fleeing famine like us? There don't seem to be many people on the streets.
Not to mention some street vendors, there are almost none. Is the situation so serious now?"
The man who had just pushed Li the butcher couldn't help but ask questions after seeing the situation in the town, even though he had already heard what the officer had said.
But when I actually saw it, I couldn't help but sigh that this town was really depressed and deserted.
There was no one on the streets, and there was no bustle like a town should have.
At the same time, they were a little worried. With so few people around, if they wanted to buy something, they would probably have to go to a restaurant.
But the things in the restaurant are not available to everyone who wants to buy them. This is a difficult situation. What should I do if I really can't buy anything?
Butcher Li looked around the town carefully. Most of the houses were thatched, with relatively few brick and tile houses. It seemed that the people in the town were not particularly wealthy.
But there really weren't many people on the street right now. Could it be true what the officer said, that everyone had left? He was also worried whether they could still buy things.
"Brother Shi, don't worry. Let's go to the restaurant first and see what's available. If the food is too expensive, we can just buy a little less.
There were not many people on the streets of the town, so we probably could only go to the restaurant to buy things.
There was nothing we could do about it, as everyone in the village was waiting to eat. It didn't matter to us adults, we could just eat tree bark or something, but the children couldn't wait.
It seems that the situation is not optimistic. We should hurry up and go to the restaurant to take a look.
Don't delay, otherwise we will be seen by the officers and soldiers later and accused of wandering around.
We don't have household registration, we only have a travel permit. If someone refuses to listen to us, we won't be able to explain ourselves even if we have 100 mouths."
After seeing the surrounding scene, Li the butcher had no choice but to compromise with reality. He decided to go to the restaurant first. He suddenly remembered his seven or eight-year-old son.
It doesn't matter if he suffers a little, but he doesn't want his children to suffer too much.
He was willing to starve for the sake of his children, and he believed that everyone else in the village had the same idea as him.
Aren’t parents all thinking about their children? No one doesn’t love their children.
"Okay, Brother Li. Let's go to the restaurant first and see what's going on. There's no place else to eat in this town, so we can only go to the restaurant first.
We'll see what the situation is like then and just buy the important things. So let's hurry up and go."
The man who had just pushed Li the Butcher was called Shi Lei. After hearing what Li the Butcher said, he also felt that it made sense. It was too early to draw conclusions before we even got to the restaurant. We should go and see first.
Since they couldn't find food elsewhere in the town, they had no choice but to go to the restaurant. So Shi Lei pulled Li the butcher and quickly walked towards the restaurant.
There weren't many people on the road and they walked faster, so everything went relatively smoothly.
On the streets of Hukou Town, you can occasionally see soldiers patrolling, divided into several groups, going back and forth.
When Li the butcher and his companions saw the officers and soldiers, they lowered their heads deliberately, fearing they would be questioned and unable to answer.
They are the ones who suffer, and it also helps to avoid unnecessary complications and trouble.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, Li the Butcher and his companions arrived at the door of a restaurant, which was exactly the restaurant where Yuan Xichen and his companions had bought food on the road.
You can also see quite a few people gathered there, probably here to eat.
Li the butcher and his companions did not delay and went straight into the restaurant. When the waiter saw them, he greeted them warmly.
"Sir, welcome, welcome. What can you order? We have buns, steamed buns, and special dishes. Please let me know if you need anything."
The waiter ran over with a smile on his face, and did not show any disdain for the tattered clothes worn by Li the Butcher and his companions.
Everyone who comes is a guest, and as long as they come to the restaurant, they are there to spend money. There is no need to worry about them not being able to pay, after all, the officers and soldiers in the town are not vegetarians.
If you really encounter someone who eats and dines, just arrest him and take him to the government office.
Butcher Li looked around the restaurant and found that the downstairs lobby was quite large. There weren't many people, only about one-third of them were seated.
But it is indeed a little more lively here than on the street just now, at least there are more people.
Seeing the waiter's warm welcome, Li the butcher felt particularly relieved. He knew that they were in rags. If someone didn't know, they might have thought they were beggars.
But the waiter did not ignore them, so he felt respected by others and felt very happy.
"Little Brother! It's like this, we're planning to buy some food to take away. Also, do you have water for sale here? We brought some water bags and would like to buy some water.
We are refugees from famine and happened to be passing through here. Could you please sell us some water? If you have any steamed buns, please.
Let's just buy some steamed buns. How are you selling your steamed buns?"
Butcher Li still answered the waiter's questions politely, and then stated his needs.
He was a little worried that the food in the restaurant was too expensive and they couldn't afford it.
When the waiter heard this, his smile widened even more. "If they're taking it all away, it must be quite a lot. It seems this is another big customer."
"Hey, big brother, are you buying steamed buns? You've definitely found the right place. Our steamed buns are the best in this town.
As for steamed buns, there are white flour buns, corn buns, and brown rice buns. The cheapest ones are brown rice buns, which cost one penny each.
White flour buns are five cents each. Corn buns are three cents each. How many do you need? What kind of buns do you want?
As for water, I can sell some, but it's a bit expensive. If you have a water bag like this, it will cost about ten coins to fill it up. How much do you need?"
The waiter smiled brightly and quoted the price of steamed buns and water.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
