Chapter 26 Chapter 26
Although he didn't want to move, after lying down for a while, Bai He forced himself to go out.
This winter had been particularly harsh, so while it was still possible to get out, he went to the woodworking factory in the next village. It wasn't really a factory, but it was more of a family workshop, housed in a small shed next to their own house. Because of its remote location and the competitive nature of the industry, they took on all sorts of work, including carpentry and furniture. Outside the factory, a mountain of sawdust, soaked in water and mud, had become unsightly.
The factory gates were open, but a big black dog was tied at the door. The dog was very strong and fierce. As soon as Bai He came in, the dog ran out of its den, opened its mouth and barked at him, and the iron chain around its neck was stretched straight.
Bai He was not frightened at all, but stopped and called out "Little Black, good boy"
Some people are terrified of dogs, while others have a special fondness for them. Bai He is the latter type. His father loves dogs, and he grew up surrounded by them. Some dog owners and lovers have experienced this: their long-term contact with dogs imbues them with a certain aura, making them not only immune to attack but also easily gain their favor. For example, Bai He often encounters puppies circling around him on the street, and some, if they're being coquettish, will lie flat on their backs, showing their bellies and flirting with him. Animals have a strong instinct for people.
Bai He teased the black dog a few times, and the black dog, which was originally grinning with a mouth full of sharp white teeth, became a little gentler. Although it still barked from time to time, its long tail was already wagging quietly. It tilted its head to look at Bai He curiously, wanting to get closer, but was very cautious.
Bai He couldn't help but touch its head. The big black dog suddenly shrank back, lowered its head, and let out a growl in its throat, which was more like a threat than a bluff.
Bai He did not continue to get close to the big black dog, because from the collar marks left on the dog's neck, it can be seen that it may have been tied here since it was a child. In order to better guard the gate, its dog house is placed next to the gate. If it gets too close to strangers and loses its guarding and warning function, the owner will not keep it.
Bai He walked into the factory. Two men, one old and one middle-aged, were squinting in the dim light, polishing wooden doors. Seeing Bai He coming over, the middle-aged man brushed off the sawdust on himself and asked enthusiastically, "Boss, what do you want to buy?"
"It's too cold. I want to buy some of your scrap wood for firewood."
Hearing they were buying scrap wood, the man's interest faded a bit. But it was a business deal after all, and especially at a time like this, even the smallest bit of money was still meat. "Boss, how much do you want?"
Bai He thought for a moment and said, "Two truckloads!" One for him and one for his uncle—a reasonable number. Right now, everyone was waiting for the power to come back on, so they hadn't considered this. Later, when everyone was sure the power wouldn't come back, they'd just scramble for wood.
Hearing this number, the man's spirits lifted a little. "Boss, do you want us to tow it away, or do you want us to deliver it? If we deliver it, we will charge an extra fee." There are also special people who pay to recycle the waste chips and boards in the wood factory, but now transportation and communications are paralyzed, and the house is almost full of storage. Whether Bai He comes or not, he has to consider giving some of it to his neighbors.
"I can tow it myself." Uncle Bai had a truck, so he just took it and drove it.
On his way home, Bai He passed by the village entrance. There were large trucks of the army parked in the village square. Young men in thin clothes were carrying bags of food in the cold wind.
They also brought good news that set the village ablaze. A vaccine for the pneumonia virus had been developed, and the government was providing it free of charge to the public. The vaccine would be distributed to hospitals and health centers across the country within a month.
The villagers of Sheshui Village all gave a thumbs up to the country for its efforts. However, they did not know that these vaccines were produced with blood and human lives.
The heavy rain hindered Gaolin City’s communication with the outside world and also prevented the invasion of the epidemic.
In many places outside, every village and every city is infected. You can't imagine that in peacetime there would be a scene where nine out of ten houses are empty, and there are even dead bodies lying on the streets.
The paralysis of network communications is actually a good thing for the current situation. If we knew that the number of people who died from the epidemic in China was as high as 40 million, and the number of people who died from the epidemic worldwide was 500 million, the whole society would probably be in a panic.
The ponds and farmlands in the village froze due to the low temperature. The children, who had never seen such a scene before, excitedly slid on the ice.
The adults chased after him and yelled, "You're going to die! If you fall into the water, I won't save you."
…
"Bai He" was walking on the road when he was stopped by a tall man.
"You guy!" The man ran over panting, looking at him excitedly, and seemed to want to reach out and pat him on the shoulder, but as soon as his hand was stretched out, Bai He dodged it in disgust.
"Bai Chengjie"
Bai He raised an eyebrow, looking at the man standing excitedly before him. His first cousin, Bai Hui's grandson. The younger generation of the Bai family was not short; Bai Chengjie was nearly 5 feet 4 inches tall. However, with the abundance of modern life, many inevitably suffer from overnutrition, and Bai Hui was clearly one of them. Even his oversized down jacket couldn't cover his bulging belly, and his legs were as thick as pillars. Especially now, clad in his tight, bulky clothes, he looked like a bear from a distance.
"Bai, we haven't seen each other for several years. How are you doing now?" Bai Chengjie smiled so hard that his eyes were about to squint.
Baihe's expression was "okay"
"Do you want to smoke?" Bai Chengjie took out a cigarette box and lighter from his pocket.
Bai He took it naturally, but he just held the cigarette between his fingers without lighting it. Bai Chengjie couldn't help but laugh and said, "You were the one who got me started smoking back then. Later, my dad broke a belt, but I didn't quit."
"You learned it secretly by yourself." Bai He rolled his eyes.
Bai Chengjie chuckled. Bai He had been an unruly student in school, and his teachers both loved and hated him. However, his unconventional behavior seemed genuinely cool to the middle school students, who were even more prone to Chuunibyou. Many people secretly imitated his behavior, and Bai Chengjie was one of them.
Especially at that time, all kinds of pornographic movies were rampant, and anyone who didn't have a cigarette in his hand was embarrassed to call himself the big brother.
Bai Chengjie's face tingles a bit as he recalls the silly things he did as a child, but it's mostly filled with nostalgia. For most people, childhood is probably the happiest and most carefree time of their lives, because even the silly things they do are framed through a lens.
"This is my wife Xiaoling and this is my son Wenwen." He pointed at the woman behind him and the child in his arms and introduced them with a happy smile on his round face.
"Wenwen is calling for help."
"uncle"
A whisper as thin as a mosquito's buzz came out of the child's mouth, and after he finished speaking, he hid his head awkwardly in his father's arms, obviously a little shy. Xiaoling greeted Bai He straightforwardly.
Bai He looked at their happy family of three, rubbed the cigarette holder lightly with his fingertips, and said with a smile, "Hello, sister-in-law."
"You bastard, you didn't even come back when I got married. That's really mean of you. After all, we were classmates in elementary and middle school, and I even took a lot of blame for you."
"Our relationship is not as good as you say. You wanted to beat me up in your dreams back then." Bai He sneered.
Bai Chengjie chuckled. Throughout elementary and middle school, Bai He was the envy and hatred of the other kids around him. Envy was due to his intelligence, the ability to easily get first place on exams even without studying, and the teacher's favoritism. The hatred was also due to the fact that having such a stark contrast to someone like him was a common occurrence, and everyone had been beaten by their parents for it.
The phrase that Bai Chengjie used to hate the most was "Look at Bai He..."
"Thinking back to when we were little, I even found someone to block you..."
Bai Heziran continued, "But in the end, he was caught by the principal, and he read a letter of apology on the flag-raising platform, and your father took off his clothes..."
"That's enough! Bai He..." Bai Chengjie's face turned dark. He is already a father, but she still reads his dark history to him.
"We haven't seen each other for several years. Come to my house for a meal. I'm a chef in a big hotel now. My cooking skills are really important..."
"No need." Bai He shook his head and walked forward.
Watching his departing figure, Bai Chengjie remembered something and shouted, "Bai He, Bai Zhuo is getting married next Tuesday."
Bai He did not respond.
Xiaoling's face looked a little unhappy. Anyone who tries to please someone will feel uncomfortable. But before she could say anything, Bai Chengjie took the initiative to hold her hand and whispered, "Don't blame my cousin. His condition..."
Perhaps because the troops were collecting grain and there were more migrant workers than yesterday, the villagers took advantage of the slightly weaker wind at noon to run out.
Bai He was already a stranger to most of the people walking on the street. Whenever he returned home, he deliberately avoided peak times like holidays and weekends. And once he was home, he rarely left except to visit Uncle Bai's house. This led to many people in the village only knowing his name but not the real person.
But it seems that many more people know him today.
Bai He looked at Bai Duan who was waving at him excitedly.
"Baihe...Baihe"
The soldier had a brilliant voice, and the moment he spoke, everyone around him looked at him.
"Come, help me bring some food home, and tell grandma and the others that I'm busy today and I won't be home for dinner."
Bai and Hei took the woven bag from his hand with a frown on their faces.
While walking on the road, some villagers deliberately avoided us.
A five or six-year-old boy dressed like a ball on the side of the road looked at Bai He with a straightforward look, and then said curiously, "Mom, he is the crazy Bai who specializes in beating children. Why aren't you grinning?"
The child's voice was shrill and everyone around could hear it clearly. The child's mother blushed with embarrassment and lowered her head to scold the child in a low voice, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I didn't say anything nonsense. You and grandma said at home that crazy white people are dirty and smelly and can beat people to death when they go crazy." The child's mother didn't even dare to raise her head. She picked up the child and walked back and forth.
As they walked away, the boy was still struggling and shouting, "You said you would give me to that crazy white guy if I didn't obey you."
People from the surrounding villages were too embarrassed to talk about it face to face, but they couldn't avoid eye contact.
Bai Duan looked at the people around him and felt as if his internal organs were burning like firewood.
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