Chapter 85 Abandoned Steel Town (1)
There turned out to be a huge steel plant here, but under the mist, only the outline could be roughly seen. An old signpost read: Shiwanli Steel Plant.
It can no longer be simply called a steel plant, probably because it has already been scaled up and is similar to a steel town.
However, when they got closer, they found that this place had been abandoned for a long time. It seemed that this area had not been affected by the flood. There was thick snow on the houses. The whole steel town was shrouded in mist, and the mountain wind whistling past their ears made it look extremely desolate.
Decades ago, working in a steel mill was a very enviable thing. Later, when the wave of layoffs came, many workers lost their jobs and moved away. Of course, some older people stayed here.
But as time passed, this place eventually became a deserted town. If the wolves were hiding here, that would be very likely.
And because of the special terrain here, it was not affected by the flood.
The houses here have all been abandoned. Some of the old houses have towering trees and overgrown weeds, and the gates have become crooked and fallen down.
Qin Muxue felt as if she was in a movie scene from an island country and couldn't help but get goosebumps all over her body.
Although she is a new-age materialist, there are some things in the world that cannot be explained.
An An leaned against Qin Muxue's side, "Sister, I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid, we are here." She comforted An An and moved closer to Shi Yan.
Shi Yan gave her the feeling of a house-guarding beast. As long as he was around, any danger could be averted.
It was very quiet here, and Zhenzhu's pace slowed down. Qin Muxue touched Zhenzhu and said, "Zhenzhu, which direction did Baozhu go? Did you see it?"
Pearl motioned for them to go to the right, and they jumped off Pearl's back.
Qin Muxue stepped on the thick snow, paying close attention to everything around her. When she heard the barking of a dog not far away, she realized, "There it is!"
I don’t know why, Baozhu has always been obedient, but this time she didn’t listen to me and ran into this small town. Is there any secret in this place?
Moreover, this is wolf territory, and they must be careful to avoid being attacked by wolves. Alan said that she would not hurt them, but she was not at ease.
Shi Yan followed behind Qin Muxue, not missing any movement around him. The reason why he followed behind her was that compared to the danger in front of her, the place behind her was more vulnerable to attack, and he had to protect her.
An An looked at him thoughtfully, held Qin Muxue's hand, and looked at Shi Yan provocatively.
The three of them walked for a long time before they saw messy footprints in the snow. But there were not only footprints left by wolves, but also human footprints?
"I clearly heard Baozhu's footsteps very close to me just now, why can't I see her now?" Qin Muxue was already a little anxious. If they were all wolves, she might not be so worried, but there were actually humans here, which made her even more worried.
Pearl meowed, and the two realized they had arrived at the entrance of the steel plant. "Pearl, you mean for us to go inside."
Baozhu told her with his brain waves, "Baozhu should be inside, but I'm not sure how many other people there are in there besides the wolves. The smell inside is quite mixed."
Just as they were about to go in, an old man's voice sounded behind them, "How did you get here?"
Qin Muxue turned around and found an old man who was dressed warmly but rather worn out, with a Lei Feng hat whose cotton was showing, and whose face was full of wrinkles. He was holding some firewood in his hand and looking at the two young men in front of him warily. When he saw that there was a little girl beside them, the expression on his face softened instantly.
Qin Muxue didn't know how to explain for a moment, so Shi Yan lied seriously: "Our dog got lost, so we accidentally came here. I wonder if you have seen a German Shepherd, about this big, and brown and black in color." He gestured and described Baozhu's appearance in detail. Even Qin Muxue couldn't describe it so carefully.
The old man looked at them suspiciously, "How can you prove that this dog is yours?"
It seems that the old man really saw the pearl, otherwise he would not ask such a question.
"Are you afraid we will eat her? Don't worry, we won't."
It was not until a huge calico cat walked out of the mist and rubbed against Qin Muxue affectionately that the old man dispelled his previous doubts, "I'm sorry, I'm really scared. There are too many bad guys now."
"Has your cat mutated?" Looking at his calm expression, it seems that he is not surprised by the mutation.
Qin Muxue asked him back, "Aren't you afraid?"
The old man smiled. "Why should I be afraid? I have many cats and dogs. I am very happy to see a cat. Besides, cats seem to like you very much. You must be a pet owner as well. I have seen that dog. She looks very similar to my Mantou. Maybe Mantou called her out to play with him."
"Steamed bun?"
"Yes, that's the name of the dog I raise. It's also a German Shepherd. It looks very similar to the one in your house, but it's bigger and it's a male." Seeing the two people standing there without moving, one of them was carrying a child, he waved his hand and said, "If you go into this factory, you must be careful. There are wolves living here. I've seen the leader of the pack. He looks very majestic and he only appeared during this period."
Qin Muxue's main purpose was to find Baozhu. "Grandpa, can you tell us where we saw that dog?"
The old man took out the pipe from his waist and said, "Come with me!"
Qin Muxue took a look and he nodded, indicating that the man was not dangerous. Qin Muxue also nodded slightly and followed the old man's pace.
Walking through the depressed town, you can see that this place was once prosperous, but with the decline of the steel plant, it has lost its former prosperity.
It was not until the old man walked into a small courtyard that looked very old that the sound of dogs barking was heard. Qin Muxue was still a little excited. She did not expect that it was the other two dogs and three cats raised by the old man.
One of the two dogs should be a pastoral dog, and the other seems to be an elderly German Shepherd with a limp. It looks a bit like Baozhu and is very friendly to her.
"Grandpa, you have so many cats and dogs."
"Yes, I was lonely when I was here, so I raised some small animals to keep me company and to pass the time. But the weather changes so quickly. It used to be so cold only in winter, but now it's dozens of degrees below zero even though it's still autumn. Fortunately, I've been cold all my life, so I can still handle it."
It was quite warm in the old man's room. He had heated the kang, and the cats and dogs lay on the huge kang, which was quite comfortable.
Although the furnishings in the room were simple, they were not messy, and the room was quite warm. An An tugged at the corner of Qin Muxue's clothes and said, "I'm hungry."
"I'll see if there's anything to eat later."
"You guys came at the right time. I just made some fish soup and wild rabbit meat. Why don't you just have a bite here? But you have to wait until my grandson comes back."
"Grandpa, you have a grandson?" Qin Muxue was a little surprised. She thought he was the only one here.
"Yes, otherwise I would have starved to death long ago. My grandson took Mantou out hunting. If you wait for them to come back, maybe you can find your dog." He said with a smile.
Suddenly he stared at An An's little face, "She's so cute! If my grandson had a companion, maybe I'd have a great-granddaughter too. What's wrong with this child's eyes? At first I thought it was a little boy."
"An An is sick, so..." She was not in a position to elaborate on the details.
"I understand, I understand. Is this your child? How can your child be this big when you are so young?"
"ah?"
Qin Muxue only heard the second half of the sentence. She was about to explain it clearly, but she didn't expect An An to smile and said, "Mom, I want to drink fish soup."
Qin Muxue was almost petrified on the spot. She was only in her early 20s, and there was no way she could give birth to such a big baby. "An An, what are you talking about? You clearly..."
Who knew what An An would do next, which made Qin Muxue even more confused about what to explain. She walked to Shi Yan's side and shouted, "Dad."
The old man shook his head. "You don't have to be embarrassed. In the past, people in our countryside gave birth to children very early. It's not uncommon for you young people to lose control and give birth to children early. What's rare is that you kept the child by your side and took care of her instead of abandoning her. When I watched the news in the past, I often saw news about female students being deceived by men and abandoning their children."
Qin Muxue was helpless. Even if she had a point, she couldn't explain it clearly.
An An was thin due to her illness and looked like a 4 or 5-year-old child. It was not surprising that the old man misunderstood her, but why did she suddenly call them dad and mom? Wouldn't this put the two of them in an awkward position?
Qin Muxue nudged Shi Yan and said, "An An is still young, so you should be more tolerant of her. I think she misses her parents, so she yelled like that."
Shi Yan smiled and replied, "It's okay." But in fact, he was also a little confused inside. He didn't know what this little guy was doing.
He squatted down and took An An's hand. She showed some resistance on her face. "An An, let's go eat later. How about I take you to see the kitten first?"
An An retracted her hand and crawled behind Qin Muxue, "I don't want to, I want to be with my mom!"
Pearl on the side has returned to the size of a normal cat. She was licking her fur. The cats and dogs next to her were staring at her with curiosity. Calico cats are like great beauties in the cat world. After seeing her, two male cats immediately showed interest, but cats have a strong sense of territory, so they were observing Pearl's every move.
Pearl has no interest in male cats. As a new-age kitten, she can only stay with her owner and live a comfortable life. Occasionally, she will read her owner's books. She is knowledgeable and cultured, so she doesn't want to associate with these country bumpkins. Faced with the goodwill of these male cats, she bares her teeth, scratches them a few times with her claws, and drives them away.
For a moment, all the cats in the room were running around everywhere, with cat hair flying everywhere. Only Pearl was the cat, who was quietly cleaning her hair.
"Pearl, did you bully the cat in grandpa's house?" Pearl turned her head away proudly. Who asked them to harass her? She was not a cat to be messed with.
The old man smiled and said, "It's okay, it's okay, it's been a while since it was so lively."
Among the cats raised by the grandfather, there is a British shorthair blue cat, a ragdoll, and a silver tabby cat, all of which are foreign breeds. "Grandpa, are these cats raised by your grandson?"
"How did you know? Originally, I didn't like cats, but the cat my grandson raised was fat and had a good personality. I started to develop feelings for it." He stroked the silver tabby cat's fur, and the silver tabby cat circled around his legs affectionately.
Although the house was not big, Qin Muxue found after walking around it a few times that there was nothing missing here, and it was obvious that preparations had been made in advance. Not only that, Qin Muxue also saw a hunting rifle next to the old man, which was obviously used for self-defense.
"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. Although I have a gun, I can tell the good guys from the bad guys. You are new to the world, so you should be careful when you go out."
While the two were talking, Shi Yan asked An An in a low voice, "Why did you say that just now?"
"Why, don't you want to? Seeing you in such an awkward state, it just makes me laugh." When talking to Shi Yan, An An's tone obviously changed. She smiled maliciously, obviously on purpose.
"I advise you to stay within your means and not do unnecessary stupid things."
"I'm helping you, don't you understand?" She was obviously angry, and immediately changed into a crying look, throwing herself into Qin Muxue's arms, "Wuwuwu, Daddy bullied me."
Qin Muxue could only pat her on the back and said, "How could he bully you?"
The old man served a bowl of fish soup and said, "The child must be hungry. Let her drink some soup to warm herself up."
The white fish soup, coupled with the white and tender tofu, smelled very fragrant. An An didn't hesitate and picked up the bowl and started drinking.
Qin Muxue, who was standing next to her, was very jealous of her. However, as an adult, how could she be jealous of a child eating? Why hadn't the old man's grandson come back yet? She was starting to feel hungry. It seemed that Qin Muxue had made up her mind to have a meal here.
I just don’t know if Qu Yanbai and Manman can find the location of this place. She has left some marks on the road just now.
At this time, there was finally movement at the door of the yard. Qin Muxue stood up and saw Baozhu running in excitedly, wagging her tail. "Baozhu, you must not run around next time. You scared me to death."
After Baozhu ran around her a few times, she actually ran directly to the older German Shepherd behind her and wagged her tail excitedly.
The young man behind him then explained: "Are you her master?"
"Oh, yes." Qin Muxue looked at the young man, a very handsome man, wearing a thick down jacket and a hat. After taking off the hat, it can be seen that his face was blown red, but it did not seem to affect his appearance. There was actually a handsome guy hiding in this mountain valley.
"Mantou, put the rabbit in the corner and get warm!"
The German Shepherd named Mantou really put down the prey obediently, rolled on the blanket at the door, wiped off all the snow water on his body, and then jumped onto the pit.
The young man touched Baozhu and the old German Shepherd's head and explained, "They are mother and daughter. Her name is Baozhu now, right? Baozhu won't be afraid of me. I used to train dogs in the army, and I trained her. I also trained Baozhu's mother Baozi, and Mantou. Baozhu and Mantou are childhood sweethearts!"
"No wonder Baozhu ran away without saying hello to me. It turns out that she found her mother and friends."
Baozi and Baozhu look very similar, but one looks a little older, while the other one looks majestic and energetic. And the way he looks at Baozhu, for some reason Qin Muxue sees affection in a dog's eyes.
Baozi is an old dog, but she is also a very human-like dog. She never expected that she could see her own children in her lifetime, and she wagged her tail excitedly.
Baozhu smelled the scent of Sang Qing and Mantou and ran out excitedly. She whimpered towards Qin Muxue apologetically, just because she was afraid of missing the clue to find them.
"Don't worry, as long as you're okay, don't run away without saying goodbye like this again. I will be worried about you too." She stroked the dog's head.
The young man looked at the intimacy between the man and the dog and knew that Baozhu was living very well with Qin Muxue. Baozhu was originally a German Shepherd with a very good personality. He felt sad for a long time after separating from her. When he saw that she had a good home, he was happy for her from the bottom of his heart.
The young man shook off the snow on his body. "It's been a long time since we've had any guests here, and we haven't been out for a long time. I wonder what's going on outside? My name is Sang Qing, and this is my grandpa. How should I address you?"
Shi Yan took the lead and stood in front of Qin Muxue and introduced himself, "My name is Shi Yan, and this is Qin Muxue."
The old man added with a smile: "This is a young couple, and this is their child An An. I wanted to keep them here for dinner today. It's not easy to see someone coming. You see, I feel that this place is much more lively."
"Grandpa, isn't it lively when I'm here?"
"You are an introvert by nature. I can hardly say a few words to you."
As the old man prepared the food, he asked them to sit down, "Ah Qing, come sit down! It's time to eat."
"Oh, okay."
On the table was a pot of fish soup, a pot of braised rabbit meat, some white steamed buns, and some food left in the pot without salt, which was for cats and dogs.
"There are fewer and fewer prey in the mountains recently. I only caught a rabbit today. I may have to go hunting farther away in the future." Sang Qing took a sip of soup and looked at the two people beside him curiously. "How did you get here? I have lived here for several years, and the number of people who come here is very few. This is considered a remote village."
"Oh, we were looking for a dog and accidentally broke in here." Qin Muxue explained, but she was very curious why the young man would stay here, and from what the old man said, they got along well with the wolves here, and the wolves had never attacked them.
Sang Qing remembered that there was indeed a village at the foot of the mountain, but he had not been there for a long time and did not know the situation at the foot of the mountain.
"That's no wonder. We are destined to be together. After all, you showed me Baozhu's current appearance. She looks very healthy and has smooth hair. She seems to be living a good life."
"Of course, Baozhu and Zhenzhu are both my favorites, so I will take good care of them."
Qin Muxue picked up a piece of tofu and put it into her mouth. Because she was eating in a hurry, she burned her mouth. "It's so hot, so hot."
Shi Yan immediately poured her a glass of cold water and said, "Be careful."
“This tofu tastes delicious.”
"Of course, this is made by my grandfather himself using a stone mill. You won't be able to taste this flavor anywhere else."
Just now in the yard, Qin Muxue did see the stone mill. She didn't expect that the tofu made with the stone mill would be so fragrant.
"No wonder."
"But, are you and grandpa the only two people in this town?" They walked along the way and didn't see any human habitation at all.
Sang Qing sighed, "There should be some people, but we don't usually interact with each other, so I don't know how they are doing now. I was originally a trainer in the army, and then I was transferred here to work for a few years. After I retired from the army, I came to live with my grandfather. This is my hometown. I don't like to live in the city. I am content with these cats and dogs, and my grandfather's company."
"This place is not far from the military base."
"Well, one day they all retreated suddenly without any warning. Then it started raining here. Maybe because of the terrain, we were not flooded. After the water level subsided, it suddenly became winter overnight. But we live in a relatively primitive way here, so I bought a generator and other things, which came in handy at this time. It is enough for me, grandpa, and these cats and dogs."
In such a harsh environment, they did not abandon their pets and did not use them as food. It seems that Sang Qinghe and the old man are kind people.
"Yeah, originally my broken TV could receive a few channels with the help of satellite, but now I can't watch anything. There's only snowflakes, and electricity is useless. We don't have any contact with the outside world, and we don't know what's going on outside." The old man looked at Qin Muxue with curiosity, "What's going on outside now? Can you tell me?"
Sang Qing put down his chopsticks. "Although it may be a bit presumptuous, no one has come here for a long time. We also want to know what the situation is like outside. The road here is blocked and there is no way to go down the mountain. I can't ask about the situation outside."
"It's very different outside now." Qin Muxue said thoughtfully.
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