Chapter 441: Search for Supplies
When you look inside, the most eye-catching thing is the large item.
On the right are threshers, hand tractors, stone mills and other agricultural tools. On the left is an empty pigpen, which is quite clean inside. It is probably because they slaughtered the pigs just after the Chinese New Year and then did not catch any piglets to raise, so the pigpen is so clean and empty.
There was nothing special looking at the place, so the two of them decided not to go in. There were still so many houses that they hadn't checked yet. It would be a shame if a house that looked empty collapsed.
The only thing that could be moved back was the walk-behind tractor.
(Pictures available here)
I don’t know if there is still oil in it. If there is, I can start it and push it when I go back without much effort.
Leaving from the door of the nearest house, you can follow the path next to this house directly to the next house, which is also a brick and wood structure. Generally, if there is a road built between the houses of two families, they are probably close relatives.
The styles of the houses are also very similar, and it is possible that they were built together.
Two families that are close to each other usually share machinery such as walk-behind tractors. The two men walked to the first floor of the house and opened the door. As expected, they did not see the same large equipment inside.
The first floor of this family's house is filled with animal pens. Unlike the ones next door, there is a lot of dirt and animal bones left behind by livestock. The animal pens near the gate should be used to raise small poultry such as chickens and ducks.
There were two doors on the first floor, one in front and one in the back. The door on their side was intact, but the other one was broken, as if it had been smashed. When Zhao Yeqing saw the equally dilapidated animal pen over there, he knew that it was probably some hungry pigs or some other livestock that had smashed the pen and then broke through the door and rushed out.
There doesn't seem to be much to gain here.
The two returned to the main road and continued walking up.
Mu Xi looked at the nearest two-story brick house, which was also the one closest to the tea plantation: "Let's go there first, maybe we can find an oil press."
Of course the traditional method of oil extraction is still possible, but the oil yield is not very high. Modern technology is still far ahead in all aspects.
As long as the outer structure of a brick house is not damaged and the house is not tilted, there is no major problem. It is not like a wooden house that may look fine but the wooden floor may collapse when you step on it.
The family's doors were all open. A lot of dirt had been brought in to the first floor by running animals and drafts. Grass had also grown on the thin layer of dirt on the cement floor tiles. As soon as the two approached, they saw the very conspicuous oil press on the first floor.
The metal oil press is half a meter wide and more than one meter high. It has been exposed to the air without a cover for so many years and is now rusted. The bright red and blue paint that was originally painted on it has also become mottled and peeling.
The two men didn't see any animals living inside the door, so they walked in and went to the oil press to check whether it was still working.
"This machine is plugged in, so you can't tell if there's no electricity here." Mu Xi blew away the dust on it and turned the switch next to it. "This switch is rusted. If you want to use it, you probably have to disassemble the parts, remove the rust or polish it before you can use it."
I don't have any special rust remover at home, but I have a large bag of oxalic acid in the basement, which I found in the cleaning room of a hotel or B&B. It is generally used to remove yellow scale on bathroom floor tiles and around the faucet of the sink. Just spray a little on it and brush it lightly to remove it.
Just wear gloves when scrubbing, otherwise it will hurt your skin.
Zhao Yeqing looked at the tea seeds at the feed inlet of the oil press, which had dried to the point that they would turn into powder with a pinch, and said, "I guess this family was pressing oil when the accident happened, and there are still a lot of tea seeds left in it..."
After saying that, he squatted down and pulled out the power cord from the socket in the corner of the wall: "The power cord is still plugged in. Fortunately, it is plugged in, so the metal of the plug has not rusted for so many years."
When the violent virus broke out, the subsequent infected people had an incubation period. It is possible that the infected people in this village broke out after the ground cracked, so the oil press was still running during the power outage.
On the first floor, the two found only the oil press which was still somewhat useful. Everything else had long been broken. They did not stay any longer and went straight up to the second floor.
The door on the stairs leading to the second floor was closed. After the two men pried it open, a skeleton fell out as soon as the door opened. Although Zhao Yeqing had seen such a scene before, he was still shocked by the sudden appearance.
A small knife fell out the moment the skeleton fell, and it was obvious that the person chose to commit suicide here for some reason.
Mu Xi closed the pried open door a little and checked the situation inside and outside. "The place where the skeleton was leaning against inside the door was normal, but there were scratches and scratches outside. It is estimated that the violent person was outside. The reason for the suicide of the person inside may be despair and fear, or it may be because he knew that he was also infected."
Zhao Yeqing sighed, feeling extremely grateful for his luck. He squinted his eyes, clasped his hands together, and muttered something as he stepped over the skeleton before opening his eyes and walking up the stairs.
The scene on the second floor is completely different from that on the first floor.
It was like walking into an ordinary residential house before the ground cracked. The furnishings were neatly arranged, and perhaps out of fear that a violent person might crawl in or hear any noise, the doors and windows were tightly closed.
There was only a thin layer of dust in the house, and the items were well preserved. The two men found a lot of useful things.
Daily necessities that can still be used after their expiration date, such as laundry detergent and soap, as well as clothes that have been well preserved.
Zhao Yeqing hadn't had new clothes for several years, so she was very surprised when she opened her closet.
In the sealed bags in the cabinet there were two sets of very exquisite ethnic embroidered costumes, as well as jingling ethnic silver jewelry, including crowns, necklaces, bracelets, etc.
Yes, she had forgotten that in addition to tea trees being a specialty, the ethnic minorities here also have very representative ethnic embroidery.
A lot of embroidery threads and embroidery frames were found in the cabinet, as well as various hand-painted patterns.
Zhao Yeqing couldn't help but sigh as she looked at them. It was a pity. Even if she got these things, she had no fabric to learn from. She could only take them back to practice on old clothes, embellish them a little, and change the pattern to make it look fresh.
After she finished searching a house, Mu Xi got a small semi-trailer truck bed from somewhere. It was made of metal and had two wheels on it, just like a cart, which could be towed to carry things.
"We found it in the house in front. It's a little rusty, but luckily, the house is sealed and not exposed to the wind and rain. We can put the things on the truck bed and see if we can combine it with our electric car and tow it back directly."
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