The boy has never been so "busy" since he was born.
Ever since he could remember, people in the slums had no jobs, and the so-called "work" was nothing more than selling themselves to get a little food to barely survive.
The boy himself had never done that, he had killed people, but only those who were drunk and the upper class who were doing whatever they wanted in the slums.
He did some work, but it was just applying medicine to the "cargo" locked in cages. He himself had never had a job.
In the past, we were busy just to survive, but now we are busy just to live better.
It seemed as if all of a sudden he went from being a walking corpse to being a truly living person.
But the boy seldom thought about these things. Whenever he opened his eyes during this period, he had to face endless tasks. Since he had chosen the people who would learn how to improve the soil, he had to learn with those people. Not only did he have to learn, but he also had to supervise them. Whether it was a reward or a punishment, it was all up to him.
But precisely because he has the final say, he is particularly cautious and considers a lot before doing anything.
In just half a month, the boy looked like a man, and his childishness, which was not obvious to begin with, completely disappeared.
Sometimes when Ye Zhou looked at him, he felt like he was looking at a smaller version of Zou Ming—not a young version.
The boy doesn't like to talk either. He is silent most of the time. This is the mark left on him by the world. People who live here generally speak little, not only because they know little, but more because of their clear or vague understanding. The less they know and the less they talk, the greater the possibility of survival.
But it was also because the boy spoke little, but every word he said was useful, so he inexplicably established a little prestige of his own.
Although this prestige was still little and shaky, even if the apprentices were willing to believe him, they were still skeptical.
It's a question of age.
If the boy was eighteen years old now, or even younger, fifteen or sixteen, Ye Zhou was sure that he would be able to establish his authority quickly.
It's not because boys can do anything themselves, but because people always look up to authority.
Especially when he is in a group, Ye Zhou can understand, just like when he was in school, he would question the decisions of his classmates and class leaders, because he knew in his heart that these people were on the same level as him and they were essentially the same.
But he would not question the decision of school leaders.
Even after entering college, many counselors and students are only a few years apart in age, and students are more inclined to challenge class leaders rather than counselors.
When status is unequal, people will no longer look at a person based on age or gender.
But the boy was too young. He might not even be twelve years old this year. When he stood there, it was hard for people to think of him as a reliable leader.
So before the boy grows up, Ye Zhou must support him, at least until he is fifteen.
As long as Ye Zhou is there, the boy is Ye Zhou's spokesperson. People in the slums will ignore his height and age and only remember one thing - what the boy means is what Ye Zhou means.
If you don't want to offend Ye Zhou, you can't offend the boy.
The boy himself knew that everything he had now was not obtained by himself, so he eagerly absorbed all the knowledge around him, whether it was taught by Ye Zhou or by the people in the slums.
There are no teachers in the slums, but everyone is a teacher. They are survivors who have struggled through life at the bottom of society and survived to this day. Almost everyone of them is an encyclopedia. Even if they are illiterate, they still have their own wisdom.
Boys make new discoveries every day.
For example, not every apprentice is serious, and some people want to be lazy.
But every time, before he could catch the person, the apprentices would deal with him themselves, and then that person would study hard and even work harder than most people.
After asking He Yu, the boy realized that they had no sense of collective honor - this thing was too far away from them.
They did this not because they felt they had an obligation to supervise others or to show off to the boys, but because they were worried that one of the apprentices would actually be punished.
The apprentices could make whatever noises they wanted among themselves, but being singled out and punished by the leadership was like lifting a ban on something. Once this happened, there would be another, so they made the decision based on instinct without even thinking deeply.
After the boy told Ye Zhou about this, Ye Zhou exclaimed: "There are no real fools in this world. Even pathological fools can tell what is good for themselves. It is their nature to seek benefits and avoid harm."
But the boy still couldn't understand: "Why do they think that as long as one person is punished, everyone else will be punished? As long as you don't slack off, you won't be punished. This was said at the beginning."
Ye Zhou just touched the boy's head. Every time the boy asked a question, he thought the boy was cute - after all, when Zou Ming grew up, he would not ask any questions, he would just execute.
"When they punish their own people, they feel like they are in charge." Seeing the boy's expression change, Ye Zhou continued to explain, "Don't think this is a bad thing. On the contrary, it is a good thing."
The boy frowned and asked, "Why?"
He felt that the apprentices didn't want to listen to Ye Zhou.
He felt that Ye Zhou had given these people a job, or even a skill that would benefit them for life, and had not abused or exploited them. Even parents would have found it difficult to do so well.
But even so, the apprentices wanted to make their own decisions. In his opinion, this was a betrayal and disrespect to Ye Zhou by the apprentices.
Ye Zhou: "You can't be so stubborn. I gave them this job and opportunity, and they took advantage of it. I'm not Zhao Qing. I don't need a bunch of dogs who only know how to obey and do things."
Ye Zhou also discovered that the boy was deeply influenced by this world and even Zhao Qing. He grew up in such an environment and actually agreed with Zhao Qing's approach. Compared to himself, Zhao Qing was more like the boy's enlightenment teacher.
After all, as the boy grew up, Zhao Qing was the strongest person he had ever seen and known.
Everyone yearns to be strong and is learning from the strong. Even if the boy himself will not admit it, the fact is that it is difficult for him to get rid of the influence of Zhao Qing.
Just like what Zou Ming had said to Ye Zhou before, the first lesson he learned from Zhao Qing was strength.
Zhao Qing relies on intelligence, he relies on martial arts, but in the final analysis they are the same, they must be the strongest in their respective fields, so strong that they have no rivals, so strong that everyone bows to them, in order to get the highest position.
What Zhao Qing brought to Zou Ming was a "truth" that was almost barbaric.
What Ye Zhou has to do is to add as much as possible to this "truth", at least to prevent the boy from really becoming the second Zhao Qing, a more terrifying Zhao Qing.
Zhao Qing still has concerns. He wants power, but he only wants power. If the base gets worse and worse, then his power will become smaller and smaller. Even if he can still be the boss in Base 276, no one will recognize him as the boss.
But Zou Ming is different. He has no obsession with power. He doesn't even have the concept of power. Compared with Zhao Qing, he relies more on instinct. Power itself cannot bring anything to people. He must find balance somewhere else.
Zhao Qing found the balance of achievement by balancing the forces of all parties and doing what others could not do.
If Zou Ming can't find it, he will only end up destroying himself and the base.
Ye Zhou said to the boy, "They are human beings."
The boy didn't react - it was obvious that anything with two legs that could talk was human.
But Ye Zhou continued: "Is he the same person as you? Did you want to be my dog when you first saw me?"
This was a bit harsh, so the boy retorted: "It's not a dog! It's a person who can be of use to you!"
Ye Zhou: "Those who have no thoughts, only know how to work, and rely on exploiting themselves and the people around them to please their masters are not human beings, but domesticated dogs. Human beings can also be domesticated, and this is what Zhao Qing is doing."
The boy still couldn't understand: "You are so good to them, they should repay you."
The boy felt that being obedient was a way of repaying a favor. Whatever Ye Zhou said, the apprentices should do it, which was right. No one could question Ye Zhou's ideas and decisions, otherwise it would be ungrateful.
Ye Zhou shook his head: "I won't talk to you about respect or human rights. Let me ask you, if someone stronger than me suddenly appears and saves me, should I give up my ability to think and regard his ideas as my own?"
The boy was silent, but he still insisted: "That's different."
Ye Zhou smiled and said, "How is it different? I saved you, taught you to read, and took you to practice shooting and fighting, just to make you a dog?"
"Everyone is his own person. What's wrong with wanting to control his own destiny and live a better and freer life within his ability?" Ye Zhou said. "Apprentices supervise each other. Internal punishment does have its disadvantages, but it can save energy for me. I don't waste resources on these trivial matters, and it won't make apprentices resist us."
"People will vote with their feet. When they enjoy this freedom, they will be more afraid of losing it. So even if I am no longer here one day, they will still follow you."
The boy's lips moved and he finally looked at Ye Zhou.
Although he didn't say anything, Ye Zhou was amused by his eyes.
"So, even if it's just repaying me." Ye Zhou couldn't help but stretched out his hands and rubbed the boy's face. Now the boy's face was a little rubbed. Ye Zhou made it look like a steamed bun, with his facial features squeezed together. He didn't look like a mature teenager, and looked even cuter. "Don't demand yourself the same way you demand a dog."
"I treat you well, and even treat them well, because one day when I'm gone, you can all control your own destiny. Even if you can't control it, you know what's best for yourself." Ye Zhou, "I'm not going to come here for no reason and then pat my butt when I leave, leaving the people I saved to fall into an abyss even more miserable than before."
The boy said incoherently: "Why are you doing this?"
He said, "Will anyone be grateful to you for doing this? What can you gain?"
Ye Zhou smiled and said, "Because I have met such people before."
"They are not even like me, who can make a profit from doing business. They are willing to sacrifice their lives just for a grand wish. I am also a beneficiary. Many of these people have never even set foot on the land they fought for in their entire lives."
"I don't have to sacrifice my life, nor do I need to bear much responsibility. I can save these people at will, so why not?"
After so much time has passed, Ye Zhou has gone from being unable to save people, not daring to save people to now being able to save people casually. He doesn't dare to say how much he has grown, but at least, he is happy about it. As long as there is one person who benefits from him, he will gain happiness beyond making money.
Although he cannot enjoy the so-called rewards, when he is old and dying, looking back on what happened, he can proudly say that his life was exceptionally fulfilling.
The boy looked at Ye Zhou in confusion. He was a little bewildered, but more of fear.
Just when Ye Zhou was about to withdraw his hand, the boy took the initiative to hold Ye Zhou's hand for the first time.
The boy's hands were smaller than Ye Zhou's, and not as strong as Ye Zhou's, but his palms were warm, with an unprecedented firmness: "I am different from them."
Ye Zhou said in a coaxing tone: "Okay, you are different, you are different."
The boy who was treated perfunctorily was not angry. He felt that Ye Zhou did not see his determination.
And he still insisted on his own idea that Ye Zhou saved him, so he should dedicate himself to Ye Zhou. This is natural and cannot be changed.
As for others, he can't control them.
However, the boy had changed, and the first people to notice the changes in him were the apprentices who were still in school.
Before apprentices start learning literacy and soil improvement, they must at least recognize all the words in the manual.
Although the apprentices did not understand why they had to learn to read before learning the skills, no one dared to object. There were so many people waiting for this job outside, and if they refused, someone would immediately squeeze them out.
The person who teaches them is sometimes Cao'er, sometimes Zhou Yuanhe, but more often it is a boy.
"He's more violent than an adult."
"Not like a child."
“I feel like he has no emotions.”
The apprentices all said this in private. They didn't dare to say anything bad about Zou Ming for fear of being reported by the people around them. So they could only say something that seemed to be true so that it wouldn't sound like slander if it got out.
But he didn't know when the boy changed. He still had no expression and spoke briefly, but his attitude had softened. At least he no longer coldly forbade the apprentices to talk when they were not in class, nor did he look at them coldly when they talked about their own things until they shut up.
Gradually, the boy's reputation changed.
"He just doesn't like to laugh, which is normal. Who would like to laugh after living in the slums for so many years? It's good enough that he doesn't cry every day."
"He's smart, and he knows a lot of things."
"I heard that he will be in charge of us from now on."
"It's good that he manages it. At least he listens to what we say."
"Unlike the people on Zhao Qing's side, whose noses are pointed up to the sky."
The apprentices have begun to divide themselves into groups on the supermarket side. In their eyes, the people in the inner city are Zhao Qing's people. Although they are in the same base, they are not in the same wave. In fact, except for themselves, the people in the slums should also be on the supermarket side.
Once they had a common enemy, their relationship became closer.
The boy also noticed a difference after he changed his attitude - now when he walked on the street, people would greet him instead of hiding as soon as they saw him, some people would smile at him, and apprentices would spend their own money to buy him gifts, although they were just a few candies.
At first the boy didn’t take it seriously. He thought the apprentices were trying to please him in order to get more benefits from him or the supermarket. But gradually he discovered that the apprentices were giving him gifts sincerely.
They even think that the boy's cold and hard appearance is fake and that he is essentially a gentle and kind person.
Although everyone is selfish and is seeking self-interest, they all hope that the person who leads them is a selfless and good person.
Even if the boy is not selfless and cannot be said to be very good, as long as you are a little bit nice to them, they will put the boy into a certain shell.
For the first time, the boy felt what it felt like to be loved.
It obviously feels much better to be loved and respected than to be hated and feared.
"They all like you very much now." Yang Yue went to find the boy after class. She also moved out of the inner city, moved into the dormitory, and became a member of the apprentices. Compared to the inner city where she dared not walk around freely, Yang Yue still preferred the slums where she had people she knew and could walk around freely, where everyone was the same.
Yang Yue: "You've really changed!"
Yang Yue looked at the boy. She sized him up and was surprised at how much thought Ye Zhou put into the boy.
The boy became a better person. He shed the cruelty, viciousness and panic of a wolf cub and became calm.
Like a pearl, it was carefully polished by Ye Zhou and finally no longer filled with hostility.
The boy also looked at Yang Yue. Yang Yue was still wearing a mask. She was afraid of that half of her face, but not afraid of the new life. She adapted quickly, learned very well, had the best grades in the class, and was full of energy every day. Even though she couldn't run fast, she still insisted on running every day, and even inspired many women.
"Really?" The boy wasn't too curious and his tone was calm, as if he didn't feel any changes in himself.
Yang Yue said with a smile: "I heard that if we take another test, we can learn how to improve the soil, right?"
The boy didn't hide it. He nodded, and then he hit him mercilessly: "If someone fails, they have to continue studying until everyone passes."
Yang Yue: "That's definitely no problem. Everyone is working hard."
When it comes to matters that concern whether or not they will be able to have enough food to eat in the future, everyone is working very hard.
The boy was busy in the "school", but Ye Zhou had a rare time to relax. He no longer had to educate Zou Ming. Zou Ming only came back to sleep at night and was in the dormitory during the day. He didn't have to worry about the supermarket either, as Cao'er could handle the supermarket's affairs with ease.
Even if people from the inner city came over to cause trouble, Cao'er could easily send them back.
As for Zhao Qing - Zhao Qing is now enjoying life better than Ye Zhou, and the reservoir has been built, and truckloads of potatoes to be used as payment have been brought over. Only when Zhao Qing pays all the money can Ye Zhou go over to fill the reservoir with water.
Ye Zhou, who had nothing to do, finally developed some interest in the base and spent a few hours every day wandering around the inner city.
He even made two "new friends".
They are all bosses of different forces, and they are all very friendly to Ye Zhou.
But this leisurely time did not last long.
On a morning that couldn't be more ordinary, someone knocked on the door of Ye Zhou's "home". It was not a knock, but a hammer, and the knocks were getting more and more urgent, as if a storm was about to come.
Ye Zhou didn't have time to change his clothes and went out in his pajamas.
Sarah Caoer and Zou Ming also came out. It was still dark at this time and it was not yet time for breakfast. Everyone was still asleep.
Ye Zhou opened the door.
The person knocking on the door was a young man. Ye Zhou had seen him before, but didn't know his name. Usually, this person walked behind Zhao Qing, like a shadow of Zhao Qing.
But today this young man was particularly lively. He was sweating profusely, breathing hard, and speaking very quickly. In order to make Ye Zhou hear clearly, he said the same sentence twice: "Someone called! They will be here in two hours!"
Ye Zhou's expression froze. He didn't have time to change his clothes. He put on his pajamas and went out. He turned to Cao'er and said, "Keep an eye on them and go find Chen Shu."
Then he took Sarah to find Zhao Qing.
The boy wanted to follow, but Cao'er grabbed his wrist.
Just as the boy was about to struggle, Cao'er said sternly, "Don't go! Don't cause trouble for Xian and the boss!"
The boy refused to accept: "Sarah is gone!"
If he goes, he will just cause trouble, but if Sarah goes, that won't happen too, right?
They are all children, what’s the difference?
Cao'er didn't know how to explain it, so she just said, "You are different!"
Then she hugged the boy tightly, not letting him break free: "It's going to be okay!"
Ye Zhou entered the RV, which was packed with people. Zhao Qing had left a seat for him so that he didn't have to stand all the time. After Ye Zhou sat down, he let Sarah sit on his lap.
Seeing that everyone was present, Zhao Qingcai said, "They are from the Sunrise Base."
"Someone told me a few days ago that the well at the Sunrise Base could no longer produce water. It had been unable to produce water for more than a month."
Someone asked, "Don't they have more than sixty wells?"
Zhao Qing shook his head: "They are basically all abandoned wells. When there was water before, there were only seven or eight wells producing water."
"We don't have a well here!" someone shouted, "If he wants to dig, why doesn't he go to Hongtian? Hongtian has groundwater and reservoirs!"
"So what should we do now? Fight?"
They didn't want to fight. They could live a good life without going out to rob. Who would want to go out? Not only was it uncomfortable to bask in the sun, but it was also difficult to get enough water. It was unclear how many people would die in the fight. Moreover, they hadn't fought for a long time, and their men were enjoying themselves every day.
What's more, the people on the other side are desperate and are fighting with the determination that they will die if they can't defeat them.
In terms of fighting spirit, they have no chance of winning.
But if they surrender before the battle, who will own the base in the end? Will they be able to maintain their current lives?
This is a problem.
Ye Zhou discovered that these people who had once grown and prospered by fighting and killing, when they heard that others were going to attack, did not think about how to defend their base, but how to negotiate and how to surrender in order to preserve their current status and enjoyment.
Seeing such a situation for the first time, Ye Zhou was amazed.
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