By the time they reached the village entrance, Shao Shengan had learned almost everything he could. He thanked the man again and watched him join the team moving the soil. The well digging work had started last night, and a lot of soil had been dug out. The villagers worked together to clean up the soil.
Shao Shengan walked back and stood with Qiao Qingqing and the others, watching the soldiers leading the workers who had experience in well digging to work together. At the same time, he whispered to Qiao Qingqing the news he had just heard.
"…By the way, the gunshots heard in the afternoon were indeed made by the soldiers. They said that there were new refugees coming, and a tire broke and the car overturned a few miles outside the village. The robbers caught up with them and a fight broke out. After the soldiers left, the robbers ran away. He said that his son-in-law went to help rescue the trailer—"
As they were talking, a car drove into the village from outside.
The car made a lot of noise, swayed from side to side, and jerked.
A total of four cars drove in and stopped at the entrance of the village.
"The tires are all gone." Shao Sheng'an whispered, "But he still insisted on driving to the village. This caused a lot of damage to the car."
"It's the same with our tricycles. There's nothing we can do about it. Let's go around the village and get familiar with the environment."
The three of them left the village entrance and went around to the fields, intending to see how other refugees from outside were living here.
Four cars stopped, and a man got out of one of them. Lin Mingyong had wounds all over his body from car accidents and fights, but he seemed to feel no pain. After getting out, he first stepped forward to express his gratitude to the soldiers again with warm gratitude, and then thanked the village chief for his selfless assistance, and shed tears as he spoke: "It was really difficult for us to get here, but fortunately we finally found the organization! No matter how hard or tiring it is, it's worth it..."
The soldiers waved their hands, unwilling to exchange too much pleasantries. Digging a well was the most important task at the moment. As usual, the leading soldier handed over the task of arranging the refugees to Village Chief Ye.
"Most of the refugees from outside live in the west, which is where we used to live. You can go there too." Village Chief Ye said with a smile, "I'll let my son lead the way for you!"
Lin Mingyong said hurriedly: "We want to buy a house in the village. Money is not good enough for me now. I want to buy it with the house. Village chief, please take a look--"
Village Chief Ye shook his head: "There are no empty houses in the village. If you want to live here, you can build a house by yourselves. I really can't help you."
Lin Mingyong looked at the soldiers who were busy drilling not far away. They seemed to have no intention of participating at all. So he took a deep breath and forced a smile, then pulled Village Chief Ye to stand aside and said, "Is your home convenient? Can I come to your house to discuss in detail?"
In the car, Yu Manshu hugged her sick daughter, squinted her eyes and looked at the scenery outside the window. After looking around, her eyes fell on her husband. After many years of marriage, she could see that her husband was in a very impatient mood. Maybe the talks were not going well. But she was not too worried. She had tried her best to pass the news to her husband. Based on her understanding of her husband, he would definitely do his best to achieve his goal.
She couldn't help but look back at the way she came, and estimated in her mind that the main force had probably already set off.
There are too many people and the large army cannot move fast.
They will definitely be able to settle down in Akiba Village before the main force arrives!
On the other side, Qiao Qingqing and her group had already moved to the settlement of foreign refugees. Everywhere they looked, they saw a mess of tents, sheds, tin houses, and a campsite surrounded by several cars and set up with canvas in the middle.
It was a mess everywhere, with children running around and occasional adults scolding people.
"Who stole my charcoal? Be careful, thieves! If you dare to steal charcoal, your house will catch fire tomorrow and burn your whole family to death!"
"Hey, hey, what are you yelling about? What do you mean by yelling at my house?"
"Whose kid is this! He broke my stove! Can you please control your child?"
"Fortunately, we don't live here. It's too messy here, and there are big safety hazards." Shao Sheng'an's eyelids jumped when he saw the debris piled up everywhere in the settlement. He remembered the two fires that happened in the community one after another. It was really a man-made disaster! This made him deeply realize a truth. In this natural disaster apocalypse, no matter how well one's family is run, it will be affected by the environment. On the premise that one's family has the ability to protect itself, sometimes living alone is better than living together!
"Let's go home." said Qiao Qingqing.
After walking around and finding nothing interesting, Shao Shengfei agreed to go home. It was too hot outside and he wanted to eat ice cream.
He remembered his parents' instructions to him, lowered his voice to the lowest level, and whispered into Shao Shengan's ear: "Brother, can I have ice cream?"
"Okay, I'll get it for you when I get home." Shao Shengan also answered him in a low voice.
"Um!"
After returning home, Shao's father, mother and Qiao Songzhi went out for a walk, and it was Qiao Qingqing's turn to stay at home. The three of them sat in the tent eating ice cream, Qiao Qingqing had taro flavor, and Shao Shengan had cantaloupe flavor. Seeing Qiao Qingqing looking over, Shao Shengan stretched out his hand: "Here, I'll give you a bite." She happily took a bite and moved hers over: "You take a bite too."
"You eat." Shao Shengan touched her head.
"I don't have much ice cream in stock, and it will be gone once I eat it." Qiao Qingqing felt a little regretful. She hadn't realized that she had become more and more greedy. At first, she only cared about the practicality of the supplies, whether they could be used or filled her stomach. Now, in this scorching hot tent, she was sweating and sighing for the future loss of the good food.
Shao Shengan felt relieved. Three years ago, when Qingqing bought supplies, she didn't even think about purchasing skin care products. How could she not worry? In addition to survival, he also hoped that his wife could have more pursuits, so that she would gain more happiness.
So he took on the job: "I'll make it when the time comes. Ice cream is not difficult to make. I remember there is a recipe in the cookbook you downloaded."
Qiao Qingqing nodded, her taste buds feeling the sweet and cool taste, and her heart was filled with joy.
As the sky darkened, many families in the village began to prepare dinner, and smoke rose from many places above the village. She and Shao Shengan set up a simple stove at the door of the tent, took down the few remaining pieces of wood from the tricycle, and started to make a fire to cook the rice they received yesterday.
"I just asked Uncle San, the man we met on the road. It turns out that the villagers often go out together to look for firewood. Qiuye Village is remote, and there used to be many forests. The bamboo forests have indeed been cut down now, so they go to more distant places to get wood. Weren't the forests on both sides of the highway we passed by bald when we came here? He said it wasn't them who did it, but that they were cut down by other villages nearby."
"Where do they go to get wood?"
Shao Shengan shook his head: "He didn't say anything, saying that it was difficult for him to say, and asked me to go find the village chief."
"I understand. Let's talk about it later."
Not long after the meal was cooked, Qiao Songzhi and the others came back, saying that they had gone to watch the well being dug and had also taken a look around the fields.
"There's nothing to see." Shao's mother concluded, "You guys cook? I'll do it, I'll do it!"
Qiao Songzhi also sat down: "I saw three groups of people fighting along the way. The weather is hot and people are very angry."
"It seems we need to dig five deep wells." Father Shao was concerned about the deep wells. "Do you think we need to dig one in the east, south, west, north and the middle? That would make five in total."
Shao Shengan smiled and shook his head: "That's not how it's calculated. We should dig where we can find well water in the village. Dad, who told you there were five?"
"It's the village chief's son. He has been helping to carry soil there. Oh, the village chief's son is really tall and strong, and he seems to be very strong."
"Then we can grow vegetables after we dig the well, right? There's still some land left after we build the tents, so we can use it to grow some vegetables."
"Of course you can, Dad. You can grow them at home, so there's no reason you can't grow them in Qiuye Village. The soil we dug out is piled at the door, but it's mixed with debris. So, I'll pick out the soil with a bucket, and use it to grow vegetables when there's water later." Shao Shengan said and took action.
“I’m coming too!”
As the family was chatting, two people came out from the village chief's house at the end of the lane, one of them was Lin Mingyong.
He was in a good mood as he had just achieved his wish. He looked around the place where he would settle in the future with satisfaction in his eyes. He saw someone burning a fire at the end of the alley and saw the backs of two people. He thought that they must be the refugees who had just arrived yesterday as the village chief mentioned. He was a little skeptical at first. Could that family have got the inside information like him?
But now, looking at the motorcycle tricycle, he sighed in his heart, secretly sighing that this family was lucky, a blind cat catching a dead mouse.
"Let's go, Brother Lin. We have to set up camp before the sun goes down at night." Liao Cheng happily stuffed the newly acquired household registration booklet and land deed into his arms.
Lin Mingyong smiled and nodded: "Let's go, don't keep the family waiting for too long."
"Ah, I finally have a place to stay! There are troops nearby, so it will be safe and I can sleep well!"
After returning to the village to reunite with his companions, Lin Mingyong and his friends drove to the land they had just bought.
"Brother-in-law, my car won't move at all!" someone shouted.
"I've changed so many tires along the way. Driving a four-wheeled vehicle is slower than walking. Now there's nowhere to find a tire."
"We can actually follow the main force. The main force is ahead and will definitely be able to level the road first—"
Lin Mingyong stopped the topic loudly: "Alright! Move the things in the car to other cars. If you can't move them, wait a while before moving them. Leave one of you to guard the car. I'll move the things from my car and come over to help move them! We finally got here, so let's hold on a little longer!"
He got in the car and started the car with a grim look on his face. Yu Manshu said softly, "Don't be angry. Liao Cheng is your best confidant and can be trusted. As for his wife and brother-in-law... don't they know nothing about them? We took a risk by coming out like this. It's normal for them to have some complaints. As long as you and Liao Cheng work together, things will be fine in the future."
"Yeah." Lin Mingyong's face finally improved. He thought of his wise decision to lead his family and most trusted friends to Qiuye Village and get the land deeds and household registration before the large group arrived. Now their two families would not have to worry about their lives anymore.
Many people only heard that the scattered soldiers in Huacheng would soon be gathered and would bring the survivors to Xicheng, where a survivor base would be established around Yeshan. However, they did not know that Huacheng's original government team would also be accompanying them.
Of course, perhaps it was because after the big temperature rise, the military and municipal operations after the natural disaster collapsed along with the ice collapse. Now the order has completely collapsed and chaos has arisen. Yu Manshu learned from her cousin that the military is no longer able to maintain order in various places. The high temperature has ruined everything, including the military's chain of delivering relief supplies. The higher-ups decided to gather the scattered military forces, establish a survivor base, centralize rescue, and unify management. The government team naturally has to keep up, and management cannot be separated from full-time personnel.
Yu Manshu's cousin Yu Jingshen was the second-in-command of the municipal government before the natural disaster, and became the real leader after the disaster.
Although the high temperature caused everything to collapse, Yu Manshu knew that the survivor base was her cousin's new stage. She had a close relationship with her cousin and received more confidential information, knowing that her cousin had already made a rough draft of the plan. When the time came, the new official would start three things. The first thing was to build a base, and the second thing was to clarify the household registration and land, paving the way for the third thing, which was naturally to allocate houses to local residents and stabilize the people's hearts.
She knew that her cousin was an ambitious man who would accomplish whatever he wanted to do. Even though he would not have the absolute advantage of Huacheng's home field after coming here and there would be local leadership teams competing with him, she believed that as long as her cousin could reach out, he would be able to change everything one day!
She persuaded her husband and brought her closest friend Liao Cheng, and the two families united and helped each other to pursue a better future together.
Looking at the newly written household registration booklet and land deed that Lin Mingyong put in her hands, her eyes sparkled with joy.
Of course, she could follow her cousin and come with the main group, but she might not be able to catch up. She knew that her cousin gave her the news a little earlier because of their close relationship. Maybe she and her family would come here as soon as they arrived, and others would follow.
We are all refugees from abroad, so who wouldn’t want their family and relatives to get a house in the future?
Yu Manshu even thought that in order to win over the wealthy people in Huacheng, her cousin would definitely release the news in advance so that people could be prepared.
For the sake of family affection and interests, these handwritten household registration books and land deeds will become real in the future!
After arranging her future residence and waiting for her cousin to gain a firm foothold, she will ask him to help her join the new leadership team. Then, Yu Manshu will have a new career!
Qiao Qingqing didn't know that he had passed by Lin Mingyong twice, nor did he know that there were so many inside stories about the distribution of houses in the future base.
But before she came here, she had already prepared to meet Lin Mingyong earlier than in her previous life. Lin Mingyong lived in the new community in his previous life, while she had always lived outside the base. She and Lin Mingyong had lived in the same base for six years, but the two had never met. The day they met was also unremarkable. One day, Lin Mingyong's nephew came to her house to find her and conveyed Lin Mingyong's thoughts and concern for her. After meeting, Qiao Qingqing learned that she had worked in the new community before - just once! The employer turned out to be the sister of Lin Mingyong's colleague. Lin Mingyong was also looking for a tutor at the time, and he was stunned when he heard Qiao Qingqing's name.
Lin Mingyong said with tears in his eyes that it was God who allowed the father and daughter to reunite after many years.
Bah, it's clearly a new target of exploitation falling from the sky, crocodile tears!
In short, it is not surprising to meet Lin Mingyong earlier in this life. Qiao Qingqing doesn’t care at all. If the other party dares to target her again, she will definitely find a perfect opportunity this time and carry out a perfect patricide to ensure that she will never be caught!
After dinner, Qiao Qingqing and his wife went to visit the village chief again. This time, the gift was a box of Xiasangju granules. After that, they got the promise from the village chief that he could take them with him the next time his family went to chop wood.
But in the end, he still gave a warning: "In the past, refugees from outside had conflicts with us several times, and blood was shed in serious cases! Now, we have our own places to chop wood. When you go with us, don't tell others where you are."
"I understand. That's for sure. Don't worry!"
The next night, Qiao Qingqing and her husband went out with Village Chief Ye's son.
"Follow me and don't talk nonsense." Ye Changtian said, leading them to gather at the village entrance.
Soon, dozens of villagers came one after another. Some pulled carts, and some rode tireless bicycles. They were all ready, just waiting for Ye Changtian's order to set off.
"A new family of friends came today. They are Qiao Qingqing and Shao Shengan. Their family has settled in our village. My father has already investigated their personalities. Both of them are college students. Qiao Qingqing is also a doctor. He is good at treating colds and bruises. Their house is at the end of my alley. You can go there if you have any problems. My father asked me to take them to chop wood tonight. Let's get along well. Okay, let's go!" After Ye Changtian finished speaking, he clapped his hands and walked in front without waiting for others to express their opinions.
"Let's go! Hurry up!"
Qiao Qingqing and Shao Shengan walked quietly without speaking. Shao Shengan held her hand and looked at her with concern.
She shook her head to indicate that she was not tired.
Squeezing Qiao Qingqing's hand, Shao Shengan turned his head back and adjusted the position of the headlight to illuminate the road under his feet more clearly.
"Hey, where are you from?" a young man came over and asked.
"Flower City."
"Oh, that's not far. How did you get here?"
"Liu Zi, you are so gossipy. Why do you care how others got here?"
Liuzi scratched his head: "I'm just curious. Didn't four cars come here yesterday? We haven't seen a four-wheeled car here for a long time, except for the military trucks coming up and down Yeshan Mountain."
"We have a tricycle, but unfortunately, the road is too hot and all the tires are blown, otherwise we would have driven a tricycle here tonight." Shao Shengan said with a smile. "What's your name?"
"Oh? My name is Ye Jun, you can just call me Liuzi." Liuzi scratched his head and peeked at Qiao Qingqing. Qiao Qingqing looked at him, and his dark face turned a barely noticeable red. He looked away, and after a few seconds he looked back and asked, "You, your wife can treat illnesses?"
"Well, my wife can treat illnesses." Shao Shengan found this sentence very funny and couldn't help laughing even more happily.
"Then, can your wife give birth? No, no! Can she deliver the baby?" Liuzi explained hurriedly, "My sister is about to give birth, but my mother-in-law said that my sister's fetal position is not good, and she may not be able to deliver the baby. I am so worried."
Shao Shengan looked at Qiao Qingqing inquiringly.
Qiao Qingqing said: "I haven't studied childbirth specifically, and I don't have any experience with issues like fetal position... But I can ask your sister to see if I can help."
Liuzi was very happy to hear this!
"Okay! Okay! Then when you come back from chopping wood later - it might be too late, then I'll come to your house tomorrow evening to find you and take you to my house to see my sister, okay?"
"Okay, that's settled, but I have to be honest, I have to get paid. After all, I have a family to live with."
Liuzi nodded: "I know! Don't worry, I'm very strong at chopping wood. I can help your family chop wood. Just tell me how much you want and I'll get you as much as you want!"
Qiao Qingqing smiled: "Don't worry, wait until you see your sister."
The place to chop wood was far away. In the dark, they walked for an hour. Qiao Qingqing estimated that it was about six or seven kilometers. At the beginning, some people were chatting, but later, in order to save energy and saliva, no one talked.
In silence, the team finally stopped.
"We're here!" Ye Changtian, who was walking in the front, shouted, "Old rules, don't act alone, it will be terrible if you encounter danger! At least three people in a group, blow the whistle if there is something, don't blow it randomly if there is nothing! Shao Shengan, right? Yes, you two, you and your wife follow me, I will lead you."
There was a large dead forest before their eyes, and the villagers scattered, swinging their axes.
"Cut it down, cut as much as you want, all the pieces are yours." Ye Changtian demonstrated.
Qiao Qingqing and Shao Shengan pulled out their axes and joined the wood-chopping team.
The firewood was not difficult to cut. It was obvious that the forest had been flooded, soaked in ice, and then exposed to the scorching sun, and had become brittle.
Soon, a pile of branches formed under their feet.
Next to him, Ye Changtian had just chopped down a whole tree. He clapped his hands and walked to another tree to start chopping.
"Brother Ye, how are we going to take such a big tree away?" Shao Shengan asked.
"Just carry it with you." Ye Changtian didn't care and asked Shao Shengan and the others to hurry up and cut the trees. "It's too hot now. We don't know when this forest will catch fire and burn up. The forest we cut before suddenly burned down. We had no choice but to run so far here. You must cherish the opportunity and get more each time you come. Oh, and you have to be able to carry it. Otherwise, if you can't take the trees away, they will definitely disappear next time you come. That means you're working for others in vain."
Shao Shengan smiled and nodded.
Qiao Qingqing was cutting trees while sneaking into space. She didn't know how many years the apocalyptic disaster would last. The weather would be normal for the next three years, but after three years it would be eternal night. The newly planted trees had not yet grown up and had lost the nourishment of the sun. How could they grow?
You can never have too much fuel, so she must store more.
On the other side, Ye Changtian had already cut down more than 20 trees. He casually cut off some of the crowns, tied the main trunks of the trees together with long hemp ropes, and then sat on them without moving. After a while, Qiao Qingqing looked back and saw that he had fallen asleep.
"He's a capable person." Shao Shengan said softly to Qiao Qingqing.
"Okay!" Five hours later, Ye Changtian woke up and whistled nine times in a row, then stopped for a few seconds and blew nine more times.
"Let's go, we'll gather at the edge of the woods and go back to the village together." Ye Changtian bent down, picked up the hemp rope, and pulled it out.
He pulled a dead tree that was three or four meters tall. He was carrying the main trunk, and some branches that were not cut cleanly broke off and fell to the ground while dragging it.
"If you want it, pick it up yourself. I don't want it anymore."
"He's really strong." Shao Sheng'an sighed, "No wonder he dared to chop down a whole tree. If he dragged the whole tree back and disassembled the main trunk, the firewood he got would burn more reliably than the broken branches."
"And it's easy to drag. We can only carry these branches on our backs." Qiao Qingqing envied for a moment and then focused on her own work. "I'll pick up the ones on the ground. You go first."
Shao Shengan knew that his wife was going to pick it up in the space, so he nodded and followed Ye Changtian.
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