Chapter 40

Tolls

Fang Xin started working early as usual, using an ice pick to pick away the new ice.

The harvest in the morning was more than 70 fish. Although it was still not as many as the first day, I was very satisfied.

Take out the tomatoes produced in two spaces, crush them and put them into the fishing net.

Fang Xin didn't change the place to dig a new ice hole. If it was really as she thought, then using the original ice hole would attract fish, and she wouldn't have to go through the trouble of digging ice anymore.

After setting the bait, Fang Xin dug three more holes in the ice to set the net. If the effect was not good, at least there were still three more holes to protect him, so he would not end up with nothing.

While Fang Xin was training the dog, an old man and a young man walked slowly towards him.

"Sister, we are here." The young man held the bucket in both hands and stretched out one hand to greet Fang Xin.

The old man still walks with the ice pick. It serves as a crutch when he walks and as a tool when he works.

Fang Xin nodded in response, and the old man also nodded in response.

After two days of training, the dog has been able to cope with it a little and will not be hit too much. It has even learned to sneak attack and retreat after a bite, which is quite cautious.

Three hours passed quickly in training the dog.

He started to lift the net and felt the weight of it. He was overjoyed. It really worked.

When the net was pulled out little by little and big fish jumped and struggled, she knew that this method would definitely work.

"Wow, so many!"

Behind me, I heard the boy exclaim, a mixture of surprise and envy.

"Grandpa, that sister is so amazing. She caught so many fish. It's enough to eat for many days."

The old man also looked on with envy.

"Yes, sister is really amazing."

This time there were indeed a lot, 26 or 27 in total, all put into the big basket.

Next is the second network, which also has the same number of people.

"Wow, sister has so many." The boy behind was envious and jumped in envy.

"Grandson, look, we have quite a few too." The old man pulled out the fish cage, which contained six or seven fish.

"Wow, grandpa is so awesome." The boy said and excitedly helped his grandpa clean up.

"Grandpa, my sister's bait is still the best."

"Yes, we benefited from her."

"Grandpa, let's hide some of the fish today and then come out to get them in the middle of the night."

"Okay, I'll listen to my eldest grandson."

Fang Xin was getting more and more curious about the tolls that the two men were talking about. Could it be that they would completely block all the intersections?

These people came from several nearby villages and towns.

It would take at least 20 people to block every intersection.

The fish she caught these few days are enough for her to eat, so she plans to go and check on the situation today.

I am also a little worried about the two elders.

Time soon came to three o'clock in the afternoon, and the old man and the young man finished fishing and left.

They walked slowly, so they had to get home before dark.

Fang Xin collected the last two nets of fish and prepared to leave.

First find a secluded place to get the car out.

Put a basket of fish in the trunk and put some vegetables on it.

These are for the two elders, and are enough for them to eat for a few days.

The snow on the road has reached the calf level, and the thick snow cannot stop people from moving forward.

There is a path that has been worn smooth and hard.

Fang Xin drove the snowmobile towards the town.

There was indeed a roadblock set up at the entrance to the town, and everyone was being checked, with 70% of their belongings confiscated.

"Please can you take less? I only caught three fish today, and it's not enough for my family." A woman bent over and begged humbly.

"This is the rule, it has always been like this. Are you dissatisfied?" the strong man glared at him and shouted.

The woman was so scared that she went limp. "No, no, can you please be flexible? I'll pay more next time. I really don't have enough to eat today. I have elderly and children at home. I haven't had a full meal for a long time. Please be flexible."

The strong man impatiently snatched the only small fish left in the woman's hand. "You are so ungrateful and broke the rules. You don't want any fish at all. Get out."

After saying that, the two of them came up and punched and kicked the woman.

The woman was beaten to death and lay motionless on the ground.

Others are unmoved, even numb.

Fang Xin sat in the car and watched the scene in front of her. She couldn't just go in like this. She couldn't hand over the supplies, and she certainly couldn't control her hands from wanting to hit someone.

This would also bring trouble to her parents, as she couldn't stay at their house every day.

Fang Xin turned the car around and planned to drive around.

One of the toll collectors pointed at the snowmobile and said to his companion, "Hey, look, that's a snowmobile."

"Yeah, that's true. There must be a lot of supplies in the car when she left."

"Alas, what a pity that car didn't come in."

"Why don't we just snatch her away?"

"Come on, your legs are faster than a car."

"Fuck, yes."

The two of them whispered to each other and rummaged through the supplies in the bucket with disgust. "Why are there so few? It's such a waste!" Then they took out the three big fish in the bucket and left only the two small ones.

The old man and the young man lowered their heads and apologized, not daring to talk back.

"Go away, go away! I'm annoyed just by seeing you two. You're useless!"

"Hey, hey, okay, okay!" The old and the young nodded and bowed. The young man supported the old man and carried the bucket and left quickly.

Fang Xin drove around several village intersections and found that just as she had expected, roadblocks were set up at all the intersections.

There were five intersections in total, with six people at each intersection, holding sticks in their hands and daggers on their waists.

If the people leaving had no supplies, they would not be bothered. But if they had supplies, they would have to hand them in even if they were leaving. And if they came in, they would plunder them. They would not release people until 70% to 80% of the supplies were taken away.

This is not a toll, this is blatant robbery!

Fang Xin waited until late at night before entering the town.

From a distance, Fang Xin saw a small black shadow running in. He narrowed his eyes and found that it was the young man.

He moved the barricade gently and got in, carrying a large bag on his shoulder.

This boy was quite a thief. He must have hidden the fish he caught and sneaked out to get them at night when no one was around.

Suddenly, two people jumped out of a room and shouted, "Stop! How dare you hide the supplies? Hand them over to me or I will beat you to death."

I didn’t expect there were people on duty at night! Really dedicated.

Fang Xin just glanced sideways and kept walking.

When she reached a crossroads and turned, the biting cold wind, along with muffled groans, curses, and sounds of beatings, blew into her ears.

It was those two men who caught up with the boy.

The man kicked the boy hard on the ground, "You little bastard, run away."

"I'll kill you today for stealing and hiding supplies."

A fish fell out of the cloth bag and slid to Fang Xin's feet.

She looked at the bruised and battered boy lying on the ground.

The boy's eyes were full of stubbornness. He gritted his teeth and didn't ask for mercy. He followed the direction the fish slid away and saw Fang Xin. He found it difficult to speak.

"Run."

The boy knew that these beasts were not human beings and that the world was already in chaos. Who knew what they would do.