Even with soldiers maintaining order, there were very few people on the streets, and apart from support personnel from various units, almost no one could be seen.
In the otherwise empty space, the appearance of this oxcart was quite an out-of-the-way sight, especially since it was loaded with bulging sacks that looked like grain. In this situation, it was even more conspicuous.
As soon as they entered the commune, young soldiers carrying weapons came over to stop them and ask questions.
"Hello, comrade, what's in your vehicle, and where are you headed?"
Liu Jianshe quickly stepped forward to explain. Upon hearing that it was grain being delivered to the commune, the young soldier's eyes lit up, and he readily pointed out someone to lead the way.
"Quickly, this way, let's approach from this side. Qingzi, you lead them directly over there."
The group exchanged glances and had a general idea of the situation in the commune. No one said much, and they followed behind the oxcart. There weren't many people on the road, but it was clear that there were only a few ordinary people out buying things or running errands. They were in a hurry, and the oxcart members would occasionally glance at the people with curiosity, but they kept their distance.
We followed a few people and made our way to the middle school. There were several large iron pots set up in a row at the gate. There were quite a few people at the gate, but we couldn't tell who was from outside; they were probably all inside.
Liu Jianshe followed the oxcart to hand over the goods to the person in charge of the commune. After a short while, the group looked around.
The middle school was much larger than the village office. After all, it was the only middle school in the entire commune, and there were more than ten villages nearby. There were quite a few children attending the school before, and there were only about ten classrooms.
The classroom doors were all open, and as the aroma of porridge wafted from the entrance, people inside began to come out one after another, lining up to get their share. There were members of the armed forces department there, and many young soldiers outside as well; the process was quite orderly.
"You seem to be in good spirits?"
I took a quick look. There were adults and children. They all looked tidy up, both in terms of clothes and their overall demeanor. They seemed to have regained some energy in their eyes, but they still looked listless and dejected.
"You all stay here and watch, I'll go find someone."
Ling Weidong nodded, watching her walk towards the gate, and followed her from a distance.
"Line up one by one, don't rush!"
Outside the gate, a group of young soldiers were busy carrying iron pots and calling them to line up. There were also a few guards on the perimeter, just like the scene of distributing porridge on TV.
There were elderly people and children in the queue, mostly men and few women.
Indeed, long-distance travel is a considerable undertaking even for strong and healthy men, let alone women who are physically weaker and malnourished in this era.
She couldn't quite describe how she felt. If there were any other way, probably no one would want to go through something like this.
Holding the bowl, the porridge was poured into it. I couldn't wait to hold it steady, and I didn't care that it was hot. I eagerly put it to my mouth, slurping and laughing, not wanting to wait a moment to cool it down. I ate it all right away.
A few grains of rice that were accidentally spilled on the ground by the large spoon were instantly picked up by someone who rushed over, carefully picked them up, blew off the dust, and put them in their mouth. It was unclear whether it was enough to fill a tooth gap, but the expression on Dai's face showed great satisfaction.
The people around him were watching with longing eyes, as if he had gotten a great deal and were extremely envious.
The other child was a step behind, his eyes filled with frustration, and he was practically drooling as he watched the other child put the food in his mouth.
Actually, at this point it's just porridge, but it can't be rice porridge or millet porridge. At most it's cornmeal porridge. Since it's just the beginning, these people have been exhausted these past few days, so it's being made a little better, like sorghum porridge.
Nowadays, it would be quite novel to eat a meal of sorghum rice. But back then, it wasn't like that. Although sorghum rice wasn't a refined grain, it was still more filling than cornmeal porridge, since it consisted of individual grains of rice.
It smells delicious!
My nose feels stuffy just from looking at it.
Later generations had seen disaster sites before—earthquakes, fires, tsunamis, typhoons—and the scenes of devastation shown on television and radio were nothing compared to directly witnessing this moment. None of them made Jian Dan truly empathize with the situation; her throat felt completely blocked, and she couldn't utter a sound for a long time.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Seeing that she hadn't moved for a while, Ling Weidong became worried and moved closer, only to see Jian Dan staring blankly at those people.
"Can't stand it anymore?"
"Um?"
Jian Dan snapped out of her daze, lowered her eyes, and choked out in a muffled voice.
"No, it's just that when people are in dire straits, there's nothing they can't let go of. Dignity and face are nothing compared to a mouthful of dusty food."
"For them, survival is the most important thing at times like this. Dignity and face are the most ephemeral and useless things. A bowl of porridge is more practical."
"Don't overthink it,"
Cheng Chao came up from behind, patted her on the shoulder, took the basket from her, nodded to Ling Weidong, and continued,
"Don't think about those messy things at such a young age. As long as we don't harm anyone, we can have a clear conscience."
As for the rest, just do what you feel like and don't make things difficult for yourself.
"If anything happens, talk to me. With me here, there's no problem we can't solve, okay?"
Cheng Chao could probably come up with some simple ideas. He didn't want his sister to suffer, but his uncle was right. If his sister had the kindness to help, it would be better to let her go through them. At least they could ensure her safety, and they also had some influence in the border region. No matter what they did, at least she would have someone to rely on.
Jian Dan quickly composed herself, and when she looked up, her expression was almost back to normal, except for the lack of a smile.
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