Chapter 56
Looking at these ordinary people who were clearly anxious, Liu Xu felt a pang of anxiety.
A voice inside her told her that because of Jiangzhi and her brother, they had escaped another disaster.
Liu Xu couldn't imagine what would have happened if Jiang Zhi hadn't helped them. They might have ended up in the same state as these ordinary people, feeling utterly devastated.
The four had just passed the base store when they heard Wu Xiu's voice: "Azhi, you're back!?"
Jiang Zhi and the others looked over and saw that Wu Xiu and Old Lady Jiang had also come to buy grain.
The baskets and snakeskin bags they carried were too eye-catching, so Jiang Zhi told Jiang Shu and Liu Xu to go back first, while she walked towards Grandma Jiang and the others.
"Grandma, Aunt, what's going on?" Jiang Zhi nodded towards the long line that followed.
Wu Xiu whispered, "We don't know what's going on either. We just heard that the base store is limiting purchases again today. We're thinking that it will be difficult to buy food in the future, so we'll buy as much as we can."
Grandma Jiang was extremely grateful that they had all listened to Jiang Zhi's advice and obediently stockpiled food and supplies.
With this kind of situation, if they hadn't taken the first step, the Jiang family, with so many mouths to feed, really wouldn't know how they would have survived the winter.
Grandma Jiang was still shaken. "If there are purchase restrictions, the worst off will probably be the public employees at the base."
Public servants receive points monthly and rely almost entirely on buying food from the base store for sustenance. Now that there are purchase restrictions, they can probably only guarantee a basic standard of living. As for buying nice things to improve their lives from time to time like before, forget about it.
This time, Wu Xiu brought the entire family's household registration booklet.
This time, the base store sold out of all food except for basic rations.
Moreover, the basic grains released here are not many; besides highland barley, there are also some mutated wheat and sorghum.
Forget about rice; it's a scarce commodity, and ordinary people like them can't get any.
Even the fabrics and the previously least popular, outdated-looking ready-made clothes sold out completely.
Their family has 15 members. The children can only buy 1 jin of grain per day, and the adults are subject to an even stricter purchase limit today than yesterday, with each person only allowed to buy 2 jin.
After queuing for so long, all I could get was 28 jin (14 catties) of barley.
Grandma Jiang bought all the wheat since she had enough barley at home.
After the sales clerk weighed the grain, Wu Xiu couldn't help but ask, "Comrade, yesterday we could buy 5 jin per person, but today it's only 2 jin. Will it be even less in the future?"
Wu Xiu asked a question that most people were concerned about, and everyone in the queue behind her pricked up their ears.
The sales clerk, with a businesslike expression, said, "How would we know? We just followed instructions from above."
Unwilling to give up, Wu Xiu continued to ask, "What exactly is the reason for the purchase restrictions? If they don't explain it clearly, how are ordinary people supposed to know what to do next?"
Wu Xiu's words won unanimous approval from everyone, who all said, "That's right!"
The salesperson, caught off guard, turned pale and said bluntly, "If you want to know, go to the reception hall and ask. I don't know anything."
It's a bit of a pity about Wu Xiu.
I thought I could get some information out of them, but they were very tight-lipped.
After buying the grain, the three chatted as they walked back.
Although they had prepared a lot of supplies, the thought of what the winter would be like after the disaster and what potential threats there would be made them uneasy.
Although the base has begun operations, the unknown is always frightening.
When they got home, they found that the refrigerated display case they had bought had been delivered.
The entire Jiang family, young and old, gathered around, watching with curiosity.
It was about the same size as the ice cream freezers used to be in convenience stores, but the body was made of wood and had wooden wheels on the four outer legs so it could move on flat ground. In addition, inside the freezer, on the right side, there was a yellow prismatic stone about the size of a fist embedded in the shelf.
This must be the special mineral that allows the wooden cabinet to maintain its temperature.
Grandpa Jiang glanced around with his hands behind his back and said disdainfully, "It's just ordinary wood, yet it costs 15,000 points? Those people are really trying to rip us off."
What Grandpa Jiang didn't know was that this refrigerated display case was also sold at the base store in Zone B, but the seller's price was much higher than what they paid.
Ye Qingyun said with a smile, "Dad, you're wrong. Although this cabinet isn't worth much, the stone inside is very precious. We were able to buy such a cheap refrigerated cabinet thanks to Xiao Lei's connections."
Jiang Hai looked around and said, "If there were any minerals, my second brother could make this refrigerator too."
Jiang He nodded, "It's a pity that this ore is rare. We've been in the base for so long and haven't seen it sold in the base store."
Jiang Jun: "It's not surprising, these rare items don't circulate among ordinary people like us."
Jiang Si tugged at Jiang Jun's hand, her eyes sparkling, and said, "Daddy, I want to see too!"
Previously, when other children of similar age in her neighborhood played there, that particular store had a refrigerated display case.
I heard that the other party's family is the richest in their area.
The house is over 400 square meters, and it's a duplex.
She had secretly peeked at it; that house was so beautiful.
In the past, when her family didn't have many things, Jiang Si would sometimes envy the children in other families.
But now, they have it too!!
Jiang Jun lifted the baby into the wheelchair.
The little one clung to the edge of the cabinet, peering inside with curiosity.
After discovering that there was nothing inside, he felt a wave of disappointment. "Dad, there's nothing inside..."
Jiang Jun smiled and said, "Put your hand in and take a look."
Jiang Si obediently reached in and found that the cabinet was incredibly cool, which immediately made her eyes light up.
"It's so cool!"
She couldn't resist putting both hands inside; the cabinet was cool and refreshing, which felt very comfortable.
Yuan Ying laughed and said, "Alright, stop playing around. Second Auntie has to put all the vegetables and fruits in, or they'll spoil."
Yuan Ying was carrying three jars, each weighing ten pounds, of eggplant and green pepper sauce.
When the crowd saw this, they immediately came to help.
After finally managing to cram all the vegetables and fruits I bought into the refrigerator, there was only about one-tenth of the space left.
Several men pushed the cupboard filled with grain into the hall.
Everyone was amazed to see that the fruits and vegetables they put in soon formed a layer of cool air.
Jiang Jun: "This ore is really amazing; it can actually lower the temperature."
Just then, Niu Dali helped Jiang Shu carry back three burlap sacks of grapes.
Jiang Shu still had two baskets filled to the brim.
"Grandma! Mom! We're back!"
Grandma Jiang said happily, "You guys clearly came back before us, why are you only arriving now?"
After Niu Dali took the child back, Jiang Shu moved the things back into the yard and said, "There were a few shameless guys who tried to follow us, but we had to circle around them a few times to shake them off."
Jiang Hai said with a gloomy face, "We were followed when we came back today, but they stopped following us after they found out that we were looking for things that couldn't be eaten."
Jiang He's expression wasn't good either. "If the base doesn't take action, things will definitely fall into chaos."
That's what they say, but everyone knows that the base isn't unwilling to take care of it; it's just that it's powerless to do so right now.
The public is now filled with anxiety due to rumors. If the base doesn't release the information, the crime rate will likely skyrocket soon.
This topic is too heavy.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Jiang Shu carried the grapes into the hall. Not hearing Jiang Hai and the others' discussion, he called out to the courtyard, "What are you all doing outside? Come and see our harvest today!"
That voice sounded so smug.
Ye Qingyun was speechless—her son's features were as thick as ever.
What did you find today?
Jiang Shu picked up a bunch of grapes and, while eating them, stood proudly at the entrance of the hall, saying, "You won't believe it—today we—"
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Sui shouted, "Uncle!! What's that in your hand?! Is it grapes?"
Jiang Shu felt that his nephew was really giving him face; this was exactly the kind of surprised expression he wanted!
He raised his head and said, "That's right, we found a lot of grapes today, more than we bought before."
Everyone gasped.
One by one, they couldn't help but hurry into the hall.
Upon seeing the baskets and burlap sacks overflowing with mutated grapes, my mind went blank for a moment—
This...this—
That's incredibly lucky!
Everyone knows how rare mutated fruits are, but no one expected that the Jiang siblings would produce so many mutated grapes in one go.
The Jiang family has benefited from the siblings' fame once again!
Jiang Shu looked on with satisfaction at the surprised and delighted expressions on everyone's faces.
This greatly satisfied his vanity.
Jiang Zhi watched him show off silently from the side.
After Ye Qingyun came to his senses, he slapped him on the head and snatched the bunch of grapes from his hand.
"Hey, Mom, you—"
"What 'Mom'? Did you even wash it before eating? Aren't you afraid of parasites?"
Jiang Shu could tell from his mother's eyes that she was heartbroken over that bunch of grapes.
He shrank his neck.
Ye Qingyun took it directly to the water tank and started washing it.
Wu Xiu asked excitedly, "Where did you get so many grapes?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu raised his head again and said smugly, "That's a long story."
Grandpa Jiang said, "Then you should get to the point."
Jiang Shu choked, "Why can't Grandpa offer any emotional support?"
Seeing everyone's enthusiastic expressions, Jiang Shu embellished the story and recounted what had happened that day.
Upon hearing that over 800 kilograms of grain might be delivered to their door, everyone almost thought they had misheard.
They were all stunned.
Jiang Shu was dissatisfied with their reaction and complained, "What's wrong with you guys? Give me some kind of response!"
Jiang Wen pinched his cheek. "Big, Big Tree, are we dreaming? Why do you always manage to reap so much harvest every time you go out..."
Jiang Wen's words also reflect the words of other members of the Jiang family.
Ginger Tree: ...
How was he supposed to answer that?
We can't say that Jiangzhi's cheat code is largely responsible for this, can we?
Jiang Shugan chuckled twice, "Perhaps I am the chosen one..."
Ye Qingyun, who had just washed the grapes, glared at him.
"Don't listen to this brat's nonsense. He's just been lucky lately. Come and try the mutated wild grapes."
Of course, no one took it seriously.
But I was genuinely happy inside.
It gives you that exhilarating feeling of one person achieving enlightenment and all their relatives and friends benefiting from it.
With their current lifestyle, the Jiang family owns a house and a car, and is not much different from the middle class of the past.
Although the family had stockpiled a lot of food, Grandpa Jiang and the others still preferred to save it.
They shared a single grape and ate it with great relish.
Jiang Sui and Jiang Si were the youngest and received a whole round grape.
The moment Jiang Si took her first bite, her eyes lit up like stars, and her mouth opened wide, as if she never expected there was anything so delicious in the world.
She smacked her lips and licked them, then couldn't resist taking a second bite. Grape juice burst out, and Jiang Si quickly licked the juice off her chin with her tongue.
His face was full of satisfaction, and he mumbled "delicious" indistinctly.
Grandpa Jiang and the others also had satisfied expressions on their faces.
"I never thought that at my age, I would be able to taste grapes again. It's all worth it."
Grandpa Jiang has always loved eating grapes.
Especially the sweet and sour kind, this mutated wild grape has just the right balance of sourness and sweetness, any more or less and it would be out of balance.
Looking at everyone's satisfied expressions, Jiang Shu muttered, "I still want to eat some more."
Ye Qingyun remained silent.
I could only give him one more. "Alright, this stuff gets cloying if you eat too much. You've already eaten quite a lot today, you can have more later."
Jiang Shu: ...He doesn't find it cloying at all!
His mother is a blatant liar.
There's no way around it; the older generation is used to being frugal, and it's absolutely impossible to get them to eat to their heart's content.
Jiang Zhi found it quite amusing.
Ye Qingyun also tried one, and Jiang Shu circled around her, asking, "How was it? Was it delicious?"
Ye Qingyun stubbornly replied, "It's alright."
But the slight curve of her lips revealed her true self.
Looking at all those fresh grapes, Yuan Ying felt both happy and worried: "The freezer is full, what are we going to do?"
These mutant grapes are so fresh that they don't want to process them like dried spinach.
It's a complete waste.
Jiang Shu: "How about we buy another refrigerated display case?"
Ye Qingyun: "I think you just have too many points and nowhere to spend them!"
Jiang Shu shrugged: "Then what else can we do? Make it into wine?"
When the topic of alcohol came up, the men in the family all looked over in unison.
Grandma Jiang couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.
"You people, what kind of family do you come from? All you want is to drink! Do you really think you're some nouveau riche?!"
When Grandma Jiang spoke, her neck shrank back.
There was no other way but to take the contents out of the refrigerator and rearrange them.
The vegetable sauce itself can be stored for several months. Grandma Jiang brought out more than a dozen jars of vegetable sauce, planning to put them in the cellar after it was completed.
Even so, the space in the refrigerator is still not enough.
Two baskets were put in, and several women kept stuffing and patching them up until there was absolutely no extra space, but they still left a snakeskin bag full of mutated grapes.
Jiang Shu then came up with another bad idea: "Let's eat the rest of it, it won't last long anyway."
Grandpa Jiang muttered to himself, "It's better to make wine than eat it now..."
Grandpa Jiang used to enjoy wine, taking a sip with every meal. Now, the mere mention of wine makes his mouth water.
His childlike demeanor amused everyone.
Ye Qingyun said, "Mom, let's take half of the remaining grapes and make wine? I haven't had any in a long time."
I miss it so much.
Since her daughter-in-law had already gone this far, Grandma Jiang couldn't say anything more, only complaining, "You're just wasting it. I wonder how many points you could get by selling these fruits..."
When Jiang Shu saw that his grandmother agreed, he said, "We can make it into wine and sell it!"
That's a good idea.
Anyway, we'll have alcohol to drink at home from now on.
Grandpa Jiang said with a smug look on his face, "I'll brew it, and I guarantee you'll all like it."
Mr. Jiang knows a lot about winemaking.
The materials required are also simple.
Vinegar, sugar, and grapes. I happened to have these at home. Since I didn't have vinegar, I used sour fruit juice instead, and for sugar, I just used the sugar cubes I squeezed out from the cotton aphids.
Ye Qingyun smiled and said, "Then we'll wait to drink your brewed wine."
After giving half a basket to Grandpa Jiang, the rest could only be placed on the table for the time being.
The cellar at home is not yet completed, and we still need to cover it with thick palm-leaf fans to keep it cool.
Grandma Jiang gathered up the grain she had bought that day, and after seeing a small pile of screws, nails, and springs on the ground, she asked, "Why are there so many things in the house?"
Yuan Ying said with a smile, "Mom, this is what Xiao Lei brought over just now, along with five catties of mutated chicken."
Grandma Jiang asked in surprise, "Why did he suddenly come over? And with so many things?"
"Do you remember the idea that Awen came up with before, about creating a group specifically for exchanging things? At the time, I thought it was just a casual remark, but I didn't expect Xiaolei to actually do it. These parts were exchanged for the pickled cowpeas you made before. As for the mutated chicken, it was a thank-you gift from Xiaolei."
Grandma Jiang picked up the piece of meat and looked at it. It was quite fatty; the fat on it could be rendered into oil.
She was pleased, but said aloud, "It was just something I mentioned casually, why did you bring meat? It must be hard for him to raise so many children."
Jiang Wen smiled and said, "Grandma, don't worry. Lei earns points for doing this. They send someone to compile a list of items that can be exchanged every week. It's a VIP system, costing 20 points per week. Once you join, you can exchange items. Each person can exchange items 3 times a week. If you exceed that number, you have to pay more points."
Grandma Jiang: "Oh, this is a great idea. It's convenient for us ordinary people, and they can earn a living too."
Grandpa Jiang's impression of Han Lei was still based on their past petty thefts together.
He muttered, "Han Lei has really made something of himself these days..."
Grandma Jiang rolled her eyes at the old man, then put down what she was holding. "You old fool, don't talk nonsense if you don't understand. Xiao Lei is a good person. The 15,000 yuan for the refrigerated display case was only because he didn't charge us a penny of commission. Besides, the point to earn points is to buy things. Otherwise, what's the point of keeping them?"
Grandpa Jiang said awkwardly, "I was just saying it casually. Are you out of your mind? You're firing at me as soon as you get back."
Jiang Zhi suppressed a laugh: "Grandpa, Grandma is worried about our future."
She told everyone that the base store had once again imposed purchase restrictions.
Jiang Hai said, "I estimate that the base will issue a document soon, so we need to pay close attention to the broadcasts these next few days."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
For dinner, we ate the mutated chicken that Han Lei had brought.
Ye Qingyun made chicken stew with mushrooms and oyster mushroom chicken soup, and also added two vegetarian dishes: stir-fried spinach with chicken oil and braised cowpeas with millet peppers.
These are all common home-style dishes, but the Jiang family ate with great satisfaction.
The mutated chicken tastes similar to the original free-range chicken, but it is also more chewy.
The chicken soup was very sweet and delicious, with golden oil floating on the surface. The chicken thigh meat was stewed until it fell off the bone; it would fall apart with a single poke of chopsticks.
Recently, everyone in the family has been putting in a lot of effort.
This bowl of chicken soup is just right to nourish everyone.
Ye Qingyun ladled a bowl of soup for everyone.
She didn't know how other families were, but the Ye family used to have soup before eating.
Now that she's the head chef at the Jiang family home, the family's habits have changed as a result.
Everyone was already starving after working until this late hour, and the smell of the chicken soup made their stomachs rumble.
Once all the dishes were served, everyone picked up their chicken soup and began to drink.
The steaming hot chicken soup was so delicious that it made your tongue tingle. It was a wonderful blend of the aroma of chicken and the freshness of oyster mushrooms. After drinking it, you felt warm from your throat to your stomach.
My physical fatigue was immediately relieved.
Everyone wanted to lick the soup off the rim of their bowls.
After finishing the soup, everyone served themselves a bowl of dried barley.
This is the unspoken rule in the Jiang family.
—Whenever there's a good harvest at home, we'll have a meal of rice as a way of repaying ourselves for our hard work.
Ye Qingyun added potatoes and oyster mushrooms to the chicken stew with mushrooms.
She was worried that the elderly couple might not have enough teeth, so she specially stewed it until it was very soft.
The potatoes and oyster mushrooms absorbed all the broth from the stewed chicken, resulting in a smooth, creamy texture and a wonderfully fragrant flavor.
Ye Qingyun also rendered those pieces of fatty chicken meat into oil, which solidified into a dark yellow grease after a short while.
When chicken fat hits a hot pan, it sizzles and releases a fragrant aroma. Once the spinach is added, stir-fried spinach is ready.
The mutated spinach stems were very thick, so Ye Qingyun specially cut them into several sections to stir-fry. After being coated with chicken fat, they immediately became glossy.
Another dish, braised cowpeas with millet peppers, is even simpler.
After simmering in water until cooked, add oil and chopped chili peppers and stir-fry again. Finally, simmer for one minute before serving.
The simple dishes were enjoyed by the Jiang family.
A meal can make you forget all your worries.
After dinner, it was time for the broadcast, so Yuan Ying and the others weren't in a hurry to clear the dishes.
We sat together in the courtyard listening to today's broadcast.
Ye Qingyun made double-skin milk from the sheep milk she had squeezed out earlier, using wild duck eggs that Jiang Hai and the others had found together.
"Come on, everyone, try some and see if you like it."
When the double-skin milk pudding was served, the skin was slightly wrinkled and glistening, trembling like pudding. Scooping it out with a spoon revealed a white and tender milk jelly underneath, cool and smooth to the taste, with a sweet milky aroma that filled the nose.
Not to mention the two elders, even Jiang Hai, Jiang He, and others had never eaten this stuff before.
Grandma Jiang was very curious, "Is this what you squeezed out of that special prop that Azhi brought back?"
Wu Xiu curiously scooped up a spoonful, "It looks no different from the goat milk we used to drink."
But after eating, Wu Xiu regretted saying those words.
—It's still different.
It has absolutely no muttony smell, and is incredibly smooth and tender. It melts in your mouth after just a couple of sips, leaving your throat feeling moist.
Most importantly, after eating it, all the fatigue in your body disappears.
Physical fatigue and mental fatigue are different.
Wu Xiu could truly feel her body and energy recovering.
She exclaimed in surprise, "Am I just imagining things? I don't feel so tired anymore!"
Grandma Jiang also took a bite. She carefully examined it and exclaimed in surprise, "It really is! Qingyun, you didn't put something with low toxicity in there, did you?"
Ye Qingyun was completely baffled. "I only used the wild duck eggs that my older brother found and this goat milk, and the sugar was a moderately toxic sugar cube. I didn't use anything else, did I?"
Yuan Ying said, "Qingyun, did you remember wrong and put in something with low toxicity?"
Just as Ye Qingyun was about to deny it, Jiang Zhi said, "Grandma, Second Aunt, stop guessing. It's because of the goat milk."
The dashboard clearly states that goat milk can enhance a person's immunity.
At the time, she only thought that at most it would reduce some headaches and fevers, but she didn't expect it to be so effective, almost comparable to low-toxin foods.
Everyone was pleasantly surprised, as they had never expected goat milk to have such effects.
Jiangzhi asked, "Mom, how much goat milk can be produced from this goat milking parlor in a day?"
Ye Qingyun: "Not much, only three or four jin."
Jiang Shu urged someone to speak quickly, "Then let's drink a little every day, and it would be best if it could be like today."
Ye Qingyun retorted irritably, "You wish!"
Jiang Hai laughed and said, "Putting everything else aside, this double-skin milk pudding is really good. I never thought that I'd never had it before, but now that life isn't as good as it used to be, I can finally enjoy it."
Wu Xiu chuckled and said, "That proves you're lucky with food."
Everyone laughed.
The two little girls, Jiang Si and Jiang Sui, had no idea what the adults were talking about. They wanted to bury their faces in their bowls and even licked the bottom of the bowls after they finished eating.
At this moment, the distinctive broadcast music began to play.
Then came the familiar voice of the host: "Good evening, everyone, it's time for the radio show..."
As usual, the broadcast discussed the current situation of the surrounding environment and described the recent deaths and injuries of the mutants in the mission before finally getting to the main topic.
"Now, an important announcement is being made. On December 18th, Year 4 of the Cataclysmic Era, according to the base's climate monitoring station, the Northern Hemisphere is likely to enter a new climate phase in the next month and a half, with predicted minimum temperatures of -60 to -70 degrees Celsius. Base residents are advised to prepare accordingly. Prior to this, the base will open Collection Zone 1 on December 20th, and the base store will begin offering limited winter supplies on January 1st..."
"In addition, starting from December 19th, the base will have reduced power supply hours, concentrated between 6 and 8 pm each night. Please be aware of this."
After the message finished playing, the courtyard was completely silent.
It felt like the other shoe had finally landed.
While the Jiang family breathed a sigh of relief, they also felt a sense of uncertainty and helplessness about the future.
After a moment of silence, Grandpa Jiang spoke up: "From what the base says, they can't be sure exactly when winter will arrive. What I mean is, let's try our best for another half month. After that, no matter how well we've collected the supplies, we shouldn't go out."
After the disaster, the temperature suddenly rose to 60 or 70 degrees Celsius the very next day. Many of the survivors of the disaster perished because of this.
Therefore, no one can say for sure how Earth will enter winter after the cataclysm.
Everyone nodded.
Jiang Hai then asked Ye Qingyun, "Qingyun, when is Dashan coming back? If there's nothing else to do, then don't do that job. Nothing is more important than the whole family being together."
Ye Qingyun became a little nervous when Jiang Shan was mentioned.
Ye Qingyun: "Dad, eldest brother, actually Dashan already—"
Before she could finish speaking, the female radio host's voice continued to come through.
"To minimize infrastructure losses at the base, starting tomorrow, the base will be recruiting able-bodied men from every household to build the city wall. Each household must have at least one able-bodied person; households with more than six family members will need an additional one. Please sign up enthusiastically. Wages will be paid daily, based on the amount of labor performed..."
"This climate change will be a new challenge for our Ancheng base. I hope everyone can unite and overcome this difficulty together."
When the broadcast ended, everyone fell silent for a moment.
This is—forcibly conscripting laborers to do hard labor?
Indeed, with winter approaching, protecting the city walls is of paramount importance, and no damage can be tolerated.
Ye Qingyun continued what she hadn't finished saying earlier, "Mom and Dad, Dashan has already registered."
With winter approaching, this matter was treated as a top priority by the base. Except for important projects, everything else at the research institute was suspended. Although Jiang Shan's project was not a peripheral project, things had become much easier lately, which is why he thought of signing up.
Everyone was stunned. Jiang Hai was the first to react: "Da Shan is being ridiculous! Why didn't you discuss such a big thing with your family?!"
Grandpa Jiang also expressed his disapproval: "Our Jiang family doesn't only have one son, why should he step forward?"
Grandma Jiang said, "Qingyun, call Dashan back. Let's discuss the plan as a family before we decide on anything."
Wu Xiu and the others also said, "Yes, Qingyun, building the city wall is all hard labor. How can we feel at ease if Da Shan goes alone?"
Ye Qingyun was helpless.
She didn't actually agree with Jiang Shan making decisions on his own, but when her husband brought it up with her, he had already given his name.
Jiang Shan received the information from the mutant team, so he signed up early and took on two relatively easy jobs.
The Jiang family has a total of fifteen members, and only two laborers are needed.
After explaining the situation, Ye Qingyun added, "Dashan said that the job he signed up for wasn't too strenuous. He just needed to apply antifreeze to the city wall every day to reinforce its hardness. He would work 8 hours a day, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with three meals provided and a daily wage of 20 jin of coarse grains."
Grandma Jiang sighed, "No wonder the base store has limited purchases. They probably diverted all the grain here."
But there's nothing we can do about it.
Such a large base needs someone to do the basic construction.
Although Ancheng Base also made a mandatory requirement this time, it was paid, which solved the urgent problem for families with little food reserves.
Those base guards who were transferred were also deployed to the front lines.
Normally, everything is dormant in winter, and without food, it's uncertain whether those large mutated beasts will come to the base to forage.
Advance planning is essential.
In other words, the base is currently facing not only a shortage of supplies, but also a lack of complete security.
But most people wouldn't think of this aspect.
What ordinary people are more worried about is whether they have enough food and whether people will starve to death.
Grandpa Jiang was silent for a moment before saying, "Now the family still needs a strong laborer. The third son has gone out of the mountains, so the remaining one..."
Before Grandpa Jiang could finish speaking, Jiang He and his son, along with Jiang Hai, said in unison, "I'll go."
Grandpa Jiang was taken aback, then felt very gratified.
His greatest achievement in life was neither becoming a barefoot doctor nor surviving the Great Cataclysm, but having several very sensible and filial children and grandchildren.
Grandpa Jiang said, "Awen, you don't need to go. Your father and your uncle are still capable, and the family needs young people to look after it. You can just stay at home with Dashu."
When Jiang Wen saw his father and uncle looking at him, he quickly said, "Grandpa, I'm quite strong. It's just that I'm young and capable. If I go, I can help Uncle San share some of the burden. Dad and the others are experienced, so they should stay at home."
Jiang Shu muttered, "Second Brother, if you put it that way, I can go too. I'm my dad's son, he'd be more willing to use me..."
Grandma Jiang glared at him: "Shut up!"
Jiang Hai: "You don't need to say anything. I'm the eldest in the family. There's no reason for the eldest not to go and for the younger one to go instead."
Jiang He said, "Brother, you haven't fully recovered yet, let me go."
Jiang Hai was speechless: "I'm already better. With all the good food we've been eating at home lately, I'm even healthier than before."
Seeing that the group was arguing back and forth without reaching a conclusion, Jiang Zhi asked Ye Qingyun, "Mom, does it have to be a fixed person? Can't we rotate them?"
A single word awakened me from my dream!
Grandma Jiang slapped her thigh. "That's right! How come we didn't think of that! This isn't ancient conscription. It's just work. Can't we change people? Qingyun, ask Dashan if we can take turns."
Ye Qingyun didn't waste any words and directly called Jiang Shan to tell him about the family's decision. In the end, it was decided that the men in the family would take turns, including Jiang Wen and Jiang Shu.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after it was settled.
Tomorrow it will be Jiang Wen and Jiang Hai's turn to be on duty.
The news released by the base left everyone somewhat unsettled.
This news is similar to what Jiangzhi had told them before.
Grandpa Jiang said, "The cotton quilts at home are not finished yet, Ah He, we have to rush to finish them tonight."
With this news broadcast today, the cotton gins they rented will probably be taken back.
Although he and Jiang Dafa were old buddies, they weren't close friends with Jiang Dafa's family.
Jiang He nodded, "Okay, I'll get it done tonight."
Yuan Ying felt sorry for the man: "I'll stay with you. Let Dad get some rest. He's been busy all afternoon."
Jiang Wen quickly said, "Dad, I'll help you too."
Xu Na wanted to speak up, but Yuan Ying said, "Nana, you still have to make shoes for us, so get some rest tonight."
Jiang Shu wanted to speak, but Jiang He interrupted him with a smile: "Alright, alright, it's only hard work for one night. We've done this before. Just let Awen help me. Dad and Dashu can come and replace you tomorrow morning."
Since Jiang He had said so, the crowd stopped arguing.
Ye Qingyun said, "Second sister-in-law, I'll make you some late-night snacks. If you get hungry tonight, have something to eat to tide you over."
Yuan Ying smiled and said, "That would be wonderful."
Grandma Jiang looked at her children and grandchildren with satisfaction.
The Jiang family has never cared about who did more or less work.
They all saw what others had done and wanted to find ways to contribute more to their families.
Even when faced with setbacks, this family can overcome them!
*
Unlike the Jiang family, most of the other people in the base were in a state of anger and anxiety.
Those who reacted quickly have already begun using their connections to buy as much grain as possible.
Some of the more clueless ones went to the meeting hall and started cursing, accusing the authorities of deliberately delaying the release of the news, leaving them no extra time to collect supplies, and accusing the authorities of leaking the news to the mutants first, allowing them to reap all the benefits and leaving them no way to survive.
Some families with only one or two able-bodied members turned pale with fright when they heard they would be forced to do basic construction work for the base.
On the one hand, I was afraid that my family would be bullied if I wasn't there; on the other hand, I was also afraid that the infrastructure work would be too tiring and drain my health.
There are quite a few people who think this way.
Late at night, a disturbance broke out in many parts of the base.
In the end, the police had to deploy officers and arrest a few typical cases to calm things down.
In just one hour after the radio drama ended, food prices began to soar, increasing several times over. The prices of winter supplies also skyrocketed.
For a time, people everywhere were begging for food.
Even in their self-built housing area, they can hear the noise from outside.
The Jiang family knew that Jiang Zhi had spent 100,000 points to buy grain from Han Lei, and now that this news has come out, they guessed that she probably wouldn't have been able to buy much.
The only good news was that Luo Yonghui called.
After Jiang Zhi sent the news, they immediately sent people to check on the situation in the vineyard.
They also discovered those mutated foxes.
After Luo Yonghui's team captured the mutated fox, they called Jiang Zhi.
"Jiang girl, you've really done a great job this time."
Jiang Zhi: "?"
Luo Yonghui, unable to hide his excitement, launched into a long speech.
It turned out that the grape grove was several times larger than what Jiang Zhi and the others had seen.
The only path leading to that forest was that path in the gathering area, and even the vanguard team searched for a long time before finding it.
There are enough grapes to supply the entire base for a month without any problem.
The base was originally worried about food, but with these grapes, they were able to trade them for food with the southern base.
The Southern Base is located at the southernmost part of the Dragon Kingdom. According to forecasts, even if the temperature drops there, it will still be hot. If this batch of grapes can be sent there, it can be exchanged for a large amount of food and weapons, which can alleviate the current tense situation at the base.
Jiang Zhi asked curiously, "It's such a long distance, can you deliver it?"
Just thinking about those large mutated creatures made her scalp tingle.
There are countless mutated trees in this world, just as big as that oak tree, and countless mutated beasts, just as big as that mutated snake and mutated white eagle.
Humans are so insignificant in the face of these creatures.
Luo Yonghui was in a good mood and revealed some information to her: "There are capable people in the base who can hide in spaces of about 100 meters. With his ability, there is still a good chance."
Although everyone knew this trip would be fraught with danger, more supplies meant a greater chance of survival for the people in the base.
Luo Yonghui said, "The food you requested will be delivered to you later. You've done a great job this time, what other rewards would you like?"
Jiang Zhi said frankly, "I didn't discover this place; I have to ask my friend."
Luo Yonghui thought to himself that this girl was quite honest.
"Okay, I'll wait for your message."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Zhi turned around and called Liu Xu.
Upon hearing that special requests could be made, Liu Xu said, "Azhi, we've already gotten a great deal on the grain, so we don't need this reward."
"If you feel bad about it, please help us out if we encounter difficulties in winter."
Jiang Zhi was speechless: "Even if you hadn't told us, we would have done it anyway."
Liu Xu smiled and said, "Azhi, I really don't need any special reward right now. Even if you ask the other party to contact me, I can't say what I want. It's better to give it to you."
In Liu Xu's opinion, Jiang Zhi and her brother are more capable and know more than they do, so it would be more worthwhile for them to exchange for things.
Moreover, she didn't want to keep taking advantage of the Jiang family; she couldn't get over that hurdle in her mind.
Seeing Liu Xu say this, Jiang Zhi thought about it and agreed.
"OK."
After hanging up Liu Xu's call, she reconnected with Luo Yonghui.
The person on the other end was somewhat surprised by her quick reply: "So? Has your friend decided what they want?"
Jiang Zhi: "Uncle Luo, I'd like some special life-assistance items?"
Luo Yonghui exclaimed in surprise, "You...?"
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