Outside the outpost, snow was falling heavily.
At the south gate, Yu Hu, wearing fur clothes, rushed over from the direction of Bethe Street in the heavy snow.
After arriving at the outpost, Yu Hu wanted to find Chu Guang, but he didn't find him. Instead, he saw a long queue in front of the sanatorium.
He walked a little closer and saw his sister sitting at a small wooden table.
The tender little face was meticulous.
She stretched out her little hand and took the silver coins from the blue coats in the queue. After carefully counting the total number of coins, she poked a few times on a screen.
"Total, 41 coins!"
Looking up, she looked at the players in front of the counter with a sweet smile on her face.
"Xia Xie! Be careful when taking risks."
"Wuwuwu... Damn it, Si! Lend me money! I need to save it!"
Sisi, who was standing behind, stroked his forehead with a headache and reached out to pull Wei's sleeve.
"Okay, Wei, don't embarrass yourself here, we are blocking the people behind us."
"Don't you think it's cute! You are such a heartless woman!"
"Cute, cute, tsk, the convoy to the greenhouse ruins will leave in a while, are you going to go or not?"
"Go! Damn it, why do I have to work during the day and at night! What about the casual games we agreed on? Can't you let me stay with the cute things for a while!"
"I'm really sorry that I'm not cute enough. Anyway, don't talk nonsense. It's important to level up and make money to buy equipment. Let's go. If you don't leave, the brother behind will beat you up."
The still yelling Wei was pulled away just like that.
At this time, a big white bear came out from behind and stood in front of the counter stealthily, holding the door frame with his hands a little restrained.
Seeing the big bear, Xiaoyu was slightly stunned, but he was not afraid, and soon a sweet smile appeared on his face.
"Excuse me, would you like to deposit money?"
His face was covered with fur and he could not see the blush. The meat mountain steamed bun fumbled to take out the purse and poured the coins inside onto the table.
"I, I, I, all for you!"
Looking at the big white bear who threw the money and left, Xiaoyu hurriedly said.
"Ah, wait, wait a minute, that, ID."
"All for you!!"
Finally, thanks to Xiaoqi's help, Xiaoyu found the ID of the big white bear.
After carefully counting the coins on the table, Xiaoyu followed Chu Guang's instructions and registered the numbers on the VM.
Although Yu Hu couldn't understand what the blue coats were saying, it didn't look like they were making things difficult for his sister.
When the big white bear ran out, he instinctively got scared. If he hadn't seen that no one around him reacted, he would have almost drawn his bow and arrow to shoot.
At this time, Chu Guang came over from the side and said with a smile while looking at Yu Hu.
"Don't you want to go over and say hello?"
"No, I'm just taking a look. I'd better not disturb her work," Yu Hu smiled naively and touched the back of his head. "I didn't expect Xiaoyu to be so capable. I was always worried last night, afraid that she would cause trouble for you."
Chu Guang said with a smile.
"How could it be? Your sister is very smart and learns very quickly, but there is no one to teach her many things."
Yu Hu sighed and said.
"Dad, I have my brother, who has to go out hunting, so I can't teach her anything. Mom did teach her to make pancakes, but she didn't do it very well. I was worried last night whether she would mess it up. I came here early in the morning. On the way, I was thinking that if she really got into trouble, I would take her back no matter what. But now it seems... it's much better for Xiaoyu to follow you than to follow us."
"You can't say that," Chu Guang shook his head, "You should come to see her often. No matter how warm the bed is, it's not as good as being with your family."
Warm bed?
Is it progressing so fast?
Yu Hu was stunned and nodded.
"You're right... I'll leave first then."
Chu Guang said politely.
"Are you in such a hurry to go back? Stay and have lunch before you go."
"No, no," Xu Hu shook his head and waved his hand, saying, "I won't bother you here. I have to go hunting later. You are busy first. I will go back."
Chu Guang no longer tried to keep him and nodded.
"Be careful on the road."
…
Coming out of the north gate, Yu Hu was in a good mood. Although there was snow in the sky, he felt warm, more comfortable than drinking.
But at this moment, he saw a caravan full of bricks, with a man standing next to it.
The man looked familiar.
Yu Hu walked over and took a look, and his eyes widened immediately.
"Zhao Shu?!"
"Yu Hu?!"
"Wait, aren't you dead? I see your family has already held the funeral."
Yu Hu was still speechless, but Zhao Shu didn't care about it at the moment. Meeting a fellow villager in a foreign land, it was really tearful.
"Brother, I almost died! Fortunately, these blue coats saved me!"
It took about five minutes for Zhao Shu and Yu Hu to tell about their experiences over the past month, from being caught by predators while hunting, to later this group of blue coats breaking through the Blood Hand Clan's stronghold and settling them in the brick factory by the river.
Although he instinctively felt that being caught by predators was a bit strange, Yu Hu's mind couldn't figure out too complicated things, and soon paid attention to other places.
"... In other words, you are working for Brother Chu and the others now?" Zhao Shu said after a pause. "Brother Chu? Do you mean the manager? Anyway, it's quite comfortable to work here. Food and lodging are provided, meat is served every meal, firewood and charcoal are provided for heating, and now I get paid 1 silver coin a day. The work I do every day is to make bricks with molds, then send them into the kiln to burn, and then transport the burned bricks back. It's not tiring at all." Yu Hu nodded and asked. "Then you won't go back in the future?" Zhao Shu had a complicated expression on his face. "Go back...where to go? There are only my parents, my eldest brother and his two children left at home. The remaining food is barely enough to survive the winter. If I go back now, there will definitely not be enough food at home. Let's talk about it in the spring next year, then...let's talk about it then."
As he was talking, Zhao Shu suddenly remembered something, and said "Wait for me", then turned and ran into the gate.
After a while, he took out a small bag of coarse salt, about three or four taels, and stuffed it into Yu Hu's hand.
"This is what I got in exchange for my wages. Take it back to my mother for me, and tell them...I'm fine, don't let them worry! I'll visit them next spring! And Yang Ergou, he is still alive...but he is busy now, do you want to tell his family too?"
Taking the salt, Yu Hu nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry, I will definitely convey it for you!"
Yu Hu returned along the same route.
However, when passing by the south gate of the wetland park, Yu Hu suddenly noticed that there was a set of footprints that did not belong to him not far from his footprints.
The footprints were very shallow and looked like they had been there for some time.
Out of the hunter's vigilance, Yu Hu squatted down, wiped them with his index finger, and frowned slightly.
Whose footprints are these?
…
Beth Street.
Wang Biao hurriedly entered the door and went straight to old Charlie's grocery store.
"Old housekeeper!"
Charlie, who was sitting in front of the door with his eyes closed, opened half of his eyes. When he saw that it was Wang Biao, he immediately understood and stood up from his chair.
"Come in and talk."
The door curtain was closed.
Wang Biao was so excited that he didn't even take a breath. He reported to the old housekeeper what he had seen and heard while following Yu Hu.
The more Charlie listened, the more his brows furrowed.
"You mean... a settlement of survivors appeared in Linghu Wetland Park?"
Wang Biao nodded vigorously.
"Yes! There are blue coats, and refugees who come from nowhere... I guess they are from the north. They built a wall in the woods, dug trenches, and put up roadblocks. I can't see it in the camp, but there is a chimney with smoke floating all the time."
"From the north?"
Charlie frowned even more.
The north is the territory of the Blood Hand Clan, and there seems to be a mutant tribe not far away.
What's the difference between building a settlement there and sending heads?
And...
Those predators are all cannibals, why would they let them in?
Wang Biao didn't care so much, just shouted excitedly.
"Old housekeeper, the kid from the Yu family broke the rules, let's catch him!"
He had long disliked the Yu family.
Especially, Yu Hu, this kid, had beaten his third brother. And the shed of the foreigner was the same. They didn't even leave them a door beam, and they took it all for themselves. They also said that something was given to him by others. How shameless.
Wang Biao's calculations were very loud. According to the rules of Bet Street, those who traded with foreign caravans privately would be regarded as betrayal. At the least, they would be fined a piece of animal skin, and at the worst, their property would be confiscated and expelled.
It didn't matter whether those people were caravans or not. What he cared about was the shed where Yu Hu lived. If he could be expelled, his family could just occupy the shed of the foreigner.
However, old Charlie was a man of insight, and naturally he couldn't be as short-sighted as him.
Blue coat...
He used to be one, although that was a long, long time ago.
After thinking for a long time, Charlie said cautiously.
"There's no rush for this. Remember not to alert the enemy. I'll report the situation to the mayor first and then make a decision."
Wang Biao was stunned.
What else is there to ask for instructions?
Wouldn't it be enough to just confiscate the house?
As long as the mayor gives an order, the Wang family will be the first to respond.
However, the old housekeeper didn't waste any more time with him.
After throwing four white chips in his hand, Old Charlie drove him out of the grocery store, then locked the door again and hurried to the center of the town.
…
The mayor's family lives in the castle in the middle of Beth Street.
This castle, which was originally built as an entertainment facility, has now become a symbol of the top of the pyramid.
The ruler of this town lives in the castle, while servants, guards, and direct descendants live in brick and wood houses near the castle, and outside are dilapidated shacks.
After asking the guard on duty at the door, old Charlie was allowed to enter after a simple body search.
When he stepped into the hall on the first floor, he saw two cute children playing football in the hall on the first floor of the castle.
Their clothes were made of deerskin, and the ball they were kicking was also made of deerskin. Their clean faces and carefree smiles were not what the children outside had.
Noticing Charlie at the door, the slightly older boy shook his brown curly hair and picked up the ball on the ground.
"Charlie? Are you back? Do you want to play football together?"
"Sorry, respected young master, I'm afraid I can't play with you... I'm here to find your father."
The boy's face was disappointed and he said impatiently.
"Go, he's in the study."
Charlie bowed his head respectfully.
Going around the children's playground from the side, he was led by a servant to the elevator room and took the elevator to the top floor.
As the elevator door opened, warm wind blew in.
In the fireplace opposite, the fire was burning and the firewood was crackling.
"I know the way."
Nodding to the servant, Charlie walked through the porch on the left and came to a two-person-high door.
This is the mayor's study.
There are rows of bookshelves in the study, and on the bookshelves are novels, poetry collections and some strange collections picked up by scavengers from outside.
Sitting in front of the antique wooden table, the mayor drank tea leisurely. The intermittent sound from the radio on the table was the music played by the Red-tailed Warbler Orchestra, which he loved to listen to the most.
There are three major radio stations in Boulder City, one of which can be heard even in the distant northern suburbs of Qingquan City.
Every evening from 6 to 7 o'clock, the radio station will repeatedly broadcast today's commodity transaction prices, and from 7 to 10 o'clock, it will teach the planting experience of the popular "economic crops" such as Kamm trees and spirit leaves, and there will be some advertisements for arms dealers and clones in between.
As for the rest of the time, it will repeatedly play pop music from the pre-war era, which is also the old mayor's favorite program, which can make him forget the bad times for a short time.
Even in the ears of real "pre-war people", these are all old-fashioned pastimes.
Quietly waiting for a song to finish, Charlie walked to the desk and lowered his eyebrows respectfully.
"My lord, I have something urgent to report to you."
The mayor raised his eyelids and said casually.
"What is it?"
In his opinion, the urgent matter that old Charlie could report was nothing more than the cockroaches in the shack outside, and what kind of moths they had caused.
Those people are like weeds, and they will grow up again after a while. He never cares about their lives.
Old Charlie lowered his head and continued.
"A survivor settlement appeared in Linghu Wetland Park in the north, with a population of more than 100 people... maybe more."
"Linghu Wetland Park? Survivor settlement?! How is it possible!"
The teacup was placed heavily on the table. The mayor sat up straight from his chair and stared at Charlie standing in front of the table, "Is the news accurate?"
"It shouldn't be wrong."
Charlie nodded carefully and continued respectfully.
"Their strength should not be underestimated. Some hunters took their prey directly to them and exchanged them for salt and meat. And it seems that the conditions they offer are more favorable than ours. I am worried that if this continues for a long time, your interests will be damaged... I suggest that we should take the initiative to contact that group of people and adjust the price of salt appropriately."
The mayor's face was uncertain, and his index finger tapped lightly on the table, as if he was weighing something.
After a while.
He moved slightly in his heart, opened the drawer, and took out an envelope with a bloody handprint and a blank piece of letter paper.
He picked up a pen and wrote a few strokes on it. The mayor stuffed the letter paper into the envelope and threw it into Charlie's hand standing in front of the table.
"Find someone who is brave, careful and trustworthy to deliver this letter to Bloody Hand."
Looking at the envelope in his hand, Charlie was slightly stunned.
"You are planning to..."
The mayor said expressionlessly.
"This winter will be very cold. If nothing unexpected happens, the Blood Hands will come again next month."
When he thought of those greedy villains, he was so angry that his teeth itched, but there was no way. His guards were no match for those people.
Charlie hesitated for a moment and reminded cautiously.
"I'm afraid this is not a good idea. Moreover, I don't think the Blood Hands didn't find them and need us to remind them."
"This is undoubtedly the best idea, or can you think of a better way?" The mayor waved his hand impatiently, and then said, "We don't have so much surplus in our granary for them. If we can't take out the food, we can only give it to people. You should know what happened to those who were kidnapped by the looters? Think about those broken families. I am doing this for the good of the people in the town."
At this time, he felt sorry for the people in the town.
Pick up the teacup again, look at the silent old Charlie, take a sip of warm tea, and speak slowly.
"The weather is getting worse."
"Pray, hope our neighbors can feed those jackals."
Charlie bowed his head and said respectfully.
"As you command."
The mayor nodded with satisfaction.
"Go down... By the way, when you go back, ask those unruly people to collect more firewood and try to dry it. Undried firewood crackles when it burns, which sounds noisy."
Charlie bowed his head and left the study with the envelope.
"Yes, sir."