Siheyuan: I can always stay out of it

Looking at the clock hanging on the wall of the Purchasing Department, it was only a little after nine o'clock. Chen Xu was too lazy to wait until lunch and went straight to the Security Department.

Sure enough, the warehouse manager of the Security Department was replaced. He is now an amiable old man who looks to be in his fifties or sixties with a smile on his face.

"What's your name, comrade?"

"My last name is Zhou. Comrade, you are the new buyer who came to practice yesterday, right? Are you preparing to go to the countryside?"

Chen Xu's face turned a little dark. He remembered the security chief who had fired for half an hour yesterday under the pretext of being familiar with his gun.

"Hahaha..."

When Old Man Zhou saw Chen Xu’s expression, he knew what he was thinking about and laughed.

"Let's go. Get your equipment and sign, then you can leave."

It was still the warehouse with the big brass lock. Old Man Zhou didn't let him in. He just asked him to wait outside while he took out the gun and bullets.

"Remember, a gun is a guarantee of your safety, but it is not a tool for you to show off. If you do anything out of line with a gun, you will lose your gun license at best, or even go to jail if the problem is serious."

Lao Zhou is very serious now, as if to emphasize the seriousness of the problem.

Chen Xu nodded to show that he understood.

A box pistol with two twenty-round magazines.

Chen Xu hung the gun case on his belt and covered it with his cotton jacket. Fortunately, his cotton jacket was quite long and no traces could be seen.

After signing, Lao Zhou waved his hand.

"Let's go, be safe."

"it is good."

Chen Xu pushed his bicycle out of the steel mill.

After finding a deserted place and throwing the bicycle and the big basket into the space, Chen Xu went directly to the bus stop. It was his first time going to the countryside and he was not familiar with it, so he had to be cautious. He first took a look at the situation in his hometown and then went to Linjia Village.

Having made up his mind, Chen Xu set off directly without even going back to the courtyard.

Looking at the bus with a black airbag on the roof, Chen Xu wondered whether he should just ride his bicycle. If something happened to the bus, everyone on the bus would probably die.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and sat on it.

The ticket seller looked at Chen Xu with a strange expression as he handed her a big black ten-cent note, but didn't say much and gave him the change.

Chen Xu had no choice. He hadn't spent any money yet, and the old man selling fishing rods still owed him one dollar and fifty cents.

Chen Xu regretted it as soon as the bus started. Not to mention the large crowds, you can open the windows of buses nowadays at will. Moreover, the speed is terribly slow. What made Chen Xu most frustrated were those people who smoked dry tobacco and other cigarettes.

Brother, there is a gas bomb above our heads...

The journey of dozens of miles took two hours of shaking, but fortunately there was no danger along the way.

When Chen Xu got out of the car, he felt like he had survived a disaster and was reborn as a human being.

I decided that next time I won’t sit on this thing even when I’m walking. It’s too damn scary.

After looking around, the long-lost memories gradually became clear in my mind.

This is Hongqi Commune, which is similar to what he remembers. Before he fled, he would occasionally come here.

"Third brother?"

A voice sounded, and Chen Xu could still hear the surprise in it.

Turning around, he saw a young boy running towards him.

"God damn!"

Chen Xu blurted out.

The man who came was Chen Xu's cousin, the son of his uncle, named Chen Dan, nicknamed Goudan, and he was only thirteen or fourteen years old this year.

As far as he could remember, Chen Dan was among the first group to leave. At that time, there was also his uncle's family and a dozen other people. He didn't expect to meet them in his hometown. He thought these people had gone to other places.

My hometown is not far from Sijiucheng and it's in such a terrible state. You can imagine what other places are like. However, this is also related to the fact that Chenjia Village has little land. Their village is unlucky. There is an inland river next to it that leads to Yanshan Mountain. These days, there are not many fish in the river. They were all fished out long ago.

There are scattered rocks and other things around the village. If you want to grow some crops, you have to do it in small pieces here and there.

In this environment, after half a year of famine, the village ran out of food. Goudan's family was one of the larger ones, and when they saw that they had no way to make a living, they went out to find food with other people who were also struggling to survive.

Later, the famine became more and more severe, and when Chen Xu left, he was the only one left in the family.

Chen Dan didn't care that Chen Xu called him Goudan. Everyone called him that. Nowadays, everyone has a nickname. It is said that it is easier to support someone.

At this moment, the boy, whose height was just as tall as Chen Xu's chest, hugged Chen Xu and cried loudly.

Chen Xu was suddenly overwhelmed and finally managed to calm the boy down.

"How many people are left in the village?"

Goudan answered Chen Xu while wiping his tears.

"There are still more than a dozen households, many of whom returned because they couldn't make it in the old city."

Chen Xu nodded slightly. Even if rural people go to the city, if they can't find a job, they will eventually have to leave. It seems that this is the case with Goudan's family.

"Brother, we came back and saw Third Aunt's grave, but we didn't see you. I thought... woooo."

Chen Xu didn't know what to say. He remembered this part. The original body's mother had always been in poor health and finally did not survive 59 years. She passed away directly. As for his father, he passed away a few years earlier.

In the end, the original body buried his mother and left the village, and he only lived for one more year.

"What are you doing in the commune?"

"I...I want to see if there are any odd jobs in the commune..."

Goudan lowered his head, looking lost.

Chen Xu knew what was going on at a glance. There was no shortage of laborers nowadays. As long as they were given food, there were many people willing to work hard. But for a little boy like Goudan, it would not be his turn even if there was work.

"Let's go back to the village first."

"it is good..."

The two walked towards Chenjia Village, occasionally greeting each other when they saw acquaintances. Chen Xu observed the people here. Most of them were pale and thin, and it was obvious that they were malnourished. He himself was in the same situation.

It has only been a few days since I came here. Although I can eat enough these days and the space has corrected some minor problems in my body, it will take more than a few days to replenish my nutrients.

On the way, Chen Xu began to ask about some details of the village, and Chen Dan answered them one by one.

The village is still not doing well now. Those who have returned are those who cannot make a living elsewhere. They can only dig wild vegetables and catch some escaped fish in the river to barely make a living.

Some people who planned to give it a try took guns to Yanshan, but they never returned. The outskirts of Yanshan had already been hunted down by people who could not survive. If they wanted to get anything, they had to go deep into the mountains. For someone who had no hunting experience to go deep into the mountains, even if he had a gun, the possibility of coming back alive was really slim.

Chen Xu sighed. In this year, everyone is having a hard time. He is lucky to be able to keep his life.