Chapter 15

The sun is already hanging in the sky. I'm afraid it's getting late. It's certainly too late to go back now.

Chu Guangning can stay in Bette street for one night, rather than catch up at night.

Having had several unpleasant experiences, he knew too well how dangerous it was. God opened his eyes to survive.

Chu Guang wrapped the iron pipe rifle he bought in a plastic bag and tied it with the sharpened water pipe behind him. No one could see from the shape that it was a gun.

Although Beth street does not restrict survivors to carry weapons, Chu did not want the mayor's eyeliner to find himself trading with the outside caravans.

50g blue umbrella mushroom for 1 chip.

Thanks to these blood sucking leeches!

Through the gate of Bette street.

Chu Guang saw a circle of people surrounded by men, women, old and young at the door of the recycle bin.

They are ragged, yellow and skinny, with woven bags or frames on their backs and plastic buckets or other containers in their hands.

Their daily routine is very simple.

Change the garbage into chips, and then exchange chips for necessities of life.

"Newly arrived soap! Produced by Jushi chemical plant, you can wash those disgusting odors on your body with only 3 chips. Hurry and buy one for your wife. There are only 30, first come, first served."

"Edible oil, no matter what it is refined, is fresh and good. It's transported from brown farm. It's only 10 chips per liter... It's a little expensive, but it's expensive for a reason. You'd better find someone to fight."

"Let me see. By the way, there's coarse salt! A thumb sized piece only needs 5 chips... No matter how it comes, do you still want to eat? Come and buy it."

"And tobacco, whether smoked by yourself or used for bacon, is good. It's also Brown farm... Forget it, pick it yourself and I'll have a rest."

Old Charlie shouted lazily at the door. He didn't look like a businessman at all.

In fact, this is really not business, but more like a kind of alms from the master to the servant.

Don't say it's Bette street.

In this five mile area, many things can only be bought here. People living here have no right to choose.

Also, don't think five miles is very short.

Although Qingquan city is located in the southern Great Plain, it has already become a more dangerous reinforced concrete cemetery than the forest

Old Charlie wiped his sweat and handed over the money collection to the clerk in the store. He sat aside and narrowed his eyes to rest.

At this time, a thin young man in a gray coat, waving his wooden card, came to the crowd.

"Mobilization order! Mobilization order of the mayor!"

"Before the end of the month, each household needs to turn in 100 kilograms of firewood and 2 square meters of fur."

"Tell each other!"

There was a commotion in the crowd.

There were many complaints, but no one came out to resist.

After all, it was the same in previous years.

Bette street does not collect taxes, but it does not mean that living here is free. In addition to the soft exploitation of trading rights, the mayor will always collect a batch of materials in one way or another.

The mobilization order is one of them, which will be issued in August and September every year.

What about refusing to levy?

The punishment is also quite straightforward.

All men and women over the age of 16 in the settlement, whether living alone or not, are considered as a single family as long as there is no marriage. After marriage, they will be one family.

If he fails to pay for the goods, the registered residence keeper will take the name of the household from the register and confiscate him in the shack of Beth street and expel the survivors' stronghold.

In a world where life is thinner than paper, losing shelter is no different from death.

Especially in cold winter.

Bette street is not rich, but it is better than the brown farm next door. At least the survivors living here can have a little poor freedom.

"It seems that the mayor is going to make another profit before the last batch of caravans this year and have a fat new year with the materials in exchange."

Chu Guang thought in his heart, but he didn't take the so-called mobilization order seriously.

He will leave here before winter.

There's no need to rush. He'll go by himself.

Bypassed the recycle bin.

Chu Guang went straight to his shack, but before he reached the door, he saw Yu Xiaoyu and a man standing at the door, arguing about something.

The man was about 17, 56, not tall, a boy. Chu Guang didn't know him well. He only remembered that he seemed to be the third son of the Wang family. His name was Wang Defu.

His shack is in the most corner of the settlement, diagonally opposite the Yu family, and then the Wang family. Generally, he doesn't visit there.

I don't know what happened. The third child of the Wang family found himself here.

"Get out of the way."

Wang Defu looked impatient and pushed Yu Xiaoyu in front. The little girl staggered backward, but she still opened her arms like an eagle protecting a chicken.

"No, this is not your home!"

"It's not your house."

"But he asked me to look after the house!"

"What's good about the dead man's house?"

"He's not dead." Yu Xiaoyu stared at him with eyes like goldfish.

"Don't lie. The foreigner hasn't come back for four or five days."

Wang Defu continued impatiently, "don't you think the rest of your family just want a share? I'm not going to eat it alone. In this way, the beam and the door of the shed belong to me, and you take the rest."

The house of the dead is unoccupied and usually divided up by the neighborhood.

No one can say that a person will die if he doesn't come back for a few days, but generally no one comes back for several days. Everyone acquiesces that he is either caught by a slave trader or a predator or taken by a foreign species to feed his cubs.

No one can stay out for several nights.

Even experienced hunters can't do it.

Yu Xiaoyu bit his lower lip blue and stared like a little goldfish. He didn't get out of the way, but there was no other action.

Wang Defu didn't want to wait any longer. It was time for the men of the Yu family to come back. They couldn't get benefits by themselves, so they were ready to push her away.

But just then, a hand rested on his shoulder.

"Who said I was dead?"

Wang Defu jumped to one side with a thrill of sweat all over his body, and looked at Chu Guang with fear like a beast. Yu Xiaoyu quickly slipped behind Chu Guang and reported in a low voice.

"He came yesterday and wanted to tear down your house."

"Thank you."

Chu Guang looked at Wang Defu with a smile and then said.

"Will you go by yourself or will I send you?"

Wang Defu knew he was wrong and argued. Then he glanced at the bloody steel pipe on Chu Guang's back, and finally left silently.

He was not afraid of the Yu family or the stranger, but no one was willing to offend a strong man.

Especially this guy is alone and has no weakness at all.

Looking at the man's back, Chu Guang suddenly felt a little sad.

Although some people are alive, they are no different from the hyenas and vultures outside.

He had seen a mutant hyena bite off his wounded companion's neck and divide its meat. At that time, he didn't think much. He just thought it was the law of nature. Now he feels a little empathy.

They just left for a few days, and these people were ready to move.

Yu Xiaoyu, hiding behind Chu Guang, didn't go. She felt that if she waited a little longer, she might be able to eat the candy she had eaten that day.

She had never eaten anything so sweet. She almost chewed it with a plastic stick.

Notice the big eyes looking at yourself.

Chu Guang was stunned at first, then returned to his mind. With a smile, he took a lollipop from his pocket and stuffed it into the little girl's hand.

"Trouble you these days."

"No trouble!"

The little fish happily tore open the plastic paper, stuffed the lollipop into his mouth and said vaguely, "anyway, I have nothing else to do. I can watch it for you when you go out."

At this time, the men of the Yu family came back from the recycling bin carrying booty. From the bulging package, we can see that they have gained a lot.

Seeing his eldest brother, second brother and father, the little fish hid back in the house.

Making sugar is just a sideline. Staring at foreign talents is the work assigned to him by his elders. Xiaoyu didn't forget his elders' instructions.

However, no matter how fast she moves, she can't be faster than the hunter's eyes.

The parent of the Yu family, the strong old man with wrinkles on his face, glanced at Chu Guang and said nothing. He entered the house with his eldest son carrying two bags of green wheat.

Yu Hu, the second son of the Yu family, stopped in front of Chu Guang.

Chu Guang knows him.

People here don't pay much attention to themselves, and this 18-year-old boy is one of the few people who will take the initiative to talk to him.

However, this man always speaks directly, just like his name.

"You haven't been here these days. I thought you were dead."

Chu Guang said.

"It seems that your intuition is not very accurate."

Yu Hu was stunned and grinned and touched his head.

The foreigner is very interesting. His way of speaking is different from others. He always likes to make a detour.

I didn't care, he continued.

"I have to tell you that the mayor has just issued a mobilization order. Before the end of the month, each household should hand in 100 kilograms of firewood and 2 square meters of fur."

There are three adult men in the Yu family, who need to pay 300 kilograms of firewood and 6 square meters of fur. They are regarded as "big taxpayers" in Beite street.

The former is good to say that the city is full of vegetation, and large tracts of woodland can be seen in the outer suburbs going north. Even without the mobilization order of the mayor, they have to cut some back for the winter.

But the latter is not so easy to deal with. At least four or even five mutant hyenas have to be killed for 6 square meters of fur.

"I heard when I came back."

"That's good."

Yu Hu did not beat around the Bush and went straight.

"We were discussing with the Li family just now. We were going to try our luck in the woodland in the north. It is said that there are traces of deer migration there. If we can catch two, not only skin, but also meat, do you want to join us?"

"Still can't, I think of a way."

Chu Guang politely refused, but he silently wrote it down in his heart.

The scavengers on Beite Street are going to hunt in the north. Linghu Wetland Park is just a little west of the north. I hope I won't meet them at that time.

Yu Hu naturally didn't know what Chu Guang was thinking. He just thought he was embarrassed and continued to persuade him.

"I can see that you are a capable person, but a person's ability is limited. The boy of the Wang family dares to bully you because of the large number of people."

"Well, my sister will get married next year. Why don't you marry her so that we can be a family."

"If you're in a hurry, it won't hurt to have a drink tonight."

Chu Guang was almost choked by this sentence and coughed.

"No need."

What the hell?

How did the topic jump to this.

Moreover, Chu Guang from civilized society can't accept the marriageable age that these survivors can accept.

After all, I'm still young and it's too early to get married.

"Well, that's all right."

Yu Hu did not persuade, but expressed regret in his heart.

The people who come out of the shelter have a good head, just like the old man named Charlie, who has been working for the mayor since he can remember. He is a big man in the eyes of the neighborhood.

Old Charlie said that Chu Guang also came out of the shelter. There should be no mistake. I think his head must be very easy to use.

If he could have a son with his sister, the rest of the family might have a big man like old Charlie in the future.

He even planned to persuade his father.

But now it seems that he is amorous.

Carrying things home.

Yu Hu grabbed his sister.

"Little fish, I ask you, will you marry brother Chu Guang next door?"

The little fish is still stuffed with lollipops and coos.

"Yes."

Anyway, it's at the door, not far.

In her eyes, the so-called marriage is just sleeping in another place. It's no difference. I'm sure I can get two more sweets.

Yu Hu, who had planned to give up, said happily.

"That elder brother will help you persuade him again."

"Oh."

The little fish answered casually. He just ate sugar and didn't care.

It was Yu Hu, who was in high spirits.

"OK, I'll talk to you over there, brother and Dad, but don't just wait there. If you have time, go to your mother to learn how to bake cakes... Give me a taste of what you're eating."

"No!"

Seeing that the second brother wanted to grab his own sugar, the little fish was unhappy for a moment. The cat dodged and ran away.