Era: Retired from the army at the beginning and returned home - Chapter 4 Beggars

The world is peaceful, why is Luo Cheng just wearing his retired military uniform? Qin Xiaoli pleaded like that when she learned that he went to roughly the same place.

In cities, at least there are people from the street office patrolling the area. When a large number of people gather together, they will come forward to inquire. If there is no suitable reason, they will disperse.

But it’s different in villages and towns. Now there are many people here who have fled from other cities, and there are continuous droughts in the north. There are countless people begging for food. If they can no longer survive, they will not care about anything anymore. They are not afraid of death just for a bite to eat.

It was then that Luo Chengcai discovered that there was no grass in many fields, and the bark on the trees had been eaten away, leaving only the trunks that were about to wither.

It’s only November, and autumn can’t be so desolate. Driving away beggars who are fleeing for food is something that many villages are doing, but outside the village limits, it is different. Every village has a boundary. It is enough to cross the boundary. There is no need to kill everyone.

In the fields on the road, many people just lie down on the ground. Many people are not even willing to stand up in order to save energy. Whenever someone passes by, there are many inquisitive eyes.

The military uniform worn by Luo Cheng really shocked many people. Everyone could see Qin Lan hugging a backpack tightly. It was clear that there was no three hundred taels of silver in this place.

But looking at Luo Cheng’s physique and rosy complexion, he clearly doesn’t look like a starving person. So when I first saw him, I felt that he was a soldier who was strong and not easy to mess with.

The village where Qin Lan lives is called Qinlingkou. After entering the border of the village, she feels much better. After all, Ngee An is in the south, and the drought is not as severe as in the north. But even so, it is very difficult for ordinary people to survive. Those beggars are basically from the north. Because information is not developed, many people in the north simply think that the drought in the south should not be so severe and they should be able to stutter.

Therefore, many people in the north either run to big cities or directly to southern cities. Some of the old, weak, sick and disabled people on the road disappeared as they walked.

But I didn’t expect that it would be difficult for this person to survive in the south. The drought is also severe in the south, but slightly better than in the north. Food production has also been greatly reduced. It’s good to be alive. How can there be any excess to give to others?

These years are chaotic, but not chaotic either. Nothing would happen if she went out alone. Qin Lan, a little girl, went out alone and walked into the city alone. That is, I ate a wild vegetable dumpling before going out.

But when you go out alone, just don’t bring anything with you. It’s okay if it’s not food. If you encounter someone with malicious intentions, just show them the package. Without food, no one will bother in these days. But if you bring food when you go out alone, you have to be careful. These days some people are so hungry that they really can do anything.

Luo Cheng didn’t stop when he sent the people there, and came back directly. The people in Qin Lan’s family are all equally thin and unattractive. It’s not okay for people to entertain him there or not. The main reason is that there is nothing to entertain.

On the way, Qin Lan also said that the village would distribute food in a few days. But after paying the public food, not much was left at all. Everyone will have a very difficult time this winter. Even if spring comes next year, we still have to wait until spring to plant seeds and then have a good harvest.

It’s just that in spring, you can dig wild vegetables, but if that doesn’t work, you can still eat grass roots. And they will give some relief food to some extent. In any of these two years, people will not starve to death.

Luo Cheng really doesn’t understand the hardships of this era. Even the plots of this era in TV dramas are somewhat satisfying. It would not starve people to death, but it gave Luo Cheng such a feeling because TV dramas are TV dramas after all, and it is impossible for many actors to have the image of people of this era.

In this era, most people are sallow and thin, but the actors in the TV series, even if they wear makeup, can never lose their voluptuousness.

“Lanzi, it’s good to be back. You must remember your cousin’s kindness. It’s not easy for people in the city now, and the rations have also been reduced.”

Qin Lan’s father said with some regret that Qin Xiaoli was not his daughter, but the daughter of his third brother. His third brother’s family all needed help, and as an uncle, he wouldn’t have been like this if he hadn’t been helpless.

A woman who is married outside will be gossiped about if she helps her natal family, let alone a relative of her natal family. Although it is only a stick noodle that weighs less than ten kilograms, it is really expensive these days.

Let’s put it this way, if you want a yellow-flowered girl now, in the countryside, a bag of grain is enough. And it’s still coarse grain, so no one is willing to do it. If you ask for this daughter-in-law, you will have to eat from your family. Many people may not be able to afford to marry now.

“Lanzi, who is that soldier? How could he escort you back?”

The person who asked the question was Qin Lan’s mother. Qin Lan had nothing to hide. She and Luo Cheng just met by chance. He told me how he got to know her, and took out the instant noodles that he was reluctant to eat. When he came back, Qin Lan wanted to return the instant noodles to Luo Cheng. They were too expensive. But Luo Cheng didn’t want it. After pushing it back and forth a few times, Qin Lan accepted it, thinking in her heart that she would repay him if life gets better in the future.

“This is the noodles that Luo Cheng was given in the army. He gave me half of it. There are a few packets of stuff in it. He said they were seasoning packets. Mom, boil a pot of water. Let’s cook this noodles. This season Even if we go to the mountains, we won’t be able to find anything to eat.”

Instant noodles look like they are made from fine grains. Even though they are only a little bit, it is still not possible to eat them with fine grains. Now I feel clear when I drink porridge. A piece of noodles like this is enough to make a soup, and there are also seasoning packets.

My daughter has borrowed grain from the city today, so she will spend some extravagant time and cook the fine grain.

A piece of fine grain is indeed a luxury these days, but what is even more luxurious is the seasoning packet. Only those who have made instant noodles know it. In later generations, many people may be tired of eating instant noodles and think they have no taste, but when the seasoning packet of this instant noodles is put in, the aroma is absolutely delicious.

It is normal these days in the countryside to not be able to eat a piece of meat all year round, so it is also normal to have no oil. The seasoning bag not only contains oil, but also beef cubes. Although there was no packaging, Luo Cheng could tell that the instant noodles should be spicy beef noodles.

Once this seasoning bag is cooked, the neighbors near Qin Lan’s house will smell it. This thing is an absolute luxury in this era.

Luo Cheng, who returned home, naturally didn’t know anything about Qin Lan’s family. He is now worried about how to face his home.

In such an adobe house, my parents and grandma lived in one room, two younger sisters who never existed in future generations lived in another room, and there was also a younger brother who had just slipped away to someone unknown. When I came back, my mother directly arranged the accommodation, as if she wasn’t worried about not having enough accommodation at all.

Without time reference, Luo Cheng only felt that he wasted a lot of time going back and forth. The main reason is that he has no leg strength, not even as good as that little girl Qin Lan. Fortunately, he was discharged from the army right from the beginning. If he had stayed in the army, with his physical fitness, it would have been a joke.

Before going home, several people in Luo Cheng’s family were actually suffering. Luo Shishi helped Luo Cheng put his bag. As Luo Cheng’s sister, she was curious about what was in the bag of her brother who had not seen him for several years and returned from the army. I secretly opened it and took a look, and then I couldn’t move my eyes.

Steamed buns, large white flour steamed buns. You can tell at a glance that the white steamed buns are made of fine flour, and the flour is fine grain.

It had been a long time since she had eaten steamed buns, and Luo Shishi kept swallowing her saliva. After Luo Xiaoyu noticed that something was wrong with her sister, she helped Luo Cheng spread the quilt and came over to ask her what was wrong.

Then I also saw the steamed buns in Luo Cheng’s backpack. These were the eldest brother’s steamed buns, so as the younger sister, she should have her share in them. Just like Luo Shishi, saliva kept swallowing in her throat. But they all knew how precious food was, and Luo Cheng had brought it back from the army, so they didn’t dare to eat it secretly.

After trying hard to restrain their inner impulses, the two ran to their parents’ room, saying that their eldest brother Luo Cheng had a lot of white-flour steamed buns in his backpack. Big brother is back. Don’t you have to worry about starving to death this winter?