Survival [End Times]

After returning, he heard some noise next door. Zhou Jianye organized a dozen male members of his family and asked Zhou Qingrong to go to Qing Province next door. The snow fell for a week. Although the snow was not heavy, snow in summer was enough to make people worry. Almost all the villagers in Laokang Village were surnamed Zhou. They were all relatives. The ones who stayed behind were mainly the elderly of Zhou Jianye's generation. The others were older people like Zhou's uncle, or younger children and a few young and middle-aged people. Once the snow started, prices would definitely rise. Seeing that the snow showed no sign of stopping, Zhou Jianye persuaded people without much talk. They shared several cars and went out in the snow.

The snow was not heavy and the road was not blocked. Zhou Qingrong went out with them to help move things and brought some fresh ingredients home. He was so tired that his back and waist ached.

Because they were mentally prepared, the Zhou family's life did not change much. Yu Heng later went to the market in Qing Province. Prices did rise a lot. The price of fresh vegetables in the market increased several times. Vegetables from other places were hard to buy. I heard that they could not be transported in for the time being. As for pork, it snowed in the summer and the temperature dropped below zero degrees. Pig farms and other poultry farming suffered great losses. As a result, the price of vegetables and meat became more expensive. No matter how the higher-ups pressed down, they could not suppress it.

Yu Heng's idea was to buy what you can afford and eat what you can eat. Therefore, the family's living standard did not drop much. Because there was still electricity, the electric heater was turned on at home and it was warm like spring, so there was nothing to worry about.

As it snowed, the temperature kept dropping. It was minus fifteen or sixteen degrees Celsius. Few people in the area could stand such a temperature. There was a family in their village whose old lady was ninety-seven years old. She was famous in Laokang Village for her longevity and the beauty of four generations living under one roof. The children and grandchildren of that family were also filial and took good care of her. As a result, it rained heavily with ice and snow and the temperature dropped in the past half month. The old lady could not bear it and passed away. What can be done?

The Mid-Autumn Festival finally arrived. Under the strong regulation of the state, prices have barely dropped a little. The transportation of materials has resumed. I heard that there are snowplows working on the road outside the village.

Zheng Han bought moon cakes, grapefruits and worship supplies in advance. The weather was not right, but the festival had to be celebrated. It was just that I couldn’t buy good grapefruits this year. They were small and hard to press. They were picked and sold before they grew well. Not only were they expensive, but they were not delicious when cut open. It was no different to worship the moon and eat moon cakes during the reunion festival, except that I couldn’t see the moon.

By mid-October, the snow in various areas of Changping County stopped one after another. I only learned from the news that it was still snowing in the north, which had become a snow disaster. Various disaster relief measures were continuously issued, and materials continued to flow to the north. At the same time, the number of northerners moving south has increased. Whether it is to avoid the snowstorm in the short term or because they are really pessimistic about the future weather, they are really moving south. This southward migration has long been unstoppable.

Shaoan City, where Yu Heng lives, is economically backward and has not been affected by this gust of wind for the time being. Mingming felt it very clearly in C City. He called and said that many outsiders came to C City and spoke with a northern accent. Yu Heng was just glad that his original home was in the south, otherwise he would have to make plans to move south, which would have added a lot of trouble.

"I'm still working overtime here, I'll go there later." Mingming's company is a branded food company. The brand is more friendly to the people. Many people grew up eating candy and biscuits of this brand. Mingming works in the brand's branch factory in C City and is engaged in sales. In the past six months, the factory has expanded production and sent many trips to the disaster area in the north. "Aunt, I'll give you the express number. Ask Qingrong to check online where the logistics is. Remember to pick it up!"

Mingming sent two large boxes of chocolates and energy candies to the Zhou family. They were all welfare benefits distributed by the factory. He couldn't finish them, so he sent them all to the Zhou family. Yu Heng accepted his favor and smiled and agreed: "I also sent you pickled radish and kimchi yesterday. They are all grown by my family. You should also pay attention to pick them up when they arrive." The price of vegetables in C City is very high now, unlike Lao Kang Village where almost every household grows vegetables.

"Okay! Thank you, Aunt! I'm going to work. I'll call you next time!"

Before hanging up the phone, Yu Heng reminded Mingming as usual that if the situation in C City is too bad to be controlled, he should hurry to Lao Kang Village. Mingming also seriously agreed.

As for the two boxes of things sent by Mingming, it took more than 20 days to arrive. Mingming's situation was almost the same. He said with heartache that a jar of pickled radish was broken.

At this point, no matter how much the relevant departments tried to suppress and appease the people, the people still showed a little confusion. This kind of chaos seemed to be under control under the management of the social order, but the undercurrent was accumulating, gradually revealing a more frightening force, which was waiting to burst out at the right time and turn the world upside down.

And this time is not far away.

With the arrival of late autumn and early winter, the south welcomed a large-scale snowfall again after a short respite, while the north had been running non-stop in the snow for almost a year and was already exhausted. On TV, the words of meteorological experts have become the most worthless nonsense. When the situation cannot be explained by science, people's hearts are already in chaos. The development of human society not only follows social rules, but also moves forward under the guidance of natural rules. Both are indispensable. It is hot in winter and cold in summer. Even children know this. After the deep-rooted ideas are overturned, not only is there panic in the heart, but the external abnormal living environment will intensify that fear.

They are afraid that prices will be higher in the future, and they are also afraid that they will not be able to spend money in the future. Therefore, no matter how the superiors regulate, after the winter comes, the trend of rising prices will be a small peak.

In Laokang Village, Zhou Qingrong went to Qing Province with Zhou Jianye and others to buy things again. When he came back, he said: "We have to rob! Fortunately, I want to buy lighting, and there are fewer people robbing." Yu Heng's idea is that it is enough to store enough food for the next three or four years. If there is more, it will not be used up and expire. It will be a waste. It is better to save it for others to buy.

Moreover, as long as you get through the difficult adaptation period of the first two years, you will have other sources of food. There are always creatures that can survive the severe cold. Humans are highly adaptable animals. No matter what setbacks they face, as long as they are not extinct, they can always survive and slowly adapt, and then find a new source of food. He did not plan to store too much food. It was unrealistic and useless. It would be better to store more tools and supplies. Those are the things that are used less and less.

Zhou Qingrong has stored a batch of candles, matches and lighters. These things are inconspicuous, but Yu Heng has experience. Humans have become extremely dependent on electricity, coal, oil and gas and other energy sources for life without realizing it. The degree of dependence is like dependence on air. Although they are necessities, they are too common, which makes people blind. Therefore, in the fierce competition for purchasing materials, no one has the leisure to fall on these things. Even if some people think of it, they will not purchase them in such large quantities.

Zhou Jianye also purchased some, and called his son's family every day to urge them to return home. Zhou Qingshui was unwilling. He worked in a plastic factory in Qing Province and had a lot of orders recently! There is a great demand for snow-proof and waterproof plastic products in the market. The factory has been working overtime, and the overtime pay is not less. It is rare to make so much money. How can Zhou Qingshui be willing to give up? Isn't that pushing money out? He now has three children, and his two precious twin sons are not even one year old. He must make more money?

"It's good to snow! The factory has good business!" He is not afraid of snowing. As long as snowing can bring money and bonuses, what else will happen next year? He wished it would be sunny all day long.

Zhou Jianye was so angry! "What nonsense are you talking about!" In the end, he felt sorry for his grandson and asked his son to send him back to his hometown, "There is a heated kang at home, it's warm! Don't let my grandson freeze!"

Zhou Qingshui thought to himself, that's fine. Now he works overtime all day and almost lives in the factory. His wife always complains about being tired when taking care of two children alone, and keeps saying that this is expensive and that has increased in price, which makes him annoyed. It's good to go home, because there are vegetables grown by themselves and rice stored by themselves at home, which can save a lot of living expenses. He immediately decided to let his father go to Qing Province to pick them up, and the reason was sufficient, "I can't take leave and can't send them three people!"

So Zhou Jianye spent 200 yuan and asked a family in the village to send him to Qing Province to pick up his daughter-in-law and grandson. His wife was so distressed that she kept saying why it was so expensive? Since she was talking about it while sitting at Yu Heng's house, Yu Heng had to follow her advice: "It's expensive to go out now, the road is slippery and you have to drive more carefully, it's also stressful, as long as you can take the person home safely, what's two hundred yuan?"

Xiang Lan nodded reluctantly, and after a while she kept talking back and forth. Yu Heng and Xiang Lan really couldn't get along, so after sitting with her for a while, he made an excuse to go back to the room to sleep for a while, and let Zheng Han and Zhou Qingrong sit with him. Hiding in the room, Yu Heng sat cross-legged on the bed and began to breathe and regulate his breath. This body practiced [General Principles of Physical Fitness] for a whole year to cultivate the sense of Qi. Regardless of whether the aptitude is good or not, the biggest gap is age. But he had to practice, and he had to make his body healthier and stronger to face future challenges.

Time was in a hurry, and Yu Heng didn't actually feel much social unrest and confusion in Laokang Village. Laokang Village was a bit closed, because it was far from the market, so he habitually bought more daily necessities at home and didn't go to the market every day. The bus takes an hour to pick up passengers while stopping along the way. Who has time to go there every day?

Therefore, almost every household in the village has a refrigerator to store meat. Now it is snowing again, and the frequency of going out is even lower. If it weren't for watching the news on TV changing three times a day and the disaster situation in various places being broadcast in real time, Yu Heng would not have felt the strong atmosphere of the end of the world. He was counting down in his heart. He always felt that this winter would be a subversive year. Snowstorms and low temperatures have lasted throughout the year. I don't know if it will completely break out in the deep winter of this year.

In the early twelfth month of the lunar calendar, the local minimum temperature has dropped to minus 21 degrees Celsius, which is more than 15 degrees lower than in previous years. It is true that water turns to ice. This is the case in the south, not to mention the north. People who went out to work in the village returned home early this year, fearing that they would be blocked outside. Those who returned said: "It's a bit chaotic outside. There is a mother and daughter living next door to me. I don't know who killed them at night. The house was robbed! Me? I didn't hear anything. I was so scared! Hurry up and pack up and come back..."

"Things are so expensive. A wilted cabbage costs ten yuan. They are still pretending to buy or not. They don't earn enough to eat! It's better to be at home. Home-grown vegetables are free..."

As the villagers returned one after another, Laokang Village gradually became lively. The returning young and middle-aged people brought vitality and vitality to this silent and quiet village. Yu Heng also had to get together with the returning relatives, at least to visit and eat melon seeds and peanuts for a while. There were also other young people who came to visit with some candies to see his "aunt" who was older than him.

The power of clan and kinship still has a force that cannot be underestimated in this village. This power is also one of the reasons why Yu Heng decided to return to his hometown. Supporting each other is the family.

In the midst of busyness, the New Year has arrived.