No other people in the village could come to Liu Qiaoer for help, but Liu Qiaoer’s next-door neighbor could.
Wang Sanzhu's elderly couple took care of two children. The weather was getting colder and the food was getting less and less. The two children couldn't bear it anymore. Even in the house, their teeth were still chattering while wrapped in quilts.
That day, Liu Qiaoer was watching TV comfortably at home. There were news reports on TV. The reports from various places were about how many people had frozen to death. That place was frozen, and people came out to chisel ice and get things.
I think that people forty or fifty years after the end of the world will be much weaker, with no common sense of survival and no physical strength.
"His aunt, his aunt."
The door of Liu Qiaoer's house was knocked again and again, and she walked out of the house wrapped in two down jackets.
At this time, the temperature outside the yard was minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius, and the temperature in her yard was also minus 10 degrees Celsius. The temperature in the house was okay. There was a thermometer at the door, which was above 9 degrees Celsius.
She was also cold. The fireplace on the first floor usually made the temperature in the room reach over 20 degrees, but now it was only 9 degrees. She and Lu Ming were both sitting on the sofa wrapped in down jackets.
Lu Ming was watching a cell phone while she was watching a TV.
There was a knock on the door. Liu Qiaoer came out to open it and saw Uncle Wang coming to see her wearing a cotton hat and wrapped in a quilt.
"Aunt, do you have any eggs? My two children have been eating noodles for a month and they can't poop. Can you give them some vegetables or eggs to nourish them?"
Liu Qiaoer was speechless. If she didn't give it to him, it would seem that she was unkind. If she gave it to him, she would tell everyone that she was rich.
"Uncle San, I'm out of eggs at home. You know, a while ago a child's mother came to my house to recuperate after giving birth, and I gave all the eggs to her. I still have some pickled cabbage from my mother-in-law, and there's not much left. I'll give you some."
Uncle Wang had nothing to exchange, so he brought a bundle of firewood and traded it for a bowl of spicy cabbage for Liu Qiaoer.
Don’t underestimate this bowl of spicy cabbage, it can feed their family of four for a month.
Kimchi is not only spicy but also salty. If you put it in the water used to cook noodles, it can be used to cook several meals.
Uncle Wang was quite satisfied, and Liu Qiaoer immediately burned the firewood. It could last for a few days, but she had no shortage of firewood.
After opening the door to exchange things, Liu Qiaoer saw the village chief and his men going to the fields with hoes.
Uncle Wang's legs were shaking from the cold, and the village chief was fully armed in a leather jacket and leather pants.
"Village Chief, what are you doing?"
The village chief glanced at them and said, "It's all frozen. Some of the radishes and green vegetables planted in the fields that were not damaged by the rain should be dug out."
"By the way, they all went to the nearby supermarket. They said that some of the things in the supermarket are well sealed and can be eaten even if they are soaked in water. Do you want to go and take a look?"
It turned out that some people were running low on supplies and were starting to think of ways to solve the problem.
Uncle Wang thought for a moment and said, "Go, go, I'll go right away."
Liu Qiao'er didn't want to go, but then she thought that she was probably short of supplies at the moment, and it would be unsociable if she didn't go.
I returned to the house and changed into a set of winter clothes, warm clothes, a down jacket, and another set of winter clothes, leather gloves, and a leather hat so that I wouldn't freeze.
Lu Ming was surprised when he saw her equipment: "What are you doing?"
Liu Qiaoer said, "The village chief is digging radishes in the field, so I'll go and take a look."
Lu Ming's leg had almost healed, but he still limped a little. He chased into the yard with a cane and shouted like a young wife, "Then you should go early and come back early."
Liu Qiaoer waved her hand at him and said, "Just guard the house and don't let the thieves in."
Lu Ming glanced at the yard. The seeds in the yard had not sprouted yet. They would probably be frozen to death in this temperature. He raised his eyes to look at the balcony on the second floor. There were still some flowers and plants, probably vegetables and water spinach.
Well, he keeps the house.
Then I saw Liu Qiaoer carrying a hoe and following the group.
What she didn't know was that as soon as she left, Wang Juan entered the yard without waiting for Lu Ming to close the door.
"Shh, Brother Lu, I'm almost freezing to death, let's go inside and warm up."
Lu Ming frowned and said, "That's not good. Liu Qiao'er is not at home. You should get out now."
As she was speaking, Wang Juan had already jumped into the house.
Looking at the spotless floor, she ran straight to the kitchen without taking off her shoes. The kitchen was also clean. When she opened the refrigerator, she found not only eggs, but also a piece of meat and a celery.
Wang Juan was so hungry that her stomach hurt. Without saying a word, she cut the meat and celery.
By the time Lu Ming caught up with him on crutches, these things had become nails on the chopping board.
"Brother Lu, I didn't expect that her family now has fresh vegetables and meat. Are you living well at her house? We are still good friends. Why didn't you tell me so that I can come and enjoy the happiness too?"
Wang Juan was quick and skillful. She cooked noodles while talking to Lu Ming.
Lu Ming was so angry that the veins on his forehead were exposed.
"I'm asking you if you know the rules. This is someone else's house. It's fine if you come uninvited, but you even touch her food. Do you know that this is our dinner? If you eat, we'll go hungry."
Wang Juan opened her eyes wide and said unconcernedly: "Brother Lu, you eat so many good things every day, it's okay to skip a meal. I haven't eaten meat for a month, please have pity on me and let me eat something good."
Lu Ming watched her cook the dishes and put the noodles in. He couldn't just throw everything away.
Lu Ming watched Wang Juan finish her meal in anger, then stood up and prepared to kick her out again.
Wang Juan came here this time to investigate the situation, so how could she leave easily
She was quite self-conscious. She ate her fill of noodles, washed the bowl clean, wiped her hands, and smiled.
"Brother Lu, don't blame me for being greedy. I'm young and growing up, and I need to supplement my nutrition. Other people's families are starving and pale, but she is the only one who is still living a comfortable life. Even if you use your toes to think, you can tell that she has abundant supplies."
Lu Ming's face was as dark as ink, and he said sullenly, "We've already eaten, and it's time for you to leave. Don't come here again. I'll tell her, too. You'd better come up with an excuse. Otherwise, given her temper, it's good enough that she doesn't hit you."
Wang Juan would not leave. She rolled her eyes and saw the door of the stairwell.
"Hey, why is there a door here? Is there something hidden inside? Last time I went to the second floor, it was locked. I wonder if this one is locked too."
As she spoke, she walked around Lu Ming and came to the door of the basement.
Lu Ming already knew that this was a storage room, because sometimes Liu Qiaoer would take things out of it, but due to his personal character, he would not enter and exit other people's rooms at will.
"No, you can't come in."
Wang Juan ignored his obstruction and said, "Brother Lu, let me tell you, this woman is very mysterious. She has a lot of money. I was here when she was renovating her house. She even asked someone to build a shed on the third floor to store her car..."
Lu Ming was so angry that he quickly stopped Wang Juan and almost threw away his crutches.
"Her money is her business and has nothing to do with you. If you want to enter her room, you must get her permission. After you finish your meal, get out now."
Wang Juan grinned smugly: "I won't go out. Today, I finally have a chance to see how much she has hidden while she is away..."