The tent is considered a luxurious 'residence' among the various shanties in the fifth camp.
This was what Tang Ling got in exchange for a strange stone that Quark needed.
That time Tang Ling got entangled in the threads of a black-spotted human-spotted spider and almost lost his life.
But Tang Ling had no regrets. He would do whatever it took to get the best life for his mother-in-law and sister.
Seeing the familiar tent, Tang Ling felt a little excitement and warmth in his heart.
We have been dependent on each other for too long, and even if we are away for three days, we feel very worried.
Just when Tang Ling was approaching his tent, a small figure rushed out quickly and jumped into Tang Ling's arms.
Tang Ling tightened his arms almost without thinking about the familiar scent of dried fennel.
"Brother." The soft voice was slightly aggrieved.
Tang Ling gently stroked the hair of his sister in his arms, feeling soft in his heart, and carried her into the tent.
The tent was dark and cold. It wasn't until Tang Ling lit the oil lamp that he discovered that there was no fire in the central fire pit. A half-gnawed nutritious block was placed next to the bed covered with dried louvers.
Nutrient Block - the cheapest food, provided by Security Zone 17, can be exchanged for only a few iron coins.
It is said to be nutritious, but in fact it can only keep people alive. It has no taste and tastes like chewing gum.
It seems that I have a little less food left at home, and it is true that I can't last three days.
Thinking of this, Tang Ling turned around and touched Shanshan's little face.
Shanshan's cute big eyes looked at Tang Ling intently. As soon as Tang Ling touched her, she started to laugh.
It seems that as long as my brother comes back, everything will be fine.
A warm fire was lit in the fire pit. Tang Ling hung up the pot, broke the nutrient cubes, added some fourth-level drinking water, and started cooking.
No matter how difficult life is, Tang Ling must ensure that her mother-in-law and sister drink and eat with less pollution.
Some of the supplies hidden in his home were enough to make many people in the settlement jealous, but they were all Tang Ling's hard-earned money.
Shanshan stared at the dried black-toothed rat meat and swallowed quietly.
Black-toothed rat meat is not delicious, but it is not easy to eat meat in settlements, so it is also delicious.
Shanshan was not disappointed at all because her brother only brought back black-toothed rat meat this time.
She was just worried, why didn't her brother tear up the meat and add it to the nutritious paste
Tang Ling pinched his sister's face in a funny way, and without hesitation, he took out the uncontaminated meat that was probably from the red-striped black snake hidden in the tree trunk, tore up a lot of it and put it into the paste.
Shanshan cheered. She liked to drink the paste with meat the most. This meat looked much more delicious than the meat of black-toothed rat.
"Where's your mother-in-law?" Tang Ling wiped Shanshan's face with her sleeve, while Shanshan stared at the pot of meat paste and said that her mother-in-law had gone to scavenge and hadn't come back yet.
Tang Ling sighed in his heart, and while he was thinking about it, the curtain of the tent moved, and a figure with gray hair and some rickets appeared in front of the door.
It's my mother-in-law.
Tang Ling quickly stood up and walked towards her mother-in-law. Under the dim oil lamp in the tent, when her mother-in-law saw that it was Tang Ling, her eyes showed excitement, and she looked relieved and happy.
After three days, Tang Ling finally returned safely.
Ever since the accident between her son and daughter-in-law, she was always on tenterhooks every time Tang Ling went out.
"Mother-in-law, is the harvest good today?" In Tang Ling's heart, he really didn't want his mother-in-law to go scavenging again, but he still smiled and asked in pretending to expect.
No one wants to live a difficult life without any value, and the same is true for my mother-in-law.
Unless you are strong enough.
Faced with Tang Ling's inquiry, her mother-in-law said, "Today is normal, but I still picked up three kilograms of scrap metal."
While talking, the mother-in-law put down the rattan basket on her back. It was empty except for a few rusty iron bars.
It's not worth much money, and you can only exchange it for two nutrient blocks at most.
In fact, according to the rules of the settlement, scavengers must hand over a certain proportion of their harvest to the scavenger leader, otherwise they will not be able to keep even this meager harvest.
Tang Ling was silent, while her mother-in-law held Tang Ling's hand tightly, for fear that Tang Ling would disappear, and all her warmth and care were kept silent.
**
Tang Ling's harvest brought a rare 'gluttonous feast' to this poor family.
In the past, just getting a pound of pollution-free meat would have been a big gain. After all, there are other needs in life.
After packing everything, Tang Ling held Shanshan, who was drowsy after eating, and sat by the firepit with her mother-in-law.
The mother-in-law talked nonchalantly about scavenging and her speculations and yearning for pre-civilization.
Pre-civilizations certainly existed, but what kind of era it was like as people living in settlements do not have the right to learn is naturally impossible to know.
But from the various 'relics' and materials it left behind, we can always tell that it was a beautiful era. How did it become what it is now? It’s also puzzling.
At least the people in the settlement are incomprehensible.
Regarding the rumors of pre-civilization, her mother-in-law had told her many times, and every time Tang Ling listened patiently and with a smile.
But this time Tang Ling had something on his mind. As he listened, he stroked Shanshan's black hair in a daze and uneasiness.
Finally, he made up his mind: "Mother-in-law, tomorrow"
The mother-in-law was stunned. Tang Ling's tone and expression made her slightly uneasy.
Tang Ling took a long breath and said to his mother-in-law in as relaxed a tone as possible: "The safe zone will start recruiting reserve soldiers tomorrow."
The expression on the mother-in-law's face changed. She was mending Tang Ling's torn clothes when she went out, but she fell into the fire pit out of distraction.
She hurriedly went to pick it up, but was burned by sparks on her clothes.
But her mother-in-law couldn't care less. She grabbed Tang Ling's hand and asked nervously, "You want to go?"
Tang Ling lowered his head and wiped away the sparks on his clothes. He raised his head with a determined expression: "I want to go."
The mother-in-law's lips trembled slightly, and she held Tang Ling's hand harder and harder.
Recruiting reserve soldiers sounds like a good thing, but in fact, except for the soldiers who can enter the first and second reserve battalions, the rest are like 'cannon fodder'.
After a few months of training, they will be hastily organized into the warrior camp. The next thing is to go out with the Ziyue warriors, either to open up wasteland or to collect supplies.
Within a year, very few survived.
As a price, their families can live in a safe zone, which is why people in the settlement actively want to become reserve soldiers.
However, the mother-in-law was absolutely unwilling to trade Tang Ling's life for the right to live in the safe zone.
She was too clear in her heart that the young people in the settlement had absolutely no chance of entering the first and second preparatory camps.
Not being selected was actually a happy thing in her heart.
But will Tang Ling not be selected? Others may not understand, but my mother-in-law understands. Tang Ling's support for life over the years has demonstrated his abilities.
If he goes, he will definitely be selected as a reserve soldier.
Book club group 627900916
(End of chapter)