Chapter 251 Food Insufficiency

Chapter 251 Food Insufficiency

Chapter 251 Food Insufficiency (Subscribe!)
"Everyone come here, I have something to say."

Zhang Jinwu returned to the transport team, called all the team members together, and conveyed Director Yang's arrangements in a simple and clear manner.

However, he did not directly state the actual situation of food shortage in the steel mills.

Instead, it was stated in a tactful way: the purchasing department encountered problems in purchasing food and failed to purchase enough food.

Doing so not only gave the factory face, but also avoided causing panic directly.

"Why should we care if the purchasing department doesn't buy enough food? We are not in the purchasing department, so why would you bother to look for us?"

"Yeah, besides, the amount of food we can purchase may not be as much as the number of purchasers."

"It's an extra job, but it doesn't benefit us, so why should we do it?"

Everyone was talking and expressing their dissatisfaction.

Zhang Jinwu shouted, "Okay, stop complaining about this and that. Follow the instructions of the factory leaders. When you are doing your task today, go buy food."

After that, he paused again, looked around to make sure everyone was listening to him, and then continued:

"After purchasing the food, don't rush to hand it in. First check whether your own food is sufficient."

Zhang Jinwu said this sentence extremely subtly, as if he was giving everyone a hint, and it depends on whether everyone can understand the meaning.

Some people don't care because they have enough food to last for the month.

But some older team members who have worked in the steel rolling mill for a long time were keenly aware of the deeper meaning behind Zhang Jinwu's words.

The work of purchasing has been delegated to the grassroots level. Except for the one in 53, it has never happened again until now.

They had a personal experience of the severity of the food shortage.

After hearing what Zhang Jinwu said, could the food shortage happen again?
They looked at Zhang Jinwu meaningfully, thinking to themselves, "It seems we should prepare ourselves just in case."

Zhang Jinwu looked at Lu Wenjiang and the others and said, "Come to my office for a moment. I have something to tell you."

The three looked at each other in confusion, but followed anyway.

"Master, what's the matter? Is there something you want us to do?" Lu Wenjiang couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Jinwu did not answer immediately, but looked outside the office vigilantly to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then closed the door and locked it.

Zhang Jinwu looked at the three people with a serious expression and said, "Did you hear what I just said? The food shortage at the steel mill is much more serious than I said."

Then he looked at Li Kailang and said, "Fortunately, Xiao Li made preparations in advance. The food shortage in the factory is quite serious this time, and some buyers can't buy any food."

Lu Wenjiang and Zhang Fen looked at Li Kailang in shock. They didn't expect that Li Kailang's premonition was so accurate.

"Xiao Li, it seems that what you said was right. There is no food in the countryside!"

Li Kailang shook his head: "Not yet. There should still be some food in the countryside, but it's definitely not that easy to take out."

"What should we do now?" Zhang Fen asked.

The three of them looked at Li Kailang, waiting for him to come up with a solution.

Li Kailang thought for a moment and said, "We should do what we should do. We should do what everyone else does. If we need to purchase something, we should go and purchase it."

After that, he paused and said, "But we must not tell anyone that we have food. We must not let anyone know that we have food in stock."

At this point, Li Kailang still felt unsafe and continued to add:
"So, just in case, it's best to make a small cave at home and hide some food. A cunning rabbit has three burrows, so you can't put all the food in the cellar."

"Also, the cellar must be well protected and must not be discovered. If possible, you can put a few large clamps in the cellar just in case."

"Also, Master, you should also pay attention to the people in your courtyard. It's best to tell them so as to avoid any disaster from their words!"

Li Kailang expressed his thoughts and suggestions in one breath.

Different from the courtyard house where Li Kailang lives, Zhang Jinwu's is a courtyard house with only one entrance. There are few people, so there will always be times when carelessness occurs.

Moreover, Li Kailang did not completely trust the other residents of Zhang Jinwu's yard. After all, no matter what, Li Kailang didn't know any of them.

Hearing this, the three of them nodded heavily.

"By the way, Xiao Li, how are you doing?" Zhang Jinwu asked back.

Li Kailang looked relaxed: "Don't worry, the people in my yard are just like nothing happened even if they beat someone to death."

"If a thief touches the food, he will never come back and might even be killed on the spot."

Seeing Li Kailang so relaxed, Lu Wenjiang thought about it and realized that he was indeed a bunch of reckless people in the yard.

Li Kailang continued: "We don't know whether the food shortage is temporary or long-lasting, or how long it will last, but we must start taking precautions."

"It's best to start actively storing food from now on. After all, if the food is left there, it will at most become stale and unpalatable. It's better than having no food and going hungry."

Zhang Jinwu agreed. "That's right. When I tell everyone to do their mission later, please pay attention and ask everyone to buy as much food as possible."

After the matter was finalized, Lu Wenjiang and the other two went to complete the mission.

Li Kailang was driving on a mission and passed by the fields in the countryside. He looked at the farmers who had no place to stay in the fields.

Looking at the bare mountains in the distance, the vegetation that should have been lush has become sparse.

On the way, Li Kailang also went to the countryside, hoping to buy some food, but no one was selling it, so he returned empty-handed.

The same was true for the other masters. They didn't buy any food. Fortunately, they were not purchasers, so it didn't matter if they couldn't buy it.

We just waited until the end of the get off work day, and as the bell rang, everyone went home.

Zhang Jinwu also went home as soon as possible and planned to talk to the people in the yard.

Return to the courtyard.

As soon as Li Kailang stepped into the hanging flower gate, he saw Yan Bugui and the third aunt talking at the door of their house, with worried looks on their faces.

When Yan Bugui saw Li Kailang coming back, he thought that Li Kailang was from the steel rolling mill and was knowledgeable, so he might be able to bring them some useful information.

So he walked up to Li Kailang and called out:
"Xiao Li, you're back. There's something I want to ask you."

"Do you think that Sijiu City is short of food? I went to the grain station today and found that there is obviously less food."

Hearing this, Li Kailang was shocked.

I didn't expect that even the grain station would be affected so quickly. Logically speaking, the grain station has the most grain, so it is impossible for this to happen so quickly.

It will take at least three to five months for it to appear, right?

Li Kailang asked, "Uncle, what's going on? Please tell me in detail."

Yan Bugui sighed and began to recount his experience today:
"Early this morning, I went to the grain station to queue up to buy grain. The queue was terrifyingly long and packed with people. It was at least one or two hundred meters long."

"When it was my turn to buy, I found that not only was the food supply low, but there was also a purchase limit. I could only buy 50 kilograms at a time."

"Even so, the food was sold out very quickly, and many people still couldn't buy food."

The third aunt also echoed: "Yes, and it's the same situation at the vegetable market. Everyone is rushing to buy vegetables, fearing that they won't be able to buy any."

Yan Bugui looked at Li Kailang and asked with a worried look on his face, "Xiao Li, what do you think is going on? Are we really short of food?"

The third aunt also said anxiously: "Xiao Li, you are the driver of the steel mill. You are knowledgeable and must know something. You have to help us!"

Li Kailang was about to speak to comfort them when he saw Director Wang from the Street Office walk in.

Director Wang usually has a smile on her face, but at this moment there is obvious worry on her face.

"Director Wang, why are you here? Is there anything you want to tell me?" Yan Bugui turned his head and asked.

"Uncle, please call everyone to the middle court for a meeting. I have something important to announce!"

Director Wang was not in the mood to chat with Yan Bugui, so he asked him to notify everyone of the meeting.

"Hey! I'll go now!"

Seeing this, Yan Bugui was not in the mood to chat with her. He yelled twice in the front yard, and everyone went to the middle yard together.

When everyone heard that Director Wang was coming, they did not dare to be negligent and hurried to the Intermediate Court for a meeting.

After everyone arrived, Director Wang took a deep breath and got straight to the point: "I came here today because I have something to announce to everyone."

"Everyone listen carefully. If you don't understand anything, please wait until I finish speaking before asking."

When everyone heard this, they held their breath and a bad premonition arose in their hearts.

Director Wang continued, “Everyone may have felt the problem of food recently, especially those who went to the grain station today.”

"The subdistrict office received a notice from the higher-level leaders that the country is facing a food shortage problem and some provinces have run out of food."

"After careful consideration by our superiors, we have decided to reduce everyone's food ration by 10%. We hope that everyone will unite as one and overcome the difficulties together."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience was in an uproar.

Although cutting food rations by 10% may not seem like much, it is enough to cause panic among people at this critical moment.

Since ancient times, every food crisis has caused a large number of deaths and casualties.

Everyone is worried that this reduction in rations will also bring about the same consequences. "Director Wang, this can't be done. My children are still not getting enough to eat."

"Yes! Director, there is not enough food. How can we work if we don't have enough to eat?"

Everyone was so anxious that their eyes turned red, and they all spoke out in unison to resist the reduction of the quota.

Especially those who have many people in the family, their faces changed suddenly. Their families are already short of food, and they have to cut down on it.

Among them, Yan Bugui, Liu Haizhong and Jia Dong were the worst.

Yan Bugui’s family is the same as Jia Dongxu’s. He has Yan Jiedi and Xiaodang at home. Fortunately, they are still young and cannot eat much food, but what will happen when they grow up?

The Liu Haizhong family is the worst hit. Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu are just young boys, and they have almost bankrupted their father.

Fortunately, Liu Haizhong is a level seven worker and earns a lot of money, so he can afford to buy food on the black market.

Director Wang looked at everyone's anxious expressions and felt helpless. She was well aware of the seriousness of the food shortage, but it was also a helpless move.

Director Wang patiently advised: "I understand everyone's feelings, but there is nothing we can do about it."

"There is a food shortage right now, and the higher-ups made this decision after careful consideration."

"Please rest assured, we will find a way to solve this problem as soon as possible. During this period, everyone should overcome the difficulties and try to save food."

As the eldest uncle in the compound, Yi Zhonghai asked solemnly, "Director Wang, how long will this situation last? Will there be further reductions in food supplies in the future?"

As soon as this question was asked, everyone's attention was once again focused on Director Wang.

Everyone is eager to know what will happen in the future so that they can be prepared.

Director Wang shook his head: "I can't explain this clearly. I will tell you as soon as I have news."

Hearing this answer, everyone felt even more depressed.

The time is uncertain, which means that the food gap is large and there is a high possibility that it will be reduced further.

They can still hold out if the food supply is cut by 10%, which is about three kilograms. But they are afraid that if the supply is cut again and again, it will be unbearable.

This quantitative reduction is directly based on the quantitative reduction of everyone's jobs.

For those who do heavy manual labor like them, the more than 40 kilograms of food they eat per month can be reduced by at least 4 kilograms.

Yan Bugui's family had the smallest reduction. His ration was 27 kilograms, which was the same as that of ordinary residents, and his reduction was only 3 kilograms at most.

This is only one person per month. If it continues for a year, a family of three will be short of about 100 kilograms of food.

Seeing everyone's worried faces, Director Wang left in a hurry after finishing his words.

Everyone stood in the middle courtyard with worry, discussing with each other what to do in the future.
Yan Bugui looked at everyone and felt like ants on a hot pan, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly, he turned around and saw Li Kailang with a calm expression, and his heart couldn't help but move.

I quickly asked, "Xiao Li, have you thought of any solution?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately turned around and looked at Li Kailang.

Being stared at by everyone, Li Kailang just nodded lightly.

Seeing this, Yan Bugui was extremely happy and asked hurriedly: "Xiao Li, tell me quickly, what can you do?"

Li Kailang looked at Yan Jiefang, and Yan Jiekuang said, "Please go and close the gate of the yard and stay there. Don't let anyone hear us talking."

"Go quickly!" Yan Bugui ordered hurriedly, regardless of Li Kailang's intentions.

"Yes, you two should go quickly!" The others quickly agreed, and the two had no choice but to leave.

"Everyone, come closer, let's talk quietly. Speak softly, be careful of the walls."

Everyone approached Li Kailang and stared at him.

Looking at Li Kailang's calm expression, it was obvious that Li Kailang had an idea in mind.

Li Kailang got straight to the point and said, "I know everyone is anxious right now, but there is no need to be anxious now."

"Don't forget, we have a lot of food stored in the cellar. Now is the time to put it to use."

"Yes! How could I forget this? We still have it..." One resident suddenly realized and raised his voice.

"Snapped!!!"

"Woo~~"

Before he could finish his words, someone next to him covered his mouth and slapped him.

"Are you fucking stupid? I told you to stop talking, why are you talking so loudly?" someone nearby couldn't help but curse.

But after being reminded by Li Kailang, everyone felt relieved and completely relieved.

There is still food they stored at home in the cellar, at least three or four hundred kilograms. If they eat it sparingly, it will be enough for half a year.

"Fortunately, we still have food reserves. This makes us much better than other courtyards!" Yan Bugui said thankfully.

Suddenly, everyone's faces were filled with joy.

But Li Kailang had to pour cold water on them: "We do have food in stock, but don't forget, Director Wang didn't say when it will end."

"It's not known whether the ration will be reduced further. Maybe it will be reduced, and then the food we have stored won't be enough for us to eat."

Upon hearing this, everyone's feeling of relief suddenly became nervous again.

"Then what should we do?" Liu Haizhong asked.

Li Kailang replied: "Whether the ration is reduced or not, we must be prepared to reduce the ration again. We must consider how to eat the stored food."

"Yes, yes, that's what Xiao Li said. No matter what, the most important thing is to be prepared for an emergency." Yan Bugui agreed.

He has the largest family and they are the ones who need to be considered the most.

"Xiao Li, go on, what should we do?"

Li Kailang said: "The most important thing for us now is to keep it secret. The cellar is the most important place in our yard. We must not let outsiders know that we have grain stored in our yard."

"No one is allowed to enter the cellar."

As soon as the words fell, someone echoed: "Yes, Xiao Li is right, no one can go in!"

"I think from now on, someone must guard the cellar, especially to prevent thieves from coming in. If they are discovered, the food in our cellar may have to be donated."

"I don't need to tell you what you will do after donating. I think you don't want to experience the feeling of being hungry."

Everyone nodded quickly, "Xiao Li said that no one should be allowed to enter this cellar."

"Xiao Li, what should we do?" Yan Bugui asked at the right time.

Li Kailang said: "I think the best way is to have someone live in the cellar. I think we should have one person from each household take turns to live in the cellar and guard it for one night."

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. Li Kailang's proposal was fair.

At that time, the thieves will either steal things or steal food, and they will eventually go to the cellar, which is not as convenient as guarding the cellar.

As for the problems that might arise from sleeping in the cellar, now is not the time to discuss them.

Li Kailang continued, "Also, from now on, no matter who they are, relatives or friends of yours, no matter if you know them or not, they cannot come in alone."

"Let's all wait at the door until someone from our yard leads him in, to prevent him from running around and discovering our cellar."

"If someone brings someone here and finds our cellar and our food, I don't need to tell you what the consequences will be."

Everyone then nodded in agreement, apparently maintaining appropriate relationships with relatives and friends.

"Okay, that's all I can think of first. If there's anything else I can't think of, I'll add it later."

"The rules we set before should be followed as usual."

What Li Kailang was talking about was that everyone had a unified time to get food and had the key to the cellar.

Yan Bugui suddenly asked, "By the way, Xiao Li, is there any way to eat less food?"

Li Kailang had no solution to this problem. He couldn't just go out and dig wild vegetables, as that would consume more energy and ultimately food.

"I suggest that if you have nothing to do, just lie down. If you exercise less, you will consume less energy and won't be so hungry."

Hearing this, everyone's eyes suddenly brightened up. This was a good idea.

"You're right! Why didn't I think of that?"

"Xiao Li is really smart. I'll go back and give it a try to see if it works."

"Remember to tell me when you're done trying it. If it works, I'll go back and lie down, too."

It turns out that lying flat became popular in the 1950s.

Seeing this, Li Kailang couldn't help but smile and shake his head. They came back from a busy day and were already hungry after not eating. They wanted to lie down and reduce consumption. Wasn't this a joke?
The conference ended successfully and everyone went home.

(End of this chapter)