Chapter 308: Unexpected surprises are not to be stolen but to be thought of

Chapter 308: Unexpected surprises are not to be stolen but to be thought of

Chapter 308: Unexpected surprises are not to be stolen but to be thought of

The next day.

"Xiao Li, Xiao Zhang, do you two have meat tickets? I'll buy it with you." Lu Wenjiang looked at the two of them.

"I haven't used mine yet, take it if you want it, Senior Brother."

"Mine is with my mom. I'll go back and tell her."

Lu Wenjiang: "Thank you. Your sister-in-law has been feeling a little unwell lately. The doctor said she is malnourished and needs to eat fresh pork. That's why I came to borrow it from you two."

"Is sister-in-law okay?" Li Kailang asked.

Lu Wenjiang shook his head: "It's okay, after work today, I'll go to the black market to see if there is any meat for sale?"

Li Kailang shook his head: "There should be no meat for sale in the black market. I still have a piece of bacon at home. Brother, you can use it first."

Although it was cured meat, it was better than no meat at all. Lu Wenjiang wouldn't mind it at all, but it was Li Kailang who saved it after all.

"How can this be good? Meat is so precious nowadays. How can this be possible?"

Before Lu Wenjiang could say anything, Li Kailang interrupted and said, "Okay, Senior Brother, we are all family. Don't worry about this or that. Just focus on your sister-in-law first."

Hearing this, Lu Wenjiang, considering Luo Ruiyun, could only nod and said, "Xiao Li, thank you."

"It's okay." Li Kailang waved his hand nonchalantly.

It is not the most difficult time yet, and we can still have meat to eat, but each person only has 10 tael of meat every ten days, which is not enough at all.

Lu Wenjiang then found the two of them, intending to gather more to replenish Luo Ruiyun's body.

Li Kailang reminded: "I'll bring it to you when we get home at noon. You have to keep this bacon secret."

Lu Wenjiang nodded and said, "Don't worry, I saved myself this trouble."

Although it is not yet time to eat tree bark or soil, the situation is not that good. Everyone is thinking about producing food to fill their stomachs.

There was a pile of fresh chickens, ducks, geese and pork in the growing space, but Li Kailang couldn't take them out directly.

Now that everyone is short of food and clothing, it is very likely that he would not be suspicious if he suddenly took out the meat.

Zhang Fen suggested, "Oh, well, tomorrow is the weekend, why don't we go out of town and go hunting to see if we can catch anything?"

"Since there's nothing to sell on the black market, why not try your luck out there?"

Hearing this, Lu Wenjiang nodded, "I think it's okay. Let's go out of the city tomorrow to have a look. It's better than staying in the city and not being able to get any meat."

The next day.

The three of them got together early in the morning and rode their bicycles to the countryside.

Without trucks, it would take them a long time to ride their bikes, and their butts would be sore.

"I didn't feel anything when I was driving, but why does my butt hurt so much when I ride here?"

Zhang Fen touched his butt and complained.

"Of course. Don't you see how big the difference is between a truck and a bicycle?"

After all, the big tires of a truck are far from comparable to the small tires of a bicycle.

Coupled with the speed of the truck, it can drive straight over many small potholes with only slight vibrations.

"Okay, let's go quickly, there's still some distance to go." Lu Wenjiang said.

Zhang Fen patted his butt and got back on his bike.

The three of them only rode about ten kilometers to the nearest hill, not the Wangjia Village that Li Kailang was familiar with.

You have to know that Wangjia Village is more than 30 kilometers away from the city. It is easy to go there by truck, but it is not easy to ride there.

The three of them rode while looking at the surrounding farmland.

Compared with last year, the growth of farmland is very poor. Some farmlands are so full of crops that there is not a single gap visible.

Some are planted so sparsely that you can see the fields behind.

But no matter which one, the crops are in a sickly state and not many fruits are produced on the wheat.

"It seems that the harvest this year is not very good. I wonder how many people will not have enough food to eat." Lu Wenjiang couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes, fortunately we have stored food. If we didn't have any, I don't know what to do?" Zhang Fen echoed.

The people who suffer the most from food shortage are not the city dwellers, but the rural people, those who grow crops.

There is commercial grain in the city, with fixed quotas. It’s not enough to eat, but at least there is food.

But there is no ration for people in rural areas. How much food they can eat depends on how much food they can grow.

The food they got was diverted and exploited through layers of distribution, so there was really not much left.

"Stop looking and let's go." Lu Wenjiang increased the speed of his riding.

He couldn't help much even if he wanted to. The remaining amount he stored was only enough for himself. If he distributed it, it would be gone in an instant.

Now that Luo Ruiyun is still pregnant, he can only take care of himself and his own family.

Half an hour later.

"We're here, let's go into the mountains." When they reached the foot of the mountain, the three got off the bike.

Lock all three vehicles together, take backpacks and machetes, and a gun.

After all, they are out hunting, and carrying a gun is not only convenient for hunting, but also for self-defense.

Looking at the mountains, what comes into view is a field of brown trees and a bit of green in the distance.

"Looks like we have to climb the mountain." Zhang Fen muttered to himself.

The nearby mountains had obviously been visited by the surrounding villages, and no trees or anything good were left. Fortunately, the three of them were mentally prepared.

Looking at the surrounding mountains that had been visited, all the good things had been harvested, leaving nothing for them.

I climbed over the nearby mountain with difficulty and looked at the mountain not far away.

"Fortunately, this mountain has not been visited much. There should be some good things in it. Let's go into the mountain quickly." Lu Wenjiang said.

His purpose was to hunt and replenish Luo Ruiyun's body.

Li Kailang and Zhang Fen were there to assist him and to harvest some game at the same time.

Following Lu Wenjiang into the mountains, the three of them immediately went into alert.

If you want to hunt, you must be prepared and be on guard against snakes, rats, mosquitoes, flies, etc.

After one hour.

The three of them walked a short distance when suddenly, they heard a quarrel not far away.

"Lengzi, I saw this first, how could you come and rob me!"

"Bullshit, I saw it first."

"I'm talking nonsense. I was so close to it. I even used a stick to pry it apart. How could I not see it? Do you think I'm blind?"

"I don't care. Anyway, the thing is already in my hand. I can't give it to you."

"Lengzi, you can't be such a scoundrel just because your son is sick."

The three of them quickened their pace and walked over, only to see two people arguing.

A man was lying on the ground, protecting something in his hands.

A thin man pointed a stick at him.

Listening to their quarrel, it was obvious that the man lying on the ground was called Lengzi.

No matter what the thin man said, Lengzi was unwilling to give him what he had in his hand.

"Since your son is sick, I won't bother with you."

After saying that, the thin man muttered about his bad luck and left.

When Lengzi saw the thin man leaving, he carefully protected the things in his hands, slowly stood up and put them in the backpack.

What Lengzi was protecting was a big mushroom, as big as a fist. No wonder Lengzi didn’t give it to Shouzi.

Even if there is no famine now, this big mushroom would be worth a few cents, and it is even more expensive now.

When Lengzi saw the three people coming suddenly, he immediately guarded the backpack with caution, and then left immediately, fearing that they would snatch it away.

"Hey, what does this guy mean? Is he afraid that we will steal his things?" Zhang Fen said.

"Okay, let's forget about them and continue looking." Lu Wenjiang said. He was still arguing with them because of the prey.

Time passed quickly and it was evening.

"Damn it, are these pheasants and ducks hiding so deeply? I've been looking for them for a whole day and haven't seen a single one!" Zhang Fen couldn't help but curse.

He sat down on the ground, looked up at the sky and took deep breaths.

"I'm so unlucky today. I finally got the gun out, but I didn't fire a single bullet. What am I holding on to?"

The three of them searched the mountains for a while but didn't find any prey. Instead, they found a lot of game, which were actually some wild vegetables, mushrooms, fungi and the like.

They didn't see any prey and didn't get any meat. This was not why they came here.

Lu Wenjiang frowned and his face was gloomy, and it was obvious that he was not in a good mood.

He sighed and said helplessly: "Okay, it's getting late, let's go home."

After saying that, Lu Wenjiang patted his butt, got up and walked down the mountain.

When we got to the foot of the mountain, we saw a man sitting next to their bicycles.

"Hey, what are you doing? Why are you sitting next to my car? Do you want to steal my car?" Zhang Fen pointed at him and ran down angrily.

After a day of hard work, I didn't catch any meat and was covered with mosquito bites. I was so tired that I went down the mountain panting.

How could Zhang Fen be in a good mood when he saw this situation as soon as he arrived?

"I didn't, I didn't." He waved his hands frantically and shook his head to deny it. Li Kailang looked at Lu Wenjiang, who looked unhappy. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk, so he patted Zhang Fen on the shoulder.

"Okay, I don't mean that. I just want to ask about the situation."

Then I looked at him and found that he was an old acquaintance.

It was the man called Lengzi. They had met him three times along the way. Every time they met, he looked at them with a wary look on his face.

Although we left as soon as we met, I still remember his appearance.

"You are standing next to our bicycles. What's going on?"

Lengzi nodded, "Yes, something happened."

"what's up?"

He took the chicken coop placed aside and said, "Do you want hens? I'll sell them to you."

"Hens?" Li Kailang was extremely surprised. "Are you sure you want to sell hens? Are you kidding?"

People are not getting enough to eat nowadays, and few people in rural areas feed chickens.

Lengzi nodded heavily, "Do you want it?"

"Yes, of course. How much?" Li Kailang replied affirmatively.

The reason they came out hunting this time was to help Lu Wenjiang get prey.

Since you can't hunt any prey, buying a chicken is also a good option. This is a hen that can lay eggs to supplement your nutrition.

This can be described as an unexpected surprise.

Lengzi raised his thumb and looked at Li Kailang expectantly: "10 yuan, is that okay?"

After saying that, Lengzi stared at Li Kailang, fearing that he would disagree.

To his surprise, Li Kailang smiled and said, "10 yuan, okay, I'll give you the money now."

As he spoke, Li Kailang looked at Lu Wenjiang. The hen was originally bought for him. Now that the person was in front of him, there was no need to transfer the money from one hand to the other.

"Thanks, Xiao Li, let me pay you." Lu Wenjiang came out and took money out of his pocket and gave it to Lengzi.

For Luo Ruiyun, I have to buy this chicken no matter how expensive it is. Besides, the price is affordable.

Zhang Fen was not surprised by the price and even thought it was too low.

After all, everyone is short of food now, and food prices are rising. Few people will use food to feed chickens, so these chickens become extremely precious.

This price is not expensive now, it is even very cheap.

By next year, the price of eggs, which used to cost 5 cents each, will soar to 8 cents each, a full 16 times increase, and you will still not be able to buy them.

In comparison, chicken, which has only tripled in price, seems very cheap.

Before Lu Wenjiang went out, he deliberately brought some money with him and directly took out a big black ten and gave it to him.

The deal is done when money is exchanged and goods are delivered.

"By the way, why are you selling the chickens? Why don't you keep them for yourself?" Lu Wenjiang asked.

Lengzi's face darkened and he lowered his head. "The child is sick and needs medical expenses, but the family has no money, so we can only sell the hens for money."

When the three heard the result, they felt no emotion or surprise. When they first met, the thin man said that he would not care because of Lengzi's son's illness.

Obviously, he worked so hard today just for his son.

"I saw you picked a lot of things in the mountain today. Can you sell some to me?" Lu Wenjiang said.

"Really? You want those things?" Lengzi said in disbelief. He was planning to go to the city to sell them later.

Lu Wenjiang asked back: "Of course, why don't you sell it?"

"Sell, sell, sell. You wait here for a while, I'll go home and get it right away." Lengzi said anxiously.

"No need to go through so much trouble. We'll go with you so we don't have to run around." Lu Wenjiang said.

He doesn't mind helping those in need within his ability.

"Thank you, thank you." Lengzi said gratefully.

Lu Wenjiang was grateful instead: "Not really. Actually, I should thank you. I was just worrying about where to buy chickens, but I didn't expect you to sell me chickens. I should thank you."

When he went out hunting, he was prepared for the possibility of failure, and he brought money with him to buy chickens.

At Lengzi's house, the three of them specially bought some game that he had caught in the mountains, spending a total of 4 yuan.

There is not much game, and if it were last year, it would be less than 2 yuan, but now the price of food has doubled, and they are intentionally raising the price.

After having this opening, Lu Wenjiang wanted to visit other people's homes, but the result was disappointing. Even if someone raised chickens, no one was willing to sell them.

Helpless, they could only go back.

Lu Wenjiang said, "We've bought everything, let's go back before it gets dark."

"Okay, now I've finished today's work. I didn't expect that I didn't kill any prey and even no hen came. It's not a wasted trip." Zhang Fen said.

"Yeah, it was an unlucky day. I was able to buy a hen before coming back." Li Kailang agreed.

The hardest hurdle has been passed, but it doesn’t mean we can relax.

"By the way, Senior Brother, you have to protect this hen well, don't let anyone steal it and eat it."

Lu Wenjiang said: "Don't worry, this is a hen for your sister-in-law to replenish her body, I will definitely protect it well."

Seeing Lu Wenjiang's confident look, Li Kailang couldn't bear to discourage him, but still wanted to remind him.

"Brother, it's better to be careful. After all, there will always be loopholes in a hundred precautions, and there will always be places that cannot be protected."

Speaking of this, Li Kailang suddenly thought of Bang Geng. The opening scene of the TV series was that Bang Geng stole Xu Damao's chicken.

"If adults want to eat, they can restrain themselves, but if children want to eat, there is no way to stop them. They might be stolen and eaten by the children one day."

After listening to Li Kailang's reminder, Lu Wenjiang thought about it and felt that it made sense.

A thief can only steal for a thousand days, but you can never be on guard against thieves for a thousand days. As long as you want to eat, you will always seize the opportunity.

"That's troublesome. There are a lot of people in my yard, and it's very difficult to defend against them." Lu Wenjiang said with a headache.

"That's not a difficult matter. Just leave it at my house for a while. I'll take the eggs when they lay." Zhang Fen said as a matter of course.

Hearing this, Lu Wenjiang shook his head and said, "Forget it. That would be too much trouble. It would be too much trouble to deliver eggs every time."

"Besides, there's no telling when your sister-in-law wants to eat, so I'd better think of a way myself."

Seeing this, Zhang Fen didn't say anything more.

Finally, the three returned to the city and went their separate ways.

"Hey, Master Lu, are you making hen soup for Xiao Luo?"

"Master Lu, where did you get the chicken? It's hard to handle now."

When the people in Lu Wenjiang's yard saw the chicken, their eyes suddenly lit up and they stared longingly at the struggling hen on the truck bed.

From time to time, some people swallowed their saliva and licked their tongues.

Everyone hasn't eaten meat for a while and is very craving for it. Adults can still control their cravings, but children can't.

"Mom, I want to eat chicken. We haven't had meat at home for a long time."

His mother slapped him and said, "Eat, eat, eat. All you know is to eat. This is your Uncle Lu's chicken. It's for Aunt Luo's health. Don't mess around."

There are those who are sensible, and of course there are those who are not.

"Master Lu, please leave me some of the chicken soup. I can't eat chicken now, but drinking some chicken soup will satisfy my craving."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone asked for a bowl of chicken soup.

Lu Wenjiang thought to himself that something was wrong. What Li Kailang said was indeed true.

"I'm saving this for laying eggs, not for eating. I'm really sorry, everyone."

After saying that, Lu Wenjiang pushed the cart straight home.

"What a pity! They are not killed to make soup. How long can we wait before we can drink it?" Some people murmured in their hearts.

"Save it for laying eggs. It's already this time and you're still thinking about laying eggs. Why don't you eat it quickly?" Some people were secretly planning in their minds.

Lu Wenjiang walked home carrying a chicken.

"Mom, I'm back. Where's Ruiyun?"

"Ruiyun has gone to bed. What do you want to see her about?" asked Lu's mother.

"It's okay. By the way, Mom, look what I brought?"

"Where did you get that hen?"

"I got this chicken from the countryside, mom. You have to take good care of it. I'm keeping it for it to lay eggs and nourish Ruiyun. You have to take good care of it. Everyone in the yard wants to eat it."

"Bah!" Mother Lu spat at the ground and looked outside the yard.

"These people are just daydreaming. They don't have the ability to get chickens themselves, but they are targeting my family."

"Don't worry, son. I will protect you very well. I will keep the chicken at home today. I will make a cage for it when I have time to protect it."

Fortunately, Lu Wenjiang's house is in the main courtyard, and the space is not small, so it is no problem to raise a chicken for the time being.

However, this is only a temporary solution. After all, if it is left for a long time, there will be a strange smell in the house.

These hens will eventually be kept outside the home, but this will also give others an opportunity to take advantage of them.

It is not easy for people outside the yard to come in and steal, but it is much easier for people inside the yard. Just like Bang Geng, they can find a time when no one is watching.

Lu Wenjiang couldn't think of a good solution for the moment, so he could only leave it this way for now.

(End of this chapter)