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墨書 Inktalez
The roads in the city are not very easy to navigate. Zhou Miao is driving slowly, mainly because speeding in such icy conditions is tantamount to seeking disaster. In fact, the population density in the city is still quite high, with a large portion being migrant workers. Due to road issues, both trains and long-distance buses have ceased operations, leaving those without transportation stuck here.
The weather is extremely cold, and with the snowstorm reducing visibility, driving speed is almost as slow as a turtle's pace. However, even this is much better than walking. The electric bikes and motorcycles that used to be everywhere have long since disappeared, and as a result, the accident rate has dropped by more than ten percentage points.
The wind outside is strong, mixed with fine ice particles that hit the car windows with a pattering sound. Fortunately, these ice particles are not large enough to damage the windshield. Zhou Miao's driving skills are good, but it still took an hour and a half to get out of the city. The number of vehicles on the road has increased, and pedestrians can occasionally be seen standing by the roadside.
"Brother, aren't they cold?" Li Ming curiously observed groups of three or four people standing by the road, waving at passing cars, but very few were willing to stop.
"Those people want to go home, so they're trying to hail a ride," Li Yan said as he poured a cup of hot water from a thermos for Li Ming. Although the temperature inside the car was warm due to the heating, drinking water helps prevent excessive dehydration.
"Why don't they take the bus?" Li Ming pressed his face against the window, looking rather comical from outside. However, given the current situation, very few people would notice such things.
Li Ming's question was innocent but weighed heavily on the minds of the other three. In this dire situation, not only are planes and trains unavailable, but even long-distance buses have stopped running. Many migrant workers are not doing well in City A; most lack cars and homes. Now faced with this snow disaster, staying here means either starving or freezing to death. Many have no choice but to venture outside the city in hopes of catching a ride back home. If that fails, it's common for locals to pool their money together to hire a van or something similar. However, if that's the case, generally speaking, one would need at least ten or twenty thousand for such arrangements.
Li Yan looked through the glass at the sky; it was overcast and gray. Upon closer inspection, he could see many fine particles falling from the sky like cow hair, which made him feel uneasy.
The road conditions were relatively better; perhaps due to more cars passing by, exhaust heat had melted some of the accumulated snow, making it less slippery than the roads within the city. Zhou Miao accelerated while keeping his speed under fifty miles per hour. It took another hour just to reach the toll booth, only to find that many others were also trying to leave the city.
With such a long queue ahead of them, it would take at least two hours before it was their turn. Zhou Miao glanced at his watch; they were already close to that time. "Well then, let's have our meal here."
"Brother, I'm hungry too," said Li Ming. Ever since he started following Li Yan, he hadn't gone hungry; after doing physical work early in the morning, he was genuinely starving now.
Li Yan climbed back into the rear seat and took out several boxes of food and some steamed buns that he had prepared that morning. Thanks to their preservation in space, both the dishes and buns were still warm. All of them had hearty appetites. They tore open the buns and stuffed them with beef and vegetables while sipping egg drop soup; it tasted surprisingly good. Even Li Ming managed to eat two and a half buns before finally giving up on the last half which Li Yan ended up finishing.
Zhou Miao picked up a large piece of beef with chopsticks and held it out towards Yu Tian's mouth: "Tian Tian, come on, ah~~."
Yu Tian's ears turned completely red as he shot an annoyed glare at Zhou Miao but couldn't resist his persistence. If he didn't eat it, Zhou Miao wouldn't retract his chopsticks. When Yu Tian looked up, he saw Li Ming's clear big eyes staring at him; gritting his teeth, he swallowed the meat without even tasting it.
Just as they were eating, someone knocked on the car door from outside. Sitting by the door was Li Ming; having finished eating, he was now feeling restless. When they opened the door, they found a boy about seven or eight years old standing outside alongside a woman in her thirties. The woman and child were bundled up so tightly that their appearances were hard to discern.
"Excuse me, could you please help me? Do you have any hot water in your car?" The woman spoke hesitantly, clearly not used to borrowing things from others. "Can I trade a bag of instant noodles for a pot of hot water?"
"Mom, I want to eat steamed buns," the child said, his sharp eyes catching even the slightest opening. Perhaps he smelled something, as he leaned his neck forward eagerly.
"We're out; there's only one bun left," Li Ming replied after glancing back. The child thought for a moment and continued, "Zhou Ge is a big eater; he managed to eat five buns by himself, so now there's just one left."
Zhou Miao felt wronged; was he the only one eating the buns? Li Yan had eaten four and a half! Of course, in their household, it didn't matter how much they ate every day. Yu Tian couldn't help but smile at Li Ming's words; he thought Li Ming was quite articulate and spoke the truth.
The woman paused for a moment after hearing Li Ming's words. Five buns? That meant the food supply in this car must be plentiful; otherwise, in a situation like this, even those who usually ate a lot would try to ration their food. She pulled her child forward and said, "Little brother, can we go inside to talk? It's too cold outside."
Li Ming obediently stepped aside to let them in. Li Yan and Zhou Miao exchanged glances but remained silent. Once the woman and child entered, they immediately caught the aroma of stewed beef and vegetables. The small space of the car combined with the closed windows made it hard for the warmth to escape.
The child took off his mask and scarf, his eyes fixated on the remaining pieces of beef and vegetables, as well as the still-warm bun. A seven or eight-year-old child wouldn't hide his feelings; he swallowed hard and reached directly for the bun.
The woman felt a bit embarrassed and said, "I'm sorry; this child hasn't had vegetables or meat for a long time. We've only been able to drink thin porridge these past few days. It doesn't matter for us adults, but how can a child endure that?" As she spoke, her eyes began to well up, yet she didn't stop her child from eating.
This behavior would normally be considered quite rude, but given the special circumstances and since all four of them were already full, Li Yan and the others said nothing about it. Since they agreed to let them in, they naturally knew what would happen next. The child seemed genuinely starved; he gulped down his food and choked several times. Li Ming even lent him his water bottle, and by the time the child was full, there was no water left in it.
"Um, where are you all headed?" The woman glanced at Li Yan's expression cautiously before daring to ask further.
"We're going to see some friends," Li Yan said while ruffling Li Ming's hair, preventing him from speaking. Li Ming blinked at Li Yan but pouted in silence. "And you?"
"I'm heading to Zhejiang; I heard the weather there is better than here." The woman looked at Li Yan with anticipation and nervously added, "If we're going the same way, we could travel together; it's not safe these days. Our car is just up ahead; my husband and brother-in-law know some martial arts, so we can look out for each other."
Li Yan raised an eyebrow and replied with apparent reluctance, "That's unfortunate; we're actually going to Jinan, so we probably can't travel together." If there were strong men over there, why would they send a woman and child out for hot water? They were likely just looking for food.
Zhou Miao frowned slightly but continued dozing in the driver's seat; it was nice to have a full stomach and take a nap. Yu Tian didn't think too deeply about it and comforted the woman: "Sister, don't lose hope; things will get better eventually. Didn't they say on TV that this is a once-in-a-hundred-years event? Once it's over, everything will be fine."
The woman forced a smile but remained unconvinced. She licked her dry lips and continued speaking: "I heard Jinan is even colder; you might not be able to handle it there either. Why not come to Zhejiang? My husband is in business there and has some connections. Since we know each other now, it makes sense to look out for one another. Plus, it's a land of fish and rice there; food won't be an issue. After this tough time passes, you can still go find your friends." She could tell that this group had plenty of food. Although there were four men, three looked quite refined while only the driver appeared somewhat intimidating.
As long as they agreed to walk with her, it shouldn't be difficult for them to ask for food later. Her husband and younger brother hadn't eaten anything proper for a whole day...
"Big sister, I think your husband and younger brother must be getting anxious," Li Yan said. Having been in the market for so many years, he could easily see through a woman's thoughts. "We don't have any hot water here either. I think the toll station should provide hot water; you should go check."
"But..."
Li Yan's voice turned colder, and he deliberately showed doubt in his eyes. "Big sister, do you have anything else to discuss?"
The woman bit her lip hard, her face paling as she ultimately couldn't bring herself to speak. When she got out of the car, she pulled her child's hand with much more force, her tone impatient, clearly showing off for them to see. "Hurry up and get out of the car! What are you dragging your feet for? Do you want to make others feel sorry for you?"
Only Yu Tian was somewhat dumbfounded; the difference in her behavior was too stark. Was it all just an act?
"Ah, mine!" Li Ming didn't expect that the child would suddenly lunge at him to grab his Teddy Bear Cookies as he was getting out of the car. Li Ming had a deep obsession with Teddy Bear Cookies and immediately shouted, "Brother, he's stealing my Teddy Bear Cookies!"
"Oh come on, it's just a pack of Teddy Bear Cookies. Next time, big sister will buy you ten packs. The little brother doesn't understand; you're older now, so let him have it." The woman felt a pang of bitterness as she saw her son snatching something from someone else. In the past, whenever she had money, she wouldn't hesitate to buy not just one pack but even a hundred without blinking; now...
"No way, it's mine!" Li Ming held onto one end of the Teddy Bear Cookies tightly. Why should he give his things to someone else? His brother bought it for him.
The woman forced a smile as if trying to pull her son back, but her hand was still gripping the packaging of the Teddy Bear Cookies. With one strong tug, the cookies were taken by her son, who turned and ran away. The woman mumbled apologetically, "This child... this unfortunate child... I must teach him a good lesson when we get home. By the way, how much does this cost? I'm really sorry; that unfortunate child is just too thoughtless."
Yu Tian was completely speechless; this was truly shameless lying! Everyone had seen what happened just now; this woman... this woman was utterly despicable. Yu Tian felt that all his sympathy had been wasted on such a person and it made him furious just thinking about it.
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