Chapter Nineteen: The Warmth of Human Life
In the scavenger's camp, apart from the necessities for survival, the most abundant thing is meat.
As the restricted area is nearby, scavengers go there every day, so edible meat is sold at many stalls in the camp.
So when Captain Lei heard that Xu Qing wanted to eat the snake, a hearty smile appeared on his wrinkled face.
He understood that the reason why the other person said "eating snakes" was that the words he had said back then had clearly been firmly engraved in the heart of this child before him.
So he stopped Xu Qing from going out to buy meat.
Those people in the camp are all very cunning. You don't know much about the strange beasts in the restricted area and are easily deceived. There might be forced buying and selling. I'll go instead. Captain Lei stood up as he said this.
Hearing the words "forced buying and forced selling", Xu Qing subconsciously touched his iron tag, thought for a moment and said seriously.
They won't.
Captain Lei glanced at the iron sign, chuckled in silence, and walked out of the courtyard without saying a word.
Looking at Captain Lei's figure, Xu Qing thought for a moment, then went to the side room, carefully cleaned the POTS and bowls inside, and arranged and wiped the table. Finally, he prepared three sets of bowls and chopsticks and placed them on top. Looking at the extra set of bowls and chopsticks, Xu Qing suddenly understood something.
That's a person who will never come. In his mind, the words of Captain Lei once came to mind. In silence, he placed the third set of chopsticks and bowls beside Captain Lei's.
The same is true of chairs.
After finishing all this, Xu Qing turned his head and looked at the courtyard outside the door. At this moment, it was already dusk. The wind was a bit cold, and there seemed to be some snowflakes faintly inside.
In the late March season, for the eastern part of Nanhuangzhou, although the earth warms up and all things come back to life, winter seems reluctant to give up. Occasionally, it still scatters snowflakes, trying to tell everything that it has not yet left.
At this moment, snowflakes are swaying under the grey sky and being blown down by the wind.
It seems as if it fell from the sky to the earth, spreading the ground while being rapidly melted by the earth's temperature.
In the end, all that could be seen was the muddy ground all over the place.
No matter how noble one comes from or how pure one is, in this human world, one still has to mix with the mire, blend into it, and be indistinguishable from each other.
It is unknown whether it is the wind that contains the snow, making it even colder, or the snow that infects the wind, making it even colder.
At this moment, as the wind blew over the earth, over the camp, and over the bamboo courtyards and houses, Xu Qing felt a bit cold.
Although he was a monk, the fear of the cold that had accumulated from the depths of his memory over the years still made him feel somewhat uncomfortable in this icy cold.
It was not until in this cold wind that he saw a staggering figure coming from afar, braving the wind and snow. Pushing open the door of the courtyard, the moment the figure was revealed, a voice mixed with laughter broke through the wind and snow and reached in.
"Kid, you're in for a treat today. Look what I bought. This is a red-flowered snake. The meat of this snake is simply excellent. I'll show you my skills later."
Captain Lei, carrying a snake corpse, strode into the side room.
Noticing the tidiness in the side room, the arrangement of the tables and chairs, and the bowls and chopsticks, especially when he saw the two pairs placed side by side, Captain Lei's wrinkled face showed a smile and he gave Xu Qing a deep look.
Do you want to learn how to roast snakes? Captain Lei spoke.
"Think." Xu Qing's eyes lit up. He was eager for all the knowledge he didn't know, especially the snake cooked by Captain Lei, which was very delicious.
Captain Lei smiled and called Xu Qing to his side, introducing and making at the same time.
This snake, in theory, should have its head and tail cut off. But those people don't know that since the snake's tail has an excretion port, it must be removed. However, as long as the venom on the snake's head is properly handled, it can enhance the overall flavor of the snake meat.
Captain Lei was very happy when talking about cooking.
Xu Qing, who was listening in, was also very attentive. He watched Captain Lei clean the snake thoroughly, peel it, remove the internal organs and other debris, and then chop it into pieces and set them aside.
"Kid, you should remember that whether the meat leaves a lingering taste in your mouth or not depends on the soup." "
Saying that, Captain Lei began to simmer soup in a clay pot, adding a lot of medicinal herbs to it. Eventually, the processed snake head was also thrown into it by him.
After finishing all this, as the fragrant aroma filled the air, Xu Qing swallowed his saliva. Looking at his appearance, Captain Lei laughed heartily and directly took out the pot that had been washed clean, starting to stir-fry the snake meat.
In an instant, as the crackling sound echoed, waves of rich aroma, carrying a heat wave, rushed towards me, filling the entire side room while also spreading out.
It was as if all the coldness had been dispelled, causing Xu Qing's stomach to rumble uncontrollably. Looking at the rolling snake meat, his eyes seemed to go straight.
Soon, as Captain Lei was cooking, he put the stir-fried snake meat into the clay pot. As the lid dropped, he looked at Xu Qing.
Have you learned it?
Xu Qing fixed his eyes on the clay pot and nodded vigorously. He had witnessed the whole process and thought it wasn't very difficult.
Captain Lei gave a slight smile. When he returned from the side room, he was holding two wine jugs in his hands. He threw one to Xu Qing and held the other himself. After taking a sip, he exclaimed in admiration.
There is no shortage of meat in the camp, but this wine is a rare thing.
Xu Qing picked up the wine pot and looked at the murky liquid inside. He had never drunk wine before.
As Captain Lei said, this is a rare item. It can't be found in the slums. Only the big shots in the city can taste it.
But seeing Captain Lei's expression of enjoyment after drinking, Xu Qing hesitantly put it to his mouth. After taking a sip, his brows slightly furrowed, and he felt a sharp taste in his mouth, but still swallowed it down.
A stream of heat emerged directly from his throat, flowed down his esophagus into his stomach, then burst violently, spread throughout his body, and transformed into a breath that rushed into his mouth, making him open his mouth and exhale a mouthful of the smell of alcohol.
It doesn't taste good. Xu Qing looked at Captain Lei.
Upon hearing this, Captain Lei burst into laughter, pointed at Xu Qing and spoke with a smile.
You are still too young to taste the flavor of wine. When you grow up, you will surely like it.
Captain Lei was about to take the wine pot from Xu Qing's hand as he spoke, but Xu Qing dodged it.
"I'll try again." Xu Qing spoke seriously and took another sip. Although his brows were still furrowed, he had also adapted to the strange taste.
And before long, under the kind ridicule of Captain Lei for Xu Qing's drinking, the snake meat was healed.
The moment he brought the clay pot up and opened the lid, the aroma spread directly. Xu Qing's Adam's apple moved involuntarily. He put down the wine pot. After Lei Dui picked up a piece first, Xu Qing immediately poked out a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth to swallow in big gulps.
He still can't change the habit of gobbling up food when eating.
In this way, amid the wind and snow outside, an old man and a young man in the house were drinking wine and eating meat at the same time, and a warm feeling spread throughout.
Looking at Xu Qing holding the chopsticks in an awkward posture with all his might, Lei Team Leader's eyes showed tenderness and he muttered to himself.
After all, he is still a child. It's a pity... living in this cruel world.
At this moment, the wind and snow outside blew by. Due to the cracks in the structure of the house, they still seeped in and landed on Xu Qing. Although he was sweating all over from eating, he still felt a bit resistant to the cold wind and slightly shrank his body.
This subtle gesture caught Captain Lei's attention. He seemed lost in thought and said nothing.
After a while, Xu Qing imitated Captain Lei and took another big gulp of wine. After exhaling the smell of alcohol, he looked at the old man in front of him who had led him out of the ruined city and placed him here. Suddenly, he spoke.
"Your injury..."
"It doesn't matter. I've endured all these years. How could I die so easily? It's fine."
Xu Qing fell silent. He had intended to ask Captain Lei about the abolition of the foundation, but recalling the scene in the penalty area, he ultimately remained silent.
The meal lasted for a long time. It was not until Captain Lei emptied the wine pot in his hand that he stood up, his eyes somewhat blurry, and returned to his room.
Looking at his figure, Xu Qing clearly felt that there was a kind of former momentum in Captain Lei, which seemed to have dissipated with his return to the penalty area this time.
Xu Qing remained silent. After a while, he stood up, cleared the dining table, washed the POTS and bowls clean and neatly put them away, and then returned to his own room.
Sitting on the bed board, he looked up at the wind and snow outside the window, shrank his body, and took out the leather bag of Captain Blood Shadow that he had picked up in the restricted area.
Although there were no elixirs inside, there were a lot of spirit coins and quite a few miscellaneous items. Xu Qing checked them carefully.
Finally, a black glove was taken out. This glove didn't look like leather; it had a bit of a metallic texture.
After trying it out, Xu Qing found that this object was very resilient and had a decent protective effect. So he put it on and punched it a few times, thinking it was quite good. Only then did he take it off, close his eyes and sit in meditation, and start breathing.
There was nothing to say all night.
At dawn, the wind and snow were still falling, but they had slowed down a lot. It was just a night of icy cold that allowed the snowflakes to last for a while after hitting the ground.
So when Xu Qing walked out of the house, he saw snow marks on the ground.
Xu Qing tightened his clothes, his gaze swept over Captain Lei's residence, and walked out of the courtyard. He felt that he should do something, such as buying some white pills for Captain Lei.
So after leaving, Xu Qing stepped on the snow. With the creaking sound coming out, he walked towards the grocery store.
When passing by the tent of Master Bai's motorcade, Xu Qing heard the faint voices of young men and women reading from inside the tent. The sound made him pause in his steps and he looked at it enviously.
After a while, Xu Qing withdrew his head in silence and walked towards the grocery store.
As he drew closer, from a distance, Xu Qing saw a little girl outside the grocery store, vigorously sweeping away the snow marks. Her clothes were a bit thin, her little hands were red from the cold, and mist was coming from her mouth.
After several days of not seeing each other, the little girl seemed to have adapted to life in the camp. Although she was very tired, she cleaned very carefully.
Even though the snow was still falling, she continued to sweep. Only the scar on her face, which had ruined her appearance, was somewhat obvious in the early morning sunlight.
When Xu Qing approached, the little girl noticed something. After looking up and seeing Xu Qing, her eyes lit up and a happy smile appeared on her face.
Good morning.
"Good morning..." Xu Qing was a bit uncomfortable with this kind of greeting. After nodding, he looked into the grocery store.
Perhaps it was because it was just dawn or perhaps due to the weather, there was no one inside and neither was the shopkeeper.
What do you want to buy? I'll get it for you. The little girl spoke with a smile.
"Bai Dan." Xu Qing looked at the little girl.
Hearing this, the little girl leaned the broom in her hand against the wall beside her, led Xu Qing into the store, and then ran behind the counter to rummage through. She quickly took out a few leather bags, opened them to have a look, and put them back.
After a while, she took out another one and handed it to Xu Qing.
The owner has stipulated that only one day is allowed, so no more can be sold. The little girl looked at Xu Qing with a hint of guilt.
Xu Qing could understand. After taking the leather bag and opening it to scan, his eyes slightly narrowed.
He noticed that the quality of the white pills in this leather bag was much better than what he had bought before. Even three of them had no bluish color at all, and a faint medicinal aroma was faintly emanating.
Thinking of the little girl's previous actions, Xu Qing raised her head and looked over.
"It's nothing. It's within my authority." The little girl blinked and began to smile.
Xu Qing gave the little girl a deep look.
Thank you.
There's no need to thank you for such a small thing. I still want to thank you. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I wouldn't have survived until now.
The little girl had a bright smile and there seemed to be a sparkle in her eyes. After saying that, she seemed to have thought of something. While seeing Xu Qing off, she spoke in a low voice.
"I heard from my employer yesterday that during this period, many young people in the camp have gone missing in the restricted area. And judging from their expressions, it seems that it's not caused by the danger of the restricted area itself, but rather by human factors... You should be careful yourself." "
The little girl's eyes showed concern. This look made Xu Qing feel a bit uncomfortable. He stepped back a few steps, nodded, thanked her and left.
Not far away, Xu Qing turned his head and looked at the little girl's figure continuing to clear the snow there, as well as the scars on her face in the sunlight.
Suddenly, he recalled what Captain Lei had said: in the forbidden area temple complex, there was a kind of stone that could eliminate scars.
If you have the chance, go and find one for her. Xu Qing muttered to himself and turned to leave.
The young man walked away, and a trail of snow appeared on the road. The wind and snow were behind him... It's bigger.