Read Novel Full Chapter 235: Injured
Chapter 235: Injured
Jiang Ning was quick, and the small scooter accelerated to dodge.
Huo Yishen raised the crossbow in his hand without hesitation and shot it. Only a miserable cry came from the ruins.
Without stopping, they continued to move forward.
The closer they got to the municipal center, the more people there were, and the work hall was packed.
It was estimated that the contractor dared not to cut any corners, which allowed the municipal center to survive the earthquake, but it was no longer as glorious and majestic as before, with cracked ground, mottled high walls, and cracked buildings…
The work hall was crowded with many survivors, all of whom had come for the New City Plan.
Even in the face of natural disasters and the end of the world, the idea of having a home was deeply ingrained.
For those with the means, they wanted to find opportunities to get a set of housing; for those without, they wanted to save points to exchange for goods.
The bulletin board was densely covered with dozens of pages of paper, all lists of materials exchangeable for points.
There was also a precious electronic display screen in the hall where you can scroll the same content.
After half an hour, the two of them finished reading the relevant content, then looked at each other, feeling uneasy.
Indeed, complete reinforced steel was quite expensive, but finished houses were even more so.
A two-bedroom house required 5000 points, while a villa required 50000 points.
By the way, they couldn’t really be called villas anymore; they were two-story standalone courtyards, while the two-bedroom houses were indeed just that, with no living room or bathroom, only about 15 square meters.
What did this mean? It wasn’t official corruption, but rather that resources were too scarce, so they had to raise the threshold to accommodate some of the survivors.
Not having a living room was understandable, but not having a bathroom… hmm!
Jiang Ning pulled Huo Yishen aside, hoping he could explain.
Huo Yishen lowered his voice, “In the end times, there is a lack of various building materials. Without waterproof coatings, it’s impossible to build bathrooms. Once leaks occur, it will damage the quality of the house.”
Reinforced steel has been affected to some extent by extreme cold and freezing, and the floors cannot be built too high, with five or six stories being the limit.
Public baths and toilets will be built to solve the problem of sanitation.
Jiang Ning was shocked. Does that mean they have to go outside to use the bathroom late at night? Otherwise, they’d have to use a chamber pot at home.
Remembering the key points, Huo Yishen pulled her away from the crowd and found a quiet place. “A villa requires 50000 points and 2000 kilograms of food, but it comes with a yard and a bathroom.”
He calculated that with the reinforced steel and tiles they had hoarded, plus 2500 kilograms of food, they could buy a villa and a two-bedroom apartment.
Jiang Ning shook her head, “We can’t donate everything. We still need to renovate the villa when we get it.”
Moreover, while it’s nice to have wealthy neighbors, when the environment becomes extremely harsh, even the villa area is not safe.
For example, during polar nights, the cost of committing crimes is very low.
If the villa collapses, where will they retreat to?
Even with an extra two-bedroom apartment, and taking care of Doudou and the dog, and also raising rabbits, they wouldn’t be able to manage it at all.
So, not only did they need a villa, but they also needed at least two sets of two-bedroom apartments.
But then, the hoarded building materials wouldn’t be enough.
Expensive materials were not useful, reinforced steel was more valuable, tiles could only exchange for a few points, and as for glass… it had to be kept for renovating the villa to protect against acid rain.
Jiang Ning had a new idea, “We can hoard the other building materials with relatively high points and try to exchange for another set of two-bedroom apartments.”
“Sand and wood?”
“These two have the highest demand.” Jiang Ning nodded. “Next to Aoyuan is Fengcheng River, so we won’t lack sand as long as we’re willing to dig.”
As for wood, they could go into the deep mountains for a trip.
For others, these two things were not difficult, but what was difficult was solving the transportation problem.
But Jiang Ning could cheat with space, so getting wood only required a trip into the mountains.
It was still quite early when they left the municipal center. Jiang Ning didn’t want to go back and lie around like a salted fish. “How about taking a walk?”
Everywhere was dangerous, and the two of them didn’t have any friends in Fengcheng. Huo Yishen suggested, “How about visiting Grandma Zhong?”
Jiang Ning had no objections. “Okay.”
During the extreme cold, the Zhong family all survived. They wonder if they survived the super earthquake as well?
It wasn’t too far away, so they went there using the scooter.
Everywhere was ruins, which made people feel extremely depressed, especially when they saw the collapsed staff building of the research institute.
The building where Grandma Zhong lived had collapsed.
Jiang Ning stood in front of the ruins, feeling somewhat lost.
A scavenging woman nearby looked up. “Little girl, who are you looking for?”
Jiang Ning was stunned for a moment before saying, “I’m looking for the Zhong family.”
“The Zhong family…” The woman thought for a long time before pointing in the distance. “They seem to be over there.”
A few hundred meters away, there were crowded tents and wooden houses.
The research institute collapsed except for one building, but the research work still had to continue, so the family members could only endure.
Jiang Ning asked, “Is their family okay?”
The woman sighed deeply. “My son was in the same group as Zhong Ping’s father. He mentioned a while ago that it seems Grandma Zhong was injured in the earthquake and her condition isn’t too good.”
After thanking her, the two went to the temporary shelter.
Worried about safety, Jiang Ning wiped some ash on her face and clothes.
The air in the shelter was polluted, and garbage and filth were everywhere. Survivors looked disheveled, and scavenged old materials were piled next to tents or wooden houses.
After asking several times, they finally found the rundown tent.
Mother Zhong was squatting in front of the tent and was boiling herbs on a clay stove. “Mom, the medicine is almost ready.”
Coughing came from inside the tent. “Don’t waste food to exchange for medicine. I’ve lived long enough.”
Mother Zhong added wood to the fire pit. “Mom, don’t think too much. If Zhong Ping hears about it, he’ll worry. You’re not seriously injured; it’s just that recovery is slow because you’re old.”
When they arrived, Mother Zhong was particularly surprised. “Why are you here?”
“We were nearby for some errands and decided to come see you on the way.”
Mother Zhong was very happy and wiped her hands, motioning them inside. “Please come in.”
The tent was cramped but tidy, with no strange smells.
Grandma Zhong turned to the side. “Is Little Jiang here with Little Huo?”
Looking somewhat unwell, lacking energy, and seeming to have aged several years since their last meeting, her cheeks were even thinner.
Jiang Ning sat down on the ground. “Grandma, what happened to you?”
“Nothing much, just got a head injury during the earthquake.”
Grandma Zhong tried to sit up but felt dizzy.
Mother Zhong quickly helped her lie down and explained to the two of them, “Zhong Ping made an iron box with shock absorbtion. During the earthquake, our whole family wrapped up in thick clothes and got inside. But we didn’t expect the earthquake to be so severe.”
The heavens and earth split apart, and the weather was extremely hot, so even if they weren’t shaken to death, they would have been suffocated.
Grandma Zhong survived the earthquake but not the aftershocks. She got into trouble as soon as she got out of the iron box.
The elderly were not agile, and she fell and was hit by flying stones.
With resources exchanged for expensive antibiotics, the external injuries barely healed, but she was left with headaches and dizziness that couldn’t be treated no matter what.
With a heavy psychological burden, Grandma always felt like she was burdening her children and grandchildren, which made her depression worse.
Jiang Ning could see it and reassured her with a smile, “Grandma, if you can trust my poor medical skills, I’ll take a look at you.”
“That would be wonderful.” Mother Zhong thanked her repeatedly.
She had hired a quack doctor from outside who was talking nonsense and almost scared the old lady to death instead of treating her.
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