Others are fleeing famine, but I am a salted fish

"Old man, you're still here, that's great. I was worried that you'd moved. If you weren't here, I'd have to go to the county government office to ask about your new address."

"Yes, yes, our whole family is here, Captain Shen, please come in and sit down. Come, come quickly." Grandpa leaned sideways and made a gesture of invitation, and shouted at the inside, "Hey, Captain Shen is here, everyone come and greet him."

"It's okay, old man. There's no rush. I'm just passing by. I came to say hello first. I have to take the people to Wanbao Town with my brothers to hand over. I'll come back to talk to you." Team leader Shen was still straightforward and explained the purpose of his visit simply and directly.

The enthusiastic grandfather belatedly realized and followed the direction pointed by Team Leader Shen, and saw that more than 20 meters away from the gate, there were two other escorting officers, different from the last time, leading more than a hundred ragged refugees, some alone and some with their families, passing by their place.

Hearing that Team Leader Shen was going to carry out the mission first, Grandpa nodded immediately and said, "Okay, then Team Leader Shen, go to the town to finish your work first, and then you must come to the farm and let them treat you well."

After not seeing each other for a month, the two of them didn't seem strange at all. Thinking about the small favor I did for him, the old man still remembered it in his heart. When they met again, he not only remembered his last name, but his attitude was still as warm as before. Team leader Shen felt the joy of meeting him again after a long separation.

"Okay, old man. I'll go to the town to take over first, and come back after I finish my work. Don't think I'm a rough guy and cause you trouble." As he spoke, Team Leader Shen took out the pressed duck he brought from the state capital from his bag and handed it to the old man. "Old man, don't think I'm too polite. I'll bring you other delicious food next time."

Grandpa Lin politely waved his hands repeatedly and said politely, "No, no, thank you, thank you."

After saying hello, Team Leader Shen turned around, led his men and more than a hundred refugees who were craning their necks and looking into the village, and shouted loudly, urging everyone to hurry on.

After watching Team Leader Shen leave, Grandpa Lin turned and went into the farm, and told everyone to speed up their work and finish the work, because when Team Leader Shen and his team came over in the evening, they would have to hold a welcoming banquet for them.

When they heard that Team Leader Shen was coming, everyone couldn't help but cheer loudly, happily saying that tonight would be another carnival feast.

The angry grandfather laughed and scolded them, as if he had treated them harshly in the past. They all took the opportunity to eat and drink to their heart's content.

In theory, a friendship of only one encounter, if it was in the village before, can't really be considered deep. But after experiencing the famine, seeing many separations of life and death, enemies, the fickleness of the world, and other human feelings, the survivors will always know how to cherish more.

The village was filled with joy because a friend was coming to visit, and it was as lively as the New Year. Meanwhile, Captain Shen and his men, who were hurrying to the town, also started chatting.

"Hey, captain, do you know that family?" The two officers who were escorting the team saw the captain knocking on the door of the farmer's house and chatting and laughing with the people inside, so they couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Those are the last batch of refugees. They have only been settled in Wanbao Town for a little over a month. You should have heard of the instant noodles and wine before you came here. They were made by their family."

"Oh, it's the good wine that the brothers fought over before, and the damn delicious instant noodles."

"Look at what you said. What the hell do you mean by fragrant? Who do you think we are?" Team leader Shen slapped the official who was talking rudely next to him with a smirk.

The other officer saw this. Although it was their first time working together, he saw that the captain was easy to talk to and was familiar with the family, so he asked, "Captain Shen, can we buy some instant noodles and wine from them later? Can you help us negotiate a friendly price?"

Team leader Shen had an expression that said, "Okay, this trip to Wanbao Town is just to find them and buy some wine and instant noodles. To be honest, these two things are really good. When we are out, not only will we have to toss and turn, but we also can't eat well. Soaking some instant noodles is both worry-free and convenient. Drinking a couple of glasses of wine before going to bed at night, hey, it's so comfortable."

"I heard the two brothers who came back with you talk about the benefits of instant noodles and wine. The wine is pure, and the noodles are chewy, fragrant and smooth, which made the brothers drool. Now, the captain must help us bargain and let the brothers buy some back to prepare for emergencies."

“Look at what they said. They are all fellow villagers. Things are not expensive. Only the cost of alcoholic beverages is higher. However, compared with those things out there that taste like water, you will know whether it is worth it when you try it yourself.” When the Lin family’s distilled liquor was mentioned and the sweet, rich and pure aroma was recalled, Team Leader Shen could not help swallowing his saliva, with an endless aftertaste on his face.

Seeing this, the two officers' eyes lit up and they couldn't help but look forward to it.

For these people, who have been busy working outside recently and have not been able to go home, it is really not easy for them to have a good meal and drink.

Having finally seen hope, the three men urged the refugees to hurry to the town and complete the handover quickly so as not to delay their meals and drinks.

More than a hundred refugees followed the three officers and more or less heard what they were talking about.

Thinking back to the huge manor just now, he couldn't help but be surprised. He didn't expect that the people living there were just a group of refugees who were assigned to Wanbao Town earlier. Thinking about the life they are living now, and then looking at himself who is dressed in rags and looks like a beggar, he felt particularly uncomfortable.

The three officials said that those people seemed to be making and selling alcohol and instant noodles. As for what instant noodles were, they didn't know. They guessed that it was probably some kind of noodles. After all, there still had to be some secret recipes in this era to allow a family to quickly gain a foothold anywhere.

As more than a hundred refugees were sighing and groaning, some of them had grim expressions on their faces. They looked at each other in a rather obscure way, and had some thoughts in their hearts.

If Grandpa Lin or people from Linjia Village were present, they would probably be able to recognize the few people who had mixed in with the refugees and had ulterior motives, and who happened to be old acquaintances of theirs.

……

As night falls, lights are lit in every house, smoke rises from the Lin family farm, and there are sounds of joy and laughter.

Today they held their wedding reception in the front hall half an hour earlier than usual. It was crowded and lively, with smiles on everyone's faces, and they were obviously enjoying the conversation.

Soon after the two unfamiliar officers sat down, they started chatting with the Lin family following the introduction of Team Leader Shen. The more they talked, the more they got along. With the joyful atmosphere and the blessing of fine wine and delicious food, everyone soon had no more barriers and started talking.