Reborn before the famine, kicking away the scumbag's family and living a carefree life.

43. Du Mei (2)

Du Mei said helplessly, "But if we don't go out to look for food, are we just going to starve to death at home?"

"Will we be able to find food just by going out? Not only will we not be, but we'll also waste our energy for nothing."

Du Mei looked at her three children, who were starving and on the verge of death, and gritted her teeth.

"I'll go out and see."

Cheng Xiao: "What kind of food can you find outside? Besides, it's not safe outside now; the streets are full of starving people."

"What can we do then? Just stay home and wait to die?"

As Du Mei spoke, she found a headscarf, put it on her head, slung a cloth bag over her shoulder, put a small bowl with a lid inside, and went out the door.

Cheng Xiao glanced at Du Mei, then helplessly lay back down on the bed.

He didn't want to wait to die, but the grass outside had all been eaten, and there was nothing left to eat.

Going there won't make a difference.

His family was considered lucky. Before the production team ran out of food, he sold all the valuables in his house to get a little grain. He was only able to buy that little bit of grain through his uncle, the township head.

But that little bit of food was only enough to support their family for two months.

A month ago, people in the village began to starve to death one after another.

At first, there were a few cries, but gradually, the cries stopped. The living didn't have much time left, and they didn't have the strength to cry anymore. So, in the face of death, they were only numb, and even their fear was greatly reduced.

Cheng Xiao knew that his wife had gone out to find food, and there was probably little hope of success, but he still had a faint hope that she would find some food and come back.

Du Mei went out, her legs as weak as noodles because she hadn't eaten for three days.

Noodles? Why is my mind filled with nothing but food?

The village was quiet. Most people stayed indoors to conserve their limited energy. Occasionally, someone would walk by, always asking if there was any food. Even though they knew the other person couldn't possibly have any food for them, they couldn't help but ask; it was an instinctive desire for survival within their bodies.

Du Mei walked to the door of a house. The door was open and people were walking around inside.

A sigh came: "Three died in total, only one is left."

It was the voice of the captain and a patrolman.

Du Mei hurried past as if fleeing.

She had to find food, she absolutely had to find some food, her family couldn't all starve to death.

But no matter how hard she tried, her legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and she couldn't move fast at all; she even almost fell over.

She walked forward mechanically and numbly, and finally reached the village entrance, where she saw a person lying on the ground.

She instinctively took a step back. The person was motionless. Was he dead?

She wanted to leave as soon as possible.

After taking a couple of steps, he looked back again. His face was down, his clothes were dusty and patched, making it impossible to tell whether he was a man or a woman, old or young.

They must have starved to death; they probably didn't have any food on them. But could they have had anything valuable?

You can exchange anything of value for food.

Even if ordinary people have money, they can't buy food, but this family can; they have connections.

Du Mei turned around and mentally encouraged herself.

She carefully walked up to the person, slowly squatted down, and touched the person all over.

There was nothing there except a cane beside him.

Undeterred, she searched again, but still found nothing.

She could only pick up the cane and stand up.

The moment she stood up, she felt dizzy and lightheaded. If it weren't for the cane in her hand giving her some support, she would have almost fallen.

She leaned on her cane and slowly walked forward toward Daben Village.

She was going to find Qi Zhengyang, who had once lent her thirty yuan.

She was going to get the thirty yuan back to buy food.

However, she wasn't sure if he could pay back the thirty yuan.

She knew he had no money; his ex-wife had taken it all.

Since Qi Zhengyang's divorce, he has been living on borrowed money.

He most likely couldn't pay back the thirty yuan, but she still held onto a sliver of hope that he would have the money to repay her.

The distance from Xiaoben Village to Daben Village is not far, only a little over a kilometer. Usually, it would only take her ten minutes to get there. Today, however, she walked with difficulty for almost forty minutes before finally reaching Qi Zhengyang's house in Daben Village.

She knocked on the door.

After a long time, Qi Zhengyang's voice came from inside.

"who is it?"

“It’s me, Du Mei.”

The door opened, and Qi Zhengyang was not as disheveled and haggard as the people on the street; he was still handsome and clean, only a little thinner.

Du Mei suddenly felt ashamed of herself. She touched her face and saw that she was so thin and bony that she looked unrecognizable!

Qi Zhengyang was also shocked to see Du Mei.

Two months have passed, and she looks so haggard. Her once fair and plump skin has turned dark yellow and dry. Her eyes look big, but they have lost their former liveliness, and there is only a wolf-like light in them.

While he was still in a daze, she had already slipped inside and quickly closed the door.

"Do you have anything to eat here? I'm starving." That was the first thing she blurted out.

She thought he would shake his head and say no.

But he turned and went into the kitchen without saying anything, and Du Mei followed him into the kitchen.

There was a pot of porridge inside.

The sight of the white rice porridge made Du Mei unable to believe her eyes.

Could I be hallucinating?

Qi Zhengyang took out a bowl and poured a bowl of porridge for her.

Seeing Zhou was like Du Mei being handed a bowl of water after walking in the desert for a long time and almost dying of thirst.

Du Mei took the bowl and drank the porridge in one gulp.

The burning pain in my stomach was soothed, and a feeling of comfort instantly spread from my stomach throughout my body.

"Can I have another bowl?"

Qi Zhengyang poured another bowl of porridge for Du Mei.

As he poured the food, he said, "Once you drink this bowl, you can't drink anymore. When the stomach is extremely hungry, it loses its sense of fullness and doesn't know when it's full. Many people who are extremely hungry die from overeating after they get plenty of food."

Du Mei understood this principle, and she nodded.

She drank two bowls of porridge in one go and was already satisfied.

The first bowl is for physical needs; the second bowl is for sensory experiences, for spiritual needs.

"Thank you, Zhengyang."

She wanted to ask him why there was still rice at this hour, but she held back.

None of that matters anymore. What matters is that she wants some rice to take home.

The children are starving to death.

But at that time, food was very precious; food was life itself. If he gave it to her, he would be in danger of starving to death. She wasn't sure if he could give her even a little.

But she still spoke up.

"Zhengyang, could you give me some rice to take home for my child? Anything else is fine too, as long as it's food, whatever it is."