Chapter 82 The Thief
The third day following the convoy.
Liang Xianyue, who had a comfortable rest in the space all night, woke up early, and walked to the kitchen refreshed, and saw that Zhen Min, who got up earlier, was already preparing breakfast.
She remembered that it was their turn to cook today.
Liang Xianyue saw that the light on the cooking pot was off, so she went up to open the lid, but it was empty inside.
She wondered: "Didn't you agree to eat salted duck eggs with white porridge this morning? Why haven't you cooked the porridge yet, why don't I go wash the rice now?" She has a cassette stove and can cook without a fire, so she has this excuse , Liang Xianyue was able to take cooked food out of the space in a fair manner, saying that he cooked it with a cassette oven in the car.
Zhen Min vigorously shook the jar in her hand: "I thought about it, but I don't want to drink porridge anymore."
She frowned when she thought of this: "I went to empty the sewage from washing dishes last night, and I heard a few people discussing our porridge. . Said that we always cook with a fire and never eat rattan powder." It
is really not a good thing to be watched. Although he tried to keep a low profile along the way, he still attracted the attention of caring people.
"So let's eat this in the morning." Zhen Min opened the jar and poured out the dark yellow powder inside.
"Mom, where did you get the rattan powder?" Liang Xianyue immediately leaned over to have a look. She has seen this powder countless times in the past few days, isn't it the most popular food in the base - rattan powder?
"Try it." Zhen Min said with a smile.
At first, she really thought it was rattan powder, but after careful consideration, Liang Xianyue realized that the pile of powder in front of her was probably not unpalatable rattan powder, but just about the same in appearance. Otherwise, they would be fools if they left the good food aside and went to eat dry and bitter vine powder just to gossip about a few people.
She picked some with the tip of a spoon and popped them into her mouth. The powder without water is of course not tasty, but Liang Xianyue still tasted a hint of sweetness and pumpkin in it.
"I made it with yam powder and pumpkin powder and added a little smashed dried vegetable powder. Does it look exactly the same as rattan powder?"
Liang Xianyue nodded: "At first glance, I really think it's rattan powder."
Zhen Min smiled immediately: "I've had this idea for a long time. But if no one pays attention to us, they won't really take it out to eat. This is mixed with water. Make it into a paste, and it's not bad for breakfast."
She pointed to the steel basin turned upside down on one side: "You take off the covered basin, and I steamed an egg custard for you inside."
Liang Xianyue left the space When I got back to the car, it was still daylight, and I could already hear the sound of many people walking outside. Hot water was also delivered at this time. After Liang Xianyue's two days of experience with the team, the team usually started after the hot water was delivered for about half an hour.
Zhen Min called everyone out on purpose, and scooped out the yam powder disguised as rattan powder. Because she had said hello in advance, no one showed any doubts, and went straight to fetch the hot water with the bowl filled with yam powder.
Liang Kangshi stood among the crowd receiving water, watching the people in front pour some cold water into the bowl first, then poured the hot water from the vat in front of the security guard Song Hongshen, then raised his head and swallowed the liquid made from a bowl of rattan powder. After eating, I asked for some hot water, filled the thermos cup I brought with me, and rinsed the dirty bowl. The water that rinsed the bowl was not wasted, and I drank it all, and I ate breakfast like this It's over.
There were also some people who brought bread, but it was a little far away. Liang Kangshi didn't see what kind of bread it was. He saw the man holding two wide-mouthed cups, and immediately put the bread in the cup after receiving the hot water. After a while, turn the noodles over, and use the steam of hot water to heat the noodle cakes in your hands. After the noodle cakes have a little temperature, you can eat the noodle cakes while drinking the hot water that is ready for your mouth.
There are not a few people who break the bread into pieces and soak it in water.
It's no wonder that some people pay attention to their own home. It is indeed too conspicuous to frequently light a fire and cook.
A few people in the team, Liang Kangshi, still looked a little familiar. They happened to be parked next to his car when the team was resting. After a cursory look at their luggage, they didn't reach the point where they could only eat rattan powder. I don't know if it was because they were afraid of Lufu, or because they liked the convenience of rattan powder.
It seems that their house should also light less fire. Liang Kangshi was thinking while queuing up.
This idea has not been put into practice, it has been forced to realize.
It started to rain at seven o'clock this morning, and it was still raining when the convoy stopped to rest at noon. The sky is gray, on this dilapidated national road, every other section of the protective fence is missing, the cracked asphalt is full of stagnant water, occasionally a few claw vines climbed onto the road, and were destroyed by the previous convoy It was ground into a pool of blue mud.
Liang Xianyue opened the window slightly, and the wet and cool steam poured in. She shivered slightly, and took the thick coat on one side and put it on.
Zhen Min quietly stuffed rice balls for everyone. The rice was stewed when they left the space in the morning, and the temperature is right now.
Salted egg yolk and chicken floss are placed in the rice ball, and the pickled radish is cut into small pieces and wrapped together in the stuffing.
The few people who were already hungry pulled up the covering curtain, gobbled up a few rice balls, and burped comfortably. It's really convenient to eat this kind of rice balls on the road. You don't need bowls and chopsticks, just grab the fresh-keeping bag that wraps the rice balls with both hands.
Liang Xianyue and the others had already finished their lunch, and the hot water came late. It was the original security team member Song Hongshen who brought the hot water, but this time there was an extra man in the same uniform holding an umbrella for him.
The car next to Liang Xianyue was opened one after another to get water. Song Hongshen usually brought the water to the middle of their part of the convoy, so that it was convenient for people in front and behind to come over, and it was almost near Liang Xianyue's car. Today Song Hongshen hadn't arrived yet, but suddenly there was a panicked cry from behind: "It's on fire!"
Song Hongshen put down the bucket, threw off the team member holding the umbrella for him, and ran over. In the end, after listening to a few words, it turned out that the owner of the car quietly used an alcohol stove in the rear seat to ignite the car mat because of the rainy weather.
It was raining outside, but the road surface was a bit higher than the ground next to it, the water was so shallow that you couldn't even lift your hands, and there were no big puddles nearby. Song Hongshen was afraid that the fire would continue to burn, so he really blew up the fuel tank, ran over to fetch the bucket of hot water, and poured it all over the car.
The fire was not big, and it would be extinguished with a bucket of water, but the bucket was clean, and no more water could be poured out.
The onlookers all let out a "hey". That's their hot water. They haven't had lunch yet, so they're just waiting for this sip of water.
There is not as much hot water at noon as at night. Except for people like Liang Xianyue who sometimes don't queue up to get hot water, a bucket of water is enough for each person to get a little more than a cup, and now even this sip of water is gone.
Several people looked at Song Hongshen anxiously, expecting to hear him say that he would go make another bucket. Song Hongshen's complexion was not good. After confirming that the fire had been extinguished, he glanced at his watch and said loudly, "The advance team at the base sent a message. Combined with the weather forecast, if it rains again, there is a risk of mudslide disaster in a section of the road ahead." The level is relatively high, and we have to pass this section before tonight. So the noon break will be tight, and we will start in ten minutes." There were a few small
complaints from the crowd. But this is not something they can control, so they can only stare fiercely at the owner of the car that was on fire. If it wasn't for the stove he used in the car, how could it catch fire? Let them not even have a sip of hot water.
Shi Jing made sure that there would be no hot water at noon, and returned to the car in frustration.
His wife unscrewed the thermos, poured out the last bit of warm water in it, and handed it to the thirsty little daughter.
"Don't worry, isn't it still night? Besides, we also brought clean water, but it's a bit cold."
Shi Jing felt a little irritable, especially knowing that he was going to leave soon, and today he had to drive for more than ten hours a day car, and now I don't know how to solve lunch.
He went to fill the luggage on the back seat with a sullen face: "What do you want for lunch?"
His wife said: "Give Wanwan two biscuits, shall we eat steamed buns or pancakes?"
For this journey, Shi Jinghua bought a large A box of biscuits, I have never been willing to eat until now. He took out five biscuits, put one in his mouth, gave one to his wife, and soaked the rest in his daughter's bowl of warm water. He took out two more steamed buns and a bottle of pickles, opened the steamed buns and ate them with pickles.
As soon as the steamed buns entered the mouth, the soft taste mixed with the sweetness of the flour came, and his anger was half gone. Without hot water, there is no way to make a fire. At least he still has white flour steamed buns to eat, and there is oil and water in the pickles. fans.
———
It was expected to drive for five or six hours in the afternoon, and Liang Xianyue's family had a discussion on how three people could drive two cars.
It must be exhausting for one person to drive all the way, but they didn't have four people, and they didn't change. Besides, they didn't know if there would be a break in the middle, or if they could stop and change people.
Huang Yifeng and his wife, who were traveling together, drove alternately. Yi Jun drove this morning. Huang Yifeng put down the passenger seat and lay down all morning. Although the space is a bit small, lying down is more comfortable than sitting. Those of them who have been driving for a few days all have backaches and leg pains.
In the afternoon, it was Huang Yifeng's turn to drive. Ji Mingcen was even worse, he didn't even have a replacement.
In the end, we discussed briefly, because Zhen Min drove the car in the morning, and Liang Kangshi and Liang Xianyue drove in the afternoon, if there was a chance to change people halfway, Zhen Min would come to replace Liang Xianyue.
"Why don't I drive first." Zhen Min saw that Liang Xianyue's face was a little pale.
"It's okay, I'm still young and in good health." Liang Xianyue said that there was nothing wrong with her. Before the convoy set off, Liang Xianyue hurriedly ran into the space, made three toasts with a cooking stove, cut them open, spread jam on them, brought them out, packed them in a bag, and stuffed one for each of his parents.
"Eat one in the afternoon when you're hungry."
The freshly baked bread was still hot, and there was a slightly sweet aroma of wheat in the air. This fragrance reminds people of a wheat field in the sun, and slightly dispels the dullness brought about by continuous rain.
———
I was on the road all afternoon. It was raining and it got dark early. I drove until it was completely dark, and the news of the convoy in front came to stop.
It rained heavily from hour to hour, but it never stopped. Although the windows were not opened much, there was a bit of moisture in the car.
Seeing that she and Liang Kangshi were tired all day today, Zhen Min asked Liang Xianyue and his daughter to come to the space tonight and said that she was here to guard the two cars here.
"How can you see it alone?" Liang Kangshi disagreed.
"Isn't there still Xiaohei here? It sleeps lighter than me, and if someone approaches our car, it will definitely bark." Zhen Min was afraid that the two of them would be tired and something bad would happen. It has only been less than a week since the departure, and all the people are haggard and in a trance, and they don't know if they have passed one-third of the journey, so what will happen if this continues.
Just after dinner, Liang Xianyue and Liang Kangshi couldn't wait to get into the space. She was so tired that she couldn't move after sitting all day. The joints all over her body seemed to be rusted, and they made crackling noises when she moved.
It was not yet eight o'clock, but she fell asleep as soon as she hit the pillow. When she woke up again, the island was still pitch black, and she took out the mobile phone placed by the bed, Liang Xianyue saw that the current time was 3:30 in the morning.
Feeling that she seemed to be full of sleep, Liang Xianyue left the space with a blanket, and appeared in the co-pilot's seat where she stayed before entering the island.
Lying next to her was Zhen Min who came to help her watch the car. The sound of rain outside the window reminded Liang Xianyue that it seemed that the rain hadn't stopped all night, and it was getting heavier.
Zhen Min curled up on the seat, tightly pulling the blanket on her body, Liang Xianyue reached out and touched her ankle, the tentacles were icy cold.
It must have cooled down.
Liang Xianyue immediately returned to the space, boiled a large pot of hot water, and put it into two hot water bags.
The hot water bottle was wrapped in a towel, and after testing that the temperature would not cause burns, Liang Xianyue put the hot water bottle under Zhen Min's feet, and the other by her side. Zhen Min was also exhausted, and she hasn't woken up until now. She felt the heat source in her sleep, and even hugged the hot water bottle on her waist involuntarily.
Liang Xianyue also lightly covered Zhen Min with the blanket she brought out. The stomach growled suddenly, and it was very eye-catching in the quiet space. She was about to go to the space to make breakfast for herself when she heard some movement from the trunk of the car.
It's just that the sound was drowned in the majestic rain, which seemed to be her illusion.
Liang Xianyue listened intently for a while, and the voice seemed to be heard again, and looking back from the car, she also saw a vague figure standing behind their car in the dark.
Liang Xianyue pushed open the car door without thinking, and rushed into the rain curtain.
The man who was trying to pry their trunks was wearing a raincoat, his face was shielded, and he was holding a crowbar. He was startled when he saw Liang Xianyue rushing out suddenly, and ran away immediately.
The rain was so heavy that I couldn't keep my eyes open, Liang Xianyue raised his feet to chase after her, and the man circled around with her because there were cars all around, and even walked half-squatting behind the car, the sky was dark, It was pitch black a few steps away, and the man disappeared in a short while.
Liang Xianyue didn't catch anyone, and was drenched completely by the heavy rain. When she returned to the car, Zhen Min was finally awakened by the sound of rain.
When she saw Liang Xianyue who was like a drowned rat, she was startled: "Why did you run out?"
Liang Xianyue said bitterly: "Someone wants to pry our trunk lid to steal something, let me bump into it, just It's a pity that no one was caught."
Seeing that her hands were trembling, Zhen Min hurriedly said, "Don't think about catching a thief, go and change into dry clothes."
Liang Xianyue was furious and didn't notice that she was already so cold No, before entering the space, I still had the thought to tell Zhen Min: "If that person dares to come again, don't go out and arrest him, just call out, there are so many people around, he will definitely be caught." Liang
Xianyue Woke up early in the morning, did not accomplish anything, but was completely drenched by the heavy rain. She hurried to the space to take a hot bath, changed into another set of clothes, ate two poached eggs fried by Liang Kangshi, and hurried out to see if the convoy was about to leave.
When I came out, I saw that it was lively outside. Before dawn, everyone in the motorcade had already woken up. It rained all night last night and this will finally stop.
Liang Xianyue asked Zhen Min: "Mom, are you going to leave?"
Zhen Min's eyes were still on the gathered crowd, and she shook her head: "It's time to go, but it's hard to say now."
Liang Xianyue listened to the message from over there The voice seemed to be arguing. "Did you lose something?" Liang Xianyue caught a few words.
"I don't know if it was the person who pried the trunk of our house last night. Anyway, several family members' belongings were stolen. Those cars whose luggage was stuffed into the trunk and couldn't cover it were especially serious. It was easy to steal and so conspicuous." , was the first to be targeted." Zhen Min said the news she had heard, "It rained heavily again yesterday, covering up the sound, and many people had their things stolen without knowing it." Several people who had their things
stolen People surrounded the convoy's security team members angrily, asking them to help find the thieves.
"What clue do you have?" one of the guards asked.
The man said angrily: "How can there be any clues? Things were stolen when I woke up in the morning. I was too tired during the day and slept to death at night. I didn't hear anything." Another person said: "Anyway, there are such people
. Yes, it's impossible for someone else to steal my things. I'll search them one by one, and I'm sure I
won't be able to escape." Song Hongshen frowned, not to mention whether he could be the master. I searched the car, can we still leave today? Do you want the whole convoy to accompany them here to catch thieves?
The onlookers suddenly realized that their things might be searched, and they also showed dissatisfaction. They traveled thousands of miles to Tacheng, put all their important assets in the car, exposed to so many people at once, wouldn't they tell others to come and steal it?
"Why do you search our car when you lose something? If you have evidence, just show it. If you don't have evidence, don't waste your time here!" "Why are you
like this? If the thief doesn't catch it, your house may be the next one to be stolen! "
"Who is your XX curse?"
There were quarreling voices everywhere, and the scene fell into a stalemate for a while, and no one knew what to do.
There was a rustling sound from the walkie-talkie, followed by the news that the departure would be ten minutes later, Song Hongshen squeezed out of the crowd: "Attention! The convoy is leaving soon. When you sleep at night, be careful of your personal belongings. Don't let what happened last night happen again. It's over."
It meant that he didn't intend to take care of this matter.
When the others heard the news that they were going to leave, they hurried back to their cars. Only the few people who lost their things were left standing blankly on the road, full of anger and nowhere to vent.