Chapter 57 - 53: Renhe Hall
The two were arguing fiercely.
When the man with the short, salt-and-pepper hair saw someone coming upstairs, he quickly pulled them over to mediate.
Deng Guang and Qin Ziwu both turned to look at Qin Ziwen in unison.
Qin Ziwen didn’t think this was something worth arguing about. "Whoever the contract says the rooftop belongs to, that’s who it is. If it’s not specified, then it’s a public space shared by all the residents of the Gated Community."
Seeing that he was outnumbered, the short, stout middle-aged man left resentfully. "Hmph, fine. I won’t lock it. With so many people in this building, let’s see how you all divide it up."
After the man from the top floor left, the middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair greeted Qin Ziwen. "My name is Zhao Pu."
"Hello, I’m Qin Ziwen, and this is my younger brother, Qin Ziwu." Qin Ziwen nodded politely.
Zhao Pu hesitated for a moment before saying, "I used to be a surgeon. If you ever have a fever, a cold, or any sprains or bruises, you can come find me."
Qin Ziwen was a little surprised. "You’re a doctor."
"I used to be," Zhao Pu said, looking ashamed.
After another moment of hesitation, Zhao Pu said, "By the way, do you... have any extra food? I could trade some medicine for it."
"Sure. Do you want some wild rice stems?"
Qin Ziwen had his brother take off his backpack, which was half-full of the wild rice stems they had gathered.
He took out two stems. Zhao Pu took them, sniffed them, and nodded. "These are quite fresh. Yes, this works. Wait here a moment."
Zhao Pu turned and went into apartment 401. He came out a moment later holding a small plastic bag containing three boxes of medicine.
Ibuprofen, montmorillonite powder, loratadine, and a bottle of alcohol.
Zhao Pu said earnestly, "The ibuprofen is for inflammation and fever, the montmorillonite powder is for diarrhea, the loratadine is for allergies, and the alcohol is for disinfecting wounds. They’re all quite useful here."
"Old Deng, do you want any?" Qin Ziwen looked at Deng Guang.
Deng Guang waved his hand. "I have some common medicines stocked up at home."
Qin Ziwen opened his schoolbag, which was nearly half full. He thought for a moment, then took out fifteen stems and gave them to Old Deng, weighing about three pounds.
Then he took out all the remaining stems from the bag, which was about another three pounds.
He also took out about two pounds of kiwis from his own bag, plus the two large crabs from the bucket.
"Will this do?"
Zhao Pu nodded hurriedly. "Yes, that’s more than enough. More than enough."
He hadn’t expected to get so much food in trade. His eyes were filled with gratitude as he looked at Qin Ziwen.
After accepting the food, much of the worry vanished from Zhao Pu’s brow. He explained, "I sprained my ankle before we were transported here, so I was resting at home. It’s just me and my kid. I couldn’t go out to find food for the first few days, and we’re almost out of everything."
Qin Ziwen nodded in understanding. In the first couple of days after they arrived, it was a good time to dig for wild vegetables, join the crocodile hunt, or team up with neighbors to explore the surrounding area and gather fruits and vegetables.
There were risks, but resources were also plentiful.
Now, over a week had passed, and the surrounding area had been picked clean. It wasn’t so easy to find anything edible anymore.
There were still fish in the river, but crocodiles were in there too, so the danger hadn’t passed.
To go deep into the forest, you basically had to be in a team.
"Alright, we’ll head back then," Qin Ziwen said with a wave.
Watching their backs, Zhao Pu looked like he wanted to say something more but held back. They didn’t know each other well, after all. He just watched as they went upstairs and closed their door.
After getting home that evening, Qin Ziwen first opened the window to let the Beaked Eagle in. He put the crabs from the bucket into a basin of water to keep them, then placed the wild rabbit and field mouse into the animal cage.
The menagerie inside was growing larger, now containing a full five wild rabbits, three field mice, and a hedgehog.
The newly caught rabbit was a bit nervous at first, but after entering the cage and meeting the other four of its kind, it gradually calmed down.
Then he took the remaining kiwis out of his bag and piled them in a box to let them ripen naturally.
After dinner, Qin Ziwen and his brother went downstairs for a walk together.
As they walked, they came to the south gate.
He hadn’t been this way in a while; recently, he had been using the east gate to enter and exit the Gated Community.
A lot of people were gathered at the south gate, coming and going.
On the empty ground outside the Gated Community, a circle had been built with stones. Inside was scorched earth, looking like a mound from a distance. Thick smoke seeped out from the gaps between the stones and soil.
There were several of these "mounds," and some bare-chested men were working with great enthusiasm.
Nearby, some people holding containers waited to collect the soil.
A tall, thin man in a hat was directing them. "Slowly, slowly, everyone, don’t rush. Form a line! Anyone interested in buying the burned soil or purchasing seedlings can come see me. The prices are excellent—we’re offering a discount right now."
Qin Ziwen stood to the side, secretly studying the process of burning the soil. The steps weren’t difficult, just laborious. Several men who were shoveling earth continuously added firewood, then mixed the wood ash with the burned soil.
He thought about the process he and his brother had gone through, picking worms out of the soil. ’That was so tiring and troublesome, and we couldn’t even be sure we got everything. For example, we couldn’t clear out all the weed seeds in the soil. This method is much simpler by comparison.’
After he finished his "stealthy lesson," Qin Ziwen looked around and noticed quite a few others observing up close, just like him.
’The soil-burning business probably won’t last long. It’s manual labor, but it’s not highly skilled and is easily copied.’
’So, is this group’s real goal to cultivate the habit of growing fruits and vegetables among the Gated Community’s residents?’
’No, even without them, some residents are already planting things. They’re just "catalyzing" and "accelerating" the process. They must have some other objective.’
He secretly shook his head. ’Whatever their objective is, it has nothing to do with me.’
’I have my own goals. As long as they don’t conflict with mine, it’s fine.’
Returning to the Gated Community, Qin Ziwen went to Building 9 and up to the fourth floor. He found one of the doors open. Directly above the doorway hung a wooden plaque engraved with the two large words "Renhe Hall." Judging by the plaque’s age, it didn’t look like it had been carved recently.
A faint medicinal aroma drifted out from the room.
Several clay pots were simmering with herbal medicine.
The living room had been converted into a simple clinic.
Behind a table, a silver-haired old man with a serene expression was taking a middle-aged woman’s pulse.
"Are you here to see the doctor?" a young man asked, noticing Qin Ziwen standing at the door.
Qin Ziwen was taken aback for a second, then smiled and said, "I heard about this place and came to have a look."
"Haha, sure, feel free to look around." The young man seemed used to this and lowered his head to continue sweeping up trash.
After watching for a while, Qin Ziwen went home.
Once home, he lay down on his bed. ’Early to bed, early to rise. I have to leave very early tomorrow.’
The Beaked Eagle cautiously sidled over, a sound rumbling in its throat. "COO COO~"
Perhaps from spending so much time with him, the Beaked Eagle had learned to lower its voice when interacting with people.
Qin Ziwen smiled and rubbed its head. "Good night."
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