Acquisition Station

Even when the original owner absconded with the money to have an abortion, and ultimately met a tragic end after being criticized and denounced, it was he who sent people to help collect the body.

The troops were still quite a distance from the town.

This place is remote. Under normal circumstances, people can only get to the town or the county seat by oxcart from the nearby brigade.

But in this particular situation, people were starving to death, and the oxen were in no better shape, so there were no oxcarts available.

Xu Sui could only walk there.

In the sweltering summer heat, the land had long been dried out and cracked, and the mountains and fields were covered in withered yellow.

Not to mention edible wild vegetables, even the bark of trees in the surrounding villages has been stripped bare and eaten.

Xu Sui walked towards the town, encountering many people along the way.

Some were so hungry they couldn't help but dig up clay and stuff it into their stomachs; others were elderly people and children who were just skin and bones, lying on the ground barely alive; still others starved to death by the roadside, already rotting.

She walked through the crowd without changing her expression, but a heavy, oppressive feeling welled up inside her.

Just then, a skinny little boy ran up, carrying a broken earthen bowl with half of it missing.

"Sister, please, have pity on me, give me some food, my mother is pregnant with my younger brother and is starving to death."

Xu Sui looked up and saw a woman lying on the roadside not far away, barely alive. The woman's face was sallow, her hair was dry, and her body was terribly thin, as if she was just a skeleton. However, her belly was high, which contrasted sharply with her thin body, making her look even thinner.

If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of her chest...

I doubt anyone would disagree that this is a corpse.

"Sorry, I don't have any food on me either." Xu Sui didn't look at the woman and the child in front of her again, and walked past them.

The child was stunned, but his gaze lingered on Xu Sui's clean and fair skin for a long time.

This person didn't look like someone raised during a famine at all. They were even fairer and more delicate than the young girls in the city. Their clothes were clean and without any patches, and they were even wearing green military uniforms, completely different from the dirty and disorderly people like them.

The child used the last of his strength to run up and block Xu Sui's way, tears streaming down his face as he cried pitifully.

She cried and knelt down on the ground.

"Sister, please, my mother and brother are starving to death. Please give them some food, or even just anything else to save their lives."

Xu Sui didn't need to look to notice that many menacing eyes had gathered around her.

Those emaciated men looked at her with a terrifying green light in their eyes, as if they might rush up and attack at any moment. If it weren't for the military uniform she was wearing, they probably would have pounced on her long ago.

Xu Sui broke out in a cold sweat. She steadied herself, put on a cold face, and pulled the child away without hesitation, forcing herself to remain calm as she walked forward.

If she shows even the slightest bit of fear, or if she takes something out of momentary pity, it's because she's taken something out.

I want to leave, but I really can't.

Fortunately, wearing this green military uniform today was the right decision.

People who wear green military uniforms are either in the military or come from wealthy or influential families.

In short, none of them are people you can afford to offend.

That's why they were able to temporarily suppress the situation.

On the way to town.

Xu Sui no longer glanced at the people around her, whether they were starving or otherwise, it was none of her business.

Finally, after walking for a long time.

We've arrived in town.

Although it's called a town, there aren't many people on the main streets.

Without exception, these people were all sallow and emaciated, some even suffering from edema due to hunger, their faces ashen.

On a sweltering summer day, the sky seemed heavy and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

Xu Sui found a secluded spot, changed out of her green military uniform, and took out the oldest and most unfashionable clothes from the original owner's pile of clothes from the cloth bag she carried with her. She then did some simple makeup to change her complexion and make herself less conspicuous in the crowd.

However, even the oldest clothes don't actually have a single patch and still look clean and presentable.

Soon, she arrived at the town's only purchasing station.

An old man sitting on a small stool at the entrance of the recycling station didn't even look up when he heard the noise, as if he hadn't seen anyone, and kept his eyes closed as he rested.

Actually, this is to conserve energy.

If you eat less and move around a lot, you'll get hungry faster.

Xu Sui paused for a moment, then walked straight inside.

This recycling station is very small and dilapidated.

Although the items inside were supposedly categorized, they were only divided into broad categories and then randomly thrown into their respective places. For example, the area specifically for old and broken furniture only contained old and broken furniture, and the area for cardboard boxes and old books was almost entirely filled with paper...

At first glance, there's nothing of value at all; there's no such thing as finding a bargain here.

If there were really good items, the purchasing stations would have discovered them themselves.

There was also an elderly woman inside who was in charge of looking after things.

Hearing footsteps, the old woman looked up and glanced at Xu Sui. She saw that Xu Sui was dressed neatly and cleanly, and although her complexion was a little sallow, it was much better than most people's.

She then looked away and said calmly, "Don't mess things up. If you want to buy something, just bring it to me and we'll calculate the cost."

Xu Sui nodded, looked around the small scrap metal recycling station, searched carefully, and picked and chose.

Quite a few things were picked out.

A dilapidated, rusty bicycle, a broken watch, some odds and ends of rusty iron parts, etc...

These things were picked out.

The way that old lady looked at Xu Sui was strange.

"Auntie, how much is all of this?" Xu Sui asked, seemingly oblivious to what was happening, as she reached into her pocket for money.

The old lady had been working here for many years. With a casual glance, she quickly calculated the total price: "Eight cents."

"Girl, these are all junk, they're useless. What do you need them for?"

It might have been useful during the Great Leap Forward in steel production a few years ago, but we don't do that anymore.

These can only be thrown away as waste. Any usable parts have already been taken by those people, and what's left is mostly useless.

Xu Sui took out eight cents and handed it over, replying with only four words: "Take this to practice."

The old woman paused for a moment, not immediately reaching out to take the money. She looked at the exceptionally beautiful young woman in front of her with some surprise. Even with her sallow complexion, her beauty and temperament were undeniable.

This is something that ordinary people can't have.

Her attitude instantly became much warmer. "Young lady, are you an apprentice at the machine factory, or a student at the factory's affiliated vocational school?"

Bicycles and watches are big-ticket items.

If you want to buy something, you not only need money, but also a special ticket.

A bicycle costs at least a hundred yuan, and bicycle tickets are even rarer, usually only outstanding workers in the factory have the opportunity to get one, and watches are about the same price.

For the average person, buying one is harder than climbing to heaven.