The campsite that had been silent for the entire night was rejuvenated in the morning. The members who had woken up early replaced the members who were on night watch. When they looked into the distance in high spirits, their teammates who had stayed up all night yawned and walked lazily to their respective barracks with their rifles on their backs. The logisticians carried all kinds of sundries and got busy in the campsite.
As more and more people woke up, the entire campsite became noisy. The sound of people talking reached the sky in waves. Thick plumes of smoke rose from the campsite. It was the stove in the kitchen. There was no shortage of coal in the campsite. The logisticians had mixed raw coal with mud to make charcoal. Nowadays, they used this kind of peat to boil water and cook.
When the sound of metal clanking for breakfast rang out in the campsite, the noisy campsite fell silent again. All the adults and children, men and women, took their cutlery and lined up for breakfast.
The campsite's cafeteria was open-air. After all, it was not easy to build a cafeteria that could accommodate six thousand people in one night. Zhang Huai'an would not be willing to take out a lot of resources to build a cafeteria that was not really needed.
Breakfast was steamed buns and porridge. All the helpers in the kitchen were villagers who called themselves Secretary Zhang Xiaoqiang. They could be considered as Zhang Xiaoqiang's direct subordinates. Whether it was before or after they entered the colony, they were the most loyal supporters of Zhang Xiaoqiang. Whether it was work or anything else, they were very obedient. Naturally, they received special care from Zhang Huai'an. If there was anything good, he would think of them first.
Large and small pots with steam rising from them, as well as baskets of steamed buns piled high, were being distributed by the ruddy-faced kitchen maids. Thousands of people silently waited in a long line, swallowing their saliva as they waited for their portion. No one dared to make any noise, cut the line, or even look around.
The reason why these new members could learn the rules and discipline so quickly was because of something that happened last night.
The first thing they did when they entered the campsite yesterday was to each receive a bowl of hot porridge. After they finished eating, they had to take a bath in hot water with 84% disinfectant.
For some reason, when the children received their porridge, someone used ink to mark their palms. Most of them drank their porridge and obediently lined up in the open-air shower area, using all kinds of modified bathtubs and showers to take a bath.
Some of the bolder ones wanted to eat one more bowl. They threw away their cutlery and took advantage of the chaos to line up with the children who came later. The result was predictable. Even if some of the smarter ones wiped the ink off, the smell could only be washed off with 84 degrees Celsius hot water.
Immediately, the two hundred children were chased out of the camp in front of the five thousand adoptees. No matter how regretful the children were, no matter how miserable their cries for mercy were, no matter how tightly they clutched onto the objects in the camp, they were all chased out. Not a single one was spared. Zhang Huai An wanted to use these children to teach the other children what rules and discipline were.
Yesterday's negative example taught today's survivors how to be orderly. They lined up silently and waited for their companions to walk past them with their breakfast, but they didn't dare to look at them.
Breakfast was divided into three categories. The team members and the logistics staff who had to do heavy work were given big steamed buns. The women who carried children under five years old and a small number of skinny girls were given small steamed buns. The other children were given a bowl of porridge. The girls were given steamed buns by Zhang Huai'an. The children who were chased away yesterday were all boys. The girls were too timid to deceive them. The women were given it because they had to work, even if they had to carry their children. The campsite didn't plan to set up a nursery for the time being.
Zhang Xiaoqiang and Yang Ke-er sat at a distance and ate their breakfast. The breakfast on the table was no different from the canteen, steamed buns and porridge. The only difference was that there were a few plates of pickled vegetables.
Meow sat beside Zhang Xiaoqiang and drank his porridge absent-mindedly. One of his hands was holding a pair of chopsticks, while the other hand was not holding a bowl. Instead, it was caressing the Type-92 pistol that he had just obtained. Yesterday, Meow was too daring. He actually snuck into the small building and found the place where Wu Yi processed human flesh. At that time, Meow was so scared that he screamed.
Meow was caught by the three evolutionary brothers, and his Type-77 pistol was confiscated. Yesterday, the battlefield was cleaned up in a hurry, and Meow's pistol was not found. This made Meow extremely anxious, and he kept reaching out to Zhang Xiaoqiang without saying a word, only aiming at Zhang Xiaoqiang's NP22. Zhang Xiaoqiang had no choice but to ask Zhang Huai'an to give Meow a Type-92 pistol that she had long wanted. In the end, after obtaining a new toy, Meow lost his appetite.
"Ke Er, I think you don't have to stay in the camp and complain that you're bored. Why don't you continue to follow the search team to search for supplies?"
After pondering for a long time, Zhang Xiaoqiang finally bit the bullet and said it. In fact, he did not want a little girl like Yang Ke-er to run around all day. Yesterday, they found 50 tons of food from Wu Yi. After calculating it, each person in the camp could only get 16 and a half catties. They had to stay for a long time, and the camp's food shortage was huge. Zhang Xiaoqiang could only ask Yang Ke-er and Shangguan Qiaoyun to go out again to search for food.
Of course, it was not limited to food. Zhang Xiaoqiang wanted everything else: clothes, bedsheets, bedding, and all kinds of school supplies. As long as he could use it, he wanted it.
When Yang Ke-er heard Zhang Xiaoqiang's words, she was not happy. She immediately rejected Zhang Xiaoqiang.
"Hmph … I'm not going. I want to watch over you. What if you sneak out again one day and get injured?
Sister Yuan won't be able to watch over you. I don't want to be a widow at such a young age … "
Zhang Xiaoqiang spat out the porridge in his mouth. He stared at Yang Ke-er and roared,
"Little girl, where did you learn to speak so strangely? What widow?
How can you speak like that?
If I ask you to go, then go. Don't bargain with me. Is it because I can't deal with you because of my current appearance? "
Hearing this, Yang Ke-er and Zhang Xiaoqiang glared at each other. After a long time, Yang Ke-er could not stand the sternness in Zhang Xiaoqiang's eyes. She lowered her head and muttered, "What? You only know how to bully me. I'll go. There's nothing I can't beat, but …"
Yang Ke-er pointed her slender finger at Meow who was watching the scene.
"Meow wants to stay and watch over you. No matter where you go, she has to follow you …"
As soon as Yang Ke Er said that, Meow Meow, who was still gossiping, immediately quietened down. She knew that Yang Ke Er wouldn't take her out to play anymore.
Zhang Xiaoqiang turned his head and looked at Meow, who was crying. He nodded solemnly and said, "Agreed …"
Just as Zhang Xiaoqiang and Yang Ke-er agreed on the conditions, Zhang Huai'an ran over with a nervous face. He stood beside Zhang Xiaoqiang and said softly, "Zhang Xiaoqiang, there are many people outside. The leaders of various forces are all here. Do you think we should enforce martial law?"
Seeing the nervous expression on Zhang Huai'an's face, Zhang Xiaoqiang smiled. He shook his head and said, "No need. We'll act as usual. Go and talk to them. Just talk about what I told you yesterday. Don't take them too seriously. If they really have the guts to touch us, their leaders won't appear. Instead, they'll send their subordinates to kill us."
Seeing Zhang Xiaoqiang's confident expression, Zhang Huai'an's wrinkled face relaxed. He nodded at Zhang Xiaoqiang and turned to look at Meow, who was still angry. He walked over and pinched Meow's little face, shouting, "It's all your fault. Look, you even need me to clean up your mess. Remember this next time …"
After saying that, Zhang Huai'an turned around and left.
Behind him, Meow rubbed her little face. Her eyes were filled with tears. She couldn't help but look at Zhang Xiaoqiang, wanting him to help her vent her anger. In the end, she saw Zhang Xiaoqiang looking at the sky and whistling.
"Wah …" It was the first time Meow cried in front of Zhang Xiaoqiang. Zhang Xiaoqiang quickly turned his wheelchair and shouted, "I'm full …" Then he ran away.