Chapter 357: Thinking quite far ahead

"That... can Little Ju and I stay to keep Xiaoya company?"

While Zhang Su was lighting cigarettes to pay respects, Yi Xiaoling had learned the general situation from Wang Xin and Chen Hanzhou and couldn't bear to leave Su Xiaoya alone.

"Fine, having you watching over her also guarantees safety."

Zhang Su did not object, and then walked toward Lei Youliang's house.

"Brother Su, if it happened again, would you still do it that way?"

Walking past the corner, Chen Hanzhou asked softly.

Everyone knew what he was asking about and all looked at Zhang Su.

Zhang Su took a deep breath, the scenes from the past appearing in his mind, and nodded: "Without hesitation, I wouldn't show any mercy at all."

"Then, Brother Su, what if I was the one being held hostage at the time?"

Wu Lue asked like a simpleton.

Zhang Su glanced at him sideways and said: "If you were held hostage, the first thing you should think about is how to coordinate from the inside and outside to kill those guys holding you together!"

"Oh, right, right."

Wu Lue felt that what Zhang Su said made a lot of sense.

Not only him, but the others also took Zhang Su's words to heart: never passively wait for rescue; in any predicament, don't forget to save yourself, and you can even fight back.

The group turned to the front of Lei Youliang's house. The sliding courtyard gate was more than half open. Judging from the scene, it should have been swept by Yang Liehuo and his men before. The courtyard was clean and nothing was left behind. The group walked straight into the house, and except for some furniture that couldn't be moved, they didn't find anything of much value.

Outside, the sun was high, and most rural houses had excellent lighting. The interior was bright and clear, not even needing a flashlight. The group split up to rummage.

"Ha, we've got goods! This son of a bitch really knows how to hide things!"

Wang Xin stood in front of a wardrobe, holding a pack of soft Huazi cigarettes, and said to Lu Yubo, who was rummaging through boxes and cabinets next door: "Huazi, more than ten packs, plus a dozen packs of Yuxi, all hidden in the mezzanine of the wardrobe!"

"Damn, let me see!"

Lu Yubo ran to the wardrobe and looked inside, his face instantly beaming with joy: "Brother Wang, we have to split this income among the few of us."

"Of course, hehe, cigarette freedom for a short time!"

Wang Xin was very happy. According to the rules, they could take a 10% commission. He didn't dare to claim credit alone. Even if split among four people, each person would have nearly a pack of cigarettes, finally able to live comfortably for a while in these days of cigarette rationing.

"Find something to pack it up, let's go, there are no treasures in this place!"

Zhang Su and Wu Lue walked over from the other room. It wasn't as exaggerated as returning empty-handed, but they really hadn't found anything decent.

The weight of thirty-some packs of cigarettes was simply too easy for an adult. Using the clothes left in the wardrobe to make a bag, they slung it over their shoulders and took it all away.

"Wait, there should be something underneath here!"

As the four walked out of the house and were about to leave the courtyard, Zhang Su's gaze fell on a cellar entrance covered by broken color steel tiles.

"Let me see!"

Wu Lue was very eager. He walked over and flipped the color steel tiles away with a clatter. It was pitch black underneath. When he took out his flashlight and shone it inside, he turned his head and said happily: "Brother Su, there's a door down there!"

"There's a door in the cellar? Go down and take a look!"

Zhang Su walked to the edge of the cellar and looked inside. The estimated distance was only about two meters, and there were stairs for going up and down.

"I'll go, I'll go! Hehe, if we find good things, you have to give me an extra share!"

Wu Lue didn't wait for Zhang Su to move; he nimbly took off his backpack, hung the flashlight on his chest, and walked down the stairs.

"Damn, it's locked!"

"Catch!"

Zhang Su had long seen the lock hanging on the door bolt and threw the steel bar down directly.

Although it wasn't a professional crowbar, and the lock wasn't a high-end one, it broke with a snap.

However, when Wu Lue carefully opened the secret door, he let out a sigh and said listlessly: "Damn, Lei Youliang is really a shark-armed bastard. Brother Su, inside here is cash, gold and silver jewelry, and some watches and stamps."

In front of Wu Lue, in a space of less than two square meters and about a person's height, stacks of cash were neatly piled in the corner. At a glance, it was impossible to count, at least several hundred thousand or millions. Beside it was a special jewelry display cabinet containing many gold ornaments and exquisite wristwatches.

"Damn..."

The three people at the edge of the cellar all gave the middle finger.

"Ha, Brother Su, these gold bars are from the bank. I guess this guy robbed a few banks after the disaster broke out. They must be worth a lot of money... sigh."

Wu Lue counted roughly, his face full of emotion. If he could have suddenly obtained such a fortune before the disaster broke out, that would simply be... he would never have to learn from teachers on the computer again; he would have to have some real-life interaction!

"Damn, this guy was really well-prepared, even thinking about the capital to make a comeback after things returned to normal, but it's a pity he didn't anticipate the severity of the situation..."

Zhang Su shook his head speechlessly. It couldn't be said that gold was useless, but at least at the current stage, there was nowhere to use it. And given the world's gold reserves, considering the current population, even if industry recovered, it would be a situation of supply exceeding demand.

"What do you say, Brother Su, should we take something?"

Wu Lue felt for the first time that wealth was within reach, yet he felt full of powerlessness.

"Bring up the watches and gold, leave the rest below." After Zhang Su said this, with a *poof*, he threw an empty bag down. They were well-prepared for scavenging.

A few minutes later, Wu Lue climbed up from the cellar and shook the heavy backpack in front of everyone; it was glittering with gold inside.

"Everyone pick a style you like to give to your wives, and store the rest in the camp warehouse. Maybe they can be exchanged for useful things in the future."

As the days passed, after the initial struggle, humanity began to slowly form order. Besides basic survival needs, other needs would gradually emerge. Some things that were useless now might slowly become coveted by people.

Zhang Su spoke, and the group naturally didn't stand on ceremony. Everyone present, except Wu Lue, had a wife. Chen Hanzhou was the fastest, picking up a diamond-encrusted ring; Wang Xin also picked a ring, while Lu Yubo rummaged for a long time and finally took a necklace.

"I don't have a wife, can I take a watch for myself, Brother Su?"

Wu Lue held the backpack with a wilted expression, a bitter smile on his face.

"Sure, no problem!" Zhang Su agreed very readily. He wasn't idle either, picking a pair of earrings each for Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan.

Sky Ma Yu's survival was now basically guaranteed, and they were gradually starting to pursue spiritual civilization; there was no problem with dressing oneself up appropriately.

"Hehe, I was talking to Xiao Ya about getting married earlier. It's like eating ice during a hailstorm—now that I have a ring, eh, Little Chen, are you also planning to propose to Pei Lan?"

Wang Xin looked at the pure gold ring on his hand with satisfaction.

"I was actually... well, Brother Su, I remembered one thing."

Chen Hanzhou held the ring and looked at it; the diamond, though not very large, sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight. He hesitated and said, "If Pei Lan wears this ring, won't it look too flashy in the camp? Might it have a bad influence?"

Sky Ma Yu was no longer the small force of twenty-some people it once was; counting the two satellite villages, it was approaching a hundred people, both men and women. According to Chen Hanzhou's thinking, it was inevitable that there would be gossip.

Zhang Su curled his lips and smiled faintly: "We should let everyone see the supplies we found through our own strength. If they want them, they have to work hard themselves; envy and jealousy are useless! However, I'll give you a reminder: now that the camp population is growing, we can't distribute supplies like we did before. Old Yu and I are discussing measures for exchanging supplies with points; it must be standardized."

The group nodded one after another. As true core members, no one wanted Sky Ma Yu to have problems, and they also believed that as long as they didn't slack off, Zhang Su would definitely not treat them unfairly.

Leaving Lei Youliang's courtyard, the group found some more supplies from nearby places where people had once lived, mostly grain, but also some daily necessities.

Half an hour later, the three cars drove slowly out of Kuanzhuang. In the passenger seat of the FJ Cruiser, Su Xiaoya's eyes were red, and she held a large schoolbag in her arms, filled with her past memories.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 358 =====