Travel through famine years and awaken a post-apocalyptic survival system.

A short while later, Father returned.

"Grandma went back, but didn't say anything?"

Zhao Qingsong glanced at it and casually asked a question.

The old lady didn't throw a tantrum or resort to moral blackmail as I had imagined; she was simply bound by tradition and morality, which made him feel a little more at ease.

He didn't want to lay a hand on the old man.

The father sighed and shook his head: "It's nothing."

He then fell silent.

Seeing this, Zhao Qingsong stopped asking questions.

……

In the evening, the pheasant was stewed with a can of pork, and some white flour pancakes were stuck to the side of the pot.

The family ate at the kang table.

"Mmm, delicious, delicious! It's so delicious! I wish I could eat like this every day, even if it meant sacrificing a few years of my life."

The little girl slurped her food as she ate.

Her mother glared at her, annoyed. "You're still eating like this every day! What are you thinking! If you keep eating like this, how will you survive?"

Even in years without famine, people eat dry food during busy times and drink thin porridge during slack times.

Not to mention the famine years we're experiencing now.

While eating, Zhao Qingsong reminded her, "Mom, find some time to pay back the money your eldest uncle borrowed, and bring them a can of meat while you're at it. I'll send them more when things are better later."

Some debts must be repaid!

"Okay, I got it. Don't worry, I'll go in the next day or the day after."

"Okay, also, I'll leave you some things, but not too much. If I'm free this weekend, I'll come back and treat you to something nicer. If your uncle causes any trouble, come find me, and I'll take care of them."

Upon hearing this, the father rolled his eyes: "It's alright, I'm here for the family! I was just not feeling well before, otherwise I wouldn't have let him bully me."

Zhao Qingsong nodded slightly upon hearing this.

He began to explain what would happen after he left, trying to think things through as thoroughly as possible.

……

Around 7 or 8 pm.

There was a knock on the door of the house in the courtyard.

Zhao Qingsong hadn't gone to bed with Zhao Qingshan, knowing that the matter wasn't completely over.

Hearing the noise, I opened the door.

"Captain, they're here. No need to call them."

He carried the lantern into the courtyard and opened the gate.

It was the battalion commander standing at the gate.

"Captain! Is something the matter?"

He took out a cigarette and offered one to Wang Mancang.

The other person took the cigarette, lit it, and then said, "Well, something came up. The militiamen from the commune are back. Zhao Tiezhu is fine, but Qingshan's hand is badly injured, though it's not a big problem. It's his leg, though; I think it's fractured. Qingshan's mother went to the commune to make a scene."

"Oh, is there anything I can do? Should I go to the commune to explain? As for compensation, that's definitely not going to happen. Our family sells our grain to get some money. They need medical treatment, so we exchange it for grain."

I also briefly mentioned the sources of my family's wealth.

"No need for that. I'm going there anyway, and I'll explain things clearly."

"Alright, thank you, Captain."

Zhao Qingsong politely handed him two packs of unopened cigarettes: "Captain, it's the middle of the night, and I'm sorry to trouble you to make this trip. If the commune needs anything, just have them come to the steel mill to find me. Anyway, the commune is very close to the steel mill."

"Oh, I can't accept this."

The captain was polite.

Seeing this, Zhao Qingsong smiled and handed it over, saying, "Hey, Captain, it's just a small token of my appreciation. Don't mind it. My parents will be relying on you in the future!"

Upon hearing this, the captain glanced at the cigarette and laughed.

"This kid, cultured people are just different. Well then, I won't stand on ceremony!"

After a polite exchange, he put it in his pocket and said, "That's settled then. You can go back now; I need to go back to sleep!"

"Okay, the road is slippery, please be careful."

"fine!"

Wang Mancang waved his hand, picked up the lantern, and left.

Zhao Qingsong stood there, watching the other person walk away, before he locked the door and returned with the lantern.

……

"Qingsong, what did the captain say?"

The father came out dressed and asked a question.

"Oh, it's nothing, Zhao Qingshan is at the clinic..."

I gave a brief overview of the situation.

The father hesitated upon hearing this.

"I understand. You go to work and focus on your work. I'll take care of things at home! I won't let them suffer."

Zhao Qingsong smiled and said, "Yeah, I know. Time for bed. I have to report early tomorrow morning!"

He would have left that afternoon if it weren't for Zhao Qingshan's matter.

"Okay, go to bed early!"

After giving a brief instruction, the father went to bed and turned off the light.

……

The next day, before dawn, Zhao Qingsong took the luggage his mother had prepared and set off for the steel plant.

Two hours or so should be enough.

"Damn! It's freezing!"

Zhao Qingsong walked along the road carrying a lantern, and shivered.

It was barely below -10 degrees Celsius during the day, but now it's down to -20 degrees Celsius. It's really cold.

I walked while keeping an eye on the radar.

There are two red dots not far away.

If I'm not mistaken, they're probably militiamen on night duty, worried that someone might sneak into town and spread rumors...

"Who is it!"

The three met amidst their thoughts.

Someone asked a question in the darkness and shone a flashlight on his face.

"Uncle Yougen, Uncle Changlin, on night duty!"

"Oh, Qingsong! Where are you going?"

"Go report to the steel mill! I was late yesterday and didn't leave. Go early, or you'll be late this morning."

"Oh! Going to work? Okay, let's go!"

There was a hint of envy in his tone.

"Hey, you're busy! Have me a cigarette."

Zhao Qingsong offered cigarettes to both of them before saying goodbye and leaving.

……

Zhao Qingsong walked along the forest path carrying a lantern, his eyes occasionally glancing at the radar.

Half an hour later, two red dots appeared faintly in the surrounding area.

"Is this even human?"

Zhao Qingsong was puzzled for a moment, but then he felt that the red dot was much smaller than the militia he had seen before, and figured it probably wasn't a person.

"prey?"

His eyes lit up.

He had long wanted to test the radar's ability to locate prey! And now it has come true.

Carefully carrying the lantern, I walked over.

A grove of trees?

After walking for a while, we came to a small grove of trees.

He looked around and continued onward.

When Zhao Qingsong saw a clump of bushes covered in snow, his eyes lit up.

bushes!

Those that stay in the grass in winter are either wild rabbits or pheasants.

Snakes and hedgehogs have long since gone into hibernation.

He rubbed his hands together and carefully examined the grass.

Most of the grass was buried, with only a small area showing withered weeds, and there were footprints in the nearby snow.

"A wild pheasant, definitely a wild pheasant."

Zhao Qingsong was overjoyed.

When you part the grass, you can see two pheasants huddled together for warmth.

Pheasants have very poor visibility at night and hardly move, even if they sense movement.

We used to raise chickens at home, and they were only well-behaved when we caught them at night.

The pheasant sensed the danger and began to cluck anxiously.

"Come on in!"

Set the lantern aside and get right to it.

The thorns were a bit scratchy.

"Coo coo coo!"

After being caught, the pheasant began to struggle, but it was too late, and besides, its struggles were not very strong.

"Wow, this feature is really great!"

Zhou Qingsong looked at the pheasant in his hand and smiled.

Without wasting any time, I took out a dagger and bled the pheasant, because pheasants that aren't bled don't taste very good.

Two pheasants were then slaughtered.

The system task was not completed.

But the progress changed.

[Number of kills: 2/3]

One more is needed.

Then you can complete the task.

Without wasting any time, I simply tossed it into my spatial storage and continued on my way.

That said, although there is little prey here, there is still some.

After walking for half an hour, I caught a wild rabbit.

After the kill, the system spoke again.

[Ding! 3 mutated beasts defeated. Mission complete. Reward: 1 resource chest]

……

[Ding, a side quest has been issued: Kill 5 Mutant Beasts. Reward: 1 Supply Chest. Note: The next quest level will not be unlocked until this quest is completed.]

Current kill count: 0/5

The task is completed, and new tasks are automatically generated, unsurprisingly increasing in number.