Chapter 22 – Canned Food
Xia Lu Nong and the others arrived in Zhangshu County in the evening.
By the time they arrived, the sun had already set, and the sky was painted with purple hues, almost dark.
Old Liu drove the truck directly to a larger open area, calling everyone to get out.
When Xia Lu Nong heard the call, he peeked outside.
The truck had stopped in a muddy grassy patch with numerous tire tracks, suggesting that many others had parked here besides them.
Curiosity filled Xia Lu Nong’s wide eyes as people around him got out, laughing at his excitement.
Seeing his enthusiasm, his brother patted him on the shoulder, signaling him to get out.
Aside from two brief trips outside for restroom breaks, Xia Lu Nong had been sitting in the truck all day.
As he stepped out, he stumbled slightly, feeling his back and legs ache.
His brother grabbed the collar of his shirt from behind and lifted him up securely.
Xia Lu Nong adjusted his arms, standing firm, and took a deep breath of the air.
The air carried a faint fishy smell—an unpleasant odor he couldn’t quite identify.
His gaze fell on the nearby ruins, almost completely covered by plants, wondering what snakes, rats, ants, and insects might be hiding inside.
Old Liu clapped his hands in front, saying, “While it’s still not completely dark, let’s search the area nearby, and we’ll come back to rest when night falls.”
People responded scatteredly. Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian were among the crowd, and Xia Lu Nong followed along.
Old Liu led the way, while Xia Huo Qu moved to the front to help prevent any danger. He turned to Xia Lu Nong and said, “I’m going ahead. Stick close to Brother Xi Nian and be careful.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded seriously.
Yan Xi Nian reassured him, “I’ve got your back.”
The group moved deeper into the ruins, each person on high alert, ready for anything that might suddenly spring from the debris.
Xia Lu Nong felt tense and unable to sense anything.
Yan Xi Nian said beside him, “It’s fine. There aren’t many unusual smells here, so there shouldn’t be any rats around.”
Xia Lu Nong nervously swallowed and quietly asked, “Brother Xi Nian, I noticed many tire tracks nearby. Does that mean a lot of people have been here? Is there still a need for us to search?”
Yan Xi Nian looked at him appreciatively. “You’re observant.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Xia Lu Nong glanced around. “I’m just looking around.”
Yan Xi Nian explained, “The many tire tracks nearby are because Zhangshu County isn’t very large. If you drive here, you can only park on this side. This county used to be infested with rats and snakes, but it was cleaned out this spring, so not many people have come through. We’ll look for signs and find a spot that hasn’t been turned over too much before we start scavenging.”
Xia Lu Nong looked at the overgrown plants around and expressed doubt, “With all the rain and the lush vegetation, how can we tell if anyone has searched here?”
“By checking the amount of supplies inside,” Yan Xi Nian replied. “Even if we don’t find much, it doesn’t matter. Tomorrow is when the real work starts; today is just a scouting trip. It’s best if we can find something valuable, but if we don’t, that’s fine too.”
As Yan Xi Nian explained this to Xia Lu Nong, Old Liu and the others had already entered the ruins, searching through the debris with gloves on.
There were many metal pieces among the ruins, and without gloves, it was easy to get infections. In this era of scarce medical supplies, no one dared to take risks.
Xia Huo Qu stayed close to Old Liu, not bending down much to search for supplies, but instead keeping a vigilant watch around for any sudden changes.
Yan Xi Nian led Xia Lu Nong around a corner into a smaller area of ruins.
The ruins weren’t large, and everyone stood on the rubble, able to see each other clearly.
Upon spotting the two of them, Xia Huo Qu’s expression relaxed slightly but quickly shifted his focus back to keeping watch.
Xia Lu Nong stepped cautiously on the uneven debris, using a hook to rummage through the wreckage.
There was a mix of everything among the rubble—rotted wood, broken bowls, various liquor bottles, seasoning jars, and plastic bags, with very few usable items.
After a while, Xia Lu Nong’s hook snagged on a cardboard box.
The design on the box had faded, and the cardboard was wrinkled and brittle, indicating its age. He gently hooked it, causing the cardboard to tear.
The light was too dim for him to see inside, but once he had the box fully opened, he discovered it contained glass bottles, all neatly arranged.
It looked like… canned food!
“Brother Xi Nian!” Xia Lu Nong felt a surge of excitement and tugged at Yan Xi Nian’s sleeve to show him, whispering, “It’s canned food!”
“One, two, three… six! Six bottles of canned food!”
Xia Lu Nong bent down to pick up the cans for a closer look.
The cans were well-sealed, with no signs of bulging on the lids. He could see the clear syrup inside with the little light left; the syrup appeared fresh.
Not spoiled at all.
After examining it closely, Yan Xi Nian exclaimed, “What luck!”
Who would have thought that underneath this pile of rubble there would be a small box of perfectly intact canned food?
This was quite a stroke of luck.
“Two cans of coconut, two cans of yellow peach, and two cans of strawberry.” Xia Lu Nong carefully took out the cans, eyeing the fruit inside and swallowing quietly.
It had been a long time since he had tasted such sweet canned fruit.
“One can weighs three jin (about 1.5 kg). Wow, what a haul! Brother Xi Nian, we don’t have to hand these over, right?”
“No need,” Yan Xi Nian said, helping him open his backpack. “We’re not part of Old Liu’s team, so anything we find doesn’t have to be turned in.”
“Great!” After checking the labels, Xia Lu Nong carefully placed the cans into their backpack, separating them with cardboard, and looked at the cans expectantly. “We’ll all eat together when we get back to the base.”
Yan Xi Nian took the backpack from him. “Beginners tend to have good luck. I’ll carry this, and you keep looking.”
“Alright! Let’s see if we can find some milk powder or liquor or something.”
Xia Lu Nong continued searching through the ruins and soon found a complete set of kitchen knives.
This was a good find, and Xia Lu Nong tucked it away.
Occasionally, cheers erupted from Old Liu’s group, indicating they were also making discoveries.
Everyone’s enthusiasm was piqued, and as darkness finally fell, making it hard to see each other’s faces, they reluctantly regrouped and headed back to the truck.
The person who had gathered the most that evening found a 20-kilogram bag of vacuum-packed rice, looking completely intact.
Next was Xia Lu Nong, whose six cans of syrupy fruit were even more valuable than the rice by weight.
Someone in the group approached him, wanting to trade rice for a can. Xia Lu Nong looked at his brother.
Xia Huo Qu declined, saying, “Not trading for now; we don’t lack rice.”
“What do you lack then? Make an offer.”
Xia Huo Qu waved them off. “We don’t lack anything, so don’t eye my brother’s cans. You’ll have to find your own tomorrow.”
Those who had hoped for a trade were immediately disappointed.
For dinner, everyone ate their own dry rations.
Xia Lu Nong and the others had a solid meal, with each box containing at least a jin (about 0.5 kg) of rice topped with crispy sausage and pickled vegetables stir-fried in the sausage’s grease.
As soon as the lunchbox was opened, the aroma of sausage and pickled vegetables wafted through the truck, instantly prompting sounds of people swallowing.
Little Tang came over and called out to Xia Huo Qu, “Xia Ge, your sausage smells amazing! It must be Xia Lu Nong’s cooking, right?”
Xia Huo Qu used a clean spoon to give him a piece. “Just one piece; there’s not more.”
“Thank you, Xia Ge, you’re the best!” Little Tang popped it into his mouth, and his eyes almost teared up. “Delicious!”
The others shifted restlessly, but lacking Little Tang’s boldness, they could only sniff the aromas of the sausage and pickled vegetables while chewing on their sweet potatoes, taros, rice balls, and other rations.
Xia Lu Nong couldn’t stop thinking about the canned food in his backpack, and while eating, he felt a bit distracted.
He took a bite while glancing at the cans, and even though there was only a candle flickering in the center of the truck bed, making it hard to see clearly, he kept his eyes fixed on them.
“Give it to me,” Xia Huo Qu suddenly said.
Xia Lu Nong was puzzled.
Xia Huo Qu took half of Xia Lu Nong’s rice and poured most of the remaining food into his own bowl. “I’ll open a can for you after we finish eating.”
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes lit up. “We’re opening it tonight?”
“Yes. That way, we’ll have to carry less,” Xia Huo Qu said. “Hurry up and eat.”
Xia Lu Nong didn’t need his brother’s urging; he quickly grabbed the lunchbox and dug into his food.
His brother only poured rice but didn’t share any of his dish, so Xia Lu Nong specially added two slices of sausage for him.
Then he immediately saw his brother casually take a slice of sausage from his own lunchbox and give it to Yan Xi Nian.
Xia Lu Nong shifted uncomfortably, feeling that the rice in his mouth had suddenly become a bit sour, almost like dog food.
Xia Lu Nong finished eating first.
After he was done, he deliberately picked out a can of yellow peach from his backpack and, without any tools, opened it with one hand.
A fresh peach aroma mixed with syrup wafted out.
Xia Lu Nong swallowed but didn’t pour any into his lunchbox.
Xia Huo Qu looked up and asked softly, “What are you waiting for?”
“I’m waiting for you and Brother Xi Nian to finish so we can share!”
Xia Huo Qu’s eyes curved into a smile, and Yan Xi Nian gave his shoulder an appreciative pat.
They were sitting in a relatively secluded spot, but the smell of the canned food quickly spread, filling the truck bed with a sweet and tantalizing aroma.
Xia Huo Qu had no intention of sharing the canned food with the others, and they didn’t ask further.
After Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian finished their meals, Xia Lu Nong finally lifted the can, using a clean spoon to scoop out the contents, sharing them piece by piece.
There happened to be three pieces of canned fruit, so Xia Lu Nong gave two extra pieces to his brothers.
Xia Huo Qu handed his extra piece to him. “You eat it.”
“No need; I ate less,” Xia Lu Nong smiled, revealing his small white teeth as he bowed his head, pouring the syrup evenly into their three lunchboxes.
Soon, the slightly yellow, thick syrup was divided up, and Xia Lu Nong stuffed the empty can back into his backpack, eagerly picking up a spoon. “Brother, brother Xi Nian, let’s eat!”
He scooped up a large piece of yellow peach and slowly took a bite.
The peach was quite soft, having soaked in the syrup for so long, and it had lost all its sourness, leaving only a rich peach flavor.
With one bite, it was cold, watery, and sweet, as refreshing as jumping into a pool on a hot summer day. Xia Lu Nong felt that every pore in his body was delighted.
Eating a canned yellow peach after a hearty meal was truly a treat!
