Bai Chen was silent for a moment, looked left and right, and changed the subject:

"Are you still accepting wandering refugees from the wilderness?"

Tian Erhe followed her gaze and looked at a dilapidated tent.

"Not anymore." He sighed without concealing it. "There's not enough land to divide."

Speaking of this, he smiled self-deprecatingly:

"Only soft-hearted guys like me can't bear to see others suffer, and think of helping as much as possible. The others in town are actually not too willing. After all, the terrain here is special and new farmland can't be opened up. The total harvest has a limit. With more people, what each person can get will naturally become less.

"I used to be able to pressure them by saying there weren't enough people and the land wasn't being fully utilized. Now, we're all growing mushrooms in the forest behind. Hehe, anyway, I'm old and my body is getting weaker. I probably won't have the chance to go out again. If I don't see it, I won't be soft-hearted."

Bai Chen couldn't help but reply:

"Don't always talk about how old you are. You look quite energetic."

"Alright, alright." Tian Erhe straightened the furry hat on his head and then smiled. "There really are good things in the ruins of old-world cities. Lao Man, Xiao Niu, and the others brought back a book called *Mushroom Cultivation and Technology*. Following it, you can really create something."

Bai Chen showed a slight smile:

"Mushrooms are good, very tasty."

She paused and added:

"I can't promise anything, I can only say that if I have the opportunity in the future, I can sell you some high-yield grain seeds, as well as things to replenish the fertility of the fields."

Tian Erhe's eyes lit up:

"That would be great!"

As they spoke, the two of them passed through the square and arrived near the three buildings arranged in a "pin" shape.

On the right side of the small concrete square, in front of the horizontal public toilet, was an open space with five or six dilapidated vehicles parked there.

There was a milky white sedan, an aluminum-colored van, a tall truck, a minibus that could seat a dozen people, a uniquely shaped electric car…

Besides these, there were also many tricycles and bicycles squeezed next to them, some relying on electricity, some requiring fuel, and some relying purely on manpower.

A large shed was erected over this area, covering all the vehicles.

On the left side of the shed, there were three bungalows in a row, with some of them knocked through to create a larger space, categorized and placed with various spare parts.

Some of them were damaged, some looked very old, some were relatively well-maintained, and some were mixed with deflated basketballs and soccer balls.

"See if there's anything you need." Tian Erhe pointed to the three bungalows. "They were all salvaged from the city ruins."

Bai Chen remained silent, entered the bungalows that served as warehouses, and walked around.

Then, she pointed out several items in succession:

"That, that, and that…"

Tian Erhe nodded casually:

"No problem.

"Bai girl, what are you planning to exchange?"

Although he was the town chief, he didn't have the authority to give away the town's goods for free.

Of course, with his authority and the respect he received in the town, no one would object if he really did that, but for decades, Tian Erhe had never violated his principles.

This was one of the reasons why he was so respected.

Bai Chen subconsciously replied:

"Food?"

Tian Erhe thought for a moment and said:

"Not for now.

"Although the weather has been a bit abnormal this year and the harvest hasn't been too good, it's only reduced by 20%. Coupled with the surplus from the previous three years, we should be able to get through this winter without any problems.

"If you can get a few pigs or cows here, then I'll not only welcome you with open arms, but also give you things for free! But I think that's probably impossible, right?"

Shuiwei Town lacked meat the most. They could only rely on dispatching hunting teams to supplement their supply – the number of free-range chickens, ducks, and geese always failed to increase when humans didn't have enough food themselves, and they would often be wiped out by disease.

Bai Chen hummed in agreement:

"What do you think of my motorcycle?

"It uses fuel, you should be able to find a supply."

"There's still quite a bit of oil left in a depot in one of the city ruins." Tian Erhe smiled like an old fox. "What else can be used for exchange? Besides looking good, what use is this motorcycle to us? How many people can it carry at once?"

Bai Chen said, having prepared for this:

"A light machine gun, using 7.92mm bullets…"

She described the length and other parameters of the bullets in detail.

"Light machine gun?" Tian Erhe's wrinkled face seemed to glow. "That's a powerful weapon for defending the town. We have some of this type of bullet as well."

Before Bai Chen could respond, he clapped his hands and said:

"Deal!"

"Alright, but I have to go back and discuss it with them first." Bai Chen didn't agree immediately, although she had communicated with Jiang Baimian beforehand and had enough negotiating power – anyway, for them, that light machine gun was not only unusable, but also took up space.

Tian Erhe looked up at the sky, frowned slightly, and pondered for a moment.

"It's going to rain soon, and it's not early, so it's not suitable to continue operating in the wilderness. Well… you can bring your companions here and rest for the night. You don't need to remove your weapons.

"I believe your companions, whom you would acknowledge, won't be too bad."

Bai Chen looked at Tian Erhe with slight confusion, and then looked up at the dark clouds gradually gathering in the sky.

"I'll ask them for their opinion first," Bai Chen responded.

Tian Erhe didn't blame Bai Chen for hesitating, and only smiled:

"Go quickly, or the rain will come down soon."

Bai Chen immediately walked out of Shuiwei Town, retrieved her gun, got on her motorcycle, and returned to where Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and Long Yuehong were, explaining the details of the transaction and Tian Erhe's kindness in full.

"Team Leader, what do you think?" Bai Chen leaned against the heavy motorcycle, waiting for Jiang Baimian to make a decision.

Jiang Baimian didn't mention the possibility of Tian Erhe or the people of Shuiwei Town harboring evil intentions, and asked with interest:

"That Town Chief Tian is seventy-seven?

"Experienced the destruction of the Old World?"

Bai Chen nodded without hesitation:

"Yes, that's for sure. He has been saying that for so many years, and he often recalls things from that time.

"A lie may last a long time, but it must bring benefits, and he has never cheated anyone out of anything based on that identity."

Jiang Baimian turned her head to look at Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong:

"Then let's go."

"Team Leader, isn't this a bit dangerous? Didn't you say that many wandering refugees could turn into bandits at any time?" Long Yuehong didn't hide his worries.

Jiang Baimian immediately smiled:

"Oh, you can still remember that?

"Not bad, it shows that you've improved by having such concerns, but with our firepower, as long as we take precautions, they won't dare to do anything. If they want to take us down, they'd have to lose at least thirty or fifty people, and there's still more than a month before winter. Even if they don't have much food left, they won't be willing to pay such a high price. Are we more dangerous, or are the wild beasts in the wilderness more dangerous?

"Well, when people are about to starve to death in winter, they won't care so much.

"Besides, the environment within the settlement is limited, and the area isn't large. For us, who are few in number and elite, it's actually more favorable terrain."

As she spoke, Jiang Baimian glanced at Shang Jianyao with a smile.

Shang Jianyao immediately turned his head, looked at Long Yuehong, and asked with a deliberately serious expression:

"Have you forgotten what team we are? Have you forgotten what our responsibilities are?"

"Old, Old Task Force, Old World Destruction Cause Investigation Task Force…" Long Yuehong wasn't stupid, and instantly understood what Jiang Baimian's two questions to Bai Chen earlier meant. "Team Leader, are you trying to find clues from Town Chief Tian?"

"There may not necessarily be clues. Town Chief Tian must have been very young at that time, but since we've encountered him, we have to ask him something." Jiang Baimian turned her head, looked at Bai Chen, and said with a clear smile, "You think you can trust the people of Shuiwei Town, so you can trust them. I trust you."

Bai Chen lowered her eyes slightly, and said silently for a moment:

"We can go."

"Let's go!" Jiang Baimian retreated back into the driver's seat and started the jeep.

Under Bai Chen's guidance, they went deep into the swamp, slowly moving forward in an almost indistinguishable maze of roads.

Before the sky completely darkened, they arrived at Shuiwei Town.

This time, with Tian Erhe's order, the town guard members guarding the gate no longer asked them to hand over their weapons, and only guided them to turn right immediately after entering, parking outside a wooden shed at the corner of the wall.

"You can sleep in the shed tonight. It's not a bad thing for the car to get rained on." Tian Erhe briefly explained a few words, "Don't make a bonfire. I'll have someone bring you a stove and some charcoal. Consider it a bonus for this transaction. Our people will patrol and guard the area. I believe you can understand."

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong were curiously observing the internal scene of Shuiwei Town, while Jiang Baimian, unfazed, smiled and dealt with Tian Erhe:

"Understood, understood!

"Town Chief, I wonder if I can invite you to have dinner together?"

As she spoke, she took out a can of braised beef and a dark yellow, almost black, leaf cigarette that she had prepared in advance.

Tian Erhe's eyes widened, and the wrinkles on his face unfolded one after another:

"These are all good things!

"What's up? Is there something you want to trade? "

Jiang Baimian smiled:

"I want to hear stories from the Old World. You know, knowledge is wealth."

"Deal!" Tian Erhe smiled very happily.

He quickly turned his head and instructed the guard beside him:

"Little Gouzi, quickly, bring my stove over! Hurry!"

The guard, nicknamed Gouzi, didn't dare to complain to the town chief and quickly ran towards the three buildings arranged in a pin shape.

At this time, the sky was getting darker and darker, and the people working in the fields behind Shuiwei Town returned one after another, as did the hunting teams that were nearby.

The entire small town suddenly became lively, and pairs of curious eyes were cast towards the corner where the jeep was parked.

ps: Seeking recommendation tickets~