Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 416 - 388: Xu Wu Side Story 3 (Part 2)

I killed all the chickens, ducks, and geese of this household, then drove all the livestock like pigs and sheep into the woodshed, and set it ablaze with a single fire.

Watching the burning flames, I left with the few belongings I had.

I originally wanted to take one last look at her, but I was afraid of getting her involved, so I left.

Unexpectedly, God was still looking after me. I arrived at the county town just as day broke. The dry food I brought was just enough to reach the county town when I saw a truck parked in front of the supply and marketing cooperative, loading goods.

I remembered what my sister said, that these trucks usually carry industrial goods to the county town, then transport agricultural and sideline products to the big cities. So, I quietly got on the truck while the workers were loading.

I hid among a pile of potatoes and departed with the truck.

I didn’t know where it was going, but I knew that wherever it was, it would be better than that hell. My sister had said that the sky outside is vast, and I wanted to go see it.

After three whole days, when the food I had was almost gone, the truck finally stopped. I quickly hid, and while they were unloading the goods, I got off the truck.

This place was nothing like my hometown, so strange. The buildings here are so tall and beautiful, far prettier than the blue brick and large tile houses in my town.

Finally, I knew where I was. This is Shanghai.

Shanghai is good, but when the little food tickets I had ran out, it was bad. Food was precious everywhere in this era, and having no other choice, I joined a group of street kids scavenging for things to exchange for something to eat, and I stubbornly survived for half a year like this. But then winter came.

The winter in Shanghai is different from home, damp and cold, as if the chill seeps into your bones. I had no cotton clothes, and what I picked up each day was much less, but no one dared to rob me of my things.

Because once, I got into a fight with a group of street kids, and the ferocious way I didn’t fear death frightened them.

The days grew colder, and the people on the streets all had large and small packages. It seemed like New Year’s was approaching. I found an underpass to settle in for the winter. I thought that if I could get through this winter, I would definitely go back and find my sister.

But what awaited me was a hellish ordeal that changed my life.

One clear morning when I woke up, I found myself in an iron cage, not just me, but also other children about my age. The cage was covered with a black cloth, making it impossible to distinguish day from night.

At first, everyone was panicked, people crying and screaming incessantly. But every so often, food would be thrown down from above, so we would scramble for it, for the food was scarce.

But for more than a dozen people, the food thrown down was only enough for seven or eight, meaning if you didn’t grab it, you’d go hungry. And if you went hungry for too long, people would die.

In order to stay alive and find my sister, I fought desperately for food. However, one by one, people gradually starved to death.

Those who died of starvation would be taken away, and the food decreased as the number of people dwindled. Eventually, I don’t know after how long, only five people were left.

After going out again, the five of us were taken to another place. Here, masked people taught us how to fight, a more skillful kind of combat. Later on, I realized this was the simplest technique to kill.

But fortunately, there was plenty of food. I had thought about escaping, but after seeing those who were caught trying to escape killed before us, I temporarily abandoned the idea.

I thought, I didn’t yet have the strength to survive on the outside, so I’d stay here for now, and wait for an opportunity later. I never gave up on leaving.

Winter passed and spring came, and a new round of learning lasted only three months. After three months, we were locked up again.

Ten people in a cellar, no light, with only five people’s worth of food lowered each day.

I knew in my heart that this was another round of selection. A month later, I was the only one alive in the cellar; the others, I had killed.

From the original hundred people, only ten survived. After that, they didn’t train us but sent us on a big ship overnight.

After a month of rocking and swaying, we reached the distant West Coast. Later on, I learned that this place is called the United States. The people here look different from me, all with blue eyes and blonde hair, demon-like appearances, and they speak differently as well.