Call Me Daddy

“Xiao Yu, are you going out?”

The landlord’s wife, noticing Yu Guo’s outfit, asked with understanding.

“Yes, I’m going to get some food and water. I also want to check with the government to see if there are any new policies.”

The people of China had a peculiar trust in their government, cultivated through numerous natural disasters and calamities.

Since the power outage began, the government had been taking action. Although it was difficult to contact higher authorities, the local government had started organizing self-rescue efforts and maintaining order under the special circumstances.

For the past few days, police officers and soldiers had been patrolling every street 24/7 with guns, to prevent any criminal activities in this unusual situation.

Additionally, all community grid workers had been notified to attend meetings at various levels of government, with instructions to organize personnel for household inspections.

The focus was on recording the addresses of elderly people living alone, children, and disabled people, and providing material assistance to households that lacked food and water.

Fire points were set up on streets to allow residents without gas canisters, coal stoves, or coal balls to heat simple meals.

Although many facilities in hospitals couldn’t be used due to the power outage, medical staff were still summoned to provide services. Patients with special conditions who needed medication on schedule could receive a limited amount of medicine by registering, even if they did not have cash.

…

Yu Guo knew about those measures because government workers and volunteers broadcasted the temporary measures daily through loudspeakers, walking through the streets.

The government was working hard to maintain order and stability, ensuring that all people had food and water during this special situation, and trying to keep a positive attitude.

Few governments were able to achieve that, and with the current stability in China, many European countries with legal gun ownership had experienced numerous violent incidents. Many shopping malls were looted and burned, and some wealthy areas were attacked with force.

Due to the collapse of the healthcare system, the global death toll had quickly become substantial. However, because of the disappearance of electricity and satellites, no one could provide a specific number.

In China, any occasional troublemakers were quickly subdued by the diligent patrolling police and soldiers.

“Wait, Xiao Yu, we’ll go with you. We also need to exchange some items.”

The landlord’s wife spoke up. Although there were military and police patrols on every street, the increase in petty theft was a fact. Having more people around could provide some reassurance.

The landlord’s wife decided to take her son and son-in-law along, leaving the others at home to watch over the house.

It seemed the family had long planned to go out, each carrying an empty backpack, likely preparing for a big shopping trip.

With more people, their food consumption was higher. Although the government provided material assistance, it only covered the minimum daily food intake per person. In such a situation, people felt more secure having a stockpile of food.

On the street, vehicles were almost nonexistent, but many people, like Yu Guo and the landlord’s family, were carrying large and small packages, ready to trade hard currency for goods and gather information.

Most of them traveled in groups. This habit of being prepared for any eventuality was deeply ingrained in the people, as the principle of not standing under a dangerous wall was rooted in their bones. Even though the local government was actively maintaining order and initiating self-rescue, there were always hidden corners that weren’t under strict control. Having more people around was very beneficial for both protection and moral support.

***

Yu Guo and her group first arrived at the largest local supermarket. Originally closed due to the power outage, the supermarket had resumed normal operations. It was said that the government had negotiated with the store owner, allowing ordinary people to use gold and other items to purchase goods at a fixed rate.

However, due to the uncertainty of the future, the store owner had increased some prices, and the exchange rate for gold and other items wasn’t the same as it was under normal circumstances. But the price hikes were still within an acceptable range for most people.

Food was in high demand, and there were purchase limits for each person. Some items that needed refrigeration maintained their prices, unchanged from before the incident due to the power outage.

At this moment, the habit of older women, who loved to stockpile gold, proved to be a valuable asset for their families. In the supermarket, the main shoppers were women, with men trailing behind to help manage the crowds and keep an eye on their carts.

Yu Guo and the landlord’s family quickly joined the scene.

“One gram of gold is exchanged for 300 shopping vouchers.”

This was the supermarket’s current rate. The two gold ingots Yu Guo brought weighed 10 grams. When she bought them initially, including the craftsmanship, they had cost nearly 500 yuan per gram. However, with the current situation, there was no time to worry about such details. Normally, the gold recovery price was around 360 to 370 yuan per gram. Seeing the supermarket offering a conversion rate of 300-yuan worth of goods, Yu Guo considered it a fair deal given the current panic and uncertainty.

She promptly exchanged her gold for shopping vouchers. During the exchange, she saw the landlord’s wife produce a gold bar marked with China Bank’s logo, which was worth over 100,000 yuan in vouchers. These vouchers could be used not only in the supermarket but also throughout the entire mall.

Seeing that, Yu Guo breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, the landlord’s family was well-off, which made her feel more secure in her living situation.

***

People like Lin Yi and Yu Guo were just a small reflection of society after the incident. The majority of urban dwellers were in a state of panic due to the event.

In contrast, while rural areas were also chaotic, they were at least not worried about food.

Take Ma Aifang, who had a strained relationship with Deng Caihua, as an example. Since her son became successful, Ma Aifang had rented out most of her land, keeping only a small plot in the front and back yards to grow vegetables and fruits. This small plot was sufficient to meet her vegetable needs.

With her economic stability, Ma Aifang would buy several hundred pounds of grain each harvest season from trusted families, storing it in her home cellar. She kept some for herself and sent some to her son’s family. With so many unreliable products on the market now, home-grown food was much more reassuring.

Currently, Ma Aifang still had a considerable stockpile of grain, and with the vegetables from her garden and the chickens and ducks she raised, she had more than enough food.

Even Ma Aifang, who didn’t farm, was well off. Farmers who had lived here for generations and relied on agriculture for their livelihood were even better off.

However, despite not facing a food crisis, the villagers had their own concerns. One disadvantage they faced was that, without signal, their ability to receive information was far inferior to those in urban centers where the government was based.

In that situation, everyone gathered at the village committee to see if the village leaders and respected elders could come up with a solution. The lack of water and electricity made them anxious.

Some people with family members working or studying outside were particularly distressed, unable to contact them and so anxious that they couldn’t even eat.

Ma Aifang was one of them. She had lost contact with her son and felt desolate. In the past, she had often clashed with Deng Caihua, but now that person seemed to be right in front of her, she felt as though she was blind.

Deng Caihua, unusually, didn’t argue with her but instead stood not far away, occasionally glancing in her direction.

However, when faced with questions from Ma Aifang and others, the village chief, who had returned from inquiring about the situation in the town and county, couldn’t provide a satisfactory answer. He could only assure everyone to trust the government, believing that the government would not ignore their plight.

Seeing that the village chief couldn’t clarify the situation, the room became increasingly noisy. People were talking over each other, making it impossible to hear clearly. Deng Guohua had no choice but to pound the table heavily.

“Be quiet and listen to me!”

For the first time, the usually mild-mannered village chief displayed such a serious expression.

“The city is in chaos over food right now. You can choose to listen to what I say or not.”

Noticing that the villagers had quieted down, Deng Guohua paused for a moment before continuing.

“No one can predict what will happen next, but if things continue like this, the price of food here will definitely rise.”

Their area wasn’t a major food-producing region; some of the local food was transported from major grain-producing provinces. With the current situation, it was uncertain whether the food supply could keep up. Deng Guohua knew that there were national food reserves, but with the government and higher authorities out of contact, whether and how much food could be released was unknown.

“We still have some food in our fields, but if it doesn’t come from the granaries, it’s hard to say. Right now, the power and signals are inexplicably gone. Who knows what else might be missing in the future? Of course, the power and signal issues might be resolved by our scientists soon. However, one thing is certain; whether you are selling food or buying it, you should first ensure that you have enough food for yourselves. In case… in case something bad really happens, I wouldn’t want anyone in our village begging for food from others.”

As he spoke, Deng Guohua pounded the table again, fearing that some opportunistic people might ignore his warnings.

Of course, Deng Guohua had another concern he didn’t voice

If the power and signals weren’t restored, what would the people in the city do? They might still have money to buy food, and the country had reserves for rescue, but what if the power and signals never came back?

Deng Guohua, being old-fashioned, was unfamiliar with the concept of an apocalypse. He only knew that a group of people who were always idle would likely cause trouble. The government wouldn’t allow them to be idle, but what could they do at this time?

He could only think of traditional production methods like farming and weaving.

If it really came to that, could the land they were cultivating now be given to them?

Deng Guohua dared not express his thoughts, fearing it might cause panic and also considering that his concerns were too speculative and might not become reality.

He kept thinking that everyone should store more food. Even if they missed out on a chance for unexpected profit this time, at least they would have peace of mind.

***

Su Aobai, listening to Deng Guohua’s words, wholeheartedly agreed. It seemed that this village chief was indeed clear-headed. Having such a reliable village chief made people feel much more at ease.

“Guo Hua, you said that the city is running out of food. What about the troops? My family can spare some to send to them.”

The speaker was Niu Aihong, a major contractor in the village. As soon as he spoke, the room, which had fallen silent after Deng Guohua’s words, erupted into noise again.

“Yes, let’s send some food to the troops.”

“My family doesn’t have much food, but I can manage to spare around a hundred pounds.”

The bond between their village and the troops was strong. The area was low-lying and frequently flooded, and during the super typhoon a few years ago, the seawater nearly reached the second floor. It was the soldiers who first arrived to help, and aid materials from across the country helped them get through the most dangerous times.

Although the current situation seemed eerie and unsettling, they thought that it couldn’t be worse than the terror of nearly being drowned. If the troops were out of food, they would stretch their own supplies to contribute.

“Er Bai, can we also contribute something? We haven’t sold the grain we harvested this year yet.”

Just as Su Aobai was pondering, the old lady beside him spoke up.

“We have land; we won’t starve.” Thinking her son’s silence was reluctance, Deng Caihua added.

In truth, Su Aobai wasn’t unwilling; he was merely surprised by everyone’s response.

Had I been too indifferent?

Seeing the villagers, who were also worried about their future but still thinking of others, Su Aobai felt as though he had been given a lesson.

Perhaps he had never realized that, after experiencing several worlds and accumulating knowledge over lifetimes, he had developed a sense of superiority. Although he didn’t show this pride outwardly, he genuinely felt that he was superior to these people. He viewed most people from a detached, judgmental perspective, evaluating their actions while being aware of the coldness and selfishness in human nature, which often led him to a pessimistic view of humanity.

But this group of people in front of him showed him that while human nature has its darkness, it also has its light. They weren’t perfect, and neither was he.