Chapter 473 - Listener (1/2)

It was very difficult for refugees to save up money. They already earned very little each day, yet the consortium still operated shops that sold meat stew, alcohol, and tobacco, as well as had gambling dens all over town. The Central Plains did not ban alcohol, probably because of the relatively rich foods that were found here.

When it was time for the workers to go home, those entertainment shops would be advertising their businesses at their workplace entrances. After a hard day of work, everyone just wanted to reward themselves, so they would spend the money they had just earned.

In this town, there was always a place that pandered to their desires.

Zhang Jinglin once said this was a world meticulously designed by the consortiums. It seemed like he was not wrong at all.

People-watching the refugees, Ren Xiaosu recalled the days when he and Yan Liuyuan were still living in the town at Stronghold 113. Although that period was more difficult than now, it was still exceptionally wonderful in his memory, so much so that he would deliberately forget some of the suffering he had been through, forget about the time when he could not fill his stomach, forget how he was ostracized by others, and forget the feeling of falling asleep in fear.

Then, there would only be happy memories left.

Humans are optimistic creatures.

To this town, Ren Xiaosu was an unfamiliar face. But with the increased number of stronghold residents who had fled here from the Northwest in recent days, no one really cared about his arrival.

The stronghold residents who had fled here would hide in the corner and worry about their future lives.

Suddenly, a young woman ran out of the back door of the tavern with a notebook and pen in hand. She was looking for these escapees to ask them some questions.

Ren Xiaosu leaned in close to listen and discovered this young woman was actually asking the escapees from the Northwest about the war over there. She wanted to know how the war had started and if there were any heroic deeds that took place or any particularly powerful figures in it.

The young woman wasn’t asking the escapees to tell her stories about the war for nothing, though. There would be a payment of one steamed bun for every story told as an exchange of equal value.

Although payment of a single steamed bun sounded really cheap, to these escapees who had no idea of how many meals they had skipped, this bun was worth their life, so they would say everything they knew.

A middle-aged man said, “Zong Ying, the commander of the Zong Consortium’s front line this time, is still a very capable leader. He used a scheme to make Fortress 178—”

Interrupting, the girl, around 18 years old, shook her head and said, “Didn’t the Zong Consortium already lose? I don’t want to hear about the Zong Consortium’s side of the story, I only want to listen to what Fortress 178 has done.”

The middle-aged man blanched and his heart bled. He used to be a bureaucrat in the Zong Consortium’s ranks, but as a result of losing the war, he had to drag his family away from his hometown. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough yet, he now had to speak heroically of the enemy’s deeds. Was this young woman here to fucking add insult to injury?

The young woman said earnestly to him, “If you don’t have a story to tell, I’ll just ask someone else. Grandpa is still waiting.”

The middle-aged man quickly stopped her from leaving. “I’ll tell you, I will! Besides, I used to be a high-ranking official, so I definitely know more details than anyone else. When Stronghold 146 was being destroyed, I was right there myself!”

The young woman was very happy when she heard that. “Really? Then quickly tell me about it. If it’s interesting, I’ll give you another steamed bun!”

When this middle-aged man heard he could get another steamed bun, he immediately started relating the story without a care for his previous status. He was afraid the other escapees would steal this opportunity from him.

Once he started, he droned on for more than two hours. Ren Xiaosu went next to them and listened. But as he kept listening, his expression became stranger.