Chapter 63: Lack of Food
This plant called Haloxylon ammodendron can only be found in the deserts of the frontier.
Moreover, this plant is even better than coal when burned as fuel.
It is a very fine firewood and can be said to be one of the best wood fuels in the world.
It has a calorific value of 4302 calories per gram, and one ton of Haloxylon ammodendron firewood has the same calorific value as nearly 0.7 tons of coal, so it is also called "desert living coal".
The most important thing is the Haloxylon ammodendron firewood, which is durable and durable. A section of Haloxylon ammodendron firewood can be burned in the furnace all night, so there is no need to get up in the middle of the night to add firewood.
They didn't know about it before, they just talked about some nearby reeds and brought them back directly.
Later, it was Xia Zhi who told them that it was more suitable to cut this kind of Haloxylon ammodendron firewood, especially in winter, which did not take up space and was particularly resistant to burning.
At this moment, everyone came to this patch of Haloxylon wood with familiarity.
Due to the nearby wetland of reed marshes, Haloxylon ammodendron grows very luxuriantly here.
It was indeed not tiring to work together. Xia Zhi carried a load of firewood as high as one person and tied it on his shoulders with a rope, turned around and walked back to the nest.
This bundle of firewood is basically enough for them for half a month.
While everyone was chopping firewood, they were discussing whether they could apply with the team leader.
It's best to send them to the county to buy something.
The main reason is that the distance is not short, and everyone doesn't know the way, so it's easy to get lost. However, there is nothing in the supply and marketing cooperative near them. Now when they walk in, the counters are empty and covered with dust.
It's about to snow. If we don't prepare something early, this winter will be really worrying. They have been without food for more than ten days.
So there are no vegetables in winter, but now there are not even pickles.
While talking, everyone encouraged Xia Zhi to find Zhou Zhengan. After all, everyone knew the relationship between Xia Zhi and Zhou Zhengan.
Xia Zhi didn't refuse this matter. Not only did everyone want to go, but she also wanted to go.
Living here for the past half month has been a bit difficult, mainly because they are new here this year and have not prepared anything in advance, so this winter has been extremely difficult.
If you don't do any physical work, you can eat less food, but if there is no food at all, no one can stand it.
After finishing carrying firewood, Xia Zhi ran to the brigade headquarters to find Zhou Zhengan.
He walked up to the front and said hello to the young comrade guarding the door.
Everyone knows the summer solstice.
Seeing Xia Zhi appear, the little comrade smiled and pointed to the captain's office.
"Comrade Xiaoxia, our captain is inside. Nothing happens now. Go quickly."
"Thanks!"
"Hi, what are you thanking for?"
Xia Zhi always smiles and greets everyone he meets, and his attitude is very enthusiastic.
Everyone likes the summer solstice, especially the summer solstice looks beautiful, and the food cooked in the summer is especially delicious.
Zhou Zhengan is currently worried in the office because their canteen is out of supplies.
Under normal circumstances, food should be delivered to them once a week, but this time it has been half a month and no food has been delivered.
The canteen tried to reduce the number of dishes and made do for two weeks, but now the canteen has run out of food.
No matter what, the normal needs of these comrades who receive training every day must be ensured.
Zhou Zhengan shook the phone vigorously to contact the county's vegetable supply station.
"Stationmaster Wang, we haven't had food delivered here for a week."
"Captain Zhou, it's not that we won't deliver it to you. The road has been blocked after the snow."
"Two of our cars are broken down on the road. They have been broken down for a week and cannot be repaired at all."
"It's not that we won't deliver it to you, it's that we really have no choice. Otherwise, you can drive a horse-drawn carriage or an ox-drawn cart over here and pull it yourself. Now the only things that can go on this road are ox-drawn carts and horse-drawn carriages.
There aren't even oxcarts or horse-drawn carriages, so I guess I'll have to have someone carry it back. It's really not that I won't send it to you.
There is nothing we can do if we encounter this kind of difficulty. We simply don’t have enough manpower now. "
"Stationmaster Wang, okay, I'll arrange some manpower right now and see if I can get rid of the horse-drawn carriages and ox-carts and come out to pull the vegetables. If that doesn't work, I will also bring people over to carry the vegetables back. We can't hold on here anymore. "
"Captain Zhou, I'm really sorry. You know the weather is bad. It's really not that we don't want to provide good logistics for our comrades."
Webmaster Wang gave a very helpless explanation.
His phone has been buzzing with calls, and the food is piled here, but he can't get it out.
Zhou Zhengan put down the phone and was about to summon people, but when he turned around, he saw Xia Zhi.
"Xiaoxia, why are you here? Is there something wrong?"
"Captain Zhou, I think it's going to snow. Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative in the county to buy some things.
We have been without food here for more than half a month. "
When Zhou Zhengan heard this, he hesitated a little. It turned out that everyone was worried about the same thing.
"You don't need to go, the food on the team has been cut off now, and there was snow on the road some time ago.
The roads are impassable, and several trucks in the county have broken down, making it impossible to send them out for repairs. "
"I'm about to organize people to go over and bring food, so just wait here!
I'll bring some back for you on the way, and you can go directly to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy it. "
When Xia Zhi heard this, he glanced at the sky. The sky was so gloomy, as if the clouds were pressing on people's heads.
This low air pressure makes it difficult to breathe.
It can be felt that the heavy snow will fall at any time. If you drive a car, it will only take three hours to go back and forth, and you will be able to return quickly.
But if you rely on a horse carriage, ox cart or manpower, you may not be able to return until the evening.
According to her experience, the snow will definitely fall at 8 or 9 o'clock tonight at the latest.
If Zhou Zhengan and his men go there now, it is estimated that there is a great possibility that they will be blocked on the road or they will not be able to return after reaching the county town.
"Captain, can't you drive a truck? Look at the sky."
Zhou Zhengan looked at the sky, and his handsome brows were furrowed.
"The weather looks bad. It is estimated that the snow will definitely fall at 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening, or at most 10 o'clock.
It's not that I don't want to drive a truck, but this road is too slippery now. Driving a truck on the road will cause an accident.
I can't gamble with the lives of my comrades."
Xia Zhi suddenly remembered.
There are no so-called tire anti-skid chains this year, let alone snowplows and salting snow.
After a heavy snow, it is basically difficult to walk on the ground.
The temperature here is around -30 to -40 degrees Celsius in winter. Even though today's temperature is not that low, it is still only -25 to -26 degrees Celsius.
The snow on the road cannot be melted at all.
Especially at noon, under the sunlight, the surface of the snow will melt some water vapor, increasing the slipperiness of the ground.
"Captain, I have a way, I don't know if it can be used, or let's try it?"