On the night when she met the animal keeper Comrade Matvey again, the ration Lidia brought back was still only black bread.
For dinner on this day, in addition to a plate of aspic for each of the children, the pot for cooking the broth only contained a mouse and half a dried fish, plus a thumb-thick piece of minced pike meat.
, and a glass of honey water as usual before going to bed.
In a blink of an eye, it was around three o'clock in the morning the next day. Wei Ran woke up Lidia and Kona, and then woke up Alexander and Alyosha who were sleeping next to them. With a little effort, Lidia also woke up.
Among the older children, there was a little girl of the same age as Alexander.
In the faint red light emitted by the stove, a group of six people quietly went upstairs. After the little girl who followed helped cover the wooden board at the entrance to the basement, Wei Ran lit the candle on the shelf.
"Oujia, I remember your name is Oujia, right?"
Wei Ran asked in a low voice to the little girl standing at the entrance to the basement while putting a pilot's leather hat on his head.
"Yes." The little girl nodded immediately.
"Take this"
While Wei Ran was talking, he took out a piece of chocolate from his pocket and handed it to the other party, "After the younger brothers and sisters wake up, give each of them a piece of chocolate. In addition,"
Wei Ran pointed to the baby bottle on the shelf next to him, "I have poured honey into it in advance. You are also responsible for feeding Galina the honey water. Remember to boil the water first before..."
"Don't worry Victor!"
The little girl named Olga said confidently, "I know how to take care of sister Galina. I will also let the other brothers and sisters drink broth and eat aspic as usual. There is also a stove. I will also
Keep it burning."
“We feel safe leaving these to you.”
Kona, who had already put a scarf on herself, hugged the thin and pitiful little girl, "The most important thing is that you are not allowed to take your brothers and sisters out. You don't have to go anywhere today. After we set off, we locked the door and left.
Just listen to the radio in the basement."
"I...I know"
Oujia nodded, "Don't worry, sister Kona, my brothers and sisters and I won't let you worry. We promise not to go anywhere, just in the basement, and before you come back, no matter who comes, I won't
Open the door."
"If anyone wants to break in and steal our stuff, shoot them!"
As Kona said, she had already taken out the small TK pistol that Mrs. Weiya had left for her. She helped load the bullet and put it on the shelf. "I loaded the bullet. When you need to shoot, pick it up."
Just aim and pull the trigger, but don't play with it. If it goes off, we don't have doctors or medicine to save you or anyone else."
"I won't touch it randomly"
Ou Jia glanced at the pistol on the shelf that only she could reach on tiptoe, and added, "I won't let my younger brothers and sisters touch it."
"Ivan and Sasha will help you"
Alexander, who had already put on his clothes, said beside him, "I have already told them both, they will help you."
"Since Squad Leader Alexander has made arrangements, let's set off."
As Lidia spoke, she had already put a thick blanket on her shoulders. As for the "monitor" she referred to, it was naturally Alexander's position in the class before the school was suspended.
Hearing this, Wei Ran and others quickly put on their gloves and then blew out the candles. The little girl named Ou Jia immediately covered the entrance and exit of the basement with a thick sponge mat and lay down on it.
Seeing this, Alexander and his good friend Alyosha immediately opened the locked door, and Wei Ran and Kona immediately dragged the sledge and left the cement house.
When Lydia, who was at the end, closed the door, Olga immediately got up and locked the door from the inside, locked an iron lock, and hung the key around her neck.
Stuffing the cold copper key into her collar, Olga shivered subconsciously and immediately lifted the sponge mat covering the basement entrance and opened the wooden cover.
"Are they gone?" In the basement shrouded in the dim light of the fire, a little boy whose voice was changing asked in a low voice.
"Let's go," Olga immediately responded, "Ivan, Sasha, you go to sleep first, I will guard the fire."
"I am a little scared"
In the basement, Olga's classmate and even the girl Sasha who was sitting at the same table said worriedly, "I'm worried about them..."
"They'll be fine"
Ivan, a young man from the same class who wore a pair of glasses with only one lens left on his face and no temples, tied entirely with a rope, clenched his fists and whispered, "They must be worried about us too."
"Will they come back alive?"
In the dark basement, a little boy named Andre asked abruptly. Before the older children headed by Alexander joined the big family, this little guy was a veritable king of children.
"Why did you wake up?" Oujia asked subconsciously, "Did we wake you up?"
"I woke up when Victor woke up Kena, and the corner of his clothes scratched my nose." Andre paused and continued to ask, "If...if they can't come back, we
what to do?"
"If they don't come back, I'll go find Aunt Tasha."
Ivan said seriously, "Before we met Victor, Aunt Tasha was always helping us. I guarantee that she will help us find Victor, Lydia, Kena, Alexander, and Alyosha.
Came back."
"Okay, Andre, go to bed quickly, it's still a long time until dawn."
Olga sat on the steps leading to the first floor and said, "Ivan, Sasha, you guys should go to bed quickly."
Soon, the warm basement fell into silence again, leaving only the little girl sitting on the steps, softly humming a courageous Katyusha.
Outside the warm basement, not only were saws, axes, iron buckets and other tools placed on the sledges dragged by the sanitary ware, as well as the red copper water tanks found in the room of the mother and son who committed suicide yesterday, but they were also sitting almost covered by blankets.
Alexander was completely covered, and sitting on the sledge pulled by two girls beside him was Alyosha.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Fortunately, although the biting wind was mixed with beautiful large snowflakes, the continuous pushing feeling on the back made the work of pulling the sledge particularly easy.
"Victor, what are you doing with that jar?" Lydia moved closer to Wei Ran and asked curiously.
"Let's see if we can encounter another crashed plane," Wei Yan explained. "If we can get some aviation fuel back, it will be more cost-effective than getting back wood of the same weight."
"Maybe there was one in the plane we met last time!" Kena came over and said loudly.
"I think so too," Wei Ran generously agreed, "Hurry up and hurry up! If you run out of energy, just tell me in time!"
The small talk that had just begun was stopped. Driven by the strong wind and falling snow, the two sledges gradually got closer to the battlefield in the southern suburbs of the city.
Along the way, they passed by the basement where they once lived, crossed the frozen Neva River, and once again saw the corpse of a German pilot still hanging on a wooden beam swaying back and forth in the strong wind.
After not seeing each other for a few days, there seemed to be a sign on the neck of the corpse. Unfortunately, it was too dark and they were in a hurry, so they didn't see clearly what was written on the sign.
While Kona was whispering to Lidya and the two and a half-year-old children about how she secretly followed Wei Ran and was discovered, Wei Ran also stuffed a piece of chocolate into each of their mouths.
After taking a short rest and continuing on their way, the speed of the two sledge trucks increased a lot after Alexander and Alyosha insisted on getting out of the car to help, and they arrived at the intersection where the entrance of the zoo was located exceptionally smoothly.
Far away, they saw a man waiting for them at the intersection. However, when they got closer, they found that not only was this man not the Matvey they were familiar with, but his face was covered with gauze!
Realizing that something was wrong, Wei Ran didn't have time to say anything, so the man took the initiative and asked, "Are you Comrade Victor, the childcare worker?"
"I...it's me, I'm the breeder Victor," Wei Ran asked subconsciously, "Where's the breeder, Comrade Matvey?"
"Come with me," the man with gauze on his face said, then looked at Kena and the others, "How about you guys wait here?"
Seeing the two children and two girls looking at him, Wei Ran nodded, "Wait here for a while."
After saying that, he followed the limping man to the opposite side of the intersection.
It wasn't until the wind, snow and darkness made the figures of the girls and children on the other side of the road blurry that the man with gauze on his face said sadly, "Comrade Victor, I am Matvey's colleague. Yesterday,
In the afternoon, German shells hit the zoo enclosure, and he died trying to protect those animals..."
Wiping the corners of his eyes with his palms, the man said with a tearful tone, "Before he died, he asked me to apologize to you and the children on his behalf, saying that he couldn't help... he couldn't perform for you..."
Wei Ran sighed secretly, and was about to say something when the man standing opposite choked up and said, "He asked me to find his dog Joseph, and then give Joseph to the girl named Kena. Joseph can help
You found the body of the army horse.
But... But I searched all night and couldn't find Joseph. I don't know where it went, or even whether it was buried in the ruins and didn't survive. Sorry, Victor, originally I and another colleague
We were going to collect the corpses of army horses with Matvey, but Comrade Matvey died, another comrade also had an arm blown off, and Joseph could not be found. We are afraid..."
"I know I know."
Wei Ran took a deep breath, and in a panic, he took out the cigarette box that he had given to Matvey and was returned by Matvey from his pocket. He took out the last remaining cigarette from it.
He lit it with some difficulty, took two fierce sips, and handed it to the other party.
"I don't smoke"
The man with his face wrapped in gauze waved his hands and said apologetically, "Victor, I'm sorry, I'm afraid your trip will be in vain. We..."
"It's okay, it's okay"
Wei Ran put the cigarette back into his mouth and took a big sip from the boss. After trying to calm down his emotions, he asked as calmly as possible, "Where is Comrade Matvey buried?"
“In the zoo”
The man raised his hand and pointed to the opposite side, "We have a small cemetery. The animals and employees who died in the war will be buried there. After the war is over..."
"After the war is over, we will go see Comrade Matvey." Wei Ran said in a very formal manner, "We still owe him 16 rubles for his performance fee."
"You have to take the kids with you and pay the performance fee a lot."
The wounded man also said in a very formal manner, "After he came back from his first performance for you, he mentioned that there were 16 children who owed him performance fees. He also said that a childcare worker promised him that when the war is over,
After that, I will take all the children to pay the performance fee."
"He also promised to wait for us at the zoo..."
Wei Ran sighed secretly, took a puff of his cigarette and said, "You are also injured. You must have been waiting for us here for a long time. Go back and rest quickly."
"You..." The man hesitated and glanced at the blurry figures behind Wei Ran.
"It's rare for us to come here once," Wei Ran said with a normal expression, "so we plan to wander around here to see if we can find any supplies to take back."
"Okay... okay..." the man said apologetically, "If you are tired and need a rest, come to the zoo."
"If we need a rest, we will go to the zoo."
Wei Ran happily agreed, then put out his cigarette, took the initiative to help the other person back to the other side of the road, and watched the other person walk into the zoo.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Victor..." Lydia and Kena obviously realized that something was wrong, and they all looked at Wei Ran worriedly.
"fine"
Wei Ran smiled and said with a normal expression, "Matvi has something to do temporarily and may not be able to take us there..."
"Is he dead too?" Kona asked with a tearful voice. Alexander and Alyosha behind her also shivered subconsciously.
After glancing at Lidya, who had also clearly guessed the truth, Wei Ran finally nodded his head imperceptibly in response.
"Let's continue to the front line"
Lidia suggested unexpectedly, "Even without Comrade Matvey's help, we can at least find the plane you just talked about and find a way to get some fuel back. Even if we can't find the plane, at least we can find it."
Firewood.
If you still remember where the corpses of the army horses were found when we came last time, maybe we can pick up some bones and take them back."
"right"
Kona wiped the corners of her eyes and said, "Let's continue to the front line. We still need firewood. If we can't bring firewood back today, we will have to burn the saved coal tonight. Those coals won't last long at all."
"We're just going to get some firewood."
Lydia suggested again, "We can find firewood if we can find trees, and we can do it without the help of Matvey and his dog Joseph."
"Victor..."
"Let's go find firewood." Wei Ran said, having already picked up the rope tied to the sledge, and was the first to walk out of the city.
Seeing this, Kena and Lidia looked at each other and immediately called for Alexander and Alyosha to follow.
Following the route they took last time, a group of five people and two sledges left the city under the cover of night and wind and snow, and successfully found the German fighter jet that crashed when they came here last time before dawn.
However, in just a few days, the remaining wing of this fighter jet has been violently chopped open to open the fuel pipeline. It is obvious that the fuel inside has been taken away by other people who patronize this place.
, even the pilot’s body did not know where it went.
"I'm going to find another wing," Wei Ran said, already walking towards the direction of the broken wing that he had buried with snow.
"Do you know where the wing is?" Kena caught up and asked.
"of course I know"
Wei Ran responded naturally, and while taking out four pieces of chocolate and handing them to the other party, he raised his finger and pointed to the birch forest not far away, "I can go there by myself. You guys hurry up and collect firewood. Wait a moment."
I’ll go find you.”
"good!"
When Kona was about to say something else, Lidia had already agreed and pulled the sledge towards the birch forest. Alexander and Alyosha also wisely took away the saw and ax from Wei Ran's sledge.
Ropes and other tools. Seeing this, Ke Na quickly chased after him.
Temporarily divided into two teams, Wei Ran dragged the sledge alone to find the location. When he pulled away the thick snow with his hands, he immediately saw the wings buried inside.
After knocking off the ice shell on the top, he immediately found a metal bucket from the sledge truck, moved it to the side of the disconnected oil pipeline and fixed it with snow, then ran to the other side of the wing and slowly lifted it up.
However, when he waited for a while and returned to the other end, he found that no oil flowed into the barrel at all. Looking more closely, the oil pipeline was obviously frozen.
After muttering a curse, Wei Ran took out the wire cutters from the metal book and cut the pipe directly. When he smelled the fuel, he immediately dragged the sledge to the other side of the wing and used the sledge to cut it.
Elevate.
When he returned to the pipeline again, gurgling fuel was already flowing into the iron bucket.
When the tin bucket was filled with fuel, Wei Ran, who had already prepared it, immediately put the oil drum that he had taken out from the metal book in advance, then picked up the tin bucket and poured the fuel inside into the metal bucket.
In the big belly water tank on the sledge truck.
This back-and-forth cycle barely filled up the water tank, which probably had a capacity of thirty or forty liters, and the oil drum taken out of the metal book. The fuel in the wing was basically emptied.
Carefully plugging the mouth of the red copper water tank tightly with a ball of rags, then closing the lid and putting a sock on it to hold it in place, Wei Ran then dragged the sledge to the white birch not far away.
Forest.
By the time he followed the marks of the sledge and found Lidia and others, their sledge truck had already been loaded with logs that were about 1.5 meters long and the largest were no more than the thickness of a calf.
Looking at the two girls who were still squatting under the tree and pulling the saw back and forth, and the two and a half-year-old children who were also using the saw to cut the downed birch tree into sections, Wei Ran also picked up the saw and went up without taking a rest.
help.
"Have you found the fuel?" Kona stopped what she was doing and asked panting.
"Found it." Wei Yan pointed to the water storage tank on the sledge with the saw he just picked up, "I've filled it up with more."
Spurred by the good news, everyone couldn't help but speed up their movements.
Just before the sky was about to light up, the two sledge trucks were already loaded with logs, and they were covered and tied up with blankets and ropes they brought.
"Kona, you take Alexander and Alyosha back with the fuel first." Lydia said before anyone could speak.
"We came together, and we have to go back together." Kena responded immediately, and the two half-year-old boys nodded in agreement.
"Go back quickly"
Lidya glanced at Wei Ran and continued, "I'm not worried about having those little guys at home, and after dawn, if the snow stops and the German plane comes, we might have to wait until night.
gone back.
So Kona, you, Alexander, and Alyosha have the hardest job. You must return to the city before dawn, preferably back home before noon, and take the children to protect these precious things.
fuel."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "What about you?" Kena asked subconsciously.
"I keep chopping wood"
Lydia has obviously planned her work arrangements, "Victor is going to find horse meat. After daybreak, we will hide in the forest and use logs to make a sledge, and then we will go back after dark."
"Go back after dark?!" Ke Na subconsciously wanted to retort.
"Should we go back after dawn?" Lydia pointed to the top of her head, "We have no objection, but the German plane will definitely not agree."
“Stop wasting time”
Wei Ran, who had been silent just now, said, "If you go back earlier, you can rest earlier. At night, we will go back after dark. You can also come to pick us up after dark. We will be there
How about the bridge meeting on the Neva River?”
Kona shook her teeth when she heard this, and finally picked up the rope tied to the sledge and put it on her shoulder, "Then we will meet at the Neva River at night!"
"Wait a minute, take these chocolates to eat on the road. Don't save. The sooner you go back, the safer it will be. I don't want those precious fuel and firewood to be robbed by others."
As Wei Ran spoke, he had already reached into his pocket, first took out a plate of chocolate and stuffed it into the other person's pocket, and then said into Ke Na's ear, "In the glass tanks containing fuel on the first floor,
There is a jar filled with honey. Before you come to pick us up in the evening, remember to let the children drink honey water."
Hearing this, Kena nodded, "We'll see you tonight. You two must go back alive."
"Let's go quickly." As Wei Ran spoke, he helped the other party tighten the Budyonni hat on his head.
Under the watchful eyes of Wei Ran and Lidya, Ke Na dragged the sledge loaded with fuel and firewood toward the city with some difficulty.
Behind her, Alexander and Alyosha also worked together to drag another almost equally heavy sledge, turning back three times to follow Kena.
Until the two sledges were completely covered by the wind and snow, Lidya breathed a sigh of relief inexplicably, turned to Wei Ran and asked, "Can you make a sledge?"
