Countdown: Humanity's struggle to survive against yesterday

Chapter 30 A Must-Go

In front of a large crowd, hundreds of people turned their gazes to him simultaneously.

Even though Jiang Hua considered himself to be of advanced age and had experienced many different situations, he couldn't help but blush. However, as people get older, their faces become more wrinkled, so no one noticed anything unusual.

Everyone only saw him think for a brief moment, then nod and say, "I absolutely have to go!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it was steady and powerful.

"Alright!" Mayor Zhang didn't ask why, but turned and pointed to the hundreds of knights around him. "Would you be willing to take them with you?"

"this……"

Faced with this question, Jiang Hua didn't know how to answer it.

After listening to the opera "Qingfeng Pavilion" yesterday, the anger in his heart had long since dissipated. He just wanted to avoid any more trouble. He wasn't afraid of being tired or suffering along the way; he really didn't want to lead a group of people on the journey again.

But given the situation today, everyone genuinely expressed that they were moved by my actions and were willing to come and help. It wouldn't be appropriate to directly refuse them.

"Uncle Jiang, don't worry, we won't cause any trouble!"

Nan Shaofei spoke again, his face sincere, and added, "Don't let our shady ways fool you, we're not street thugs, we just dress a bit extravagantly."

"Yes, Uncle Jiang, we definitely won't cause any trouble, and you don't need to worry about us on the way."

Across the crowd, in another group of knights, a young man spoke.

"Don't worry, Uncle Jiang, we really want to help you. We've been staring at our phones all day, and if we don't do something, I think we'll go crazy."

"Yes, yes, yes, the country is now advocating 'self-reliance' for survival. I think this long journey to visit one's son is also a kind of 'yesterday' survival strategy."

As soon as he said that last sentence, many people nodded in agreement, and many gave the young man who said it a thumbs up, saying, "Xiao Fei, that's a very insightful thing to say."

Mayor Zhang smiled and nodded at Wu Xiaofei, then looked at Director Wu and said, "Old Wu, this is your son, right? Look, he's so young but more enlightened than you."

"Hahaha..." The people around burst into laughter again upon hearing this.

Director Wu blushed, gave an awkward laugh, then cupped his hands to everyone and said loudly, "Mayor Zhang is right to criticize me. I, Old Wu, have overreacted. I apologize to everyone. However, whether or not you can go ultimately depends on Grandpa Jiang's opinion."

Director Wu's words once again drew everyone's attention to Jiang Hua, and for a moment, everyone looked at Jiang Hua again.

Sun Fumin, Sun Lingmin, and their fellow villagers felt a blankness in their minds and a sense of pride when they saw hundreds of people staring at them with great interest. They had lived for decades and this was the first time they had been the focus of so much attention. Their hearts were surging with excitement.

However, they knew that Jiang Hua was the one who initiated this matter. Even though they were eager to agree, they still knew their place and waited for Jiang Hua to speak. For a moment, they also turned their attention to Jiang Hua, who was standing in front with a motorcycle slung over his shoulder.

"Cough cough..."

Jiang Hua cleared his throat lightly, got out of the car, took a few steps forward, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to the surroundings, and said loudly, "Since everyone thinks so highly of this old man, then I'll have to trouble you all."

"good!"

A burst of cheerful laughter immediately erupted from the crowd. All the knights raised their hands and gave each other a high five, and the onlookers joined in with enthusiastic applause. Some even shouted, "Uncle Jiang, with so many people this time, you must have a way to get to Shanghai!"

"What does it mean to have a way? It means we can definitely get there!" Mayor Zhang chimed in.

"Hahaha..." The crowd laughed loudly again.

Jiang Hua couldn't help but finally smile today, but then his brows furrowed again.

Seeing Jiang Hua's expression, Mayor Zhang seemed to have anticipated this. Once the laughter subsided, he announced loudly, "The world has regressed, and the road conditions are different every day. To help Brother Jiang, I suggest you form a large communication group now, or you can split into several groups to travel together. For example, the first group can be responsible for surveying the route, the second group can be responsible for clearing..."

After listening to Mayor Zhang's words, Jiang Hua secretly praised him. He was indeed a good official. He could control the situation with just a few words and organize everyone on the spot. In the end, he also dignifiedly arranged for several young comrades from the town's police station to accompany him in case they encountered road bullies again.

Half an hour later, all the escort drivers on site were divided into ten groups of fifteen people each, with ten motorcycles specifically allocated to carry various tools and materials.

These tools and materials were specially delivered by the owners of several electric bicycle repair shops in the town after they heard about it. They even personally offered to help.

Some townspeople even took out their own oil cans and went to the town's gas station to fill up their tanks and deliver the oil. In no time, the whole town was in an uproar because of this.

Today was originally the first day of the annual temple fair in Greystone Town. The small vendors who had been swept away by the world's backwards originally wanted to go home, but after hearing about it, they didn't go home and rushed over to see who Jiang Hua was.

To Jiang Hua's amusement and exasperation, even some actors from the opera troupe came over, their makeup only half done.

One of the middle-aged actresses even started singing: "Walking up a ridge and crossing a mountain, the air in the valley is so fresh..."

This is a clip from the modern drama "Chaoyang Gou". The young people had never heard of it before, and they were just clapping and tapping their feet on the sidelines.

However, Jiang Hua discerned the meaning after only listening to a few sentences.

Because my grandmother loved listening to opera when she was still alive, I was influenced by her and listened to some myself. I didn't like listening to opera when I was young, but I didn't expect to like it more and more as I got older. I could immediately appreciate the nuances of it when I listened to it.

"Well sung!"

After the middle-aged actor finished singing, Jiang Hua immediately gave him a thumbs up.

While the crowd was still giving their final farewells, Mayor Zhang and Director Wu had already quietly retreated to the side and stood there.

Mayor Zhang suddenly exclaimed, "What a twist of fate! It's been so long since I've seen the town this lively..."

"yes!

Director Wu took a deep drag on his cigarette, and responded thoughtfully.

……

"One group, one group, let Grandpa Jiang get on the highway now, so he doesn't have to take the country roads anymore. There are about 30 kilometers of highway ahead where he can travel smoothly."

"One group received the report; the other groups continue exploring."

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

In the dedicated communication group for each group leader, everyone was incredibly enthusiastic, experiencing a strange sense of exhilaration, like a scout.

Similarly, a chat group called "Grandpa Jiang Goes to Shanghai" was also very lively, with not only delivery riders, but also many villagers from Sanmiao Village and Huishi Town joining after hearing the news.

There was even a local internet celebrity who chatted in the group to catch up on everyone's latest news while simultaneously livestreaming.

"Friends, I'd like to give you an update: Grandpa Jiang has traveled 200 kilometers and is 600 kilometers away from Shanghai. He's made great progress. Let's keep an eye on him and see if he can make it to Shanghai today."

The live stream was filled with question marks, with viewers curious about what kind of live stream this was.

Everyone else is livestreaming how to survive "yesterday," so why is the style here different?

But after watching for a while, everyone couldn't help but start posting comments: "Grandpa Jiang is awesome! This may not be the most heartwarming story in the country during a major disaster, but it is definitely the first heartwarming scene I saw. Go Grandpa Jiang!"

"Indeed, good luck to Grandpa Jiang!"

"Go for it! Go for it!"

"..."

However, plans can never keep up with changes. As time went on, and then a heavy rain came, all the knights in the group were exhausted and collapsed. The captains in the group chat also became more and more listless.

Finally, at the 410-kilometer mark, another heavy rainstorm struck, causing not only the young riders to be unable to move, but also Jiang Hua to fall to the ground.

This scene terrified everyone. Only after a doctor in the convoy examined them and said that they had developed a high fever due to the cold did everyone feel relieved.

Ultimately, Sun Fumin had to call off Jiang Hua's trip to Shanghai. Everyone braved the rain to rest at a service area, thus ending the trip.

However, a trend quietly swept across the internet...

Before the world went backwards, a group of people got to know Jiang Hua and remembered the live broadcast room they saw today.

Where this wind will ultimately blow is unknown.

However, many people began to look forward to a new day, hoping that the story would have a happy ending.