21: It's not fair

Looking at the expectant gazes below, Tian Ming said in a clear voice, "Recently, I have seen everyone's efforts. Now I announce that the first phase of the Shelter's protective engineering has passed inspection and is successfully completed."

Everyone raised their hands and applauded, because everyone knew that the barbed wire and trenches outside were there to ensure their safety.

Tian Ming waved his hand, and the applause gradually subsided.

"Everyone has worked hard these past few days, and I will give you rewards. Everyone who participated in building the barbed wire fence will receive a water kettle, an alcohol stove, a small manual filter, and a two-liter barrel of alcohol."

Applause rang out again, even more enthusiastically this time, and everyone's faces were filled with excitement and satisfaction. Most people couldn't boil water because fuel was scarce in the Shelter, so most of them drank raw water.

This complete set of water-boiling tools, along with the fuel, was very attractive to them, even more so than food.

A person can go without food for ten days or so. But without water, they'll be dead in three days. Either they die, or they risk getting sick by drinking unclean water.

Gouzi, with Xiao Qian, was boisterously distributing supplies there.

"Oh, Old Liu. You're over 50, but you dig trenches better than young people. Here, I'll personally give you a small biscuit." Gouzi said with a grin as he handed the supplies to Old Liu.

Old Liu nodded and bowed in thanks: "Thank you, thank you, Brother Gou!"

"You're older than me, calling me Brother Gou? You want to shorten my life? Call me Little Brother."

"Little Brother Gou!"

"Take out 'Gou'!"

"Little Brother!"

"That's more like it, hahaha!"

The square was unusually relaxed. Gouzi was an outgoing person and good at dealing with people. Tian Ming had told him that everyone in the Shelter was in the same boat, so he adapted quickly. To win people's hearts, that's how he could hold onto the position of second-in-command in the Shelter for a long time.

"This is unfair! Why don't we get any?!" A voice was particularly grating.

The speaker was Aunt Lin, an elderly woman. This woman was plump and did nothing after arriving at the Shelter, receiving three hundred grams of guaranteed food and drinking raw water every day, just lounging around.

Now seeing others receiving supplies and water-boiling equipment, her eyes immediately turned red with envy.

"Leader Tian Ming, you're not being fair! Why can they get water-boiling fuel and equipment, but we can't?"

Aunt Lin was displeased. It was bad enough that she wasn't getting enough food; even something for boiling water was being doled out so stingily, like a handout. She despised such behavior from the bottom of her heart.

What was a broken iron kettle and a broken alcohol stove worth? The most hateful thing was the differential treatment, which made those who hadn't participated feel extremely unhappy.

Tian Ming frowned and glanced at Aunt Lin. And with someone taking the lead, the more than one hundred people who had not participated in building the barbed wire fence immediately chimed in.

"Exactly, Leader! We older people can't do heavy physical labor to begin with. We can't participate even if we wanted to!"

This matter was difficult to handle. If he was too extreme, it could cause resentment among others. If he compromised, those who participated would feel unfair.

Seeing that someone was on her side, Aunt Lin felt a bit smug, but she still had to save face for the Leader, so she said, "Leader Tian Ming, they worked hard, but they already get eight hundred grams of food and water, which I think is enough."

Tian Ming said unhappily, "Then, according to you, Aunt Lin, what should be done?"

Seeing a chance, Aunt Lin said, "Those of us who didn't participate are all in poor health. We're not sick now, but drinking too much unclean water will cause problems sooner or later. So, I think we should also be given a set for boiling water. This stuff isn't worth much money. It's usually a hundred or two hundred yuan's worth of things. I know Leader Tian Ming wouldn't be so stingy. Don't you all agree?"

Those who hadn't participated all chimed in. Three hundred grams of food was barely enough to begin with, but if they had a stove, they could cook it into porridge, which would at least give them a feeling of fullness.

"Xiao Qian, help me distribute. I want to see who's so blind as to openly question the Leader?"

As Gouzi, a loyal fan, heard the questioning, he was the first to disagree and immediately stepped forward.

When he walked over and saw it was Aunt Lin, Gouzi's face immediately fell.

"So it's Fat Lin. Have you been drinking too much sewage and are now spouting nonsense here? I told you before to help out, to tie some barbed wire, but you didn't go. Now that it's time to collect things, you're getting jealous?"

Tian Ming smiled knowingly from the side. Gouzi's ability to retort was first-rate. So he said, "Gouzi, you need to reason with people! I'll go to the warehouse for a moment!"

Tian Ming slipped away. This kind of 'bad cop' role could be left to Gouzi. People like Aunt Lin were difficult to deal with; her mouth could twist right into wrong. As the Leader, Tian Ming didn't like to argue with such unreasonable people.

Aunt Lin saw Tian Ming leave and immediately said loudly, "I'm just offering a normal opinion! What did I do wrong? Do people like us, who are old and weak, not deserve to live?"

Her tone was mournful, but her voice was loud, making Gouzi's head buzz.

Gouzi took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "Don't get angry. The Leader said to reason with people, not to use force."

"Fat Lin, you want a water kettle, don't you?"

Aunt Lin heard a possibility and quickly got up, saying, "What, are you willing to give it to us now?"

"The Leader said that everyone finished early, and this set of items is given as a reward. For those of you who didn't participate, it's not impossible to get it, but you have to work for it."

Aunt Lin's eyes darted around, thinking to herself, anyway, all the heavy and tiring work was done, and they didn't have any important work to do now.

"Tell me, what kind of work? As long as it's not too heavy, we'll definitely do it!"

Gouzi showed a mischievous smile and said, "This work isn't heavy, and you don't need to go outside. Let me see how many people want to do it. Once you're done, you can come and claim it."

As soon as he said this, almost all of those who hadn't participated raised their hands.

As the leader, Aunt Lin was even more enthusiastic: "Tell us, what is it? You say it, we'll definitely do it!"

"Let's see, there are about a hundred people. If you work fast, it'll only take a day."

Aunt Lin became a little anxious and said, "Stop playing coy, just say what it is directly."

"Cleaning. The public areas, scattered trash, iron pieces, feces, all need to be cleaned up. Once you're done, the brothers who participated in building the protective net will grade you. If more than half of them agree, I will give you the water-boiling set."

Gouzi's move was to shift the conflict. These idle people were envious of those who worked, so he gave the judging power to those who had worked.

Seeing a hint of hesitation on Aunt Lin's face, Gouzi fanned the flames again, saying, "What, you don't even know how to clean? Then forget it, I gave you a chance, but you're useless anyway."