kvmb Chapter 1159 The Nine Dragons Fall
Chapter 1159 The Nine Dragons Fall
Acheng went and bought the newspapers back, saying they were secretly printed by some underground publications, and with the war going on, the government didn't have the energy to manage them. However, they were selling them for a high price, twice as much as regular newspapers.
When Gui'er opened it, she saw that the Japanese army was advancing with unstoppable momentum, and the British garrison retreated with almost no resistance.
Wu Mingqiang also picked up the newspaper and looked at it. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I still have to go out and check the situation at the dock first. If possible, we should leave as soon as possible. If not, I'll go to the villa to get some supplies. I need to take the car with me."
Gui'er nodded and said, "Brother Wu, you have to be careful. Or maybe you can let Brother Cheng go with you."
Wu Mingqiang shook his head and said, "No, it's not safe anywhere right now. How can you two girls stay here alone? I'll go by myself."
"Then you have to be careful." Gui'er opened her mouth, wanting to talk about Zhu Zhiming and Tong Yujun, but then thought better of it. She was already too busy to take care of herself and had to rely on Wu Mingqiang. How could she add to his burden?
"Miss, is there something you need to tell me?" Wu Mingqiang could tell she had something on her mind.
"Actually, it's nothing. I'm just worried about Brother Zhu and the others. And Tong Yujun, she's pregnant, I don't know how she is. I know we're in a precarious situation right now, barely able to save ourselves. Sigh, maybe we should just give up."
Wu Mingqiang smiled and said, "It's not a difficult matter. I'll just go and take a look. As for Zhu Zhiming's family, since you asked them to leave first, I've already arranged for his sister-in-law and child to go to Macau first. I've also asked a friend there to help find his sister-in-law a job as a nanny. The income is decent, enough for her to settle down there. Zhu Zhiming insists on staying here to find the murderer who killed his brother, and I can't persuade him to stay anytime soon. But if you're worried, Miss, I'll go and check on him and give him some food."
"As for Miss Tong, I think we don't need to worry about her at all. The Song family is a wealthy family. I heard they have assets in Hong Kong and Macau. They may have already gone to Macau. If you are worried, I can go and take a look."
Gui'er frowned and bit her lip, saying, "Don't force yourself. Act according to the situation. If it's really not safe, then don't go."
Wu Mingqiang nodded and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
After Wu Mingqiang left, Gui'er and Dingxiang stayed inside, listening intently to the sounds outside. At first, it was relatively quiet, but soon they heard a cacophony of footsteps on the street, mixed with cries and shouts, even louder than the day before.
Gui'er peered out through the crack in the window, her heart clenching. She saw many refugees on the street, their faces filled with panic—the elderly and children.
“It’s terrible. These are refugees from Kowloon, which was under occupation. My husband just came back from the docks, and he said he saw them all.”
A neighbor next to their house happened to be on the second floor, craning his neck to look out. He shouted to others, "My husband said that the beach in the distance is crowded with people, a dark mass, all refugees who fled from Kowloon. They are wading through waist-deep water towards Hong Kong Island, some carrying children, some carrying the elderly. When the waves come, some are swept away and thrown about. What's even more heartbreaking are the fishing boats on the sea. The Tanka fishermen have tied more than a dozen fishing boats together side by side to form a makeshift pontoon bridge. The shirtless men are shouting and desperately pulling the refugees onto the boats. The wooden oars are splashing water everywhere, and the planks of the boats are almost broken by their feet."
"My God, so many people..." Dingxiang wiped away tears as she watched from the side. "How many families must have been torn apart and destroyed?"
Before long, the number of people on the street gradually decreased, not because of the calm, but because they all hid. Gui'er saw a woman on the road carrying a bundle, pulling a child and running towards the church on the street corner, muttering, "Let's hide in the church, the gods will protect us there."
The lights in the room flickered on and off, then went out completely after a few flashes. Dingxiang tried to turn on the tap, but only a few drops of murky water came out before it stopped. "The water and electricity are off again," she said dejectedly. "The brown rice in the rice bin will only last for two days, and there are only a few cans of food left."
Acheng frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "I'll go check the surrounding area. There's a rice shop nearby; I'll go see if it's open. Be careful with the doors and windows; don't open them to just anyone."
With that, he went downstairs.
Gui'er and Dingxiang held their breath, anxiously waiting for him to return. Half an hour later, Acheng finally returned, covered in sweat.
"Kowloon is in complete chaos." He took a swig of cold water, his voice hoarse. "I heard that the pontoon bridge built by the fishermen saved many people, but Japanese shells keep falling into the sea, and many boats have been capsized... It's the same on Hong Kong Island. Many merchants are out of stock, and some have locked their goods in the basement to prevent them from being robbed. Churches and schools are packed like sardine cans, water and electricity are intermittent, and rice shops have long been emptied."
He pulled out a paper package from his pocket, inside which were a few dry, hard biscuits: "I finally managed to get these from a fellow villager. I'll keep them for now, in case we really run out of food, as a backup."
"What's the situation outside?" Gui'er asked. "Are there many people fleeing?"
"Oh, so many people! The school gate not far away is also crowded with people. The principal is standing on the steps shouting, 'Don't push, everyone! The basement can hold everyone! Bring water and dry food, and don't turn on the lights!' There is a severe shortage of supplies right now. Even the usually bustling vegetable market is now deserted. There are only some rotten vegetable leaves lying on the ground that refugees are picking up to cook and eat."
Gui'er's heart sank. She went to the main room and opened the half-sack of brown rice, her fingertips tracing the rough grains. Only then did she truly realize that food had become something more terrifying than guns and cannons. A quarrel erupted from the street; two neighbors were fighting over half a sack of moldy flour. The woman's cries and the man's roars clashed against the wall, sounding particularly jarring.
In the afternoon, a commotion came from the direction of the air-raid shelter. Gui'er heard from passersby that the shelter was packed with people, making it difficult to even turn around. Some people had fought over a piece of biscuit, and some children were crying loudly from hunger. However, no one dared to go out to find food—they were worried that if they went out, there would be no room left when they came back. These refugees were already in Hong Kong Island and had no houses. If they were left to wander the streets, their situation would be even worse.
Gui'er, Dingxiang, and Acheng sat around the table in silence, their hearts heavy with worry. The refugees continued to pour into Hong Kong Island, while those who had hidden themselves endured the darkness, unsure how much longer they would have to endure these days without water, electricity, or food.