"No way, I haven't heard anything about that, and information travels so fast these days, who could possibly stop it!"
"If there really were a large-scale drought or flood somewhere now, meteorological satellites would know about it clearly. There's no possibility of a cover-up.
So the problem definitely isn't a cover-up."
On this point, Ding Yun and Jin Cuihua were of the same mind: they both believed it was impossible that there was a major disaster nearby that had been covered up, leading to these gaunt and sallow people.
Setting aside the fact that weather conditions everywhere are hard to hide from meteorological satellites these days, even if an accident did occur, a region with tens or hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of people, could no one spread the news online?
No matter how daring the local authorities were in covering it up,
They wouldn't have the ability to completely silence everyone.
Another point was that those gaunt and sallow people couldn't possibly have become like that in just three to five days. It would take at least a month, or even longer, of not eating enough to become that way. Ordinary people who haven't eaten enough for seven or eight days might just get thinner and weaker. If they hadn't eaten or drunk anything for seven or eight days, they would be dead, not just gaunt and sallow.
Gaunt and sallow, skin and bones.
That was the result of prolonged starvation.
Of course, prolonged dieting or anorexia could also lead to such a situation.
"But my classmates wouldn't have any reason to lie, would they? In recent years, you hardly even see beggars on the street, it's so rare, let alone people who are starving and their clothes are so tattered. It's really strange!"
Ding Xiang was quite troubled by this matter.
Because he genuinely felt that it was not normal.
"Uh, why are you suddenly concerned about this? You don't need to worry about these things. You just need to focus on your studies. Someone else will take care of those people. Worrying about it is useless, and you can't possibly take all of them home to raise them, can you?
Hurry up and wash up and go to bed. You have class tomorrow!"
Jin Cuihua had no inclination to manage these matters that had nothing to do with their family. It was one thing for her son to have a good and kind heart, but if his good and kind heart led him to focus on these things instead of his studies, then it wouldn't do.
So she directly interrupted Ding Xiang's thoughts.
And urged him to hurry up and wash up.
Studies came first.
The authority of a mother was still present, and Ding Xiang immediately dared not say more. He quickly put down his backpack and went to wash up.
After showering and changing, he didn't immediately return to his bedroom. Instead, he deliberately went to Ding Yun's bedroom, locked the door, and then pulled Ding Yun over to whisper:
"Sis, do you usually not?"
"Watch, what's wrong..."
Ding Yun didn't understand, but she still answered.
"Then do you read novels about a certain era, or novels about fleeing famine in ancient times, where people transmigrate to sixty or seventy years ago when everyone was poor, or transmigrate to ancient times and encounter drought and flood, and the whole family flees famine?
And then the protagonist has a time-space gate or a double-crossing gate or something, that can take them back to our era, or perhaps my backyard connects to the market, connects to the wholesale market, and so on.
Sis, can you understand what I'm saying?"
As if worried that Ding Yun didn't read these types of stories, Ding Xiang gave a brief explanation and then specifically asked Ding Yun again. If Ding Yun didn't understand, she would explain it in more detail, making sure she understood it!
"I understand, I understand. But I really couldn't tell. I thought you would like reading about fortunes changing, or 'don't bully the young and poor,' or cultivating immortals, fighting monsters, or mechs dominating the world.
I didn't expect you to like reading novels about historical eras and fleeing famine.
...
Oh, I understand what you mean."
After teasing for a moment, Ding Yun immediately understood her younger brother's meaning and naturally continued: "You're trying to say that these people who suddenly appeared.
Are they possibly protagonists from those historical era novels or famine fleeing novels? Is that what you mean? But according to you, there are too many protagonists, one here, one there.
In just our district, we could have several."
Although Ding Yun knew the truth, she couldn't tell him directly, so she could only go along with him for now.
"Sis, I didn't expect you to understand these things either.
I'm telling you, my guess isn't baseless. I don't know about others, but I specifically investigated the two little boys who appeared at the market in the west of the city. Today, I didn't even eat lunch. I specifically took advantage of my lunch break to go to the market and ask many people.
According to my investigation, those two little boys appeared four days ago, and they appeared very suddenly. No one could clearly explain where they came from. Only some people saw the two little fellows often going to the public restroom.
Oh, and another thing, someone reported them to the police station. The police sent staff to take them to the hospital for a check-up and to understand their background. When they entered the restroom, they disappeared. The police thought they had climbed over the wall and escaped and didn't pursue it further.
The second time they looked for them, the result was the same.
They just thought they were young and slippery.
But I just feel that they might not have left the restroom at all. The restroom is where they put their portal, and they went to another world from inside the restroom. How could the police find them!"
Perhaps convinced of the transmigration, Ding Xiang spoke his guess with great excitement, and then stared intently at Ding Yun, hoping to get his sister's approval, otherwise he would be too disappointed.
"Perhaps it's possible..."
At this point, Ding Yun didn't mind talking to her brother a bit more, to improve their relationship, so she quickly added:
"I've also encountered similar things.
Yesterday, wasn't I buying vegetables at the market in the east of the city? After buying vegetables, I asked the restaurant at the entrance to process them for me. While I was resting at the entrance, I saw a person suddenly appear in the corner of the market. I thought I was seeing things. He just appeared so suddenly.
That person was also in rags, gaunt and sallow.
At the time, I didn't think much of it. I just thought I was seeing things, and then I felt sorry for him. So I specifically bought four steamed buns and a bottle of soy milk and wanted to treat him to a meal. To my surprise, as soon as I patted his shoulder, he ran away as if he had seen a ghost and was hit by a car.
I came back late yesterday afternoon because that guy was hit by a car, and I made a statement at the police station.
Now that I hear you say this, I'm even more convinced that that guy indeed appeared suddenly, not that he came from somewhere else to that corner. Also, the police couldn't find any of his personal information. His fingerprints didn't match, and facial recognition didn't match. If he were from another world, then it would indeed be quite reasonable.
But we can't make the final decision on this matter.
Don't worry about it anymore.
Just know it in your heart, but don't spread it around. I think the police aren't incompetent. Their imagination might not be as wild as yours, and their reaction might not be as fast, but if similar situations happen frequently, they will definitely react and investigate.
You, on the other hand, should just focus on your studies.
If your grades fall, I don't care, but Mom will definitely explode. Most importantly, Mom has decided to resign. When she has nothing else to do.
She might even stay with you, move to the school to keep an eye on you, and perhaps even cook your meals. Take care of yourself!"