Embers Ad Infinitum

How many wives? It was hard for Long Yuehong, who was born and raised in an underground building, to imagine such a thing.

Shang Jianyao started a serious discussion:

"It's definitely too busy."

"This custom exists in some places, and in some places a woman can have multiple husbands." Jiang Baimian recalled what he saw and heard.

Shang Jianyao was suddenly curious:

"If you put people from these two places together and mix the two customs, what will it look like?"

Jiang Baimian thought for a while:

"Maybe, my second wife's eldest husband's third wife's fourth husband is actually my son?"

Long Yuehong felt dizzy after hearing this, and couldn't figure out what the relationship was for a while.

As he glanced around, he suddenly saw a few meters away, in front of an RV, several people wearing cotton-padded jackets and old down jackets standing there, bowing frequently to two red candles.

The two candles were swaying with firelight, and in front of them were a piece of dried meat, a cleanly shaved chicken, steamed buns, steamed buns and other foods.

"What are they doing?" Long Yuehong stood on tiptoe a little, trying to see more clearly.

Bai Chen glanced in that direction:

"They're worshiping the car-head god."

"The God of Cars?" Jiang Baimian asked enthusiastically.

Bai Chen organized the following words:

“For the ‘rootless’ group, vehicles are the most valuable possessions and an important member of the family, and many of their customs and habits come from this.

"They are always worried about where the vehicle will hit or crash while driving, or get stuck in a swamp, or overturn due to certain obstacles. Therefore, they created a vehicle god to worship and pray for a safe journey and smooth sailing. No glitches.”

Shang Jianyao said "tsk":

"Doesn't it fall under the jurisdiction of any official?"

"Yes, it's not a certain executive they admire." Long Yuehong agreed.

Bai Chen's smile flashed:

"The executive officers are not so lenient in their management. In many places, many people have only heard of this term.

"Well...many religious sects have tried to incorporate the Chariot God into their own religions, in order to develop the 'Rootless' group into their own believers. The one doing the best now is the 'Crystal Consciousness Sect', which is also A sect that worships Bodhi, the one-month-old Buddha.

“In other groups of ‘rootless people’, the Chariot God has been renamed Chariot Bodhisattva.”

"The competition between the gods is so fierce." Shang Jianyao commented seriously.

Long Yuehong took another look at the place where the God of the Car Head was worshipped, looked at the dried meat, cooked chicken, steamed buns and steamed buns and said:

"Wouldn't this be too wasteful?"

Even for the employees of "Pangu Biology", this is a feast-level food. It is not a holiday, and it is rarely eaten like this.

"It won't be thrown away," Bai Chen explained. "After the sacrifice, the food will be taken back and shared by the whole family. Except for a few places on the earth, there will be no waste of food at all."

Having said this, her expression softened a little, and the corners of her mouth slightly curled up:

"In many wilderness wanderer settlements, what children look forward to most is to offer sacrifices to the gods, which means that the subsequent meal will be very rich, and there will only be a rich meal once or twice a year."

"That's it..." Long Yuehong equated this with the annual festival of "Pangu Creatures" and immediately felt the same.

While talking, a group of four people came to the busiest part of the camp but also far away from the oil tankers.

It is relatively empty here, with only three longer and larger RVs parked.

They are loosely surrounded by an open "mouth" shape, and the side doors are all opened, revealing the tables, chairs, kitchen counters, cabinets and other things inside.

As for the area surrounded by them, the outermost circle is filled with various tables, chairs and benches, while the middle part is completely empty.

At this time, on the top of the RV facing the gap, there were several spheres flashing in green, red or purple colors, shrouding the entire area in a psychedelic light.

There was a speaker on the top of the other two RVs. They played very strong rhythmic music, making the people gathered in the empty area couldn't help but twist around.

Jiang Baimian stared at it for a while, then reached out and grabbed Shang Jianyao who was about to try:

"Don't get involved.

"Go in first."

Shang Jianyao reluctantly looked away, put down his tactical backpack, and followed Jiang Baimian to the innermost RV.

On the way, they met a young man who had shaved both sides of his hair.

Jiang Baimian stopped him and asked with a smile:

"Where is your leader?"

As she spoke, she smelled a distinct smell of gasoline coming from the other party.

Under the cold wind of winter night, the young man didn't wear much, just a long-sleeved red cotton T-shirt and a pair of trousers with wide legs.

There was a slight sweat on his forehead, as if he had just experienced a strenuous exercise.

"Call the leader." The young man emphasized.

"Yes, leader." Shang Jianyao has always been good-natured.

The young man was choked up:

"I mean, our leader is called Tuan Zhang. No, his surname is not Tuan. He is the leader of our business group."

"Where is your captain?" Jiang Baimian asked before Shang Jianyao could speak.

The young man pointed to the RV at the far end:

"That's the one who sells things."

After answering, he looked Jiang Baimian up and down, smiled and said:

"Dance together?"

"No." Jiang Baimian refused without any hesitation.

When they were talking, because the music was strong and powerful, they all opened their throats as if they were shouting.

For Jiang Baimian, this was like a fish in water.

The rejected young man did not bother, his body swayed up and down according to the rhythm, and he got out of the way.

Looking at Jiang Baimian's back, he raised his right hand, smelled the smell on his forearm, and said to himself doubtfully:

"She doesn't like the smell of gasoline on this model?"

When the "old tune team" was about to arrive at the target RV, an old lady suddenly jumped out of the shadows around her.

She was carrying a brown dustpan with many bottles and jars in it.

"Want some gasoline? Or do you want diesel?" The wrinkles on the old lady's face were already obvious, and she looked a little thin.

When Long Yuehong and others felt a little confused, Shang Jianyao asked very adaptably:

"Is it tasty?"

"..." The old lady was speechless for a moment, "You can't eat this."

She immediately said loudly:

"Sprinkle a little on yourself and you will become the most popular person in the camp!"

She freed her hand, pointed at a vial and said:

"This is Orange Company's Type 15 gasoline, the purest kind, and the smell is just right.

"You just need to sprinkle a little, and I don't know how many girls will be fascinated by you tonight!"

Jiang Baimian listened thoughtfully and said to himself:

“Because many vehicles require fuel, many people here are obsessed with the smell of fuel?

"Perhaps, for them, the smell of flowers is far less attractive than the smell of gasoline or diesel."

"Ah, what did you say?" The old lady's hearing is a little bit bad, and the environment here is very noisy.

Jiang Baimian laughed dumbly and said loudly:

"we do not need!"

Seeing the old lady returning to the shadows with a slight disappointment, the four members of the "Old Tune Team" boarded the RV at the far end.

The space inside is quite spacious and can actually accommodate multiple tables and chairs. Facing the outside, there is a milky white platform that reaches Shang Jianyao's chest and abdomen.

There are several high stools in front of the platform, and behind the platform there are wooden cabinets displaying various bottles and cans.

Between the wooden cabinet and the platform, stood a man nearly 1.8 meters tall.

He was in his forties or fifties, with short hair, a large ring of gray beard around his mouth, and a black leather jacket that shone with oil.

"Would you like a drink?" the uncle asked with a smile.

"Do you have wine?" Jiang Baimian pulled up the high stool and sat down, and asked.

Long Yuehong was also surprised:

"Pangu Biology" is a place where food is relatively plentiful. Alcoholic beverages are controlled products. The annual production is very small. Each person only has a very small quota. In the dusty land full of famine, you can easily meet a seller. Liquor!

The uncle who was suspected to be the head of the "Rootless" business group said with a smile:

“Wild tree cider.

"I don't know what kind of fruit it is. It grows here every summer. It's sour and astringent. No one will eat it, and it can't be preserved until winter. But when it's made into wine, the flavor is surprisingly good."

After everyone else in the "Old Tune Group" sat down, Jiang Baimian joked:

"I thought people who made cars their home and driving their lifelong career wouldn't drink."

The uncle suddenly laughed and said:

"That's why we only drink frequently every winter."

He sighed and said:

“My grandfather’s generation was unable to return to their hometown due to the destruction of the old world, and their mental state was not very good. Many times they could only rely on alcohol to numb themselves.

“It also caused a lot of accidents and some vehicles were lost.

"In our father's generation, there was the first team rule, a rule that everyone must have tattooed on their bodies."

Having said this, he turned around and pulled up his clothes, exposing his back.

On that bronze skin, two rows of blue-black characters were extremely eye-catching:

“Don’t drive if you drink, and don’t drink if you drive.”