Chapter 38: Learning to Drive

"You are just daydreaming!"

"There are still zombies," the big guy said with a frown, "I still think we can't keep them here. Their existence is no longer a threat to outsiders. Someone really capable, like the three who came today, can kill them with a hoe. If we keep them here, the only ones in danger are us villagers. Now we can tie them up with dog chains, just in case they break free one day."

"Last time the zombies went crazy, they were tied up with dog chains and they were fine, weren't they?"

"Then can you guarantee that the chain will still be in good condition next time?"

The big guy asked loudly, "We can't stay in the village forever. The village is not safe. We also need information, information about the outside world, information about zombies and mutations. Otherwise, we may not even know how we will die one day!"

Everyone in the conference room who had been arguing just now fell silent, and no one dared to gamble on a future that had not yet happened.

"We definitely want to go out if we can, but now the road out of the village is blocked by zombies. There's a small river in front and a ravine behind. The car can't drive out at all. What can we do?"

These words silenced everyone again, even the big guy shut up in disappointment.

The two people sitting at the top of the conference room saw that no one was talking, slowly blew out a smoke ring, looked at each other, and made a decision.

The fair-skinned man with glasses, known as Brother Wen, said, "Big Head has a point. We do need to get out, but the reality is that we have to find another way."

"Qingshan, aren't you going to exchange things with someone tomorrow? Ask around. Just go with three or four people. Don't bring too many people to alert us. Tell them we can trade information about the route for food and meat."

"Let's kill the chickens in batches starting tonight. That way, we'll have more food for everyone and avoid any more trouble tomorrow. As for the dogs... let's keep them for now, but put them on extra chains."

The young man named Qingshan nodded, thinking of the two dissected bodies, and took the opportunity to explain the situation.

The others who had not seen the body at noon were unaware of the situation and were surprised when they heard this.

Someone speculated, "Could it be the crystal core mentioned in novels? The kind that can enhance superpowers when absorbed?"

Someone poured cold water on the idea, "We don't even have superpowers, so what's the point of having a crystal core?"

"Then maybe if I have the crystal core I will have super powers?"

"You are just daydreaming!"

"Hey, Lao Li, don't look down on others just because you're educated..."

Seeing that everyone was about to start arguing again, the dark-skinned man at the top frowned and interrupted, "Why are you arguing when you don't even know what it is?"

After everything around them quieted down, the dark-skinned man and the man with glasses next to him looked at each other.

"Let's go to the dog farm later and kill a couple of zombies and see what happens."

…

When the sky outside began to brighten, Jiang Qian opened her eyes.

Since the end of the world, her daily routine had been forcibly adjusted. She went to bed early and woke up even earlier.

With the natural light coming in from the window, she walked along the artificially separated corridor in the carriage to the living room, only to find that her mother was already making breakfast.

"Mom, why are you up so early?" Usually, the alarm clocks for the whole family are set after six o'clock, and only those who need to cook that day will get up half an hour early, but today it should be her turn to cook?

Huang Liping was cracking eggs into a bowl. She looked up at her, but her hands didn't stop moving. "I'm so happy today that I can't sleep."

Jiang Qian was a little confused, but after a while she remembered something and called up the system page. She said happily, "Mom, you passed the exam!"

"Yeah." Huang Liping nodded calmly, but Jiang Qian could see a bit of arrogance and complacency in her calmness.

"Congratulations!" Jiang Qian praised, "Mom, you're amazing!"

She was really happy for her mother.

From childhood to adulthood, my mother has always been the most selfless person in the family, putting the needs of everyone else in the family before her own.

She enthusiastically encourages and supports everyone in the family, but she is used to putting her own needs last and always likes to say that she is worthless.

When she was young, Jiang Qian was used to her mother's consideration and care. But when she grew up, she always felt sad and angry for such a mother.

I was angry at myself for enjoying my mother's devotion for so many years with a clear conscience, and I was also angry at my mother for being willing and ignorant.

Just like this time when learning to drive, does the mother really think she is stupid?

Perhaps a little, but the main reason is probably the fear of occupying limited resources and affecting other family members.

If being able to drive a train is a way to save her life, she would prefer someone else in the family to have this skill.

She was so used to giving in that she never even noticed.

But rather than asking her mother to continue to contribute to the family, Jiang Qian would rather let her mother be herself.

No need to consider anyone, no need to make concessions for anyone, just be herself.

And now the smile on her mother's face proved that she was right.

The two were talking quite loudly, and other people heard it too. They got up one after another and were very happy when they heard about it.

Jiang Dong even lifted up his still sleepy son and said jokingly, "Now Chenchen is the only one in our family who can't drive."

Huang Liping watched her grandson struggle in his arms. Fearing that the child was uncomfortable, she quickly put him down and said, "He's still young. He'll be able to learn when he's older. Who knows, by then he'll be able to stabilize himself and we won't need this car anymore."

"I hope so!"

After the family took turns washing up, they poured the used water into the nearby flower pots. The seeds they had planted two days ago had not yet sprouted.

After dinner, Jiang Dong and Jiang Weimin went to look for cigarettes and alcohol to exchange, while Jiang Qian found half a box of sanitary napkins from the box under her bed. They were all stockpiled when she watched the live broadcast. She had bought them three months ago and had only used less than a quarter of them.

At that time, I just listened to the anchor saying the lowest price, but after spending nearly a hundred yuan to buy it, I found that it was not much cheaper than buying it individually in the supermarket.

She was on her period two days before the heavy rain. When she was packing her things, she thought about using them, so she moved the whole box into the car. Unexpectedly, she could not only use them herself, but also use them when exchanging supplies.

As for the possibility of giving it to someone else and not being able to use it herself? She wasn't worried at all. She had seen it in the system mall before, and as long as there were magic crystals, sanitary napkins and other supplies later, they could be purchased.

She took out a pack of daily necessities and two bags of pajamas, put them in a bag and carried them out.

Jiang Dong and Jiang Weimin had just found some cigarettes and alcohol and said to her, "Cigarettes for ten yuan a pack and wine for over sixty yuan a bottle, should be okay, right?"

This was the cheapest alcohol and tobacco they could find in their household supplies.

Since it was for exchange with someone else and there was no agreed brand, the cheaper the better. Jiang Qian had no objection.

After everything was packed, they did not stay any longer and went to the agreed place early.

But when they arrived, they did not go directly to the mobile home. Instead, they chose a location about a few hundred meters away from the mobile home and hid behind an excavator.

The sun gradually rose and the temperature became higher and higher. When the phone watch on Jiang Dong's hand showed 8:10, they saw a car coming from the distance.

The car circled the mobile home several times and after a few minutes, stopped at the door of the mobile home.

After a while, everyone in the car got out.

Jiang Dong took his son's toy telescope and looked through it. He said, "There are four people in the car. There is no one else. One of them is the young man who exchanged things yesterday."

After confirming the number of people on the opposite side, the three of them felt relieved and rode their bikes out from behind the excavator.

The people who were checking the mobile home soon noticed the electric car approaching them and looked over.

It was not the first time that the two groups met, but they were still very vigilant. They did not move closer until they were sure that both parties were not holding weapons after getting out of the car, but they were still about two meters apart.

Both sides placed the items to be exchanged on the ground.

The amount of cigarettes and alcohol Jiang Dong brought was obvious at a glance; the plastic wrapping hadn't even been opened. The sanitary napkins in Jiang Qian's bag were also clearly packed in whole packets.

Perhaps to make the exchange easier, the rice was delivered in bags, and the gasoline was in cooking oil drums, which looked sufficient. Only the flour was in bulk, so the weight couldn't be determined at first glance. But judging by the size of the flour bags, it must have been quite a lot.

The two sides did not delay and immediately started to take inventory after exchanging supplies.

The Jiang family didn't have a scale, but Jiang Weimin, an experienced farmer, knew the weight of the bag of flour after he lifted it. He estimated the weight and nodded to his children.

After inspecting the goods, the other party was obviously satisfied with what they exchanged.

After a successful transaction, the distance between the two parties seemed to be shortened.

Jiang Weimin didn't leave in a hurry. He pretended to be a lost driver and asked them about the situation nearby.

The people of Xiaozhao Village who wanted to get the news did not hide it and told about the situation around them.

"It's like this now. It's very dangerous no matter which way you go. We also want to ask where you came from and see if we can show you the way. Don't worry, you won't suffer any harm."

Jiang Weimin didn't expect this to happen, and he couldn't help but feel fortunate that he had made up a lie about being lost yesterday, otherwise it would be too bizarre for them to appear out of nowhere in this land.

But the lies that have been told must be covered up.

"That's such a shame," Jiang Weimin said with a look of regret. "If only I had paid more attention to the situation outside when I was driving that day. It was pitch black outside, and the zombies saw the car lights and chased us, so we didn't pay attention to our surroundings. I'm so sorry I couldn't help you."

Jiang Dong and Jiang Qian also showed sad expressions at the right time, as if they were thinking about how to leave.

Although the people in Xiaozhao Village were still a little skeptical, seeing that the expressions on their faces did not seem fake, they could only accept the result.

Zhao Qingshan pulled out two blood cells from yesterday's dissection from his pants pocket and asked, "We also want to ask, I saw you dig this out yesterday, what is the use of it?"

【Author’s words】

Here is today's update.

There is a list this week, and as required, 15,000+ chapters will be updated. There are five chapters in total. The next four chapters will be updated on Saturday and Sunday of this week, and Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.

Thank you all for your support, love you guys!