Sudden!
Erniu, who was on lookout duty at the edge of the camp, suddenly jumped down from the branch of a dead tree and scrambled back, his voice trembling with excitement:
"They're back! Uncle Sun and the others are back! So many people! And a lot of people following behind them!"
Whoosh!
The entire camp erupted in cheers!
Everyone suddenly stood up, shading their eyes with their hands, and looked towards the direction of the official road!
He dropped what he was doing and excitedly rushed to the edge of the camp!
At the end of the official road, dust filled the air! Several familiar figures staggered ahead, none other than Old Sun and his companions who had returned to fetch their relatives! They were darker and thinner than when they left, covered in dust, but their spirits seemed still good.
And behind them…
Following them was a large, dark mass of figures! Men, women, young and old! Each one was dressed in tattered clothes, sallow and emaciated, with numb and weary eyes, like a group of moving withered corpses!
At the campsite, family members who had stayed behind also poured out, their shouts filled with excitement and anticipation:
"Master!"
"His father!"
The joy of reunion instantly overwhelmed the fatigue of the long journey! Relatives embraced and wept, incoherently recounting their longing and the hardships of the road.
However, when these newcomers, who had traveled a long way with their relatives, looked up and truly saw what lay before them…
All the cries and pleas stopped instantly, as if an invisible giant hand had grabbed their necks!
Their eyes widened, their mouths opened unconsciously, and their expressions froze into an extreme shock and bewilderment!
What is that...?
A huge, transparent palace that shimmers in the sunlight?
Neat, silver-gray blankets spread out on the open ground to dry things...?
A house built with strange, smooth materials and huge glass windows...?
A large house with wisps of smoke rising from its chimneys and the aroma of food wafting through the air…?
And from the riverbank in the distance, came clear sounds of "baa—", "humming," and "chirping"? Those were...live livestock?!
Is this...is this the human world?
Or...did they faint from hunger and hallucinate? Or were they already dead and wandered into the legendary fairyland?
“Child…Child’s father…” Wang Mazi’s wife, a woman so thin she was practically skin and bones, gripped Wang Mazi’s arm tightly, her fingers digging painfully into him. Her voice trembled like a leaf in the wind. “Where…where is this? Am I…am I dreaming?”
"It's not a dream! It's not a dream!" Wang Mazi excitedly shook his wife's hand, pointing to the huge greenhouse, "Look! The fairy... no, the girl's fairy greenhouse! Look at that chicken coop! Listen! The chickens are crowing!"
As if to confirm his words, a young rooster, perhaps stimulated by the noise of the crowd, suddenly stretched its neck and let out a loud but slightly immature cry from the direction of the chicken coop:
"Ooh-ooh-ooh-!"
That real rooster crow, like a thunderclap, instantly shattered all the doubts and apathy of the newcomers!
wonderland?
No! It's a real, tangible world with live chickens, green vegetables, and cooking smoke!
"Oh my God..."
"My goodness..."
"Live chicken...alive..."
Low, incredulous gasps and sobs spread through the crowd. Many people instinctively raised their dirty hands and rubbed their eyes hard, afraid that what they were seeing was just an illusion.
When they opened their eyes again, they were greeted by a vibrant scene, a stark contrast to the desolate and hopeless world outside…
An overwhelming sense of elation and awe, as if they had survived a catastrophe, washed over them like a tidal wave! Many could no longer hold on; their legs buckled, and they collapsed onto the scorching ground, covering their faces and weeping uncontrollably! This time, these were tears of joy, tears of seeing a true way out!
The wind from the riverbank blew through the glazed windows on the greenhouse roof, through the newly built fences of the enclosures, and also through the group of newly returned people who stood dumbfounded at the entrance to Peach Blossom Spring, their hearts trembling.
Jiang Chan stood under the eaves of the iron house, quietly watching this scene. Xiao Tao clung tightly to her side, her big eyes curiously watching the group of adults crying together.
The camp has quietly expanded once again. This brings not only more manpower, but also new challenges and…hope. The seeds planted here are spreading into deeper and wider soil.
(End of article)
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