My mother-in-law's lips were cracked and bleeding, her eye sockets were sunken, and her originally neat short hair was stuck to her forehead, revealing the new white hair on her temples.
From deep in the woods came the cry of an owl, its "cooing" sound carrying an indescribable weirdness.
Feng Yulan stood up and realized that they had walked into a depression. There were tall locust trees all around, but in the middle there was a dead old pine tree. There was a huge tree hole in the trunk. The hole was covered by vines and spider webs. At first glance, it looked like a mossy mouth.
"Here it is."
She muttered to herself as she dragged the severely injured Zhang Shumin towards the tree hole. The tree hole was more spacious than she had imagined, and the bottom was covered with dry hair from some unknown animal. Although it smelled bad, it could isolate the moisture from the ground.
Feng Yulan carefully settled Zhang Shumin in the tree hole, took off her shirt and put it under her head, only then she discovered that the detonator in her underwear had left a red mark.
"I'm sorry, Sister Hong."
She whispered to the void and took out the matches hidden in her sleeve - she had stolen them from Hong Gu's kitchen this morning. At that time, she never thought that these small matches would become their hope of survival.
Outside the tree hole, dusk was deepening. Feng Yulan pushed aside the fallen leaves, revealing the damp soil, and dug a shallow hole with a fishing fork.
She recalled the wilderness survival advice Zhang Shumin had taught her: "If you can't find water, drink dew."
So she tore off the sleeves of her shirt, folded it into a small square, and hung it on the branch outside the tree hole on tiptoe.
When the first star climbed up the sky, Zhang Shumin suddenly twitched. Feng Yulan rushed over to hold her shoulders and saw her mother-in-law biting her lower lip, cold sweat running down her temples like a stream, soaking the shirt she was wearing underneath.
"Mom!" she shouted in panic and reached out to touch Zhang Shumin's forehead - it was so hot that it could almost boil an egg.
Pus and blood from the wound seeped through the makeshift bandage, appearing a disgusting purple-blue color in the moonlight.
Feng Yulan suddenly remembered what Doctor Liu had said: "If the infection is severe, amputation will be necessary."
Amputation. The word cut through her mind like a rusty knife. She trembled as she untied Zhang Shumin's bandages. The stench of rotting flesh hit her face, nearly making her vomit.
The skin around the wound had turned black, and maggots were wriggling in the cracks. She suppressed her nausea and used the tip of her fishing fork to pick out the tiny white worms. Her hands trembled every time she picked one.
"When we were little... you picked thorns out of my trees," Zhang Shumin suddenly said, her voice hoarse as sandpaper. "When I was five, I climbed a tree to pick locust flowers, and my hands were covered with thorns... You used a quilt needle to pick them out one by one."
Feng Yulan was stunned. She had never heard Zhang Shumin talk about her childhood, let alone her own past. In her memory, her mother-in-law was always serious, even at her wedding with Zhang Shuo, when she only smiled faintly.
At this moment in this dark tree hole, the past suddenly came flooding back like a tide - it turned out that there had been such a warm moment between them.
"Mom, do you still remember?" she asked softly, but her hands did not stop moving, continuing to pick out the rotten flesh in the wound.
"I remember." Zhang Shumin's eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness. "You always called me 'Tiger Zhang' back then, but when you found fault with me... you were gentler than anyone else."
Feng Yulan's nose felt sore. She recalled how Zhang Shumin had been so strict with her when she first married into the Zhang family: the dishes had to be washed three times, the quilt had to be folded neatly, and even the tablecloths had to be sorted by color.
She once hid in her quilt and cried late at night, feeling that her mother-in-law was heartless.
"I'm sorry," Zhang Shumin said suddenly. "I was too harsh on you before."
Feng Yulan's hand trembled, and the tip of the fishing fork sliced her knuckles. Blood dripped onto Zhang Shumin's wound, but she was oblivious, staring at the spiderweb on the ceiling of the tree hole, as if looking at a distant memory.
"In my life... I've only learned how to survive," she said slowly. "After your father-in-law left, everyone at the factory wanted to take over our house. The workshop director blocked the door every day... I held Zhang Shuo, clutching a kitchen knife, and sat at the door for three whole days and nights."
Feng Yulan thought of the tube-shaped building, the peeling green paint on the walls, and the pickled vegetables that were always drying on the kitchen windowsill. She had always taken that for granted, but she had no idea of the blood and tears hidden behind it.
"So I told myself, weakness means death." Zhang Shumin's voice gradually faded. "I was cruel to Zhang Shuo, cruel to myself, and cruel to you... But you know what? That day on the boat, you said you wanted to stay and be a normal person... I suddenly felt that maybe I was wrong."
Feng Yulan couldn't hold back any longer, and tears fell heavily on the back of Zhang Shumin's hand. She wanted to speak, but she heard the sound of branches breaking outside the tree hole - someone was coming.
Feng Yulan suddenly threw herself on Zhang Shumin, using her body to block her. The footsteps outside were getting closer and closer, accompanied by heavy breathing. It was obvious that the pursuers had discovered their tracks.
She touched the fruit knife hidden at her waist. The handle was still stained with Zhang Shumin's blood and was icy cold.
"Listen," Zhang Shumin suddenly came to her senses and dug her fingertips into Feng Yulan's wrist. "If I can't hold on... use the detonator to blow up that tree over there."
She pointed with her chin at the old locust tree to the right of the hole. "The trunk is hollow. If it's blown up, it can block the intersection."
"Don't say that!" Feng Yulan gritted her teeth. "We all have to get out alive!"
The footsteps stopped five meters away from the tree hole. Through the gaps in the vines, Feng Yulan saw a man in camouflage uniform, holding a hunting rifle and shining a flashlight around.
There was a scar on his face, running from the corner of his eye to his chin. He was the follower I saw in Hong Gu's shop yesterday.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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