78 Chapter 78
With the experience of building the first wooden house as a reference, the Tong family members were much more adept at building their own houses. Shuli and Shuya's small wooden houses were exquisite and beautiful, and even Qin Xiaoxiao was very satisfied with them.
"We can use wood for the house for now, but the fence still needs to be made of bricks to keep out any new mutated plants or uninvited guests in the future," Tong Songming said as he helped Qin Jiaqiang and the others arrange the furniture in the room, looking out the window at the simple bamboo fence.
“Yes, the fence is right next to the fire ditch, so someone has to watch it at night. It could easily catch fire if we’re not careful. Our houses are all made of wood, so it’s definitely a safety hazard,” Wang Jianye added.
The plan to go to the other side of the river to collect bricks was thus decided, and the group discussed taking a speedboat there the next day.
Early the next morning, several men dressed and dragged the speedboat toward the riverbank. Since the elderly and women stayed at home, Tong Shu also stayed behind. In case of any danger approaching, with Tong Shu there, the family could take refuge on the small island immediately.
Under the earnest instructions of the three Shu sisters, Tong Songming and his three companions departed in a speedboat. This was their first solo operation, and Tong Shu, still worried, moved a chair to the riverbank and gazed at the situation on the opposite bank.
Grandma Tong took out a handful of rice to feed the chickens. Of the chicks they had exchanged in Yangshan Village, only two died, and the rest survived and traveled with them all the way here.
"Shushu, what are you doing sitting over there? Come over and feed the pigs." Grandma Tong called to Tong Shu from afar.
Tong Shu responded, glanced at the opposite bank again, and then got up and walked towards the pigsty.
The pigsty was simply built, with a thatched roof and a shed made of short logs around four pillars. The floor was cemented, which Grandpa Tong said made cleaning easier. Two piglets were sleeping huddled together, but upon hearing the door open, they immediately started whimpering and getting up, begging for food.
Grandpa Tong mixed the pig feed with grains and freshly cut grass from outside. The piglets especially loved it and would gather around the trough, grunting even louder.
"These two pigs need to be kept to have piglets." A string of chicks followed at Grandma Tong's feet. "Once they have piglets, we'll have to castrate them. Otherwise, the pork is too rancid and we can't eat it."
Tong Shu recalled the pig leg she had eaten in Yangshan Village. The pigs in Yangshan Village were all free-range in the mountains. Perhaps because they wanted to eat more meat, these pigs were not castrated. They tasted fishy and foul, and were not even as good as the frozen pork they had traded from the island.
Grandpa Tong also came out of the room for a stroll. He took a hoe and started cultivating the land next to the pigsty. The crops on the island were growing too fast. For an old farmer like him, firstly, his physical strength couldn't keep up, and secondly, the bizarre growth rate made farming feel unreal. Now that he was back in the real world, Grandpa Tong's bursting desire to grow crops was finally satisfied, and he immediately carried his farm tools out to work.
“Grandpa is so old, but he still can’t sit still,” Tong Shu said with a smile.
“Who says otherwise? Seeing your uncle and the others running around busy every day, and he’s the kind of person who can’t sit still, he can only help out inside, he’s already bored to death.” Grandma Tong herded the chickens into the yard and then went to feed the sheep.
Although the two elderly people were busy, the joy on their faces was genuine. Tong Shu's heart stirred slightly. She had originally thought that in such an apocalyptic world, keeping her family by her side and placing them on the island was for their own good. But now, thinking about it, it seemed like a very selfish act. For her own peace of mind, she had restricted the freedom of the people she cared about.
Tong Shu silently looked at her kind-faced grandmother. Her family knew her anxiety and worries, so even though they felt uncomfortable, they still followed her arrangements and spent most of their time in that illusory island world. Only now did Tong Shu truly understand, and her heart ached with guilt.
"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?" Grandma Tong closed the door and saw Tong Shu standing outside in a daze, so she went over and patted her.
"Grandma..." Tong Shu called out softly, "Won't you blame me for keeping you on the island all this time?"
Upon hearing this, Grandma Tong immediately laughed. She reached out and patted the powder dust off Tong Shu's body, saying as she did so, "Silly child, what's so strange about this?"
“Your grandfather and I are old, and we know what’s going on out here. Thanks to you, we don’t have to suffer like those old folks in the neighborhood. Some of them are just too unlucky to make it through, and the others who are lucky enough to survive have to search for supplies and flee with the community and government at their age.” Grandma Tong looked up at the lush trees around her. “Hiding on this island is for our own good, your grandfather and I both know that. We can’t be of much help, but the most important thing is to stay safe and not cause any trouble that would hold you back. That’s the most we can do.”
"...Grandma." Tong Shu's lips trembled, her eyes filled with emotion, and she opened her arms to embrace the short old woman.
Grandma Tong smiled and patted her granddaughter's arm: "Now it's all good. Our whole family has survived and we have a new home. Before, your grandpa and I only had your dad as our son, and the house was quite lonely. But after you came along, you have no idea how happy your grandpa and I were. Now it's even better. Your mother's sisters have all come over, and our whole family is together. It's so lively. If you ask me, it's even better than back in our hometown."
Tong Shu cheered up and took the old lady's hand as they walked home: "I think this is great too. In the future, we'll build bigger and taller houses! We'll build three small villas! The three of us will live here side by side!"
Grandma Tong looked at her granddaughter's rare innocent expression and vaguely saw her as a child, clinging to her lap and saying she wanted to build her a hundred-story building. "Okay, build three villas. Grandma will wait to enjoy life with Shushu."
"Okay, let's build a hundred-story building, and Grandma will enjoy a life of luxury with Shushu," said the young Grandma Tong to three-year-old Tong Shu.
________
"What's wrong with your dad and the others? They haven't come back yet." Around five o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was about to set when Shu Hua anxiously went out to look for Tong Shu. The two of them waited together by the river.
Tong Shu was also a little anxious. The ruins she and Tong Songming had visited before were not far from the riverbank. Tong Songming was a very organized person, and when the time came, no matter how many bricks were left, he would never risk his safety to continue collecting them. Since they hadn't returned yet, Tong Shu was afraid that something had happened to them.
"It's alright, Mom. Dad knows what he's doing. I went to the other side with him that day and didn't see anyone suspicious. You go back and cook first. I think they'll be back soon. Let's cook so they can eat when they get back." No matter how worried Tong Shu was, she didn't want Shu Hua to worry too. She persuaded Shu Hua to go home, while she went back to the riverbank to wait.
Tong Shu kept checking the time and staring at the sun slowly sinking on the river.
If they don't return in another half hour, then I'll take the speedboat to the other side to find them. Tong Shu made up her mind.
As time passed, the once-round sun became less dazzling, and golden rays gradually spread across the river, the horizon slowly engulfing the sun.
Tong Shu had already thrown her backpack to her feet. She couldn't wait any longer. Just as Tong Shu was about to take out the speedboat, there was finally movement on the other side of the river.
Looking from afar, Tong Shu saw Wang Jie sneaking out from behind a tree, followed by three other people who were also acting suspiciously. They had obviously also seen Tong Shu waiting on the other side of the river. Wang Jie straightened up, waved vigorously at Tong Shu, and then dragged a hidden assault boat out of the water plants and beckoned Tong Songming and the others to get on quickly.
The speedboats were very fast, and they reached the other side in no time.
"What happened? Why did it take so long today?" Tong Shu stepped forward with a worried expression, looked them over carefully, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that everyone was unharmed.
“I did run into some trouble and got delayed,” Wang Jie said, but he had a happy smile on his face. “The ruins that my uncle took us to were badly moldy. We worked for a long time but couldn’t pick up many bricks. Then my dad said that if we went further in, there would be more bricks exposed if the tall buildings had collapsed, and the quality of those bricks would be better.”
“Yes.” Tong Songming continued, “We walked about a kilometer in, and that area is probably near the city. There are indeed quite a few collapsed high-rise buildings there, and the quality of the bricks there is definitely much better than that of the outer areas.”
"We picked up a lot of bricks over there and piled them up, planning to put them in our bags before we left. Luckily, we didn't just stuff them into our bags. When we were halfway through picking them up, someone came out of that crooked building next to us, which startled us!" Wang Jie made an exaggerated gesture.
Tong Shu was also startled: "You've run into someone?"
Qin Jiaqiang nodded: "They hid upstairs and watched us for who knows how long. When they saw that we were only picking up bricks and not doing anything else, they came down to ask what was going on."
Tong Shu frowned more and more as she listened, and pressed for an answer: "And then?"
Wang Jie smiled mysteriously and said to Tong Shu, "Then we struck a big deal."
"...Business? What business?" Tong Shu asked, puzzled. She patted Wang Jie and said, "Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me!"
"Oh, really..." Wang Jie complained, then honestly said, "They are actually people who ran back from nearby. After the plants mutated and grew wildly, these people all escaped from the building and went outside. Many of them even crossed the river and came to our side, which is where we live now."
"Later, just as you guessed," Wang Jie glanced at Tong Shu, "the mushrooms grew and poisoned most of the people. They crossed the river again and hid in the building."
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