The next day, everyone got up very early. Ye's mother and Dou Dou stayed at home, while Ye's father, Ye Yunyi, Wang Zixiang and Wang Xuanxuan all went out.
Since the zombies on the road had been cleared yesterday, only a few wandered over at night. After clearing them out with bamboo arrows, Ye Yunyi and Wang Xuanxuan headed up the mountain.
Having learned from Ye Yunyi and Wang Zixiang's experience on the first day, they were better prepared this time. To avoid adding to their burden, they decided to harvest the crops from the mountaintop first. This would make the ascent much easier.
This time, Wang Zixiang and Ye's father both carried large bamboo baskets, while Ye Yunyi and Wang Xuanxuan carried large cloth bags because they had to carry arrow baskets.
When they reached the top of the mountain, the sun had just risen. Looking at the bright color on the horizon, they thought that if they had reached the top a little earlier, they could have seen the sunrise.
Although there was a small path, their clothes were still soaked by the dew on the wild grass. The cool, damp feeling of the dew on their skin helped relieve the heat of their hurried ascent up the mountain.
Soon they arrived at the pond and the peach trees. The peaches, glistening with dewdrops, shimmered in the sunlight, like peaches from a fairyland.
Wang Xuanxuan took out her phone and started taking pictures. While taking pictures, she exclaimed, "This is truly a fairyland! It's unbelievable!"
Everyone laughed, and after Wang Xuanxuan finished taking pictures, they picked some more peaches, washed them in the pond, and sat under the peach tree to eat them.
"So sweet."
"So delicious!"
"The taste is so authentic."
Everyone ate and praised the food, and then Wang Zixiang and Ye's father took out the water container that Ye's mother had prepared and prepared to fill it with water.
While looking at the direction of the water flow, Ye Yunyi said, "On the way up, I observed that the water flowing down here actually follows a small stream to the foot of the mountain. If we can connect the pipes and bring the water to our house, then we won't have to worry about water anymore."
“Yes, I had the same idea.” Wang Zixiang said while filling the water container, “The stream flows into the wasteland below. Although there are zombies there, we only need to cut off the water at the foot of the mountain. I went to the storeroom yesterday and there is a long pipe. It might not be enough, but we can use bamboo. The bamboo at the foot of the mountain is just right.”
“This method works,” Yeba also said.
Because of the water shortage, they could only ensure they had enough to eat. They could only wash their clothes with pond water, which still left a slight odor. The clothes weren't very comfortable to wear, especially since there were three women in the family, and their undergarments needed to be washed in cleaner water.
“Then let’s get this done as soon as possible,” Ye Yunyi said.
“Grandma will be very happy,” Wang Xuanxuan said, picking another peach.
They picked all the peaches that were almost ripe, and Ye's father and Wang Zixiang filled their water bottles.
They found some more wood ear mushrooms, wild grass, and herbs on the mountaintop, then continued down the path, searching for wild grass and fruit as they went. Wang Xuanxuan hoped to encounter another rabbit today, so she paid close attention to every rustling sound the entire time.
At this time, apart from peaches and plums, the other wild fruits were not yet ripe, but they had already scouted the area in advance to pick them when they were ripe.
With Ye's father joining them, they learned about many kinds of fungi and herbs, dug up a lot of things that they could use in their daily lives, and also discovered a cave halfway up the mountain.
The cave was hidden among a vine, which was covered with small white flowers that emitted a refreshing fragrance.
Because Ye Yunyi loves flowers, she wanted to go and take a look. When she got to the flower curtain, she heard the sound of dripping water. She lifted the flower wall and saw that there was a hidden world inside.
This inevitably reminded her of the Water Curtain Cave; this was the "Flower Curtain Cave."
She called her family, and they all went into the cave.
The entrance to the cave is not large, about the size of a door. After walking in, there is a corridor about 1 meter wide. Further in, there is a larger cave, about 3 meters high and about 10 square meters wide, with two separate areas, one dry and one wet. In the center, there is a large stone. Against the right wall, there is a pool of water with a small crack in the ceiling from which water drips.
As they walked, they felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension. The only light in the cave came from a crack in the ceiling where water leaked out. That was what kept the cave from being completely dark; if it were pitch black, they wouldn't dare go in, in case there was a large python or any other dangerous animal, they would all have to be brought here.
The cave walls were fairly smooth, except for the dripping area which was relatively damp; the rest of the cave was quite dry. There were some small grasses and moss around the pool inside the cave, and the dry areas were quite clean.
This cave is a combination of natural formation and artificial creation. You can see a large, round stone mound on the rocky ground, surrounded by several smaller stone mounds, like a stone table with a few stools.
"Does anyone live here?" they wondered. But as they approached, they found no trace of human life in the entire cave, only a few animal hairs and droppings. Ye's father went closer and identified them, saying, "There are rats, rabbits, pheasants, weasels, and cats, but no snakes."
Hearing her father say there were no snakes, Ye Yunyi felt relieved. She was terrified of snakes, and such caves were the most likely places to find them.
They carefully inspected the entire cave and found it to be a suitable place to build a safe house.
Ye Yunyi thanked God again. It was like a godsend, a godsend. This secret base served as one of their defensive lines.
However, I can only finish setting it up after I've finished this busy period.
It was almost noon, and they were getting hungry, so they took out their dry rations from the cave to eat. Today, Mother Ye had prepared leek pancakes and boiled corn for them. They ate and drank the boiled spring water they had brought with them.
"Mom, I love it here. It's like a fairyland, just like in a novel," Wang Xuanxuan said as she ate a pancake and circled around inside the cave.
“I like it too. Once we solve the safety issues at the bottom of the mountain, we’ll build a safe house here,” Ye Yunyi said with a smile.
"That's great! I want to participate too. I want to decorate this place nicely," Wang Xuanxuan said.
"Sure, Xuanxuan, think carefully about how to decorate," Wang Zixiang said.
After the apocalypse, Wang Zixiang's temper towards Wang Xuanxuan improved significantly; he no longer scolded or mocked her at the drop of a hat. Their relationship also improved considerably.
After they finished eating and rested for a while, they came out and restored the flower curtain to its original state, as if they had never discovered the cave.
On their way back, they picked a lot of medicinal herbs, fungi, and seasonings they saw. When they reached the foot of the mountain, they dug up bamboo shoots.
Ye's father picked out several bamboo stalks, cut them down, and carried them home.
It took them until after 5 p.m. to finally arrive at Building 38.
Ye Yunyi threw the soft ladder upstairs, and it caught steadily. She climbed up first, followed by Wang Xuanxuan, and then they pulled up the bamboo, water, baskets, and other heavy objects. Then Ye's father and Wang Zixiang followed.
Once they reached the rooftop of Building 38, they put away the cable ladder, put their belongings down, and lay down on the rooftop in a starfish position.
It was a very happy day, but also a very tiring one.
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