At 3 a.m., Wang Zixiang came to relieve him. He said it was New Year's Eve, and his parents were busy with New Year's preparations in the morning, so he came to relieve them and could sleep during the day since he didn't have to do anything.
Ye Yunyi: "Keep an eye on Li Biao's house. He was watching our side like a cat watching a mouse last night. He's definitely up to something."
Don't worry: "I'll be careful, you go to sleep."
Ye Yunyi finished washing up at almost 4 o'clock. She was exhausted and couldn't think about anything else, so she went straight to sleep.
At 8 a.m., Wang Zixiang came downstairs and said that Xuanxuan and her father were up, so he would hold Ye Yunyi and sleep a little longer. She slept very soundly without even a dream. At noon, Xuanxuan came to call them for lunch.
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve. Lunch was more substantial than usual, but much less than in previous years.
Mom Ye stewed old duck soup, made braised meat, including braised chicken feet, braised pig tongue, braised gizzard, braised pork intestines, twice-cooked pork, stir-fried greens, sausage, and cold shredded vegetables.
When Ye Yunyi and Wang Zixiang got up, the food was already on the table. It was the fourth day of the zombie virus outbreak, and Ye Yunyi's family was quite vigilant and had a plan.
Ye's mother is a great cook. In the past, the New Year's Eve dinner would be a table full of dishes. In addition to these few dishes, Ye's mother could also make many other elaborate dishes, such as fragrant bowls, crispy pork, braised pork belly, etc. Each dish required a lot of time and seasoning.
Ye's mother sent photos of the lunch to Ye Yunjuan, who replied, expressing her envy of having a mother who could cook so many delicious meals; she missed it terribly. She then sent photos of the food she ate there: dumplings, stewed meat, and several stir-fried dishes. Ye Yunjuan, who grew up in City C, had lived in City L for over ten years, but she still missed the spicy flavors of City C, let alone her mother's cooking.
Everyone enjoyed a happy lunch, though it was a simple meal and they still didn't finish it. While cleaning up, Ye's mother said, "We'll have a fish for dinner, symbolizing abundance year after year."
Today is Chinese New Year, and I didn't plan to do anything. Actually, being stuck at home, there's not much to do. In the afternoon, Dad Ye moved a small stool, took out his fishing rod, and went fishing by the small pond.
Wang Zixiang stayed by his side. There were more than 10 fish in the pond. It wasn't too crowded, but it wouldn't matter if one or two were missing. There would be more baby fish coming later, which would need more space.
Ye's father used the most primitive fishing method: he dug up earthworms from the ground and hooked them on his fish. Although he had just fed the fish yesterday, he still couldn't resist the attraction of the earthworms. Before long, Ye's father caught one. They looked at it and saw that it was pregnant. Everyone sighed and released the fish.
Ye Yunyi wasn't interested in fishing, so she went back to her studio, tinkered with her sewing machine, and finished the clothes she had cut earlier.
Wang Xuanxuan likes to look at her phone. These days it's been cold, so she stays in her room playing on her phone.
After watching Ye's father fish for a while, Ye's mother went to chat with her sisters and relatives.
Everything was so peaceful and beautiful.
Soon after, Ye's father caught a grass carp that hadn't had any fry. It weighed about 3 pounds, and he went to the kitchen to prepare the fish.
As evening approached, Ye's mother cooked a pot of sauerkraut fish, along with the leftovers from lunch. After dinner, Ye's mother brought out snacks and fruit, and everyone gathered in front of the TV.
At 7 p.m., the gala started on time, with the same hosts as always, and the atmosphere was filled with singing and dancing. Since everyone was supposed to stay up tonight to celebrate the New Year, no one was in a hurry to go to sleep.
While watching TV with her parents, Ye Yunyi checked the security camera footage on her phone. Patrols were still going on in the neighborhood, and there was nothing suspicious around. She even went to the sunroom to check on Aunt Li's house. They were all in the living room, watching a variety show on TV. Li Xiaoming was munching on snacks, Li Biao was on his phone, and Aunt Li was watching the show—a harmonious scene.
In the distance, one could even hear a few scattered firecrackers.
Yes, in the past, although fireworks were prohibited in cities during the Lunar New Year, they were still set off in the suburbs and rural areas, from night until the next day, and even during the day.
Perhaps because it was New Year's Eve, even the internet was filled with images of peace and prosperity, with people sharing their New Year celebrations, mainly about food and various kinds of food and entertainment.
Ye Yunyi was chatting with her friends, and as usual, everyone in the family group was sending out red envelopes, and everyone was having a great time grabbing them.
In this joyful atmosphere, several roars suddenly rang out on the path near the back mountain. Because of the television playing, the sound was not obvious, but it still alerted Ye Yunyin.
"Did you hear that?" Ye Yunyi said as she turned down the TV volume.
Everyone listened intently for a while, and then Wang Xuanxuan said, "I heard it, something is making a sound."
Wang Zixiang checked the surveillance footage. There were no problems inside the residential area, but the camera on the path leading to the back mountain showed several human-shaped objects slowly approaching.
"What's that?" Wang Zixiang zoomed in on the surveillance footage. As the image enlarged, Wang Zixiang almost dropped his phone.
"Zombies?!" Ye Yunyi exclaimed. She and her mother had seen zombies nearby; their unsteady gait made it obvious.
"How did you get here? Where did you come from?" Ye's mother asked.
They talked as they walked toward the roof.
From the top floor, they could see more clearly that there were about a dozen zombies walking along the path, swaying and occasionally letting out a low growl.
Normally, zombies stay in one place when there's no stimulus. Even if they move, they either track objects or wander around aimlessly. These 10 zombies were clearly heading this way.
They crouched by the flowerbed, hiding only their heads, watching the women approach. The various gruesome sights of the zombies became increasingly clear: some had lost their ears, some had no faces, some had their eyes popped out, some were missing a hand, some had empty stomachs, and some had their heads drooping to one side, their necks hollow. They reeked of decay.
Ye's father, Wang Zixiang, and Wang Xuanxuan, who had never seen zombies before, all gasped. Someone bumped into a flowerpot nearby. With a crash, the flowerpot fell to the ground. The zombies, like prey, swarmed over like lightning.
The five men were so frightened that they fell to the ground, not daring to breathe. The zombies continued to grope and sniff below, but finding no living creatures, they became agitated and let out a series of roars.
Some of them even seemed to smell that there were living people upstairs, and looked up at the building, and coincidentally, they saw the camera.
Ye Yunyi, who was watching the surveillance footage, felt a chill run down her spine and panicked. She was frozen in place, staring straight at the surveillance screen on her phone.
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