The morning sunlight streamed in, waking the sleeping crowd.
Meng Yang was on night watch last night. He was boiling water, and steam was rising from the stove.
The wisps of steam rose gently, creating a hazy atmosphere that seemed to transport me back to the past...
The noise beside her startled her awake. She came to her senses in a daze, her sleepy eyes looking somewhat blank and adorable.
Tian Tian burst out laughing, drawing the attention of everyone who had just gotten up.
With a tense expression, Li Xiao began tidying up her things.
Tian Tian pursed her lips, trying hard not to laugh. Everyone was packing their things, getting ready to leave soon.
I took out my food and prepared to eat breakfast.
When Tian Tian was about to give her food, she saw that she had already taken out her own, so she didn't say anything and didn't hand it to her.
Pour the boiled water into a bowl, cover it, and the bowl will release its unique and irresistible aroma.
Using this to wake you up first thing in the morning is incredibly effective. Your slightly groggy brain is instantly filled with its alluring aroma.
Some of the others were eating cookies, while others were eating instant noodles. Zheng Yongnian had already prepared the noodles and started eating.
The food everyone eats now is very simple, convenient, and quick. Li Xiao isn't picky; she quickly slurps down her noodles, content as long as she's full.
After finishing their meal and getting on the bus, they realized that Li Xiao hadn't come along. Everyone looked around, wondering where she was.
The team leader got out of the car, followed by Tian Tian and Meng Yang. They called out Li Xiao's name.
Li Xiao leaned out of the car window and answered. She didn't understand what was going on; weren't they supposed to be leaving?
Seeing her sitting in an SUV, I realized I hadn't asked her how she got there yesterday.
I walked around the car; it was in pretty good condition, without any signs of impact, and spacious enough. My eyes lit up instantly—an extra car would be so convenient. No more squeezing in like this.
The captain rubbed his hands together and asked Li Xiao, "Li Xiao, you have a car, could you ask two people from over there to come over? It's quite crowded over there, we need to clear some space in the back to load supplies." After saying that, he looked at Li Xiao apologetically.
"Sure, this place is empty anyway, it won't hurt if two people come over," Li Xiao said nonchalantly. Since they were traveling together, what was wrong with two people coming over?
Liu Zhigang was delighted and prepared to call people over.
At this moment, Meng Yang said, "Captain, let me come over so we can take turns driving." Liu Zhigang thought the decision was feasible and agreed.
Tian Tian quickly raised her hand, saying she wanted to sit here, and Liu Zhigang waved her off. Tian Tian happily climbed into the car and sat next to Li Xiao.
Meng Yang went to the back seat; he needed to catch up on sleep after keeping watch that night. After some discussion, Zheng Yongnian also got into their car.
Li Xiao didn't care who came over. When she heard the van in front honk its horn, she quickly started her car and followed.
She followed the car in front of her all the way, without having to think about which way to go, which was very easy.
Tian Tian spoke softly beside her to keep her entertained. She had a general understanding of the situation of their team.
They said they came from the base. Li Xiao found it strange; wasn't it good to stay at the base? Why did they all want to leave?
It turns out that to enter the base, one needs to hand over a certain amount of food or supplies of equivalent value. Without supplies, entry is impossible, which has stumped many people.
Many people had no supplies stored up, and several days had passed; where would they find food to hand over? Those who hadn't handed over supplies couldn't enter the base and could only set up makeshift shelters on the outskirts. Some, seeing they couldn't get in, simply turned back.
Returning isn't so easy; there are zombies along the way.
Even after getting inside, supplies will be needed. The housing is currently free, but food...
At first, the food was free, two meals a day: two multigrain steamed buns and a bowl of porridge. As time went on, the steamed buns grew into one large bun and the porridge into a bowl. Later, the steamed buns became smaller and harder, and the porridge was so thick you could see your reflection in it.
There's no other way; more and more people are entering the base, and the daily consumption is enormous. There are many elderly people and children who don't work, and we can't just ignore them.
Gradually, income fell short of expenditure, and conflicts arose constantly.
I often see elderly people crying and complaining about their hardships, saying they can't get enough to eat and they're starving. They don't actually starve to death, but they just make a scene every day, disturbing everyone's peace.
More and more people are involved, and things are getting increasingly chaotic.
Later, the soldiers came out to intimidate them, which calmed things down a bit, but some people still didn't obey orders.
They couldn't stay inside any longer and all wanted to leave, so they came together and headed north. Tian Tian didn't say why. Perhaps she didn't know herself, or perhaps she didn't want to.
It doesn't matter whether you know the reason or not.
As noon approached, we stopped to rest and have lunch in a small town before continuing our journey.
Meng Yang had already woken up and was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, resting. Seeing the car stop, he opened his eyes and sat up.
The people in the car in front got off, and the captain was clearing out the zombies in the yard, with Uncle Li helping as well.
Everyone calls him Uncle Li, and Li Xiao calls him that too.
Seeing this, Meng Yang quickly got out of the car to help. With a flick of his wrist, a green vine bound the two zombies in front of him. Just then, Liu Zhigang's knife struck their heads, killing them instantly.
Uncle Li swung his machete with great force, and in two blows, the zombies fell to the ground. Zheng Yongnian stepped forward, dragged a zombie, and threw it aside. Xiao Yang Yuanfei also went to help, showing no fear whatsoever.
Everyone knows what they should be doing; nobody wants to be idle.
Li Xiao was very happy to see this; only a team like this could get along well.
It turns out Meng Yang also has superpowers; I wonder if the others do.
Meng Yang and the others also noticed that Li Xiao did not seem surprised, and they understood.
After clearing away all the zombies and cleaning the table, everyone prepared for lunch.
Zhang Mingzhu—Aunt Zhang took a pot and a bag out of the car. Uncle Li had already piled up a makeshift stove using stones and bricks from the yard.
Aunt Zhang put the pot on the stove, and then took out a few potatoes, onions, dried chili peppers, and two packets of noodles from the bag.
Li Xiao stared wide-eyed, making everyone around her laugh.
Everyone laughed, and Li Xiao felt a little embarrassed.
It wasn't like what everyone expected; I was a little slow to react when I suddenly saw someone take out a pot and start cooking. Cooking is a very ordinary little thing, but it felt especially special at this moment.
It's just a bit of a sad story.
Uncle Li was helping out, and Li Xiao was thinking about whether she should go and help out too. She had just wandered over when Uncle Li and Aunt Zhang pushed her away, telling her to go and rest.
She understood that they felt they were too old to be of much help, so they did what they could to help.
I can cook, I just want to cook something every day. Let the young people rest; they have other things to do, so there's no need for them to help with this. If everything is done, what's left for the old folks?
If you're always doing nothing, things can get complicated in the long run.
I stir-fried shredded potatoes with dried chili peppers, stir-fried onions with chili, and cooked a large pot of clear soup noodles—the portions were very generous.
Everyone sat together, each with a bowl of clear soup noodles, eating and talking about their future plans.
...
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