Xiaojiangshan Day Trip
Every day, "visiting" Yu Yu became one of my daily tasks. I would bring him food, quickly removing the cloth swaddle and spoon-feeding him; I would untie him to prevent poor circulation and muscle necrosis; I would talk to him, but I was the one who did most of the talking, as he had to have the cloth swaddle stuffed back in and listen after he finished eating, without the right to speak.
I did everything I could to verbally humiliate him, flaunting my strength and mocking his supposed brain malfunction. I would repeat the insults Qian Shiqi used against him, omitting the beginning and end, and ridicule his shameful past of sleeping with pigs. Sometimes I would stomp on his chest, kick his butt, slap him after feeding him a couple of spoonfuls of rice, or threaten to strip him of his last pair of underwear and parade him through the streets.
Several times, I thought I was about to succeed; I had driven him to the point of glazed eyes and convulsing limbs, showing signs of an impending epileptic seizure. But the moment I caught my breath, he would regain his composure in a very short time. If I continued with the previous theme of humiliation, he would give me a strange look, a half-smile, as if to say: Please continue your performance.
Yu Zhongjian is back, but he still has to live his life; I can't bring myself to truly insult him. After several months of slumber, his resilience has clearly increased significantly; it seems I need to adjust my strategy.
After experiencing several days of vomiting, headaches, and altered consciousness, Han Bo gradually recovered. He recognized people, was able to speak, and even comforted us, telling us it was just a minor injury and not to worry about him.
Following the doctor's advice, visits to the hospital should not be too long, as the patient needs more rest. So I would visit him for a few minutes each day and then leave, and I did not allow Zhou Yi and others to linger around his bedside for extended periods. No one mentioned Yu Zhongjian to him, and he himself did not mention it either. Once, when Ma Li was looking worried and frowning, he said, "It's just a head injury, nothing to make a fuss about."
Grandpa Tang asked him to rest in bed for at least two weeks, while also increasing his nutrition. Bed rest was no problem, but the nutrition issue gave me quite a bit of thought.
We haven't eaten fresh chicken, fish, meat, or eggs in a long time. The meat is canned, the vegetables are dehydrated, and although we could initially see koi swimming in the artificial lake, it has become nearly extinct due to lack of maintenance and water changes over time.
Unlike my experience of being in danger and fright, Han Bo was genuinely injured. Even though we had a lot of ginseng slices and medicinal herbs, the effects of dietary therapy were irreplaceable. Just like Gao Chen, who hadn't eaten anything good during his coma and recovery period, and then ate communal meals at the veterans' hospital, his brain hemorrhage was not healing slowly, and he remained thin.
My mom says that if I could eat ten or eight eggs every day and drink chicken soup, fish soup, bone broth, and the like, my wounds would heal quickly, and I'd have the strength to get out of bed. I know that makes sense, but the problem is, where can I find these things?
When I was having a meeting with the team leaders, I said, "No matter what kind of animal it is, even if it's a weasel, catch it if you can."
The team was originally a resource-gathering squad, whose main targets were weapons, food, medicine, building materials, and various small mechanical equipment. Fatty Luo said he would lead them to change direction and explore the suburbs to see if there were any living poultry and livestock.
Team Two is Zhou Yi's cleanup squad. He plans to temporarily spare the zombies for Han Bo's sake and lead his men to make harpoons to fish in the Qinghe Bay.
A day later, Fatty Luo and Zhou Yi returned empty-handed. All the poultry and livestock in the rural farmers' homes were dead; the fish in Qinghe Bay were also there, but they all rotted.
The Book of Changes says, "Qinghe Bay is almost at its bottom; dead fish are floating with zombies."
Zhang Yanhuang said, "I kept looking at the sky during my rest today, and I didn't see a single bird fly by all day."
Xiao Hei said, "Haven't you noticed? There aren't even any rats left in the cafeteria."
Impossible! Impossible! All animals in the world except humans have gone extinct! It's only been four months! Absolutely impossible!
I squatted down on the ground in front of the canteen, shining a flashlight and circling around, observing carefully. I quickly made a discovery and pulled Xiao Hei down to squat with me: "Look, aren't these ants? They're crawling so fast, how could they all be dead?"
Xiao Hei said, "It's not that they're all dead, it's just that the environment is too harsh, which has led to a decrease in the number of animals. If you want to catch a chicken now, you definitely won't be able to catch one at a farmer's house; you'll have to go to the mountains to take a look."
“Then let’s go into the mountains.” I stood up. “You guys do your jobs well, keep an eye on the zombies, and leave the finding of living creatures to me.”
The next morning, I changed into a clean T-shirt and trousers. I smelled myself and realized I wasn't smelly yet, so I saved myself a pack of wet wipes.
I haven't showered for days since I drew a bucket of foul-smelling, fishy-smelling, foamy bathwater from the artificial lake. Nobody else has showered either. The field team, with dozens of people, gets a bucket of purified water a day to wipe themselves down, but those staying indoors are just enduring it. Old Tiantou's Pit No. 1 has been dug over twenty meters and is still wet soil. He says it'll be quick; another ten meters and we'll definitely reach water. Whether you believe it or not, you have to believe it, otherwise what can you do? Qinghe Bay is already dry.
I carried one long gun and one short gun, and my backpack was filled with knives, axes, and daggers. After breakfast, I went out with the third team. My mother thought I was going with the team to fight zombies, but actually, as soon as we left, I kicked Wang Lianshan, Guo Yang, and Chen Shuo out of the van.
"You guys will have to make do with the pickup truck bed today. I'm taking this one."
Guo Yang ran to the pickup truck to report to Gao Chen, who immediately got out and stopped me: "You're going alone? No way."
"It's okay, I'll go up Xiaojiang Mountain. There aren't many zombies there. I'll see if I can catch any pheasants or rabbits."
He reached in through the car window and pressed his hand on the steering wheel: "We absolutely cannot go alone. We're going with you."
“I’m just going for a drive. I’ll drive there and back. If there’s any danger, I’ll run. You guys go ahead and do your thing. I can handle it on my own.”
He leaned inside and moved his hand to the ignition lock: "Did I take the key out?"
I was both amused and exasperated: "What are you doing? You might not even be able to find the animals. Why waste a whole day of your time?"
"Aunt Cheng told me before I left that she was entrusting you to me and asked me to look after you. You came out with Team Three and you can't act on your own."
His head was very close to mine, and he tilted his head slightly to speak, his breath almost hitting my face. My heart suddenly raced, my mouth watered, and I pressed myself tightly against the backrest, tilting my chin up to look at the roof: "Okay, okay, let's go together."
It's not that I want to compromise so quickly, it's just that I'm afraid if he remains stubborn for a little longer, he'll be able to smell the faint stench on me.
Why can't I smell any sourness on him? There is a smell, but I don't know what it is. If I had to give it a name, it would be manly smell... Oh my God, where is this manly smell coming from? It must be this damn hormone explosion that has blinded my sense of smell.
And my mom, saying things like "I've handed me over to him"—can she just say that so casually? It's so easy for people to misunderstand...
The three people who had been kicked out of the car got back in. Guo Yang, sitting in the passenger seat, tilted his head and glanced at me a couple more times: "Sister Qi, why is your face so red?"
I feel like I'm hearing a fairy tale. From childhood to adulthood, whether I'm embarrassed, ashamed, drunk, or even excited, I've never blushed. I have emotions, but I don't have a physical reaction. I'm just a woman who doesn't blush; it's genetic.
"Are you blushing?"
"red."
I peeked into the mirror and was startled – it was really red. Not only were my cheeks red, but my eyelids and ears were too, just like Han Bo when he was drunk and turned into a red-faced giant. I reached out and touched it; it was still hot.
"This is unbelievable!" I said, trying to sound calm. "It's hot." It's so hot, of course my face is red from the heat.
Wang Lianshan chuckled inexplicably twice in the back seat. I turned around sensitively and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
He pointed to the back of the seat and said, "These people are really restless when they ride in a car; they've even kicked holes in the back of the seat." He then chuckled twice.
I felt there was something deeper about that laughter, so I rolled my eyes at him, and he looked completely innocent: "What's wrong?"
How would I know what happened? I guess I just felt guilty. But what did I do wrong? And what was I feeling guilty about? My heart was pounding, and I could barely grip the steering wheel.
Xiaojiangshan is located in the western suburbs of the city. It is not high but covers a large area, with the Qinghe River flowing at its foot. The North Mountain, where the military district warehouse is located, is rarely visited, while the South Mountain is considered a good place for citizens to relax and exercise. The top of the mountain is densely forested, while halfway up the mountain there are farmhouses, quarries, and the remains of artillery positions from the war years. Many trees have been cut down, making it look like a fat man wearing a green vest and bare-chested squatting on the banks of the Qinghe River.
We spent a whole day on the mountain. There weren't many zombies; a few were near the farmhouse and the artillery emplacement, but they disappeared as we went higher. We climbed from the south side of the mountain to the north, specifically choosing paths where there were no trails, carefully checking every tree that looked like a bird's nest or any hole with unidentified excrement. We searched the dry mountain streams, turning over moss-covered stones, grass, bushes, and even venturing into abandoned pits in the quarry. Our entire haul consisted of seven or eight lizards, a dozen or so grasshoppers, and the carcass of a bat found dead in a hole.
Standing at the cave entrance, I looked dejectedly at the sun, which was still blazing at five o'clock in the morning, and said to Gao Chen, "You take them back first. Lao Wang, Xiao Guo, and I will wait a little longer. When the sun goes down and it gets less hot, the small animals might come out to forage for food."
There was no rule requiring field teams to wear uniforms, but ever since we acquired a large number of security uniforms, the men have developed a particular fondness for special operations uniforms. With leather boots on, a belt fastened, and a pistol tucked in, even the ugliest person exudes a sense of dashing style, let alone someone like Gao Chen, whose looks are "decent."
With straight shoulders, a wasp waist, and long legs, the navy blue uniform looked exceptionally good on him. Especially when standing next to Lao Wang, who was wearing the same uniform, one exuded the heroic spirit of a soldier, while the other clearly looked like a top-notch office worker. If you put a mirror in front of them, Lao Wang would immediately feel hurt.
"Let the tides and waves go back and report that they are safe. We'll wait together." He rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, revealing his lean and slender forearms. He held a standard-issue watermelon knife in his right hand, and a vein bulged on his wrist.
I stared at that straight, long, and bluish vein, and thought to myself, "How can someone even have such beautiful veins?" No wonder there used to be a saying online: "All the handsome men have been handed over to the state." Netizens weren't lying. If the world were peaceful, how would an ordinary citizen like me have the chance to get up close and personal with such an outstanding man?
"I love the wind, I love the wind." He waved his hand in front of my eyes: "What are you thinking about?"
"Huh?" I snapped out of my daze and quickly asked, "What did you say?"
“I suggested that we send the tides and waves back to report so that Aunt Cheng wouldn’t worry, and that the rest of us stay and wait together. You’re right. After sunset, before the temperature drops below zero, it’s the best time for animals to forage. We’ll divide into groups and stake out several marked holes. The chances of catching them alive are still pretty high.”
"Hmm." I stared intently at his face. "Then...then we'll be a team?"
Finding wild animals is certainly good, but if you don't, there's no need to feel guilty. This is caused by sudden changes in nature, and it's beyond the control of tiny humans. So, in the daily grind of killing zombies, searching for supplies in complex buildings, and exhausting yourself digging and filling bags to block roads, a day like this is practically a vacation or a day trip.
Imagine us lying in ambush side by side at the entrance of a beast's den as the sun sets, bidding farewell to the last blazing rays of the day and welcoming the first cool breeze before the cold night. The mountains and fields are silent, and you can hear your own breath... It was a beautiful time indeed.
"Okay, I'll go out and divide the groups first."
Gao Chen readily agreed. Once we were out of the pit, I felt a surge of joy. Suddenly, Wang Lianshan chuckled inexplicably twice. I slowly turned my gaze towards him: "What are you laughing at now?"
He looked around and pointed to the bat carcass on the ground, saying, "Look at how this bat died, its four claws facing the sky, how funny."
“Not funny.” I looked at him coolly. “Old Wang, you’re acting strange today. Just say what you want to say, stop whining and making me uncomfortable.”
He chuckled and said, "It's nothing, it's just that I see you and Captain Gao get along quite well, unlike when you were with Captain Yu, where you'd argue and fight after just a few words. People's personalities are really different; Captain Gao is much gentler."
Hearing him mention Yu Zhongjian, my initial elation vanished instantly, replaced by the memory of Yu Yu's sinister demeanor, and a tightness gripped my chest. If Yu Yu's ability to suppress his emotions had matured, and humiliation no longer triggered his illness, then was there any hope for Yu Zhongjian's return?
Old Wang added, "If Captain Yu hadn't gotten into trouble, you probably wouldn't have come back to our Third Team even if we asked you, right?"
I was annoyed: "I can go to whichever team I want, why do I need him to invite me? Nothing's happened to him, he'll be back someday."
Old Wang sighed, "I hope so. Captain Yu is amazing. I feel much more at ease with him around."
Another Yu Zhongjian fan has joined me. I thought helplessly, if he doesn't come back, there will always be a monument standing tall on my road to conquering the stars and the sea. If I achieve something, Yu Zhongjian's fans will say, "If Captain Yu were here, what would happen..." Wouldn't I be so frustrated? So I must drive away Yu Yu and make Yu Zhongjian lie at my feet!
The group hunt lasted until after 7 p.m., ending with Li Tonggu and Duan Mingzhe's group catching a nest of wild rabbits. Duan used the smoking method, which brought out a large rabbit, whose head was crushed by Li Tonggu's foot. They pulled out a nest of small rabbits, just sprouting a layer of downy hair, grayish-brown and resembling mice.
I lay there for two hours at the entrance of that little hole that looked like a rat's nest, smoking it out and poking at it with a stick, but to no avail. Gao Chen, at another entrance a dozen meters away, said that was a way out, and if there was anything inside, blocking both ends was the right thing to do.
We couldn't catch any animals, nor could we stand side by side to see off the sunset and welcome the gentle breeze—there was a big rock between us.
On the way back, Wang Lianshan told us a story about "April Crazy Rabbits," which made us both shy and excited. It turns out rabbits are so enthusiastic about mating! Having one litter, having two, three, or even ten litters of rabbits is no longer a dream.
Moreover, if rabbits are available, pheasants won't be far behind. As long as we persevere in competing with nature for food, we can eventually create a few new breeding positions.
Xiaojiangshan isn't far from the veterans' camp. We passed the Renhuaji Expressway entrance in between. Lao Wang, Guo Yang, Xiao Chen, and I discussed the crazy rabbit the whole way, paying little attention to the zombies roaming the main roads at night. Following the principles of the I Ching, once I started driving this battle-hardened Wuling van, I would rampage through it, never giving way to the zombies.
Gao Chen drove behind us, and when we stopped at Rongjun Parking Lot, he called out to me, "Aifeng, have you noticed that there are a lot more zombies on Jiangshan Avenue tonight?"
I didn't care: "Many non-mutated zombies still prefer to come out at night. We haven't been out on patrol this late in a long time, and we haven't cleared that section of road many times. The zombies must be clustered together. Otherwise, we can organize a concentrated cleanup next time."
"Hmm." He nodded hesitantly, as if he was thinking about something, but he didn't say anything more and left with the others.
A litter of seven baby wild rabbits was handed to my mother. She was both happy and worried. The reason for her happiness was obvious, but the reason for her worry was that the rabbits were too small and it would take a long time to raise them. She was afraid that even after Han Bo recovered from his injuries, he would not be able to eat a single bite of rabbit meat.
But something is better than nothing. If we can't fix it now, we can fix it later. Anyway, I'm very happy. When the rabbits grow up, Han Bo can eat meat and I can have a sip of soup. So I specially asked my dad to open the warehouse and get two large chocolates as a reward for Xiao Li and Duan Mingzhe. I also decided to make the breeding and mating business a regular long-term business.
After dinner, I was in the kitchen watching Qin Yun and my mother prepare nests for the rabbits and discuss a suitable breeding location when Gao Chen came to the cafeteria to find me again.
"I've thought about it again and again, but something still doesn't seem right," he said, sounding uneasy. "Just now, about two or three hundred meters in front of the highway exit, there were a lot of zombies, like they were just popping out from the roadside. What are those places on both sides of that road?"
I recalled: "Before the highway was built, that area was a village with large tracts of farmland on both sides. Now there's a car city on the east side of the road, and it seems like the west side is still farmland."
"So, the highway exits are flanked by farmland?"
"Right?"
Gao Chen's expression turned serious: "I think we may have overlooked a problem. Zombies have no concept of rules, no sense of danger, and may not always stay on the road as we have assumed."
I was taken aback: "You mean...?"
"Farmland, ditches, railway tracks, streams, all the wilderness, all the places without walls to shield them, are the roads through which zombies enter Huai City."
As soon as Gao Chen started thinking, his blood stasis flared up. Not long after he finished speaking, his headache returned. He pinched his temples with his fingers, his palms covering half his face, and only his lips, which were almost pressed into a thin line, betrayed his pain.
Without thinking, I took his arm and said, "Alright, alright, stop thinking about it. Leave everything to me. You should go back and rest."
He didn't break free from me, and said in a slightly urgent tone: "The sooner we scout, the sooner we can prepare. We must not let our guard down."
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