Outside the west gate, the afterglow of the setting sun has not yet completely faded, giving this wasteland a slightly desolate warmth.
In the air, besides the dust unique to the end of the world and the faint stench of decay, there was also a long-lost smell of... food.
Lei Zhennan was leading a team of people to skillfully build simple tents. The shouts came one after another, rough and energetic.
Lin Duan led another team of capable men to survey the terrain in the surrounding area and set up guard posts.
In the center of the camp, next to a stove temporarily built with several large stones, Zheng Sisi was directing several older sisters and aunts who were usually responsible for logistics, and they were busy working.
After half a month of continuous marching and sleeping in the open air, everyone was on edge and exhausted both physically and mentally.
Now that they finally have a few days of rest, Zheng Sisi feels sorry for everyone, so she wants to cook a decent meal to reward everyone's stomachs and soothe their tense emotions.
She took out a ten-pound ham from the supply truck and sliced off most of it neatly, not wasting the remaining bones.
Two large bags of crystal clear rice were washed clean, and the stored potatoes were peeled and cut into pieces, filling up two large buckets.
Soon, a large pot of fragrant potato and ham rice was bubbling on the temporary stove, emitting tempting hot steam. The golden ham cubes and soft potato cubes were faintly visible in the rolling rice.
On the other side, the remaining ham bones, together with the only five live chickens left in the team, were thrown into the big pot and stewed into a pot of rich and fragrant chicken soup.
The golden sheen of chicken fat ripples on the surface of the soup, and the aroma penetrates everyone's nostrils domineeringly.
The first ones who couldn't resist the temptation were naturally the group of half-grown children.
They stretched their necks and gathered around the makeshift stove, their dark eyes gleaming with desire and their mouths almost watering.
"Auntie Zheng, it smells so good!" a little girl with pigtails called out in a baby voice.
Zheng Sisi found it funny and a little distressed, so she simply asked someone to take out a box of sausages from the supplies and gave one to each child to satisfy their cravings.
"Eat something first, the meal will be ready soon!" she shouted, her voice full of the flavor of life.
The children cheered, took the sausage, tore open the package impatiently, and started to gobble it up.
When Han Yi came back from his patrol, he saw such a lively and warm scene.
The children held up the sausages, their little faces shiny from eating, but they still stared at the pot eagerly.
The adults were either sitting or standing, talking in low voices with tired but satisfied smiles on their faces, and the air was filled with a long-lost sense of relaxation.
A rare gentle smile appeared on his tired face. He raised his hand and said in a much gentler voice than usual: "Come here."
The children gathered around and shouted "Uncle Han" in unison.
Han Yi took out a handful of chocolates wrapped in oil paper from his pocket. He had specially asked Yu Bai to buy them for him, just to give these children a little sweetness.
"One piece per person, no more."
"Wow! It's chocolate!"
The children almost screamed, their eyes wide open, and they carefully took the sweets that were as valuable as gold in the apocalypse. They peeled off the candy wrapper, licked it cherishingly, and immediately smiled and jumped for joy.
"Thank you, Uncle Han!"
“Uncle Han is so nice!”
The children's laughter was clear and loud, dispelling the chill of the evening and the haze that had been accumulating in the hearts of the survivors for a long time.
Looking at the innocent smiling faces of the children, at that moment, all the adults in the team, no matter how much suffering and despair they had experienced before, had the same thought in their hearts - endless life.
Yes, as long as children are still laughing and as long as hope exists, mankind will not perish.
This simple truth, in the cruel context of the end of the world, has the power to move people's hearts.
The warmth brought by the children instantly cleansed people's hearts.
Those who originally had some selfish thoughts, wanted to get more benefits, or had doubts about future distribution, in this pure joy and vague expectations for the future, those little thoughts that were not to be expressed in public were quietly dissipated for the most part.
In such an atmosphere, any calculation seems so pale and powerless, even ridiculous.
Staying alive and seeing hope are more important than anything else.
At the same time, there is another place far away and hidden.
"Eternal life..."
The deep voice, with a hint of hoarseness but containing unquestionable majesty, slowly echoed in the brightly lit study.
The First Emperor, dressed in a dark-colored uniform embroidered with dragon patterns, sat upright behind a large desk.
He pursed his thin lips, his deep eyes staring at the ancient book spread out in front of him, but his thoughts had already drifted away.
In the past few days, he almost forgot to eat and sleep to read these heavenly books.
After the initial anger and confusion, there is an endless desire for knowledge.
He read through the Twenty-Four Histories at an almost greedy pace.
The rise and fall of dynasties, the merits and demerits of emperors and generals, all have their own meanings in his mind.
However, what really shocked him and even overturned some of his inherent cognition was another stack of books on the desk, which was simply bound, with slightly rough paper, but every word was precious - "Selected Works of Mao Zedong".
“The people, and the people alone, are the driving force behind world history.”
“Serve the people.”
These words, at first glance, are shocking!
What is the “people as the main body”?
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
