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墨書 Inktalez
Life in the countryside is very peaceful. The geographical location of Zhangjia Village is quite good. Although the hot and dry weather has caused a drop in water levels, there is still enough water for irrigating the farmland. Moreover, since this place is remote, there has been no news regarding any infectious diseases.
Li Yan intentionally inquired with the village chief, and it seemed that everyone only watched news about X on television, treating it as a form of entertainment to casually discuss and then move on.
After living in Zhangjia Village for almost two months, Li Yan decided to return to the city. Although the countryside is relatively safe, the closed-off information is not a good thing.
Before leaving, Li Yan placed the keys to his home with Zhang Agou. First, leaving them with Zhang Agou would deter any unscrupulous individuals from taking advantage. Second, he didn't want to delay matters; he planned to install an internet connection in his house and opted for a telecom line for safety. Zhang Agou readily agreed; ever since receiving that two thousand yuan, he had been particularly friendly towards Li Yan.
"Brother, are we going back for the New Year?" Even though it was already December, the weather was still not very cold. The temperature was generally around ten degrees Celsius, and this issue of temperature was often discussed among people. While no one in the village mentioned anything about the end of the world, they did say that such weather was not good for farmers.
Li Yan dressed Li Ming in a light beige hoodie with a large black cat design on the front. The hoodie even had a pair of black furry ears on the back of the hood, making the child look particularly cute and innocent.
This outfit was bought by Li Yan last spring, mainly because Li Ming's little friend loved clothes with animals on them; not buying such clothes would have been a significant issue that caused quite a stir.
"Yes, we will spend this year's New Year in the city." Li Yan adjusted the brim of the child's hood and took a whiff of his little mouth—ah, a scent of milk. "Did you finish your milk just now?"
"I drank it!" Li Ming wanted to be as tall as his brother; his teacher said that good children need to drink milk to grow taller.
Li Yan didn't pack much; he thought about how things were unstable in the city and that he would definitely need to return to stay for some time. After three and a half hours on the highway, as soon as they entered A Province, Li Yan noticed several armed police officers standing next to the toll booth, all fully equipped like astronauts. Li Yan felt a sinking feeling in his heart; it seemed that during these two months, the spread of the X Virus had increased.
Sure enough, after a long wait in line, when it was their turn, two medical staff first took their temperatures and then asked a series of related questions. After ten minutes, they received two cards that had nothing on them except for a long sequence number. Li Ming was quite happy; he flipped through the card and carefully placed it in Li Yan's pocket, saying it was a key to an alien planet.
This card was indeed like a key but rather one to enter the city. Throughout their journey, Li Yan lost count of how many times he was checked; each time they would ask him to take out his magnetic card for inspection. Once cleared, they would swipe it on a machine and remind them to be cautious and wear masks when speaking.
It wasn't until they actually entered the city that Li Yan deeply realized how serious the X Virus situation had become. There were hardly any people on the streets; even those who were out wore masks and hurried along. When passing through downtown, for the first time, Li Yan did not get stuck in traffic; although shops along what used to be bustling commercial streets were still open, there were no customers coming in. The entire street felt particularly desolate even during daylight hours, evoking feelings of melancholy.
"Brother, let's go to the supermarket." Li Ming didn't care about any of this; he was still thinking about his Teddy Bear Cookies. "Let's go to Carrefour." The child happily rummaged around in the back while hugging his teddy bear.
Li Yan thought that since he hadn't been home for a month, buying some things would be good. However, as soon as they entered Carrefour, he nearly suffocated from the overwhelming smell—there was a strong scent of disinfectant mixed with something akin to vinegar spilling everywhere; it made Li Ming's little face scrunch up in discomfort. "Brother, it stinks." The child was quite honest; after being immersed in nature for two months in peace and quiet, encountering such an intense smell was unbearable for anyone with functioning taste buds.
However, it seemed that people inside Carrefour had already gotten used to it; everyone entering had to wash their hands first in a large basin filled with disinfectant at the entrance before proceeding inside. Li Ming scampered over and soaked his hands completely in disinfectant but when he took them out and sniffed... "Brother! Brother! My hands are ruined!!"
Li Yan hurriedly took out a bottle of purified water from the bag to wash the child's hands, affectionately pulling Li Ming's hand as they walked inside. His mind was becoming more alert; judging by various signs, the spread of X was astonishing, almost reminiscent of the situation back in the day. This phenomenon was concerning; after resolving matters here, it would be better to return to Zhangjia Village as soon as possible.
The supermarket wasn't too crowded, especially compared to before the outbreak of X. The current number of people could only be described as one-third of what it used to be, with considerable space between each person. Everyone was consciously cautious and careful around one another.
All products related to disinfection had long been sold out in the supermarket, but Li Yan didn't mind that. Ever since they had acquired their space, both he and Li Ming were evidently much stronger than average people. Watching Li Ming tugging at his hand towards the snack section, Li Yan couldn't help but tease the child. As a result, they appeared quite out of place in the supermarket; after all, during this time, who would willingly venture into crowded places unless they were truly out of food at home?
The most crowded area in the supermarket was the rice section, and many people were buying vacuum-packed foods. The seafood and roasted food sections were basically sold out.
Li Yan also noticed another issue: many food items in the supermarket were already out of stock, yet there seemed to be no restocking happening. Why was that? Was it due to time constraints or because they could no longer supply them? If it was the latter, then in just over two months' time, even with a high population density, it shouldn't be possible for the supermarket to be completely emptied out. That meant someone was doing this on purpose—was it to inflate prices or to hoard supplies?
Li Ming turned back to look at Li Yan, who was lost in thought and not paying attention to him, which made him unhappy. "Brother is bad," he said. Li Ming ran towards the snack section but accidentally bumped into a woman in her thirties, startling her so much that she screamed. "Get away! Get away! Don't touch me!" It was as if Li Ming carried some kind of bacteria; her face turned pale. Her husband and mother-in-law were suspected cases and had been taken away a few days ago. Every day she not only worried about their lives but also had to protect her son and father-in-law; the pressure of life had stretched her nerves to their limits.
Li Yan said nothing and quickly pulled Li Ming aside; he could sense something was off with the woman. He comfortingly patted the child's head and softly said, "Mingming, hold onto brother's hand."
Li Ming was clearly startled as well; at that moment he behaved obediently and didn't dare move around randomly for fear of being scolded.
There were fewer people in the snack section compared to others, and even fewer in the water and beverage area. This time, Li Yan not only bought a lot of pistachios and pecans but also plenty of preserved plums, prunes, jellies, and puddings. He also purchased a significant amount of hot pot sauces and various seasoning packets along with pickled appetizers and canned cold foods.
With December approaching and many businesses closing down, it was likely that during the New Year season these goods would be in short supply; it would be better to buy them early. Li Yan also bought a lot of candies since they wouldn't spoil when stored in his space.
He bought two more boxes of salt as well; he wasn't sure why he felt so anxious lately, but some voice inside him urged him to buy as many essential items as possible.
When he went to pay, Li Yan noticed a sign at the rice section: Sold Out. Yet none of those buying rice left; some even took out small stools and sat down right there.
"Miss, is rice really that scarce now?" Li Yan asked deliberately while paying.
The sales clerk wore disposable gloves and a mask and looked at Li Yan as if he were an idiot. Her tone was impatient and powerless: "Who doesn't know that food is tight now? The rural areas suffered disasters during summer; there’s simply not enough food available now. If you don't line up today, you might not get any tomorrow either. Plus, supermarkets now limit purchases to fifty kilograms per person. What’s wrong? Do you have food at home?"
Her question drew glances from several people towards Li Yan. He quickly put on an innocent expression. "How could that be? I can't find any rice either; I just wanted to ask when it might be my turn." While speaking, his hands moved faster.
As she scanned items, the sales clerk muttered loudly enough for others to hear: "Now buying rice is almost impossible; how can you buy so many snacks?" The price of rice had skyrocketed several times over, yet even so there wasn't enough food available.
Her comment made many people unable to resist looking at what Li Yan had bought. Two men just didn’t know how to live properly; now that they had money they should be buying rice or noodles instead—who would still buy these expensive snacks that wouldn’t fill them up? Those preserved plums might make one feel hungry again soon; however, cookies weren't bad—he might buy some for himself later on.
Li Yan didn't care what happened later; he threw everything into the space, with quite a bit placed in the back seat. The cigarettes and alcohol he had just bought were tossed directly into the space because he noticed four or five people walking toward him from behind.
Li Yan stuffed Li Ming into the car and quickly started the engine, speeding out of the basement. If he wasn't mistaken, a man had just been holding a long-handled machete...
It seemed that this city was truly unsafe. Li Yan let out a sigh of relief, his back drenched in cold sweat. If it had just been him, it would have been one thing, but clearly... Li Ming was stacking up the Whirlwind Card and handed a napkin to Li Yan, who was driving. "Bro, are you tired?"
Although the outside temperature was around seventeen or eighteen degrees, quite comfortable, Li Yan still cautiously locked the windows and doors of the car. Especially after what had just happened, he felt even more uneasy.
Zhou Miao was handing a bottle of water to the person next to him, his voice laced with flattery. "Hey, in a bit we'll be there; my buddy will definitely take us in." Damn, that old man was ruthless; after dropping them off here, he just drove away.
Yu Tian didn't want to say another word to this punk. If it weren't for this jerk knocking him out, he would never have left S City.
From a distance, Li Yan and Li Ming spotted people. It wasn't Zhou Miao and his companion who stood out; those two imposing Tibetan Mastiffs were truly impressive. Not to mention at a hundred meters away; even at a thousand meters, they would catch anyone's attention.
"Bro, where are you headed?" Li Yan lowered the window and looked humorously at Zhou Miao, who was being overly sycophantic.
"Oh, just got back! I'm here to see my brother," Zhou Miao said with a face as thick as the Great Wall, showing no embarrassment at all.
"Bro, the dogs are here." Li Ming leaned against the car window, wide-eyed and seriously holding up two fingers: "Two of them!"
Zhou Miao and Yu Tian's faces immediately darkened. That brat actually dared to insult them!
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