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墨書 Inktalez
There were a total of three cars, and the first one had four people get out, all dressed in thick down jackets, looking just like ordinary folks. But they had Zhou Miao with them; this guy had been in the military for several years. One of these people was clearly from the regular army, as you could tell by his walking posture and his habitually straight back.
"Excuse me, could I ask if you've seen any cars passing by here recently?" The speaker appeared to be in his thirties, looking friendly, but there was a sharpness in his eyes that made it hard to resist answering. The man turned around among them and smiled even more when he saw Zhou Miao. "Brother, where are you from?"
"Don't mind me, I'm just a small farmer. I happened to run into a natural disaster, and it's not easy to bring the family along," Zhou Miao chuckled before adding, "Last night we also stayed at a nearby village; it was pitch dark, so I just went to sleep."
"Stop with the smooth talk. Did you see anything or not?" A young man in his twenties beside the man seemed a bit anxious and couldn't stand Zhou Miao's casual attitude, raising his voice immediately.
"Oh, trying to threaten me?" Zhou Miao replied coldly with a smirk as he opened the car door. "Wife, Mingming, hurry up and get in; we need to hit the road."
"You!" The young man didn't expect Zhou Miao to actually leave like that, his face turning red with anger.
"Alright, alright." Li Yan could tell these soldiers were not simple characters and didn't want to linger there any longer, so he quickly played peacemaker. "I apologize; my brother has a bit of a temper. We really haven't seen anyone pass by; honestly, we just came out of the village."
The man in his thirties squinted his eyes but still wore that cheerful expression. "Young people these days—it's not normal if you're not impulsive. Where are you all headed? It must be tough traveling in this cold weather."
Li Yan cautiously glanced at the man before feigning warmth. "We're going back home. Life in the city is getting harder; at least back home we can look after each other. Plus, our elders are worried about us being out here; going back will ease their minds. Once the weather improves, we can come back again. Since you all have matters to attend to, we'll take our leave now while it's still daylight." Li Yan's words contained both truth and falsehoods, making it difficult for the man to discern.
"Oh, going back home?" The man looked through the car window at Zhou Miao, who was lounging with his legs crossed, and pointed at him while smiling at Li Yan. "I say that guy looks like he's been in the army."
Li Yan didn't dare relax too much around this man in his thirties and could only nod in agreement. "Yes, he served a few years ago. Unfortunately, he has a bad temper and often got into fights while in the military; that's why his family couldn't keep him there. Actually, serving in the army is also a way out these days; his family spent money to help him get in, but he just didn't live up to expectations."
Li Yan's explanation seemed to convince the man's group; these days it wasn't just politics that were murky—the military wasn't exactly clean either. They had come this far not solely based on strength. Although their unit might not have been strong enough to enter this place, how many stories lay behind them was anyone's guess.
"Haha, what a pity; I think he has some guts," the man in his thirties said as he tapped on the car window. "I'm Liu Tao, caretaker and leader of this bunch of kids. What's your name?"
When Liu Tao mentioned the nanny, the expressions of several people behind him clearly became unnatural. The young man in his twenties named Yin Le had been Liu Tao's bodyguard since he joined the team. This kid was honest; over the years, he had endured a lot from Liu Tao, who was notorious in the army for being "eccentric." To earn his approval, one had to risk half their life.
Seeing his boss's amiable demeanor made Yin Le's skin crawl. "Hey, Commander, can you act normally?"
A look of surprise flashed in Zhou Miao's eyes, and although it was brief, Liu Tao caught it and smiled even wider. This person was interesting—very interesting. Liu Tao's name was well-known in the army but also somewhat obscure; only those truly within the military circles knew of him and recognized the legendary leader of the Snow Wolf team. And generally speaking, how could someone who got into fights retire from the military?
"I'm Zhou Miao," Zhou Miao said, no longer displaying his previous flamboyant smile as he met Liu Tao's gaze. Zhou Miao became serious and respectful.
Liu Tao was the only true soldier in China to receive the Chestnut Beret. He led his small team to break through Russia's final defenses during a Sino-Russian exercise, securing victory for China.
The Chestnut Beret was a dream for all valiant soldiers. Only the elite among special forces were qualified to participate in the triennial Sino-Russian Friendship Games, and only the ultimate victors could earn this prestigious hat. Zhou Miao had also participated in that exercise but unfortunately was captured halfway through. The helplessness and regret from three years ago still haunted him. Looking back now, he realized that the man wearing the Chestnut Beret had been too far away, and at that time, Liu Tao was covered in mud from battle, making it impossible to see his face clearly. Now that he thought about it again, the figure did resemble him.
"Zhou Miao," Liu Tao repeated thoughtfully, as if recalling where he had heard that name before. However, he waved his hand dismissively and said, "You all should head back quickly; things aren't peaceful right now." Suddenly pausing, he turned to Zhou Miao and added, "How about this: you don't go back? I have some influence here; what would your unit think if you returned like this?" Liu Tao noticed the fierce determination in Zhou Miao's eyes; someone like him belonged in the military.
What seemed like a joke held an underlying truth that no one could discern. Zhou Miao pondered for over a minute before glancing at Yu Tian, who appeared tense yet resolute, and finally said, "No thanks. I have family now. If you ever need help, come find me in Zhangjia Village in J Province."
"Alright, I'll remember that," Liu Tao replied as he continued driving with his companions. "Be careful on your way; we're pursuing some desperate criminals."
"Bro, am I handsome or what?" Zhou Miao reverted to his playful self and winked at Li Yan.
Li Yan didn't respond with any teasing remarks; he had known Zhou Miao since childhood and recognized his spirited nature. He was sure that for a few seconds earlier, Zhou Miao had considered joining Liu Tao. There were many reasons why Zhou Miao chose not to go—perhaps influenced by Yu Tian—but more so due to Zhou Laoyezi's expectations. Zhou Laoyezi had done everything possible to send Zhou Miao away not just because he knew a "secret," but perhaps also out of a desire to protect his beloved grandson.
The recent disaster had evidently caused less harm to rural areas; smaller cities seemed safer instead. Many small towns displayed bright red lanterns and large characters for good fortune; despite the cold weather, many adults were seen taking their children out for walks. Xinfeng Town was the closest small town to Zhangjia Village; it took just over twenty minutes by car under normal circumstances. Li Yan led everyone to a nearby snack shop for a bite to eat.
The four of them shared three bowls of large pork noodles and two baskets of soup dumplings while also taking twenty steamed buns to go—totaling an astonishing 165 yuan. In the past, such a meal would have cost much less. The boss kept saying that many shops in big cities had closed down and food prices were skyrocketing; he heard that many supermarkets had shut down as well. News here was limited; television still featured glamorous entertainment hosts or beautifully produced idol dramas. With internet access already restricted, information wasn't as lively as it had been previously; most of what the boss knew came from passersby.
Yet Li Yan felt somewhat reassured; at least in A City, where old currency still circulated here meant that local disaster conditions hadn't escalated significantly. He couldn't help but feel fortunate about Xinfeng Town's backwardness—it indicated that there wasn't a shortage of food here, at least not for the farmers.
By the time they arrived at Zhangjia Village, it was already past three in the afternoon. Throughout the journey, Zhou Miao and Li Yan took turns driving, so it wasn't too tiring. During this time, Li Ming strongly insisted on driving. Although he had failed his driving test, the child still had a lot of ambition and wanted to practice on-site, believing that driving could help improve his skills.
In the end, Li Yan firmly put a stop to it and comforted him for a long while. Finally, she took out a Whirlwind Card to calm him down. The child rolled his eyes, secretly planning when he could drive on his own. Li Ming kept an eye on him, playfully teasing him until his little face turned red with laughter, which caught Li Yan's attention both mentally and physically.
The village chief spotted the SUV from a distance, and he finally felt relieved. Recently, many children who had been working outside returned home with not-so-good news. It was said that things were chaotic outside; many people were starving to death. Zhang Liang was the first to react to this news, directly pressuring Zhang Agou to hand over the keys to Li Yan's house. Since things were so chaotic outside, it was clear that Li Yan and her group wouldn't be coming back, so the house should belong to Zhang Liang. This made many people unhappy; why should the house just belong to Zhang Agou? It should belong to Zhangjia Village and everyone!
At first, Zhang Agou disagreed, but he couldn't withstand Zhang Liang's relentless pressure. His daughter-in-law would come over crying and causing a scene every few days, and Zhang Liang would occasionally brandish a kitchen knife at Zhang Agou's house as a threat. Now that he saw Li Yan and her group had returned, Zhang Agou finally felt relieved. He was getting old and couldn't bear such worrying days anymore.
"Village chief, thank you for your hard work during this time," Li Yan said as she handed an envelope to Zhang Agou. His old face immediately brightened up. The envelope felt thick; there must be quite a bit inside, proving that it was worth it for him to endure the pressure and keep hold of the keys.
Once Zhang Agou left, Zhou Miao half-sat on Yu Tian's lap, looking quite mischievous. "Hey, in this day and age, if money can solve a problem, it's really not a problem."
"Brother, I'll open the door," Li Yan said. The key to their Old House was an old-fashioned large key—one door with one lock—which was much safer compared to modern locks. Even experienced "three-handed" locksmiths generally didn't want to deal with such doors; it could take them a whole day just to open one. This is why Zhang Liang insisted on asking the village chief for the keys instead of looking for a locksmith.
Once they entered the yard, Li Yan brought out Wonton and Dumpling from their space. The two Tibetan Mastiffs had probably been cooped up for too long; once they came out, they were ecstatic. Especially upon seeing humans, they felt an unusual sense of familiarity. Although there were little chicks and ducks in the space, Wonton and Dumpling were raised by humans and couldn't stand such silence.
Zhou Miao groomed the two dogs before letting them play with Li Ming. Due to limited room, Li Yan assigned sleeping arrangements: she would share a room with Li Ming while Zhou Miao shared with Yu Tian; another room would serve as a guest room.
Zhou Miao gave Li Yan a thumbs-up—brother, you're like my own brother! Yu Tian wasn't pleased; why did he have to share a room with this rogue? Li Yan explained that it would be cold in winter without enough blankets. So Yu Tian, who had been kidnapped by Zhou Miao without bringing anything along, obediently fell silent.
When Zhang Liang heard that the Li family had returned, he was furious and started pacing around his house. A friend called him saying that houses in the countryside were now valuable; many people from the city were coming to escape there. That damn Li Yan family had cut off his source of income; he absolutely wouldn't let them have it easy.
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