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墨書 Inktalez
Li Jingfeng's family had not been there for ten days; on the fifth day, someone came to take them away. During those five days, they felt as if they were living in hell. Cooking for themselves was one thing, but the meals consisted of little more than a few slices of salted meat. For them, who were used to plenty, this was truly a "hard life." They even suspected that Li Yan was doing this on purpose. How could it be that in a rural area where life was generally good, they were eating nothing but vegetables and radishes every day?
Two SUVs arrived, vehicles that could hardly navigate such terrain. Li Jingfeng stood at the door, moving his lips as if he wanted to say something but was stopped by Jiang Yuejiao beside him.
"Xiao Yan, you know how unsafe things are these days. Your dad and I are struggling too. Although we really want to take you with us, my father only managed to secure a spot for us to go," Jiang Yuejiao said, her eyes cold but her face showing sadness and helplessness. "If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just come to the town to find us. Of course, I believe you two can take care of yourselves; you have hands and feet, and your family has enough food. The road is dangerous, but I trust you will manage without worrying your dad." In those three days, Jiang Yuejiao had thoroughly checked Li Yan's home inside and out; they had at least over a thousand pounds of food.
Just thinking about how her family had begged Li Yan for shelter made Jiang Yuejiao grit her teeth in frustration. However, she still felt some restraint in front of Li Jingfeng. Hmph, there will be plenty of time in the future; once this base is established, she would make sure Li Yan and that idiot regretted everything they had done.
Li Yuanyuan stepped forward and took out a box of chocolates from her backpack for Li Ming, shyly apologizing, "Brother Ming, Brother Yan, my mom... please don't mind her. And I'm sorry." As she spoke, she seemed saddened and turned to run back to the car. Li Zhi watched from behind and snorted a few times; he couldn't stand Li Yuanyuan's two-faced nature. He wasn't on good terms with them anyway—why put on an act?
Li Jingfeng nodded in satisfaction at Li Yuanyuan and then turned to give Jiang Yuejiao a deep look. Those spots had cost him a lot of favors to secure, along with his father-in-law's connections. This was also why they had come early to Zhangjia Village; once the Safe Zone in Xinfeng Town was established, they could go straight there. If they arrived late, even if they had spots, they might not be able to get in. As for Xiao Yan and Xiao Ming... perhaps after living in the countryside for so long, they would know better how to survive than Xiao Zhi and Yuan Yuan.
After the Li family left, the happiest one was undoubtedly Li Ming. He joyfully pulled Yu Tian along to eat dumplings as a celebration. Li Yan suddenly thought of an issue: with the haystacks and wood left outside, he worried that they would get wet when the snow melted. Without electricity now, wood had become crucial for winter survival. The four of them discussed it and decided to convert the hall into a storage room. They moved everything piled up in the yard into the hall now, including the spots for dumplings and wontons. The dumplings and wontons were quite satisfied; finally, they wouldn't have to endure sleeping outdoors anymore.
This year's New Year would inevitably lack decorations; the village's calligrapher Xuan Laotou had gone to the city with his son and even sold his house in the village. Zhang Zhong gathered everyone together with the idea of going to town; after all, it was New Year’s—candy and pork needed to be bought.
In the end, it was decided that Li Yan would drive since his family was the only one with a covered vehicle; others might have cars too but no one could bear freezing on a truck in such cold weather.
Only Li Yan from the Li family went over because Jiang Yuejiao had mentioned going to town when she left. Why town instead of returning to the city? Li Yan felt something must have happened in town; it would be good to check it out.
Five people could squeeze into one car. Zhang Jianguo drove a truck over; being a large farming household, he couldn't bear leaving behind his few acres of land when others left. In the end, he decided to stay in the village since he could still plant some crops—could he really starve? Zhang Jianguo darkly muttered to himself that there was nothing in the city; relying on government handouts was worse than being self-sufficient. Of course, part of his thinking stemmed from jealousy.
Zhang Jianguo discussed with his wife that they still had some diesel at home. Since they were going to buy New Year goods anyway, why not help bring some supplies for the villagers? They planned to give two or three pounds of rice if someone needed less or ten pounds if someone needed more. Every household in the village had enough food; although this year's harvest wasn't as good as previous years', families with three or four members couldn't eat that much anyway.
However, when they arrived at town, everyone was stunned. The entire town was surrounded by thick gray stone walls with only one entrance guarded by two rows of soldiers standing watch. Moreover, those soldiers were armed with guns that could only be seen on television—this was classified as a level-one dangerous item.
What was going on? In just over a month’s time, Xinfeng Town had become an exclusive facility? Zhang Zhong discussed with other villagers whether they should go in and ask.
Li Yan stroked his chin; he already had an idea about what was happening. He was not unfamiliar with such walls; he had seen them recently during a trip to J Province. No wonder Li Jingfeng and his family were eager to leave—it seemed Xinfeng Town had already become a Safe Zone—but why hadn’t any news leaked out?
There is only one possibility: the remaining indigenous people in the town have been taken in by the Safe Zone authorities. The townspeople are afraid that news will spread and attract more people to the Safe Zone, so for their own interests, they naturally do not want to disclose any information. Moreover, with the cold weather, there has been little movement between villages, let alone going to town to buy things. Most villagers are trying to stay at home, eating whatever leftover farm products they have. If it weren't for the New Year, they might not realize the situation until spring.
Outside the walls, there are quite a few people gathered, who appear to be refugees. These refugees are moving around the perimeter of the wall; some seem to have lost their strength, huddling back-to-back in corners with eyes that gleam with hunger.
So when they see a vehicle approaching, they immediately swarm around it. Perhaps due to the soldiers' weapons, these people only bang on the car windows and glass. No one has yet resorted to throwing stones; most are still pleading in low voices.
"Good-hearted person, please give us some food. I've been hungry for several days; just give me something to eat."
"My daughter is only three years old; she's starving to death. She's been an excellent student every year. Please have a heart and give me just a bite of food." A mother’s clothes are so worn that their color is unrecognizable, and her little daughter in her arms seems to be asleep, yet despite the commotion, she hasn't opened her eyes.
"How about we give them something?" In fact, when they came out this time, the villagers also thought about it; many people in town must be short on food too. If they could exchange food for New Year supplies, that would work, so they brought along dozens of pounds of corn or rice.
"Shut up!" Zhang Zhong shouted angrily as he watched more and more people outside; some had even started banging on the door with their hands. The desperate mentality of those nearing death made them see nothing but food; as long as they were alive, there was hope. "Li Yan, hurry up and open up; we can't stay here."
At that moment, two more vehicles approached—one an SUV and the other a small car. The SUV had several burlap sacks tied to its roof; it seemed that the occupants had similar thoughts as those from Zhangjia Village. However, Li Yan did not agree to let them put food on the roof because he feared it wouldn't be safe on the way. Little did he know that true danger lay in town; it had now become a Safe Zone, attracting many who hoped for protection from the authorities—even if there was only a one-in-a-million chance of actually entering the Safe Zone. As a result, refugees surrounded it.
Seeing fewer people on their side, Li Yan immediately stepped on the gas and turned back. As he left, he noticed that the SUV was already surrounded by refugees; someone had climbed onto its roof, tearing open those burlap sacks filled with Sweet Potatoes and corn, which seemed to trigger a frenzy among the refugees.
Those people rushed forward like madmen, causing even those who had been huddled in corners outside the wall to come out. The two vehicles were engulfed by a sea of dark figures, nearly obscured from view.
Just as Li Yan turned away, through a small window on one side of his vehicle, he caught sight of an old acquaintance behind the wheel of the SUV—Jiang Chao from Jiangjia Village, who had previously clashed with Zhangjia Village over water issues.
Clearly, several people from Zhangjia Village also recognized him; everyone lived in close proximity and could lend a hand under normal circumstances. But given the current situation, there was complete silence inside the vehicle as everyone kept their heads down and pretended not to see.
Suddenly, the small car behind them was pushed over by someone on its right side; refugees on its left didn't have time to react before being trapped underneath it. Cries for help and wails erupted instantly; one person was caught directly beneath it and only managed to move their exposed hand a few times before falling still.
Zhang Zhong and others turned pale; even in winter's chill, beads of sweat formed on their brows without anyone thinking to wipe them away. They had no idea how things would develop next for Li Yan and his group. The occupants of the vehicle were left shaken into silence for a while. Suddenly someone hoarsely asked, "Where's... where's Zhang Jianguo?"
Yes, where is Zhang Jianguo? There was another villager sitting in the passenger seat of his car; this made Zhang Zhong even more anxious. After all, he was still the village chief—if something happened... Damn it! If he had known earlier that being village chief would lead to this mess! That old man must have foreseen this outcome and didn't want to take on such a role. Damn it!
Zhang Jianguo drove the large truck, with the back completely exposed. If any refugees climbed onto the truck, escaping would likely be very difficult.
As the village chief, Zhang Zhong knew he couldn't leave anyone behind. However, he was adamant about not going back to look for them. After some discussion, they decided that a few people would wait on the main road back to the village. Half an hour passed without anyone arriving, and they had no choice but to return to the village.
Inside the truck, someone pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Originally, he intended to show off a bit, considering that in these times, even food was scarce, let alone luxury items like cigarettes. Surprisingly, it was a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, given to him by his second uncle's son's cousin when he came to their village for business.
Everyone trembled as they took the cigarettes, and Li Yan was no exception. The cabin quickly filled with smoke, which slightly eased everyone's tension, though silence still prevailed.
Half an hour passed without anyone suggesting they should head back. Li Yan raised an eyebrow; although he wanted to check on his home to see if his mischievous child was alright, speaking up at this moment would make him the scapegoat.
Finally, after nearly an hour of waiting, the sound of another truck approached. Everyone looked back in surprise; indeed, a green truck stood out against the white snow. Zhang Zhong and several villagers got out of their vehicles and warmly patted Zhang Jianguo on the shoulder as he stepped down from the truck.
"You really fell behind! Do you know how long we waited for you?" Zhang Hong exclaimed, his eyes red with excitement. The man in his forties was as joyful as if it were a festival. "Damn it, I wasn't even this excited when I got married!"
"Exactly! Jianguo, I knew you would come back! Well done!" Zhang Zhong finally breathed a sigh of relief; returning meant he had something to report.
Li Yan's keen sense of smell picked up on something unusual; the truck had clearly been washed down with water, but a strong metallic scent of blood lingered in the air, making him frown. He glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed some bloodstains under the wheels of the parked truck that hadn't been completely washed away. There were also some dark objects nearby that looked somewhat like...
Li Yan extinguished his cigarette and squinted at Zhang Jianguo and another person. Although both tried to maintain their composure, their eyes betrayed them with hints of panic. Especially the shorter man, whose gaze kept darting toward the rear wheels of the truck. Li Yan lowered his head and stopped looking at anyone; this was survival, wasn't it?
The author has something to say: Yesterday JJ smoked again, so calmly, so elegantly...
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