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The Hero of the Last Begonia
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The moment the meteorite hit the earth, all my dreams and ambitions vanished, and all the dreams and ambitions of the earth vanished. Now, I can only barely survive in a lonely and violent world. The relatives around me left one after another, and Xie Desheng and his four-year-old daughter Feifei became all I had in this world.
The home we had built for ourselves over the past six years was on the verge of collapse. We would soon have to leave and embark on a dangerous road to find a safe place that might not even exist. To make matters worse, I had developed new feelings for Xie Desheng, hoping to get from him what I could not get. I could not pin my hopes on romantic daydreams. The most realistic things were safety and food. There were no heroes in this world anymore, and Xie Desheng had never been my hero.
Chapter 1 Xie Desheng often made fun of me.
The first year after the disaster
The garage was too crowded, so I went out early in the morning. I used the excuse of going out to look for wild vegetables and mushrooms, but in fact I just wanted to have some peace and quiet for a few minutes.
Gloomy mornings, withered trees, Huyuntai National Forest Park is no longer as lush as it used to be, all the trees are struggling with the climate change this year. Since the meteorite hit the earth, the weather has been in chaos. Squirrels, birds, rabbits and deer are becoming more and more sparse and hungry, just like the plants. Now, it is estimated that only scavengers can eat enough.
Even so, it was better than sitting in a crowded garage. When there were only four of us in the villa, it already felt overcrowded. Before the disaster, my parents were busy people and were not at home most of the time. As far as I can remember, we rarely slept under the same roof. When we were awake, we would never be together for more than a meal. I'm not being pretentious, but I'm really not used to a family of four staying together every minute of every day for 24 hours. Fortunately, the villa is more than 400 square meters, with five bedrooms and three living rooms. If I want to be alone, it's not impossible.
As the situation took a turn for the worse, five more people joined the family soon after. Later, we moved from the villa to the garage. We had another baby last week, so there are now ten of us. I remember the last time we had so many people, my father booked a 100-square-meter restaurant in the hotel, and the bathroom and rest room connected to it were larger than the current garage.
Leaving is the only way to be alone.
Eighteen months ago, I just finished the high school entrance examination. Among 533 candidates, I ranked first and became a freshman in a key class of a key high school. I was also admitted to a special summer program. This summer program was organized by the National Nuclear Power Institute. Under the guidance of famous nuclear physicists, students studied, discussed, visited, and conducted experiments. Only high school students with excellent grades could join after being recommended by their teachers. Becoming a nuclear physicist has been my dream since I was ten years old. It is very unlikely to achieve this goal, but I have never stopped working hard and have been making progress.
Then, the news said that a huge meteorite was flying towards the earth. This was not an extinction-level event, but it was the worst global disaster in human history. After the Spring Festival holiday, I never returned to school. We stockpiled four cars of supplies, each with a car, and quietly hid in a villa in Huyuntai National Forest Park. We have owned this villa for ten years. At first, we thought it was a paradise for our family to relax and get away from the city, but the number of times we have actually come here can probably be counted on one hand.
Mom once laughed and scolded that this was the stupidest investment Dad had ever made, but unexpectedly it became our precious refuge. The villa is in a forest park, surrounded by scattered villages living on the mountain. Due to the serious population loss, the construction of infrastructure has been sloppy. After the villa area was planned, houses were built and roads were repaired at the same time. Later, the developer saw that the villas were not selling well, and the later construction was almost stagnant.
Before the meteorite disaster, many self-media had reported that an asteroid was flying towards the earth. At first, no one took it seriously, until the first meteorite landed and the world was in chaos. People finally fell into panic. The city did its best to ensure law and order, but hysterical mobs still began to loot stores, and more and more people gathered to rob food and supplies. Gangs began to form and gradually controlled the entire city.
Our family of four hid in this villa. Because of its remote location, we were not targeted by the attackers. We had already stockpiled some daily necessities, and we could also go fishing, hunting, and try to grow vegetables here. It was much safer than staying in the city, so safe that others came to join us. The first to come were my grandparents, and then my grandfather's cousin, whom my brother and I called Third Grandpa. The last to join were Third Grandpa's daughter and her husband Xie Desheng, who were considered distant aunts and uncles to my brother and me.
When a grandfather is the president of the procuratorate, the cohesion among relatives will be very strong. Dad works in the Planning Bureau, Mom is a leader of the Party School, and the Yu family has its own political territory. The third uncle is my grandfather's cousin. Although the two are very different in age, because his parents died early, he spent a lot of time at my grandfather's house and had a very close relationship. After he became an adult, the third uncle began to use the influence of the Yu family in the officialdom to do business and has always been the money bag of the family. The third uncle's daughter is not much behind, and has been trained as a business elite since she was a child.
As far as I know, my aunt's husband Xie Desheng's family is also very rich. Because of his keen business sense, he has been in the right place many times and accumulated a lot of wealth. However, there is no political boss behind their family, so the marriage between Xie Desheng and my aunt is a bit like a strong family alliance. Xie Desheng himself is not strong at all, he is just a typical dandy. The only thing he is thankful for is that he doesn't mess around, doesn't have those hobbies that ruin the family, and has a very good temper. As long as it doesn't interfere with his own fun, he doesn't care whether his family members agree or disagree with him marrying a strong woman.
After the meteorite disaster, the Xie family had their own place to hide, but my aunt's dominance was revealed again. She insisted on staying with her family, and my aunt was pregnant at the time, so Xie Desheng had to accompany her to the villa in the mountains. Our family soon welcomed the tenth member, Feifei.
Three months ago, it rained a lot. To be honest, calling it rain is too mild. The sky was like a tap turned on full blast, the sound was deafening, and one heavy rainstorm after another caused huge mountain torrents. Mudslides rushed down from the top of the mountain, destroying the forest and the villa. Fortunately, a garage next to the villa survived, and we all moved there. The villa, which was already very crowded, is now overcrowded. I try not to complain. The world's population has been reduced by half, but at least we are still alive, with a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs.
But stillā¦ it was too crowded and I desperately needed some alone time.
When I left the garage, Mom insisted that I take my gun. It's small and fits in a holster on my belt, making it easy to carry. I know how to use it now, but I don't really like it. I've never liked guns, and even if I spotted a deer or a rabbit, I'm not sure I could shoot it. If we were starving enough, I guess I could work up the courage to go hunting, but we're not that hungry yet. We have plenty of supplies and provisions, and there are plenty of fish in the river, so we're doing OK so far.
Hopefully we can keep it this way.
The rainstorm-battered forest was hazy and damp. I walked and scanned the leaves on the ground, but found few edible things. I was not an agroforestry scientist or a botanist, and I was not a country bumpkin who knew about herbs and roots. In three months, I would be sixteen. I should be in school and be a good student with good character and good academic performance. I adapted well in the first semester of my freshman year. I made a few friends and most of the teachers liked me. I had the opportunity to work at the Nuclear Power Institute. I dreamed of becoming a nuclear physicist. My life was good.
Now, my goal in life is to spend two or three hours quietly and alone.
I wandered for a long time with only a vague idea of direction or destination. I knew I was east of the garage, and if I could see the sun, I was sure I could find my way back. I heard a low rumble, and it took me a moment to figure out it was the river. I didn't realize I had walked that far, but that didn't matter, at least it gave me a landmark I could identify.
As the sound of the river grew louder, I actually walked out of the woods. The water was larger than I remembered, and it seemed to be a turbulent stream. I walked beside it, and it looked like I was watching a horizontal waterfall. Thick mist floated over the chilly river. I have been to the river several times since moving to the villa. Dad taught me how to choose a fishing spot and how to catch the biggest fish in the river. I haven't been here since the flash flood.
I took a few steps forward out of curiosity, and the soil under my feet suddenly became much softer. The rocks and soil were looser and slipperier than I thought. I accidentally lost my balance and slid down the steep slope, about to fall into the rushing water. I stood firm before falling headfirst into the river, but I still fell to the side of the embankment. My ankles hurt, my butt hurt, and my head hurt even more. The violent impact scared me so much that I almost had a heart attack. For a long time, I could only sit on the rocky slope in a daze, grabbing an exposed tree root, not knowing what to do. I seemed unable to breathe normally, and for a moment I thought I would die on the bank of this river.
Fortunately, this was not long, and once I had cleared my head a little, I was able to assess my situation more accurately. I realized that I was actually fine, I just bruised myself from the fall and had a slightly sprained ankle. I believed it was not too bad, and I felt that I could still walk. I would limp home and be more careful next time.
I sat there for another five or ten minutes before I finally mustered up the strength to stand up. My ankle still hurt a little, but it could bear my weight. It wasn't broken or had any joint damage, just a muscle strain, nothing serious.
Dad, Third Uncle, and Xie Desheng were all fishing today, and I waited until they left before leaving the garage. Otherwise, one of them, most likely Xie Desheng, would not allow me to go out alone. But it didn't matter now. If I walked along the river a little longer, I would probably run into them. It would be much smarter than limping through the woods to the cabin alone. So I grabbed branches and tree trunks and walked slowly along the river to avoid sliding off the gravel bank again.
I hate, hate, hate... being hurt. Not because of the pain, but because of the helplessness. I have always been a self-reliant person, and meteorites should not change that. Just like meteorites cannot make me sit in a crowded garage for hours, bored and anxious.
I limped along the river for a few minutes, very slowly. Then I became acutely aware of a change in the atmosphere around me. I didn't know what it was, or what triggered the instinct inside me, but my hands and feet were cold, and the hair on my arms suddenly stood up. I stopped and looked carefully. There was something, hiding in the woods. I could feel it, even if I couldn't see it yet. I took another step, looking for danger that might be lurking somewhere. Distracted, I took a wrong step. My footing slipped again, and I fell, sitting heavily on the ground. I had to struggle to sit up and steady myself to avoid sliding off the bank.
Damn, this is ridiculous. I have never liked sports since I was a child. Physical education has always been my least favorite subject, and sports meets are also my most hated school activities. However, since I found that studying is also a physical activity, I have been exercising to improve my physical fitness and physical fitness. I used to jog on the treadmill every morning. I am not good at it, but I have all the physical fitness that a young person should have, at least much better than this embarrassing look.
The thing in the woods was still lurking. I looked around again, then stood up. This time, a movement behind me caught my attention. I squinted and peered through the shadows until I recognized what I saw.
A coyote.
I immediately went into crisis mode. Normally I wouldn't worry about a coyote, but I was alone and injured, and this one was clearly stalking me. He was probably as hungry as the rest of the woods, and probably saw me as an irresistible meal. I slowly pulled out my gun and aimed it in the direction of the coyote. The wolf was small, no bigger than a dog. He looked pathetic, and was emaciated from hunger.
My hands began to shake, and I couldn't, just couldn't, pull the trigger. Finally, I changed my aim and fired a shot next to him. The bullet whizzed and exploded beside him, and the sound of the gunshot echoed in the quiet woods. The coyote quickly retreated and disappeared from my sight.
I let out a sigh of relief and lowered my gun. Maybe I was weak, maybe I didn't have the toughness I needed to survive in this new world, but I did well enough to avoid being eaten by a coyote. No one would know that I should have killed the coyote, but I softened at the last minute. I recovered from my fear, mustered up the courage to stand up again, and immediately noticed movement in the woods.
Damn it!
The coyote came back again, this time even closer. He was not scared away by the gunshot and had to come back again to die! I had no choice but to raise my gun to him. My hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't even aim. Maybe one more warning shot would scare him away forever?
I tried to steady my hand and aim at the coyote, but before I could fire, I was startled by a loud gunshot from behind. The coyote fell to the ground, dead. I couldn't help but scream and fell to the ground. I turned around and saw a tall and familiar figure approaching me. Xie Desheng was the son-in-law of my third grandfather, and in terms of seniority, he was my uncle. However, I never called him uncle.
Xie Desheng has a round, wide face, high brow bones, and thick lips. Like other idle dudes, he used to have a thick neck and a beer belly. Since moving to the villa, he has to do a lot of physical labor, and with food shortages, he has lost weight. To save trouble, he usually wears a small braid at the back of his head. When it is long enough, he just cuts it off.
I don't like him, and now that he's in such a mess, I don't want to see him. I don't trust Xie Desheng, and I don't trust my own temper.
Xie Desheng has always been a very lazy, leisurely, and cheerful man. When my aunt married him, I was ten years old and he was twenty-nine. As far as I know, after graduating from college, Xie Desheng has been doing a side job in his own company. He works from nine to five every day, and spends most of his time eating, drinking and having fun. I remember that when I saw him before, he always sat on the sofa, holding a beer can and watching TV. In short, Xie Desheng is a dandy who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He doesn't have any bad habits, but he doesn't have the ambition to make progress. The great environment and social resources created by the Xie family for him meant that he could live a comfortable life, doing nothing, and having no desires.
This person is very childish. He often yells and shouts while playing games with my brother. He doesn't act like an elder at all. My brother always calls him by his name, so I will never call him uncle. And he always makes fun of me. My name is Yu Mei. On the first day he met me, Xie Desheng asked me with a smile whether I was as beautiful as a flower or as beautiful as the wife of the King of Western Chu. From then on, he called me "beauty" and "beauty".
Why is the beauty always studying and not relaxing on weekends? Doesn't the beauty have any friends? I've never seen her hanging out with anyone? Why is the beauty worried about this and that? Does she have anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder? If the beauty wants to contribute to nuclear development so much, it would be better to encourage her family to donate money!
I hate it. From childhood to adulthood, some classmates would make fun of my name from time to time. Being the top student, being called "stupid" by classmates can be considered a form of ridicule. But when Xie Desheng called me "beauty", it was a blatant mockery. Many people said I was smart, but no one praised me for my good looks. When they saw me, the most they would say was that girls change a lot when they grow up.
I went into puberty very late. When I was fifteen, I didnāt even have any baby fat on my face, let alone hair on my body. It wasnāt until six months ago that my endocrine system remembered that there was something important that hadnāt been done. Overnight, my forehead was covered with acne, my limbs became longer and longer, my waist became thinner and thinner, and my chest and hips were like balloons. My emotions were like a roller coaster, and I couldnāt stand it. It wasnāt until I took some hormone-regulating drugs that my body calmed down in the storm.
Because the Yu family would gather three or four times every year during holidays, the time intervals were very even, so the time was not so long that my family would forget what I looked like the last time they saw me, nor so short that they could not see any changes. However, Xie Desheng would always bring up my changes as a topic in front of the relatives at the table. He would laugh at me whenever he got the chance. He knew his limits and had never made jokes about my body and appearance, but he was not polite at all when it came to my personality and temper. What I hated most was that he always said that I was self-motivated and had to endure hardships.
Even when rumors of the meteorite disaster were flying around, most of Xie Desheng's conversations with me were about him mocking me and telling me not to worry too much. Yes, that's what he said, telling me not to worry that the whole world was falling apart. Nothing made me more angry than this, that he lay down and gave up the meaning of his life, and even encouraged me to do the same! I was furious at this man, but fortunately his situation improved after he and his aunt moved to the villa to live with us. Of course, Xie Desheng ignored me most of the time, but it was much better than mocking me.
I still don't like him. I like people who take life seriously, whether it's before or after the meteorite.
"What are you doing?" Xie Desheng walked up and asked bluntly.
He sounded a little annoyed, but not angry. Another characteristic of Xie Desheng is that he has a very soft temper. No matter how badly others say things to him, he will not get angry.
"I accidentally hurt my ankle." I could only explain reluctantly.
"Why don't you kill the wolf? You're a good enough shot now to hit it."
Perhaps I should feel relieved that Xie Desheng was praising me, but I was more annoyed by his tyranny.
"I want to scare it away."
"This wolf is so hungry that the sound of gunfire alone can't scare him at all." Xie Desheng walked up to me and stretched out a hand to me.
I didn't want to accept his help at all. I didn't like to accept help from anyone, but his help was the worst. It seemed that his previous mockery of me was justified and reasonable. But I still sat on the ground, my ankle still throbbing. If I refused him, it would be even more embarrassing. I grabbed his hand, and Xie Desheng dragged me up.
Because I had been sitting for too long, I lost my balance when I stood up and fell on him.
Xie Desheng smelled strongly, a mixture of sweat, dirt, and fish. But now everyone smelled. Fresheners were not necessary. We stored soap and shower gel, but not in large quantities, so we didn't use them casually. The world was more primitive, dirtier, and more vulgar than before. I had become more and more accustomed to it, so even if I smelled Xie Desheng's strong body odor, it didn't seem to be a big deal. Still, I stepped back and grabbed a tree for support.
Xie Desheng looked me up and down: "What's wrong with you?"
"I told you, I sprained my ankle when I fell."
"I mean, why are you here alone?" Xie Desheng still didn't sound angry, just a little confused.
"I came out to find something to eat."
"Don't go out alone again. It's not safe here anymore. Anything could happen. You were almost killed by a coyote."
"I wasn't nearly bitten to death!" I tried to control my temper. He was always happy when I responded to his teasing in the past. I also kept reminding myself to control my emotions and not fall for his tricks. But what he said today was so wrong, I would not accept it.
"I can handle this myself. I don't need you to come out and save my life. You are far from being a hero!"
"Am I being a hero saving a beautiful girl? How come I don't know?" Xie Desheng raised the corners of his mouth, as if he was trying to hide a smile.
No doubt, I'm being laughed at. Okay, that statement is a little wrong.
"Even though I'm not a beauty, you're definitely not a hero. You're not my hero. I can take care of myself, and I don't need you to protect me."
Xie Desheng was still laughing, but fortunately he didn't continue the topic. Instead, he explained, "We were fishing and everyone heard gunshots, so I came to see what was going on. Next time, you must aim and shoot. If you hesitate again, you're dead."
"I won't die, but the wolf looks so pitiful and desperate that I can't kill it."
"Do you think I have the heart to do that? I don't even like hunting, but it doesn't matter anymore. We now need to do a lot of things that we hate because we no longer have any other choice." Xie Desheng said dryly, his voice as exciting and tasteless as a low-quality advertisement.
"I don't need you to lecture me. While you are lying on the sofa drinking beer and watching TV, I am studying hard, hoping to achieve something and make some contribution to this society." I know it is very rude to expose someone's shortcomings, but he makes me angry. I don't have such good self-cultivation, and Xie Desheng also knows that I have always looked down on him.
"Of course. But that was in the past, and things are different now. Spending a lifetime studying atomic explosions won't help you anymore. We all have to change." Xie Desheng was still preaching, not at all annoyed by my insults. He really had a good temper.
"I've changed," I couldn't help but argue. What else did he want? I was just about to light a fire with my physics book.
"Not enough." Xie Desheng stretched out his arms to hug me, and I instinctively moved away. He shook his head, rolled his eyes, and said, as if I was a fool, "For example, I want to help you now so that the two of us can quickly leave this dangerous place, but you are too stubborn and refuse to accept my help."
"I didn'tā" I shut up abruptly. Even I could tell that the rebuttal was ridiculous.
I have never been stubborn just for the sake of being stubborn, but I have always been demanding self-respect and self-reliance, and handling problems independently. Even if this makes life difficult, I still try to stick to this habit. Now the situation is stronger than me, and if I continue to be stubborn, it will only confirm Xie Desheng's accusations against me. I bit my lower lip and retreated to his side. Xie Desheng put an arm around my waist, and I leaned on him and reluctantly started to walk.
Then again, I really hoped it wasn't him who found me.
"I know you look down on me, Yu Mei, you don't have to remind me all the time." Xie Desheng said in a quieter voice.
"I'm not always reminding you, but if you... don't like someone, this dislike won't magically disappear suddenly..." I took a deep breath and told myself to be more mature and rational. Now that we live so close to each other, God knows how long it will take. We must live in peace and not have conflicts. This is a difficult time. We are grasshoppers tied to the same rope. Internal strife will only make life more difficult. I will be more sensible and promised him: "I will try to control myself and be more friendly."
"I don't care if you're friendly to me or not, just don't refuse my help out of stubbornness and prejudice and put yourself in danger. You're right, I'm not a hero and I can't save the damsel in distress. But now, none of us can rely on ourselves."
"Okay." I suddenly felt nervous for no reason, my stomach churned, and the uncertainty of the future made me feel a little strangely afraid. I don't like this kind of uneasiness, I don't like the life that cannot be controlled. I have lost my dream, my future, and my tomorrow may not even come earlier than the accident. I thought that at least my thoughts and independence have not changed, which are the few things I have left. Now it seems that I will lose even these.
I limped forward, pushing branches aside as I went. My mind was filled with fear and anxiety, so many things that could go wrong, so many things I couldn't stop from happening.
"Yu Mei, can I give you a piece of advice?" Xie Desheng suddenly said in a low voice a few minutes later.
My first reaction was to say no, and a hundred impolite responses popped up in my mind, including the one I wanted to ask the most: What qualifications do you have to give me advice? But for the sake of family harmony, I held back and tried to suppress my sarcasm and said, "I'm all ears."
"Stop!" Xie Desheng only said two words.
I froze suddenly: "What are you doing?"
"Stop worrying, stop being anxious, and stop filling your head with useless thoughts. You can't think of a way out of your current predicament." Xie Desheng stated the most obvious fact.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him and said, "I know!"
"Then why are you still thinking about it?"
"I can't stop myself from using my brain, okay? Not everyone can be like you, automatically shutting down their brains when they don't want to use them. I'm not that kind of person, and I've tried my best to change." I pursed my lips and tried to hold it back, but there was really no way to stop myself. I just couldn't express my opinions without being mean to Xie Desheng.
Xie Desheng still didn't care and said, "If this is the best you can do, then it's too bad. If you continue like this, even if you don't collapse physically, your spirit will collapse sooner or later. Collapse will not help anyone."
"I won't have a mental breakdown." I narrowed my eyes coldly at Xie Desheng, wishing I could just push him away and walk away. But I couldn't. Not to mention walking away, I couldn't even stand without his support.
"We'll see." His voice was defiant.
I couldn't help but glare at him, and it took a lot of effort to swallow the rebuttal that was on the tip of my tongue. It was futile to continue this stupid argument. Xie Desheng would not listen to me, he would not understand me, and he didn't want to understand me. Besides, I didn't care what Xie Desheng thought. He used to be an acquaintance that I would see and greet every now and then, a nasty, insignificant person, and it's the same now. We only got together because of the natural disaster, the only difference is that I will see him every day and greet him every day. I still think he is nasty and insignificant.
Thatās right, Xie Desheng will always be that insignificant person.
Chapter 2: Xie Desheng taught me to always shoot in the head.
Six years after the meteorite disaster
We are 130 kilometers south of the city. The Pei River flows through the valley. A national highway is next to the Pei River. It is adjacent to Huyuntai National Forest Park. There are two towns and eight villages. In order to attract tourists to the forest park, many shops, restaurants, homestays and farmhouses were built in each village. Most of these houses are two-bedroom bungalows or two or three-story buildings. They are small, cheap, but well maintained. Now it is a wasteland, just like other towns around the national highway. Buildings collapsed and the road surface was riddled with holes from rocks rolling down from the mountains.
In the first year after the meteorite disaster, strong winds blew continuously for two months, and the whole town was almost razed to the ground. At that time, the locals had already anticipated the abnormal weather phenomenon, and almost everyone left their homes before the hurricane. Five years ago, a heavy rain caused a sudden mountain torrent and mudslide here. Two mountain torrents poured down from the mountains, washing out a trumpet-shaped river ditch at the bottom of the valley, about 500 meters long, and the trumpet mouth was 60 meters wide.
The mudslide blocked the national highway and then rushed into the Pei River, destroying our shelter. The only good thing was that the landslides and roadbed collapses, and the road was damaged and collapsed in many places, making this area completely isolated. Although it cut off our contact with the outside world, it also blocked the way for large and small gangs of robbers, refugees and disaster victims. We have been relatively safe in the mountains over the years, and we have not encountered many man-made dangers even when scavenging.
I stood in silence for a few minutes in a corner of the dilapidated town. The autumn air was cool and the days were getting shorter. Dust and powder drifted in the air like incense, and a beam of sunlight was outlined, pouring down from the gaps between the dense branches high up, sprinkling on the haphazardly piled houses and courtyards. After my work here, it would take me three hours to walk back to the cabin in the mountains. I promised Xie Desheng that I would be home before dark. I automatically scanned the surrounding environment, one hand resting next to the pistol in the belt holster, quietly exploring.
This is different from the world I grew up in. In that world, I was a smart girl, ranked first in my grade, won a national award in mathematics, recited the entire "Song of the Wine", and argued with my brother about who could sit in the front seat of the car. Now, this world reminds me of the test papers before the meteorite disaster, and the ones that were done in a mess. I just find it unbelievable that such a simple question, why so many people just can't understand it, not to mention the numerous mistakes, many of the answers are bizarre and ridiculous.
Today, I no longer have that overwhelming sense of superiority, and if I donāt stay alert at all times, Iām likely to die or end up in a worse situation than death.
There are four villages within walking distance of the hut, two of which are farther away, and two more that are too far to travel back and forth in one day. The two villages closest to the national highway have been plundered by looters and scavengers over the years. The other six have been razed to the ground, but those houses far from the main transportation routes can always be dug out with some effort to find supplies buried under the rubble.
For the past five years, I have been systematically checking the houses in these villages one by one. At first, there was a lot to find, even food and canned food. Now the harvest is very small, and it is likely that there will be nothing in the near future. My stomach is churning with a slight anxiety that has been with me since the disaster.
I tried to ignore my anxiety and focus on the current action. I silently excluded the houses I had checked twice before and moved towards the goal in my mind. I walked almost a kilometer before I came to a house. I remembered that there was an old lady with a headscarf living nearby. She was hired by my mother to clean our villa and tidy up the garden regularly. This old lady did not do a good job. The places that she thought were clean and did not need to be cleaned were always messy in my mother's eyes. If my mother hadn't thought she was honest, she would have replaced her with someone else to do this job.
Of course, none of this mattered. The past days were more like daydreams than real memories. Those people and events were too far away and too strange to even appear in my mind. And the girl who occasionally came here for vacation, the smart, dull, quiet girl who wanted to be a nuclear physicist, was a thing of the past life.
I spent three hours searching through the rubble of two houses, one of which was completely stripped of its roof and everything left exposed to the elements, so I couldn't find anything salvageable. The other had its walls collapsed inward, so everything inside was buried underneath the walls. I spent a lot of time and effort digging through the rubble, and came across moldy clothes, curtains, books, household appliances, and rusted kitchen utensils.
It doesn't work for me.
I found a rag doll, Ao Bing, in a bedroom. It was well preserved except for the loose dirt. I shook it and stuffed it into my bag. In the kitchen, I found a bag of salt, and the knowledge I learned in junior high school chemistry class flashed through my mind. Salt is a natural mineral, the main component of which is sodium chloride. It has stable chemical properties, so it is not easy to deteriorate even if stored for a long time, as long as it is not exposed to moisture during storage. There are also a few cans of beans and vegetables in the cupboard, which have passed their expiration dates. The shelf life of canned food is much longer than the actual shelf life marked, so it may still be edible and worth taking away with the salt.
In another room, I managed to dig out a plastic storage bin filled with children's clothes. I took the time to look through them. Two pairs of nearly new girls' jeans and three cute tops, with a few pairs of shoes in different sizes at the bottom of the bin. Even if they weren't right for Feifei now, they certainly would be someday, so they were worth taking away.
These things filled the remaining space in the bag. I have found enough supplies. This trip was not in vain. I looked at the watch on my wrist. It was not yet noon. This watch is neither an electronic quartz watch nor a smart watch. It is a precious and luxurious mechanical watch. It can be used for ten or twenty years without any problem, and it is very accurate. Dad used it to show off in public before, but after the meteorite disaster, he really used it to tell time. There are several of them at home, each one is more advanced than the other. Like the garage, it is one of the few things that are worth the money nowadays.
Since it was still early, I decided to search a nearby house. This house was very fragile in the wind and rain, so it was risky to walk back and forth. Xie Desheng would tell me not to bother, but he was not here now.
In one bathroom, I found an oversized bottle of shampoo and body soap, and a plastic-wrapped sleeping bag. I congratulated myself on my decision today and searched the house more carefully. But as I walked into the bedroom, a wall suddenly collapsed. I barely managed to duck, and I backed out in terror. I could hear Xie Desheng's voice in my head, telling me that it was foolish to stay here, and that it wasn't worth the risk.
I had enough stuff to carry, so it was time to go home. I put on my huge backpack and walked quickly through the deserted streets of the village, heading home. Suddenly, a faint sound made me stop abruptly. I listened carefully, found the direction of the sound, and ran into a nearby empty house and hid.
The village was no longer inhabited, and as far as I knew, there was no one within eighty kilometers of the hut except me, Xie Desheng, and Feifei. The only possible people were some scavengers or passers-by on the national highway. They might be harmless, but they might be bandits. I couldn't see anything from my hiding angle, so I rushed across the path to another house. There was protection all around, and I could look out the window. Soon I locked onto my target, three men camped in front of a small store not far away.
I can be sure that there is nothing in that store. Less than a week after the meteorite disaster, the store was looted by robbers. The three men were in their forties or fifties. My first impression was that these people were not locust bandits. Locust bandits are usually easy to identify. They don't look very aggressive, a bit like the good old men who used to move bricks on the construction site. But this doesn't mean anything. Judging people by their appearance is the stupidest thing. I may not be smart in judging human nature, but it's enough.
Next to them was a rusted van that had definitely not been here when I came to the village two weeks ago. I hadn't seen a working car in over a year. The area was littered with abandoned vehicles, but none of them had gas. Curious but wary, I continued to watch. The men were lounging on the ground, each holding a beer bottle, occasionally raising it to take a sip.
Where did they find the beer? Where did they get the gas? Why were they here now? I could hear them whispering, but I couldn't make out the conversation, so I took a huge risk and crept over to the other bedroom, which had a broken window, to hear what they were saying.
The more I listened, the gloomier my heart became. These were not good people. They were talking about a house they raided yesterday and found a lot of supplies there. The beer came from this house, and so did the beef jerky they were chewing. In fact, all the supplies in the car came from there. They were also proudly recalling the great raid, killing everyone in that house, including a ten-year-old child.
There were only three of them, and while they didn't have the criminal aura I was familiar with, they were once part of the Locust Gang. Those gangs moved in swarms, some numbering up to a thousand. They roamed around like locusts, killing and destroying everything they found. Most of these gangs disbanded two years ago after their plundering resources were exhausted, but there are still many small gangs that appear from time to time, and these guys are likely one of them.
I had to be careful. If they found me, I was done. I was lucky to be killed in one go. The worst was that they would capture me alive. The smartest thing for me to do was to flee. Xie Desheng told me so. In fact, he would insist that I do so. I could already see Xie Desheng gnashing his teeth and whispering to me to sneak away and keep myself safe. But he was not there, and he had a car that he could drive, not to mention that it was loaded with so many useful supplies.
I watched and listened silently for more than an hour as the men, seemingly convinced that they were safe, guzzled beer and boasted to each other. Then they spotted a dog, lingering cautiously around them, gaunt, nervous, and trembling. It was a Doberman with sad eyes and drooping ears.
Several men threw empty bottles at the Doberman, and when they ran out of empty bottles, they picked up rocks or bricks. When they scared the dog, they laughed and laughed. When they hit the Doberman and heard the dog whimper, they applauded and cheered, as if they had made a three-point shot in basketball. Every time these people threw rocks at the dog, it made me angry until I was trembling with anger. I was determined to take the car away from them. These people didn't deserve it. These people didn't deserve to live.
According to their conversation, the three planned to leave later and continue westward in search of food and gasoline. I could imagine that more innocent people would be killed, raped, and looted by them. I had to stop them, and if I was careful, I could do it. Dad had trained me, so I was a pretty good shot. It was not difficult for me to aim quickly and shoot to hit them. I could kill these three people before they stood up from the ground.
However, they have been in the gang for many years, and even if they are separated, they can still survive in this cruel world without any harm, and they can still enjoy killing with relish while drinking beer, which means that the three men are not stupid and have high abilities. If I am a little careless and give any of them a chance, they are likely to catch me or hurt me.
Even a minor injury could mean death. My brother was such a strong young man, but two years after the meteorite, he just fell from a one-meter-high rock. There were no doctors or hospitals at the time, so he died three months later from an infection we couldn't treat. I would not risk being shot, especially not for a car. I still have a backpack of supplies to carry back home!
I waited, and another hour passed. These guys were still busy eating and drinking, and it was obvious that they planned to drink all the beer they found in one afternoon. If they were drunk enough, I wouldn't have to go through a lot of trouble to kill them and take the car and supplies. The situation was very favorable to me.
Finally, one of the tall guys stood up, mumbling about finding a place to poop. Another guy lay on his back with his eyes closed, probably dozing off. The third guy was still awake, teasing the dog, giving him a piece of dried meat, luring the dog closer, and then throwing stones at it. I quickly judged that this was my chance, and everyone let down their guard, and the only one on guard was also attracted by the poor helpless dog.
I pulled out my pistol, quietly walked through the side door of the house, and then circled around, getting as close to the car as possible without being seen. I looked in the direction where the man who went to poop had walked, but there was no sign of him. So I walked around the corner of the house, aimed my gun and pulled the trigger, shooting the man who was about to throw a brick at the dog. I didn't stop at all and immediately changed the angle. The man who was dozing on the ground was awakened by the gunshot, but before he could react, I shot him dead.
I ran towards the car and rushed to the driver's seat. The three doors of the car were wide open. I guess it was the experience and habit accumulated by these evil people over the years. If there was any danger, they could drive away quickly. They were right. Killing and being killed were indeed a reality that could be switched in an instant. The one or two seconds saved could have saved their lives many times.
At this moment, the open car door helped me hide quickly, and the third person must have heard the gunshot. I looked through the car window carefully, and soon an angry voice was getting closer and closer to me. He appeared in sight, clumsily wielding the shotgun, with his jeans hanging loosely around his waist. Before he could see me, I shot him without hesitation.
All three were shot in the head and died. Their bodies lay on the ground, motionless. This is what Xie Desheng taught me. Women are a vulnerable group in this world, so you must shoot them in the head so that they never have a chance to stand up and fight back. I am afraid of death and extremely terrified of killing, but a large part of my consciousness seems to have accepted it. Death is the most common thing. Anyone can die, including myself.
Finally, I let out a deep breath and checked the engine. Great, the keys were in the car, and the car started easily, and the gauges showed half a tank of gas left. Gun in hand, I left the engine running, got out, threw my backpack into the back seat, and picked up the men's weapons, the few remaining beers, and the beef jerky they were eating.
When I heard a whimper, I glanced over and saw the Doberman sticking his head out from the side of the car. I tore off a piece of dried meat and threw the scraps to him. The dog ran over and gobbled up the food.
I glanced around again to make sure I hadn't left any other useful supplies or food behind. I climbed into the car, intent on leaving as quickly as possible. As I was about to close the door, the dog finished eating and immediately walked towards me, staring at me with the most pitiful and expectant eyes, and gently wagging its tail. I was stunned for a few seconds, hesitant. There were many reasons not to do this. We couldn't survive on our own, and feeding another mouth would be asking for trouble. Xie Desheng would not like it, not at all.
I have changed in the past five years, becoming stronger and more ruthless. I am no longer the Yu Mei who cannot bear to kill. Now, when I need to, I can kill without hesitation. As a result, I didn't even tremble when I saved the lives of these three robbers. However, when I saw the dog, I found that I was not as ruthless as I thought. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I can't judge, but I did whimper secretly, made a gesture, and let out a howl in my throat.
Doberman was smart enough to know what that meant. He barked, jumped into the car, and climbed over my legs to get to the passenger seat. He sat up straight like a good boy and panted at me.
"I'm in trouble when I get home!" I told him, putting the car in gear and turning it in the opposite direction. "So you better be able to support yourself."
He wheezed and his tongue lolled to his mouth.
"Don't count on the dog bowl, you'll have to find your own food...it won't be an easy life for you."
Doberman ignored my warnings and remained sitting still.
I sighed and said, "Okay, you come with me. Whatever life we can give you will be better than the life you have now, so let's go home."
Chapter 3 Xie Desheng doesn't like me to take risks.
A three-hour hike only takes thirty minutes by car. If the road conditions were better, it would be even faster. This road was originally a gravel road, but now the road surface has been damaged due to years of disrepair, and most of the time it is just dirt and mud. The van is not big, and I used to see couriers driving such vehicles to deliver goods everywhere. I haven't driven a car since I moved to the mountains, so I am still not used to the sharp turns and steep slopes on this road.
However, the van performed very well and ran very fast. When I parked the van safely next to my home, I was happy and excited.
This used to be the garage of the villa, three meters wide and six meters long, with an eight-square-meter utility room next to it. Before the villa was destroyed, we used the garage to store daily necessities. After the mudslide destroyed the main house, we all moved to the garage. No one expected that this plain garage would be so sturdy. It has been standing steadily and well maintained all these years after the meteorite disaster.
It is now our only safe home.
There was a time when there were ten of us living in this garage. Grandpa and grandma slept on a big bed, aunt and Feifei slept on the lower bunk bed, and I slept on the upper bunk. Third uncle slept on the sofa, and dad, mom, brother, and Xie Desheng slept in tents or cars outside. I used to complain about being surrounded by people, and I used to crave quiet and solitude. Ironically, now there are only three people in my world.
A room full of loved ones lost their lives one after another. Without hospitals, medical measures, and necessary medicines, I witnessed how fragile life is. At first, I was heartbroken because of the loss of my loved ones, but then the heartache eased a little bit, and then there was even a sense of relief. I found that when people are in extreme situations, even pain will go downhill day by day, slowly fading, and finally become a very common thing. I began to envy those relatives we buried. At least someone took care of their funeral affairs, at least they were free from suffering.
Now, there are only three people left here: me, Xie Desheng, and his daughter Xie Fei. She is almost five years old, and we all call her Feifei.
I called out as I got out of the car, but no one responded. They must have gone to the river to fish. I let the dog out and let it sniff around the house to get familiar with the environment. Xie Desheng filled a bucket with water this morning, which was just right for use. I found an old metal bowl, poured some water into it, and put it on the ground for it to drink.
I first walked to the southeast corner of the villa ruins, where my seven relatives were buried. A long time ago, Xie Desheng used a machete to cut down some small trees to build this single-slope tomb shed. The roof was covered with dry grass, and the sides were built with stones and wooden strips. I also used mud to paste the gaps and carved the names of my relatives on the bark. Every time I came back from scavenging, I would come here to pay my respects. Not only to thank them for blessing me to get home safely, but also to be able to get enough living supplies. I have been accepting materialistic atheism all my life, but worshiping relatives has nothing to do with superstition. I urgently need to maintain some kind of connection with my deceased relatives.
I knelt inside for a while and said a few words to everyone. I noticed that the dead leaves that had fallen around had been cleared away, and some handmade trinkets woven from wild grass were placed here. Xie Desheng must have brought Feifei here before going fishing.
I started unloading.
The three bastards had apparently robbed the family they had murdered, leaving the van with clothes, bedding, dishes and cutlery, as well as several rifles and a large amount of ammunition.
The people who stored the food obviously knew what they were doing. In addition to many canned vegetables and fruits, there were also large bags of corn, purple rice, sorghum, oats, buckwheat, and wheat bran, all of which were coarse grains that were both filling and durable. There were several sealed cans of natural honey and sugar, which had not molded or deteriorated at all. A large cloth bag was filled with dried vegetables, dried mushrooms, and dried black fungus. These things can be stored at room temperature and soaked in water when eaten. They are also very nutritious. Tangerine peel and donkey-hide gelatin cannot be eaten as a meal, and are not suitable for Feifei, but they are good for the two of us to aid digestion and replenish the body. When I saw a few bottles of vinegar, I laughed out loud. This is a seasoning that has no shelf life. The longer it is stored, the more fragrant it tastes.
These are all necessities for our lives, but the supplies came from an innocent family. They were brutally killed, and now everything is ours. I am happy, but also feel extremely guilty.
Our cupboards and closets were full, with some men's clothes that might fit Xie Desheng and some that I could wear. There were no little girl's clothes, but I had found some for Feifei in my search. I spread her clothes on the bed and carefully cleaned the Ao Bing doll to make it look a little cuter.
I had just finished cleaning up when I heard someone approaching. I immediately recognized the voices of Xie Desheng and Feifei, so I wasn't particularly nervous. I carefully placed the doll on Feifei's bed and walked outside to greet the two people.
"Amei, Amei, you're back!" Feifei shouted as she ran, her long braids fluttering behind her. She stared at the van with her eyes wide open and asked, "Amei, what kind of car is this?"
My name is Yu Mei, but Fei Fei always calls me A Mei. In terms of seniority, she is my younger cousin and should call me sister. Fei Fei started to speak very late, and we were worried that she would become autistic. One day, she suddenly started to speak incoherently and called me A Mei. We were happy and didn't ask for anything more. Later, she was able to speak and communicate normally, and we breathed a sigh of relief and didn't bother to correct her way of addressing me. It didn't matter what she called me.
I suddenly realized that this girl had never seen a van before. There were six cars parked next to the villa. Four of them were parked behind the shed since the charging station failed. The other two were using fuel, and when the tanks were empty, they were also abandoned and never paid attention to again.
I told Feifei: "This is a van, just like a car. This type of car doesn't have a protruding engine in the front, nor does it have an obvious storage compartment in the back. It looks like a loaf of bread, so it's called a van."
It suddenly occurred to me that Feifei had never seen bread either. Fortunately, her attention was all on the car.
"Where did this car come from?" She still stared at the car in wonder, then walked towards me.
Feifei's outline is more like the Xie family, especially the eyes and nose, which are very similar to her father. I picked her up and let her look through the car window. Xie Desheng's eyes met mine. He had been following Feifei slowly, his eyebrows slightly raised, and the problem was self-evident.
"I found it in the village at the foot of the mountain. There's gasoline and other things in it. Feifei, go back to the house and take a look. There's a bag of bean candy on the table. I guarantee you'll love it!"
Feifei screamed and ran into the house to check. Xie Desheng approached me and raised his eyebrows even higher.
"I encountered three robbers in the village. They robbed a family two days ago, killed everyone and took their belongings... I killed them." I explained in a low voice, trying to make it sound as light as possible.
Since I met Xie Desheng, I have always thought that he was an annoying and lazy dandy. Not only that, he was also stupid enough to get my aunt pregnant after the meteorite disaster. According to my aunt's usual personality, she would definitely abort the child at this critical moment. However, when they found out that my aunt was pregnant, they had no conditions to abort the child. Xie Desheng has a father and a mother, and his own home and place to go, but my aunt is a strong woman and must stay with her family. Xie Desheng cares about his wife and children, so he joined us with her.
The original plan was to live there temporarily, and when there was a better and safer option, they would move to other places. After the mudslide, the road was destroyed and the communication was cut off, so this option was completely shelved. When Feifei was six months old, her aunt died of a cold and fever, and the girl had no memory of her mother.
"Didn't I tell you not to put yourself in danger, and especially not to confront danger head-on?" Xie Desheng asked.
"Hey, I'm safe. I'm here, unharmed, right? And I also got a car and a lot of supplies," I argued for myself.
"It's impossible for you to leave secretly?" Xie Desheng said bluntly, staring at me sternly.
Yes, I could run away, but I think the risk is worth it. I never liked Xie Desheng challenging my decisions. We should be equals, and there is no reason to listen to him, especially when I have good reasons. He didn't like me taking risks, even if they were worth taking. He also didn't like me killing people, because killing people would make me very painful. But now all this has changed. I can kill people, especially those like those people this morning. They hurt others indiscriminately, and I will not hesitate to enforce justice.
However, Xie Desheng still didn't like it. He looked very unhappy, but he didn't express his dissatisfaction. This man is like this, easy-going by nature, never provokes conflict. But when the conflict comes, he can express his opinion without speaking.
Xie Desheng's parents are business leaders, but the better the boss, the worse the parents. They may be helpless to raise a playboy, but they have their own way. There are always other parents who raise a smart and wise daughter and marry her home to give birth to children for the family. Not only does it increase the family's strength, but it also ensures that the next generation inherits excellent qualities.
To some extent, my parents also have this pattern. My mother is strong, and my father has always been obedient to her. As long as it does not interfere with his play, anything is fine. My father likes outdoor activities very much, such as fishing, hunting, and camping. I didn't expect that these things he usually did would become the skills to make a living after the meteorite disaster. My father and Xie Desheng can also play together because they have a common hobby: shooting. The two often go to the shooting range to compete in shooting skills, and they also communicate with each other and show off the rare guns they have collected. However, my father likes shooting because hunting is convenient. Xie Desheng simply likes this sport and gets closer to national athletes and coaches.
Xie Desheng had access to first-rate resources, but he just wanted to please himself. He never fought for it, let alone worked hard. After hiding in the mountains, everyone in the family complained about the huge difference in life, including me, but Xie Desheng was the exception. He was so easy-going, and I privately thought that this was helped by his undemanding personality since childhood. I have never met anyone who makes me feel so guilty, not even my mother, and the fact that I took the risk of killing and robbing cars is not the most difficult thing to talk about.
"Oh, one more thing," I looked around. The dog had just run away and now I didn't know where it went. I didn't have time to prepare for this news. Feifei suddenly shouted in the house: "Big dog! Big dog! There's a dog here!"
Xie Desheng's eyebrows were raised higher than before.
"It...it...insisted on coming back with me."
Before Xie Desheng could make any response, Feifei rushed out of the hut, with the dog following her excitedly.
"Is this the dog you brought back, May?"
"Yeah, I saw it in the village and no one was taking care of it, so it wanted to come here with me. But we have to ask your father if the dog can stay."
Feifei blinked her big eyes and looked at her father, and asked expectantly, "Can I, Dad? It already likes me very much. If you let it leave, it will be very sad."
The dog seemed to get along well with children, and when Feifei reached out to play with its ears, it didn't mind at all, nor did it back off. The dog's eyes were fixed on me, as if it knew we were waiting for an answer.
Xie Desheng squinted at me, more impatient than angry, then turned his gaze to his daughter and the dog and said softly, "As long as the dog behaves well and doesn't cause trouble, it can stay. We don't know the dog yet, and we should always be cautious about things we don't know. This is true for strangers, and the same goes for strange dogs."
I wanted to interject and say that after meeting the dog, it behaved very well and did not show any aggression even to those who abused it. But now Xie Desheng was educating his daughter, and what he said was reasonable, so I had better not raise any objections.
"I understand." Feifei nodded seriously and reached out to pat the dog's head more carefully. "Being quiet and hiding is the best way to deal with strangers, but he is a very good dog, I'm sure."
āWeāll have to wait and see.ā
"I brought you some gifts. Did you see them? They're on your bed. Go and take a look. Dad can also take this opportunity to get to know this dog better." I told Feifei to distract her attention from the dog.
"A gift? What did you bring me?" Her attention shifted and she ran back to the cabin.
Xie Desheng didn't say anything.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't say no to this poor little creature. It kept approaching those robbers, trying to beg for food. But they kept hurting it, and I couldn't just leave it there to be abused."
"I know you can't."
I couldn't tell from Xie Desheng's expression what he would do in my position, but he kept suggesting that I needed to do whatever it took to take care of myself, even if it meant we couldn't take care of others. A lot of times, if we wanted to survive, we had to be ruthless. It wasn't bad advice, the world had been devastated since the meteor. I could get pretty good at making hard choices to survive, and maybe I should be even more ruthless with the dog, but I wasn't.
If Xie Desheng wants us to be ruthless, he can do it himself and I will listen to him.
Xie Desheng crouched down to be at eye level with the dog. The dog sat upright, as if it knew it was being evaluated. Xie Desheng suddenly made a punching motion toward the dog, and the dog immediately took a step back, but did not growl or pounce on him.
Xie Desheng grabbed the dog behind the ears and said, "Are you a good child?"
The dog didn't say anything, so Xie touched the dog's face again and opened its mouth. He put his finger between its teeth, but the dog didn't bite or even struggle.
Xie Desheng stood up and said, "Okay. This guy doesn't look aggressive, but keep an eye on him for a while. Also, he will have to find his own food."
"I've already told it."
Xie Desheng's mouth corners slightly raised: "Have you told it?"
"Yes. But whatever life we can give it will be better than the one it currently has."
"I'll talk to Feifei so she doesn't get too attached to the dog. Should we give it a name?"
"I don't know, maybe we should ask Feifei what she thinks?"
"I'd rather she not name the dog. If something happens to the dog, she won't be able to bear it." Xie Desheng refused without hesitation. His concerns were not groundless, and I can understand them very well. No matter how lazy and tired this man was, he loved his daughter very much. It was not the kind of love that he just held in his arms and played with or teased her, but the love that he really took on, cared for and protected her meticulously.
"Okay. Since this is a young man, how about calling him Hutou?" I remembered that this dog looked very similar to a police dog I had seen on the Internet a long time ago. That police dog was called Hutou.
"It's a very suitable name for Doberman." Xie Desheng's mouth curled up again. He always smiled like this.
After making the decision, I walked into the cabin to hear what Feifei thought of her new doll and new clothes.
We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning, deboning, and cutting up the fish that Xie and Feifei had caught, then stripping and drying them. Xie cooked a fish for dinner, and we opened two cans of beans. It was a pretty good dinner, and Feifei happily finished her meal while holding the baby.
After dinner, I gave Feifei a bath. Xie Desheng cleaned the yard first, then carried Feifei to bed.
After a while, Xie Desheng came out and said, "Fei Fei wants Hu Tou to sleep with her."
"Yeah, but Tigerhead isn't ready for bed yet." Tigerhead was still snooping around the yard, getting familiar with all the new smells and new surroundings.
"Tiger Head seems to be in a good mood."
"Yeah, I think so, he'd be a good guy," I said, cleaning the bones and scales off the broom.
"Don't be too attached," Xie Desheng reminded.
"It's no use telling me this."
"Do you think I don't know?" Xie Desheng shook his head helplessly. Looking at me busy, he added, "You have gained a lot today."
"Yes, but most of it was taken from robbers. There's not much left to scavenge, at least not in the nearby villages."
"I know, I don't know how long the fish can last in the river."
Neither of us said anything else. This was reality. There were only two reasons why we had lived so isolated for so long. One was that we were near a large river, where the fish supply was not easily depleted. The other was that the several villages down the mountain were empty but had some things left. When both of these were almost gone, we would have to leave like everyone else in the area. Besides, Feifei was fine now, but soon she would need other children. She couldn't live with only two adults for the rest of her life.
We knew that many people were heading west, where there were supposed to be some intact, safe communities. We always understood that our life here was only temporary. However, packing up and moving somewhere else would be very dangerous, and we were not ready.
It was getting dark outside, and I turned my head and heard a rustling sound in the woods behind me. Xie Desheng quickly walked in front of me and used his body to block me from seeing what was happening outside.
I donāt know if he knew what it was, but he whispered, āItās getting late, letās go in.ā
I called Hutou and walked towards the door, and put an iron rod in its place before entering the house.
Feifei has fallen asleep. It's only eight o'clock in the evening. If there is no meteorite disaster, she would go to bed too early. However, it's dark and there's nothing to do that day. So I went into the room I shared with Feifei, washed up and changed into pajamas. Thank God there is a storage room next to the garage. Although it is only the size of a palm, it can fit two single beds. Not only does it give Feifei and I a place to sleep, but it also gives Xie Desheng and I some privacy.
Hu Tou followed me, and after I got under the covers, he jumped onto my bed. I couldn't bear to refuse, so Hu Tou curled up at the foot of my bed and fell asleep.
= =To be continued= =
Copywriter:
The moment the meteorite hit the earth, all my dreams and ambitions vanished, and all the dreams and ambitions of the earth vanished. Now, I can only barely survive in a lonely and violent world. The relatives around me left one after another, and Xie Desheng and his four-year-old daughter Feifei became all I had in this world.
The home we had built for ourselves over the past six years was on the verge of collapse. We would soon have to leave and embark on a dangerous road to find a safe place that might not even exist. To make matters worse, I had developed new feelings for Xie Desheng, hoping to get from him what I could not get. I could not pin my hopes on romantic daydreams. The most realistic things were safety and food. There were no heroes in this world anymore, and Xie Desheng had never been my hero.
Chapter 1 Xie Desheng often made fun of me.
The first year after the disaster
The garage was too crowded, so I went out early in the morning. I used the excuse of going out to look for wild vegetables and mushrooms, but in fact I just wanted to have some peace and quiet for a few minutes.
Gloomy mornings, withered trees, Huyuntai National Forest Park is no longer as lush as it used to be, all the trees are struggling with the climate change this year. Since the meteorite hit the earth, the weather has been in chaos. Squirrels, birds, rabbits and deer are becoming more and more sparse and hungry, just like the plants. Now, it is estimated that only scavengers can eat enough.
Even so, it was better than sitting in a crowded garage. When there were only four of us in the villa, it already felt overcrowded. Before the disaster, my parents were busy people and were not at home most of the time. As far as I can remember, we rarely slept under the same roof. When we were awake, we would never be together for more than a meal. I'm not being pretentious, but I'm really not used to a family of four staying together every minute of every day for 24 hours. Fortunately, the villa is more than 400 square meters, with five bedrooms and three living rooms. If I want to be alone, it's not impossible.
As the situation took a turn for the worse, five more people joined the family soon after. Later, we moved from the villa to the garage. We had another baby last week, so there are now ten of us. I remember the last time we had so many people, my father booked a 100-square-meter restaurant in the hotel, and the bathroom and rest room connected to it were larger than the current garage.
Leaving is the only way to be alone.
Eighteen months ago, I just finished the high school entrance examination. Among 533 candidates, I ranked first and became a freshman in a key class of a key high school. I was also admitted to a special summer program. This summer program was organized by the National Nuclear Power Institute. Under the guidance of famous nuclear physicists, students studied, discussed, visited, and conducted experiments. Only high school students with excellent grades could join after being recommended by their teachers. Becoming a nuclear physicist has been my dream since I was ten years old. It is very unlikely to achieve this goal, but I have never stopped working hard and have been making progress.
Then, the news said that a huge meteorite was flying towards the earth. This was not an extinction-level event, but it was the worst global disaster in human history. After the Spring Festival holiday, I never returned to school. We stockpiled four cars of supplies, each with a car, and quietly hid in a villa in Huyuntai National Forest Park. We have owned this villa for ten years. At first, we thought it was a paradise for our family to relax and get away from the city, but the number of times we have actually come here can probably be counted on one hand.
Mom once laughed and scolded that this was the stupidest investment Dad had ever made, but unexpectedly it became our precious refuge. The villa is in a forest park, surrounded by scattered villages living on the mountain. Due to the serious population loss, the construction of infrastructure has been sloppy. After the villa area was planned, houses were built and roads were repaired at the same time. Later, the developer saw that the villas were not selling well, and the later construction was almost stagnant.
Before the meteorite disaster, many self-media had reported that an asteroid was flying towards the earth. At first, no one took it seriously, until the first meteorite landed and the world was in chaos. People finally fell into panic. The city did its best to ensure law and order, but hysterical mobs still began to loot stores, and more and more people gathered to rob food and supplies. Gangs began to form and gradually controlled the entire city.
Our family of four hid in this villa. Because of its remote location, we were not targeted by the attackers. We had already stockpiled some daily necessities, and we could also go fishing, hunting, and try to grow vegetables here. It was much safer than staying in the city, so safe that others came to join us. The first to come were my grandparents, and then my grandfather's cousin, whom my brother and I called Third Grandpa. The last to join were Third Grandpa's daughter and her husband Xie Desheng, who were considered distant aunts and uncles to my brother and me.
When a grandfather is the president of the procuratorate, the cohesion among relatives will be very strong. Dad works in the Planning Bureau, Mom is a leader of the Party School, and the Yu family has its own political territory. The third uncle is my grandfather's cousin. Although the two are very different in age, because his parents died early, he spent a lot of time at my grandfather's house and had a very close relationship. After he became an adult, the third uncle began to use the influence of the Yu family in the officialdom to do business and has always been the money bag of the family. The third uncle's daughter is not much behind, and has been trained as a business elite since she was a child.
As far as I know, my aunt's husband Xie Desheng's family is also very rich. Because of his keen business sense, he has been in the right place many times and accumulated a lot of wealth. However, there is no political boss behind their family, so the marriage between Xie Desheng and my aunt is a bit like a strong family alliance. Xie Desheng himself is not strong at all, he is just a typical dandy. The only thing he is thankful for is that he doesn't mess around, doesn't have those hobbies that ruin the family, and has a very good temper. As long as it doesn't interfere with his own fun, he doesn't care whether his family members agree or disagree with him marrying a strong woman.
After the meteorite disaster, the Xie family had their own place to hide, but my aunt's dominance was revealed again. She insisted on staying with her family, and my aunt was pregnant at the time, so Xie Desheng had to accompany her to the villa in the mountains. Our family soon welcomed the tenth member, Feifei.
Three months ago, it rained a lot. To be honest, calling it rain is too mild. The sky was like a tap turned on full blast, the sound was deafening, and one heavy rainstorm after another caused huge mountain torrents. Mudslides rushed down from the top of the mountain, destroying the forest and the villa. Fortunately, a garage next to the villa survived, and we all moved there. The villa, which was already very crowded, is now overcrowded. I try not to complain. The world's population has been reduced by half, but at least we are still alive, with a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs.
But stillā¦ it was too crowded and I desperately needed some alone time.
When I left the garage, Mom insisted that I take my gun. It's small and fits in a holster on my belt, making it easy to carry. I know how to use it now, but I don't really like it. I've never liked guns, and even if I spotted a deer or a rabbit, I'm not sure I could shoot it. If we were starving enough, I guess I could work up the courage to go hunting, but we're not that hungry yet. We have plenty of supplies and provisions, and there are plenty of fish in the river, so we're doing OK so far.
Hopefully we can keep it this way.
The rainstorm-battered forest was hazy and damp. I walked and scanned the leaves on the ground, but found few edible things. I was not an agroforestry scientist or a botanist, and I was not a country bumpkin who knew about herbs and roots. In three months, I would be sixteen. I should be in school and be a good student with good character and good academic performance. I adapted well in the first semester of my freshman year. I made a few friends and most of the teachers liked me. I had the opportunity to work at the Nuclear Power Institute. I dreamed of becoming a nuclear physicist. My life was good.
Now, my goal in life is to spend two or three hours quietly and alone.
I wandered for a long time with only a vague idea of direction or destination. I knew I was east of the garage, and if I could see the sun, I was sure I could find my way back. I heard a low rumble, and it took me a moment to figure out it was the river. I didn't realize I had walked that far, but that didn't matter, at least it gave me a landmark I could identify.
As the sound of the river grew louder, I actually walked out of the woods. The water was larger than I remembered, and it seemed to be a turbulent stream. I walked beside it, and it looked like I was watching a horizontal waterfall. Thick mist floated over the chilly river. I have been to the river several times since moving to the villa. Dad taught me how to choose a fishing spot and how to catch the biggest fish in the river. I haven't been here since the flash flood.
I took a few steps forward out of curiosity, and the soil under my feet suddenly became much softer. The rocks and soil were looser and slipperier than I thought. I accidentally lost my balance and slid down the steep slope, about to fall into the rushing water. I stood firm before falling headfirst into the river, but I still fell to the side of the embankment. My ankles hurt, my butt hurt, and my head hurt even more. The violent impact scared me so much that I almost had a heart attack. For a long time, I could only sit on the rocky slope in a daze, grabbing an exposed tree root, not knowing what to do. I seemed unable to breathe normally, and for a moment I thought I would die on the bank of this river.
Fortunately, this was not long, and once I had cleared my head a little, I was able to assess my situation more accurately. I realized that I was actually fine, I just bruised myself from the fall and had a slightly sprained ankle. I believed it was not too bad, and I felt that I could still walk. I would limp home and be more careful next time.
I sat there for another five or ten minutes before I finally mustered up the strength to stand up. My ankle still hurt a little, but it could bear my weight. It wasn't broken or had any joint damage, just a muscle strain, nothing serious.
Dad, Third Uncle, and Xie Desheng were all fishing today, and I waited until they left before leaving the garage. Otherwise, one of them, most likely Xie Desheng, would not allow me to go out alone. But it didn't matter now. If I walked along the river a little longer, I would probably run into them. It would be much smarter than limping through the woods to the cabin alone. So I grabbed branches and tree trunks and walked slowly along the river to avoid sliding off the gravel bank again.
I hate, hate, hate... being hurt. Not because of the pain, but because of the helplessness. I have always been a self-reliant person, and meteorites should not change that. Just like meteorites cannot make me sit in a crowded garage for hours, bored and anxious.
I limped along the river for a few minutes, very slowly. Then I became acutely aware of a change in the atmosphere around me. I didn't know what it was, or what triggered the instinct inside me, but my hands and feet were cold, and the hair on my arms suddenly stood up. I stopped and looked carefully. There was something, hiding in the woods. I could feel it, even if I couldn't see it yet. I took another step, looking for danger that might be lurking somewhere. Distracted, I took a wrong step. My footing slipped again, and I fell, sitting heavily on the ground. I had to struggle to sit up and steady myself to avoid sliding off the bank.
Damn, this is ridiculous. I have never liked sports since I was a child. Physical education has always been my least favorite subject, and sports meets are also my most hated school activities. However, since I found that studying is also a physical activity, I have been exercising to improve my physical fitness and physical fitness. I used to jog on the treadmill every morning. I am not good at it, but I have all the physical fitness that a young person should have, at least much better than this embarrassing look.
The thing in the woods was still lurking. I looked around again, then stood up. This time, a movement behind me caught my attention. I squinted and peered through the shadows until I recognized what I saw.
A coyote.
I immediately went into crisis mode. Normally I wouldn't worry about a coyote, but I was alone and injured, and this one was clearly stalking me. He was probably as hungry as the rest of the woods, and probably saw me as an irresistible meal. I slowly pulled out my gun and aimed it in the direction of the coyote. The wolf was small, no bigger than a dog. He looked pathetic, and was emaciated from hunger.
My hands began to shake, and I couldn't, just couldn't, pull the trigger. Finally, I changed my aim and fired a shot next to him. The bullet whizzed and exploded beside him, and the sound of the gunshot echoed in the quiet woods. The coyote quickly retreated and disappeared from my sight.
I let out a sigh of relief and lowered my gun. Maybe I was weak, maybe I didn't have the toughness I needed to survive in this new world, but I did well enough to avoid being eaten by a coyote. No one would know that I should have killed the coyote, but I softened at the last minute. I recovered from my fear, mustered up the courage to stand up again, and immediately noticed movement in the woods.
Damn it!
The coyote came back again, this time even closer. He was not scared away by the gunshot and had to come back again to die! I had no choice but to raise my gun to him. My hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't even aim. Maybe one more warning shot would scare him away forever?
I tried to steady my hand and aim at the coyote, but before I could fire, I was startled by a loud gunshot from behind. The coyote fell to the ground, dead. I couldn't help but scream and fell to the ground. I turned around and saw a tall and familiar figure approaching me. Xie Desheng was the son-in-law of my third grandfather, and in terms of seniority, he was my uncle. However, I never called him uncle.
Xie Desheng has a round, wide face, high brow bones, and thick lips. Like other idle dudes, he used to have a thick neck and a beer belly. Since moving to the villa, he has to do a lot of physical labor, and with food shortages, he has lost weight. To save trouble, he usually wears a small braid at the back of his head. When it is long enough, he just cuts it off.
I don't like him, and now that he's in such a mess, I don't want to see him. I don't trust Xie Desheng, and I don't trust my own temper.
Xie Desheng has always been a very lazy, leisurely, and cheerful man. When my aunt married him, I was ten years old and he was twenty-nine. As far as I know, after graduating from college, Xie Desheng has been doing a side job in his own company. He works from nine to five every day, and spends most of his time eating, drinking and having fun. I remember that when I saw him before, he always sat on the sofa, holding a beer can and watching TV. In short, Xie Desheng is a dandy who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He doesn't have any bad habits, but he doesn't have the ambition to make progress. The great environment and social resources created by the Xie family for him meant that he could live a comfortable life, doing nothing, and having no desires.
This person is very childish. He often yells and shouts while playing games with my brother. He doesn't act like an elder at all. My brother always calls him by his name, so I will never call him uncle. And he always makes fun of me. My name is Yu Mei. On the first day he met me, Xie Desheng asked me with a smile whether I was as beautiful as a flower or as beautiful as the wife of the King of Western Chu. From then on, he called me "beauty" and "beauty".
Why is the beauty always studying and not relaxing on weekends? Doesn't the beauty have any friends? I've never seen her hanging out with anyone? Why is the beauty worried about this and that? Does she have anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder? If the beauty wants to contribute to nuclear development so much, it would be better to encourage her family to donate money!
I hate it. From childhood to adulthood, some classmates would make fun of my name from time to time. Being the top student, being called "stupid" by classmates can be considered a form of ridicule. But when Xie Desheng called me "beauty", it was a blatant mockery. Many people said I was smart, but no one praised me for my good looks. When they saw me, the most they would say was that girls change a lot when they grow up.
I went into puberty very late. When I was fifteen, I didnāt even have any baby fat on my face, let alone hair on my body. It wasnāt until six months ago that my endocrine system remembered that there was something important that hadnāt been done. Overnight, my forehead was covered with acne, my limbs became longer and longer, my waist became thinner and thinner, and my chest and hips were like balloons. My emotions were like a roller coaster, and I couldnāt stand it. It wasnāt until I took some hormone-regulating drugs that my body calmed down in the storm.
Because the Yu family would gather three or four times every year during holidays, the time intervals were very even, so the time was not so long that my family would forget what I looked like the last time they saw me, nor so short that they could not see any changes. However, Xie Desheng would always bring up my changes as a topic in front of the relatives at the table. He would laugh at me whenever he got the chance. He knew his limits and had never made jokes about my body and appearance, but he was not polite at all when it came to my personality and temper. What I hated most was that he always said that I was self-motivated and had to endure hardships.
Even when rumors of the meteorite disaster were flying around, most of Xie Desheng's conversations with me were about him mocking me and telling me not to worry too much. Yes, that's what he said, telling me not to worry that the whole world was falling apart. Nothing made me more angry than this, that he lay down and gave up the meaning of his life, and even encouraged me to do the same! I was furious at this man, but fortunately his situation improved after he and his aunt moved to the villa to live with us. Of course, Xie Desheng ignored me most of the time, but it was much better than mocking me.
I still don't like him. I like people who take life seriously, whether it's before or after the meteorite.
"What are you doing?" Xie Desheng walked up and asked bluntly.
He sounded a little annoyed, but not angry. Another characteristic of Xie Desheng is that he has a very soft temper. No matter how badly others say things to him, he will not get angry.
"I accidentally hurt my ankle." I could only explain reluctantly.
"Why don't you kill the wolf? You're a good enough shot now to hit it."
Perhaps I should feel relieved that Xie Desheng was praising me, but I was more annoyed by his tyranny.
"I want to scare it away."
"This wolf is so hungry that the sound of gunfire alone can't scare him at all." Xie Desheng walked up to me and stretched out a hand to me.
I didn't want to accept his help at all. I didn't like to accept help from anyone, but his help was the worst. It seemed that his previous mockery of me was justified and reasonable. But I still sat on the ground, my ankle still throbbing. If I refused him, it would be even more embarrassing. I grabbed his hand, and Xie Desheng dragged me up.
Because I had been sitting for too long, I lost my balance when I stood up and fell on him.
Xie Desheng smelled strongly, a mixture of sweat, dirt, and fish. But now everyone smelled. Fresheners were not necessary. We stored soap and shower gel, but not in large quantities, so we didn't use them casually. The world was more primitive, dirtier, and more vulgar than before. I had become more and more accustomed to it, so even if I smelled Xie Desheng's strong body odor, it didn't seem to be a big deal. Still, I stepped back and grabbed a tree for support.
Xie Desheng looked me up and down: "What's wrong with you?"
"I told you, I sprained my ankle when I fell."
"I mean, why are you here alone?" Xie Desheng still didn't sound angry, just a little confused.
"I came out to find something to eat."
"Don't go out alone again. It's not safe here anymore. Anything could happen. You were almost killed by a coyote."
"I wasn't nearly bitten to death!" I tried to control my temper. He was always happy when I responded to his teasing in the past. I also kept reminding myself to control my emotions and not fall for his tricks. But what he said today was so wrong, I would not accept it.
"I can handle this myself. I don't need you to come out and save my life. You are far from being a hero!"
"Am I being a hero saving a beautiful girl? How come I don't know?" Xie Desheng raised the corners of his mouth, as if he was trying to hide a smile.
No doubt, I'm being laughed at. Okay, that statement is a little wrong.
"Even though I'm not a beauty, you're definitely not a hero. You're not my hero. I can take care of myself, and I don't need you to protect me."
Xie Desheng was still laughing, but fortunately he didn't continue the topic. Instead, he explained, "We were fishing and everyone heard gunshots, so I came to see what was going on. Next time, you must aim and shoot. If you hesitate again, you're dead."
"I won't die, but the wolf looks so pitiful and desperate that I can't kill it."
"Do you think I have the heart to do that? I don't even like hunting, but it doesn't matter anymore. We now need to do a lot of things that we hate because we no longer have any other choice." Xie Desheng said dryly, his voice as exciting and tasteless as a low-quality advertisement.
"I don't need you to lecture me. While you are lying on the sofa drinking beer and watching TV, I am studying hard, hoping to achieve something and make some contribution to this society." I know it is very rude to expose someone's shortcomings, but he makes me angry. I don't have such good self-cultivation, and Xie Desheng also knows that I have always looked down on him.
"Of course. But that was in the past, and things are different now. Spending a lifetime studying atomic explosions won't help you anymore. We all have to change." Xie Desheng was still preaching, not at all annoyed by my insults. He really had a good temper.
"I've changed," I couldn't help but argue. What else did he want? I was just about to light a fire with my physics book.
"Not enough." Xie Desheng stretched out his arms to hug me, and I instinctively moved away. He shook his head, rolled his eyes, and said, as if I was a fool, "For example, I want to help you now so that the two of us can quickly leave this dangerous place, but you are too stubborn and refuse to accept my help."
"I didn'tā" I shut up abruptly. Even I could tell that the rebuttal was ridiculous.
I have never been stubborn just for the sake of being stubborn, but I have always been demanding self-respect and self-reliance, and handling problems independently. Even if this makes life difficult, I still try to stick to this habit. Now the situation is stronger than me, and if I continue to be stubborn, it will only confirm Xie Desheng's accusations against me. I bit my lower lip and retreated to his side. Xie Desheng put an arm around my waist, and I leaned on him and reluctantly started to walk.
Then again, I really hoped it wasn't him who found me.
"I know you look down on me, Yu Mei, you don't have to remind me all the time." Xie Desheng said in a quieter voice.
"I'm not always reminding you, but if you... don't like someone, this dislike won't magically disappear suddenly..." I took a deep breath and told myself to be more mature and rational. Now that we live so close to each other, God knows how long it will take. We must live in peace and not have conflicts. This is a difficult time. We are grasshoppers tied to the same rope. Internal strife will only make life more difficult. I will be more sensible and promised him: "I will try to control myself and be more friendly."
"I don't care if you're friendly to me or not, just don't refuse my help out of stubbornness and prejudice and put yourself in danger. You're right, I'm not a hero and I can't save the damsel in distress. But now, none of us can rely on ourselves."
"Okay." I suddenly felt nervous for no reason, my stomach churned, and the uncertainty of the future made me feel a little strangely afraid. I don't like this kind of uneasiness, I don't like the life that cannot be controlled. I have lost my dream, my future, and my tomorrow may not even come earlier than the accident. I thought that at least my thoughts and independence have not changed, which are the few things I have left. Now it seems that I will lose even these.
I limped forward, pushing branches aside as I went. My mind was filled with fear and anxiety, so many things that could go wrong, so many things I couldn't stop from happening.
"Yu Mei, can I give you a piece of advice?" Xie Desheng suddenly said in a low voice a few minutes later.
My first reaction was to say no, and a hundred impolite responses popped up in my mind, including the one I wanted to ask the most: What qualifications do you have to give me advice? But for the sake of family harmony, I held back and tried to suppress my sarcasm and said, "I'm all ears."
"Stop!" Xie Desheng only said two words.
I froze suddenly: "What are you doing?"
"Stop worrying, stop being anxious, and stop filling your head with useless thoughts. You can't think of a way out of your current predicament." Xie Desheng stated the most obvious fact.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him and said, "I know!"
"Then why are you still thinking about it?"
"I can't stop myself from using my brain, okay? Not everyone can be like you, automatically shutting down their brains when they don't want to use them. I'm not that kind of person, and I've tried my best to change." I pursed my lips and tried to hold it back, but there was really no way to stop myself. I just couldn't express my opinions without being mean to Xie Desheng.
Xie Desheng still didn't care and said, "If this is the best you can do, then it's too bad. If you continue like this, even if you don't collapse physically, your spirit will collapse sooner or later. Collapse will not help anyone."
"I won't have a mental breakdown." I narrowed my eyes coldly at Xie Desheng, wishing I could just push him away and walk away. But I couldn't. Not to mention walking away, I couldn't even stand without his support.
"We'll see." His voice was defiant.
I couldn't help but glare at him, and it took a lot of effort to swallow the rebuttal that was on the tip of my tongue. It was futile to continue this stupid argument. Xie Desheng would not listen to me, he would not understand me, and he didn't want to understand me. Besides, I didn't care what Xie Desheng thought. He used to be an acquaintance that I would see and greet every now and then, a nasty, insignificant person, and it's the same now. We only got together because of the natural disaster, the only difference is that I will see him every day and greet him every day. I still think he is nasty and insignificant.
Thatās right, Xie Desheng will always be that insignificant person.
Chapter 2: Xie Desheng taught me to always shoot in the head.
Six years after the meteorite disaster
We are 130 kilometers south of the city. The Pei River flows through the valley. A national highway is next to the Pei River. It is adjacent to Huyuntai National Forest Park. There are two towns and eight villages. In order to attract tourists to the forest park, many shops, restaurants, homestays and farmhouses were built in each village. Most of these houses are two-bedroom bungalows or two or three-story buildings. They are small, cheap, but well maintained. Now it is a wasteland, just like other towns around the national highway. Buildings collapsed and the road surface was riddled with holes from rocks rolling down from the mountains.
In the first year after the meteorite disaster, strong winds blew continuously for two months, and the whole town was almost razed to the ground. At that time, the locals had already anticipated the abnormal weather phenomenon, and almost everyone left their homes before the hurricane. Five years ago, a heavy rain caused a sudden mountain torrent and mudslide here. Two mountain torrents poured down from the mountains, washing out a trumpet-shaped river ditch at the bottom of the valley, about 500 meters long, and the trumpet mouth was 60 meters wide.
The mudslide blocked the national highway and then rushed into the Pei River, destroying our shelter. The only good thing was that the landslides and roadbed collapses, and the road was damaged and collapsed in many places, making this area completely isolated. Although it cut off our contact with the outside world, it also blocked the way for large and small gangs of robbers, refugees and disaster victims. We have been relatively safe in the mountains over the years, and we have not encountered many man-made dangers even when scavenging.
I stood in silence for a few minutes in a corner of the dilapidated town. The autumn air was cool and the days were getting shorter. Dust and powder drifted in the air like incense, and a beam of sunlight was outlined, pouring down from the gaps between the dense branches high up, sprinkling on the haphazardly piled houses and courtyards. After my work here, it would take me three hours to walk back to the cabin in the mountains. I promised Xie Desheng that I would be home before dark. I automatically scanned the surrounding environment, one hand resting next to the pistol in the belt holster, quietly exploring.
This is different from the world I grew up in. In that world, I was a smart girl, ranked first in my grade, won a national award in mathematics, recited the entire "Song of the Wine", and argued with my brother about who could sit in the front seat of the car. Now, this world reminds me of the test papers before the meteorite disaster, and the ones that were done in a mess. I just find it unbelievable that such a simple question, why so many people just can't understand it, not to mention the numerous mistakes, many of the answers are bizarre and ridiculous.
Today, I no longer have that overwhelming sense of superiority, and if I donāt stay alert at all times, Iām likely to die or end up in a worse situation than death.
There are four villages within walking distance of the hut, two of which are farther away, and two more that are too far to travel back and forth in one day. The two villages closest to the national highway have been plundered by looters and scavengers over the years. The other six have been razed to the ground, but those houses far from the main transportation routes can always be dug out with some effort to find supplies buried under the rubble.
For the past five years, I have been systematically checking the houses in these villages one by one. At first, there was a lot to find, even food and canned food. Now the harvest is very small, and it is likely that there will be nothing in the near future. My stomach is churning with a slight anxiety that has been with me since the disaster.
I tried to ignore my anxiety and focus on the current action. I silently excluded the houses I had checked twice before and moved towards the goal in my mind. I walked almost a kilometer before I came to a house. I remembered that there was an old lady with a headscarf living nearby. She was hired by my mother to clean our villa and tidy up the garden regularly. This old lady did not do a good job. The places that she thought were clean and did not need to be cleaned were always messy in my mother's eyes. If my mother hadn't thought she was honest, she would have replaced her with someone else to do this job.
Of course, none of this mattered. The past days were more like daydreams than real memories. Those people and events were too far away and too strange to even appear in my mind. And the girl who occasionally came here for vacation, the smart, dull, quiet girl who wanted to be a nuclear physicist, was a thing of the past life.
I spent three hours searching through the rubble of two houses, one of which was completely stripped of its roof and everything left exposed to the elements, so I couldn't find anything salvageable. The other had its walls collapsed inward, so everything inside was buried underneath the walls. I spent a lot of time and effort digging through the rubble, and came across moldy clothes, curtains, books, household appliances, and rusted kitchen utensils.
It doesn't work for me.
I found a rag doll, Ao Bing, in a bedroom. It was well preserved except for the loose dirt. I shook it and stuffed it into my bag. In the kitchen, I found a bag of salt, and the knowledge I learned in junior high school chemistry class flashed through my mind. Salt is a natural mineral, the main component of which is sodium chloride. It has stable chemical properties, so it is not easy to deteriorate even if stored for a long time, as long as it is not exposed to moisture during storage. There are also a few cans of beans and vegetables in the cupboard, which have passed their expiration dates. The shelf life of canned food is much longer than the actual shelf life marked, so it may still be edible and worth taking away with the salt.
In another room, I managed to dig out a plastic storage bin filled with children's clothes. I took the time to look through them. Two pairs of nearly new girls' jeans and three cute tops, with a few pairs of shoes in different sizes at the bottom of the bin. Even if they weren't right for Feifei now, they certainly would be someday, so they were worth taking away.
These things filled the remaining space in the bag. I have found enough supplies. This trip was not in vain. I looked at the watch on my wrist. It was not yet noon. This watch is neither an electronic quartz watch nor a smart watch. It is a precious and luxurious mechanical watch. It can be used for ten or twenty years without any problem, and it is very accurate. Dad used it to show off in public before, but after the meteorite disaster, he really used it to tell time. There are several of them at home, each one is more advanced than the other. Like the garage, it is one of the few things that are worth the money nowadays.
Since it was still early, I decided to search a nearby house. This house was very fragile in the wind and rain, so it was risky to walk back and forth. Xie Desheng would tell me not to bother, but he was not here now.
In one bathroom, I found an oversized bottle of shampoo and body soap, and a plastic-wrapped sleeping bag. I congratulated myself on my decision today and searched the house more carefully. But as I walked into the bedroom, a wall suddenly collapsed. I barely managed to duck, and I backed out in terror. I could hear Xie Desheng's voice in my head, telling me that it was foolish to stay here, and that it wasn't worth the risk.
I had enough stuff to carry, so it was time to go home. I put on my huge backpack and walked quickly through the deserted streets of the village, heading home. Suddenly, a faint sound made me stop abruptly. I listened carefully, found the direction of the sound, and ran into a nearby empty house and hid.
The village was no longer inhabited, and as far as I knew, there was no one within eighty kilometers of the hut except me, Xie Desheng, and Feifei. The only possible people were some scavengers or passers-by on the national highway. They might be harmless, but they might be bandits. I couldn't see anything from my hiding angle, so I rushed across the path to another house. There was protection all around, and I could look out the window. Soon I locked onto my target, three men camped in front of a small store not far away.
I can be sure that there is nothing in that store. Less than a week after the meteorite disaster, the store was looted by robbers. The three men were in their forties or fifties. My first impression was that these people were not locust bandits. Locust bandits are usually easy to identify. They don't look very aggressive, a bit like the good old men who used to move bricks on the construction site. But this doesn't mean anything. Judging people by their appearance is the stupidest thing. I may not be smart in judging human nature, but it's enough.
Next to them was a rusted van that had definitely not been here when I came to the village two weeks ago. I hadn't seen a working car in over a year. The area was littered with abandoned vehicles, but none of them had gas. Curious but wary, I continued to watch. The men were lounging on the ground, each holding a beer bottle, occasionally raising it to take a sip.
Where did they find the beer? Where did they get the gas? Why were they here now? I could hear them whispering, but I couldn't make out the conversation, so I took a huge risk and crept over to the other bedroom, which had a broken window, to hear what they were saying.
The more I listened, the gloomier my heart became. These were not good people. They were talking about a house they raided yesterday and found a lot of supplies there. The beer came from this house, and so did the beef jerky they were chewing. In fact, all the supplies in the car came from there. They were also proudly recalling the great raid, killing everyone in that house, including a ten-year-old child.
There were only three of them, and while they didn't have the criminal aura I was familiar with, they were once part of the Locust Gang. Those gangs moved in swarms, some numbering up to a thousand. They roamed around like locusts, killing and destroying everything they found. Most of these gangs disbanded two years ago after their plundering resources were exhausted, but there are still many small gangs that appear from time to time, and these guys are likely one of them.
I had to be careful. If they found me, I was done. I was lucky to be killed in one go. The worst was that they would capture me alive. The smartest thing for me to do was to flee. Xie Desheng told me so. In fact, he would insist that I do so. I could already see Xie Desheng gnashing his teeth and whispering to me to sneak away and keep myself safe. But he was not there, and he had a car that he could drive, not to mention that it was loaded with so many useful supplies.
I watched and listened silently for more than an hour as the men, seemingly convinced that they were safe, guzzled beer and boasted to each other. Then they spotted a dog, lingering cautiously around them, gaunt, nervous, and trembling. It was a Doberman with sad eyes and drooping ears.
Several men threw empty bottles at the Doberman, and when they ran out of empty bottles, they picked up rocks or bricks. When they scared the dog, they laughed and laughed. When they hit the Doberman and heard the dog whimper, they applauded and cheered, as if they had made a three-point shot in basketball. Every time these people threw rocks at the dog, it made me angry until I was trembling with anger. I was determined to take the car away from them. These people didn't deserve it. These people didn't deserve to live.
According to their conversation, the three planned to leave later and continue westward in search of food and gasoline. I could imagine that more innocent people would be killed, raped, and looted by them. I had to stop them, and if I was careful, I could do it. Dad had trained me, so I was a pretty good shot. It was not difficult for me to aim quickly and shoot to hit them. I could kill these three people before they stood up from the ground.
However, they have been in the gang for many years, and even if they are separated, they can still survive in this cruel world without any harm, and they can still enjoy killing with relish while drinking beer, which means that the three men are not stupid and have high abilities. If I am a little careless and give any of them a chance, they are likely to catch me or hurt me.
Even a minor injury could mean death. My brother was such a strong young man, but two years after the meteorite, he just fell from a one-meter-high rock. There were no doctors or hospitals at the time, so he died three months later from an infection we couldn't treat. I would not risk being shot, especially not for a car. I still have a backpack of supplies to carry back home!
I waited, and another hour passed. These guys were still busy eating and drinking, and it was obvious that they planned to drink all the beer they found in one afternoon. If they were drunk enough, I wouldn't have to go through a lot of trouble to kill them and take the car and supplies. The situation was very favorable to me.
Finally, one of the tall guys stood up, mumbling about finding a place to poop. Another guy lay on his back with his eyes closed, probably dozing off. The third guy was still awake, teasing the dog, giving him a piece of dried meat, luring the dog closer, and then throwing stones at it. I quickly judged that this was my chance, and everyone let down their guard, and the only one on guard was also attracted by the poor helpless dog.
I pulled out my pistol, quietly walked through the side door of the house, and then circled around, getting as close to the car as possible without being seen. I looked in the direction where the man who went to poop had walked, but there was no sign of him. So I walked around the corner of the house, aimed my gun and pulled the trigger, shooting the man who was about to throw a brick at the dog. I didn't stop at all and immediately changed the angle. The man who was dozing on the ground was awakened by the gunshot, but before he could react, I shot him dead.
I ran towards the car and rushed to the driver's seat. The three doors of the car were wide open. I guess it was the experience and habit accumulated by these evil people over the years. If there was any danger, they could drive away quickly. They were right. Killing and being killed were indeed a reality that could be switched in an instant. The one or two seconds saved could have saved their lives many times.
At this moment, the open car door helped me hide quickly, and the third person must have heard the gunshot. I looked through the car window carefully, and soon an angry voice was getting closer and closer to me. He appeared in sight, clumsily wielding the shotgun, with his jeans hanging loosely around his waist. Before he could see me, I shot him without hesitation.
All three were shot in the head and died. Their bodies lay on the ground, motionless. This is what Xie Desheng taught me. Women are a vulnerable group in this world, so you must shoot them in the head so that they never have a chance to stand up and fight back. I am afraid of death and extremely terrified of killing, but a large part of my consciousness seems to have accepted it. Death is the most common thing. Anyone can die, including myself.
Finally, I let out a deep breath and checked the engine. Great, the keys were in the car, and the car started easily, and the gauges showed half a tank of gas left. Gun in hand, I left the engine running, got out, threw my backpack into the back seat, and picked up the men's weapons, the few remaining beers, and the beef jerky they were eating.
When I heard a whimper, I glanced over and saw the Doberman sticking his head out from the side of the car. I tore off a piece of dried meat and threw the scraps to him. The dog ran over and gobbled up the food.
I glanced around again to make sure I hadn't left any other useful supplies or food behind. I climbed into the car, intent on leaving as quickly as possible. As I was about to close the door, the dog finished eating and immediately walked towards me, staring at me with the most pitiful and expectant eyes, and gently wagging its tail. I was stunned for a few seconds, hesitant. There were many reasons not to do this. We couldn't survive on our own, and feeding another mouth would be asking for trouble. Xie Desheng would not like it, not at all.
I have changed in the past five years, becoming stronger and more ruthless. I am no longer the Yu Mei who cannot bear to kill. Now, when I need to, I can kill without hesitation. As a result, I didn't even tremble when I saved the lives of these three robbers. However, when I saw the dog, I found that I was not as ruthless as I thought. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I can't judge, but I did whimper secretly, made a gesture, and let out a howl in my throat.
Doberman was smart enough to know what that meant. He barked, jumped into the car, and climbed over my legs to get to the passenger seat. He sat up straight like a good boy and panted at me.
"I'm in trouble when I get home!" I told him, putting the car in gear and turning it in the opposite direction. "So you better be able to support yourself."
He wheezed and his tongue lolled to his mouth.
"Don't count on the dog bowl, you'll have to find your own food...it won't be an easy life for you."
Doberman ignored my warnings and remained sitting still.
I sighed and said, "Okay, you come with me. Whatever life we can give you will be better than the life you have now, so let's go home."
Chapter 3 Xie Desheng doesn't like me to take risks.
A three-hour hike only takes thirty minutes by car. If the road conditions were better, it would be even faster. This road was originally a gravel road, but now the road surface has been damaged due to years of disrepair, and most of the time it is just dirt and mud. The van is not big, and I used to see couriers driving such vehicles to deliver goods everywhere. I haven't driven a car since I moved to the mountains, so I am still not used to the sharp turns and steep slopes on this road.
However, the van performed very well and ran very fast. When I parked the van safely next to my home, I was happy and excited.
This used to be the garage of the villa, three meters wide and six meters long, with an eight-square-meter utility room next to it. Before the villa was destroyed, we used the garage to store daily necessities. After the mudslide destroyed the main house, we all moved to the garage. No one expected that this plain garage would be so sturdy. It has been standing steadily and well maintained all these years after the meteorite disaster.
It is now our only safe home.
There was a time when there were ten of us living in this garage. Grandpa and grandma slept on a big bed, aunt and Feifei slept on the lower bunk bed, and I slept on the upper bunk. Third uncle slept on the sofa, and dad, mom, brother, and Xie Desheng slept in tents or cars outside. I used to complain about being surrounded by people, and I used to crave quiet and solitude. Ironically, now there are only three people in my world.
A room full of loved ones lost their lives one after another. Without hospitals, medical measures, and necessary medicines, I witnessed how fragile life is. At first, I was heartbroken because of the loss of my loved ones, but then the heartache eased a little bit, and then there was even a sense of relief. I found that when people are in extreme situations, even pain will go downhill day by day, slowly fading, and finally become a very common thing. I began to envy those relatives we buried. At least someone took care of their funeral affairs, at least they were free from suffering.
Now, there are only three people left here: me, Xie Desheng, and his daughter Xie Fei. She is almost five years old, and we all call her Feifei.
I called out as I got out of the car, but no one responded. They must have gone to the river to fish. I let the dog out and let it sniff around the house to get familiar with the environment. Xie Desheng filled a bucket with water this morning, which was just right for use. I found an old metal bowl, poured some water into it, and put it on the ground for it to drink.
I first walked to the southeast corner of the villa ruins, where my seven relatives were buried. A long time ago, Xie Desheng used a machete to cut down some small trees to build this single-slope tomb shed. The roof was covered with dry grass, and the sides were built with stones and wooden strips. I also used mud to paste the gaps and carved the names of my relatives on the bark. Every time I came back from scavenging, I would come here to pay my respects. Not only to thank them for blessing me to get home safely, but also to be able to get enough living supplies. I have been accepting materialistic atheism all my life, but worshiping relatives has nothing to do with superstition. I urgently need to maintain some kind of connection with my deceased relatives.
I knelt inside for a while and said a few words to everyone. I noticed that the dead leaves that had fallen around had been cleared away, and some handmade trinkets woven from wild grass were placed here. Xie Desheng must have brought Feifei here before going fishing.
I started unloading.
The three bastards had apparently robbed the family they had murdered, leaving the van with clothes, bedding, dishes and cutlery, as well as several rifles and a large amount of ammunition.
The people who stored the food obviously knew what they were doing. In addition to many canned vegetables and fruits, there were also large bags of corn, purple rice, sorghum, oats, buckwheat, and wheat bran, all of which were coarse grains that were both filling and durable. There were several sealed cans of natural honey and sugar, which had not molded or deteriorated at all. A large cloth bag was filled with dried vegetables, dried mushrooms, and dried black fungus. These things can be stored at room temperature and soaked in water when eaten. They are also very nutritious. Tangerine peel and donkey-hide gelatin cannot be eaten as a meal, and are not suitable for Feifei, but they are good for the two of us to aid digestion and replenish the body. When I saw a few bottles of vinegar, I laughed out loud. This is a seasoning that has no shelf life. The longer it is stored, the more fragrant it tastes.
These are all necessities for our lives, but the supplies came from an innocent family. They were brutally killed, and now everything is ours. I am happy, but also feel extremely guilty.
Our cupboards and closets were full, with some men's clothes that might fit Xie Desheng and some that I could wear. There were no little girl's clothes, but I had found some for Feifei in my search. I spread her clothes on the bed and carefully cleaned the Ao Bing doll to make it look a little cuter.
I had just finished cleaning up when I heard someone approaching. I immediately recognized the voices of Xie Desheng and Feifei, so I wasn't particularly nervous. I carefully placed the doll on Feifei's bed and walked outside to greet the two people.
"Amei, Amei, you're back!" Feifei shouted as she ran, her long braids fluttering behind her. She stared at the van with her eyes wide open and asked, "Amei, what kind of car is this?"
My name is Yu Mei, but Fei Fei always calls me A Mei. In terms of seniority, she is my younger cousin and should call me sister. Fei Fei started to speak very late, and we were worried that she would become autistic. One day, she suddenly started to speak incoherently and called me A Mei. We were happy and didn't ask for anything more. Later, she was able to speak and communicate normally, and we breathed a sigh of relief and didn't bother to correct her way of addressing me. It didn't matter what she called me.
I suddenly realized that this girl had never seen a van before. There were six cars parked next to the villa. Four of them were parked behind the shed since the charging station failed. The other two were using fuel, and when the tanks were empty, they were also abandoned and never paid attention to again.
I told Feifei: "This is a van, just like a car. This type of car doesn't have a protruding engine in the front, nor does it have an obvious storage compartment in the back. It looks like a loaf of bread, so it's called a van."
It suddenly occurred to me that Feifei had never seen bread either. Fortunately, her attention was all on the car.
"Where did this car come from?" She still stared at the car in wonder, then walked towards me.
Feifei's outline is more like the Xie family, especially the eyes and nose, which are very similar to her father. I picked her up and let her look through the car window. Xie Desheng's eyes met mine. He had been following Feifei slowly, his eyebrows slightly raised, and the problem was self-evident.
"I found it in the village at the foot of the mountain. There's gasoline and other things in it. Feifei, go back to the house and take a look. There's a bag of bean candy on the table. I guarantee you'll love it!"
Feifei screamed and ran into the house to check. Xie Desheng approached me and raised his eyebrows even higher.
"I encountered three robbers in the village. They robbed a family two days ago, killed everyone and took their belongings... I killed them." I explained in a low voice, trying to make it sound as light as possible.
Since I met Xie Desheng, I have always thought that he was an annoying and lazy dandy. Not only that, he was also stupid enough to get my aunt pregnant after the meteorite disaster. According to my aunt's usual personality, she would definitely abort the child at this critical moment. However, when they found out that my aunt was pregnant, they had no conditions to abort the child. Xie Desheng has a father and a mother, and his own home and place to go, but my aunt is a strong woman and must stay with her family. Xie Desheng cares about his wife and children, so he joined us with her.
The original plan was to live there temporarily, and when there was a better and safer option, they would move to other places. After the mudslide, the road was destroyed and the communication was cut off, so this option was completely shelved. When Feifei was six months old, her aunt died of a cold and fever, and the girl had no memory of her mother.
"Didn't I tell you not to put yourself in danger, and especially not to confront danger head-on?" Xie Desheng asked.
"Hey, I'm safe. I'm here, unharmed, right? And I also got a car and a lot of supplies," I argued for myself.
"It's impossible for you to leave secretly?" Xie Desheng said bluntly, staring at me sternly.
Yes, I could run away, but I think the risk is worth it. I never liked Xie Desheng challenging my decisions. We should be equals, and there is no reason to listen to him, especially when I have good reasons. He didn't like me taking risks, even if they were worth taking. He also didn't like me killing people, because killing people would make me very painful. But now all this has changed. I can kill people, especially those like those people this morning. They hurt others indiscriminately, and I will not hesitate to enforce justice.
However, Xie Desheng still didn't like it. He looked very unhappy, but he didn't express his dissatisfaction. This man is like this, easy-going by nature, never provokes conflict. But when the conflict comes, he can express his opinion without speaking.
Xie Desheng's parents are business leaders, but the better the boss, the worse the parents. They may be helpless to raise a playboy, but they have their own way. There are always other parents who raise a smart and wise daughter and marry her home to give birth to children for the family. Not only does it increase the family's strength, but it also ensures that the next generation inherits excellent qualities.
To some extent, my parents also have this pattern. My mother is strong, and my father has always been obedient to her. As long as it does not interfere with his play, anything is fine. My father likes outdoor activities very much, such as fishing, hunting, and camping. I didn't expect that these things he usually did would become the skills to make a living after the meteorite disaster. My father and Xie Desheng can also play together because they have a common hobby: shooting. The two often go to the shooting range to compete in shooting skills, and they also communicate with each other and show off the rare guns they have collected. However, my father likes shooting because hunting is convenient. Xie Desheng simply likes this sport and gets closer to national athletes and coaches.
Xie Desheng had access to first-rate resources, but he just wanted to please himself. He never fought for it, let alone worked hard. After hiding in the mountains, everyone in the family complained about the huge difference in life, including me, but Xie Desheng was the exception. He was so easy-going, and I privately thought that this was helped by his undemanding personality since childhood. I have never met anyone who makes me feel so guilty, not even my mother, and the fact that I took the risk of killing and robbing cars is not the most difficult thing to talk about.
"Oh, one more thing," I looked around. The dog had just run away and now I didn't know where it went. I didn't have time to prepare for this news. Feifei suddenly shouted in the house: "Big dog! Big dog! There's a dog here!"
Xie Desheng's eyebrows were raised higher than before.
"It...it...insisted on coming back with me."
Before Xie Desheng could make any response, Feifei rushed out of the hut, with the dog following her excitedly.
"Is this the dog you brought back, May?"
"Yeah, I saw it in the village and no one was taking care of it, so it wanted to come here with me. But we have to ask your father if the dog can stay."
Feifei blinked her big eyes and looked at her father, and asked expectantly, "Can I, Dad? It already likes me very much. If you let it leave, it will be very sad."
The dog seemed to get along well with children, and when Feifei reached out to play with its ears, it didn't mind at all, nor did it back off. The dog's eyes were fixed on me, as if it knew we were waiting for an answer.
Xie Desheng squinted at me, more impatient than angry, then turned his gaze to his daughter and the dog and said softly, "As long as the dog behaves well and doesn't cause trouble, it can stay. We don't know the dog yet, and we should always be cautious about things we don't know. This is true for strangers, and the same goes for strange dogs."
I wanted to interject and say that after meeting the dog, it behaved very well and did not show any aggression even to those who abused it. But now Xie Desheng was educating his daughter, and what he said was reasonable, so I had better not raise any objections.
"I understand." Feifei nodded seriously and reached out to pat the dog's head more carefully. "Being quiet and hiding is the best way to deal with strangers, but he is a very good dog, I'm sure."
āWeāll have to wait and see.ā
"I brought you some gifts. Did you see them? They're on your bed. Go and take a look. Dad can also take this opportunity to get to know this dog better." I told Feifei to distract her attention from the dog.
"A gift? What did you bring me?" Her attention shifted and she ran back to the cabin.
Xie Desheng didn't say anything.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't say no to this poor little creature. It kept approaching those robbers, trying to beg for food. But they kept hurting it, and I couldn't just leave it there to be abused."
"I know you can't."
I couldn't tell from Xie Desheng's expression what he would do in my position, but he kept suggesting that I needed to do whatever it took to take care of myself, even if it meant we couldn't take care of others. A lot of times, if we wanted to survive, we had to be ruthless. It wasn't bad advice, the world had been devastated since the meteor. I could get pretty good at making hard choices to survive, and maybe I should be even more ruthless with the dog, but I wasn't.
If Xie Desheng wants us to be ruthless, he can do it himself and I will listen to him.
Xie Desheng crouched down to be at eye level with the dog. The dog sat upright, as if it knew it was being evaluated. Xie Desheng suddenly made a punching motion toward the dog, and the dog immediately took a step back, but did not growl or pounce on him.
Xie Desheng grabbed the dog behind the ears and said, "Are you a good child?"
The dog didn't say anything, so Xie touched the dog's face again and opened its mouth. He put his finger between its teeth, but the dog didn't bite or even struggle.
Xie Desheng stood up and said, "Okay. This guy doesn't look aggressive, but keep an eye on him for a while. Also, he will have to find his own food."
"I've already told it."
Xie Desheng's mouth corners slightly raised: "Have you told it?"
"Yes. But whatever life we can give it will be better than the one it currently has."
"I'll talk to Feifei so she doesn't get too attached to the dog. Should we give it a name?"
"I don't know, maybe we should ask Feifei what she thinks?"
"I'd rather she not name the dog. If something happens to the dog, she won't be able to bear it." Xie Desheng refused without hesitation. His concerns were not groundless, and I can understand them very well. No matter how lazy and tired this man was, he loved his daughter very much. It was not the kind of love that he just held in his arms and played with or teased her, but the love that he really took on, cared for and protected her meticulously.
"Okay. Since this is a young man, how about calling him Hutou?" I remembered that this dog looked very similar to a police dog I had seen on the Internet a long time ago. That police dog was called Hutou.
"It's a very suitable name for Doberman." Xie Desheng's mouth curled up again. He always smiled like this.
After making the decision, I walked into the cabin to hear what Feifei thought of her new doll and new clothes.
We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning, deboning, and cutting up the fish that Xie and Feifei had caught, then stripping and drying them. Xie cooked a fish for dinner, and we opened two cans of beans. It was a pretty good dinner, and Feifei happily finished her meal while holding the baby.
After dinner, I gave Feifei a bath. Xie Desheng cleaned the yard first, then carried Feifei to bed.
After a while, Xie Desheng came out and said, "Fei Fei wants Hu Tou to sleep with her."
"Yeah, but Tigerhead isn't ready for bed yet." Tigerhead was still snooping around the yard, getting familiar with all the new smells and new surroundings.
"Tiger Head seems to be in a good mood."
"Yeah, I think so, he'd be a good guy," I said, cleaning the bones and scales off the broom.
"Don't be too attached," Xie Desheng reminded.
"It's no use telling me this."
"Do you think I don't know?" Xie Desheng shook his head helplessly. Looking at me busy, he added, "You have gained a lot today."
"Yes, but most of it was taken from robbers. There's not much left to scavenge, at least not in the nearby villages."
"I know, I don't know how long the fish can last in the river."
Neither of us said anything else. This was reality. There were only two reasons why we had lived so isolated for so long. One was that we were near a large river, where the fish supply was not easily depleted. The other was that the several villages down the mountain were empty but had some things left. When both of these were almost gone, we would have to leave like everyone else in the area. Besides, Feifei was fine now, but soon she would need other children. She couldn't live with only two adults for the rest of her life.
We knew that many people were heading west, where there were supposed to be some intact, safe communities. We always understood that our life here was only temporary. However, packing up and moving somewhere else would be very dangerous, and we were not ready.
It was getting dark outside, and I turned my head and heard a rustling sound in the woods behind me. Xie Desheng quickly walked in front of me and used his body to block me from seeing what was happening outside.
I donāt know if he knew what it was, but he whispered, āItās getting late, letās go in.ā
I called Hutou and walked towards the door, and put an iron rod in its place before entering the house.
Feifei has fallen asleep. It's only eight o'clock in the evening. If there is no meteorite disaster, she would go to bed too early. However, it's dark and there's nothing to do that day. So I went into the room I shared with Feifei, washed up and changed into pajamas. Thank God there is a storage room next to the garage. Although it is only the size of a palm, it can fit two single beds. Not only does it give Feifei and I a place to sleep, but it also gives Xie Desheng and I some privacy.
Hu Tou followed me, and after I got under the covers, he jumped onto my bed. I couldn't bear to refuse, so Hu Tou curled up at the foot of my bed and fell asleep.
= =To be continued= =
