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墨書 Inktalez
The weather is getting colder by the day, and even simply opening a window feels like ice is piercing through the air and into the skin. Li Ming has noticeably settled down a lot. One time, the child went to play in the flower room by himself, and after a short while, his lips turned white from the cold. Although Li Yan felt heartbroken, he still scolded the child.
The outside world is becoming increasingly unsafe. For several nights in a row, Li Yan has heard the sound of glass shattering outside, mixed with people cursing, shouting, and begging. Li Yan began to consider whether they should return to the countryside before the New Year; after all, the customs there are much simpler. Most importantly, in rural areas, almost every household has surplus grain, enough to last for half a year without any issues. If they went to the countryside, even if they didn't lack food, they wouldn't attract too much attention.
Li Ming was the first to agree; the child hadn't gone out for several days and was starting to look a bit wilted. Although Li Yan wanted to let the child go into the space, he didn't know Yu Tian well enough and planned to observe him further.
Zhou Miao had no objections to Li Yan's decision. He made a phone call to his elder about going to Zhangjia Village. After listening, the elder didn't express any opinion but instead talked about how bad the weather was. His words hinted that they should visit a certain place before leaving, providing Zhou Miao with an address in vague terms. Zhou Miao, being a special forces soldier, understood that this meant the elder was under surveillance. The elder was responsible for supplies in the military, which indicated that the current situation was very grim.
As for Yu Tian, he naturally followed them. He had no relatives left; his only mother had died in a flood. If it weren't for Zhou Miao's appearance back then, he wouldn't have known where to go. Initially, he held some resentment towards Zhou Miao, but after all these days of experiences and feelings, he wasn't sure whether to be grateful for Zhou Miao's presence or lament humanity's insignificance.
Since they had made up their minds, the four of them discussed and decided to leave the next day. The weather was strange now, and they didn't know what would happen in the future; it was better to leave early than late.
That night, something happened. Amidst the shouts for wontons and dumplings, the four quickly got out of bed. As soon as they opened the door, they saw chaos in the living room. Two men were bitten by a Tibetan Mastiff and were howling in pain while another man stood behind Tian Xin holding a wooden stick to protect her.
"Wow, how rare! Li Yan, are these your relatives? Quite polite!" Zhou Miao teased as he sat comfortably in a nearby chair with his legs crossed. Yu Tian frowned and cautiously pulled Li Ming behind him. Being an honest person by nature and not having many twists and turns in his thoughts—after all, students should be somewhat simple—he had already regarded Li Ming as his own younger brother after spending these days together.
Li Yan's face darkened; he knew that public security had been poor recently but never expected it would come to this extent. And Tian Xin... "Miss Tian, I hope you can give me a satisfactory explanation."
In just a few months' time, that once arrogant yet beautiful daughter who was so spoiled had lost quite a bit of weight. Even so, one couldn't deny her beauty; she looked stunning in her red down jacket but also exuded an intensity she hadn't shown before. "I advise you to hand over your food at home, Li Yan. Let me tell you, we are not just these few people; if you want to survive, it's best you listen obediently." Tian Xin took a step back and positioned herself behind the man holding a long knife that glinted sharply.
"What if I refuse?" Li Yan walked over and gently patted Li Ming's little head; the child seemed still half-asleep and kept nodding like a little chick pecking at rice.
"You!" Tian Xin bit her lip tightly and took some time to suppress her anger before revealing a pitiful expression as she said: "Brother Li, I know you don't lack food. You've been back for almost a month now; I've never seen you starve. We've lived next door for so many years; my dad used to do business with your company often. Our families have always been closer than others. Brother Li, please give us some food for my father's sake."
"If I remember correctly, your parents and you can go to the relief station for rice," Li Yan replied.
"That old bastard stole my and my mom's Household Registration Book! If I see that scoundrel again, I will definitely kill him." Just thinking about her father—who had always spoiled her but abandoned them during such times—filled Tian Xin with even deeper hatred. "Li Yan, I'm telling you straight: we don't want much—just two hundred pounds of rice. If you don't give it today, none of you will survive."
"Are we being pitied or threatened here? Little girl, are we giving you food out of sympathy or fear? Can you be clear about that? I'm getting old; I can't handle being scared," Zhou Miao said mischievously as he fanned the flames of chaos.
Unfortunately for honest Yu Tian, he didn't catch on quickly enough and stepped on Zhou Miao's foot as a warning. It was only then that Li Ming truly woke up; he blinked his innocent eyes at everyone present—especially at his older brother Li Yan—and pouted slightly in dissatisfaction. "Brother, I want water."
"Be good, I'll give it to you later," Li Yan promised.
Tian Xin's eyes turned red at those words, filled with jealousy. Ever since the weather changed, her life had plummeted from paradise to hell. First, there was no water or electricity, and her sister couldn't handle it and passed away. Just when the weather finally cooled down, it turned freezing cold, and her father went bankrupt. Suddenly, not only could they not afford good things, but even basic sustenance became a problem. "Idiot, shut up!"
Li Yan's gaze turned icy as she looked at Tian Xin with an unusually cold expression. Even though Tian Xin had done many wrong things recently, she couldn't help but take a step back.
Suddenly, an alarm sounded from downstairs, and Tian Xin's face changed dramatically as she glared at Li Yan in anger. "You actually called the police!!" Ignoring the two injured people on the floor, she rushed outside. In these times, being caught often meant starving to death; she had barely managed to survive this long without going hungry. Tian Xin shouted unwillingly, "Li Yan, you better watch out; I won't let you off easily!!"
As soon as Tian Xin reached downstairs, she encountered a man who grabbed her by the arm and asked, "Hey, where's the food?" If Li Yan were present, he would recognize this man as someone who had followed Tian Xin around a few months ago.
"Food my ass! I almost got killed here today; let's go, the police are coming." Frustrated, Tian Xin climbed into the back seat of a car. When she glanced up at the seventeenth floor, her expression darkened; that floor was her home, but now it was empty. Her cowardly mother had jumped from the top floor after learning that their father abandoned them. Damn it, she might have ended everything for herself, but Tian Xin was unwilling to die; she was so exceptional that even if it were truly the end of the world, it should be others who suffered.
In reality, Li Yan hadn't called the police at all; it could only be said that Heavenly Father was helping them. "It seems we've become targets; we must leave first thing tomorrow morning," Li Yan resolved. She had been too careless; in this situation where every household was struggling for food, it was no wonder they attracted attention while living comfortably.
"Alright, but we need to stop by this place first." Zhou Miao waved a piece of paper in his hand; the old man had made it clear that they must go there no matter what. "It seems my old man is done for; bro, I'm sticking with you from now on."
"Don't! I'm only three days older than you," Li Yan kicked him lightly, but Zhou Miao easily dodged it. Yu Tian felt somewhat relieved watching them. Recently he had been feeling increasingly lost in life and thought that if it weren't for that bastard...
The next morning, Zhou Miao and Yu Tian prepared their things; they didn't have much to begin with. The interior of the Hummer was quite spacious. Zhou Miao drove while Li Yan sat in the passenger seat; Yu Tian and Li Ming remained in the back. Yu Tian glanced at Zhou Miao and slightly curled his lips but remained silent.
The place Old Master Zhou sent them to was a shipping container—ten meters long. After Zhou Miao used a needle to unlock it and took a quick look inside, he closed the door again; the container was filled with supplies of all kinds. Did the old man really think the apocalypse had come?
Fortunately, this place was remote; otherwise, chaos would surely ensue. Zhou Miao's eyes turned slightly red; his grandfather had gone to great lengths for his grandson. But did this also mean that Old Master Zhou knew such events would happen long ago? Li Yan felt suspicious but knew better than to ask Zhou Miao right now; he could be quite reckless when fired up.
"Damn it! How am I supposed to carry all this stuff? Does the old man think his grandson has a magical bag?" Zhou Miao felt anxious; these supplies were lifesaving items—if they were left behind here, he would rather die.
Li Yan pondered for a moment before deciding to take a gamble. He didn't distrust Zhou Miao but wanted to test his judgment. "Bro, there's something I forgot to tell you..."
Zhou Miao felt like the world had changed—it was too smooth? A space? A kind of space that only existed in novels and anime? And one where he could grow some vegetables and enjoy life?
Li Yan decided to let Zhou Miao and Yu Tian enter once so he wouldn't have to waste words explaining it himself. Zhou Miao and Yu Tian felt dizzy and nearly nauseous as their surroundings shifted—not into a freezing hellscape but into an exceptionally... peaceful and beautiful place! Warm sunlight bathed them in fresh air scented with earthiness; fruit trees around them were laden with large fruits that looked incredibly tempting.
But before they could breathe in the fresh air fully, they found themselves back in reality in an instant. The temperature difference between here and there was at least twenty degrees Celsius, causing both Zhou Miao and Yu Tian to shiver uncontrollably.
"Hey, are you really that stingy? I haven't enjoyed enough yet!" Zhou Miao was very dissatisfied, extremely dissatisfied that such a good place was only now being revealed. Although Yu Tian didn't say anything, his eyes were very obvious, as if he was ready to march with a sign to take down the bully.
"What kind of looks are you two giving me? It wasn't me just now," Li Yan also found it strange; Zhou Miao and the others had only been inside for about ten minutes.
"Could it be that your space is rejecting us?" Yu Tian, having read quite a few novels about spaces, thought for a moment and continued, "We aren't the masters of the space, so we can't stay in there for long?"
Li Yan thought this made sense; after all, opening this space had cost him and Mingming quite a bit of blood. Speaking of Li Ming, Li Yan felt uneasy as the three of them walked toward the container. They soon saw that the container, which had been full to the brim, was rapidly emptying. Li Ming's little friend was bent over, moving things into the space bit by bit. The child's expression was serious and solemn; every item he tossed into the space had been carefully checked multiple times. There were chocolate-flavored cookies, a somewhat amusing little knife, delicious corn kernels, and more...
The adults watched in speechless disbelief. After all, what valuable items could you expect a seven-year-old with an IQ like his to put into the space?
"Brother, help me out." Li Ming looked particularly happy to see Li Yan and the others return. He ran over to Li Yan's side and complained, "Brother, there's nothing useful here, and there aren't even any Teddy Bear Cookies." No wonder no one wanted them.
"..." The three of them were left speechless.
While Li Yan busily moved things into the space, Zhou Miao sat nearby eating snacks and sighing. "Brother, I really want to help you; it breaks my heart just thinking about it. Unfortunately, I'm powerless and can only silently watch you toil away. It's truly pitiful." As he spoke, he lit a cigarette and leisurely smoked it, making Li Yan want to kick him.
Yu Tian felt somewhat embarrassed as he took on the glorious and great task of looking after Li Ming. From time to time, he would rummage through a pile of items to find snacks for Li Ming to eat, which made Zhou Miao envious; why should his wife be showing off her child to others?!
Li Yan sighed; Zhou Miao was definitely a bad seed created by Heavenly Father—just a total misfit. After organizing a whole container of goods for an entire morning, they finally finished around three in the afternoon. This batch of supplies was even more complete than what Li Yan had prepared himself, especially with various medicines and some wheat seeds and fruit tree seeds; there were even quite a few books on greenhouse cultivation.
Once everything was sorted out, the four of them set off on their way to Zhangjia Village.
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