In the rain, holding a large umbrella, Li Yu was fishing by the Mountain Pond, a place he cherished and where he had learned to swim since he was a child.
As a boy, he had once caught a very large turtle in this pond but later, Grandpa said it was not easy for a turtle to live so long, so they let it go.
After that, they never saw it again, while Li Yu was fishing by the pond, Yang Tianlong often liked to join in the fun.
Dapao didn't like the rain, so he didn't come out.
So there by the pond, Li Yu fished and Yang Tianlong set up a barbecue grill. As soon as they caught a fish, they would clean it and barbecue it right away.
The two drank rice wine by the pond, enjoying the fresh fish, under the weeping willows in the spring, with a breeze and drizzle, quietly enjoying this paradise-like life in the post-apocalypse.
The willow branches swayed in the wind, amidst the pitter-patter of the rain, mist rose from the lake, turning the scene into a heavenly realm for a moment.
They drank for a long while and a lot, but both men could handle their liquor well and never got drunk on rice wine.
Maintaining a buzz, they sat by the lake all day long.
The next day, Li Yu took the youngsters from his family to pick tea leaves in the mountains. In the past, around the Qingming Festival, Grandpa would take them to tend ancestral graves amid the flourishing rhododendrons, to find their family's burial spots.
Cleaning, weeding, hanging prayer paper, lighting candles, setting off firecrackers, pouring wine, bowing.
After the apocalypse began, Grandpa relocated many of the ancestral tablets to a small temple on the left mountaintop, and this Qingming, they also brought the younger members of the family to worship their ancestors.
However, it being the post-apocalypse, the rituals were no longer as elaborate as before. Still, this process was indispensable, undoubtedly an important way to deepen family bonds.
The younger ones in the base preferred to pick the sweetest, tenderest part of the tea plants, crisp and sweet, satisfying but not cloying.
There were also wild berries and the like, sweet and tart, as the children ran carefree through the spring breeze and light rain in the mountains.
As usual, Li Yu's grandmother used the previously stored dried grain to brew some liquor.
The freshly brewed liquor, with a heavy scent of grain, tasted quite strong but had a sweet flavor to it.
Thus, they rested in the base, some recuperating, others constantly practicing, learning how to use crossbows and firearms. Some were studying culture and knowledge. Some were developing romantic relationships.
Life for Song Min and others in the County wasn't so easy; initially, the Salvation Army hadn't discovered them.
But later on, the Salvation Army had figured out most of the remaining population in the County and contacted them.
Worth mentioning is that after Li Yu and his group eliminated Hao Ge and his crew, two small groups gathered in the County, both with few members, who had been hiding in some corner after the apocalypse and only later began to emerge.
One group was hastily formed and lacked combat prowess; they couldn't resist the Salvation Army at all when they encountered them.
The other group was led by the head chef of a big restaurant in the County; after the apocalypse broke out, because the restaurant had stored a considerable amount of food and enough rice, they survived for a long time without leaving the restaurant even amidst the hordes of zombies outside.
It wasn't until after they had finished their last bit of food that they emerged from the house. They were led by the head chef, followed by kitchen hands and various other staff. Armed with an array of kitchen knives, they possessed a certain level of combat ability against the zombies.
Unfortunately, they encountered the Salvation Army, who, after looting them, realized they didn't have much in the way of resources. Consequently, they coerced them into agreeing to something: to regularly pay protection fees, a certain amount of food, or other valuable and usable resources.
Under the Salvation Army's intimidation, both groups acquiesced to their demands. They had no choice but to agree; otherwise, the Salvation Army would have wiped them out.
They had seen just how vicious the Salvation Army could be.
From the moment the Salvation Army appeared, Song Min and her group had a bad feeling. They tried their best to avoid them, but despite their calculations, they couldn't foresee that they would still be targeted.
They were found right in the building where they were hiding.
The Salvation Army surrounded their building with six vehicles and dozens of people.
Outside in the courtyard, the boisterous man standing on the roof of the car called out, "So? Have you made up your minds yet?"
This man was the leader of this Salvation Army squad; he was the same one who had killed Grandpa Zhou's group at the gas station. The reason they wanted to move north, apart from eliminating Grandpa Zhou's group, was to expand their sphere of influence.
As the Salvation Army grew in number, their need for various resources increased, so they set their targets on some of the survivor groups around them.
With more people and better weapons, none of the surviving groups in the vicinity could resist the Salvation Army. In the end, they either obediently paid the protection fee on time or were directly annihilated and absorbed by the Salvation Army.
Looking at the Salvation Army downstairs, Song Min was extremely anxious. Their small group of just over ten people was no match for the robust men outside.
But if they agreed to their demands, they would have to pay tribute regularly, which would definitely make their own resources insufficient, potentially leading to starvation. Furthermore, they would have to remain subject to these people indefinitely.
Song Min was still considering how to respond when the arrogant group leader of the Salvation Army below spoke up again, "I heard from old Zhao that there's another group around here with you, right? I've heard they're quite strong. Old Zhao was saying, you have a good relationship with them? Do you know where they are?"
Upon hearing this, Song Min instantly had a bad feeling.
Could the Salvation Army be referring to Li Yu's group? Old Zhao, now throughout the county, any survivor knows of Li Yu's existence, even if they don't know the name.
But they know they have guns!
Old Zhao had disclosed the existence of Li Yu and his group to the Salvation Army without mentioning their firearms. This was like using someone else's hand to kill.
Yet, Song Min thought: I don't even know where Li Yu and his group are!
Song Min had the urge to tear old Zhao into pieces.
The patience of the group leader from the Salvation Army below seemed to be running thin; he had asked two questions without receiving any reply from Song Min.
Downstairs, the man standing on the roof of the car's face was growing grim; his eyes held a sharp ferocity.