The World Turned into Zombies, So I Went Back to the Countryside to Farm 19p1

Chapter 19 p1: Retribution

When Jiang Wuni brought the food in, Jiang Zao had already wrapped the gauze around her head. Fearing that Jiang Wuni would be upset if she saw it, she had even gone upstairs to get a hat to wear.

“She didn’t have any clothes to change into, so I gave her some of your old clothes to wear.”

The pullover hoodie and sweatpants the little girl was wearing were something Jiang Wuni had dug out from some corner, but they fit surprisingly well. Her face was also clean, and she looked like a neat and tidy elementary school student.

Jiang Zao didn’t say anything, just nodded and sat down to eat. Jiang Wuni, however, stared at the hat on her head for a few moments.

Dinner was a large pot of broad bean rice. The broad beans had been harvested before the zombie outbreak and had been kept in the refrigerator. It was just that there were no fresh vegetables, so they could only eat shredded potatoes.

The potatoes had been moved out of the cellar during the recent rainy spell and were a bit damp. Jiang Wuni wanted to use them up quickly.

Jiang Zao had never liked broad beans since she was a child. Fortunately, Jiang Wuni also felt that the meal was a bit dry and made an egg drop soup with seaweed. Only then did she find it not so hard to swallow.

The eggs were also gone after this meal. Jiang Wuni had treasured them and was reluctant to eat them. Today, she probably felt sorry for them getting injured on their trip out and had specially prepared a treat.

The little girl sat there, looking at the food on the table, appearing a little reserved and quietly swallowing her saliva.

Jiang Wuni served her a large bowl.

“There’s more when you’re done.”

Jiang Zao only asked for half a bowl. “I want soup with my rice.”

Jiang Wuni gave her a sideways glance but still obediently poured a spoonful of soup for her. “Other people eat rice, you drink soup. You’re so strange!”

The little girl took a few big bites and then remembered that her brother hadn’t eaten yet. “Brother…”

Wen Zhao put a piece of food in her bowl.

“I just went in to check. He’s still sleeping.”

“You eat first. I’ve already made the rice paste. It’s warming in the pot. We can feed him after we’re done eating.”

Jiang Wuni put another piece of shredded potato in her bowl.

The little girl nodded and could no longer hold back. She picked up her bowl and shoveled the rice into her mouth. But because she was eating too fast, she couldn’t stop coughing. Jiang Wuni quickly served her a bowl of soup.

“Eat slowly. There’s still a lot.”

Jiang Zao looked at her and remembered the “Mom” she had shouted at the mutated zombie. Her head started to throb again. “Can you tell us how your mother became like that?”

She asked directly, and the other two people stopped their chopsticks. Jiang Wuni clearly cast a disapproving look.

“We’re eating. This child has just escaped from death…”

Jiang Zao turned her face. “I’ve just escaped from death too.”

There was a few seconds of silence at the dinner table.

In the gazes of everyone, the little girl slowly put down her bowl. Her cheeks were still bulging, but her eyes were already slightly red.

In her fragmented account, combined with what they had seen and heard today, the few of them finally pieced together the events of the day the disaster struck.

The zombies had come from the backyard, biting several people who were working in the courtyard. The bitten people lay on the ground, convulsing and foaming at the mouth. They soon stopped moving. When they got up again, they roared and charged at others.

Li Xiuzhen had heard the screams. She was wearing that floral dress and washing clothes by the well. She ran over to take a look. A zombie was squatting on the ground, pulling out and eating someone’s intestines. She had never seen such a scene and fell to the ground.

When she came to her senses, the courtyard was in chaos, with tables and chairs overturned. People were fleeing in all directions, and the zombies were grabbing and eating them. The sound of music from the banquet had not yet stopped, but screams were rising and falling, adding a bloody color to the joyous occasion.

She got up from the ground and shouted her child’s name everywhere. “Panpan! Panpan!”

The little girl crawled out from under a table, her young face filled with panic. “Mom! I’m here!”

Li Xiuzhen hugged her tightly. “Quick! Get inside! Lock the door! I’ll go find your brother!”

At this point, the little girl wiped away her tears.

“Mom snatched my brother back from Grandma’s arms…”

The old woman, who was being torn apart by zombies on the ground, was holding the bundle tightly. When Li Xiuzhen tried to take it, she still refused to let go, muttering, “This is the lifeblood of our old Qian family, this is the lifeblood of our old Qian family… you crazy woman! Where are you taking the lifeblood of our old Qian family!”

The baby was crying loudly. Li Xiuzhen pried her hands open bit by bit and snatched the child back. The zombie that was feeding on the old woman’s leg raised its head, roared, and pounced on her.

Li Xiuzhen ran with the child, but she was two steps too slow and was dragged to the ground by a zombie that had grabbed her ankle.

In the corner of her eye, the people who had been laughing and talking in the courtyard were now crying and shouting as they fled for their lives, like a farce.

Her father-in-law was kneeling beside his mentally disabled son, crying his heart out. “My son! My son!”

Li Xiuzhen didn’t know where she got the strength. A zombie had bitten her calf, and she kicked its head hard. A person who had done farm work for years was not weak. With each kick, the zombie’s eye socket was crushed, and it finally let go.

Li Xiuzhen got up and ran with the child. Her father-in-law was chasing after her with a limp.

“Xiuzhen, where are you taking the lifeblood of our old Qian family?! Xiuzhen, don’t run, save me, Xiuzhen, Xiuzhen, haven’t we, the old Qian family, been good to you?!”

Li Xiuzhen ran into the main hall and slammed the door shut, locking it. She also closed the window. Many faces were reflected on the window outside, crying and shouting, pounding on the door and window, begging her for help.

There was her father-in-law.

Her mentally disabled husband.

The people who had teased her at the banquet.

The aunties in the village who looked down on her.

And the old pervert who had touched her.

…

Li Xiuzhen took a step back and watched them scream and fall one by one. Blood splattered on the window, dyeing the glass red.

The little girl had never seen her mother like this. She stood there, eyes blazing with fierce hatred, a triumphant, smug smile on her lips. When even her grandfather fell, she couldn’t help but laugh aloud, tears welling in her eyes.

“Retribution! Retribution! I’ve waited for so many years, and retribution has finally come!!!”

She didn’t know if it was called relief or something else. The little girl hadn’t been to school, and her limited vocabulary couldn’t describe it.

She just felt a little scared and gently snuggled up to her mother.

They had locked all the doors and windows in the house, which was why Jiang Zao and the others could only break in through the window at first.

Li Xiuzhen also had no phone to contact the outside world. The only landline in the house had long been cut.

The little girl was afraid that the monsters would break in, that she would be bitten to death, and that she would never be able to get out. She leaned against her mother and trembled. Her brother also kept crying. Li Xiuzhen fed him for the last time while comforting her daughter.

“Panpan, don’t be afraid. Brother, don’t be afraid. Mom is here…”

After putting her brother to sleep, Li Xiuzhen and the little girl moved all the remaining buckets of water, a can of the cheapest milk powder, and the food given by the villagers at the full moon banquet to the bedroom on the second floor and temporarily settled down.

This room belonged to her grandparents. It was the largest and had a separate bathroom and a water source.

After everything was done, Li Xiuzhen finally had time to check the wound on her leg. A deep row of teeth marks had been left on her calf by a zombie, and it was still oozing blood after so long.

She pinched the rotten flesh with her fingernails, but she didn’t feel anything.

Li Xiuzhen had a bad feeling. She called the little girl over, patted her head, and seeing that her hair was a bit messy, she re-braided her pigtails.

“Panpan, from now on, it’s just you and your brother. You have to protect him, and more importantly, protect yourself. Don’t let anyone bully you. If you can survive, go to Linhai City for me.”

The young little girl also sensed that something was wrong.

“Mom, where are you going?”

Li Xiuzhen smiled. “Mom isn’t going anywhere.”

The little girl pressed her face against her chest and asked again, “Mom, where is Linhai City?”

“It’s very far away. It’s Mom’s hometown. Your grandparents and uncle are also there.”

“Then why do they never come to see you?”

A hint of sadness appeared in Li Xiuzhen’s eyes.

“They don’t know Mom is here.”

“Then why don’t you go find them, Mom?”

“Mom… can’t get out.”

The little girl wanted to ask more, but Li Xiuzhen flicked her forehead gently. “Silly child, why do you have so many questions? Do you still remember how Mom taught you to make a fire and cook?”

The little girl said crisply, “Mom, I remember everything! Did you forget that I’m the one who helps you every time you cook?”

Li Xiuzhen smiled, but there were tears in her eyes.

“What about planting beans?”

The little girl also nodded.

“Of course. Mom’s back was hurting that time, so I planted all the beans in the field this spring by myself.”

Li Xiuzhen lovingly patted her head again.

“Our Panpan is a good farmer at such a young age. The world has changed. With these skills, you won’t starve.”

The little girl then counted on her fingers.

“I can also chop firewood, cut grass for the pigs, pick mushrooms, dig bamboo shoots… and I can sell the mushrooms I pick in town for money.”

Li Xiuzhen was already choking up and pulled her into her arms.

“Your name is not good. Your grandfather gave it to you when you were born. When you grow up, change it yourself.”

She asked her mother how it was not good, but Li Xiuzhen couldn’t answer.

But that was not the most important thing right now. Li Xiuzhen was afraid that she would not remember her words, so she said earnestly, “After Mom is gone, you can’t open the door for anyone who knocks, including Mom, unless it’s someone you know, understand?”

“Why can’t I even open the door for Mom?” the little girl asked with a blank expression, but Li Xiuzhen just tearfully patted her head again.

“Will you listen to Mom?”

The little girl nodded vigorously and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Mom, don’t cry. I’ll be good.”

Li Xiuzhen gently patted her back, just like she did every time she put her to sleep.

“Sleep, sleep, my child. Everything will be better when you wake up.”

In the middle of the night, the little girl woke up once. Drowsily, she saw her mother get up. Her eyes were red like those monsters. She came to her side, sniffed her neck, and her teeth were pressed against her skin, making a “he he” sound.

She was a little scared and softly called out “Mom.” The blood-red color in those eyes faded, and for a moment, they were clear. A cold lip landed on her cheek and kissed her.

Li Xiuzhen staggered out the door. The little girl thought she was just getting up in the middle of the night as usual, but she never came back.

She firmly remembered her mother’s words and dared not open the door, go out, or make any sound.

Her brother had been crying at first, so she would cover his mouth, carry him to the bathroom to soothe him, and feed him with the pacifier her mother had left. There was no hot water, so the milk powder couldn’t be dissolved. She would shake the bottle until it was even, or stir it with her finger. Fortunately, the weather was not particularly cold now, so he wouldn’t get diarrhea from drinking it.

Later, the milk powder also ran out, so she could only break the bread and biscuits into small crumbs and feed them to her brother.

Her brother was often not full, and later, he was too hungry to cry. He spent most of the day sleeping.

Later, the water also ran out, so the two of them could only drink water from the toilet tank. Just when the toilet tank was about to run out of water.

Wen Zhao and Jiang Zao appeared.

Their appearance was like a key, opening up her long-sealed world.

The little girl burst into tears and put her hand in Wen Zhao’s palm.

Although she didn’t know Wen Zhao at that time, she knew Jiang Zao, the “most promising person in the village” in her mother’s words.

Although she didn’t know at that time that this was a natural trust and dependence between women, she had already decided at that moment to follow them without hesitation.

No matter the outcome.

***