Chapter 23 p1: Li Mi
Besides tomatoes, the little girl’s family’s greenhouse also had cucumbers, eggplants, pumpkins, and long beans. Except for the pumpkins, which grew on the ground and were flooded, the four of them had almost finished picking after three days.
There was still a little bit left to do, but the tricycle was already full. Wen Zhao rode back first and would come back again.
The three of them tidied up the rest.
Jiang Wuni cut the cucumber vines with a pair of scissors, and the cucumbers that fell off landed right in the basket hanging on her elbow.
She sighed as she cut.
“Sigh, the cucumbers aren’t that big right now. It’s a pity to cut them, but I’m afraid they’ll go to waste if we leave them in the field.”
The little girl was also working beside her and said crisply, “It’s okay. We can grow seedlings in the courtyard when we get back. This stuff is easy to grow. You can even grow it in a flower pot.”
“It would be even better if we had some fertilizer,” Jiang Wuni said regretfully.
“When we were growing strawberries last winter, there were still a few bags of strawberry seeds, fertilizer, and nutrient soil left in the greenhouse over there.”
As soon as the little girl finished speaking, the two of them looked over in unison. Jiang Wuni rubbed her hands together. “Zao’er, look… if we can get that, won’t we have strawberries to eat…”
The mention of eating strawberries brought back sweet and sour memories, and Jiang Zao couldn’t help but swallow.
“Alright, let’s go take a look.”
Wen Zhao had scouted the area around these greenhouses. Besides the occasional small animals like birds and pheasants coming to forage, it was very safe. Even so, Jiang Zao and her group were still very careful.
She walked in front, lifted the greenhouse cloth, and looked inside. The strawberry greenhouse was much larger than the others, and there were no obstructions. It was a clear view, with only a row of shelves at the very back, which seemed to be where the fertilizer and seeds were kept.
After confirming that it was safe, she waved her hand, and the few of them entered in single file. The little girl walked straight to the shelves.
“It’s a pity that all these strawberries have rotted in the field, but with fertilizer and seeds, we’re not afraid. We can grow our own.”
The shelves were over two meters high, and the bottom shelf was flooded. Fortunately, the fertilizer was all on top.
One bag of fertilizer weighed fifty pounds, and there were five bags here. The three of them definitely couldn’t carry them all. Jiang Zao carried one bag, and Jiang Wuni and the little girl carried one together, placing them in a clean place outside.
When they returned again, Jiang Zao opened her backpack and started stuffing the seeds inside. Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound, as if something was scratching the greenhouse cloth.
This was close to the other exit of the greenhouse, and outside was an abandoned field. Could it be a wild boar or a weasel coming to look for food?
Jiang Wuni also heard it. “Zao’er, what’s that sound?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the scratching on the greenhouse cloth stopped.
The two groups seemed to be in a standoff, separated by a layer of greenhouse cloth.
Jiang Zao’s expression turned grave. “Forget the stuff, let’s go.”
Jiang Wuni was still a little reluctant. “There are still three bags of fertilizer we haven’t taken.”
“Go!” Jiang Zao no longer hesitated and pulled her to turn and leave. It all happened in a flash. The thing behind the greenhouse cloth seemed to have suddenly found its bearings and crashed over.
The thing was incredibly strong. Not only did it tear the greenhouse cloth, but even the iron shelves were on the verge of collapsing.
Jiang Zao’s pupils shrank. She quickly pushed the two of them forward and rolled to the side. Before she could get up, a huge zombie rushed out from the iron shelves, covered in pustules, and pounced on her with its bloody mouth open.
Even though this monster was already disfigured, the little girl still recognized him from his ragged clothes.
She fell to the ground and called out in a daze, “Dad.”
It was too late to dodge. Jiang Zao grabbed the scissors she had used to cut the cucumber vines from the ground and stabbed it hard at its head. In her haste, this blow did not hit a vital spot but stabbed it in the shoulder.
The zombie let out an angry roar. It had been over two hundred pounds when it was alive, and it was even stronger after turning into a zombie. When it slapped her, it was like a blow to the head. Jiang Zao and the scissors were sent flying. Her back hit the iron shelf, and all the bones in her body were about to fall apart. She couldn’t get up for a long time.
“Zao’er!”
Seeing the monster pouncing on her again, Jiang Wuni shouted. Although she was scared, she still grabbed a broom and hit the zombie on the head without hesitation.
“Don’t hurt my Zao’er! Come at me if you have the guts! You monster!!!”
The zombie turned around, its scarlet eyes fixed on her. Saliva dripped from its mouth as it walked over step by step.
The foul stench from the zombie was faintly discernible. Seeing it pounce on her, the broom in Jiang Wuni’s hand fell to the ground. “Don’t… don’t come over…”
Jiang Zao struggled to support herself. Seeing the zombie rushing towards Jiang Wuni, she swallowed the blood in her throat and leaped forward, hugging the zombie’s thigh tightly to prevent it from taking another step.
“Quick… run!”
“No! Zao’er!”
“Big sister Jiang!”
The zombie’s scarlet eyes were only focused on the two living things in front of it. It had been hungry for a long time and was eager to eat. But every time it wanted to take a step forward, something would trip it up.
Finally, it lowered its head and decided to deal with this overconfident ant first.
Jiang Zao’s scalp tightened. Before she could struggle, she was picked up by the head like a chick.
The zombie reached out with its other hand and grabbed her throat. At the critical moment, the little girl, with a burst of strength from nowhere, grabbed the iron fork used for weeding in the greenhouse and rushed over, smashing it hard on its back.
The monster cried out in pain, and its grip loosened. Jiang Zao fell to the ground again, panting heavily, seeing stars.
In her daze, she saw that they hadn’t left, and the monster was pouncing on them again. With the last of her strength, she crawled over, grabbed the zombie’s ankle, and squeezed out a sentence from between her teeth.
“Go… go quickly… find Wen Zhao.”
“Big sister Jiang!”
She only heard her shout. The daylight in front of her was suddenly blocked. She was pressed down by a weight of over two hundred pounds, her chest squeezed against her ribs, dividing the little oxygen she had. She was almost suffocating.
This distance was so close that she could already smell the foul stench from the monster’s mouth. Jiang Zao closed her eyes, but she felt the scissors on the ground. She held them tightly. Before she could move, the monster suddenly stiffened, and warm liquid splashed on her face.
Jiang Zao shivered.
The little girl was hitting the zombie’s head with the iron fork again and again, her eyes red.
“I told you not to touch big sister Jiang, I told you not to touch big sister Jiang! I told you not to touch big sister Jiang…”
White matter mixed with blood gushed out.
It was Jiang Wuni who came to her senses first. She stepped forward and pulled her. “Ni’er… it… it’s already dead.”
“Dead… dead…”
The iron fork in the little girl’s hand was already a bloody mess. She blinked, looked at Jiang Zao, then at the familiar back, and suddenly burst into tears. The iron fork fell to the ground with a clang.
“Jiang Zao!”
Wen Zhao also rushed in at this moment, heading straight for Jiang Zao. She flipped the zombie off her, her voice filled with an unconscious anxiety.
“I ran into a few zombies on the way and dealt with them. I’m late. Are you okay!”
The heavy weight on her body was finally removed, and Jiang Zao could finally breathe smoothly. She leaned over slightly and sat against the shelf.
The little girl and Jiang Wuni also gathered around.
“Big sister Jiang, are you okay?”
“Zao’er, are you alright? Were you bitten?”
Jiang Zao looked at each of them, and finally, her gaze fell on the little girl’s face. She nodded slightly.
“I’m fine.”
“Come, I’ll help you.”
Wen Zhao bent down in front of her. Jiang Zao had wanted to say, “I can walk by myself,” but the other person didn’t allow her to refuse and directly put her arm around her neck.
Wen Zhao tilted her head and looked at her.
“We have to go back quickly.”
Besides the two bags of fertilizer left on the side of the road, they didn’t want anything else. Wen Zhao helped her into the back of the tricycle.
“Grandma, you get on too.”
When Wen Zhao looked at the little girl, she shook her head. “Big sister, I can walk by myself.”
Wen Zhao no longer insisted and buried her head, pedaling the tricycle hard. On the way back, there were still a few bodies lying on the side of the road, which she had clearly dealt with just now.
The group quickly returned home.
Only then did Wen Zhao let out a sigh of relief and help Jiang Zao down.
“You’re covered in blood. Go wash up first.”
The rest of them also had to wash their hands and disinfect. This was a necessary procedure every day after returning from outside.
