The World Turned into Zombies, So I Went Back to the Countryside to Farm 30p1

Chapter 30p1: Hunting

It was late at night. Jiang Zao lay in bed, tossing and turning. One moment, she was thinking about her past life; the next, it was Wen Zhao’s words from earlier, replaying in her mind like a movie.

She let out a long sigh and turned over again. Seeing the bright moonlight shining through the window onto the camera on the table, she thought of the film that had been crushed in Li Mi’s hand. Finally, she sat up, got out of bed, walked to the table, pulled out a chair, turned on the table lamp, and began to rummage through things.

“How strange. I brought it back from Linhai. Where is that doll that Jiang Wuni made for me before…”

Li Mi woke up in a daze in the morning. She reached out to get dressed but felt something furry and cool by her pillow. She jumped up from the bed with a start.

When she saw the doll by her pillow, a big smile spread across her face. It’s Big Sister Jiang! Big Sister Jiang must have secretly put it here while I was asleep!

She had seen this doll in Big Sister Jiang’s room before.

Does Big Sister Jiang giving me a doll mean she has forgiven me?!

Li Mi excitedly threw on her clothes and ran downstairs with the doll, bumping into Wen Zhao, who was practicing boxing under the eaves.

The summer days were long. Wen Zhao hadn’t slept well last night and had woken up a little later than usual. Jiang Wuni was already making breakfast.

“Good morning, Little Mi.”

“Morning. Big Sister Wen, look at this doll that Big Sister Jiang gave me! Isn’t it pretty?! I think it’s even prettier than the teddy bear we saw in the warehouse yesterday!”

That teddy bear was new and intact, while this doll was a little faded, its fur sparse and matted, and the plastic stickers on its face were almost all gone.

Wen Zhao looked at her joyful expression and couldn’t bear to break the reality. She smiled and nodded. “It’s pretty.”

“I haven’t seen your Big Sister Jiang since I woke up. Where is your Big Sister Jiang?”

Jiang Wuni came out of the kitchen, carrying a bowl. As she passed under the eaves, she saw the doll in Li Mi’s arms.

“I know her. Ever since you came, she doesn’t have to keep watch at night, so she’s probably still sleeping in. Oh, why did Zao’er take this out? That year, she cried and made a fuss, wanting a doll for her birthday present. It was so expensive, and our family’s monthly food allowance was only fifty yuan. So, I picked one up for her from the trash heap, sewed two pieces of floral cloth on it for clothes, and when I gave it to her, she cried and ran away. So many years have passed, I thought she had thrown it away long ago…”

Li Mi didn’t care where the doll came from. She just held it in her arms like a treasure.

“Perfect. I’ll go up and call Big Sister Jiang for breakfast.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she had already run up the stairs. Unexpectedly, just a few minutes after Li Mi went up, she ran down in a panic. “Big Sister Jiang is not in her room, and her bow and arrow are gone!”

Jiang Wuni knocked on the stainless steel basin in the courtyard a few times to call for Kele. Kele, who had been sleeping in the courtyard last night, was also gone. Hearing Li Mi say that Jiang Zao was gone, her expression changed instantly. “Oh no, Zao’er said yesterday that she was going hunting. She didn’t go into the mountains with the dog, did she? It’s so dangerous for her to be alone!”

Wen Zhao quickly ran into the room to get her equipment. “I’ll go find her!”

“Big sister, I’ll go too!”

“You stay at home with Grandma. I’ll be back soon!”

Wen Zhao slung her backpack over her shoulder and ran out of the courtyard, heading straight for the mountain path.

Since it was hunting, Jiang Zao probably wouldn’t go too far. The mountain forest where they had picked mushrooms last time was rich in vegetation, and rich vegetation meant there were berries, which was where small animals would be.

If it were her, she would probably choose that place too.

Wen Zhao climbed up the mountain path. When she saw a fresh pile of dog droppings on the side of the road, she was even more certain of her guess.

Jiang Zao had left at dawn, just as the zombies were returning to their nests. The morning dew had soaked her clothes. She had been lying in the grass for a long time, and finally, she saw a wild rabbit appear in her field of vision, chewing on tender grass under a large tree.

Jiang Zao drew her bow, squinted her eyes, and her fingers tensed slightly. Just as she was about to release, a pinecone fell from the large tree. The wild rabbit suddenly turned its head, probably also sensing the danger, and ran forward. The arrow followed closely behind like a meteor.

Jiang Zao got up and quickly chased after it. Only a few drops of blood and an arrow were left on the grass. It had been hit, but not in a vital spot.

“Kele!”

At her whistle, a wolfdog rushed out from behind her and ran wildly in the direction the wild rabbit had gone.

Jiang Zao picked up the arrow and also followed.

“Let’s see how far you can run.”

One person and one dog followed the blood trail through the dense forest. Although the wild rabbit was fast, it couldn’t escape Kele’s nose. After chasing for about a hundred meters, the wild rabbit was exhausted and ran into a bush.

Kele stopped, its tongue hanging out, panting, and kept wagging its tail at the bush.

Jiang Zao caught up from behind and, without thinking, stepped into the bush. The moment she bent down to pick up the rabbit, she already sensed that something was wrong. The dense pine needles under her feet were not firm.

In her haste, she quickly grabbed a vine on a nearby tree, but it was covered in moss and was slippery and sticky. She couldn’t get a good grip and rolled down the slope with the rabbit.

Kele was barking anxiously at the top. The slope was steep. After circling a few times, it ran down another path, chasing after Jiang Zao, barking continuously as it ran.

“Jiang Zao—” Wen Zhao had already climbed halfway up the mountain. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted her name.

An echo came from the mountain, and there were also a few faint barks.

A hint of joy appeared in her eyes, and she quickly ran in that direction.

Jiang Zao rolled a few times until the slope gradually flattened out. She stopped when she landed in a depression, her back hitting a tree hard, and a pile of leaves fell on her head.

“Pah, pah, pah!” She spat out the sand in her mouth. Kele was barking beside her, but she was in too much pain to get up. She closed her eyes and said weakly.

“Stop barking, Kele. If you keep barking, you’ll attract the zombies.”

“Jiang Zao—” An anxious shout suddenly came from beside her. Jiang Zao opened her eyes, and Wen Zhao’s face appeared in front of her against the light.

Oh no, I didn’t attract the zombies, but I attracted her.

“Why are you here?”

Wen Zhao helped her up. “Grandma and Little Mi are very worried about you. Why did you come to the mountain alone?”

Jiang Zao’s expression was a little unnatural. “What’s there to worry about? I grew up in the mountains.”

Wen Zhao reached out and picked the pine needles from her hair. “A child who grew up in the mountains, how did you get into such a mess while hunting?”

Jiang Zao: “…”

Wen Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing her covered in dirt and with a scrape on her arm, she felt a little heartbroken. She helped her stand up, but the moment her right foot touched the ground, Jiang Zao hissed.

“Let me see. Hold onto my shoulder.”

Wen Zhao squatted down. Jiang Zao was about to refuse, but she had already taken off her own shoe and grabbed her ankle.

“It’s sprained and very swollen. I’ll carry you back.”

“No need—”

Before Jiang Zao could refuse, she had already been lifted up.

“Hey, the rabbit, my rabbit.”

Jiang Zao was afraid of crushing the wild rabbit she was holding and didn’t dare to put her arms around her neck. Wen Zhao was afraid she would fall off.

“Kele.”

“You’re letting Kele carry the rabbit. Aren’t you afraid it will eat it?”

“Kele, the bag.”

Although Kele was drooling over the wild rabbit, it still followed the command and brought the backpack over.

Wen Zhao squatted down. “Put the rabbit in. You can just hold the shoes.”

And so, it became a scene where Wen Zhao was carrying her, she was holding the shoes, and Kele was walking in front with the backpack strap in its mouth.

They had come out early, and it was only noon now.

Jiang Zao was a little reluctant to go back. “It’s still early. I want to hunt a few more rabbits.”

“Your foot is like this, and you’re still thinking about hunting.”

Wen Zhao carried her through the forest, her feet rustling on the fallen leaves. The way back was not short, and even with the wind in the forest, Jiang Zao could see that sweat was soaking her hair.

“You can put me down. I can walk by myself.”

“If you want your foot to get better faster, you should talk less.”