Chapter 67 p2: Invitation
The camp was very large, at least larger than Jiang Zao had imagined. If you were to talk about its scale, it could probably be compared to Luohe Town, but the wooden cabins and tents here were all crowded together, looking messy but with a hint of life.
Everyone had their own duties. They would only stop to greet the Prophet when she passed by, and Qingshan would also nod at them.
There was even a farm in the camp. When she saw the dragon-bone waterwheel, Jiang Zao was also a little shocked.
It was the spring planting season, and the people were very busy in the fields, plowing the land and sowing vegetable seeds.
Jiang Zao had not seen such a scene in a long time.
Qingshan followed her gaze.
“That’s the masterpiece of our Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Water Resources. The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for reclaiming wasteland and planting crops, while the Ministry of Water Resources is responsible for irrigating the farmland and ensuring the water supply for the entire camp.”
“By the way, I forgot to tell you that the camp also has a power supply, but because the hydropower station downstream sometimes has problems, it’s not supplied all day. The only place that has a 24-hour power supply is the Red Cross, to take care of the seriously ill patients.”
An old man with a white towel around his neck heard the sound of horses’ hooves, turned around, and bowed deeply to Qingshan.
Qingshan also nodded slightly.
“That’s Old En. He’s in charge of all the planting in the camp. You can also call him the Minister of Agriculture.”
At this point, Qingshan blinked, her voice rising at the end, light and cheerful, reminding people of her former self.
Jiang Zao couldn’t help but purse her lips slightly.
“The entire camp is surrounded by mountains and water, with mountains on three sides and only a drawbridge connecting it to the outside world. We have roughly divided the nearby area into three zones: the core zone, the buffer zone, and the danger zone. The camp is the core zone, which is absolutely safe. The buffer zone is the ten kilometers around it, including the camp’s hunting ground. We sometimes go there to hunt, and we also raise cattle and sheep there, which is relatively safe. As for the danger zone, it’s the direction you came from. It’s close to the survivor base…”
The two of them continued to ride forward, and Qingshan slowly explained to her.
“Here, everyone can work with their own hands, create value, get food tickets, and then exchange the food tickets for everything you need, such as food or drinking water, electricity rations, etc. Even if you don’t know anything…”
Before she could finish, a clear sound of reading came.
Jiang Zao had not heard such a naive yet vibrant voice in a long time. She couldn’t help but stop and look at the words carved on the wooden door of the house: Utopia Camp Hope Primary School.
The school was not large, with only three wooden houses, surrounded by a fence. There were also soldiers on guard at the entrance.
Seeing them ride over, the soldiers immediately respectfully placed their right hands on their chests and bowed. “Prophet, you’re here.”
Qingshan dismounted, and the attendant pushed open the wooden door for them.
Jiang Zao walked into the school. The playground was a leveled piece of land, and the tender green grass had just sprouted from the soil, just like the naive faces in this classroom, fresh and full of life.
The bell rang for the end of class, and the children all rushed towards them, hugging Qingshan’s legs.
“Prophet, you’re here!”
“Prophet, I ate two bowls of rice today!”
“Prophet, I can already recite the residents’ code of conduct that you compiled…”
These children were of all ages. The oldest was probably about ten, and the youngest had just learned to walk.
Qingshan casually picked up a chubby little girl and let the little girl kiss her on the cheek, laughing out loud.
The two teachers who had given her a physical examination also came over and bowed respectfully. “Prophet, they should go back to class.”
The bell for class rang again, and only then did the children reluctantly return to the classroom with their teachers.
Jiang Zao took a quick look. There were at least seventeen or eighteen children in the school, but they were only divided into two classes.
Qingshan saw her confusion, turned around, and walked out with a limp. “There’s no other way. There are still too few survivors with higher education in the camp. I’ve already lowered the academic qualification to high school, but there are still very few qualified teachers.”
Jiang Zao nodded. “In the apocalypse, it’s more important to be alive.”
Her gaze fell on a row of houses on the right side of the school. There was also a playground as wide as a basketball court.
Seven or eight half-grown children were practicing their chopping on a haystack under the guidance of a soldier.
“What is that place?”
“Those children are the reserve soldiers of the patrol team.”
A hint of shock appeared in Jiang Zao’s eyes. They looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, not even as tall as the dummies.
Speaking of this, Qingshan’s eyes also showed a hint of emotion.
“In this apocalypse, they must learn how to protect themselves and others. Once a patrol soldier is killed in action, a reserve soldier must take his place.”
“Although it’s cruel, this is the reality.”
But speaking of children, Jiang Zao thought of another thing.
“I… I remember you also have a child. Why isn’t she with you?”
In that instant, Qingshan’s facial muscles twitched slightly. She turned around, refused the attendant’s support, and walked down the steps with a limp. Jiang Zao noticed that there were also a few gray hairs at her temples, which were particularly conspicuous in the sunlight.
“She’s no longer here. I hope these children can all grow up healthy, safe, and happy. This is also the original intention of me founding this school.”
“Sorry…” Jiang Zao also did not want others to ask her about Jiang Wuni’s matter, so she still slowly apologized.
Qingshan turned her head, smiled, and mounted her horse.
“It’s okay. A little further ahead is the Red Cross. The child who came with you is there.”
At the mention of Little Mi, Jiang Zao became excited. She whipped the horse and rode off.
She had been to the Red Cross before, so Qingshan did not give her much of an introduction. She just pointed to a female doctor who was stitching up a soldier’s leg wound in the courtyard and said, “That’s Doctor Yan, the only surgeon in the camp. She worked in the general surgery department of a hospital before the apocalypse.”
Seeing them dismount and walk over, Yan Zhen put down her work and was about to get up to bow when Qingshan pressed her shoulder.
“You can continue with your work. We’re just here to see the patient.”
“Yes.” Only then did Yan Zhen lower her head and continue to work.
At this point, Jiang Zao was already impatient. She rushed over in a single bound and lifted the curtain.
“Little Mi…”
Little Mi was lying on the bed. Although she was still not awake, her face was much better than a few days ago. The monitor beside her also showed that her vital signs were stable. A nurse was wiping her face.
Hearing a noise behind her, the nurse quickly turned around.
“Who let you in…”
Before she could finish, Qingshan, who was following closely behind, also walked in. The nurse quickly placed her right hand on her chest. “Prophet.”
Jiang Zao slowly walked over, touched Little Mi’s cheek, and couldn’t help but have her eyes well up. She also squeezed her little hand and placed it on her cheek.
Qingshan glanced at her.
“How is the patient’s condition?”
“Reporting to the Prophet, everything is stable.”
“Then when will she wake up?”
“Doctor Yan is not sure about that either…” The nurse looked at her face and bowed deeply again, trembling as she said.
“Maybe in the next few days… everything is getting better.”
Only then did Qingshan nod in satisfaction.
“If you need any supplies, go to the church to get them.”
“Yes, Prophet.”
They stayed here for a while longer.
Perhaps because she had come with the Prophet, the nurse’s attitude changed drastically. She spoke in a soft and gentle voice, persuading her.
“Ma’am, the patient should rest.”
Only then did Jiang Zao reluctantly get up.
“Although there are few people in the Red Cross, they are all very experienced. From major surgery to minor ailments of the residents, they can all be solved. Doctor Yan has been with me since the camp was established. The camp would not be what it is today without their efforts.”
Jiang Zao understood that Qingshan had told her so much to reassure her. When she walked out the door and saw that Yan Zhen was still there, Jiang Zao nodded gently and thanked her. “Doctor Yan, thank you.”
Yan Zhen didn’t even look at her and just bowed respectfully to see Qingshan out.
After leaving the Red Cross, the sorrow on Jiang Zao’s face had faded a little. Qingshan looked at her expression.
“Her name is Little Mi?”
“Yes.” Jiang Zao nodded gently. “She’s my adopted sister.”
“I will give the order that you can come and visit her whenever you want in the future, without the permission of the church.”
“Thank you.”
Only at this moment did Jiang Zao feel a sincere gratitude towards her. After all, they had saved Little Mi’s life.
Along the way, her words had moved her more or less, and had also made her more curious about this camp. From this point of view, compared to being a Prophet, Qingshan was more suitable to be a missionary, good at using language and appropriate displays of weakness to make people let down their guard.
Jiang Zao looked up at the green sun-patterned flag fluttering in the courtyard not far away. “What is that place?”
Along the way, only the key places like Qingshan’s residence, the patrol soldiers’ barracks, and the school would have that flag.
“That’s the nursery. I’ll take you to see it.”
This name, which had been ringing in her ears since the first day she entered the camp, was already very familiar to Jiang Zao.
She had always thought it was some kind of nursery, and she still thought so until she stood at the entrance of the nursery.
Turning onto a fork in the road, a two-story wooden building came into view. The small building was built against a mountain, and there was a gurgling stream in front of the door. Unlike the somewhat messy street in front, this place looked beautiful, clean, and tidy. There was also a banner hanging at the entrance:
This is our mission.
Everything for the Utopia Camp.
Jiang Zao had seen many such slogans along the way, but this place had the most. There was also a propaganda board at the entrance of the courtyard. The background was a painting of a mother holding a child.
In the center of the propaganda board was a red poster with large characters:
Utopia Camp’s Star of Fertility xxx
Pregnant this month xxx
Gave birth this month xxx
…
Qingshan came over and looked at the name.
“The little child I picked up at the school just now is also the third child she has given birth to here.”
“After the survivor base fell, I protected a part of the people and fled here to settle down.”
“The camp needs manpower, and we also need to continue human civilization. So, I established the nursery. It may be different from the kind of place you imagine. There are no parents, no relatives, and no coercion. All reproductive behavior needs the approval of the church. Every child born is a child of the Utopia Camp, and the church will arrange for special personnel to take care of them.”
“They stay here until they are weaned, and then they are handed over to the school teachers to be taken care of. They live there, learn various life skills, and then grow up strong. This is true socialized child-rearing.”
When Qingshan talked about these things, a hint of pride appeared on her face again. She looked at everything in front of her as if she were looking at the masterpiece of a creator. Of course, this creator was herself.
Jiang Zao turned her head to look into the courtyard. Ropes were hung at the entrance of the wooden house, and clothes were hanging on them.
Seven or eight pregnant women were sitting in the courtyard, sunbathing and teasing the babies in their arms.
For some reason, the scene, which looked so peaceful, made Jiang Zao’s blood run cold.
Her words, which sounded so grand, made it impossible for Jiang Zao to find a logical refutation for a moment. But she had a faint intuition that this was wrong, wrong.
There must be a loophole in Qingshan’s words.
Qingshan looked at her face, bathed in the sunlight, and her frowning and thoughtful expression as she looked up at the flag.
Her cheeks had already lost the naivety of before the apocalypse. Even the little bit of baby fat on her face had disappeared. Her jawline was clearer, her features were deep, and her neck was slender. Her silver hair hung down her back and swayed with the wind, adding a touch of coldness to her maturity.
“Do you know what this flag means?”
Jiang Zao shook her head. “What does it mean?”
“The sun shines on the earth, dispelling all evil and bringing light to the people. And green is your favorite color.”
“So I named it Utopia.”
