I chuckled and asked, "You're quite brave, Uncle. You're not afraid of the walkers coming?"
The old man laughed and said with a hint of pride, "Why be afraid of those unnatural things? I've been butchering pigs and sheep for years, so I'm not easily scared. Those walkers are even easier to deal with than live animals."
He seemed to remember something and asked us, "By the way, what's your names? I'm getting old, and my memory isn't what it used to be."
I smiled and introduced myself, "I'm Chen Yang," and pointed to Suo Tian, "and he's Suo Tian."
Then I asked the old man, "What's your name, Uncle?"
The old man nodded and said, "Just call me Uncle Gazi."
He looked a bit embarrassed and scratched his head, saying, "Your parents must be educated people, giving you such...modern-sounding names. I'm just an old man, and people have called me 'Old Gazi' all my life. Now, even my granddaughter calls me that."
I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the old man's humorous words.
He joined in, chuckling along with me.
Then, he glanced at Suo Tian and asked me, "Are you two...a couple?"
I was taken aback, but before I could respond, Suo Tian simply nodded in agreement.
Before I could react, the old man said, "You two kids have had a tough time. You've just found each other... Ah, what's going on in the world!"
Since we didn't respond, Uncle Gazi cleared his throat and said, "If you don't mind, you can stay here with me for a few days. Those things outside will disperse in a few days, but if there are too many, it's hard to deal with."
"Thanks," Suo Tian replied quickly.
I glanced at him in surprise, wondering when he had become so quick to respond.
We chatted with Uncle Gazi for a bit, and he told us about how he had been taking care of Wang Tingyun.
When I asked about Tingyun, Uncle Gazi's face lit up with pride as he praised his granddaughter.
"You wouldn't believe how obedient Tingyun is. She's never caused any trouble, doesn't cry or fuss. A few days ago, when those...things were passing by outside, Tingyun had a fever, and I went out to find medicine. Unfortunately, those creatures showed up, and I had to run back home. I was exhausted and couldn't climb the wall, so I asked Tingyun to bar the door from the inside. When I got back, she opened the door for me, and I found out she had been watching through the door slit, waiting for me to return. There were so many walkers outside, but she didn't cry. She just waited for her grandfather."
Uncle Gazi's eyes sparkled with pride as he spoke about his granddaughter's bravery and loyalty.
As Uncle Gazi spoke, his gaze drifted to Wang Tingyun, who was tugging on Suo Tian's clothes and chatting with him.
His tone became extremely gentle.
I followed Uncle Gazi's gaze to Wang Tingyun, and the little girl didn't seem tall for her age.
However, she looked well taken care of, with rosy cheeks and bright, watery eyes.
She appeared to be around four or five years old.
Thinking about what Uncle Gazi had just said, I felt a warmth in my heart.
I recalled Zheng Rongrong, a little girl we had protected and kept safe, even in the most dangerous moments.
Compared to Rongrong, Tingyun, who was even younger, seemed unusually mature for her age.
She was likely still in preschool, and some children her age were still bottle-fed.
It was either that she was unaware of the danger or incredibly brave, but I couldn't believe that such a young child would dare to watch walkers through a door slit.
As my thoughts lingered on Tingyun, the sound of walkers roaring outside the courtyard suddenly caught our attention.
The noise was intense enough to startle us inside the house.
Tingyun heard the noise and looked up at her grandfather with wide eyes.
Uncle Gazi crouched down and opened his arms, and she ran to him, wrapping her small legs around him.
As he picked her up, she gazed in the direction of the gate, following the sound.
Suo Tian and I exchanged a glance, our hands instinctively tightening around our weapons.
Uncle Gazi noticed our tension and whispered, "Don't make a sound, they won't discover us. Don't worry, kids."
I nodded at him with a smile, thinking that we knew this already, but the cacophony of walker roars was unnerving.
The sounds outside grew louder and more intense, indicating that the horde had entered the village.
The air was filled with the cacophony of walker roars, and the atmosphere outside became chaotic.
Uncle Gazi gestured for us to move to the inner room, and I noticed a small partitioned area.
The room was modest, with a large kang occupying most of the space.
The bedding was neatly arranged, suggesting that Uncle Gazi was a meticulous person.
As I sat on the kang, I was surprised to find it was warm.
"Uncle Gazi, is the kang heated?" I asked.
Uncle Gazi chuckled and said, "Of course, I lit the fire early this morning."
I raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you worried about being discovered by the walkers outside?"
Uncle Gazi waved his hand dismissively.
"How was I supposed to know they'd show up today? We've had no problems for days."
He paused, then pulled Tingyun, who was wandering around, onto the kang and removed her shoes.
Turning to me, he said, "I've observed that those mindless creatures can't understand smoke. They just flock to the source of the smoke and disperse after a while."
I nodded understandingly, removed my shoes, and sat down on the kang.
Tingyun was struggling to pull the quilt over herself, her face reddening with effort.
I smiled and helped her spread the quilt over herself.
After covering her up, I pulled some of the quilt over myself.
Suo Tian sat dryly on the kang, leaning against the wall, his eyes fixed on me and Tingyun.
"What are you looking at?" I asked him.
Suo Tian replied, "Nothing," and turned away, closing his eyes to rest.
Uncle Gazi, who was busy tidying up, glanced at us with a smile and said, "The kang is big enough. It's cold outside with the snow melting. Today, we'll put a table in the middle, and my granddaughter and I will sleep on this side, and you two...couples can sleep on the other side."
I felt my face flush, and I was about to shake my head and decline, but Suo Tian quickly chimed in again, "Okay, thanks."
I turned to him, feeling a bit speechless.
This guy was definitely being deliberate!
Uncle Gazi seemed to be starved for conversation, chatting enthusiastically with me for hours, covering a wide range of topics, from national affairs to family anecdotes.
We both ignored the intense walker noises outside, and Tingyun had already fallen asleep beside Uncle Gazi.
Suo Tian was resting with his eyes closed, but I knew he was likely still awake, just not interested in participating in the conversation.
We both deliberately avoided discussing the current walker-infested world, indulging in a bit of self-deception, which was necessary for everyone, especially someone as optimistic as Uncle Gazi.
At least during the afternoon of idle chatter with Uncle Gazi, I felt like I had escaped the current world, as if I had truly returned to a peaceful world from the past.
This wasn't necessarily a good thing, but I was clear-headed and aware of the reality of our situation.
Sometimes, it's necessary to take a break from the world, and for me, it was a small spiritual comfort.
When we ate dinner, Uncle Gazi magically pulled out several roasted sweet potatoes from under the kang, which surprised me and almost made me laugh out loud.
How long had it been since I'd eaten something warm and comforting like this?
The last time was probably when we first arrived at the village and had a pot of cooked rice porridge.
Uncle Gazi had roasted many sweet potatoes, originally planning to save them for himself and Tingyun to enjoy slowly.
But when we arrived, he didn't hesitate to share them all with us, encouraging us to eat more.
As I bit into the warm sweet potato, I almost got emotional, and my tongue felt like it was going to slip down my throat.
I sucked in a breath and asked Uncle Gazi, "What about you and Tingyun? What will you do when we finish these?"
I was just being polite, though - if Uncle Gazi had tried to take them back, I wouldn't have given them up easily.
Fortunately, Uncle Gazi just waved his hand generously and said, "There's plenty more in the cellar. Don't worry, kid, I'll make sure you're taken care of!"
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