I got dressed and walked over to tease her a little.
Maybe it was because she was in a good mood that morning, but the little one didn't shy away like she had in the past few days.
Instead, she giggled and played with me cheerfully.
Uncle Gazi, who had just come in from outside, saw us and immediately burst out laughing.
"You two, such a pair of wild girls!"
I looked at the giggling Wang Tingyun, then at Uncle Gazi, who was laughing heartily, and nodded to myself.
No doubt they were real grandfather and granddaughter—identical expressions when they laughed.
I got dressed and walked over to tease her a little.
Maybe it was because she was in a good mood that morning, but the little one didn't shy away like she had in the past few days.
Instead, she giggled and played with me cheerfully.
Uncle Gazi, who had just come in from outside, saw us and immediately burst out laughing.
"You two, such a pair of wild girls!"
I looked at the giggling Wang Tingyun, then at Uncle Gazi, who was laughing heartily, and nodded to myself.
No doubt they were real grandfather and granddaughter—identical expressions when they laughed.
Since we still had a journey ahead, we didn't linger long.
After quickly finishing breakfast, we got ready to head out.
It wasn't until we stepped into the courtyard that I noticed the corn and chili peppers that had been hanging out to dry were now gone—most likely packed into the car.
Suo Tian was standing by the gate, scanning the surroundings.
The driver's door was open.
When he saw us come out, he gave us a glance, then climbed into the car.
I had originally planned to sit in the back, but Uncle Gazi insisted that the backseat was now piled high with chili peppers and corn.
He said it'd be too stuffy and the chili powder might bother me, so he insisted I sit in the front seat with Tingyun on my lap.
I wanted to refuse—I knew full well he was intentionally saving the more comfortable seat for me and Tingyun—but I suffer from motion sickness, and anyone with it knows that sitting in the front passenger seat, with a clear view, helps a lot.
If I were stuck in the back, the nausea would kick in quickly.
During the many days we had traveled before, I had always ridden in the front seat.
Funny enough, neither Yangyang nor my parents get carsick—it's just me, the only one in the whole family.
After Uncle Gazi closed the main gate, he turned and opened the back door of the car.
But he hesitated for a moment and didn't get in right away.
Instead, he stared blankly at the house for a long while, an expression on his face that was hard to describe.
I followed his gaze, scanning the house.
It was a simple farmhouse, nothing particularly special.
Then I looked back at Uncle Gazi.
His aged face was filled with reluctance.
He had lived here his whole life.
Even after the apocalypse wiped out the entire village, he stayed here with his granddaughter.
And now that he was finally leaving, his heart must've been heavy.
Suo Tian sat quietly nearby, scanning the surroundings with rare patience.
Wang Tingyun, completely unaware of her grandfather's thoughts, was curiously fiddling with random things, full of innocent wonder.
I kissed her on the cheek, then turned to Uncle Gazi and said softly, "It's getting late. Let's get going. Maybe someday, when things settle down, we can come back."
Of course, that last part was just to comfort him.
Uncle Ga could tell.
Sure enough, when he heard my words, his weathered face twisted into a helpless, bitter smile.
His mouth moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.
He simply let out a long sigh and shook his head.
The bitter smile deepened as he got into the car.
From that moment on, he never looked back at the house again.
He only replied to me with a calm tone, "I used to think these old bones would die in that house I've lived in for decades. But now… it looks like I won't be that lucky."
Suo Tian started the car and slowly began driving forward.
I didn't look back, just responded to Uncle Gazi, "What are you talking about? With how strong and healthy you are, you might just live another hundred years or so."
Uncle Gazi chuckled and replied, "Girl, you're talking about a tortoise, not your Uncle Gazi."
I'm not sure if Tingyun understood what he meant, but as soon as she heard his words, the little girl burst into giggles.
Maybe it was her laughter that lifted Uncle Gazi's spirits a bit, as his tone softened and he said, "Yuntou'er, you remember this — this place is our home. Your father and your grandpa have both lived here our whole lives."
Wang Tingyun sat on my lap, turned her head, and craned her neck to glance back at Uncle Gazi.
She grinned with a silly smile — clearly, she didn't understand what he meant.
Uncle Gazi was amused by her and laughed out loud.
His tone was doting but helpless as he said, "What are we gonna do with this little rascal… such a clueless little thing."
Since Suo Tian and I came in from the farmland side, we obviously couldn't take the car back through that way.
In the end, Uncle Gazi guided us through turn after turn, winding through various paths for over an hour before we finally made it back to the road leading into Zhang Hongsheng's village.
The snow on the road had already melted, probably thanks to the good weather over the past couple of days.
Most of the road was already dry, with only a bit of snow lingering on the trees and shrubs along the roadside.
The car moved steadily along the road.
The sun outside was bright, and if it weren't for the chilly wind blowing in through the open window, I would've definitely rolled it all the way down and taken a deep breath of the fresh spring air of this newly awakened world.
Because we had taken so many detours earlier, now that we were back on this road, we actually had to pass in front of Zhang Hongsheng's village again.
When I noticed the village, I couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions — just a few days ago, when we first turned in there, who could've imagined that so much would happen before we left?
So many people died.
If we hadn't chosen to detour into that village back then, what would have happened to Oldman Bai and the others?
Would they have continued trying to fill that pit with children?
And when even fewer people were left alive, what would they have done then?
Kept using the remaining survivors to fill it, to appease the souls of the dead?
I didn't want to ask Suo Tian again what really happened when they charged into the Zhang family's courtyard that day — what drove them to open fire and kill everyone.
No matter what the truth was, those people were now gone.
Since they had all passed on, questioning the details would be meaningless.
Humans truly are the strangest creatures in this world.
A blend of pity and absurdity.
I suddenly recalled something I read back when I was still working — a line from the preface of Thunderstorm, written by Cao Yu:
"I thought of how pitiful humans are, striding forward full of ambition as if they were masters of their fate, when often they are not. Toyed with by their own emotions and understanding — or by some unknown force, be it chance or environment — they live in narrow cages, yet proudly believe they roam freely in an open world. Aren't we, the so-called 'spirit of all things,' just doing the most foolish thing of all?"
Back when I first read that line, I only sighed at how brilliant Cao Yu's writing was — how deeply and sharply he understood human nature.
But at the time, that was all it was to me: something to think about vaguely, something to comment on casually.
Yet now, looking at the desolate village we were about to pass, I suddenly felt as though I truly understood the meaning behind Cao Yu's words.
Ever since we left the village, Uncle Gazi seemed in better spirits.
He kept chatting about amusing stories from his youth while looking out the car window.
I forced myself to stay focused and listen, but I couldn't help zoning out from time to time.
Maybe all kids get sleepy in the car — not long after we started moving, little Tingyun leaned her head against me and drifted into a deep sleep.
To save fuel, we didn't turn on the heater.
Uncle Gazi rummaged through the things he packed yesterday in the backseat and handed me a thin blanket, signaling for me to cover Tingyun with it.
I took it and spread it over both Tingyun and myself, then leaned my head back against the seat with a long exhale.
Tilting my head, I looked out the window.
The weather today was truly beautiful — the sunlight was so bright and warm, it felt like it was clearing away the heaviness in my heart.
"When are we gonna get there?" Uncle Gazi asked from the back seat.
"Before noon," Suo Tian replied.
I also turned to look at him. "Do you even know the exact location? The shelter can't just be right by the roadside, right?"
Suo Tian glanced at me and said, "If an entire neighborhood has been turned into a shelter, then the whole area would be designated. We'll definitely be able to see it."
Uncle Gazi chimed in, "That's right, girl, what's with your memory? I already told you — it's one of those tall residential buildings, real tall. What was it called again… Yi He Garden? Or was it Manor? Ah, I can never get those fancy names right. But it's around there somewhere."
He paused, then continued, "If it's a government-established shelter, it's gotta be big, right? Something you can see! Think about the old town or county government buildings — weren't they always huge?"
I couldn't help but laugh at what Uncle Gazi said.
I was about to tell him that this wasn't the same thing at all — but on second thought, maybe it actually was.
Uncle Gazi had a point.
Government projects always carried a sense of grandeur.
Even a temporary refuge for disaster survivors like us wouldn't be something small.
Otherwise, everyone might as well just stay in their own homes.
Why go through all the trouble of finding a government shelter?
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