Jiang Si wanted to call Jiang Linhai back, but he was moving so quickly he had already entered Qin Shen's yard.
When she saw the sallow, emaciated, zombie-like crowd already halfway up the slope, a jolt of fear shot through her heart. She dropped her binoculars and charged downstairs.
Her grandmother and mother were in the middle of figuring out how to grow sweet potatoes in burlap sacks, while her grandfather sat off to the side, reading a medical book. Hearing her frantic footsteps, they all stood up in unison, their faces tense. "What's happened?"
Jiang Si spoke rapidly as she pulled defensive weapons from her dimensional space. "People from the city are here! They've already broken into several houses in the village, robbing and killing. Dad just went out, so he might be in danger. You all guard the house while I go get him." She laid out the items. "Here's a crossbow, nail guns, firecrackers, explosives, a Tang knife, and a bulletproof vest. Grandpa, attack them if the situation calls for it. And don't open this door unless you hear me or Dad call out. Do you understand?"
Jiang Chengwu's kind expression instantly turned sharp. He snatched the Tang knife from the ground and held out an arm to block Jiang Si. "It's too dangerous out there. I'll go. You stay here!"
Jiang Si had no time to argue with Jiang Chengwu at such a critical moment. "Listen to me!" she commanded, her voice unyielding. "You're staying home to protect Grandma and Mom! That's what we agreed on!"
Jiang Chengwu's voice was heavy. "You have to be safe!"
"Right!"
Jiang Si strode to the courtyard gate, where Zhang Qingzhi and Shen Baoying stood with nail guns in hand, tears already streaming down their faces.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—
Before Jiang Si could even pull the gate open, a frantic knocking erupted from the other side.
Her grandfather, grandmother, and mother all held their breath. In a single, unified motion, they raised their nail guns and shouted to Jiang Si, "Sisi, get back here!"
The words had barely left their lips when Jiang Linhai's urgent voice called from outside. "Sisi, don't worry! It's me!"
Jiang Si moved before she could think. The instant she opened the gate, she yanked Jiang Linhai inside.
The moment the gate slammed shut, the mob was already charging toward Qin Shen's house.
Jiang Si's pupils contracted. 'Thank God he made it back in time.'
'Otherwise, he would have been cornered right at our gate.'
Jiang Linhai dropped a wild boar's leg on the ground, panting for breath. "Sisi... get the firecrackers ready..."
Before he could finish, the heavy iron gate began to shudder under repeated blows. CLANG! CLANG!
Judging by the chaotic rhythm of the impacts, there were at least a dozen people outside.
As Jiang Chengwu went to get the firecrackers, the pounding grew more violent. A cacophony of voices—men, women, old, and young—rose from outside. "Give us a little food! Please, just a little something to eat!"
"Open the door! We have three children with us, the youngest is only three! We haven't eaten in three days! I'm begging you... forget about us, just give the children one bite of food!"
Jiang Chengwu, who had been about to light the firecrackers, froze. He couldn't bring himself to use them against a three-year-old child.
A moment later, the feeble, listless cry of a little girl drifted through the gate.
Her grandmother's heart ached. "Sisi," she said, her voice softening, "maybe we should give the children a little something to eat."
It wasn't that Jiang Si was so hard-hearted she wouldn't even spare a little for a child.
She had seen them through the binoculars. It was a large group. If they gave them anything, it would only attract more and more people to their gate.
Even though they had raised their courtyard wall by a meter and topped it with broken glass and razor wire, it wasn't impossible for someone to get over.
Jiang Si frowned. "Grandma, if our gate hadn't been so sturdy, they would have already stormed in to rob us or kill us. If we give the children food now, what's to stop them from staying right here, demanding more? Or looking for a chance to climb the wall?"
"Grandma, it's not that I want to assume the worst of people. It's that I already lived through ten years of this in my past life!"
"Isn't what's been happening in the village lately enough to make you see?"
"Besides, people can still catch fish in the river or find things to eat in the forest. They haven't truly hit rock bottom yet, but they're already trying to force food out of us. Have you really thought this through?"
Zhang Qingzhi had been a kind woman her entire life. Listening to the children's choked, gasping cries from outside, she couldn't bear it. She lowered her gaze and let out a heavy sigh. "I understand."
'She pitied those poor children, but she pitied her own family more. In the end, everyone is selfish.' It was a grim confirmation that Jiang Si's predictions would likely come true.
In the extreme heat, the unshaded area by the gate was like the inside of a furnace.
No matter how much the people outside pleaded or wailed, the family inside remained silent.
'The ones who broke into Qin Shen's house next door have probably eaten their fill by now.'
Zhong Manting, who was holding her daughter, shot to her feet. The pleading look on her face twisted into one of pure malice. She ordered the men, "They want to be cold-blooded? They won't even spare us a crumb? Then use your knives, pry that door open, and kill everyone inside!"
CLANG! CLANG!
The men, who had been itching for a fight, took turns trying to pry the door open with their kitchen cleavers. But the security door was too solid. Their hands went numb from the jarring impacts, yet not a single lock so much as budged.
"Damn it! This piece of shit door!"
Zhong Manting looked up. She saw how high the wall was, topped with razor wire and broken glass. The malice in her eyes intensified. "Then light a fire! We'll smoke them out!"
"Yeah, light a fire! Let's see how the bastards hide then!"
Hearing the discussion outside, Zhang Qingzhi's heart leaped into her throat. She instinctively turned to Jiang Si. "What do we do?"
Jiang Si's expression darkened. "The house is coated in fire-retardant paint, and there's nothing flammable nearby. We don't have to worry about a fire. Dad, use the nail gun. Shoot them in the eye through the door's viewing slit!"
A single bundle of explosives could have ended this, but ultimately, Jiang Si didn't want to harm the innocent children.
The gaps underneath the gate and steps had been completely sealed with cement and bricks.
Jiang Si and Jiang Linhai put on safety goggles and crept toward the gate. The people outside, completely oblivious, were busy gathering nearby branches and tying them into bundles for kindling. Their bloodshot eyes burned with the desire to see the entire family burn alive.
The security door was reinforced with a viewing slit. They aimed the nail gun through it. SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! A volley of nails shot out, and bloodcurdling screams erupted one after another.
Zhong Manting's husband shrieked, clutching his eye as blood poured through his fingers. He had no idea where the nails had come from.
Of the eight men, four were shot in the eye. One was hit in the temple and died instantly. The other three suffered injuries of varying severity.
Zhong Manting snatched up her daughter and faced the iron gate. Her face was pale, and her venomous glare was like that of a demon from hell. "Why won't you give us a chance to live?!" she shrieked, her voice a twisted roar. "Why are you forcing us to die?! We just wanted a little food! Why wouldn't you give it to us?! WHY?! WHY?!"
She slammed her fists against the door, as if, denied food, she was now begging Jiang Si to grant her the release of death.
'Just moments ago, Zhong Manting was arrogantly threatening to kill their whole family. Nothing she said now warranted any sympathy.'
Jiang Si took aim at the hysterical Zhong Manting. But just then, the child in her arms opened her mouth and whimpered, "Mama, so hungry... so hungry..."
The child's voice was faint, on the verge of fading completely. Jiang Si hesitated. At that moment, Zhong Manting's will to survive flared anew. She scrambled to the side, grabbed the others, and said urgently, "Let's go! Hurry! We'll try another house! With this many of us, we're bound to get some food!"