Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Xu Xiaoyan and Wang Yuming were quick and skillful in their selection; in no time, they had piled up about twenty small, round, green watermelons beside them.

"This should be enough for the four of us to eat for several days," Xu Xiaoyan straightened up and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.

Wang Yuming nodded in agreement. These watermelons were quite heavy, and any more would be difficult for them to carry.

Not long after, the soldier who had returned with the message arrived back with nearly twenty comrades.

The once quiet mountain valley suddenly became lively, as the soldiers were clearly used to this kind of work and were extremely efficient.

They were scattered throughout the melon field, like skilled farmers, accurately judging the ripeness of the watermelons, quickly picking, passing, and gathering them one by one.

With many hands make light work. In just fifteen minutes, all the ripe and semi-ripe watermelons within sight were picked clean, piling up on the ground into a small green "hill".

Then, as if by magic, the soldiers produced bundles of thick burlap sacks and began to pack the watermelons into them. The bulging sacks were stacked neatly.

Xu Xiaoyan and Wang Yuming were worried about how to move their twenty or so watermelons.

A soldier in charge of distribution came over carrying two empty sacks and readily handed them to them, saying, "Here, these are your portions. Pack them up and carry them; it'll be more convenient."

This really solved our immediate problem!

Xu Xiaoyan quickly accepted the watermelons and thanked them gratefully, "Thank you so much! Otherwise, we really wouldn't know how to transport these watermelons back."

Wang Yuming smiled and thanked them, inwardly marveling that following a disciplined and well-thought-out team could indeed save a lot of trouble.

The two quickly packed the watermelons into sacks, and soon everyone had a sack of watermelons on their backs, and the group began to return along the same route in an orderly fashion.

As dusk settled, the group finally found a clear, winding stream at the foot of the mountain.

Commander Li surveyed the surrounding terrain and decisively ordered, "We'll camp by the stream tonight! We'll deal with those two and a half wild boars, have a good meal for everyone, and keep the remaining half for the journey!"

As soon as the order was given, the entire camp immediately became lively.

The soldiers had clear divisions of labor and worked quickly; some were skilled at butchering wild boars, some gathered firewood, and some were on guard duty.

The slaughtered wild boar was quickly cut into evenly sized pieces of meat, and the air began to fill with a faint smell of blood and the aroma of meat that was about to fill the air.

Several campfires rose in the center of the camp, their flickering flames illuminating tired yet expectant faces.

Because the army was so large, the cooking utensils were extremely limited; the entire army had only one huge iron wok.

The veteran in charge of the meals, whom everyone called Lao Gao, led a few helpers to repeatedly scrub the precious iron pot by the stream before placing it on the hottest fire.

"The first pot should be given to the wounded and the brothers on duty!" Old Gao's loud voice echoed through the valley.

Clear stream water was poured into the pot, followed by large chunks of pork. As the water temperature rose, a rich aroma of meat began to waft out, whetting the appetite.

The soldiers arrived in an orderly fashion, following the pre-arranged batches to collect their meat soup.

Everyone gets a big spoonful of piping hot, oily broth, with several pieces of tender, stewed pork lying inside.

They squatted or sat around the fire, blowing on it and sipping hot soup, their faces showing the most contented expressions they had seen in days.

Xu Xiaoyan and the others each took a bowl and lined up to receive their share.

The bowl was a lightweight metal bowl, filled with hot soup.

Four or five solid pieces of pork sank to the bottom of the bowl, and the broth, due to its simple cooking, presented its original milky white color and had a fragrant aroma.

"It smells so good!" Wang Yuming took a deep breath and couldn't wait to take a bite. It was so hot that he stuck out his tongue, but he couldn't bear to stop.

Weng Beiyan carefully blew on a small piece of meat to cool it down before feeding it to her younger sister, who was leaning against her luggage and still looked pale.

Weng Nanque forced herself to eat, and a trace of warmth finally returned to her weak face.

Xu Xiaoyan held the warm bowl, her gaze sweeping across the camp. Firelight flickered, and people sat together, enjoying this hard-won meal.

The tension and fatigue of the past few days seemed to melt away temporarily in the rich aroma of meat and the warmth of the campfire.

Old Gao and his helpers were so busy they barely had time to breathe. Once a pot was empty, they would immediately wash it, add more water and pork, and start cooking the second and third pots…

Make every effort to ensure that everyone gets a sufficient portion.

That night, the fullness in my stomach and the warmth of the campfire became the best comfort.

The exhaustion after a hearty meal quickly lulled most people into a deep sleep, leaving only the occasional crackling of firewood and even snores at the campsite by the stream.

Xu Xiaoyan was leaning against her backpack, her consciousness gradually fading, when she was suddenly awakened by a sharp shout that pierced the night sky!

"Who goes there?! Come out!!!" The soldier's alert voice, like a thunderclap, instantly shattered the tranquility of the night.

Almost simultaneously, the previously dormant camp seemed to be switched on, and everyone quickly got up within seconds and went on alert.

The soldiers instinctively grabbed their weapons and scanned sharply toward the source of the sound—downstream.

In the darkness, a dozen or so shadowy figures could be vaguely seen, cautiously approaching the camp.

As they drew closer, illuminated by the flickering embers of the campfire, they could see that the group consisted of more than a dozen men, women, and children.

They were all dressed in rags, emaciated, and their faces were filled with exhaustion and fear.

The leader was a middle-aged man of about forty years old. Seeing that he had been discovered, he mustered his courage and walked a few steps quickly to the edge of the camp.

He addressed the armed soldiers, his voice tinged with a mixture of pity and urgency:

"Comrades of the People's Liberation Army! We've finally found you! My name is Qiu Dasheng. Our village has been robbed by local tyrants. Our fields and houses have all been seized!"

"We simply couldn't survive any longer, so I led my family of over ten people to escape, and now we've finally run into you all!"

Seeing that the soldiers all had expressionless faces, Qiu Dasheng's bright eyes darted around, and he immediately changed his tone, saying:

"We are old and young, and we are all struggling to survive! You are wearing these military uniforms, how can you just stand by and watch us starve to death?"

How can you live with yourselves? If you don't help us today, we... we really won't survive!

Protecting us and feeding us is your responsibility!

This self-righteous "demand" instantly banished all sleepiness from Xu Xiaoyan, who had just been awakened.

She could hardly believe her ears; how could there be such a shameless person in the world?

Why do they immediately and presumptuously shift the responsibility for their own and their entire family's survival onto others?