Golden Bull Farm was locked down, its gates barred. Our requests were ignored—they refused to let us in!
Fine, we understood! They were afraid we might bring the virus or infected companions. If that happened, this small farm would face utter ruin!
Helpless, we had to abandon the idea of sheltering there and pushed forward to the next stop!
The road between the two farms was surprisingly wide and smooth—not a zombie or vehicle in sight!
So, in just a few hours, long before midnight, we reached our destination: Peach Spring Farm!
Of course, the farm entrance was also tightly locked, heavily guarded.
My heart sank—what if Peach Spring Farm also refused to take us in? With the elderly and children in tow, where could we take refuge in this wilderness?
Jianan remained calm. He led me to the iron gate, where guards and sentries stood inside.
"Please inform Farm Director Jiang that Zhao Jianan has returned with his family," he said to them. Earlier, he'd told me that Jiang Li, the farm director, was his high school classmate. After graduation, Jianan left the farm for university in Bincheng, later settling there to work and marry. Jiang Li, after college, returned to develop the farm—and in recent years, had even become farm director!
As the saying goes, no matter where you are, making something of yourself is what counts!
Unexpectedly, the gatekeeper said, "Director Jiang isn't at the farm. The person in charge now is Third Brother, captain of the fire brigade."
Third Brother's surname was Li—also Jianan's classmate. Back in high school, they'd been into martial arts novels—ten close buddies sworn as brothers. Third Brother's real name was Li Youwei, but everyone called him "Third Brother." In a small farm, once a name caught on, it stuck. At first glance, it sounded like a gangster nickname, but he was actually the captain of the farm's only fire brigade.
So, whether it was Jiang Li or Li Youwei in charge, Jianan didn't mind.
The sentry went in, and soon a square-headed man came running out. I'd met Third Brother before—the first time I came to the farm with Jianan to arrange our wedding, Jianan was bombarded by his classmates: three meals a day, all with baijiu. Farm folk had astounding alcohol tolerance—unbeatable! But while they loved to drink, they had one virtue: they never pressured others, only themselves. Third Brother was the classic example—often, while others were just starting, he'd already downed three large glasses himself. His eyes would glaze over, his speech would slur—a warm-hearted, genuine, slightly stubborn man. He'd been the most enthusiastic organizer of our wedding!
"Ah Nan! Sister-in-law! You actually made it back! I heard the cities fell—hardly any survivors. I thought you were… But you're back! This is wonderful, just wonderful! Your mom couldn't reach you—she was worried sick!" Third Brother's loud, booming voice rang out as he rushed forward and grabbed my hand. Uh…
Yes, Third Brother had one small flaw—but otherwise, he was great. Yet that small flaw made me uncomfortable: he was a bit too enthusiastic toward me. Once, after drinking, he held my hand and earnestly recounted childhood stories—I couldn't shake him off… But Jianan said he'd always been like that since childhood—no need to mind him. Of course, Jianan always smoothly freed my hand with a laugh. Hey, everyone has their quirks, right?
But after life-and-death struggles, seeing an old acquaintance felt indescribably familiar—so I forgave his enthusiasm once again!
Third Brother looked behind us and exclaimed, "Wow, Ah Nan, Sister-in-law, you've got quite a family! All came together, eh?"
Jianan smiled. "Third Brother, these are all comrades who've lived and died with us—no different from family. We hope you can take in our whole crew."
Third Brother hesitated slightly. I quickly said, "I heard you're in charge of the whole farm now! Even the director's stepped back. Third Brother, you're a real hero! In times like these, being in charge means bearing the burden—it's not easy! Not everyone can do it. Third Brother, thank you on behalf of all of us!"
Third Brother immediately brightened. "Sister-in-law, we're all family—no need for thanks! Hey, Xiao Zheng! Open the gate! These are my dear brother, sister-in-law, and kin! Hurry up!"
So, sentry Xiao Zheng quickly opened the gate, and our convoy slowly drove onto the farm's smooth streets.
I warmly invited Third Brother to ride with Jianan and me into the farm.
On the way, I asked if there was a place suitable for nearly 200 people.
Third Brother suggested we settle at the North Sky Green Food Factory within the farm. The factory director was from the city—after the incident, he'd ignored劝阻 (dissuasion), shut down the factory, dismissed the workers, and driven off with his family, saying they'd fly to Japan from the city. There'd been no news since. Now the whole factory was empty—no owner, no workers—but fully equipped: worker dormitories, a large cafeteria, high walls, and thick iron gates. It was an ideal place for our 100–200 people to camp.
I asked about the current number of survivors on the farm. Third Brother said around 100—originally, the farm had more people, but many loved going to the city. Well-off families had cars—they'd go to Anji City daily for shopping, movies, socializing, clubbing, meeting online friends…
Sadly, of those in the city when it happened, only one made it back. The rest were probably lost forever.
When I asked about current living conditions, his answer thrilled me!
They could still live normally—the farm was truly a treasure! It didn't rely on city water but on groundwater extracted by the farm's own large pump, providing pure water daily!
There was even a small power plant on the farm! As long as the equipment survived, life here remained normal—water, electricity, and rice!
As the local, Jianan suppressed his eagerness to see his mother and first led the tired group to North Sky Green Food Processing Plant.
The factory was huge—about two soccer fields in size! Besides the main office building facing the gate, there were two dormitory buildings on the right, a large cafeteria behind, two processing workshops further back, and a freezing warehouse at the rear. This was a major modern enterprise focused on organic vegetables—production, processing, R&D, farming, domestic sales, and foreign trade! Impressive! It could process 9,000 tons of frozen products annually!
My mother-in-law had sent us several boxes of this factory's frozen vegetables—the taste was incredible!
Who'd have thought that after eating their frozen beans, we'd now occupy the factory?
Just goes to show—life is unpredictable!
Dorms were separated by gender—perfect! Everyone, families or singles, got their own rooms. The joy felt like liberation after a long struggle!
Though the farm relied on pumped groundwater, the pure, non-recyclable spring water meant rationed supply: 6–9 a.m. and 2–8 p.m. daily. Water was off now, but Third Brother had someone open the valves for North Sky Green's pipes. We needed water for drinking, cooking, and washing—a thoughtful gesture!
Scheduled water supply couldn't compare to the city's 24-hour flow, but in this world, it was more than enough!
You only cherish what you've lost!
When the electric lights came on, everyone cheered… We hadn't seen electricity since hitting the road!
Peach Spring Farm was truly a paradise!
Second Brother and Xi Yan insisted on staying with our family of five. Easy—a row of rooms: grandparents at the end, then Jianan, me, and Shuai Shuai, then Second Brother, with Xi Yan next door. Everyone was satisfied.
Vehicles were parked in the rear yard, and supplies were moved to the production workshop behind the cafeteria—no need for freezing.
The factory had housed far more workers than us—the cafeteria was massive, seating over a thousand! Many dorm rooms were empty, giving everyone personal space again.
We'd returned to civilization!
The women voluntarily started preparing dinner in the cafeteria. Third Brother sent a truck of fresh greens and pork! Green vegetables—farm-grown! Fresh meat—recently slaughtered! We'd almost forgotten the taste of fresh food after endless canned goods!
Just as we were about to head to my mother-in-law's, she arrived herself—Third Brother, seeing us busy, had quietly sent a car for her!
Overjoyed to see us safe, she wiped tears. Jianan, reserved, also secretly brushed away tears—after so long, finally seeing his mother safe.
"Mom, why not move in with us? It's crowded—I don't know if you mind noise," I said, holding her hand. My mother-in-law was small, thin, but tough—after two surgeries in Bincheng, she never complained despite pain, even cheering up other patients. An extraordinary woman—I'd always admired her!
"No, I prefer quiet. I'll stay home—just a few streets away. I just missed my grandson! My big grandson, let Grandma hold you—I missed you so much!" Seeing Shuai Shuai, she stopped crying, hugged him, and kissed his chubby cheek.
Shuai Shuai stared blankly at the kind old lady. Grandma had visited him in Bincheng when he was little, but after six months apart, he seemed not to recognize her.
"Shuai Shuai, call Grandma!" Grandma urged, smiling. In-laws reuniting felt deeply warm!
"Grandma…" Shuai Shuai cleverly complied, though he seemed hesitant, studying her face.
He might not grasp what "Grandma" meant, but childhood memories likely told him she wasn't a stranger.
"Dinner's ready! Sis Duo, Brother Jianan, hurry!" Jin Di, now tall at 12, came to call us. Seeing him, Jianan and I exchanged glances—damn! We'd forgotten Sixth Brother and Paolo!
"Mom, take Shuai Shuai to eat. We need to fetch someone—we'll be right there!" We hurriedly sent the grandparents ahead, then sneaked off to find Sixth Brother at his vehicle.