The drooping Bamboo leaves occasionally fluttered with the wind, making rustling sounds, carrying a unique, otherworldly feel, serene yet full of distinct charm.
In the air, there was a faint, refreshing scent of Bamboo leaves, which invigorated the senses.
It was May, and the sun shone in the center of the Bamboo Forest.
In the dense Bamboo Forest, the green Bamboo leaves blocked the scorching sun, leaving only some gentle sunlight scattered irregularly on the ground, creating dappled Bamboo shadows, picturesque and poetic.
In the very center of the Bamboo Forest, there was a pavilion.
Two couplets hung horizontally: “Horses open up the heavens, extraordinary are the dragons among men.”
There were also some huge rocks nearby, and in the center of the pavilion, there were stone benches and chairs.
A person sat there leisurely, leaning slightly against the pavilion's railing, holding a book, quietly reading.
On the table was a pot of tea; looking at the slender tea leaves, it appeared to be Longjing tea.
As Song Min slowly approached, she saw the person in the Bamboo Forest clearly; it was Li Yu.
Li Yu also heard the sound, looked up at Song Min and the others, and gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
Song Min, pushed in her wheelchair by Li Yuan, approached Li Yu.
Li Yu said nothing, and after greeting them, he paid them no further attention, instead continuing to read the book in his hand.
Song Min actually felt a bit awkward, seeing the scene, it seemed she had disturbed Li Yu, so after greeting him, she had Song Qi push her away from the Bamboo Forest.
Song Min was actually a bit bewildered inside, “This is the apocalypse, for goodness sake!”
“Yet, he still has the leisure to brew a cup of Longjing tea in a tranquil Bamboo Forest, enjoying the natural breeze, and leisurely half-reclining to read a book!”
Just now, she had secretly glanced at the book in Li Yu's hand; it seemed to be an old book from a second-hand bookstore, a rather old thread-bound edition with yellowed pages, and four characters written on the cover: “Appreciation of Song Ci.”
!!!
Song Min was a bit confused; in her mind, Li Yu had always been someone who valued efficiency and practical results, decisive and ruthless towards outsiders.
Now it seemed he also enjoyed reading?
Li Yuan, who was nearby, seemed to have noticed Song Min’s confusion, so she took the initiative to say, “I once asked my brother why he still wants the children to read now, and he even told us to read more books. I actually don’t understand what use reading has now that the apocalypse is here.”
Song Min nodded in agreement, lost in thought; she also didn't know why Li Yu wanted them all to read.
“My brother said that after killing, reading can calm his mind.”
He also said: “There is too much beauty in this world, and people always find it difficult to discover.
A person must have their own cognitive Concept, not be a rabble, focus on their own things, and on the people around them.
And the beauty of life often comes from reading useless books, doing useless things, and living a finite life, only then does life truly become flavorful.
With a finite life, one must see infinite scenery, so one must always be on the road.”
“This way, life has something to look forward to, and one won't get lost.”
These words had an extremely strong impact on Song Min.
These words were tantamount to telling her why Li Yu wanted to live in the apocalypse, what the meaning of living was, and how one should live.
Since the outbreak of the apocalypse, Song Min had experienced countless acts of resistance against zombies and countless moments of despair. Occasionally, she even thought about committing suicide, feeling that life was too bitter.
Life in the apocalypse was too bitter; she felt that “it’s better to live a bad life than to die well” was utter nonsense. However, whenever she saw her sisters beside her, she would eventually put this emotion aside and stop thinking about it.
But this issue was not resolved; it lingered there, occasionally surfacing to prick Song Min.
It was too tiring. Sometimes she found it boring, sometimes very weary, not knowing the meaning of resisting like this.
As the saying goes, “When well-fed and warm, lust arises.”
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, human needs include physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.
These five needs can be divided into two levels: physiological needs, safety needs, and emotional needs belong to the lower level, and these needs can be satisfied through external conditions;
While esteem needs and self-actualization needs are higher-level needs, which can only be satisfied through internal factors, and a person's need for esteem and self-actualization is endless.
For Song Min, she hadn't read many books, but to her, not being full wasn't something to worry about as long as one had a good mindset; one could still live happily. She would consider that utter nonsense.
Still talking nonsense when you're not even full?
But in life, many people who have a lot are still unhappy. Why? Because their hearts are empty. Why do people who suddenly become rich, perhaps due to demolition or winning the lottery, lose control of themselves and spend lavishly?
That’s because their own mindset hasn’t reached that point, and the money in their hands will also be lost through their own abilities.
That’s because their hearts are too empty, and only by constantly pursuing material desires can they continuously alleviate that emptiness.
Dr. Sperry conducted a split-brain experiment; humans have left and right brains, with the left brain being rational and the right brain emotional.
There is a conflict between the left and right brains. Many of us spend our entire lives fighting against our left and right brains.
Life is fragile, but emotion endures.
Song Min didn't quite understand, yet she somewhat comprehended. Perhaps, for Li Yu, after solving the food crisis and having killed too many people, reading might be a way to relieve stress.
In her eyes, Li Yu was so cold, killing without batting an eye, and meticulous in his thoughts, but through that scene just now, she was touched:
Perhaps, only by absorbing nourishment from books, having seen the myriad worlds within them, and cultivating an extremely vast and broad inner self, can he calmly kill many people without it impacting his inner self or causing any repercussions.
Song Min thought a lot, but Li Yu over there didn't think that much.
He actually just simply felt that the poems written by his ancestors were truly interesting.
Anyway, all the necessary tasks were already proceeding systematically, and the people who needed to be killed were still in preparation. Being tense all the time was too tiring.
Humans, in any situation, always have to find some fun for themselves.
Finding joy in suffering is also a way of finding fun.
Meanwhile, Li Tie and the others, after clearing out the building where Song Min and the others had previously been, drove trucks to transport the items back. Ding Jiu and the others who came out this time were strong and moved things very quickly.
Then, after loading the supplies hidden by the National Highway onto the trucks, Li Tie and the others began to return to the base.
On the way back, Li Tie, as instructed by Li Yu, constantly observed whether anyone was following them and then dealt with any traces left behind after driving.
When Li Tie and the others returned, Li Yu gathered everyone.
This included his second uncle, third uncle, maternal uncle, and some older relatives from the base. They had lived long and seen much, and their occasional suggestions might be somewhat insightful.
Song Min and the others also arrived.
A meeting.
The theme of the meeting revolved around one thing: how to eliminate the Salvation Army!
How to eliminate them? When to eliminate them? Where to eliminate them?
