“Regardless of wind and moon, I write the preface, waiting for your return.
A brushstroke, a masterpiece, the waves on that shore ripple endlessly.
How to understand love? No matter how I write, it's never right.
And I am missing your lifelong understanding.”
At sunset, Li Yu stood on the mountaintop observation tower, listening to music with headphones, feeling a surge of emotion.
Old Zhou’s songs are truly enduring, and Old Fang’s lyrics are beautiful.
However, with the passage of time, there was no longer an opportunity to hear Old Zhou’s songs live.
The gentle evening breeze rustled the leaves in the mountain forest.
Birds returned to their nests, stirring up a commotion.
Standing on the high ground, watching the sun set, seeing the sunset gradually descend.
The wind rustled through the trees, the evening darkness, a rustling sound, yet it brought a sense of peace.
This scenery made one feel happy.
Seeing all this, Li Yu thought about some current matters at the base:
The first was the spring plowing.
The base now had 150 people, a considerable size.
Li Yu had never imagined the base would develop to such a large population when he built it.
It was just natural development, going with the flow.
Currently, there was no food shortage, and An Ya, who was in charge of agricultural planting, was already leading everyone in spring plowing.
The planting of early rice was very important, especially since an area in the Outer City was also planned for cultivation.
This month's planting task was severe; there were nearly twenty mu in the Outer City, over thirty mu in the Inner City, and almost 10 mu of indoor planting.
In total, over sixty mu of farmland needed to be cultivated, and the planting of early rice had to be done quickly, so the planting pressure would be a bit high recently.
The second was to strengthen the base's defenses.
As early as the previous plan, trenches were to be dug around the base to resist zombies or enemies.
Now there were several excavators available at the base, but more gasoline and diesel needed to be stockpiled, as it was always better to have more of these things than less.
The third was to modify the giant loader.
During Li Hang and his team's last outing, they were looking for this giant loader. To transport it back, they encountered Hua Chuanlong and his group, and even got injured later.
But the modification was urgent. Spring had arrived, and in Lingnan at this time, a spring rainy season would soon come, and then there might be another zombie tide.
The fourth was to find a way to make bullets.
Bullets needed to use titanium alloy and sealing tin.
The ammunition inside needed sulfur powder and black powder. First, a mold would be made to shape the bullet head and the push-seal cap.
Then, sulfur powder and black powder would be filled in at a 10:1 ratio, the push-seal cap would be placed on top, and sealed with sealing tin.
But the biggest problem was the bullet manufacturing materials, which included black powder, iron blocks, and brass.
Secondly, there was the bullet manufacturing equipment, the press. But this kind of thing was basically unobtainable before the apocalypse.
However, it didn't stump Third Uncle. Who knew what Third Uncle had experienced, but he knew how to make a progressive press.
This thing, he could make it with just a few parts. Although the efficiency of making bullets wasn't very high, an old hand using a progressive reloading machine could load 500 rounds per hour.
That was already enough.
This progressive press included the upper loading die, performing decapping, resizing, priming, bullet seating, and other operations.
And a progressive press was when the dies required for several steps were installed in appropriate positions, also including the powder charging tool; each time the handle was pulled, the casing would advance one position, allowing different dies to perform different steps;
When the casing had gone through all positions, what came out was a loaded bullet.
When Li Yu first heard Third Uncle say all this, he was completely bewildered.
Although he didn't understand much of what Third Uncle said, just hearing him talk made him feel very impressed.
Currently, the most important tasks before them were spring plowing and then improving the base's defenses.
As for bullets, because they had obtained millions of bullets from the Military Base last time, they had enough to last them for a long time.
Recently, due to the Safe City incident, Li Yu and his team were busy for a while.
The day after Li Yu returned from the Safe City, he saw An Ya and Third Uncle planting in the base.
Because this area of land was flat, the seeder could be used, which saved them a lot of manpower and time.
Watching An Ya and a group of people planting, especially after checking some of the crops planted indoors, he saw that these crops were developing very well.
Walking along the ridges, he saw them dividing their work, some moving seedlings, others driving machines to sow.
Under the sun, Li Yu looked at this lush green expanse, full of vitality, and sincerely felt that it was correct to have An Ya join.
Li Yu looked at the busy An Ya and walked over.
An Ya saw Li Yu, the head of the base, and quickly stepped forward to report some basic information:
“General Li, we currently have a total of sixty mu of usable planting area. The indoor planting section has now been completed, covering rice, corn, and some fruits and vegetables.
Also, I suggest that we primarily plant rice in the plains, as this is more suitable for large-scale cultivation.
The terraced fields opened up in the mountain forest can be used to plant other crops, such as sweet potatoes.
The seedlings are ready now and should be done in about five days.
However, the twenty mu in the Outer City needs to be re-cultivated, so we will need to use a tractor.
Also, can we have more manpower here? It's still a bit tight.”
Li Yu listened to what An Ya told him and felt very satisfied. It seemed that An Ya was indeed an agricultural talent.
So he said, “Regarding the planting area in the Outer City, I will talk to He Chao and his team and ask them to provide some manpower to help with the cultivation.
As for the tractor you mentioned, there should still be some in the warehouse. There were three or four before. You can find Li Hang later, and he’ll take you to get them.”
Hearing Li Yu solve her problem, An Ya's already not-so-fair face became a bit reddish.
Dark with a touch of red.
Looking at An Ya's slightly dark and reddish face, Li Yu felt like smiling. Especially since he often heard his grandfather praise her, saying she was indeed an agricultural expert, much more professional.
And he heard that An Ya often spent all her time in the indoor planting base to research cultivation plans more suitable for the base's environment and increase yields.
Perhaps she loved agriculture, which was why she worked so hard, but since she had put in so much effort, as the person in charge of the base, Li Yu wanted to reward her.
So he said to An Ya, “Is there anything you want?”
An Ya thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, “No, things are great as they are now. Many ideas I wanted to implement before can now be put into practice, and I think it's wonderful. I am very satisfied with how things are.”
Looking at this simple and unpretentious young girl with a healthy tan on her face, Li Yu couldn't help but feel that An Ya was truly reassuring.
Then he asked, “Where are your family members? Next time we go out, I’ll have them help look for them.”
An Ya heard Li Yu's words and replied directly, “I am an orphan. I grew up in an orphanage. After the apocalypse broke out, I went to the orphanage I came from, but everyone was gone.”
After speaking, she seemed to remember something and said to Li Yu, “If possible, can Xiao Shi not feed the pigs anymore? She’s actually a bit afraid of pigs, but she’s never dared to tell you. She told me before that she wants to work on planting with me.
How about letting her come over and help me?”
There wasn't much sadness in her words, nor much emotional fluctuation; she was just stating a fact.
But precisely because of this, it was even more touching.
For a young girl like her to be so strong was already very admirable.
But she was not only strong but also possessed a detached mindset, easily content, and still thought of helping others.
A heart of gold.
This deeply moved Li Yu.
Thinking of that somewhat quirky little girl, he hadn't realized she was afraid of feeding pigs, and he hadn't expected her to be so stubborn.
She never told him.
Work in the fields with An Ya?
Li Yu found it a bit amusing. Was farming simpler than feeding pigs?
So he smiled and said, “Sure, I don’t know what she can do. She chose to feed pigs herself, but if she doesn’t want to now, that’s fine too.
I’ll ask her. If she wants to come and work in the fields with you, I’ll let her come and help you.”
“Thank you. General Li, you are a good person,” An Ya said sincerely.
Good person?
Would a good person kill so many people like a butcher?
Would a good person be so cold-blooded and ruthless?
Li Yu chuckled self-deprecatingly. He didn't answer.
Perhaps An Ya hadn't seen Li Yu's other side yet.
But she would have the chance to see it in the future.
After leaving An Ya, Li Yu went directly to the pigsty.
Before even reaching the pigsty, he could smell a strong odor of pig manure.
And upon reaching the pigsty entrance, he heard a sound from inside:
“Don’t come closer, ah! Don’t come closer! I’m telling you, don’t come closer! Woo woo woo~”
Hearing this, Li Yu couldn't help but laugh mercilessly.
Xiao Shi was really afraid of pigs.
At the time, she acted quite stubborn, saying she would feed the pigs. To prove her capability, she stubbornly took on the task and had persevered until now.
Li Yu walked to the entrance and saw such a scene.
A "fully armed" young girl, wearing a mask and an apron, holding a broom to sweep the ground, huddled in the corner, trembling as she looked at the pigs in front of her.
These pigs were very large.
A group of pigs grunted and snorted at Xiao Shi's feet, rooting at the ground.
At her feet was a bucket of pig feed.
Seeing this, Li Yu walked over, lifted the bucket of pig feed, and poured it into the pig trough.
The pigs that had just been surrounding Xiao Shi immediately left and rushed towards the pig trough.
They grunted and snorted as they ate.
Li Yu glanced at these pigs; their teeth were a bit long, and they had fat heads and big ears, looking quite ugly, so it was no wonder the young girl was scared.
However, the pig head meat was really delicious, and there was also braised pork.
As he thought about it, he actually found the pigs becoming a bit cute.
Shaking his head, Li Yu snapped back to reality. Why did seeing these pigs immediately make him think of food?
He turned around and saw Xiao Shi staring blankly at him.
"Are you alright?" Li Yu asked, wondering if this silly girl had been scared senseless by the pigs.
Hearing Li Yu's words, Xiao Shi immediately snapped back to attention, and her eyes instantly turned red.
She had never suffered so much injustice in her life, but she knew she had to endure it.
Over the past year, she had experienced too many grievances. After the apocalypse, she barely survived, facing the brink of starvation.
She had faced situations much more difficult than feeding pigs in the year or so since the apocalypse began.
And step by step, it had also tempered her pampered young lady's temper, making her more mature and sensible.
She understood that this world did not revolve around her, and that in the current world, no one would spoil her.
In the past, when she was in Safe City, her ignorant pampered young lady's temper almost got her killed. If it weren't for Bai Jie and others protecting her, she might not have survived until now.
After facing the food crisis last winter, she understood even more how difficult it was for a person to survive alone outside.
Looking at the man in front of her, although he was a bit annoying for making her feed pigs,
However, she had seen him return to the Big Camphor Tree Base covered in blood several times, and she also understood that she could now safely stay in the Big Camphor Tree Base, eat three meals a day, and have enough to eat.
To be free from worries about food and clothing, and even have her own room,
It was incredibly difficult.
Just as this man said, no one owed anyone anything. Everything you enjoyed required others' effort, so you also needed to contribute.
This was her first time feeding pigs, and she felt so powerless and useless.
Naturally afraid of pigs, she wanted to prove herself, to contribute, and was even more afraid of not making any contribution and letting down the efforts of others.
She wanted to enjoy food and a warm room with a clear conscience.
So, she had been enduring these pigs.
Although she was scared, she was also constantly overcoming it.
The scene just now was simply an accident; she had accidentally spilled the pig feed on the ground, causing the pigs to rush over.
She had been scared.
Xiao Shi saw Li Yu looking at her, waiting for her answer.
Xiao Shi bit her teeth, her small face stubborn, and said, "I'm fine, I just accidentally spilled the pig feed just now."
Li Yu smiled and looked at her, knowing that she was stubborn and wouldn't say anything.
So he looked at the pigs again and said, "Not bad, you've raised the pigs plump and fat, very good. It seems you're really dedicated."
Xiao Shi was not very old after all. Although she had a bit of a pampered young lady's temper before, her heart was not bad.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have thought about making some contributions to be able to eat food and live in a house with a clear conscience.
Her previously fallen small face immediately lit up with joy, her eyes filled with pride and a hint of self-satisfaction.
Li Yu found her expression amusing.
He knew this young girl had an unusual background, but this was the apocalypse.
It was important that the young girl was not bad at heart; not many people could maintain their inner selves in the apocalypse anymore.
Wanting to tease this young girl, Li Yu said, "Then next, you can also take care of the cattle and sheep next door. From now on, the pigs, cattle, and sheep will rely on you to raise them.
After a while, I'll let you be the one to slaughter the pigs."
Xiao Shi, across from him, was instantly stunned.
Although she could raise pigs now, she had put in tremendous effort and courage to overcome her inner fear to do so. Did she have to continue raising them?
Looking at Li Yu's posture that seemed to say, "You can't do it."
Xiao Shi immediately said, "Okay, I can. Whatever you ask me to do, I can do it."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
She really didn't want to feed pigs anymore, let alone now she had to feed even more cattle and sheep.
You have to know that pig feed needs to be prepared and cooked early every morning, which is especially troublesome, and since there are many pigs to raise, she needs to constantly carry the pig feed back and forth to the pig trough.
Xiao Shi's cheeks were flushed, but she stubbornly remained silent.
Li Yu watched her and burst out laughing.
She was really stubborn.
He laughed heartily.
Xiao Shi, across from him, heard him laugh, and her heart immediately grew more bitter. "Don't play with me like this."
Was there more work for her to do?
Immediately, the look in her eyes towards the man carried a hint of defiance, also admiration, but more of a pitiful look.
Playing with her like this.
She really couldn't take it anymore.
Seeing her little expression, Li Yu said with a smile:
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore.
Let me tell you directly, An Ya told me that she said you are afraid of pigs and have always not wanted to raise them.
As for me, I didn't intentionally make you raise pigs. After all, I don't know what you can do, you know.
Everyone in the base has something to do now; you can't just watch others work.
I won't allow it.
An Ya said that you told her you wanted to work with her on the planting side of things.
Is that true?"
Hearing Li Yu's words, Xiao Shi looked at him with some surprise. She hadn't expected Li Yu to say that.
She hadn't expected An Ya to actually tell Li Yu these things, and even more, she hadn't expected that, judging from Li Yu's current attitude, he seemed like he would agree to her request.
If he wasn't going to agree, he shouldn't be bringing it up to her now, nor would he be saying it to her in this way.
Xiao Shi's heart immediately filled with joy, but then she thought, if she left, what would happen to these pigs?
Her small face immediately fell again, and she said, "If I leave, what will happen to these pigs?"
Li Yu didn't hear her direct answer; instead, she asked what should be done with the pigs. His opinion of Xiao Shi immediately rose a notch.
She's quite responsible, this young girl.
Li Yu smiled and said, "Don't worry, many people in the base can raise pigs. I can have Wang Cheng or Zhou Guowei raise them. They have experience."
Hearing Li Yu say that, she was convinced that Li Yu wasn't tricking her, and her heart filled with joy.
So she said, "Mm, I want to go and work with An Ya on planting. Thank you."
She hadn't expected Li Yu to actually consider her feelings and allow her to change positions.
So, the look in her eyes towards Li Yu also carried more gratitude. This man, besides being handsome,
He was actually quite a good person.
He was powerful and had enough means to secure the safety of the base.
Actually, regarding making her feed pigs earlier, Li Yu had just said that it wasn't specifically aimed at her, but rather that she was useless and didn't have any special skills.
Even in her useless state, he still allowed her to stay and even considered her feelings.
This man was really good.
Xiao Shi was in the process of self-CPU, self-strategizing.
This was understandable, as Li Yu's attitude towards her had not been very good before, especially the first time, his cold demeanor had scared her.
This sudden concern and greeting caught her a bit off guard.
Even her previous minor dissatisfactions with Li Yu vanished, and instead, she became more understanding of Li Yu.
Xiao Shi thought: "General Li isn't easy either. With so many people in the base, it must be hard to take care of everyone. I'm so useless; letting me feed pigs is already very good."
Li Yu looked at the young girl who was spaced out again.
He stretched out his hand and waved it in front of her, saying, "Wake up."
"Hm?" Xiao Shi startled awake, saw Li Yu's handsome face, and suddenly her cheeks flushed: "This man is really handsome."
His eyebrows and eyes were truly beautiful. His deep eyes seemed to pierce her heart.
Li Yu was a little helpless.
So he said, "Alright, you go find An Ya tomorrow. She will arrange things for you to do.
But there's one thing you need to be clear about: changing positions is not a joke. Unless you can discover what you can do or what you're good at,
You can't work with An Ya for two days and then say you want to do something else, understand?"
After hearing Li Yu's words, Xiao Shi nodded slightly and said, "I know."
Li Yu glanced at her, then said, "Alright, I won't say anything else. How much pig feed do you still have left to carry over? I'll help you."
Xiao Shi shook her head and said, "No need, General Li, I can do it myself. You go attend to other matters."
Li Yu gave her a sidelong glance, then walked to where the pig feed was being cooked, prepared the pig feed, and helped carry it over.
