Rebirth in the end times: The whole family keeps a low profile

It looked quite good, and people from the next village saw it and followed suit. Suddenly, there were fewer cars on the road.

Su Yun and Tan Chuang have a good relationship. Su Yun usually calls him Brother Tan when they chat on WeChat.

Brother Tan’s family raises chickens, ducks and geese. During the holidays, Su Yun would go to his house and buy a few to keep for the New Year.

Brother Tan, 40 years old, got married late. He has a son and a daughter, both of whom are younger than Su Yun's child. He has two younger brothers. The older brother, Tan Jiang, is in the same class as Su Yun, and the younger brother, Tan Hai, is in the same class as Su Zhangming. They are all classmates and would occasionally make appointments to have dinner and brag.

Brother Tan arranged a duty roster for the villagers under 60 and over 16 years old. There were more than 600 people who met the duty requirements. They were divided into two checkpoints, with 14 people taking turns on duty every day. They worked in three shifts, with two people in a group during the day and three people in a group at night.

Su Yun's home is close to the Houcun checkpoint, and all his family members are accommodated in Houcun, which is only a 5-minute walk away.

The younger brother was assigned to be on duty with Meng Zhe, a top student in the village. Su Yun had pursued Meng Zhe when he was in high school more than ten years ago. This happened when they were just beginning to fall in love.

The two were in the same class from elementary school to junior high school and high school. Su Yun had an inexplicable liking for the super academic master Meng Zhe. At that time, not only did his parents praise him for his good character, but even his teachers loved to praise him for his good academic performance. When he was in high school, Su Yun boldly wrote a love letter, but was rejected.

Su Yun was a little bit dissatisfied at the time, and felt very embarrassed to be rejected, so she avoided Meng Zhe and didn't contact him until she graduated from college. She found out that Meng Zhe's girlfriend was their high school classmate. But at that time, Su Yun was also dating Wang Jie, and she only knew everything from the gossip of the elders at home.

A few years ago, Mengzhe gave birth to a boy and a girl, bought a house in the city, and lived a comfortable life.

The Su family has been very lively these days. After breakfast every day, the adults take the children to the back mountain to collect firewood, dig bird nests, catch fish, dig wild vegetables, etc. Sometimes they take most of the day to come back. In the words of Su's father: Take the children to the mountain to "play" more before the extreme cold comes, just as a form of physical exercise, for fear that there will never be such an opportunity again in the future.

Sometimes, after coming back from the back mountain, washing my hands and having a meal, I would carry a few fish to visit my grandparents and chat.

But it wasn't really just a chat. It was mainly to see if the food the two families had stored up would be enough for them this year. Fortunately, they would save enough new rice every year to last a year, and only sell the remaining food.

Most people in the village use natural gas or induction cookers and rice cookers to cook. Except for cooking pig food, only the elderly still insist on burning firewood. Therefore, firewood can be seen everywhere on the back mountain. Although the Su family takes the children to the back mountain to collect firewood every day, they only clear a very small area.

The pace of life for the whole family has slowed down these days, and everyone feels particularly relaxed now that they don’t have to stock up on goods.

Su Yun was at home roasting local peanuts, chestnuts and sweet potatoes that he had bought from the market. The aroma of roasted sweet potatoes filled the kitchen. Su Yun became addicted to roasting them. There were too many to eat, so he simply put them into the space every time he finished roasting them and saved them for next time.

Zhang Ming took a few children for a stroll in the village. When they were tired, they ran to the kitchen to find something to eat. Soon the roasted sweet potatoes and chestnuts were eaten as snacks. Su Zhangming took a roasted sweet potato that was oozing with sugar and oil, blowing on it while peeling the skin. The children followed suit and imitated his movements with the sweet potatoes. Su's mother thought they were too noisy and sent them to the living room to eat.

Su Xiaogu and Su Ma were preparing shepherd's purse, corn and pork, mushroom and water chestnut, and celery and pork fillings in the kitchen. They would make dumplings when the extreme cold came. When the time came, the finished dumplings would be taken directly outside to be frozen and then stored. The Su family had made a lot of preparations on how to take advantage of the extreme cold.

The children ate their snacks and packed some to go to the second floor living room to watch TV. It was finally winter vacation, so no one was in a hurry to assign them homework and just let them play in the village for a while longer.

Brother Tan raised a large number of chickens, ducks and geese this year, but he couldn't sell them. He had hoped to make a fortune during the Chinese New Year, but he didn't expect the epidemic to hit and the village was closed off. At least half of the chickens, ducks and geese in his home had not been ordered, and he was so worried that he wandered around the village every day.

During this period, Su's father, Su Zhangming and Wang Jie raised the height of the wall of their home, poured cement on the dirt roads around the house to facilitate snow shoveling and snow removal later, and deepened the water diversion channel around the house. In this way, even if the ice and snow melt later, the accumulated water in the back mountain will flow along the channel into the large canal in the village.

A small room was set up on the second floor of the basement to house the generator, and the small room was covered with sound insulation cotton to achieve the real sound insulation effect.

On January 60, the 1th day of rebirth, which was New Year's Eve, the temperature during the day was 18 to 2 degrees below zero. When I got up in the morning, I could see a layer of white frost on the weeds on the roadside, and a thin layer of ice on the surface of the water in the washbasin in the backyard. The temperature was lower than in previous years. Early in the morning, Su's father took the four children in the family to practice skipping rope in the training ground in the basement.

Su Ma made sausages and bacon before tidying up the roof. There were so many of them that it took more than a month to dry them all.

Su Yun and Zhang Lili were caught by Brother Tan while they were strolling in the village in the morning and were chatting. Then they were taken to her house and bought 10 egg-laying chickens and 10 ducks. There were too many chickens and ducks that had been killed in the space, so these 20 were raised in the old house. This way they would not disturb the children's rest, and they could be fed through the back door of the kitchen. In the future, the children could eat chicken and duck eggs without having to cross the road.

Su Xiaogu was making breakfast in the kitchen. Today they had steamed dumplings, soy milk, and mushroom and minced meat porridge.

After breakfast is ready, two tables are set up in the middle of the kitchen, with a large table next to a small table. Seven adults and four children can sit together to eat without feeling crowded.

At 10 o'clock in the morning, Brother Tan called out in the front yard: "Someone is coming out of Zhang Ming's house." Su Zhang Ming picked up a pack of cigarettes from the sideboard and walked out. He opened the gate to the yard: "Brother Tan, why are you here? Come in and sit down?" He handed him a cigarette.

Brother Tan also had a good impression of this brother who was ten years younger than him and was eloquent. He raised the shift schedule in his hand and said, "No, I'm here to inform you that you will be on duty tonight, from 4pm to 12am. Don't forget the checkpoint at the back mountain. Also, be well protected and wear a mask."

Rural people are not used to wearing masks in normal times, and they only wear them symbolically when they go to the market. Their safety awareness is not that strong.

Su Zhangming took out a lighter and lit a cigarette for Brother Tan and said: I won't forget it. I will definitely go on time. But my wife has to stay at home to take care of the children. It's okay for us men to go because of their shift. I guarantee it won't delay things."

Brother Tan squinted his eyes and took a puff of cigarette, "That's no problem, as long as there's someone at home to take care of it. Other families also take turns. You're already at the end of the village, so be careful of the immigrants in the back mountain. They often take this road. By the way, why did your family all come back to celebrate the New Year this year? Didn't you celebrate the New Year in town before? In the past, you only came back on the second day of the New Year to prepare the pig-killing dinner. Why are you here so early this year?"

Su Zhangming waved his hand: "Hey, it's because of the epidemic. After the Industrial and Commercial Bureau closed the market this year, I couldn't do business, so I came back early to live for a while. You also know that my house has been built but there is no chance to live there. My sister and brother-in-law came back early this year, so our family reunited. Brother, if you have time, come to my house for a drink. Bowei's mother made wine this year, we should have a drink."

Tan Chuang sighed and said, "Okay, I'll go have a drink with you after I finish dealing with the chickens and ducks on my mountain. I don't know when I can sell all the chickens, ducks and geese. Now I can't deliver the orders. I'm so worried."

Su Zhangming comforted them, "It's best to get them all to the greenhouse. Don't keep them on the mountain during the New Year. Otherwise, you'll have to arrange a few people to go up the mountain to collect eggs during the New Year."

Brother Tan was helpless: "This is the only way to go. Your sister-in-law complains every day for 365 days a year, and I am in the mountains for 350 days. We have quarreled several times."

Brother Tan's home is in the center of the village. If you take another road to the mountain to feed the chickens, it only takes 10 minutes to drive there. He gets up early and goes to bed late every day to take care of the chickens, ducks and geese. It is also very hard work. He has made some money in the past two years and has just built a house. His two younger brothers have not separated yet, so they all live together.

After chatting for a while, Tango was about to leave. He had to go to the mountain to drive the chickens and ducks to the greenhouse, and he had to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner in the afternoon.

Su Zhangming rubbed his red ears and asked, "Sister, should we stock up on some live chickens and ducks?"

"Not for now. It's not good to draw attention to yourself. Just show your appreciation."

Zhang Lili took her children to the second floor to watch a safety education video, which was about self-protection from natural disasters. Adults and children in the Su family needed to learn various survival and self-protection skills, so that everyone could quickly use all the resources around them to save themselves if they encountered danger.

Mother Su and Aunt Su were busy preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, Father Su and Wang Jie were cleaning the well in the backyard, and Su Yun and Su Zhangming were putting up couplets and hanging lanterns.

It was almost 4 o'clock when Su Zhangming finished pasting the couplets. He put on his coat and went to work. Su Yun specially put a few warm packs inside his clothes and took a raincoat for him to put on. Su Zhangming was puzzled and said, "It's weird to wear a raincoat when it's not raining."

Su Yun forced him to put on a raincoat: "Raincoats are for wind protection. I'll bring you food at mealtime. Bring a power bank and a flashlight with you. Be careful outside."

Tonight, Aunt Su and Mom Su prepared a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner: boiled chicken, braised duck with red bean sauce, steamed sea bass, stir-fried shrimp with broccoli, pork with preserved vegetables, braised pork trotters, meatball hotpot and beef tripe with various side dishes.

Before dinner, Zhang Lili packed some food in a three-layer insulation box and sent it to Su Zhangming.

It was just getting dark and Su Zhangming and Meng Zhe were playing King of Glory together with their mobile phones. Meng Zhe's wife Li Mei also came to deliver food.

Li Mei is Su Yun's classmate. She knew that Su Yun had pursued Meng Zhe in the past. Although she felt uncomfortable about it, she pretended not to know on the surface. After all, Meng Zhe did not accept Su Yun back then, so she always felt a little superior when he asked her to face Su Yun.

Seeing that it was Zhang Lili instead of Su Yun who brought the meal, Li Mei greeted them politely, chatted with Meng Zhe for a few minutes, and then went back to eat the New Year's Eve dinner. Zhang Lili also stayed for a while and then went back. The circle of people of the same age in the village is so small that a lot of gossip can be learned inadvertently.

In addition, Meng Zhe has a good education and a good job, and his wife is a civil servant, so the family has a stable job. Everyone in the village thinks that they are the model of a happy family.

Zhang Lili felt that her eldest sister was not bad either. Her brother-in-law was young and promising. He was not only tall and had long legs, but was also handsome. He was the envy of others.

After the New Year's Eve dinner, Wang Jie stared at the weather forecast while Su's father was also checking the news. The current weather forecast showed nothing and everything seemed so calm.

Su Ma placed two pots on the wood stove to boil water, while Su Yun and his sister-in-law were cleaning up the dishes and preparing to wash them with the hot water from the stove.

Su Xiaogu took some rice bran mixed with some chopped old vegetable leaves and went to the old house next door to feed the chickens.

The children watched this year's Spring Festival Gala in the lobby on the first floor. The program added many elements of fighting the epidemic and meteorological skits. Su Yun felt that the country should have predicted the weather anomalies long ago, and used the Spring Festival Gala skits to popularize some knowledge about self-rescue in extreme cold.

"Why doesn't the country directly announce the arrival of extreme cold?" Su Yun wondered.

"Although we can save some people now, it will cause chaos among people with ulterior motives. By then, we may not even be able to maintain the stability in the early stage. Think about it, if those people with bad intentions knew in advance that the extreme cold was coming, would they be like us and live their lives peacefully by hoarding things? I'm afraid that burning, killing and looting will be commonplace. Those who are rich will desperately hoard food, and those who are poor will have no channels to buy food. Good people will become bad people." Wang Jie analyzed, "Even if the extreme cold freezes some people to death, it can be regarded as part of the survival of the fittest. At least the people will strengthen their self-protection during the buffer period of the first few months. And from the information I have seen online, many countries have been quietly collecting food and various resources recently, and they may have already planned rescue bases."

"Who said it wasn't true? If it were announced, many people would die before the extreme cold arrived." Su Yun sighed, feeling suddenly a little annoyed.

It was already eight o'clock when they finished cleaning the kitchen. Zhang Lili gave some melon seeds and dried fruits to Su Zhangming who was on duty to cheer him up.

Su Zhangming was eating melon seeds and browsing his phone, occasionally chatting with Mengzhe next to him. The cold wind was blowing so hard that it made his bones ache. Su Zhangming was wearing a raincoat to block some of the cold wind. But Mengzhe kept stamping his feet, rubbing his hands and exhaling, and his teeth were chattering from the cold.

This damn weather is much colder than previous years.

The children who stayed up on New Year's Eve couldn't stay up until 12 o'clock. They went upstairs to take a bath and go to bed at 9 o'clock. A few adults continued to watch the Spring Festival Gala on TV. Everyone wore thick home clothes, ate melon seeds and chatted.

A red-hot charcoal stove was placed next to the coffee table, with a wire mesh on top. Some chestnuts and peanuts were roasted on the wire mesh, and the room was also warm.

The Su family spent this Spring Festival more comfortably and freely than in previous years.

Zhang Lili stared at WeChat on her phone for a while and asked Su Zhangming if he was cold and whether she wanted him to send something. The couple was so affectionate that they wanted to go on duty together.

As soon as the clock struck midnight, Su Yun went to the kitchen and turned on the faucet to store water. This is the tradition in their place. Water represents wealth, which means money is rolling in.

Everyone set up the fireworks and firecrackers they bought in the front yard. Su Zhangming happened to come back from his shift and joined in setting off the fireworks. At this time, the whole village was filled with the sound of firecrackers and fireworks.

Fortunately, the house was installed with sound insulation and heat insulation, and the children closed the doors and windows before going to bed. The sound of firecrackers heard in the room was very small and did not wake up the children.

Every year on New Year's Eve, the Pan Min family, a neighbor 20 meters away, would compete to see who could set off more and longer fireworks. It was said that the family that set off the most fireworks last would have a better life in the coming year. The Su family didn't care about this. They symbolically set off the fireworks, cleaned up, and went back to their room to sleep. Su Yun was drowsy and felt that the sound of fireworks from the neighbor's house didn't stop until one o'clock in the morning. Oh... it would be great to use the money to buy more food and coal.

At night, Su Yun had a strange dream. All the money in Pan Min's family grew wings and flew to the sky, turning into blooming fireworks.