The Walking Dead : Rules of Survival

Although we had previously scouted the village to ensure temporary safety, Suo Tian still ordered everyone to be divided into three shifts for guard duty.

Except for Rongrong, our group was also included in the guard roster.

The "guard duty" wasn't much more than a few people gathering at the gate, chatting in hushed tones.

Since there were no walkers roaming the village, the guard duty was more of a precautionary measure in case of emergencies.

At this point, our meal times had changed from the traditional three meals a day.

We ate whenever we could, usually in a sequence of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

When not on collective rest, we would snack when hungry and not eat when not hungry.

Shen Feng and Yangyang were scheduled for night guard duty, so they helped us with cooking.

Building a fire seemed simple, but it was actually quite challenging.

The two of them took turns trying to keep the fire going, but it kept dying out.

It wasn't until Suo Tian, who had come to check on the commotion, stepped in that the fire was finally lit properly.

In the afternoon, with everyone's effort, we managed to cook a large pot of thick rice porridge.

The aroma of the rice porridge wafted up to my nose, and I couldn't help but drool.

When it was time to serve, we realized there weren't enough bowls, and the ones we had were dirty.

I managed to find some ceramic spoons, and after rinsing them with a small bottle of water, we gathered around the pot and started eating directly from it with the spoons.

We ate with great relish, while the guards outside looked on with longing eyes, their faces pleading for us to save some.

I caught a glimpse of the guards, all rugged men with guns, and couldn't help but chuckle at their pitiful expressions.

As I looked around at the faces that were normally stoic but now lit up with joy over a simple pot of porridge, I felt a sense of warmth in my heart.

It was a poignant reminder that "food is the first necessity of the people" is indeed true.

In this harsh new world, no matter what challenges we face, the simple pleasure of sharing a meal together gives us a sense of purpose and motivation to keep going.

In this moment, the struggles and hardships seemed to fade away, and all that mattered was the camaraderie and joy of sharing a hot meal together.

Perhaps this is what keeps us going, what makes all the hardship worth it.

I used to be skeptical of the idea of "enjoying life," thinking it was a luxury reserved for the wealthy.

I believed that ordinary people like us were just trying to survive, without the privilege of enjoying life.

However, my perspective has completely changed.

I realize that enjoying life is not just about material wealth, but about appreciating the simple pleasures in life.

People often get caught up in their pursuit of certain things and forget to enjoy the journey.

This leads to complaints about how hard life is, how unfair fate is, and how tired they are.

When we analyze the root causes of these struggles, it often comes down to two things: material insufficiency and psychological greed.

Shaking my head, I stepped out of the kitchen and into the courtyard.

The snow was still falling heavily, covering the ground in a thick layer that reached up to my ankles.

I followed the footprints I had made earlier and headed towards my assigned room.

After eating and drinking, it was time to rest.

The layout of the houses in the courtyard was interesting.

Except for the gate, the other three sides were surrounded by flat-roofed houses, forming a enclosed courtyard.

I wondered how many people lived in this family, given the number of houses they had built.

As I reached the eaves and was about to enter the room, a sudden thought struck me.

I remembered that many rural households would dig a cellar near their homes to store food like cabbage and sweet potatoes.

When I was a child, I saw such cellars at my grandmother's house, but she would always warn me that there were ghosts inside that would catch children, so I never dared to go inside.

If we could find a cellar with stored food, it would be a great fortune for us!

I tried to estimate the time in my mind, thinking about when the chaos began and whether people would have stored food in the cellars.

As I calculated, I realized that today was actually New Year's Eve!

I glanced back at the kitchen, where the noise was still going on, and smiled knowingly.

Perhaps the heavens felt that we had struggled hard enough to survive, so they designed this coincidence, bringing us to this place where we could enjoy the porridge as a New Year's gift.

When Shen Xue and Xu Shu returned to the room with Rongrong, who was looking satisfied after eating, I was already wrapped in a quilt and feeling drowsy.

"It was so delicious!" Rongrong exclaimed as she entered the room, and Yiyi seemed to understand her words, barking "woof woof" in agreement.

I snuggled into the quilt, opening my eyes to look at the others.

Shen Xue helped Rongrong take off her small cotton jacket and patted her bottom, signaling her to get into my bed.

I lifted the quilt, and Rongrong slipped in like a little fish.

Shen Xue and Xu Shu lay down in the adjacent bed, and we were all sleeping on a long kang, a heatable brick bed which was spacious enough for the four of us.

"Chen Yang, do you think we'll go searching for food in other houses tomorrow? Maybe we can find some more food to bring back," Shen Xue said, her voice shaking slightly because her quilt hadn't warmed up yet.

"Of course, we have to search," Xu Shu chimed in.

"This village has such great natural conditions, and there aren't many walkers. It would be foolish not to take advantage of it."

I nodded in agreement. "You're right. With this opportunity, Suo Tian and the others will likely send people to search anyway, even if we don't suggest it."

Shen Xue let out a contented sigh and suddenly turned to me, asking, "Chen Yang, don't you think it would be great if we could stay here for a long time? When the weather warms up, we could even plant some crops in the fields. It's secluded here, so we might not have to deal with those walker hordes like before. We could live a carefree life, isolated from the world. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Before I could respond, Xu Shu chimed in, "It may seem comfortable and secluded here now, but zombies don't understand what seclusion means. Without walls or other barriers, this place can only be considered temporarily safe."

"But didn't we come here and find no walkers?" Shen Xue asked.

"I think they were probably attracted away by the walker horde we saw earlier," Xu Shu replied.

"Those hordes are just a tiny fraction of the total population. What if another, even larger horde comes? Hiding in a village like this would be suicidal."

Shen Xue pouted, wanting to argue, but after thinking about it, she seemed to realize that Xu Shu had a point and reluctantly agreed, "You're right."

Listening to their conversation, I felt like reality was meeting reality head-on.

Rongrong, lying in my arms, was already getting sleepy.

I pulled the quilt up to cover her properly and said to Shen Xue, "Suo Tian and the others need to decide to stay here, but judging from their well-planned route, they seem to have a specific destination in mind. If it weren't for this snow, we would still be on the move."

Shen Xue's expression changed, and she asked hurriedly, "Did Suo Tian tell you where we're headed?"

I shook my head, "No, he didn't."

"Come on, why didn't you ask?" Shen Xue looked at me with a helpless expression.

"I just didn't think of it," I replied with an innocent look.

Actually, it wasn't that I didn't think of it.

I was very curious about where Suo Tian and the others were headed and who they were, but I knew Suo Tian's personality.

If he wanted to tell you something, he would, even if you didn't ask.

But if he didn't want to say, it was pointless to try to pry it out of him.

However, this raised another question: if he wasn't planning to take us to his destination, what was his plan?

Was he going to abandon us along the way?

It wasn't impossible, considering he hadn't told anyone about his plans when he left before.

Speaking of this, I was curious about Suo Tian's intentions.

Just then, Xu Shu chimed in, "I caught a glimpse of Suo Tian's map last time, and it seemed like he was heading towards Yunnan based on the marks he made."

Shen Xue quickly sat up, leaning over me to ask Xu Shu, "You saw it? Do you know where the destination is?"

Xu Shu shook her head. "I only saw the words 'Yunnan Province' on the map, but I don't know the specific location. It's just speculation, and maybe Suo Tian just happened to flip to that page."

Shen Xue looked disappointed and lay back down.

I didn't respond, watching Shen Xue, who was still muttering to herself after lying down.

I suddenly thought of her behavior from that morning, when she seemed like a different person.

I was about to ask her about it, but considering Xu Shu was still there, I decided to wait for a chance to ask her privately.

For now, at least, she seemed completely normal.

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