There was no moon and no stars. The sky looked wrapped in a sheet of black cloth. Sunlight tried to pierce through from outside but could not. A blood-red sheen seeped through the darkness, eerie and wrong.
This time, Jing Shu's eldest aunt had learned her lesson. She did not invite her own family along. The moment they crossed the villa's threshold, they felt warmth wrap around them, and they smelled that familiar medicated oil again.
"How much medicated oil does this family even have? Does Jing Shu have some special hobby, smearing the stuff everywhere to buy so much of it?" the eldest aunt muttered under her breath.
Everything ahead was pitch-black. The eldest aunt hugged Su Long tightly and inched toward the main doors one step at a time.
Green eyes stared at them in the dark. Su Long's legs shook. They obediently entered the villa and sat where they were told to wait for dinner. They did not dare wander. It felt like walking through the gates of life and death. Those green eyes were too terrifying.
The table was loaded with delicious dishes. Jing Shu handed out gloves and shoe covers. "Water is too scarce to wash hands. Use disposable gloves."
The last visit had been in June for Dragon Boat Festival. The eldest aunt had assumed the earlier feast was only because the family had stocked up then. But now it was already October and water was even scarcer, yet tonight the drinks were homemade red bean milk tea, and there was actual milk to drink.
The soup was pork trotters stewed with soybeans. The dishes were familiar dry-goods fare: wood ear and scrambled egg, steamed egg custard, fried eggs, egg pancakes, and steamed fish.
Of course. Working at the Livestock Breeding Center meant eggs and milk were not a problem. The eldest aunt was so jealous she could scream. Why had she not gone to the Livestock Breeding Center back then?
Grandma Jing smiled. "Try the mooncakes I made this year. They are not as good as the ones you buy outside."
The eldest aunt carefully lifted one and took a small bite. Soft, sticky, fragrant sweetness filled her mouth. Beneath the sweet five-nut filling there was a salted yolk center. So good.
The eldest aunt was moved to tears.
Jing Shu herself ate more than a dozen mooncakes. The flaky ones were irresistible. Jing Shu's appetite once again shattered everyone's expectations. Surviving in a world without food was not easy.
After the meal, the family chatted, and the talk turned to the artificial sun. The eldest aunt slapped her thigh. "My friend just introduced me to a solar distiller yesterday. It can collect water. Then the news said the artificial sun would start. People in our chat are saying the artificial sun is unreliable and the distiller is better. If it works, I can recommend it to you too."
The whole family stared, stunned.
"How many did you buy?" Jing Shu covered her face. In the past life and this one, the same trap.
"Only one. This model is a pyramid scheme. You only make money at the start. I just wanted to earn some points and pick up a bit of water," the eldest aunt said with pride.
Exactly the same as before. She studied law, knew it was a scam, and still wanted to try. Whether she recommended it or not, the outcome would be the same.
As the saying goes, it is usually the swimmers who drown.
This time, the eldest aunt would take a loss, but twenty work points were bearable for her now. Jing Shu could hardly "foretell the future" and spoil the plot.
"So, want to buy a distiller and try it?"
"The artificial sun starts in a couple of days. Our family will pass," Jing Shu refused at once.
"Right, I figured you would not need it." The eldest aunt looked a little dejected. Look at this villa, electricity and water, the same temperature day and night, clean and odorless. How did Jing Shu's household manage to live better and better?
…
For Mid-Autumn Festival, Grandma Jing sent more than twenty mooncakes to the eldest aunt. They came back with a carload of gifts for the elders. Grandma Jing grinned so wide her big tooth showed. The eldest daughter was still the most thoughtful and gave the family face.
A phone call brought more good news. The eldest aunt's sow had given birth to several piglets. They had been transferred to work at the Livestock Breeding Center and were doing well on the strength of those piglets. Wei Zheng had brought his girl home too. If things eased up next year, they would hold a proper wedding banquet, maybe even combine it with the baby's full-month celebration. Grandma Jing could not be happier.
Jing Shu's rise had truly lifted the whole family.
Every year, the military parade began at 10 a.m. on October 1. This year kept the same time. The entire country received a special power allotment so the people could witness the great day together.
Due to circumstances, the parade was kept simple, but the soldiers' bearing still shone. At the same time, the broadcast introduced new foods and technologies developed for the dark, offering a vision of a better future.
The subsequent speech moved the nation to tears.
On this day they officially redefined the new century as an apocalypse of survival in the cracks, and they designated January 1, 2023 as Day One of the apocalypse. When sunlight returned, China would declare the apocalypse over.
"I hope it lasts a year, or less. Even if it lasts longer, as long as we stand together and weather the storm in the same boat, no matter how long the apocalypse lasts, the Chinese people will live on, steadfast and strong."
At that moment, the national anthem rang out and the national flag rose. It did not rise alongside the sun, but it still flew proud in the wind.
Jing Shu's family stood in front of the television without thinking and sang the anthem solemnly together. No matter how many times it happened, Jing Shu's eyes still grew hot. China had many flaws, but it was her motherland. It had also carried Jing Shu through ten years of the apocalypse.
To celebrate National Day, supermarkets across Wu City opened three days of buffets. Unlimited maggots, and one serving of white rice per person.
The news spread like it had wings, sending people into a frenzy of joy. When had eating a bowl of white rice become so thrilling?
The artificial sun started, yet there was still no water. Another wave of people died because they could not hold on any longer. Bitter, fishy water or worse, people would have drunk anything.
Spirits sank. Finally, on October 8, the artificial sun completed the purification of an entire polluted freshwater lake.
The people of Wu City finally had water to drink.
[Wang Qiqi]: "@everyone, huge news. We finally have water. Starting now, water trucks will deliver to every community daily. Civil servants get 5 liters per day, other work units 4 liters, ordinary residents 3 liters. All 20 water trucks have departed. Our hard days are ending."
[Fei Niu]: "My god, is this real? They are actually giving 3 kilograms of water. I am so happy I can even wipe my body down."
[Chou Chou]: "I promise I can drink all 3 kilograms."
It was a day destined to thrill. In no time, the water trucks arrived. Everyone had lined up and finished registration. Wu You'ai, who had spent four months recovering from injuries, personally came to direct the scene.