Back in Cave No. 6, Zhou Dafu's calves were still trembling. He beat Zhou Dasheng severely. "You idiot. I told you to take people over there and squat for space. Who told you to make a move on the chicken? Now look at us, packed into this tiny cave."
Zhou Dasheng knew Zhou Dafu was venting and only dared whisper, "I just saw a fat chicken running around. I figured we had the numbers. One chicken would be easy."
"Tell me what we do now," Zhou Dafu always felt that he didn't perform well every time they quarreled. He could not swallow this without payback.
"Let's tell Brother Daheng and have him take revenge for us."
Zhou Dafu rapped Zhou Dasheng's skull. "Idiot. You think Brother Daheng is a gun that fires on our command? If we had taken the chicken, maybe he would help us. We got nothing, and you want him to be our fool. On top of that, you lost the gun. He is going to tear us apart."
Zhou Dasheng's eyes rolled like a rat's. "Brother Dafu, does Brother Daheng still keep those two prized snakes?"
"Two five-paced vipers. Good grief. One bite and they say you cannot take more than five steps. You have to hop to keep from falling. That venom, tsk tsk." Zhou Dafu actually looked spooked.
"Brother, since we lost the gun, we cannot go in hard. We can use something else."
Zhou Dasheng's eyes gleamed. "Brother Daheng is in Cave No. 4. We steal the snakes. I pick my moment and toss the snakes into their sleeping area. Whoever dies is whoever dies. If people get bitten, it will be on Brother Daheng. His snakes escaped and bit people."
"You idiot. Chickens eat snakes, and that one is a monster. That chicken will not fear snakes. The second you let them out, the chicken will eat them. Even I know that. You don't need schooling, but you need common sense," Zhou Dafu said with disdain.
Zhou Dasheng kept smiling. "Brother, that is exactly what we want. If the snakes bite a few people before the chicken eats them, that is your revenge. Brother Daheng will be responsible, and then we get two guns.
If the snakes do not bite anyone and the chicken eats them right away, we take people and squat there first. We just happen to witness Brother Daheng's beloved snakes getting killed by the chicken. Do you think Brother Daheng will not explode and take revenge for us?"
Zhou Dafu's eyes lit up. He patted Zhou Dasheng's shoulder with satisfaction. "Good. Very good. Three birds with one stone. No matter what, Brother Daheng will end up at odds with that family. He will take our revenge for us. Then we fight side by side."
…
Xiao Dou, on the other hand, had no idea a scheme was brewing. She was busy gobbling up the red nematodes tracked in on the floor. She had a compulsion. If she saw food on the ground, she wouldn't allow it to remain.
Cave No. 5 had an exit at the front and another at the back. Jing Shu's family chose a corner against the wall. The rest of the community picked spots to sleep or sat in groups to chat.
Some who had scouted other caves came back with reports. "We got special treatment. The space here is huge. Look next door. They are crammed so tight they cannot even stretch their legs. Worse than hard seats on a train."
"Right. I heard someone here has connections. Officer Li Yuetian from the Second Detachment arranged this personally."
Everyone's eyes drifted to the villa family. It had to be them. The longer people spent around Jing Shu's family, the more unfathomable her family seemed.
"Do you remember the photo Jing Shu posted before? That Zhou-what-Cheng guy, he died miserably. I always wondered how. Today I know. The chicken pecked him to death." The speaker even pulled up the old photo. A quick comparison drained the color from faces all around.
Terrifying. They killed when they decided to kill, without a hint of mercy.
People sat on the sidelines and watched the villa family set up. There was envy, but no one dared hatch crooked ideas.
The villa family had guns, weapons, a murder-capable chicken, ties to a police officer, a job at the Livestock Breeding Center, a Consolation and Counseling Specialist in the community, and a post in the Planting Industry R&D Management Department. They were the landowners of this patch now. Everyone else was the poor.
Still, the villa family's kit was impressive. Everything was packed with care. Everything was clean.
The cave was very dim. Jing An propped up a lantern. Su Lanzhi scrubbed their area spotless. Jing Lai went along the wall with rags, wiping everything down.
Jing An squeegeed the standing water off the floor. Xiao Dou handled the red nematodes, leaving no survivors.
Jing Shu unfurled plastic sheeting that had been wrapped around planks, pre-cut to size, and rigged a broad awning to catch the constant drips.
The awning marked her family territory. It covered about one sixth of the cave, around forty square meters.
They laid planks in the corner, pumped air into moisture-proof mats on top, then popped open one-pull tents and set them in a tidy row to create a line of sleeping rooms.
The envy peaked when Jing Shu carried in thick sleeping bags and tucked them into each tent. People were drooling.
Look at this life. They evacuated and still brought the whole house. They would sleep warm and soft in tents, while others had only clothing. Those who did bring quilts had them soaked.
When Jing Lai finished wiping, she sprayed medicated oil. In moments the whole cave smelled minty and clean.
Jing Shu set Xiao Dou's coop by the tents, fixed the portable toilet in a corner, and looped a door frame around it to make a temporary restroom.
The BYD was parked at an angle, trunk facing the tents to block sightlines. Planks bridged the gaps, shielding most of the rest. The community felt a pang of regret. They wanted to see more of how this family lived. It was enviable.
Jing Shu pulled a folding table from the trunk and popped it open into a decent square. Six folding stools followed. The cookware and stove came out next, forming a tiny kitchen. A power cable ran from the car battery. Enough for phones and a few low-power appliances.
Finally, she inflated a boat and set it in the middle. It created a sense of safety and doubled as a sofa.
When the setup was done, she took the car dryer and blew warm air over everything. The cave was damp. she hated water everywhere. She would rather blow it dry twice a day.
Just when the community had lost sight of what the villa family was doing and felt disappointed, Cave No. 4 next door suddenly roared to life, drawing every idle eye away.
"Wow, come see next door. They have a three-section trailer RV. It looks like a train."
"What is a trailer RV?"
"Come look. They are making camp. I hear they brought a lot of stuff too."