At the crack of dawn, Fatty Bang went to borrow a pickup truck. The three of us took the roundabout path over the back hill to avoid the villagers. It was better to be a little cautious at this time.
He didn't know how to drive, so I was the only one driving the whole way. I was familiar with this road, so I didn't feel tired. He joked around beside me, and I would reply with a few words occasionally. Khang, who usually joked with Fatty Bang, was quiet today, his gaze occasionally glancing at me.
We arrived in town just as day was breaking. The streets were a mess, and the shops were all closed up. I drove to the grocery store below my grandfather's house. The family lived right in the shop.
I called out a few times from the back of the house, but for a long while, no one answered. He paced back and forth impatiently. A moment later, a small window on the door opened. When the female shopkeeper saw it was me, she stealthily opened a small door panel.
"Phuong, things are chaotic these days. People are looting for food everywhere. You should go home quickly, don't come to town anymore."
Fatty Bang quickly said:
"I don't need food, I just want to ask if you have any salt, fish sauce, or spices."
The shopkeeper glanced at me and said:
"You know everyone is short on food. I have supplies, but you'll have to trade food for them."
Luckily, I had brought some food with me. I gave the shopkeeper fifty kilograms, and we each took what we needed.
After buying the food, we went to the large supermarket on another street to check it out. When we got there, the warehouse behind the supermarket was packed with people, everyone hurriedly moving things. I told Khang to stay and watch the truck, and went inside with Fatty Bang.
Inside the supermarket, the shelves were basically empty. The two of us managed to grab a few daily necessities from the warehouse. He pushed through the crowd and carried out several bags of flour and rice. I took them from him, surprised. Why wasn't anyone managing such a chaotic place? Logically speaking, it shouldn't have reached the point of looting like this.
It was much later that Khang told me the major cities outside had long fallen into chaos. This place was remote, so it hadn't been hit yet.
The two of us knew our limits. We took just enough, loaded it onto the truck, and hurried back. Seeing our disheveled clothes, Khang laughed until his eyes crinkled. I shot him a glare, and he immediately stopped laughing.
As we were preparing to leave, Khang hesitated for a long time before saying:
"I have to go meet someone. You two go back first. I'll be back in a few days."
He spoke with great sincerity, his eyes very serious. I knew I had no right to question him.
Seeing my silence, he lowered his voice:
"Three days. Just three days, and I'll come home."
I nodded without looking at him. He got out of the truck, glanced back at me once, then left decisively.
Fatty Bang didn't understand what was happening. Seeing my darkening expression, he said:
"Don't worry. He's just going to see a friend. He'll be back in a few days, what's there to be afraid of?"
Seeing that I remained silent, Fatty Bang sighed and said:
"Let's go."
I glanced at the sky. Dawn was breaking, and I couldn't wait any longer even if I wanted to. We were both silent on the way back. He didn't know Khang's situation, but I did. He didn't have any friends in this town. His lie to me was so thoughtless.
Three days passed quickly. Grandpa didn't ask me where Khang had gone either. In truth, I didn't know how to tell him. Grandpa had always been a wise old man; there were many things he could see through and understand without being told.
I looked at the ripe, juicy red strawberries in the field, a sense of disappointment in my heart. In the end, he still left without a word of goodbye.
The rice had been ripe for a long time. I had missed a few days, and now every stalk of rice was heavy with grain, each as large as several ordinary wheat stalks combined. I threw all my energy into reaping and threshing the rice. Finishing the entire field took several days. I dried five hundred kilograms and stored another five hundred-plus kilograms in the warehouse.
Harvesting rice was tiring and time-consuming. The sun was harsh, and I had to constantly turn the rice to dry it evenly. So I moved an armchair out under the shade of a tree for convenience.
With nothing else to do in my spare time, I took out the long-forgotten bead to examine it. The white mist inside the bead seemed to have faded a lot compared to the first time I saw it, but I still couldn't see clearly inside. It looked quite beautiful; I considered it a memento left to me by my parents.
With truly nothing to do, I found a set of tools in the house. My mother used to make her own jewelry, so there were a few things left over. I didn't know how to carve intricate patterns, so I simply attached the bead to a tinsel cord and threaded a red string through it to keep it from getting lost.
I held up the cord, bringing it before my eyes to inspect it closely. There seemed to be a crack inside the bead.
I was startled. Could I have accidentally damaged it just now? I leaned in for a closer look, and my vision suddenly blurred, my head spinning.
When I came to, I couldn't quite believe it. I thought I was dreaming, so I pinched myself hard. A sharp pain shot through me. For the first time, I realized my strength was truly immense.
Before me was a barren wasteland with nothing in it. In the distance was a vast expanse of white with no visible end. In this space, there was only a forest, a stream, and an endless green meadow. Nothing else. It was an incredibly empty place.
I was astonished as to how I had gotten here. Encountering something like this felt insane. What if I couldn't get out? At that thought, I held my breath.
Who would have thought that before I could even bemoan my fate, I was standing in my own yard again, the bead resting peacefully in my palm.