Chapter 168: The Fishermen

Chapter 168: The FishermenZhang Yi brought some food to Zhou Haimei. Seeing the food, her eyes lit up. She thanked Zhang Yi with the last bit of her dignity before sitting on the sofa and devouring the food ravenously.

After she finished eating, Zhang Yi asked, “You understand everything, right?”

Zhou Haimei nodded, “Yes, you’ve found me a home, right?”

A woman in her fifties could see things more fairly. Perhaps at their age, they didn’t place as much importance on so-called love. Marriage and living together were more about matching each other's status. As long as the conditions were met, they could be together. So when Yang Siya told her that she could find her a long-term meal ticket, she agreed without hesitation. The only regret was that she initially thought the man would be Zhang Yi.

With Yang Siya paving the way, Zhang Yi saved a lot of trouble. Before setting off, he sternly reminded the two women that the safety house and the shelter must be kept secret! They must not reveal it to anyone outside under any circumstances. Otherwise, it could attract greedy people to seize it.

“If I find out that anyone leaks information about this place, there will be no need for them to live anymore,” Zhang Yi said calmly but coldly, his eyes filled with pure killing intent. Both women were terrified and quickly assured him they wouldn’t do anything stupid.

Zhang Yi nodded and didn’t say more. These two women were not young, and having fought in the entertainment industry, they were not naive. His warning was just a precaution. After giving instructions, he sent Yang Siya back to her room and prepared to take Zhou Haimei to Yue Lu District.

...

The cold wind howled, the icy northern wind carrying snow as it blew across the Lu River. Compared to when the snow disaster first hit, the snowfall had decreased significantly. After all, in the extreme cold, there weren't many water molecules in the air to condense into ice. The low temperature continued, and the wind remained as biting as ever.

Across the river from Cloud Manor was a small town called Xu Family Town. On one side of the river was the villa district where the richest people in Tianhai City lived, and on the other side was a suburban rural area. In the past, people in Xu Family Town lived by growing grains and vegetables. Every household built greenhouses, growing grains and vegetables to sell in Tianhai City. Over the years, although they weren't as wealthy as city dwellers, their lives were decent.

After the extreme cold storm hit, their lives were better than those in the city. Although they faced the same freezing temperatures, they didn’t lack food. Moreover, their physical strength was better than city folks. Despite the ice and snow, they lived relatively comfortably, which was somewhat ironic.

At noon, the warmest time of the day, the outside temperature rose to minus sixty degrees, and the snow slightly decreased. On the Lu River, a group of Xu Dong Village villagers appeared, wrapped tightly in their clothes. They brought five or six dogs, all sled dogs like Alaskan Malamutes and Huskies, all wrapped in cotton coats due to the low temperature. The villagers cherished these dogs, treating them better than themselves because, in the south, they were the only animals still useful for labor.

However, these sled dogs were different from the goofy ones seen in normal times. Their eyes were filled with fierce hostility, their mouths revealing sharp teeth, and their fur stained with blood.

Led by a fifty-something dark-faced man, the group reached the ice. The dark-faced man walked back and forth on the ice, sometimes lying down to look into its depths. After a while, he tapped a spot with the stick in his hand.

“Here, start digging!”

As soon as he spoke, a dozen people behind him moved forward. They unloaded large ice-breaking tools from the sled and placed them at the designated spot, tying them to the dogs with ropes.

“Run, run!”

The dog handlers firmly held the ropes and shouted, and the dogs began to run, pulling the ice-breakers to crack the ice. With the dogs' strength, the ice-breaking was efficient, and soon a huge round hole was opened on the ice.

“Alright, we’ve got fish!”

The dark-faced man waved, and the handlers quickly stopped the dogs and lifted the icebreakers out. Under the broken ice were a dozen or so frozen fish.

After the river froze, the oxygen levels in the water decreased, causing the fish to rise for air. Though they didn’t find a breathing hole, they died near the ice surface, providing the fishermen of Xu Family Town with a good food source. By breaking the ice, they could dig out the frozen fish, their main protein source.

Led by Xu Dahai from Xu Dong Village, the group was busy as usual. Xu Dahai, once just a fisherman with average status in the village, became an important figure after the apocalypse due to his fishing skills. For instance, he only needed to designate spots for fishing while others did the physical labor.

A villager, Xu Manjin, approached Xu Dahai, chatting idly. “Uncle, do you think the city folks are all frozen by now?”

Xu Dahai snorted disdainfully, hands in his pockets. “Those city folks, they don’t even know how to farm, relying on us to feed them. Now they probably can’t even eat a full meal, likely frozen to death already.”

Xu Manjin nodded, grateful. “Good thing we’re from the countryside. No matter how bad the weather, we have food and strength, so we’re not afraid of surviving!”

“This weather is too chilling. When will it pass?” Xu Manjin glanced at the luxurious villas across the river, his eyes a mix of disdain and uncertainty about the future. Surviving was true, but this wasn’t the life they wanted.

Xu Dahai frowned slightly, squinting against the snow. “Hard to say! But in this weather, we’ll survive. As long as we work hard, we won’t starve!”

“I remember when I was in Mohe, it was just as cold. We even swam shirtless!”

The men chatted idly. They used to gather and discuss international affairs, always mentioning Europe and the US, belittling other countries. But now, without news sources and no mood for foreign affairs, they only talked about the city's suffering.

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Suddenly, a distant engine sound reached them from across the river. Though faint, it was distinct in the silent, snowy world.

Xu Manjin paused, “I think I hear an engine?”

Xu Dahai listened carefully, then looked astonished. No mistake! The sound was just like the motor on his fishing boat.

“At this time, how can there be a vehicle? Aren’t the city folks all frozen?”

Everyone stopped their work, looking toward the direction of the engine sound.