September 1973, late summer and early autumn.

Starting from Jiangcheng, the means of transportation ranged from green trains, ships, minibuses, tractors... to climbing the mountain on both hands and feet. After four days and three nights, there were blood blisters on the soles of the feet, purple marks on the palms, and the waist was about to break. Finally, we arrived.

Go to Xiufeng Mountain Farm at an altitude of 1,500 meters.

Tao Nanfeng stood blankly in front of a row of thatched houses.

In a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides, there is a house built with thatched grass. It has thatched walls and a thatched roof. There are no windows. Several door panels made of miscellaneous wood make a "squeaking" sound when blown by the mountain wind.

There was no coal stove that I was used to, so I just built an empty stove with bricks in the open space in front of the house.

There are no electric lights or wires, and the surroundings are overgrown with weeds and desolate.

There was no running water, so the mountain spring behind the house gurgled downwards and fell into a large moss-covered water tank. When it was full, it flowed down the tank and made a rhythmic "tick-tock" sound when it fell to the ground.

"Isn't it? This is the highlight of our educated youth?"

"What the hell is this place!"

"Can anyone live in this thatched house? The conditions are too bad!"

Bang——

The net bag in someone's hand fell to the ground, and the white enamel basin with red peonies printed on it rolled to the ground, making a harsh sound.

Tao Nanfeng was awakened by this strange noise and calmed down. Looking at this thatched house that had appeared in his dream, he felt a storm in his heart.

She had dreamed about this thatched house last night, and it was exactly the same, with every detail.

It’s just that in the dream, this thatched house that could not withstand the wind and rain collapsed in a violent storm. Some people had their legs crushed by the beams, some were hit on the waist by the door panels, some caught cold in the rain, and everyone was screaming.

Call for help.

Tao Nanfeng suppressed the panic in his heart and took half a step back while carrying the rattan box and luggage bag.

Her back was supported by a pair of soft little hands. It was Xiao Aiyun who always liked to sit next to her when traveling with her. She was a child of Jiangcheng Towel Factory. She had thin eyebrows and narrow eyes. She showed two small tiger teeth when she smiled. She liked to talk and be lively.

Xiao Aiyun saw that her face turned pale, so he comforted her: "Don't be afraid, Tao Nanfeng. Let's make do with it for one night today, and then go to the field department to report the situation tomorrow."

Tao Nanfeng said nothing, pursed his lips, and nodded slightly.

In the eyes of everyone, Tao Nanfeng has two braids tied with a red ribbon, and a light pink floral shirt is clean and tidy. His eyes are big and bright, and his eyelashes are long and dense, unfolding like a small fan, casting down under the eyelids.

A light shadow, so beautiful and delicate that it makes people’s eyes brighten.

Beautiful things always make people happy. When the educated youth who had been complaining just now heard Xiao Aiyun's words and saw Tao Nanfeng nodding in agreement, the anger and irritability he had just now gradually dissipated and became calm.

Seeing that the sky is getting dark, I can only take a rest first and wait until tomorrow to talk about everything.

Twenty educated youths from Jiangcheng came to this group, all of them seventeen or eight-year-old boys who had just graduated from high school. There were three large thatched houses, one in the east was occupied by four girls, and the other two were occupied by sixteen boys.

.

Under the cover of dusk, the thatched house was empty, the wind came in through the cracks in the wall, and the faint smell of earth could still be smelled from the rammed earth floor.

There is no desk, no wardrobe, only a big bunk that can accommodate eight people. The workmanship is rough, and the bunk made of more than a dozen pieces of miscellaneous wooden boards has been there for an unknown period of time, and there is a thin layer of floating dust on the touch with your fingers.

I took the cold spring water in the basin and tidied up the house briefly. I washed my body with cold water and put on clean clothes. After finally tidying up, it was completely dark.

"Rustling... rustling..." The wind blew in through the cracks in the wall, which was the sound of thatch.

"Woo--" The mountain wind blew through the hills and pine forests, making a whining sound that made people feel terrified.

"Cuckoo..." The frogs croaked, and the sound became louder and louder. The whole mountain made a high-frequency resonance sound, which made people's ears hurt.

"Roar--" A huge beast roar suddenly sounded, and the frogs stopped croaking.

The darkness amplified fear, and the girls trembled with fear, huddled in bed and dared not say a word.

I don’t know who started it, but a slight whimpering sound came from the bed: “I want to go home.”

Going home? Tao Nanfeng thought of his home.

His mother died when he was seven, and his father remarried when he was ten. His stepmother brought a daughter, two months older than Tao Nanfeng. Her real name was Wang You, and she took the initiative to change her name to Tao You.

His father is a professor at Jiangcheng University of Architecture and Architecture, aloof and aloof. His stepmother is a sewing machine factory worker who is diligent and virtuous. She cooks, washes, cleans the house, and takes good care of the family.

The person who originally signed up to go to the mountains and countryside was Tao You, but she broke her collarbone before setting off, so she had to be replaced by Tao Nanfeng.

Physically tired, in a harsh environment, and unfamiliar with the place he was born in, Tao Nanfeng felt as if he was drowning, and his chest was so tight that he couldn't breathe. He stretched out his hand to tightly grasp the jade button hanging on his chest, and murmured: "Mom... …”

The jade button is green and transparent, and it is the only relic left by his mother to Tao Nanfeng.

The moonlight was like water, projecting through the cracks in the wall. The jade button seemed to have come to life, creating a soft curtain of light that enveloped Tao Nanfeng.

She was pulled into a strange dream.

This is not the world she is familiar with, this place is called the end of the world.

The zombie virus is prevalent. After being infected with the virus, humans in their 80s will turn into monsters with stiff limbs and bite anyone they see. Humans in their 20s will evolve into superpowers with various magical powers.

More and more people are turning into monsters, and people are running around with panic, panic, and fear of the unknown on their faces.

Squeezed in a group of fleeing people, Tao Nanfeng looked around hastily, but no one paid attention to her existence.

"Run quickly, zombies are eating people——"

"Help, I don't want to become a monster!"

Tao Nanfeng desperately wanted to escape, but he couldn't run fast. He was gradually abandoned by the large army, and the group of monsters behind him kept approaching.

His heartbeat was getting faster and faster, and his nervousness and fear made Tao Nanfeng run as hard as he could.

The last trace of air in his lungs was squeezed out of his body, his throat hurt as if on fire, his legs felt like lead, and Tao Nanfeng could no longer run.

"Ah!" A sharp pain came over my hand...

The dream fades away.

Tao Nanfeng opened his eyes, sweating.

In the dream, the monster opened its fangs and bit into my left hand. The teeth pierced the back of my hand, and the pain of tearing flesh and blood was sharp and profound.

The first ray of sunlight in the morning shone into the thatched house. The light penetrated through the cracks in the wall and fell down from the roof, softly soothing her panic.

Not bad, not bad, it’s a dream.

While Tao Nanfeng comforted himself, he subconsciously raised his left hand to look.

A black tooth mark is clearly visible!

How could this happen? Tao Nanfeng thought it was because he was dazzled and rubbed his eyes, but found that he had seen it right. It was exactly the same position as in the dream. The skin around the tooth mark was filled with black air, and he felt a burning pain when he touched it with his hand.

Tao Nanfeng bit his lip and calmed down for a long time.

After a while, his heartbeat slowed down. Tao Nanfeng got up from the bed, walked to the corner, opened the rattan box, took out a dark red gauze and wrapped it tightly around half of his palm, completely covering the tooth marks.

There is a strange sense of power flowing through the body, and the whole person seems to be soaked in warm water, warm and light.

Something awakens in the body, and the world in front of me becomes different.

Birds are chirping and the breeze is blowing.

The breathing of everyone in the room, the chatter outside the window, the ticking of spring water... all reached my ears clearly.

Without enough time to think too much, Tao Nanfeng bent down and reached out, picking up the basin and water cup to wash up.

But……

Just when my fingers touched the basin, the enamel edge was broken off!

He put his finger into the handle of the water glass, moved it slightly, and the handle snapped!

"Bang!"

The washbasin and teapot fell to the ground, making a loud noise.

The sound woke up the roommates. They poked their heads out from under the covers and saw clearly that it was Tao Nanfeng who knocked over the basin and knocked over the water glass. He didn't pay much attention to it and yawned as he got up to wash up.

Tao Nanfeng stood there blankly, staring at the corner of the basin and the handle in his hand with wide eyes.

How can you be so strong?

Tao Nanfeng silently adjusted and controlled his strength and finished washing up without any danger. Seeing that the time was almost up, he went to the field with everyone.

As the night passed, the roars of wild animals and the croaking of frogs that made everyone uneasy last night all disappeared.

The fragrance of vegetation floats in the air, and smoke from farmhouses rises in the distance. Corn and rice are planted in the moonfields on the hillside, and purple vetch flowers bloom on the field ridges, creating an idyllic scene.

The field is built on a wide piece of land, a two-story brick-concrete building with a single-sided corridor, an office building below, and residences on the second floor. There is also a row of one-story cement bungalows to the east, which are warehouses and canteens.

When I walked into the courtyard of the field department, I met the office director Luo Xuan burping and walking out of the bungalow on the east side.

Everyone had eaten dry food for a few days and smelled the aroma of rice soup and noodles coming from the canteen. They couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva and curiously asked Director Luo: "Is this the canteen? Can we eat?"

Luo Xuan is a tall and thin man. He wears a white-washed sweatshirt and two pieces of blue cloth patched on the knees of his trousers. He looks frugal and simple.

He glanced sideways at everyone and said with a somewhat arrogant attitude: "This is the small canteen of our field department, not open to the public. Every educated youth center has a kitchen. You can start your own meal after receiving rice and grain."

After hearing what he said, everyone's dissatisfaction that had been suppressed all night suddenly burst out.

"Stove, you're talking about the earthen stove built in the open space of the thatched house, right? There's not even an oilcloth to cover the rain. What should I do if it rains?"

"Where is the rice you mentioned? We are like iron rice and steel. I ate steamed buns for three days along the way, and finally got to the farm, but I couldn't even get a mouthful of hot rice!"
To be continued...