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墨書 Inktalez
The number of candles is limited, so everyone tries to use them sparingly. The only ones who might be happy are the children, who bring candles from home to play with. One child from a household took out a Craft Candle shaped like a flower, which made the other children envious; they all went home crying and demanding to buy one. Of course, these are just minor incidents that the adults find amusing and tease the children about.
The sun continues to passionately pursue the earth, seemingly determined to bake it thoroughly. Recently, the news has not been good; it is said that things outside have become chaotic, with many households being robbed. In the dark of night, even if one wanted to chase after the thieves, it would be impossible. Being robbed is one thing, but what is even more frightening is the kidnapping of children. A group of people has entered homes under the cover of darkness and directly taken children away; three have already been kidnapped in the town. The police station is overwhelmed and has no way to proceed since the families affected cannot describe the appearance of the criminals.
In Zhangjia Village, women have recently prohibited their children from going outside. After all, every child is a precious treasure; losing one would be a disaster for their families. Due to the lack of electricity, two elderly people in the village have passed away; their children found them gone when they woke up in the morning.
In such weather, families do not dare to keep corpses at home for long; they are hastily cremated the next day. One cannot blame the descendants for being unfilial; in this heat, a corpse cannot be kept for long. Naturally, some people spend a lot of money renting Crystal Coffins, which are essentially freezers but designed to look like coffins. This allows bodies to be preserved longer, but the cost is quite high, so very few families are willing to rent coffins.
The elderly in the village are becoming increasingly silent, and an indescribable atmosphere of death spreads among them. Rumors begin to circulate in the village that the elderly may not survive this summer; someone’s grandmother hasn’t eaten for several days, and someone else’s father fainted last night... Those who speak words of sympathy cannot hide their gleaming eyes that reveal their morbid curiosity.
As December approaches, there is no sign of cooling weather, which makes everyone anxious. Farmers rely on their two acres of land for survival, but now the crops are not growing well, and it is uncertain how much food will ultimately be harvested.
The daytime heat is unbearable, especially at noon when it is impossible to go outside; even visiting neighbors requires an umbrella. Therefore, irrigation must be done at night when it is cooler, making candles even more important. There is an elderly man in the village who can make lanterns—true folk art—where simplicity reigns supreme in design. With lanterns available for nighttime travel, candles are less likely to extinguish. People from neighboring villages come to learn from him; he does not charge money but accepts food and water as tuition since he does not ask for much.
The crops in the fields still appear wilted, but nighttime irrigation helps somewhat. Most people now grow corn and potatoes because these crops are easier to cultivate and store. By late December, some produce has emerged; although this year will not yield a bumper harvest, it is better than having nothing at all.
This series of events leaves everyone feeling increasingly uncertain about the future. If things continue like this, farming could lead to starvation; every aspect of life requires money, yet corn and potatoes can hardly fetch a good price beyond sustenance. Moreover, water levels in the river are dwindling day by day; although this river has never experienced drought before, uncertainty looms over everyone.
Life for villagers has become tight and strained; occasionally vendors selling fresh vegetables and meat come into the village, but hardly anyone buys anything. No one knows what next year will bring or who will still be able to spend freely. Then came a decisive event that pushed villagers to take drastic measures: several children went swimming in a nearby reservoir due to the heat and lack of electricity at home—and they never returned.
Such incidents happen almost every year in rural areas; however, occurring at this time has ignited an unquenchable fuse of anger among villagers. They sought out Zhang Zhong and insisted on going to the city to seek justice while also contacting newspapers and television stations—if the government wouldn’t let them live peacefully, then none would! They placed the children's bodies on a door plank, declaring they would take them along.
Zhang Zhong was suddenly alarmed; he had just taken office not long ago and knew that if something went wrong now, he would also face consequences: "Villagers! Please don’t act impulsively. How about this—I’ll go back to town once more and have the town mayor report this situation to the city? If nothing changes after that, then you can all go yourselves—how does that sound?"
In truth, if villagers had any other choice, they wouldn’t want trouble either. Since Zhang Zhong suggested this course of action, they agreed to wait another day; after all, they could wait for their dead just as easily as they could wait for justice.
That very night an Audi drove into the village; stepping out was the town mayor from Xinfeng Town. He appeared energetic and spoke kindly and sincerely. However, Yu Tian felt that this mayor was insincere—perhaps due to recent encounters with many people making him somewhat shrewder than before. Although he seemed friendly on the surface, there was clearly an air of perfunctoriness behind his eyes as he tried to ingratiate himself with villagers. Yu Tian instinctively moved closer to Zhou Miao; Zhou Miao glanced at his wife with a sly smile but said nothing.
Li Ming watched as the mayor’s belly protruded prominently and tugged at Li Yan's sleeve. "Brother."
"What’s wrong?" As dusk fell slightly darker, Li Yan pulled his child closer and quickly kissed his ear.
"Is that uncle pregnant?" Li Ming's little friend looked curiously at the town mayor, thinking that the belly must be about to give birth. He had seen it before; when his teacher at school was this big, she also went to have a baby.
Zhou Miao, who was close to them, admired the child's imagination, which flowed like a river without end. How much imagination did one need to think in that direction? Zhou Miao had a mischievous idea and leaned in to whisper to Li Ming, "Mingming is so clever; if that uncle is with someone he likes, they will definitely have a baby."
"Being together means having a baby?" Li Ming's big eyes widened in shock. He instinctively touched his soft little belly. Could he also have a brother's baby?
Seeing that Li Ming had fully understood his meaning, Zhou Miao grinned proudly and turned to flirt with his own partner. "Tian Tian, can you get me a peach later?" He reached out his hand, but Yu Tian, surrounded by others, could only blush and hold back his voice. Until someone shamelessly reached down towards him, almost touching little Yu Tian, who kicked back in response, though the force was still insufficient.
Yu Tian understood that living with Zhou Miao every day had made him increasingly unable to resist the little gestures. Recently, he had started to open up a bit, but he still couldn't bring himself to face the reality of men being with men... Well, one step at a time.
Li Yan saw Li Ming continuously touching his belly and thought the child might be uncomfortable. He reached out to rub it gently. "What's wrong? Does your stomach hurt? Or are you hungry?"
"Brother, could Mingming also have a little baby?" The child asked curiously. He felt his belly was just like usual and not at all like the mayor's.
Over the years, Li Yan had taken good care of Li Ming. Although he wasn't as chubby and cute as when he was younger, he was now a rosy-cheeked young boy. Even though times were tough now, the child’s food and clothing came from their space, and since he hadn’t done any heavy work, standing next to village kids made for a stark contrast.
Hearing Li Ming's words, Li Yan could guess it was something Zhou Miao had said earlier. Raising an eyebrow, he immediately retaliated by speaking loudly to Yu Tian, "Miaozi, look over there at that girl; isn't she the one you mentioned yesterday? I found out she's a good girl but has a fiancé. You might as well give up."
Even without lights, Zhou Miao could feel his partner's expression change; it was as if an icy chill could freeze someone. Zhou Miao felt furious; that scoundrel Li Yan would see how he would deal with him later! "Wife, no—Tian Tian! Your heart is as clear as the sun and moon... Ouch!" That kick was quite something.
The old lady nearby thought they were just playing around and laughed cheerfully. "You all seem to get along very well."
"Yes, very well," Zhou Miao grinned in agreement but knew he'd probably be kneeling on soybeans when they got home—without crushing them.
The mayor spoke dryly; the general idea was that the government was trying to find ways to solve problems. Life was tough right now, and he hoped everyone could support and understand the government. In any case, what he said amounted to nothing; naturally, the villagers were not satisfied and began to stir again.
The mayor kept wiping sweat with tissues; giving speeches in such hot weather wasn't easy. Zhang Zhong poured him a glass of water. After taking a sip, the mayor spoke again: "I know everyone thinks my words are nonsense; I can't guarantee anything right now. As mayor, I feel ashamed. Villagers! Don't I want to do something substantial for you to praise me? To be honest, my life isn't easy either; the government is currently relaxing policies for poverty alleviation and has set up relief stations in major cities while lowering prices for food and daily necessities in supermarkets. However, these policies become mere paperwork by the time they reach us; I am powerless despite my good intentions.
Those who run shops aren't having an easy time either; I can't cut off their livelihoods. The town has already thought of all possible solutions; even this four-day electricity supply is extra for us. Actually... never mind; I won't say more."
The mayor's sudden pause made the villagers realize there was more to come. Zhang Sanye coughed a few times and said: "Mayor, just say what you need to say; in this situation, what else is there not to say?"
"Alright then; this isn't something I should be saying anyway, but who knows when the weather will cool down? I'll be honest with everyone: our town doesn't have much electricity left. If things continue like this, I can't guarantee we will have four days of electricity each week."
So, what now... The government has increased the supply to meet the demand in the city. If it really doesn't work out, everyone can see if there are any relatives in the city to stay with; it would be good to avoid the heat, and you can come back when the weather improves. There are no outsiders present, and I understand you all; no one wants to cause trouble unless absolutely necessary. But... sigh..." The town mayor said as he shook his head and sighed.
After the mayor left, everyone dispersed. He had revealed quite a bit of information during his visit; the government now wants to protect the people in the city, and it seems that life will become even more difficult in the future, so everyone needs to prepare. Secondly, the town is out of options.
In no time, every household was busy trying to find relatives or friends in the city; after all, getting through this summer was all that mattered.
The village suddenly became much emptier, with many households leaving. Those who stayed were mostly unwilling to leave their farmland, along with some stubborn elderly people who had lived here their entire lives and were reluctant to leave even for a few days. Some wanted to pay villagers to help fetch water, but very few were willing to take on such work; everyone was too busy with their own farms to take on extra tasks.
After more than ten days, the weather grew increasingly hot, with the sun blazing like a fireball, making one feel dizzy just looking at it. News came from those who went to the city: water and electricity were cheaper than in the countryside, food and daily necessities had not increased in price, and tap water was free. It was said that the government was subsidizing the citizens. In short, life in the city felt like paradise compared to rural areas. Many decided to look for jobs in the city, as wages were reportedly quite good now. Several hesitant villagers also left for the city.
Due to last year's events during the New Year, many people had died in the city, leading to shockingly low housing prices, especially for homes where deaths had occurred. Moreover, it was rumored that life would become increasingly difficult in the future; if the government only protected city residents, those houses would surely increase in value. As a result, some people bought several properties as a precaution. But what about the money for buying houses? Many saw potential in the city and gritted their teeth to sell their rural homes; this made Zhang Zhong and Zhang Liang very happy as they earned a good commission from these transactions.
The Li Family continued their lives as usual. Li Yan believed in the principle that extremes lead to opposites. Why were city dwellers thriving while everywhere else suffered from disasters during summer? This was too abnormal; there had been no relief efforts from the government but rather a high-profile enhancement of citizen welfare. All of this could only suggest that someone was deliberately designing a trap—a massive trap.
By early February, only about a quarter of the original villagers remained. No one knew exactly what was happening in the city; villagers seemed crazed as they sold their homes and moved into town. It wasn't just Zhangjia Village; all of Xinfeng Town was experiencing this phenomenon. It was said that other towns were similar; housing prices in cities changed daily, and villagers seemed terrified that if they didn't act quickly, they would miss out on living in the city.
Zhang Agou's daughter and son also seemed swayed; those few acres of land exchanged for their father's sake now felt painfully inadequate. Li Yan and Zhou Miao visited them once; out of gratitude for Zhang Agou's help, they didn't want his family to suffer misfortune. After three hours of discussion, Zhang Agou's children decided against buying property or farmland but chose instead to take their elderly mother to live in the city since living without electricity was truly unbearable for modern people.
The Tang Zaiping family faced troubles; Ma Juan initially thought she would be among the first to leave for the city but waited endlessly without seeing Tang Zaiping return. Later she heard that Tang Zaiping had come back to take his son and elderly father away while leaving behind a divorce certificate along with a house and several acres of land in the countryside. Ma Juan went nearly mad. She didn't know what she was thinking when she stripped off all her clothes and lay down in front of Tang Zaiping's car, refusing to let him leave. In the end, Tang Zaiping still left; he bluntly stated that he had someone else in the city with a significant background and that she would be giving birth there soon. As for Ma Juan? If she wanted to die, she could go ahead—just don't block his way.
As for what happened later with Ma Juan, the Li Family did not concern themselves with it and continued living their lives as usual.
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