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Chapter Seventy-Eight: Town Survivors (Part Two)
"How can you speak so harshly, young man!" The middle-aged woman trembled slightly, her mouth still defiant, but her feet were stealthily shuffling backward.
She looked to be around fifty, with chestnut curls tightly coiled together. Her figure was overly plump, and in her white and green dress, she resembled a transformed white radish.
"If your actions are ugly, don’t blame me for speaking harshly. What are you sneaking around for in the middle of the night?" Chao Yifan enjoyed the cooperation of those around him as he waddled over to the van. He raised his arm, and with a loud clang, the Great Cleaver struck the side of the minibus, startling the middle-aged man into retreat.
"We... we mean no harm," Little Liu Teacher stammered as she regained her composure from the shock, bravely pulling a few terrified children behind her.
Chao Yifan scrutinized her closely. Little Liu Teacher appeared to be quite young, around twenty-five or twenty-six. She had medium-length hair that was common before the Cataclysm, with bangs pinned back to reveal a shiny forehead. She wore a pair of old-fashioned brown-tinted glasses that made her look almost blind. Her figure was slightly frail, and her T-shirt and jeans were covered in dust and holes, making it hard to discern their original state.
Feeling uncomfortable under Chao Yifan's invasive gaze, Little Liu Teacher fidgeted with her fingers and stammered an explanation: "The children saw a car coming into town and thought their parents had returned, so they came to take a look..."
"Miss, don’t try to mislead me. I heard everything you said clearly. Given your current state and your desire to be a role model, I won’t make things difficult for you. You can leave now." Chao Yifan displayed an air of authority as he pointed at the White Radish Spirit and the middle-aged man hiding behind the vehicle. "You two, do you have anything else to say?"
Jiang He and his companions stood in the lobby on the first floor, watching Chao Yifan mimic a certain authoritative tone with amusement but felt it inappropriate to interrupt. However, the atmosphere was somewhat strange; over a hundred frightened children were staring at them. If not handled properly, this could leave psychological scars on these kids. Although Jiang He didn’t care about such shadows in terms of size or shape, they were not thugs. It was best to resolve matters peacefully if possible.
Both the White Radish Spirit and the middle-aged man shuddered simultaneously; Chao Yifan's words were like thunderclaps—“Anything else to say?” Wasn’t that clearly asking for last words!?
The middle-aged man realized he couldn’t escape this situation and seemed resigned. He straightened his dusty wrinkled suit, spat into his palm, slicked back his Mediterranean hairstyle into place, cleared his throat, and took two steps forward.
"Young brother, please don’t misunderstand. My surname is Huang; I am the principal of Experimental Primary School. These children are all my students." Principal Huang instantly changed his demeanor within a second, adopting an expression more serious than that of a news spokesperson.
Chao Yifan rolled his eyes and tossed out two sanitary balls; he was better suited for chopping than arguing. So he turned back to seek help from his comrades.
Seeing that he had played his part well enough, Jiang He and his companions cleared their throats in unison and stepped forward in an orderly manner, each wearing a stern expression as if they were elite enforcers.
Ming Junwei called back Chao Yifan and exchanged opinions before striding forward. "Since Principal Huang says it’s a misunderstanding, let’s not ruin our harmony. Please take the children back to avoid any further unpleasant incidents."
Principal Huang wore a hint of pity on his face as a strand of hair supporting his hairstyle was blown down by the wind. He asked, "May I know how to address you?"
" Jiang He," Ming Junwei stated without changing his expression.
"Hello, Mr. Jiang. I wonder where you all came from?"
"Is there a problem?"
"No, no, please don't misunderstand..."
"Principal Huang, I'll be straightforward with you. We're leaving tomorrow morning and won't be staying here, so there's no need for you to worry about anything. Please go back." Ming Junwei felt a wave of impatience wash over him as he dismissed them.
"Um... well..." Principal Huang pretended not to hear Ming Junwei's words, looking conflicted and hesitant.
Little Liu Teacher seemed unable to watch any longer. Gathering her courage, she stepped forward timidly and said, "Mr. Jiang, it's like this... We have run out of food. The adults are fine, but the children are really hungry. Could we possibly...?"
"How many children do you have?" Ming Junwei interrupted her with a cold tone.
"There are one hundred thirty students; this is just part of them." Little Liu Teacher felt relieved; she thought Mr. Jiang was quite reasonable, at least more so than that bald-headed fierce-looking man.
"Look at how many of us there are," Ming Junwei bluntly rejected her request. "Our own supplies are severely lacking; we can't help you. If needed, we can provide you with a barrel of water, but that's the maximum concession we can make."
Little Liu Teacher's face flushed red. She really didn't want to ask anyone for help; it was just that the children were growing and it pained her to see them going hungry.
"Thank you then," Little Liu Teacher said, unable to look Ming Junwei in the eye. After expressing her gratitude, she bowed slightly.
The others exchanged glances, feeling helpless as well. Their own food consisted merely of some dried fruits and leftover preserved foods, barely enough to fill their stomachs; they had no surplus food but plenty of clean water.
Ming Junwei opened the car door and handed her a barrel of Pure Water. Noticing White Radish Spirit and Principal Huang eagerly peering into the car, he pulled a stern face and said, "That's enough."
Principal Huang and White Radish Spirit awkwardly stepped aside but paused after taking a couple of steps as if wanting to say something more. After whispering among themselves for a moment, White Radish Spirit puffed out his chest and approached confidently. "Since you've given Xiao Liu a barrel of water, could you also give us one? Fair is fair."
Ming Junwei looked incredulous and tentatively asked, "What did you say?"
"I said, could you please bring us another bucket of water?" White Radish Spirit replied with a sense of entitlement, but Jiang He and the others could see that her thick legs, wrapped in leggings, were trembling.
"Don't be ungrateful; we're not a rescue team," Chao Yifan said, dragging Great Knife a few steps closer, his tone laced with threat. "Do you think we're being too polite with you?"
White Radish Spirit struggled to turn her head away from the bald man, her lips quivering slightly. "We... we aren't together. She's just a little girl; it's easy for her to say that. But Old Huang and I still have to take care of so many children."
"Oh? Isn't that girl a teacher? Why isn't she with you then?" Ming Junwei shot her a sidelong glance, watching Little Liu Teacher laboriously carry Pure Water as she walked away, surrounded by a dozen students who followed her back.
"Hey, you know how young people are these days—lazy and selfish, not caring about us elders. We’re living our own lives apart from her," White Radish Spirit rolled her eyes at Little Liu Teacher's retreating figure, only to realize that her earlier words seemed to have offended yet another group of young people.
Fortunately, Jiang He and the others were too busy to pay her any mind. Ming Junwei was handling negotiations while they discussed other matters.
"How can there be so many little kids? How are they surviving in this world?" An Zheng expressed his concerns. Having taken care of a little boy on his own, he understood the hardships and dangers involved. If it weren't for teaming up with Jiang He and the others, he might not have even made it out of the city. Looking at the over a hundred students here, all seemingly small, he wondered how these few adults managed to keep them alive.
"Exactly! Did you hear what they said earlier? They referred to us as their parents! Are their real parents even alive?" Luci added in astonishment. Though she often spoke harshly, she had a soft heart.
Song Yao and Pan Luo clearly had their own questions as well, while Wheat stood off to the side, absentmindedly swinging a machete at thin air.
"Wheat, what are you doing?" Xiaomi asked curiously.
Wheat sheepishly stuck out his tongue and muttered, "I’m a bit nervous."
"Don't be nervous; it looks like there won't be any fighting. You won't need that," Xiaomi said with a reassuring grin.
On the road, dozens of students lingered behind Principal Huang. White Radish Spirit stood before Ming Junwei like a stubborn tree; it seemed she wouldn’t leave unless he offered her something.
"What’s going on with these students? We saw many corpses on the school playground and at the hospital, but there are no zombies in the city. Can you explain that to me?" Ming Junwei glanced at her and handed the keys to Chao Yifan. "Give her a bucket of water."
"These children are all students from our school. When the incident happened, the city was sealed off, and those who could escape did so. We came out of the school to find everything like this," said the White Radish Spirit with a hint of emotion. "The mayor and the Party Secretary said that the children are the future and must not be neglected. They took those who hadn't escaped to clear out the Living Dead in the city and planned to bury all the bodies together."
"Oh? The leadership team seems quite decent," Ming Junwei remarked, surprised. "So why are only you left now?"
"We're short on clothes and food, and many people have fallen ill. The Party Secretary said they would go find the military for rescue, but there were too many children to move all at once, so some teachers stayed behind to take care of them," White Radish Spirit said, feeling emotional as he rubbed the head of a child beside him. "But they ended up being gone for two months; I guess they must have perished."
"How many adults do you have left now?" Jiang He couldn't help but ask.
"Four. Old Huang is the principal, I'm the language teacher, Xiao Liu is an intern, and there's also a cook from the cafeteria."
"You've had it tough. What are your plans moving forward? A group of children requires quite a bit of resources," Ming Junwei said, feeling moved. He consulted with everyone and filled a plastic bag with dates and peanuts before handing it to White Radish Spirit.
White Radish Spirit was overwhelmed with gratitude, wiping away tears as he said, "I don't know. We'll just try to survive through winter for now. Old Huang is thinking about finding a piece of land in the mountains so we can be self-sufficient."
"I misjudged you; I apologize," Chao Yifan said, feeling somewhat embarrassed as he recalled his earlier bravado. "But you should avoid doing such things in the future. We're easy to talk to, but if you encounter someone unreasonable, it will be you who suffers."
"Yes, yes, yes! You're right, little brother," White Radish Spirit nodded repeatedly, shaking hands and expressing thanks, leaving Chao Yifan looking awkward.
"Then let's leave it at that. I hope everything goes well for you," Ming Junwei replied and suddenly remembered something important. He quickly asked, "By the way, do you know about the Yicheng Dayuliugou Coal Mine?"
"Huh?" White Radish Spirit paused for a moment before saying, "I'm not from around here; you should ask Principal Huang."
Balding Old Huang hurried over and after listening to the question replied, "I know about it; in our area..."
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