Chapter 32 – The Granary
That night, Xia Lu Nong didn’t sleep well.
As the night deepened, the campfire crackled intermittently, and the eerie howls of beasts and birds echoed through the air, the sounds creeping into his ears.
Every time one of those noises sounded, the little cat’s pointed ears would twitch, his paws would jerk, and he would let out a soft whimper.
Instinctively sensing danger, the little cat was scared.
Xia Huo Qu woke up several times from the cat’s tiny movements.
After being woken up again, Xia Huo Qu couldn’t help but scoop the little cat, blanket and all, into his arms.
Yan Xi Nian lifted his head and whispered, “What’s wrong?”
Turning toward him, Xia Huo Qu’s face, illuminated by the firelight, looked even more delicate, shadows enhancing the gentle contours of his features.
Xia Huo Qu placed the little cat on his chest, wrapping him in the blanket and softly said, “Xiao Nong might be sensing something. He’s scared.”
As he spoke, his chest vibrated with the sound.
The little cat, nestled against his chest, finally seemed to find peace. His twitching ears and paws relaxed, and his breathing steadied as he drifted back into sleep.
Yan Xi Nian nodded and lay back down beside Xia Huo Qu. “Get some sleep.”
Xia Huo Qu let out a low “mm” sound, taking advantage of the precious night hours to fall back into deep sleep.
The kitten was nestled in a warm, slightly oppressive embrace, and the eerie, chilling sounds of the night were no longer present. Instead, the steady, powerful rhythm of his brother’s heartbeat drowned out everything else, creating a soothing white noise in his ears.
The pink mouth of the kitten curled into a smile as he turned over, exposing his belly and raising his front paws behind his head, finally settling into a comfortable sleep.
In the first half of the night, Liao Quan Nan and Ba Niu stood watch.
Both of them looked tired and downcast, not just from fatigue but also from poor moods.
Especially Ba Niu, who sat slouched by the fire, his long hands drooping like a despondent gorilla.
Liao Quan Nan softly remarked, “You shouldn’t have challenged Captain Yan and Vice Captain Xia’s authority.”
Ba Niu glanced back at the Xia brothers and Yan Xi Nian, who were all sleeping together, and spoke in an even lower voice, “Captain Yan’s focus is all on the kitten now, even bringing the little guy out on such an important mission to practice.”
The seemingly rough man even showed a bit of grievance.
Liao Quan Nan looked at him and said, “Ever since Xiao Nong woke up, Vice Captain Xia’s energy has been different. Our base may no longer be confined to that small valley. Him asking you to step back from the frontlines might actually be a good thing, especially since we may be entering another dangerous expansion phase.”
Ba Niu sighed, resting his head on his knees, his large hands and feet making him look even more like a melancholy ape.
Liao Quan Nan and Ba Niu had started their watch at 8 p.m. and stood guard until 1 a.m., when they were replaced by Yan Xi Nian and Luo Cong Xin.
No matter the time, Yan Xi Nian always led by example, taking on the hardest, most tiring tasks.
After handing over the watch, Ba Niu hesitated for a moment, standing in front of Yan Xi Nian with his head bowed, and softly said, “I’m sorry, Captain Yan, I didn’t mean to question you.”
Yan Xi Nian patted his shoulder. “Stepping down from the committee for now might not be a bad thing for you.”
Xia Lu Nong, the kitten, was completely unaware of the events of the night.
He slept soundly in his brother’s arms, and when he opened his eyes the next morning, he saw that his brother was still holding him. One of his brother’s legs was bent, serving as a rest, and he was writing in a journal with a pen.
The kitten stretched out in a big lazy stretch in his brother’s arms, showing his claws in the process.
After his stretch, the kitten rolled over, nuzzling his brother’s leg, and looked up at him with his emerald-green eyes. “Meow.”
Xia Huo Qu stretched out his large hand, cupped the kitten’s entire head, and gave it a gentle squeeze, smiling. “Good morning.”
“Meow.” The kitten placed his soft pink paw on his hand, protesting the squeeze.
Before he could finish protesting, a large hand reached out from the side, rubbing the kitten’s snow-white belly, and a voice with a smile said, “Good morning.”
Instinctively, the kitten swatted back with his paw, this time extending his sharp claws, but the other person easily dodged.
Not only did they dodge, but they also gently grasped the kitten’s back, slid their hand under his armpit, and supported his waist, effortlessly lifting him up. Meeting his gaze, they asked with a smile, “I promised to take you on a walk last night but didn’t manage to. Want to go for one this morning?”
“Meow,” the kitten’s tone immediately changed, and he rubbed his head against the big hand, his round eyes filled with agreement.
Yan Xi Nian chuckled as he petted the kitten and then said to Xia Huo Qu, who was still writing in his journal, “I’m taking Xiao Nong out for a little walk, okay?”
Without looking up, Xia Huo Qu waved a hand at them.
The sun hadn’t risen yet, and the air was damp and cool.
Liao Quan Nan was tending to the firewood, Luo Cong Xin was cooking mutton soup, Cong Lian was reading a book, and Ba Niu was maintaining his bow and arrows.
The damp firewood thrown into the fire sent out wisps of blue smoke, and the scent of burning wood mixed with the subtle fragrance of plant oils in the air.
Others couldn’t smell it, but Xia Lu Nong had no problem picking it up.
In addition to the strong odors, he could actually distinguish the unique scents on each person, the smell of the earth, and the subtle fragrance of the plants in the air.
Yan Xi Nian casually chose a direction and carried the kitten, walking slowly.
They soon disappeared into the plants, as the overgrown foliage concealed their figures.
The path they had cleared yesterday was flanked by dense vegetation. If someone less agile were to come, they’d be lucky not to twist an ankle, let alone search through the area.
The kitten’s round eyes darted around, observing everything.
After turning another corner, they were suddenly met with a large patch of purple morning glories stretching out in front of them.
The flowers bloomed vibrantly in the morning sunlight, occasionally swaying in the breeze.
The kitten’s eyes widened, and he let out a soft “meow.”
Yan Xi Nian, with a tone of appreciation, said, “Beautiful, huh? Should I pick a few to bring back to your brother?”
The kitten looked up at him, his fluffy face showing an amused expression.
Yan Xi Nian chuckled, “Not a fan of that idea, huh?”
“Meow.” The kitten playfully swatted at him.
As they moved further from their camp, the air grew more muddled.
Suddenly, Xia Lu Nong turned his head toward a specific direction, as if he had caught a faint scent of grain.
“What’s up?” Yan Xi Nian noticed the kitten’s sudden concentration and asked.
“Meow.” The kitten pointed a paw toward a certain part of the ruins. “Meow!”
There was something over there.
Yan Xi Nian carried him over.
It was a section of the ruins overgrown with plants, the debris piled high.
Before the disaster, it had been someone’s home, now reduced to a heap of rubble.
The plants growing on top had accelerated the weathering of the debris, and in another few decades, the site would likely revert to farmland, leaving only faint traces of the past.
After surveying the ruins, Yan Xi Nian placed the kitten on his shoulder. “Hold on tight.”
The kitten’s claws instinctively popped out, gripping his shoulder.
Yan Xi Nian cautiously scanned the surroundings.
Xia Lu Nong let out a “meow,” signaling that the scents here were clean—no traces of mutated creatures, so it was likely safe.
Yan Xi Nian pulled a knife from his belt, climbed to the top of the ruins in a few swift movements, and began cutting away the overgrown weeds, bushes, and vines. Only when the area was more exposed could they continue searching.
Xia Lu Nong stared intently at his movements, his eyes focused on the ruins.
He cut through a large vine, grabbed the base of it with his hand, his arm muscles bulging. With a powerful grip, he yanked it forcefully.
With a “whoosh,” the vine was uprooted, revealing a large area of the ruins in front of them.
“Meow!” Xia Lu Nong’s fur bristled, his pupils contracted, and his claws clung tightly to Yan Xi Nian’s clothes.
Amid the exposed ruins lay a human corpse—or more accurately, a skeleton, half-buried under the debris.
The skin and hair had long decayed, leaving the skeletal remains facing them, its hollow eye sockets seemingly filled with despair.
Yan Xi Nian stroked the cat’s back in reverse, stood in front of the skeleton, and bowed slightly.
The kitten, perched on his shoulder, mimicked his gesture and gave a small bow as well.
Both felt a heavy weight in their hearts.
After bowing, the kitten meowed softly, “Meow.”
He extended his paw, pointing in a certain direction, “Meow.”
After the vine was lifted, he could smell the scent of grain more clearly.
That faint, stale odor gave him a precise location.
Yan Xi Nian focused on the direction the kitten pointed to, where a large mound had formed, but clearing it would require tools.
After assessing for a few seconds, Yan Xi Nian said, “Let’s head back and grab some hoes. We should bury the homeowner first.”
Xia Lu Nong meowed softly, showing no objection.
They hadn’t gone far, and returning would only take a few minutes.
Yan Xi Nian told the others that Xia Lu Nong had found something in the ruins that needed to be cleared. Ba Niu and Cong Lian, who had nothing to do, volunteered to help.
Xia Huo Qu walked over, ruffled his younger brother’s head, and asked, “What did you find?”
“Meow.” Xia Huo Qu’s gaze fell on his brother’s pen.
His brother handed the pen to him, and he clumsily wrote a crooked character on the paper: “Grain.”
Xia Huo Qu asked, “Grain in the ruins?”
The kitten nodded, then clumsily wrote another word: “More.”
Everyone gathered to take a look. Xia Huo Qu asked, “A lot of grain?”
The kitten nodded again.
Yan Xi Nian smiled, “Impressive! I didn’t smell anything.”
Even if searching for supplies, a group of people walking through the ruins in human form wouldn’t easily uncover anything. On top of that, they had to guard against mutated plants and animals hidden in the debris that could launch surprise attacks.
Most people, after spending time and effort combing through the ruins, still come up empty-handed.
That’s why, even though the ruins had been raided by others before, newcomers kept coming.
Upon hearing there was a lot of grain, Yan Xi Nian’s mood lifted. “Let’s head over while it’s still before breakfast and take a look.”
Everyone nodded, their eyes filled with anticipation.
The group arrived at the ruins they had previously visited, dug a pit beside the ruins, and buried the homeowner. Then, they began digging in the direction indicated by Xia Lu Nong.
Ba Niu, in his human form, was the strongest and swung the hoe with great force.
He didn’t hold back his strength, digging rapidly with one powerful stroke after another.
No one could match his speed.
“I found it.” When Ba Niu dug up the final clump of dirt, he stepped aside and informed the others.
They gathered around and found that underneath the dirt was a stainless steel plate. It wasn’t very thick, just a thin layer, but it made a “clang” sound when struck.
Everyone stepped back a few paces to take in the full view.
Seeing how large the pile of debris was, they had initially thought it was a collapsed beam or bricks that had formed a triangular structure, creating a sealed-off area in the corner, possibly storing a few bags of rice.
However, nearly two years had passed, and the environment had completely turned into a wilderness. The chances of the rice sprouting were high. Even if they found the grain, it might not be of much use.
No one expected that hidden beneath the debris was a large granary.
Suddenly, no one felt tired anymore. Their eyes were filled with determination.
They carefully cleared the debris from the stainless steel, quickly realizing it was a massive granary.
The granary was circular, with a diameter of at least three meters. Even though half of it was still buried, its height was also at least three meters.
To reinforce it, a wooden frame surrounded the granary, securely holding it in place.
That’s why the granary remained intact despite the collapse of the debris.
Thanks for the chapter!