Chapter 59 – On the Road
Soon, torrential rain began to pour down.
The world outside turned white; they couldn’t even see the outlines of the trees ahead. The three people and one cat huddled inside the cab, watching the downpour through the windshield.
The rain was so loud that the wind, carrying the scent of earth and rain, swept into the cab and cleared the stuffiness inside.
The wind was chilly, so Xia the cat snuggled closer to his brother and let out a soft “meow.”
Xia Huo Qu held him tighter, watching the rain, and raised his voice a bit. “I wonder how long this rain will last.”
Yan Xi Nian replied, “Summer storms don’t last long.”
Xia Huo Qu looked worried. “I hope it’s not raining at the base. The cement at the hydroelectric station hasn’t dried yet. Heavy rain could be risky.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Yan Xi Nian reassured him. “If there’s a danger, they’ll figure something out.”
They continued discussing the situation at the base. The sound of their conversation, mixed with the rain, was soothing, and before long, Xia the cat dozed off.
The rain gradually lightened, and the truck resumed its journey, bouncing gently as it moved forward.
Xia the cat awoke feeling completely refreshed. He found that he was now nestled in Kong Zhi’s arms, with his brother driving beside him while Yan Xi Nian was napping against the seat.
His brother glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “You’re awake?”
Xia the cat stretched lazily on Kong Zhi’s lap, then looked up at his brother and greeted him with a soft “meow.”
The rain outside had turned into a light drizzle. The sky was a clear blue, and a rainbow arched overhead.
The truck rumbled along, splashing through puddles that reflected the blue sky, yellow clouds, and green trees. Glancing toward the horizon, the sun was already dipping close to the mountaintops, ready to set.
Only then did Xia the cat realize he had slept most of the day away, and now he felt completely refreshed, almost ready to transform back into human form.
He padded lightly on Kong Zhi’s lap, tugging at his shirt. “Meow?”
“What are you trying to say?” Kong Zhi handed him a notebook and pen from the dashboard so he could write.
Xia the cat picked up the pen and wrote: I can transform back now.
Kong Zhi read it aloud, word by word.
Xia Huo Qu said, “You should take it easy for a bit longer. Feeling good right after waking up doesn’t mean it’ll last.”
“Meow.”
Xia Huo Qu glanced at him briefly. “If you really feel up to it, wait until we reach the campsite, then you can transform back.”
Xia the cat obediently curled up on Kong Zhi’s lap.
The rain had delayed their progress, and they couldn’t reach their original rest stop. Instead, they had to take a detour to another village.
Xia the cat gazed outside. They had traveled west-northwest from the base. This area had fewer mountains, mostly flat plains stretching out around them.
Before the disaster, this must have been farmland. Despite the overgrowth of weeds and shrubs, the land still appeared cultivated, with clear traces of old fields.
Perhaps due to the rain or the current blooming season, the road was lined with purple and blue wildflowers, carpeting the landscape in a sea of color.
Xia the cat’s glassy eyes reflected the endless fields of flowers.
He propped his front paws against the window, staring out intently, his hind legs standing the whole time, apparently not feeling tired.
The truck rolled on, eventually arriving at an abandoned school.
The buildings had collapsed, but the track field remained intact, along with a basketball court nearby, which looked relatively flat.
At the front of the basketball court stood a flagpole, still bearing the national flag.
Lu Nong’s eyes were immediately drawn to the flag, and a wave of emotion welled up, making his eyes sting.
He sat still on Kong Zhi’s lap, motionless. Kong Zhi followed his gaze and saw the flag, pursing his lips without a word.
Xia Huo Qu also noticed the flag and parked the truck, falling into a silent moment of reflection.
Half-awake, Yan Xi Nian sensed the somber mood. When he opened his eyes and followed their line of sight, his mouth twitched slightly at the sight of the flag.
Xia Huo Qu pushed open the truck door and sighed, “Let’s get out.”
The three of them and the cat stepped out.
Lu Nong hopped into the back of the truck, changed into his clothes amidst the sea of crabs, and climbed back out.
Everyone was still gazing at the flag.
Lu Nong stood under the slightly faded flag and snapped to attention.
Xia Huo Qu and the others instinctively did the same, standing at attention beside him.
The four of them stood for a long time, unwilling to look away.
Suddenly, Xia Huo Qu began to speak, his voice slightly hoarse.
Xia Lu Nong and the others focused, only to be surprised—he was softly singing the national anthem.
The anthem echoed through the air.
Another voice joined in, turning it into a duet.
Then, the remaining two voices joined, and the four voices flowed together in a quiet, steady stream.
They stood under the national flag, paying solemn respect, singing each line of the national anthem with clarity. As they continued, their voices began to choke with emotion.
The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the ground.
That evening, their moods were deeply somber.
Xia Lu did not turn back into a cat.
They cooked a simple meal of noodles, taking turns to keep watch every two hours.
That night, only mosquitoes bothered them.
Perhaps some unseen force was protecting them, as they slept soundly with the cool night breeze.
The next morning, they continued their journey.
It was a sunny day, but the road conditions were worse than the day before. The rain had left muddy potholes everywhere, and the constant jolting of the vehicle made everyone feel queasy.
To make matters worse, because they hadn’t reached Yacheng town as planned, the crabs in the back were losing their vitality. If they kept bouncing along for two more days, they’d likely end up with a truck full of dead crabs.
Yan Xi Nian looked up at the sky. “Plans can’t keep up with changes. Let’s find a place to rest and make this batch of crabs into crab roe butter.”
Xia Huo Qu, driving, responded, “We don’t have enough oil.”
They had only brought rice and a small amount of oil, not enough for making crab roe butter.
Yan Xi Nian said, “I’ll go hunt a wild boar.”
Xia Huo Qu gave him a glance. “Wild boars aren’t that easy to catch.”
“With Kong Zhi, it should be fine, right?”
Yan Xi Nian elbowed Kong Zhi playfully and asked with a grin, “Can you fly up and look for wild boars?”
Kong Zhi nodded.
Yan Xi Nian took out the map and marked a small village, saying, “Let’s change our destination—tonight, we’ll rest at Hujia Hill. When I went there last year, it was in decent condition, and there were wild boars nearby.”
Xia Huo Qu kept his eyes on the road and casually said, “I’ll go. My beast form is better for long-distance sprints.”
Yan Xi Nian wasn’t having it. “My beast form is pretty good for long-distance runs too, and with Kong Zhi helping to locate them, it’ll be no problem.”
Xia Huo Qu didn’t argue. He drove to their designated rest area and simply reminded them, “Go early and come back early.”
“Don’t worry,” Yan Xi Nian said, quickly stripping off his clothes and tossing them into the driver’s seat. “We’ll be back soon.”
With that, he transformed into a large white tiger, sniffing the air and gazing in a particular direction.
Kong Zhi quickly morphed into a golden eagle, ran a few steps, flapped his wings, and soared into the sky, circling twice before calling out and flying in a specific direction.
The white tiger followed the eagle’s path like an arrow shot from a bow.
Xia Huo Qu watched them disappear and then turned to Xia Lu Nong, saying, “Get down and stretch your legs.”
Xia Lu Nong, watching the white tiger and golden eagle with envy, felt a twinge of sadness. His own strength was too weak, and hunting would never be his task.
Hearing his brother, Xia Lu Nong brought his gaze back and lifted his foot to get out.
But just as he did, something shot out from under the truck and coiled around his ankle, even through his pants.
“Ah!” Xia Lu’s eyes widened in fear. He looked down and saw a serrated vine wrapping around his ankle.
The vine had torn through his pants, but luckily, he was wearing socks, preventing it from cutting into his skin immediately.
He reached back to the console, trying to grab a knife.
His brother turned and, with a sharp gaze, swiftly slashed the vine in one stroke.
“It’s just a small, non-poisonous mutated plant,” Xia Huo Qu concluded, pulling him up. “No need to worry.”
Xia Lu Nong glanced nervously at the ground. After spending so much time with his brothers, he had nearly forgotten that this world was full of dangers.
Xia Huo Qu locked the truck and led him to the back, saying, “Let’s sort out the weaker crabs first and steam them for their meat.”
“Okay,” Xia Lu Nong replied, glancing at the crabs. “Should we find water to clean them first?”
“Let’s gather firewood first. We can steam while we clean.”
Yawning, Xia Lu Nong looked around.
They had stopped in an open field, with some collapsed buildings about 30 meters away.
Finding dry, burnable wood would be easier by scavenging inside those structures.
Xia Huo Qu seemed to have the same idea, taking Xia Lu Nong on a quick walk through the ruins to gather wood. They returned to build a fire and steam the crabs.
The two of them worked hard at their makeshift base, not having an easier time than Yan Xi Nian and Kong Zhi out hunting.
Xia Lu Nong’s back ached, and his hands turned pale from washing crabs.
But their efforts were paying off. A small mountain of crabs was piling up, and once they finished, they would surely have a large amount of crab meat.
Crab roe butter was always a delicacy. Xia Lu Nong wondered if they would trade all of it away or save some for themselves to enjoy with rice at home.
His head nodded as he started dreaming about crab roe butter.
Xia Huo Qu, sitting across from him, noticed his sleepy, tear-filled eyes and gently bumped his knee. “If you’re tired, go rest in the truck.”
“No need,” Xia Lu Nong said, yawning again. He wiped his eyes with his arm and added, “I’m not that tired, just a bit sleepy. Hey, did you hear that?”
“Hm?” Xia Huo Qu paused.
He listened closely. The evening wind carried a mix of sounds—bird calls, frogs croaking. “What sound are you talking about?”
Xia Lu Nong tilted his head, gazing at the horizon bathed in twilight. “It sounded like a low, thumping noise. I’m not sure if it’s real or just my imagination.”
Xia Huo Qu followed Xia Lu Nong’s gaze and said, “I didn’t hear anything. It could be that the sound is too faint. Do you sense any danger?”
Xia Lu Nong shook his head. “No.”
If there were any danger, he wouldn’t have been so calm.
Xia Huo Qu said, “Sounds in the wild are normal. Don’t worry about it, just keep cleaning the crabs.”
“Okay.” Xia Lu Nong lowered his head and continued scrubbing. He could already smell the aroma of the steamed crabs. He planned to sneak a taste of two crabs while disassembling them, and later in the evening, stir-fried crabmeat with rice sounded like a great idea.
Thinking of this, Xia Lu swallowed his saliva.
Thanks for the chapter!