Chapter 5 – The Little Fellow
There wasn’t much left to do at home for now, and with more than twenty days before the apocalypse hit, it wasn’t yet time to start processing food. He couldn’t just sit idle these days, so… why not go check out the dog farm?
Pulling out his phone, Luo Xun had already located a dog farm in the southwest district—one of the biggest in City A. They had plenty of high-quality show dogs as breeding stock, and the online reviews were excellent. If he wanted to buy a dog, this was the best and closest choice.
He once again drove his second-hand Jinbei van and headed south.
Dog farms were usually built out in the suburbs or rural counties. The faster City A expanded, the farther out these farms moved. After all, they needed wide open land, and if they were too close to the city, the rent would be a huge problem.
The further he drove, the fewer buildings there were. Soon there were hardly any in sight. First, he passed a vast stretch of greenhouses for flowers, then farmland that had already been harvested. On both sides, the corn was already taken in, leaving behind only stalks bundled up like dry poles stacked by the fields.
After another half hour of driving, Luo Xun spotted a sign in the distance, the big characters reading: Xinxin Dog Farm.
“What kind of name is that?” Luo Xun muttered, signaling and turning. Ten minutes later, he reached a walled compound with a gate that bore the same sign: Xinxin Dog Farm.
Seeing someone come to buy a dog, a young man, no more than eighteen or nineteen, led Luo Xun inside, asking what kind of dog he wanted.
“Do you have German Shepherds? Best if they’re three to four months old, good build, and with a fiercer temperament.”
“Brother, you want a guard dog, right? You came to the right place. We had two litters of German Shepherds a few months ago. Don’t mind that the price of Shepherds has gone down these years—they’re still excellent dogs! Best for guarding the house. Much more reliable than Huskies or Goldens.”
Luo Xun nodded. That was exactly what he wanted—something protective, a bit aggressive toward strangers, and Shepherds were intelligent, easy to train.
They went into a building where a few older men were sitting around. Hearing Luo Xun wanted a German Shepherd, a plump man stood up. “Come with me.”
Barking could be heard everywhere, near and far. Luo Xun even saw two massive, imposing Tibetan Mastiffs—now those, he would never dare keep. If the apocalypse really brought zombie dogs, he might manage a Shepherd, but a Mastiff? He’d probably end up as its dog food.
They walked into a nearby room thick with the smell of dogs and stifling heat. Cages lined the place, most holding a mother with her pups.
“These here are three and a half months old. That batch over there is just over two months.” The fat man, taking the cigarette Luo Xun offered, pointed at two cages. “That one’s smaller, but the sire is excellent.” He gestured to a large cage beside it, where a German Shepherd stood guard, baring its teeth at them, clearly unwilling to let its pups be taken.
In the three-and-a-half-month-old cage, only two pups were left. The two-month-old cage still had five.
“Do they have papers?” Luo Xun asked.
“Yes. The sire and dam of this cage are both show dogs, the pups all come with certificates.” He pointed at the two-month-old cage. “That batch is pricier—less than 6,800 yuan, we won’t sell. The other cage only has two left, both female. If you’re looking to breed later, you can take them for 2,100 each, but no papers.”
For a moment, Luo Xun was tempted to take two home. But he immediately crushed the thought. He didn’t even know if one might turn into a zombie dog later—let alone two.
“Forget it, I’ll just pick one for now. By the way, do you sell vaccines? Dog medicine? Dog food?”
“We’ve got all of that. If you need them, I’ll take you over later.”
Luo Xun was a straightforward buyer. Soon he had picked a lively little fellow, a male pup. The farm issued the papers and even gave him a booklet on dog care and training.
After another round through the farm, Luo Xun’s van now carried two big sacks of dog food. He also went online and ordered more kibble and chew toys—his heart aching with every click. Damn, so expensive! Rice and flour are cheaper than this! If this dog turns into a zombie, I’ll really be screwed. I might end up eating all this kibble myself…
Thinking of how big a Shepherd would grow—and how much it would eat—Luo Xun was already regretting before he even left the farm.
Looking down, he met the gaze of the little pup in his arms, its round black eyes staring pitifully up at him. Who could be hard-hearted against that face?
“Fine, you just stick with me. Let’s both work hard to survive… past the 28th.” He thought back to his previous life, how he had died alone and isolated. This time, if this little guy could make it past November 28th, at least he wouldn’t be alone in the future. Who’d still waste money raising an ungrateful wolf as a ‘son’?
After stowing the food, medicine, bowls, and large iron cage, Luo Xun turned to the young man helping him move things. “When I drove in earlier, I saw lots of other courtyards around. Do villagers live there?”
Xiao Zhao nodded quickly. “Yes, those are village houses.”
“Does anyone here sell chickens or ducks?”
Xiao Zhao chuckled. “Bro, you planning to buy some organic food to take home? Well, this isn’t far from the city, and though villagers raise them, the prices aren’t cheap. If you really want some, I can take you to a place.”
There wasn’t much work to do at the dog farm most days, and with plenty of people around, no one would notice if one or two were gone. Once Xiao Zhao got in the car, Luo Xun learned he was a villager here, introduced to the dog farm by a friend. The villagers no longer farmed themselves—their land was all leased out—but many still raised chickens, ducks, or geese, and those with large yards planted some crops too.
After some thought, Luo Xun bought ten live chickens, ten live ducks, and two big white geese. He had them slaughtered and planned to either air-dry and preserve the meat or simply freeze it.
He also bought two baskets of chicken eggs and one of duck eggs, all carried in big woven bamboo baskets. Then, walking through Xiao Zhao’s courtyard, he noticed peppercorn and star anise trees growing there.
“Can you cut me a few branches from those?” Luo Xun exclaimed. He’d forgotten—of course these could be planted too!
“You want those? You can buy them anywhere at the supermarket,” Xiao Zhao said, though he didn’t mind. Since Luo Xun hadn’t haggled over any of his earlier purchases, Xiao Zhao simply clipped three or four branches of each for him. “Homegrown stuff like this is mostly just for emergencies. People say the flavor isn’t as good as store-bought anyway.”
“No problem. I’ve got a big balcony—I’ll grow them for fun,” Luo Xun said happily, pocketing the cuttings.
“You like growing things? My family also has raspberry seedlings. Want some? They spread fast, and even if you don’t tend them, you’ll have a whole patch in a year.” Seeing Luo Xun’s interest, Xiao Zhao got his mother to dig some up, wrapping them in newspaper.
“Thanks, thank you,” Luo Xun said quickly. Then he pointed at an old millstone leaning against the wall. “That—do you sell it?”
Xiao Zhao looked at him speechlessly, mistaking him for some rich city kid looking for rustic fun. “That thing’s too heavy, you couldn’t even lift it into your van. But I’ve got two small hand-crank ones, and even a little electric dehusker. Want those instead? No one uses these anymore—everything’s electric now.”
The two small hand mills and the mini electric dehusker were all second-hand, so the price was dirt cheap.
Luo Xun checked online and saw mills were common, but dehuskers were harder to find—likely only at big agricultural markets or specialty farm-equipment shops. Too much hassle. Better to just buy it here.
The electric dehusker, though small, was still almost new—the Zhao family hadn’t used it much. After buying it, they leased out their land, so it was practically untouched.
Word spread that Luo Xun was a gullible city rich boy with money to burn. A nearby kid ran over, tugged at his sleeve, and said, “We have quails at home. Alive. Want them?”
“Quails?” Luo Xun blinked, then nodded. “Let me see first.”
The boy brought a cage with eight little quails. He claimed he had caught them in the fields in autumn. Now that the weather was cold, the quails had stopped laying eggs, so his family wanted to kill them for food. But hearing that some fool was buying everything, they let the boy bring them over—maybe he could earn some pocket money.
Luo Xun stroked his chin. Small bodies, quiet, they could lay eggs. Not much meat, true, but they were still poultry. Even if they mutated after the apocalypse, he could handle such small animals.
There were eight in total—two males and six females, according to the boy. Luo Xun didn’t mind the small number and tossed the cage into his van. He also bought some salted duck eggs and century eggs from the family before heading back.
With bags and baskets loaded up, Luo Xun packed everything, held his pup in his arms, and drove his second-hand minivan back home.
Once home, he set up the cages, letting the pup get used to the environment. Then he checked his bank account, calculated his remaining cash—nearly twenty thousand yuan gone in a flash.
Scrolling through online stores, Luo Xun thought it over carefully. In the end, he decided that tomorrow morning he’d withdraw all his remaining money, head to the farmer’s market one last time for food, crops, medicine, and whatever else, then dig up some soil in the suburbs and hole up at home to wait out the end.
The next morning, he filled the pup’s water bowl, laid out food, and checked on the makeshift quail pen, adding water for them too. Then, coat in hand, he walked toward the door.
The new little German Shepherd pressed against the cage, staring at Luo Xun’s back with pitiful eyes, letting out soft whines that tugged at the heart.
Ever since bringing it home, Luo Xun had locked the pup in its cage, feeding it but otherwise ignoring it.
Honestly, he had no resistance to such a little creature. But he didn’t dare get close yet. If it was just an animal he had no bond with, he could still harden his heart and kill it if it mutated. But if it became his beloved pet…
In some ways, Luo Xun was fragile. Even now, he remembered how, in his past life after the apocalypse hit, one by one his neighbors turned into zombies. When those familiar faces searched for food outside his door, he had nearly broken down.
So this time, he chose to leave City Y right from the start. Put nicely, it was foresight. Put bluntly, it was just running away.
He would rather kill a group of strangers he’d never met than face those once-familiar faces.
That was why he hadn’t even given the little guy a name—afraid of growing attached.
