In the rain, holding an oversized umbrella, he was fishing by the mountain pond. He really liked this mountain pond; he learned to swim there when he was a child.
When he was little, he even caught a very large old turtle in this mountain pond, but later his grandfather said it was not easy for an old turtle to live so long, so he let it go.
He never saw it again. When Li Yu was fishing by the bank, Yang Tianlong often liked to join in the fun.
Da Pao didn't like the rain much, so he didn't come out.
Just like that, by the bank, Li Yu fished, and Yang Tianlong set up a barbecue grill beside him. When a fish was caught, he would scale it and grill it directly.
The two of them drank yellow wine, fishing by the bank, while eating the freshest fish. In this spring with willows swaying, a gentle breeze, and continuous drizzle, they quietly enjoyed this idyllic life in the apocalypse.
The willow branches danced in the wind, and in the pattering rain, mist rose from the lake, making it seem like a fairyland.
The two of them drank for a long time, and a lot, but being two people with good alcohol tolerance, they drank yellow wine and never got drunk.
Maintaining a slightly tipsy state, they sat by the lake for a whole day.
The next day, Li Yu took the younger generation of his family to pick tea on the mountain. In the past, every Qingming Festival, his grandfather would take them to sweep graves, finding the ancestral tombs among the azaleas covering the mountains.
They would clean, pull weeds, hang paper, light candles, set off firecrackers, sprinkle wine, and bow.
After the apocalypse, Li Yu's grandfather directly enshrined many ancestral tablets in a small hall on the left mountaintop. This Qingming, he also brought the younger generation of the family to worship their ancestors.
But after all, it was the apocalypse, so the worship was not as complicated as before. However, this process was indispensable; ancestor worship was undoubtedly an important way to deepen family bonds.
The younger generation in the base preferred to pick the sweetest, most tender parts of the tea trees scattered across the mountains, which were crisp, sweet, and refreshing without being cloying.
There were also wild fruits like ground cherries, sweet and sour. Facing the spring breeze and the continuous drizzle, the children on the mountain ran around without a care.
As usual, Li Yu's grandmother used the dried grains she had stored to brew some rice wine.
The freshly brewed rice wine carried a hint of grain, with a strong watery taste, but it had a sweet flavor.
And so, Li Yu and his group rested in the base. Some were recuperating, some were constantly practicing and learning how to use crossbows and firearms. Some were still studying knowledge and culture. And some were developing romantic relationships.
Meanwhile, Song Min and others in the county town were not having such an easy time. At first, the Salvation Army hadn't discovered them.
Later, the Salvation Army had figured out most of the remaining population in the county town and found them.
It's worth mentioning that after Li Yu and his group eliminated Brother Hao and others, two small groups, both with few members, had gathered in the county town. They had been hiding in various corners after the apocalypse broke out and only slowly emerged later.
One group was temporarily formed and had very poor combat ability. When they encountered the Salvation Army, they had no resistance at all.
The other group was led by a head chef from a large restaurant in the county town. After the apocalypse broke out, because the restaurant had stored a relatively large amount of ingredients and enough rice, they lasted for a long time. With so many zombies outside, they never left the restaurant.
They only came out of the building after their food finally ran out. They were led by the head chef, with some kitchen assistants and general laborers under him. These people all had various knives in the kitchen and had a certain combat ability against zombies.
Unfortunately, they encountered the Salvation Army. After being plundered by the Salvation Army, it was found that they didn't have many supplies, so they were coerced into agreeing to one thing: to regularly pay protection fees, a certain amount of food or other valuable usable items.
Under the threat of the Salvation Army, both groups agreed to the Salvation Army's demands. There was no other way; refusing would only lead to being wiped out by the Salvation Army.
They had seen how ruthless this Salvation Army was.
On Song Min's side, they had a bad feeling from the very beginning of the Salvation Army's appearance. So they tried their best to avoid encountering them, but despite all their calculations, they didn't expect to be found.
They even came directly to the building where they were located.
Six Salvation Army vehicles and dozens of people directly surrounded their building.
Outside the courtyard, the arrogant man standing on the car roof directly shouted inside, "How about it? Have you considered it?"
This man was the leader of this Salvation Army group; he was the one who eliminated Zhen Fu and his gang at the Gas Station. The reason for going north at that time, besides eliminating Zhen Fu's group, was more importantly to open up new spheres of influence.
As the number of Salvation Army members grew, they needed more and more resources, so they targeted some surviving groups in the surrounding areas.
Because the Salvation Army had many people and better weapons, no surviving group in the vicinity could resist them. In the end, they either obediently paid protection fees on time or were directly annihilated and absorbed by the Salvation Army.
Song Min looked at the Salvation Army downstairs, her heart filled with anxiety. Their dozen or so people were no match for those strong, tall men.
But if they agreed to them and had to pay supplies on time in the future, their own supplies would definitely not be enough, and people might even starve to death. Furthermore, they would always be at the mercy of these people.
Song Min was still thinking about how to answer him when the arrogant Salvation Army leader downstairs spoke again, "I heard from Old Zhao that you have another force here, right? I heard they are quite powerful. Old Zhao said that force has a good relationship with you? Do you know where they are?"
Upon hearing Song Min, a bad premonition instantly flashed through her heart.
This Salvation Army, they weren't talking about Li Yu and his group, were they? This Old Zhao, in the entire county town now, among all the survivors, who didn't know Li Yu and his group, even if they didn't know their names?
But they knew they had guns!
Old Zhao told the Salvation Army about Li Yu's existence, but he didn't say Li Yu had guns! This was trying to kill someone with a borrowed knife!
But Song Min thought: I don't even know where Li Yu and his group are!
This Old Zhao is such a bastard. It's bad enough that he exposed my location, but he also dragged Li Yu into it and made me tell. But I don't even know where they are.
Damn it!
Song Min felt like dismembering Old Zhao.
The Salvation Army leader downstairs seemed to be losing patience. He asked two questions in a row but didn't get a response from Song Min.
Standing on the car roof downstairs, his face gradually darkened, and his eyes held a hint of ruthlessness.