Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Perceptive
Zhang Yiwen’s eyes lit up. "Mom, you’re so smart!" he exclaimed.
Song Yufang smiled and pinched his little cheek. "Of course." She then looked around at the surroundings and said with great satisfaction, "This is actually a good place to settle down for a while."
Zhang Yiwen nodded. "Yeah, it’s warmer than other places."
Zhang Aihua finished setting up the tent and came over. Hearing their conversation, he smiled. "It really is a good place. Just now, Lao Er even found a few little fish fry in the hot spring. Once they grow up, we’ll be able to scoop fish right out of the water to eat."
Zhang Yiwen quickly peered into the water, but he couldn’t find anything after searching for a long time. Zhang Aihua pointed out the tiny fry, which weren’t even the size of a fingertip. Zhang Yiwen was instantly disappointed and looked at Zhang Aihua. "Dad, didn’t you say you were going to catch fish from the sea for me? Aren’t we going?"
Zhang Aihua sighed. "Let’s go tomorrow. It’s already dark. What if the ice melts in the middle of the night and Dad falls in?"
Zhang Yiwen’s train of thought was unusual. "That’s true. Then you should go tomorrow. If you fall in, I’ll never get to eat fish again."
The moment he finished speaking, he received a sharp knock on the head from Zhang Aihua. "You little brat!"
Seeing Zhang Aihua about to fly into a rage, Zhang Yiwen immediately played his trump card. He lifted his handsome face, a spitting image of Song Yufang’s, and said with teary eyes, "Dad, I really want to eat meat. I haven’t eaten meat in so, so long."
’Who doesn’t want to eat meat!’
Everyone did. In the last village, they had desperately scoured the place, only managing to find a few bags of frozen rice and dozens of bags of chicken feed.
Even the chicken feed was a godsend.
Zhang Aihua gave the rice to his family, while he himself ate chicken feed with the others for several days.
It was only because the frozen chicken feed tasted like wax and had no flavor that he could stomach it.
But even that chicken feed was almost gone. Fortunately, they had arrived here.
The hot spring provided water, the sea was just ahead, and the surrounding area had wildlife and timber. If they could just get some seaweed and fish, maybe they could survive in this frozen world for a long, long time, just like the Inuit.
Facing his son’s pitiful expression, Zhang Aihua’s heart softened. He stroked his head and whispered in a low voice, "Dad will open a can for you tonight."
Zhang Yiwen hugged him in pleasant surprise. "Dad, you’re the best!"
’No fish? A can of food is fine too!’
As long as it was meat, he wasn’t picky right now.
Lao Er and the other men had also finished setting up their tents.
He walked over and asked Zhang Aihua, "Boss, this place is good. Are we staying here?"
Zhang Aihua glanced at the sky. "First, we need to check if it’s dangerous. A place with animal activity and fresh water could also mean there are dangerous creatures or mutated beasts around. Don’t let your guard down. We’ll talk about the future after we’ve confirmed everything is safe."
Lao Er nodded. "Then I’ll arrange for the men to stand watch tonight."
"Good."
The group was well-organized. The ones assigned to gather firewood quickly built a fire and set up a pot. They poured in water from the hot spring, then added the chicken feed and stirred it all together.
Melted chicken feed tasted completely different from chewing it raw. Zhang Aihua had thrown up after one bite before, but now he could drink a large bowl of it without a change in expression.
Because, frankly, they were about to run out of even the chicken feed.
Song Yufang was fussy. She would rather chew on snowballs than eat chicken feed.
That was why Zhang Aihua saved all the allocated rice and other previous supplies for her and their son.
No one else had any objections. After all, it was because Zhang Aihua had used his private jet that they’d had a chance to survive in the first place.
When Zhang Aihua entered the tent, Song Yufang had already finished her portion of compressed biscuits.
Zhang Yiwen opened the can and was about to take a bite without heating it, but Song Yufang snatched it away. She cut off a small half and stuffed it directly into Zhang Aihua’s mouth. "Quick, eat!"
Zhang Aihua’s heart warmed. Even so, he took the piece from his mouth, broke it in half, and pressed one half into her hand. "You’ve been through a lot."
Although Song Yufang was fussy, she wasn’t someone who couldn’t appreciate a good thing, especially since Zhang Aihua loved her so much.
She shook her head. "As long as I’m with you, it’s not a hardship."
Zhang Yiwen gobbled down the rest of the can, CRUNCH CRUNCH, and covered his ears as if he’d seen it all before. "Time to sleep! We’re eating fish tomorrow!"
The husband and wife shared a smile, sincerely hoping that tomorrow they would be able to eat a big fish, and that there would be no danger.
Even by the hot spring, the temperature at night could still reach forty or fifty degrees below zero.
They huddled together in the same sleeping bag, covered with two more blankets, before they dared to fall asleep.
「At dawn」, someone was heard shouting outside the tent: "President Zhang, President Zhang! There seems to be someone around here! We found footprints!"
The three people inside the tent were instantly wide awake.
Sometimes, people were far more terrifying than wild beasts.
Zhang Yiwen, who had been captured twice before, suddenly grabbed Zhang Aihua’s hand, a trace of terror on his face.
Zhang Aihua had Song Yufang comfort their son, then he put on a thick winter suit and walked out of the tent. Lao Er added, "We haven’t dared to investigate further."
The main reason was that they didn’t have many bullets left for their guns. Every single one was precious.
They were afraid they wouldn’t be able to win a fight.
President Zhang picked up the handgun he carried, glanced back at the mother and son, and said, "I’m going. I’ll be back soon."
Every time he went out, Song Yufang was afraid he wouldn’t come back.
But she never stopped him.
Although she might seem foolish, she was sharp deep down.
The more of a fuss she made, the more everyone respected him.
President Zhang stared at the footprints before him, which vanished after just a few steps. A trace of doubt appeared on his face. ’Did the blowing snow cover them, or did someone intentionally cover their tracks?’
Lao Er asked, "President Zhang, which way should we go?"
Zhang Aihua pondered for a moment. "These are only two sets of footprints, so there probably aren’t many people. Let’s grab some fishing gear and check by the sea first."
"Okay."
Hot Spring Bay had a long coastline. After walking toward the sea for a while, they saw a vast, endless expanse of sea ice.
So far, there was no danger. A trace of excitement appeared on everyone’s faces, hoping they could immediately start catching fish from the sea.
They had just stepped onto the ice when suddenly, a couple of the men fell flat, shouting in panic, "President Zhang, President Zhang, there’s a big ship over there!"
Before, they would have rushed over excitedly,
But the shadow of having been captured and forced into slavery once before made them terrified of approaching unknown dangers.
When they shouted, Zhang Aihua almost drew his gun to shoot.
He only relaxed when he realized the ship was very far away.
If someone was already occupying this area and didn’t allow them to fish here, it would be big trouble.
President Zhang said cautiously, "Should we go scout it out quietly first?"
Everyone exchanged glances. "Maybe we should just leave? President Zhang, a ship that big must have several hundred people on it."
