Chapter 388: Chapter 388: Entrustment
Evelyn Ford went to the kitchen to help with the cooking, while Ronan Kendrick and Officer Graham went to process the butchered argali. Although the weather was cold, everyone’s spirits were high.
By 5:30 p.m., all the food was ready. Following custom, they first fed the livestock and then set off firecrackers before finally sitting down to eat.
The dinner was quite sumptuous. Evelyn Ford asked Taylor Vance to sit at the head of the table, but he declined.
"Evelyn, I’m just a member of the farm now, not the leader here." He had aged quickly in recent years. His hair was almost completely white, and his body had grown terribly thin. His padded cotton clothes looked especially empty on his frame. He had suffered greatly during the time he was held captive by the savages, and both his mind and body bore deep scars.
Taylor Vance raised his glass and toasted Evelyn. "Now that you’re leading the entire farm, it’s enough for us to be your support."
Zion Lowell was worried about Taylor Vance’s health, but Vance patted his shoulder, stopping him from saying more.
"Mr. Vance, once the Little Ice Age ends, we’ll go to Tarr City, to Frelia. We still have to settle the score with the Holloway and Hooper Families for what they did to Wyrmrest Base." Evelyn Ford drained the sweet potato wine from her cup, her promise to him resounding and firm.
Taylor Vance nodded. "Yes, we need to settle the score with them. I haven’t forgotten."
Quincy found a ten-year-old disc of a New Year’s Gala. When it was put into the DVD player, familiar celebratory music filled the room. At the table, everyone wished each other a happy new year. Quincy asked Evelyn to share her wish for the coming year, and she thought for a long time.
"For the new year, I hope we can all be healthy and safe."
As they left the cafeteria, a cold wind gusted against them. Evelyn shivered and quickly put on her scarf. Nearby, Quincy and a few others were setting off pop-its. Evelyn had made them herself late last night; they made very little noise and had almost no destructive power.
Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell were a little drunk. During the meal, the two had rambled on about many things. Their words, like a final testament, made Evelyn’s heart ache. Taylor Vance was at the end of his rope; he probably wouldn’t last another year. It was obvious he was well aware of this fact himself.
"Evelyn, wait a moment. Can we speak privately?" Seeing that Evelyn hadn’t left yet, Taylor Vance raised a hand to stop her.
"Ronan, you come too. I have something to discuss with you both."
The three of them went to the classroom where Taylor Vance had recently been teaching. At the front of the room was a blackboard he had made himself. On it, a phrase was written in a neat hand.
"Strive for self-improvement ceaselessly, and carry the world with great virtue."
Taylor Vance closed the door. Ronan Kendrick took out a magnesium rod and wood shavings to light the charcoal in the fireplace.
"The wind is so strong today."
Taylor Vance picked up a book from the table, wiped it meticulously, and then placed it on the bookshelf next to the fireplace.
"Do you remember back in the safe zone, when I asked you to please take us with you if you left?"
Taylor Vance sat across from Evelyn, a faint smile on his face as he recalled the memory. "You kept your promise and brought us here in the end. Evelyn, Ronan, thank you."
Evelyn lowered her head and said nothing. Ronan poured hot water for them and said softly, "There’s nothing to thank us for."
Taylor Vance shook his head. "A thousand words couldn’t express my gratitude. Let me tell you my story. When I received the order from my superiors, I immediately led my people to Wyrmrest Base. The military arrived at the same time we did. Later, several of the great families got involved, wanting to carve out power in the base. I was completely overwhelmed back then. On one hand, I had to deal with torrential rains and collapses, and on the other, I was under pressure from above. The three factions were at a stalemate, but I didn’t have much real power. In the end, I didn’t even have time to bring my family over."
This was the first time Evelyn had heard Taylor Vance talk about his family.
"My wife died of cancer fifteen years ago. We had a daughter. Later, I became so busy with work that I neglected her. She got involved with some good-for-nothing punk, and I was furious. I decided to send her abroad to separate them. She blocked my number, and we lost contact after she left the country.
"My parents were living with my married older sister in Argent for their retirement. The year the apocalypse began, they were already over seventy-five years old. My sister called me once to say they had gone to the base in Argent. After that, I lost contact with them, too."
Tears welled in Taylor Vance’s eyes. "Whether it was my family or the residents of the base, I failed them all."
"Don’t think like that. To your family, you had your duties. And as for the base residents, you were a victim, too."
Taylor Vance shook his head. "To my daughter, I was an unworthy father. To my parents, I was an unworthy son. If I hadn’t been so lax in my vigilance, the Holloway and Hooper Families would never have been able to collude and strip the base bare."
"I know my body won’t hold out for much longer. Evelyn, Ronan, I didn’t call you over to ask you to take revenge for me. There is only one thing I need your help with. When I die, please, just cremate me. Don’t bury me. I hope my ashes can follow the wind and find my daughter and my parents."
A lump formed in Evelyn’s throat. She looked up at Taylor Vance and nodded solemnly.
"Alright. I promise you."
"Also, I’ve written some things based on my experience. I hope it can be of help to you." Taylor Vance took a notebook from his coat. He had filled it with meticulous details on everything from geology and climate to changes in water currents and temperature differences.
"Evelyn, I’m afraid this apocalypse won’t end easily. It could take decades, even centuries. You two must live on, no matter what."
Evelyn forced a smile. "We all have to live on."
Taylor Vance smiled back. "I used to always want to save people. Any survivor, any refugee, I wanted to save them. Don’t be like me. Don’t bind yourselves with such moral shackles. Just take care of yourselves. That’s enough. There are no saviors in this world."
This was his final piece of advice—perhaps to console himself, or perhaps to console Evelyn.
Returning to her wooden cabin with the notebook, Evelyn flipped through it completely before taking out a box, placing the notebook inside, and carefully storing it in her space.
’This is the second time someone has told me to scatter their ashes after they die because they want to return to their hometown, to be with their family.’
Evelyn remembered an afternoon several years ago. A thick fog filled the safe zone, and as she was passing in front of a building, an old man had called out to her.
He had asked her to please take care of his body after he died—to cremate it and scatter the ashes in the direction of his home, because his family was still there waiting for him. Feeling it was a lot to ask, the old man had given her a piece of dried meat as thanks.
To this day, she still remembered the taste.
Evelyn took out her calendar and drew an X over today’s date.
"Ronan, Happy New Year."
Ronan accepted the New Year’s gift from Evelyn—it was a single fir leaf.
But then Evelyn suddenly grabbed Ronan’s hand and forcefully pried open his palm.
In his palm, only the marriage line below the side of his little finger remained. All the other lines were gone.
