Surviving the Apocalypse with the Young Miss - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: People

The firewood they gathered had mostly burned out. Lacking much experience, Song Ge decided it was about time and used a wooden stick to poke the sweet potatoes out of the fire.

Tong Xiangyu looked at the charred, black lumps before her with a face full of doubt. “These… they’re burnt, aren’t they?”

“It doesn’t matter if the outside is burnt,” Song Ge said. “You have to peel them anyway.”

Tong Xiangyu remained skeptical.

The freshly roasted sweet potatoes were still scalding hot. Song Ge set them aside and left them alone for a while before picking one up. She didn’t peel it immediately but simply broke it in half.

Under the glow of the fire, the outside of the sweet potato was charred black, but the inside was a brilliant, tender golden-yellow, smelling incredibly fragrant. Song Ge handed half to Tong Xiangyu. “They have these on street corners—roasted sweet potatoes. Haven’t you ever had one?”

Tong Xiangyu took it but shook her head.

“Try it.” Song Ge peeled back a bit of the skin and took a bite. Perhaps because there had been little rain recently, the sweet potato was exceptionally sweet, soft, and waxy; it was delicious.

Tong Xiangyu followed her lead, peeling off a bit of skin and taking a small bite. It was still very hot, but the roasted sweet potato was dozens of times sweeter than when eaten raw.

“Wow.” A flash of amazement crossed Tong Xiangyu’s eyes. “It’s delicious! Song Ge, should we dig some up to take with us?”

“No, too heavy.”

“I’m wearing the backpack, I’m not afraid of the weight.”

“And who’s riding the bicycle?”

“…You.”

“Well then.” After Song Ge spoke, she saw Tong Xiangyu give an “Oh,” lower her eyes, and continue nibbling on her sweet potato in small bites. Song Ge was silent for a moment before relenting. “We can take two.”

Tong Xiangyu looked at her. “Only two? That’s not really enough.”

“Three. No more than that.”

“Yay!!” Tong Xiangyu said excitedly. “I’ll pick them out tomorrow!”

“Mhm.”

Eating the sweet and fragrant sweet potato, Tong Xiangyu temporarily forgot the pain and itching on her neck. But once she fell asleep, she couldn’t ignore it. Even in her sleep, she kept unconsciously scratching at her neck. Her skin was thin to begin with and already sunburned; after scratching like that, she actually left bloody streaks.

Song Ge didn’t have much of a solution. Eventually, she grabbed Tong Xiangyu’s wrists to stop her from scratching. Tong Xiangyu was miserable for a while, whimpering and frowning in her sleep, but the exhaustion from the day’s travel kept her from waking up. Eventually, things settled down.

The next day, Tong Xiangyu woke up in a daze. Seeing the hazy, dim light of dawn, she realized Song Ge hadn’t woken her up for her watch again. She propped herself up.

A small cluster of the fire was still burning. Song Ge was sitting by the fire with several large handfuls of leaves beside her, head down, weaving something.

“Song Ge…”

Song Ge glanced at her and said, “It’s still early. Sleep a bit longer.”

Tong Xiangyu had gone to bed early the night before and wasn’t that sleepy anymore. She moved to Song Ge’s side. “What is this?”

“Palm leaves.”

“Palm leaves? What are you making with them?”

“Weaving a hat.” It was clear several previous attempts had failed, but the one in Song Ge’s hands was starting to take shape. It was definitely a good idea to make the brim larger so the young lady would get less sun.

“You actually have the leisure for this,” Tong Xiangyu remarked, chin in hand as she watched. Seeing that the hat actually looked quite decent, she couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration. “Song Ge, I feel like you know how to do everything.”

“I don’t. Just winging it.” Song Ge tucked the ends of the palm leaves into the edge for the final touch. “It’ll only last two days at most. The sun is so strong that once the leaves wither, they won’t provide much shade. Want to try it on?”

Tong Xiangyu found it novel and didn’t mind that it was just a straw hat. She took it and carefully placed it on her head. Her face was small and her skin white; wearing the large straw hat, she looked like a model from a commercial—especially when she smiled, appearing both obedient and beautiful.

“Good. Just keep it on.”

“Ah? For me?”

“Mhm.” Song Ge looked at her and said, “If things go smoothly today, we should see a village or town.”

“Do you think there will be people there?”

“I don’t know,” Song Ge said. “Let’s test our luck.”

As it turned out, Song Ge’s luck had always been poor. They cycled the entire day without seeing even a shadow of a village. As the sun began to set and the day drew to a close, Song Ge gave up, planning to find a spot away from the road to rest just like the previous two days.

However, Song Ge’s bad luck didn’t hold out to the very end—likely because she was traveling with a lucky young lady.

They were only halfway down the path to the fields when Song Ge spotted several people in a nearby field. Yes, people, not monsters. Some were swinging hoes, others were filling bags with crops.

“Song Ge?” Tong Xiangyu, following behind, didn’t know yet.

Song Ge said, “People.”

Tong Xiangyu poked her head out in surprise. “Really?! Where, where??”

Tong Xiangyu saw them, but then noticed Song Ge hadn’t moved a muscle. Confused, she asked, “Song Ge, aren’t we going over?”

Song Ge: “No.”

Seeing people was one thing; walking over to them was another. After all, she didn’t know if those people were good or bad. Not everyone possessed the life-saving kindness of Grandma Tian. They were just two girls, and those in the field were all adult men. If a conflict occurred, they would definitely be at a disadvantage.

Therefore, she needed to see what the situation in the village was first. In these extraordinary times, one shouldn’t harbor malice, but one must certainly be on guard; it was right to be cautious.

However, since those people hadn’t returned home yet, it meant the village wasn’t far. Thinking this, Song Ge decisively abandoned the plan to camp in the wild. Instead, she led Tong Xiangyu back to the highway to continue cycling forward.

Sure enough, after rounding two or three large bends, they saw a few scattered residential buildings built against the mountain.

Song Ge squeezed the brakes. Her vision was excellent; she saw someone in a red dress in front of the yard of one of the houses, flipping something on a bamboo tray. They didn’t look old, probably a girl about their age.

By then, the sun had already set. Although it was still light, it would soon be pitch black. Song Ge looked around. Since people lived there, there had to be a path specifically for access. Soon, Song Ge found a narrow, weed-grown mountain path.

The width of that path was enough for an electric scooter or a bicycle. But the other side of the path was a steep slope; at the very bottom of the slope was a small lake filled with moss and aquatic weeds. It was a real test of skill.

Song Ge had been riding for so many days and had the confidence, but she didn’t know if the young lady would be at ease. She asked Tong Xiangyu if she dared to ride. After learning the situation, Tong Xiangyu nodded and asked back, “Why wouldn’t I dare?”

Song Ge was just about to say something about her trusting her so much when the young lady continued: “If we fall, I won’t be the only one falling anyway.”

Song Ge: “…” An original perspective.

Song Ge quickly found the “small path” leading down from the highway. She sat on the bicycle, hooked the pedal with one foot, and said, “Get on.”

Tong Xiangyu sat sideways on the back rack, naturally wrapping her arms around Song Ge’s waist.

Song Ge said, “Don’t worry. Even if I fall, I’ll make sure to fall toward the mountain side.”

Tong Xiangyu laughed, her eyes curving into crescents as she hummed a couple of times, telling her not to fall and to ride well. But soon, she couldn’t smile anymore, because she saw several shoes hanging in the thorn and weed bushes on the steep slope ahead.

Women’s high heels, men’s leather shoes. They looked almost new, yet they were covered in bloodstains. Tong Xiangyu gripped the fabric at Song Ge’s waist tightly, then told herself she was just overthinking.

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