Qingshan Village sat at the foot of the endless green mountains, hence its name.
When the group returned and saw their old homes reduced to ruins by the beasts, a surge of complicated emotions welled in everyone’s hearts.
No one waited for instructions—they each instinctively went back to the homes that once belonged to them, dragging their families along to start cleaning up.
The Wei family’s house stood right by the mountain entrance, about a quarter of an hour away from the clustered houses of the village. Li Shi’s late husband had been a hunter, and for the sake of convenience, he had chosen to build their home there.
The beasts in the outer mountains were weaker, and with some skill, they could be hunted. Selling game in the town brought in money—a significant part of their livelihood. Whether or not the meat was edible, ordinary people didn’t know, but the wealthy who paid for it certainly did.
Because of this, the Wei family had lived better than others, at least able to enjoy some meat now and then.
But seven years ago, Wei Dashan went into the mountains and never came back. Alive, he was missing; dead, no body was ever found. The grave they had set up held nothing but his belongings.
Village head He originally wanted Li Shi and her family to live within the main cluster of homes in the village, not so far out at the mountain’s edge. But Li Shi refused. No matter where they lived, they would still have to flee when trouble came. Living at the mountain foot at least meant they could pick wild vegetables and fruits from the outskirts and be close to water.
Seeing he could not persuade her, and thinking ahead to tomorrow’s report to the county office—where, for simplicity, land and homes would likely be assigned by original ownership—He no longer pressed the matter. “If anything happens, send Er He to call for help,” he said with a sigh. Then, after a pause, he added, “For hard work, the village folk will help when they can.”
“Alright. If there’s a need, I’ll ask. For now, I’ll take the children home. Who knows if it’s even livable anymore.” Li Shi then beckoned Yu Qiu and the two children to follow her down the path toward the mountain foot.
“Mother, why don’t we live with the others in the village?” Wei Miao, still young, couldn’t help asking after a short walk.
Li Shi coughed twice, and Wei He quickly patted her back. Smiling, she pressed down the tickle in her throat and patted Wei He’s hand. “I’m fine.” Then, turning to Wei Miao, she explained, “San Ya, the village no longer holds our land or home. Right now, no one will mind us staying, but over time it will cause trouble. Only in our own home can we feel at ease.”
Wei Miao nodded, half understanding. Together with her brother, she supported their mother on either side. Bathed in the sunset glow, the three small figures cast long shadows across the ground, blending into the green forest around them, forming a warm and touching scene.
Yu Qiu followed silently behind, gazing at the view with a stirred heart. She sighed inwardly.
Yes—this was the life she had always longed for.
No city overrun with zombies.No stench of rot everywhere.No endless tasks.No constant threat of life-and-death partings.
Here, she didn’t need protection.
Here—She could protect them.
“Sister-in-law?”
Noticing Yu Qiu had fallen behind, Wei He called out curiously.
The three stopped and turned back, looking at her standing against the sunset.
Yu Qiu’s face lit up instantly. Her bright eyes shimmered with a different kind of light under the glow.
Holding the bamboo basket she had woven with her powers, filled to the brim with wild vegetables, fruits, and edible mushrooms, she ran toward them with a smile.
The scene in front of her moved—another figure joined the painting, another shadow bathed in dusk light.
They reached their home just before the sun sank completely behind the western mountains.
Though broken and shabby, this was still their home from now on.
Yu Qiu looked at the three straw huts at the mountain’s base. Against the looming forest behind, they seemed so small—yet they filled her heart with a sense of security and belonging.
Knowing this would be her home made her heart swell with contentment.
No one dared waste time; they needed to clean at least one room before nightfall.
Yu Qiu told Li Shi to rest while she and the children worked.
Li Shi didn’t refuse, sitting on the cleared ground with a red fruit Yu Qiu had given her in hand.
She didn’t ask how Yu Qiu had survived the man-eating mountains, nor how she had brought back so much food. None of that mattered.
Watching the young woman working busily with her children, Li Shi felt guilty.
Forget it. Once she reached marriageable age, Li Shi would find her a good family. If not a daughter-in-law, then she would treat her as a daughter. They were family either way.
Yu Qiu, busy weeding, had no idea her newly recognized mother-in-law was already thinking about arranging her marriage.
Though her body was weak, with her powers, clearing weeds wasn’t hard. She didn’t let the children handle the overgrown plants, instead giving them sticks to beat through the underbrush to drive away snakes and insects.
Only after she had checked the rooms and made sure there were no pests did she allow the children to clean inside. Otherwise, a single bite could cause unnecessary suffering—even if she could save them.
The three huts were connected: entering the main door led into a central hall, with two bedrooms on either side. Cleaning just one wouldn’t be safe; they needed all of them cleared.
As the sun dipped lower, Yu Qiu quickened her pace.
Li Shi, feeling better after eating the red fruit, was just about to stand and help when she spotted several figures approaching along the path.
“Auntie, we’ve come to help!”
A teenage boy waved and shouted from afar.
Li Shi rose with a smile to greet them.
Five boys, about fifteen or sixteen, arrived together. Likely their families had finished their own work and agreed to spare some strength to help the widowed family prepare their home before dark.
Each carried something—baskets and bundles. It was the Wei family’s belongings. Knowing they couldn’t carry everything themselves, the villagers had divided the load to help.
In the rush to return earlier, with emotions running high, Li Shi had forgotten about the belongings.
Seeing the boys approach, she smiled. “Thank you for making another trip.”
“It’s no trouble. Father told us to come. We brought your things too, otherwise you’d have no bedding tonight,” joked Meng family’s second son, tall and lanky like a reed despite being only fifteen.
“Always talking nonsense. Leave the things and hurry home before dark. I won’t keep you.”
But the boys ignored her words. After greeting her, they rolled up their sleeves and started working.
Unable to stop them, Li Shi let it be.
Hearing voices, Yu Qiu came from behind the house.
The boys immediately paused, looked at her, and called out in unison, “Sister-in-law!”
Yu Qiu froze mid-step, her chest tightening. Though unaccustomed, she forced a smile and nodded in response.
In her past life, she had been twenty-five. In that apocalyptic world, survival alone was hard enough—she had no time for love.
Who would have thought that in this strange world, she would become someone’s sister-in-law?