Lin Po did not intentionally bring this matter up in front of them. For Lin Po himself, he wasn’t clear on what had happened to his parents back then. He refused to think about the worst-case scenario, instead maintaining a facade that everyone could undergo awakening.
Under his subtle hints, Lin Chuansen and Wang Yurong hadn’t thought too much about it. However, now, under the impact of the Jinhua Overpass incident, Lin Chuansen suddenly remembered this concern.
If… if he and his wife both failed to awaken, then staying with their son would inevitably bring him great danger. His son didn’t say anything because he didn’t dare to think about it and was unwilling to think about it. But they couldn’t just act as if they didn’t know. Since their son was unwilling to face it, he would do it in his stead.
“We’ve been busy our whole lives, finally managed to buy a house and a car, and we were just about to see our son graduate from college and find a good job. I never expected we’d encounter something like this.”
Wang Yurong was filled with sorrow and panic. She tightly gripped Lin Chuansen’s hand and whispered, “If I become one of… don’t be reluctant to let go. I don’t want to live like the walking dead.”
Her words were vague, but Lin Chuansen understood everything. It was a refusal to lose the dignity of being human.
He squeezed his wife’s hand back and said, “We’ve gone through decades of wind and rain together. This time will surely be no problem either.”
The two stopped talking. The room was deathly quiet, but they both knew that the other was not asleep.
The night passed like this. When everyone got up the next day, they all had heavy dark circles under their eyes. However, no one commented on it. As the day of the comet’s arrival drew near, who could truly get a good night’s sleep?
Lin Po was the first to break the silence. He said, “Dad, Mom, why don’t we go out as a family for a bit? You were always too busy before and never had time to go out. It just so happens we aren’t working now, so it’ll be good to go see the scenery.”
Wang Yurong’s heart trembled, and she said, “Sure, our family should enjoy life a little.”
Just like that, the family discussed it and decided to visit Fengyin Mountain in Jiang City. Since they couldn’t go anywhere far right now, they would just wander nearby. Tomorrow, they would take Yun Zhuan back to the countryside.
Fengyin Mountain was a very famous scenic spot in Jiang City. Due to its unique terrain, every spring and summer when the mountain winds blew, the obstructions from various jagged rocks would produce all sorts of special sounds, as if the mountain itself were singing. That was why it was called Fengyin Mountain.
Lin Po’s parents had struggled in Jiang City for over a decade, but they had never had the leisure to come here and see the sights.
“We’ll just play happily today and not think about anything. A hard day is still a day, and a good day is still a day. Since we’re still alive, let’s live happily,” Lin Chuansen said, holding a camera and taking a photo of his wife and son standing at the foot of the mountain.
Wang Yurong leaned over to look. Although Lin Chuansen had no photography skills, because he caught them in a candid moment without forced poses, they looked exceptionally natural.
Lin Po was handsome with fair skin and superior features. Back at school, the number of girls—and even boys—who asked for his contact information was not small. This was thanks to inheriting his parents’ excellent genes. Although Lin Po’s mother hadn’t done much maintenance over the years, she still looked elegant in the photos.
Lin Po took the camera from his father and said, “I’ll take charge of the lens today. You guys play, and I’ll take photos from behind.”
They naturally didn’t object. If they couldn’t make it through that upcoming trial, let these photos serve as a memento for their son.
Since they had agreed to relax and have a good time, they stopped thinking about those troubling matters and carefully studied the amusement facilities of Fengyin Mountain.
They took the cable car up from the foot of the mountain, offered incense at the temple at the summit, and then walked down while admiring the scenery. Halfway down the mountain, they took a rafting boat back to the base… By the time they finished everything, the day had passed. They stayed at a hotel at the foot of the mountain for the night, enjoying five-star treatment.
“The tourism industry is doing really well these days. No wonder more and more people are traveling.”
“That’s for sure. If transportation weren’t convenient, how could tourism develop so well?”
The three of them took a walk under the moonlight after dinner. Halfway through, Lin Po made an excuse and slipped back to his room. At a time like this, it was better for him not to disturb his parents.
In the dormitory, Yun Zhuan was packing his things. When his roommate saw him, he asked, “Going out to play?”
Yun Zhuan replied, “Yeah, Lin Po asked me to go to his hometown. It just so happens there are no classes tomorrow afternoon, and I’ll be back Sunday afternoon.”
The roommate immediately began to “tsk-tsk.” “Normally when we ask you to go somewhere, you only want to soak in the library. But as soon as Lin Po calls, you’re so energetic about packing.”
Yun Zhuan threw a plastic water bottle, which landed right in the roommate’s lap. “When you guys say go out, you’re either chasing after girls or howling like ghosts in a KTV. I have no interest in that. Lin Po told me there’s an ancient temple in his hometown that happens to be something I’m interested in, so I’m going to take a look.”
The roommate didn’t believe his explanation at all. They had gone to museums and art galleries before—after all, their major required a certain level of cultural literacy and aesthetic ability—but ever since Yun Zhuan met Lin Po, he rarely went with them anymore.
“Alright, you two have fun. We all understand,” the roommate said with a wink. Yun Zhuan smiled helplessly and said no more.
Lying on the dormitory bed that night, Yun Zhuan’s mood was somewhat peculiar, feeling a subtle anticipation for the upcoming trip.
He had originally planned to take the bus to Pingxi Village himself, but Lin Po sent him a message saying that going from Jiang City to Pingxi Village required several transfers. He would drive to pick Yun Zhuan up. Although Yun Zhuan was not financially independent, he didn’t have any sensitive pride about it; he very happily agreed to Lin Po’s suggestion.
At home, Lin Po told his parents, “You guys drive the truck back. Give me the car so I can pick up Yun Zhuan. My truck-driving skills are only average.”
There was no need for pretension between family members. Lin Chuansen naturally didn’t mind his son’s arrangement. He said, “It works out. I’ll fill up a few extra barrels of oil to take back when I go. I forgot to do that last time.”
Wang Yurong lifted a cage containing a chicken and said, “I’ll take this chicken back to raise, lest I forget it later.”
With everything arranged, Lin Po cut off the water and electricity at home, locked the house, and drove to the school.
He parked the car at the school’s side gate. This was closer to Yun Zhuan’s dormitory and avoided running into his own roommates.
After waiting for a few minutes, Yun Zhuan came down carrying his luggage. He opened the trunk himself to put his suitcase in. While buckling his seatbelt, he asked casually, “Lin Po, why did you buy so many books?”
Lin Po’s heart skipped a beat. He realized he had placed many boxes of mineral water in the trunk. He thought he had already taken them out, but he had forgotten.
However, his mind raced, and he found a quick explanation. He said, “Oh, those? My dad was getting stock for the shop and ran out of space, so he put them in this car and I forgot to move them out.”
Yun Zhuan asked, “Don’t they need to be sent back to the supermarket?”
Lin Po said, “It’s fine, this doesn’t affect much. Besides, our supermarket is being renovated these days and isn’t open.”
Yun Zhuan didn’t ask further. Actually, setting aside the events of that night, their interaction was no different from before. Lin Po seemed much calmer than Yun Zhuan. In any case, for Lin Po, he had already said what he most wanted to say. As for whether Yun Zhuan could accept it, he wouldn’t force it. Most of the days ahead would be lived one at a time; as long as they could both survive, that was Lin Po’s greatest hope.
Driving was boring, and Lin Po couldn’t do much else. He turned on the music for a bit but felt it was uninteresting. These songs were things he liked in his past life, fitting his youthful heart at the time, but now they sounded too soft. Yun Zhuan noticed his mood, pulled a mystery novel out of his bag, and said, “How about I read you a story?”
Lin Po glanced at the title; it was a new book by an author he liked. He hadn’t seen this book in his past life, so listening to it now was quite nice.
He said, “Sure. I remember you used to be a broadcaster at the radio station, and many people confessed to you on the confession wall. I’d really enjoy having a voice like yours read me a story.”
Yun Zhuan smiled and opened the book to begin reading. His Mandarin was standard and his voice was clear. Perhaps because of his experience at the radio station, his reading didn’t feel robotic at all; it was very much like the audio dramas Lin Po’s younger schoolmates often raved about. Under Yun Zhuan’s gentle voice, Lin Po gradually got into the story, occasionally expressing his thoughts on the case. Yun Zhuan was also reading the book for the first time today, and while listening to Lin Po’s explanations, he found that their lines of thinking were quite similar.
The journey of over two hours wasn’t enough to finish the novel, and Lin Po was naturally reluctant to let Yun Zhuan keep reading. After listening for a while, they chatted about other things.
Yun Zhuan asked, “Why did you suddenly think of returning to your hometown?”
Lin Po said, “The supermarket is being renovated, so my parents went back to the hometown to stay. Since I wasn’t feeling well before, they told me to go back and play for a few days.”
Yun Zhuan: “Are you feeling better now?”
Lin Po nodded. “I’m fine now. Actually, I just wanted to come out and play for a few days, so I went to school to ask for another leave.”
Yun Zhuan laughed. “I used to think you were so honest, never skipping a single class. I didn’t expect you’d also lie for a leave slip just to play.”
Lin Po glanced at him and said, “In the future, you’ll see an even more different side of me.”
Once the car got off the highway, the speed slowed down significantly. Yun Zhuan opened the window to look at the scenery outside and said, “It’s quite nice here. The transportation is convenient; it would be good for tourism.”
Lin Po said, “We don’t have any outstanding attractions here, just mountains. There’s no historical significance, so it can’t attract many tourists. But the air is fresh. I heard the government wants to support agritourism.”
The government’s previous plan was to build a fruit and vegetable base because it wasn’t far from Jiang City. City people could drive over on weekends to experience rural fun. But for some reason, it never really took off. Therefore, a large part of Pingxi Village’s population still worked elsewhere, leaving mostly the elderly and children in the village.
If the apocalypse hadn’t been coming, this place should have had better development. But it was too late to say anything now; this wasn’t something human effort could stop.
The car stopped at the courtyard gate. Before getting out, Lin Po heard voices coming from inside. Lin Po’s parents had left earlier and had been home for a while. They hadn’t returned quietly this time; they had bought many things at the market, which naturally drew some villagers over to chat.
Lin Chuansen heard the sound of the car and walked out. He saw his son get out, with a tall, handsome young man standing by the front of the car.
Upon seeing Yun Zhuan’s appearance, Lin Chuansen immediately felt a bit of a liking for him. Then, remembering his son’s words about Yun Zhuan saving him, he became even more enthusiastic.
Yun Zhuan looked at the elder Lin, then at Lin Po, and called out, “Uncle.”
Everyone likes a polite child. Lin Chuansen stepped forward to take their suitcases and said, “This must be Lin Po’s friend. You really are a fine-looking young man. Stay and play for a few days; treat it like your own home, don’t be formal.”
Yun Zhuan was not a cold person, and due to his background, he was particularly good at dealing with adults. In response to Lin Chuansen’s enthusiasm, he returned polite answers and kind greetings.
Lin Po watched the two of them interact and smiled helplessly. It seemed he didn’t need to mediate much.
The people in the courtyard also saw Lin Po enter and said, “Oh, Lin Po has grown so tall. Children grow fast when they’re away. You’re about to graduate, right? Which school? What’s your major?”
Lin Po went through these questions every year when he returned home, and he could now answer them calmly. Yun Zhuan’s presence also caught everyone’s eye. After all, a striking young man always drew a lot of attention.
Yun Zhuan showed no impatience in handling those questions, but the Lin family didn’t want the conversation to continue like this. Lin’s father stepped in and said, “The kids just drove back. Let them go wash up and rest. There will be plenty of chances to talk later.”
Everyone understood social graces and said they had things to do at home, leaving after a few more words.
Lin Po leaned toward Yun Zhuan and whispered, “Are you okay? People in the hometown are like this; they love to ask these things. But they don’t mean anything by it, so don’t take it to heart.”
Yun Zhuan’s background was special. Whenever it was mentioned, people always liked to look at him with sympathetic eyes. Little did they know that this kind of distinct sympathy was even more hurtful to a child from a non-traditional family.
For them, the best thing was to be looked at with normal eyes; that was true kindness.
Yun Zhuan also replied in a low voice, “It’s fine. I’m just telling the truth.”
Once everyone in the courtyard had left, Wang Yurong finally had a chance to speak with Yun Zhuan.
“Your name is Yun Zhuan, right? Don’t be constrained while playing here, just act like you’re at home.” She greeted Yun Zhuan warmly, and Yun Zhuan gave a slightly shy smile.
“Sorry for the intrusion, Uncle and Auntie.”
Wang Yurong waved her hand. “It’s no trouble at all. we were wondering why Lin Po never brought classmates home to play, worrying if he hadn’t made any friends. Now seeing you, he not only made a friend, but a very good one at that.”
Lin Po came over and said, “Mom, is the room ready? I’ll take him up to put his things away.”
Wang Yurong slapped her forehead and said, “Oh, I won’t keep you. I’ve already prepared the room; it’s right next to yours. Go up and take a shower quickly. You must be tired after sitting in the car for so long. It’s okay to take a nap too.”
In this kind of self-built rural house, as long as one was willing to spend more on building materials, the space was generally very large, so there were definitely enough rooms.
Yun Zhuan had originally thought he would stay with Lin Po. After all, they were both guys, and sharing a room was nothing. Now, hearing Wang Yurong say she had prepared a separate room for him, he felt a subtle sense of disappointment.
Lin Po was going to help him carry his suitcase, but how could Yun Zhuan let him carry heavy objects? He carried it up in one go himself.
Lin Po had to go up a few steps ahead to lead him to the room.
“No one has stayed in the guest room. The bedding was newly replaced by my mother. Although it’s quite simple, it’s fine for a couple of days.”
Yun Zhuan took a look. This kind of house was different from the apartments bought in the city. Usually, the decoration was simple: painted walls, a bed, and a wardrobe. This guest room was exactly like that.
Yun Zhuan said, “Don’t you know me yet? I’ve never been picky about this.”
What kind of environment had he not lived in? When he was young, he lived with his grandparents. They didn’t have much money. After finishing farm work, his grandparents would go pick up recyclables and pile them all in the courtyard. However, his grandmother loved cleanliness, so there was no foul smell.
As a child, people would chase after him calling him “Little Trash.” Yun Zhuan never took such insults lying down. Although he developed late and was small at the time, he had a streak of ruthlessness in him, and he beat those bratty kids until they never dared to give him nicknames again.
Most people would become exceptionally sensitive because of such a childhood, perhaps hating their former embarrassment once they had the means as adults. But Yun Zhuan wouldn’t, because his grandmother often told him that none of it was his fault; perhaps Heaven wanted to give him some trials to make him a better person.
After growing up, he knew those were just his grandmother’s consolations, but that didn’t stop him from hardening his inner resolve and becoming even more excellent.
Yun Zhuan went in to set down his things and said, “There are several bathrooms. Do you want to go first?”
Lin Po said, “No need, there’s another one downstairs. You wash upstairs, and I’ll go downstairs in a bit. Body wash and shampoo are inside. If you didn’t bring a towel, there are new ones in the cabinet.” In any case, he had moved a lot of daily necessities back; it was enough no matter what.
Yun Zhuan said, “I have all those. Alright, I’ll finish packing and go shower. You should go quickly too.”
Yun Zhuan closed the door, and Lin Po went back to his own room to get his clothes. His room had more of a “lived-in” feel; everything he had left in the house since childhood was kept in this room, hiding nearly half of his memories.
He found his clothes in the wardrobe and went downstairs. Lin Po’s parents were sitting on the sofa chatting.
Lin Chuansen called him: “Son, come over for a second.”
Lin Po walked over, and Lin Chuansen asked, “Are you… are you going to tell him about that dream?”
They clearly didn’t want Lin Po to say anything. After all, this matter was absurd and strange. Aside from blood relatives, they couldn’t trust anyone else. But seeing that their son seemed to trust him deeply, they worried he might not be able to resist telling him.
Lin Po shook his head and said, “There’s no need to tell him. First, he won’t leave before the comet arrives; as long as he stays here, he’s safe. Second, the risk is too great. I trust him because I dreamed he saved me, but it’s hard for you two to have that kind of trust in him. Since telling him or not doesn’t change anything, I won’t take the risk.”
Wang Yurong nodded and said, “Thinking like that is right. Your father and I were most afraid you’d act on impulse. If he doesn’t believe us and thinks we’re crazy, it’ll be a real mess if he runs away secretly.”
Lin Po couldn’t help but be amused by his mother’s imagination. He said, “Mom, your imagination is pretty good. But don’t act strangely in front of him. Yun Zhuan is very smart. When the end times come, he might analyze something from our previous actions, but by then, it won’t matter anymore. For now, it’s better to be cautious.”
Wang Yurong naturally knew the weight of the matter. She said, “Don’t worry, your father and I won’t say anything. When you two go out to play tomorrow, we’ll tidy up the house again. He definitely won’t notice anything.”
Lin Chuansen also said, “Right, we’ve already hidden that food. I guarantee even you won’t be able to find where it is. As for other things, they’re in other rooms, so he definitely won’t go look.”
That was true. As for how to explain the supplies after the apocalypse, that wouldn’t matter anymore. The whole world would be in chaos; would he still dwell on such things? Besides, at that time, they would surely have to go out and search for supplies. The stockpile at home was partly meant for emergencies.