When Yan Chuxue came to, still groggy, the first thing she heard was a commotion: men shouting and women cursing.
She sat there for two full seconds, too stunned to react. Then someone kicked her. She remembered that when the apocalypse came, she’d stepped forward to save a pregnant woman because she was stronger than most people. But the woman, trying to escape, had shoved Yan Chuxue straight into the path of the zombies.
Remembering the agony of being bitten over and over, Yan Chuxue couldn’t help shuddering.
She snapped her eyes open and saw a middle-aged man with a downturned mustache, dressed in blue, sitting beside her. His tiny, beady eyes regarded her with ill intent.
Yan Chuxue froze for two seconds. Relying on the vigilance she’d developed in the apocalypse—and her own instincts—she sent the man sprawling with a sudden heave.
With a thud, he slammed into the carriage wall and passed out.
The commotion inside naturally drew the attention of several people outside. Yan Laosan[1]“Laosan” means “Old Third,” a traditional Chinese family nickname based on birth order rather than a personal given name. When his mother calls him “Third,” she is addressing Yan Laosan. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3713762_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3713762_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); lifted the curtain and saw Yan Chuxue sitting there, staring blankly at him, while an unconscious man lay beside her.
Yan Laosan cried out, “You damned girl, what have you done? You—”
Yan Chuxue frowned. Her head was spinning, her vision was blurred, and the people around her were unbearably noisy. She kicked Yan Laosan out of the carriage, then climbed down, steadying herself on the carriage shaft.
The sea of green before her left Yan Chuxue stunned. Such scenery had been unimaginable during the apocalypse, yet here it was before her eyes. The courtyard before her was just as astonishing. Its brick-and-tile houses and thatched cottages, all steeped in an ancient style, left her staring wide-eyed for a long moment.
Then Yan Chuxue noticed the crowd around her, all dressed in ancient-style clothing, and took a couple of steps back.
As Yan Chuxue stood there, dazed, an old woman lunged at her, reaching for her hair. Yan Chuxue reacted quickly and stepped back to dodge her. The old woman refused to give up and lunged again, cursing, “You curse-bringing little bastard[2]“Curse-bringing” translates “sangmenxing” (丧门星), a Chinese insult for someone blamed for bringing misfortune to a household. Here, it is abusive language, not an indication that Yan … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3713762_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3713762_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });! You’re not dead, yet you’re still putting on an act? You unfilial thing[3]In traditional Chinese family ethics, filial piety means showing respect and fulfilling obligations toward one’s parents and elders. Calling someone “unfilial” is a serious accusation of … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3713762_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3713762_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });! You made your grandmother worry—aren’t you afraid you’ll be struck by lightning?”
Yan Chuxue sneered inwardly. What kind of grandmother was this old hag? Her own grandmother had been dead for ages. She’d vaguely heard someone in the carriage saying they were going to sell her. This old woman must be the one.
With a cold snort, Yan Chuxue decided she’d like to see who dared sell her today. Did they take a tiger for a sickly cat just because it hadn’t shown its claws? Yan Chuxue had been a force to be reckoned with at Yong’an Base, after all.
Yan Chuxue swept the crowd with a chilling look and said, “Ahem… Who the fuck dares try to sell me? Got a death wish?”
Though Yan Chuxue had only just woken up and still had no idea where she was, she’d heard someone wanted to sell her, so she put all her strength into shouting. The courtyard fell silent.
Just as the others thought they must have misheard, she shouted again. “Ahem! Who was it that said they were going to sell me? Which bastard with a death wish wants to sell me? Damn it, get your ass out here!”
Everyone looked at Yan Chuxue as if she were a monster.
Yan Chuxue couldn’t care less what they thought. She snatched up a wooden stick from the ground and pointed it at Madam Yan (née Zhou)[4]Traditional Chinese references to married women sometimes combine their husband’s family name with their birth-family surname. The original “Yan Zhoushi” (颜周氏) identifies a woman from … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3713762_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3713762_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. “Was it you who wanted to sell me? You were just trying to hit me, too, weren’t you? Let’s see who hits whom today.”
With that, she swung the stick at Madam Yan. She’d already forgotten the old woman’s earlier words about being her grandmother.
Madam Yan screamed and ran around the courtyard with Yan Chuxue chasing after her.
Only after being struck several times did Madam Yan shriek, “Third! Third, are you dead? You’re just going to stand there and watch your mother get beaten? Hurry up and pull her off me! This curse-bringing little bastard will get struck by lightning sooner or later!”
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