Chapter 603: Celebrating the New Year
Tomorrow was the first day of the new year, and they would head to Xi City.
It was estimated that many people wouldn't be coming back.
Since that meeting ended, several more convoys had arrived. These convoys were bizarre and each had its own tricks and methods.
But finally, the number of convoys at the base had broken through thirty.
Lin Shu Tong and her convoy still hadn't appeared.
No one had come from Divine Elephant Village either.
The Sky Whale and that holder of the top ten numbered Wonder still hadn't shown up.
No one in the convoy remembered how they'd spent last year's New Year.
Many had even forgotten all about celebrating the New Year.
But now, in this base, with so many people gathered—
When the first person hung a red lantern in front of their camp’s entrance—
That lantern’s presence, that splash of festive red, seemed to remind everyone not to forget about the New Year.
And so, the camp quickly became lively.
Other convoys brought out all the supplies they’d painstakingly hoarded.
These supplies were meager; some things couldn't even grace a table before the apocalypse and were only good as everyday snacks. But everyone cherished these items dearly.
Early in the morning, the camp was bustling with clattering activity as everyone got busy.
Xue Nan organized the survivors to decorate the entire camp with the only red decorations they had.
It looked like it had added at least a tiny bit of festive atmosphere.
Iron Lion used three wooden planks to set up a crude gate at the camp’s entrance.
Mind you, the camp’s former “gate” had just been the gap between two vehicles.
Captain Chu said that for the New Year, they couldn’t go without a proper gate.
And so, this gate made of three wooden planks came into being.
Three wooden planks... well...
It was mainly for putting up couplets.
With more convoys at the camp, a greater variety of supplies had appeared.
For example, the Fair Convoy’s “couplets” involved trading for some red paint and painting their gate red.
Then, a middle-aged man over fifty years old picked up a “brush,” dipped it in black oil stains, and wrote characters on the door frame to create the couplets.
As for that brush... it was a toothbrush with barely a few bristles left.
When they could barely gather enough daily supplies, who would bother collecting items like calligraphy brushes—things that weren't even used much before the apocalypse?
The couplets themselves were quite interesting.
The left side read: “Keeping watch by the ruined walls through the year, cold stars and crimson moon over ten thousand cities in ashes.”
“Keeping watch by the ruined walls” was vivid; it perfectly described their current scene.
The second half was even more fitting: “Ten thousand cities in ashes”—wasn’t that exactly the fact that cities had become forbidden zones for humanity?
And there were the iconic symbols “cold stars” and “crimson moon.”
When this line was written, many people applauded in praise.
The right side read: “Praying for spring by the broken windows, auspicious snow and red plums for ten thousand homes in peace.”
It was equally fitting.
The horizontal scroll read: “To Live, One Must First Die!”
After this couplet was finished, many people stared blankly at the two lines.
The couplets were well-written, and the calligraphy showed real skill.
Even using a discarded toothbrush head, his calligraphy skill was still evident.
“Well written, Old Shen! I didn’t know you had such skills!”
“Fitting, matches the situation perfectly, especially that horizontal scroll—it's brilliant!”
“To write such characters with a broken toothbrush—impressive, Old Shen!”
That middle-aged man called Old Shen was a survivor from Xu Lina’s convoy, one of the older members of the entire Fair Convoy.
He was usually very low-key, gentle in demeanor, with a smile for everyone, and handled matters flawlessly.
No one expected he had such a talent.
This middle-aged man, Old Shen, had been a civil servant in some government agency before the apocalypse, reportedly with a bit of influence.
He was nearly at retirement age when the apocalypse happened.
If not for the end of the world, in a few years, he would have been taking his generous pension to a southern city to enjoy his twilight years.
Old Shen’s face showed a faint hint of pride, but he quickly suppressed it, only repeatedly clasping his hands and saying, “I’m just making a fool of myself.”
“Sir, would you write some couplets for us?”
“Don’t worry, we won’t ask for your help for free!”
The sunny boy from next door, Wu Zehui, saw the couplets and couldn’t help clicking his tongue in amazement, inviting Old Shen over.
Old Shen’s face lit up with a faint smile of joy as he nodded repeatedly, picked up his paint bucket, and trotted over happily.
Where there was one, there were soon two.
For couplets, in the hearts of every Chinese person, were one of the most important symbols of the New Year.
If they didn’t put up couplets for the New Year, it felt incomplete.
Even for kids who couldn’t go home for the New Year, they would still stick couplets outside their rented apartments.
This was something etched into everyone’s blood.
Now, with no couplets available, even just using red paint to write a few characters at the door was good enough.
Old Shen was kept busy non-stop.
Of course, some people imitated Old Shen and started their own “business,” but few could match his writing skill.
The survivors in this base included former employees of foreign companies, teachers or students from various schools, and even some pre-apocalypse celebrities.
There were basically all kinds of people, so it wasn’t surprising that a couple of people who could write well appeared.
Of course, the New Year wasn’t just about writing couplets.
But against this apocalyptic backdrop, many things could only be done half-heartedly.
“Ahem... ahem...”
“Everyone, today is the New Year. I won’t waste words. Thank you all for being alive!!!”
Xue Nan walked through the crowd, holding up the loudspeaker.
Many faces wore long-lost smiles, but when they heard Xue Nan say this, their hearts trembled slightly.
Yes, thank you all for being alive!
Some people’s eyes began to glisten.
In such an apocalypse, especially at this New Year’s juncture, many were easily touched by certain things.
As if to avoid too much sentimentality, Xue Nan immediately continued, “Everyone, today is the New Year. Captain Chu has decided that everyone will make dumplings together!”
“Today, everyone can eat at least twenty dumplings! Eat to your heart’s content!”
As soon as he said this, the entire camp erupted.
“Whoa...”
The deafening cheers nearly lifted the ground of the entire camp.
It wasn’t just the Fair Convoy’s camp; the neighboring camps were the same.
The Fair Convoy had scavenged quite a bit of supplies last time, and with the help of the Revitalization Talisman, this flour was put to perfect use now.
Even using a discarded toothbrush head, his skill was still evident.
“Little Zhao, get some people over there to wash the vegetables. Old Gang, you’re in charge of chopping the veggies and making the filling!”
“Also, we’ve got a meatworm just about ready to slaughter—saving it for today!”
“Old Xu, go grab a few eggs, however many you can find...”
“Take out those Screaming Radishes from a few days ago!”
“And the six-leaf greens, go find Sister Ding Dong and get some corn, potatoes, and lettuce!”
“You guys over there, go catch some fish. We need extra dishes for tonight’s New Year’s Eve dinner!”
“...”
Xue Nan walked around with the loudspeaker, giving orders.
The entire camp was mobilized.
Everyone’s face was beaming with joy, and they moved with uncharacteristic speed.
Even the laziest guy today was practically running.
“Tsk tsk... Squad Leader Chu, are you sure you’re not overdoing it?”
Chen Ye rubbed his chin, feeling saliva wildly secreting.
Even as a superhuman, he hadn’t eaten dumplings in a long time.
Back when he was working, his fridge always had some stored away. Sometimes when he was too lazy to cook or order takeout, he’d just boil some dumplings.
What had once been easily available had now become a treat everyone couldn’t wait for.
Chu Che sighed. “Eat up. Who knows, this might be the last meal!”
Chen Ye fell silent, then replied after a long pause, “Damn apocalypse!”
Chu Che echoed, “Damn apocalypse!”
To eat dumplings, the entire camp got moving.
People helped wash vegetables, chop ingredients, knead dough, and boil water.
Even those who usually hated dumplings were especially enthusiastic today.
Twenty dumplings weren’t a lot, but not exactly few either.
For some, twenty dumplings were nothing; even fifty was a breeze.
But for those with smaller appetites, two or three might fill them up.