Chapter 29

Chapter 29

During the time Shen Juanjuan was back at the welfare home, Chu Ya wasn't idle either. He pushed his cart out of the house and inspected the remaining tin shacks.

The farthest shack contained several metal racks, one corner of which looked like a washbasin. Suspecting it might be a bathroom, he used the cart to remove and dispose of those racks, revealing a toilet in the corner, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

He checked the wiring inside the tin shack and found the cables intact, with power sockets available within. The cables were connected to a waste processing plant on the other side, indicating there should be electricity.

Half an hour later, Chu Ya went to Mixin Town alone. He slowly moved along the deserted streets, pushing a cart loaded with three stacked buckets containing small basins and cups.

Mixin Town during the day was as silent as it was at night. A partially fallen sign swayed gently in the wind, occasionally banging against the wall.

Though twenty years had passed, the buildings on this street and beyond still showed signs of the town's former bustle and prosperity, rivaling that of today's Cloud Peak.

And this was just an ordinary small town in the Aisara Special Zone.

Chu Ya looked up at the vague shadows in the thick fog high above, wondering what the world would be like if not for that plague.

Arriving at the courtyard, he began cleaning the items he had brought.

Although he hadn't done chores at home, the strict military-affiliated school he attended ensured he wasn't unfamiliar with such tasks. After washing all the cups and basins, he filled the three buckets with water before heading back.

Pushing the cart, he had just passed by a bench outside the bakery when he suddenly heard a child's shout from the left: "Shen Miaomiao!"

Chu Ya turned and saw Shen Juanjuan through the gap between two buildings.

The child stood on the path outside the barbed wire fence, jumping excitedly and trying to pry open a crack in the fence to get through.

Chu Ya quickly stopped him and gestured for him to go around to the front.

Shen Juanjuan immediately ran toward the landfill, while Chu Ya pushed the cart down the street. They kept catching glimpses of each other through the gaps between buildings. Every time Shen Juanjuan saw Chu Ya, he would shout "Shen Miaomiao," his excitement and joy evident.

Chu Ya, influenced by his enthusiasm, also sped up, the wheels of the cart spinning rapidly.

Shen Juanjuan dashed into the landfill, running past the pile of scrap metal, and saw Chu Ya waiting outside the tin shack.

"Hahaha, hahaha." He laughed as he ran, his backpack and water bottle bouncing along.

Chu Ya hurriedly warned, "Slow down, don't fall."

"Hahaha, I'm good at running, haha, I won't—ouch!"

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Juanjuan tripped and fell to the ground.

He landed hard, and his backpack and water bottle collided with the ground with loud thuds. He lay still on the ground. After calling out twice without a response, Chu Ya rushed over with the cart.

"Shen Juanjuan, Shen Juanjuan?"

Chu Ya leaned down, lifted Shen Juanjuan from the ground, and saw him with his mouth wide open, eyes closed, and blood dripping from his nose.

He quickly sat Shen Juanjuan beside him, pinched his nostrils together, and tilted his head forward.

Chu Ya expected Shen Juanjuan to burst into tears, but after catching his breath, he only sniffled and whimpered like a kitten, tears streaming continuously.

Chu Ya dipped his hand in cold water and gently patted Shen Juanjuan's forehead and the bridge of his nose.

"Relax, it's okay. Breathe slowly through your mouth, everything is fine."

Shen Juanjuan stiffened his neck, sniffling and saying, "I need paper, to stuff, I need paper."

"These are old papers, they can't be used to stuff your nose. This method is the most effective for stopping the bleeding," Chu Ya said.

"I need to stuff, I need to stuff." Shen Juanjuan raised his finger, making a gesture of stuffing his nose.

Chu Ya noticed his speech was slightly off; "stuff" sounded more like "tear." He decided to check his mouth.

But as he bent down, he saw a tooth lying among the drops of blood on the ground.

"Let me stuff, let me stuff." Shen Juanjuan didn't dare turn his head. Chu Ya lifted his chin, checked his mouth, and wiped under his nose with a tissue, showing him: "No more bleeding, no need to stuff."

Only then did Shen Juanjuan dare to move, noticing the odd feeling in his mouth. He prodded the gap with his tongue and reached to touch it.

"Don't touch it, your hands are dirty, there are germs."

"But, but—"

"You're losing a tooth."

Shen Juanjuan was surprised. After staring at Chu Ya for several seconds, a smile spread across his face.

"I lost a tooth?"

"Yes, you lost a tooth."

With plastic bags from the supermarket on his hands, Chu Ya scrubbed the toilet in the bathroom while Shen Juanjuan chattered away beside him.

"A lot of kids in my class have lost their teeth, but I never did, I waited so long..."

Chu Ya moved the cart to the other side of the toilet, and Shen Juanjuan followed, continuing to squat and talk.

"Lin Duozhi hasn't lost any either, but I've been gone for so long, maybe he just lost one too?"

Chu Ya scrubbed the toilet: "No."

Before cleaning the toilet, he had prepared himself mentally. Fortunately, the toilet wasn't heavily used, and after wiping away the dust, its surface remained clean, preventing him from feeling nauseous and allowing him to occasionally chat with Shen Juanjuan.

Shen Juanjuan held up a small round mirror, turning his head to examine the gap in his teeth, smiling contentedly: "I look really good."

These abandoned tin shacks weren't lacking in electricity, but the water supply had been cut off. Chu Ya placed a bucket in the bathroom to scoop water and flush the toilet after use.

After clearing out the bathroom, although Chu Ya had both hands in plastic bags and didn't get any stains on him, he still washed them repeatedly with water several times.

Back in the main house, Shen Juanjuan took out a bean cake to offer him. He lowered his head and closed his eyes: "In a moment."

Chu Ya took deep breaths repeatedly, turning his head to gaze into the distance. When his gaze fell on the garbage mountain, he quickly looked away.

Not until he had banished the details of cleaning the toilet from his mind and calmed down did he take the bean cake.

Even so, his appetite was poor, and he barely managed to swallow one.

After breakfast, they entered Mixin Town again. Shen Juanjuan pushed the cart along the same route as before, but Chu Ya stopped him and turned left onto another main street.

"We're going the wrong way," said Shen Juanjuan.

"We're not. We're heading to the town center now."

"Aren't we going to the supermarket? Or to the yard to wash our hands?"

"Not now. We're going to the town center."

Shen Juanjuan still didn't move, staring at the bench outside the bakery ahead.

Chu Ya then said, "Go drive the car; I'll wait here for you."

"No, we should go together." Shen Juanjuan wriggled his body.

The cart stopped in the street in front of the bench. Chu Ya calmly watched as Shen Juanjuan sat on the bench, gripping the steering wheel.

"Life is like this, my child. Instead of being unhappy, it's better to sing and bask in the sun with Grandpa..."

After finishing his song, Shen Juanjuan took out a small round mirror from his pocket to check his teeth, then contentedly pushed the cart towards the long street leading to the town center.

This street had more tall buildings, and the road was wider. The ground floors were not only shops but also spacious company lobbies. Shen Juanjuan grew up in an orphanage and usually only saw Mixin Town from a distance. This was his first time walking on such wide streets, looking at the empty buildings on both sides, exclaiming in amazement.

"This building is huge, bigger than our hall... cars, these are big cars. No, no, these are buses. I recognize them; I've seen pictures—these are buses!"

Chu Ya waited beside a bus and let Shen Juanjuan explore inside, touching everything and sitting everywhere. After getting off, he stared intently at the human-shaped sculptures on the street.

"What are these?"

"Statues."

"Are they fake people?"

"Yes."

Every time Shen Juanjuan encountered something new, he couldn't move away. Chu Ya didn't rush him, and by the time they left that street, nearly an hour had passed.

The next long street had many institutions, including a hospital.

Chu Ya knew the town had suffered a plague, and the hospital was full of corpses. Although the military had disinfected and cleared it multiple times, there was no chance of encountering unprocessed bodies. Still, he wanted Shen Juanjuan to wait outside.

"I don't want to be alone here." Shen Juanjuan looked around and whispered, "There are ghosts here."

"You can wait in the bus, or drive that big vehicle."

"I'm not driving now; I want to protect you. You can't go into the hospital alone; there are ghosts there too."

Chu Ya wasn't entirely comfortable leaving Shen Juanjuan alone either, so he brought him into the hospital.

The hospital was somewhat old, consisting of two- or three-story buildings made of blue bricks. However, it covered a vast area, with small buildings scattered around, each housing one or two departments.

The open spaces were covered with withered grass, and the entire view was desolate. The nearest small building still had clear signs: Registration and Payment, Examination.

Chu Ya led Shen Juanjuan through the barrier-free entrance into the lobby, immediately noticing several wheelchairs lined up in a corner.

"These carts are great." Shen Juanjuan ran over and circled the wheelchairs, "Shen Miaomiao, look at this, look at this."

"These are called wheelchairs, designed for people who can't walk."

Chu Ya struggled to stand up with his iron stick, and Shen Juanjuan hurried to support him, holding his waist and shouting encouragement as he moved him toward the wheelchair.

"Class 2B, keep going... slow down, slow down..."

With every movement, Chu Ya felt a dull pain in his thigh. By the time he finally sat down in the wheelchair, sweat had broken out on his forehead.

"Are you hot?" Shen Juanjuan pulled up his sleeve to wipe the sweat, but seeing the plastic on the sleeve, he used his tie instead.

"It's okay, I'm not hot, thank you."

"Then try it out, see if the wheelchair goes fast. Try it out."

Chu Ya indeed began to maneuver the wheelchair, moving back and forth in the smooth, spacious lobby.

"It's so fast, this wheelchair, it's really good."

Shen Juanjuan excitedly ran alongside, laughing in delight. Seeing how spacious the wheelchair was, Chu Ya pulled him between his legs and slid around the lobby a couple of times before entering the courtyard through the barrier-free passage.

"Hahaha, hahaha! Wheelchair ride, I'm riding the wheelchair!"

Shen Juanjuan laughed louder and louder, and even Chu Ya's lips curved into a faint smile. He guided Shen Juanjuan around the flower beds, through the long corridors, weaving through the empty hospital.

Shen Juanjuan's excited shouts broke the town's silence, bringing a rare sense of relaxation to Chu Ya.

"Come on, let's take a spin." At a high point, he released the wheelchair, letting it roll down the gentle slope, passing several small buildings amidst Shen Juanjuan's loud screams.

"Aaaaah... the wheelchair is flying... aaaaah."

The wheelchair came to a stop at the end of the slope, and Shen Juanjuan's voice gradually quieted. He suddenly turned to look at Chu Ya, his cheeks flushed red from the cold or excitement, his eyes shining brightly, and his chest heaving rapidly.

"Shen Miaomiao, I really like you." He jumped out of the wheelchair and stood in front of Chu Ya, stretching his arms backward, his tone and gaze equally enthusiastic: "So much, so very much."

"If someone gives me three glass marbles, I'll trade Chen Hongliang to them. If they give me one-two-three, one-two-three glass marbles, I'll trade Yu Datou to them. But you—"

He pointed both hands at Chu Ya, his face solemn: "—even if they give me many, many one-two-three glass marbles, I won't trade!"

"Thanks, turns out I'm worth so many glass marbles."

Shen Juanjuan was very meticulous, imagining the scene of trading many glass marbles for Chu Ya, then decisively shook his head: "No trade, no matter how many."

Chu Ya turned the wheelchair around and looked at the long, gentle slope. "Now I need your help to push me."

As soon as Shen Juanjuan grabbed the wheelchair handles, Chu Ya saw the words "Orthopedics" printed on the wall of the two-story building nearby and quickly called out to stop.

His broken bone was fixed with a plastic board and rope. If he could find specialized materials in the orthopedic department, it would be better.

Shen Juanjuan pushed Chu Ya into the orthopedic building's lobby.

Mixin Town was not bright to begin with, and this building was situated in a low-lying area, making the lobby even darker and dimmer.

Shen Juanjuan nudged Chu Ya, pointing him towards something: "What's that?"

Chu Ya glanced at the human skeleton specimen that had been thrown in the corner at some point and briefly replied: "A specimen."

"What kind of 'ben'?"

"A dummy, a sculpture."

"Oh."

Shen Juanjuan stared at the skeleton specimen for a while, feeling scared, and walked to sit between Chu Ya's legs, huddling into his embrace.

"Don't be afraid, I'm right here with you," he whispered to Chu Ya.

"Mm, thank you."

The wheelchair glided silently on the smooth floor. Chu Ya circled the hallway, noticing that all the wards were covered in thick dust, their original colors indistinguishable.

At the end of the hallway, he saw an inconspicuous door marked "Material Room." The lock looked intricate but was actually old and could still be opened.

"Do you want me to get the wire from last night? I saw some outside," Shen Juanjuan said, gesturing as if picking a lock.

Chu Ya said, "Yes."

"Okay, then take me out in the wheelchair, and I'll bring the wire back." Shen Juanjuan said.

Chu Ya: ...

Shen Juanjuan immediately became alert: "I won't go out alone; I'll stay with you."

After finding the wire outside, they returned. This time, Chu Ya took longer to open the lock. Shen Juanjuan stood beside him, scanning the surroundings with a keen gaze, loudly asking: "Should I go catch those shameless ghosts? They're hiding."

Chu Ya glanced at him: "Yes, go catch them."

Shen Juanjuan choked, lowering his voice: "You should say no. How can you really let me catch them? I was just saying that to scare them away. Let's try again—should I go catch the shameless ghosts? Shen Miaomiao unlocked the door and locked up the disobedient ghosts."

"Forget it, don't catch them. We'll just scare them away," Chu Ya also raised his voice.

Shen Juanjuan felt something was off but nodded in agreement: "Okay, just scare them."

With a soft click, the lock opened. Chu Ya pushed the rusty door, and a cold gust of stale air greeted them.

He paused at the entrance, waiting for the smell to dissipate slightly, and asked Shen Juanjuan if he wanted to wait outside. Shen Juanjuan immediately squeezed between his legs and sat down.

Chu Ya maneuvered the wheelchair into the building. The material room was a warehouse with a short corridor leading to three rooms on each side, labeled with signs like "Spine Surgery" and "Surgical Instruments."

He went straight to the back, opening the room marked "Orthopedic Supplies," where he found various medical supplies, including unopened stacks of surgical gowns.

Chu Ya found bandages and splints, placing them in the storage bag on the back of the wheelchair. The surgical gowns were made of blue cotton, sturdy and flexible, so he took a stack and filled the storage bag under the wheelchair.

"Can we leave now? Are we leaving now?" Shen Juanjuan kept urging.

"Yes, let's go."

As Chu Ya was rolling the wheelchair toward the material room door, there was a sudden loud clang, startling Shen Juanjuan into a cry.

"It's okay, something just fell," Chu Ya said.

The door marked "Surgical Instruments" had been chained shut, but the chain was rusted and broke when Chu Ya opened the adjacent room, causing it to fall.

The wheelchair continued forward, and a gust of wind blew through the corridor, slowly pushing the door open. Shen Juanjuan watched nervously, gripping Chu Ya's sleeves, then drew a breath, his chest contracting and mouth opening wide.

"There are no shameless ghosts, nothing to worry about," Chu Ya quickly interrupted.

"No roar?"

"No roar."

Shen Juanjuan held back his scream but still stared at the room. Chu Ya noticed his tense body and comforted him: "It's just surgical instruments, tools—nothing—"

As the door slowly opened, the scene inside came fully into view. Chu Ya's voice suddenly cut off, and Shen Juanjuan sat frozen like a statue in his arms.

The room was not filled with instruments but with corpses strewn about. Their skin was blackened and dried, resembling desiccated branches if not for the clothes they wore.

One corpse sat against the wall, its mouth agape, empty eyes staring directly at the two outside. It was a female mummy, her long hair still attached to her skull, fluttering slightly in the breeze entering the room.

Shen Juanjuan, who usually shouted at unseen ghosts, now sat in silence, breathing rapidly, unable to utter a sound.

Chu Ya quickly regained his composure, realizing these corpses were likely specimens.

After all these years, the room wasn't completely airtight. The bodies should have turned to bones, not remain so well-preserved, with every expression lifelike.

But they were clearly not specimens.

They were fully clothed, their expressions grotesque and faces contorted in agony. There were many scratch marks on the walls, each one sending chills down one's spine.

"Th-these, these are dummies, right? Right?" Shen Juanjuan finally managed to speak, sounding as if he was struggling to breathe or about to cry.

Chu Ya collected himself and quickly wheeled himself out. "Yes, they're all dummies."

"I knew it, I knew it. They must be fake." Shen Juanjuan raised his voice, sounding angry, with red-rimmed eyes. "Obviously fake, just dummies, but why scare people? Why not lock them up, lock them up."

"Okay, we'll lock them up." Chu Ya reached the outside of the storage room and closed the door again.

"Where’s the stick? We need to wedge it in."

"No need for a stick, this has a lock."

As they left the hospital, Shen Juanjuan continued to complain about the dummies, but Chu Ya's mind was in a mess.

He recalled that scene and formed a guess: these people might have been infected with an epidemic disease, hence they were locked in that room until their deaths. When the army came to clear the bodies later, they overlooked that room, leaving the corpses there.

Their bodies didn't decompose; they became mummies. But mummies usually appear grayish-black, while these were pitch black like charcoal. Could it be...

Could it be because of the epidemic disease?