Chapter 159: Very Free and Easy
Chapter 159: Very Free and Easy
Zhan Lian doesn’t look back. He remains kneeling on the ground, stretching out a bony hand to gently stroke the box in front of him. The box once held his various military medals—medals he collected and placed there before, but now they are scattered and disordered, disturbed by his "ex-wife."
"But when I see her pitiful appearance, I feel an inexplicable desire to marry her. I want to give her a home, and I want her to give me a home in return. She says she wants to have a child, and I want that too. I grew up on the streets, always fighting, almost killing someone. If the army hadn’t taken me in, I wouldn’t be who I am today."
As he speaks, Zhan Lian lowers his head, and hot tears fall onto the wooden floor. Then, his voice trembles as he continues:
"Dammit, I’ve envied those gangsters since I was a child. Even though they’re like that, they still have hot meals waiting for them when they go home. Me? I loved fighting and got punished by the school every day. Luo Feifan said he found me a job at the police station in Xiangcheng, but I’m still worried. What am I supposed to do? When I become a policeman, I’ll have to arrest my old gang every day?"
It’s a mess. In truth, Zhan Lian isn’t sure what he’s saying. He turns around with red eyes and looks at Lao Mao, who stands silently behind him. Two streams of tears roll down his face. Zhan Lian grips Anran’s pregnancy notebook with one hand and clenches his other hand into a fist, placing it on his knee. He stares at Lao Mao and, with a deep, nasal voice, says:
"Lao Mao, brother, I’m afraid we’ll have to part ways here in Xiangcheng. You continue south. As for me, if I don’t dig deep into Xiangcheng and find my ex-wife and daughter, I’ll never find redemption in this life. I can’t let my daughter grow up in this mess."
"I understand." Lao Mao’s throat tightens as he looks at Zhan Lian. He understands. How could he not? He doesn’t have children, but if he did, he would make the same choice as Zhan Lian. With a choked voice, Lao Mao smiles and says: "I’ll head back south. I still have a mother at home. She’s in her seventies or eighties now. She can’t run or jump anymore. When I returned to the army this year, she insisted on waiting for me at home, finding me a wife. Brother, I’ll go back to see her, put my mind at ease. Let’s meet again, okay?"
"Alright, goodbye."
With just a few words, Zhan Lian turns his head and no longer looks at Lao Mao. Four people set out from the northwest. On their journey south, each of them went their separate ways to look for their families. Now, it’s Zhan Lian and Lao Mao’s turn to say goodbye. No more whining or being sentimental.
"Let’s go. If fate allows, we’ll meet again. Just these six words—very free and easy. Or maybe... no life, no life."
It’s the end of the world. Once they part, they might never see each other again.
The mice in the community and the zombies outside aren’t a problem for either Zhan Lian or Lao Mao.
Lao Mao continues south, passing through Xiangcheng. Zhan Lian stays behind, determined to search for his wife and the daughter he has never met.
From the details in the house, it’s clear that Anran and his daughter left not long ago. They took his knife and his car. The two bodies in the corridor had been gnawed by rats until nothing remains but bones.
One of the skulls shows a sharp knife edge on its back. The neatness of the cut could only have come from Zhan Lian’s military knife.