The day the sun set and never rose again... ***
Eternal night, heaven and earth pitch black, like an unfathomable abyss about to swallow everything.
Daylight had long become a thing of the past, a legend.
The vast frozen earth, a biting cold wind, heavy snow crashing down, accumulated on the ground to half a man's height.
Double Tree Village, half-submerged in heavy snow.
There were only forty or fifty households here, a village forgotten by time, the clusters of houses showing only vague outlines in the dark night.
In the wailing gale, many roofs were swaying slightly, as if they were about to be torn off.
Qin Ming was very weak, woken by hunger at this moment, his stomach growling nonstop. In the cold night, thinking of any kind of food made him swallow saliva uncontrollably.
Let alone steaming hot meat or fresh fruits, even thinking of a cold, hard piece of steamed bun made sweetness rise in his mouth, salivating.
The sky was freezing, both inside and outside the house, the darkness was suffocating.
Qin Ming wrapped himself tightly in the tattered quilt. The warmth of the heated brick bed couldn't block the severe cold outside. The icy air inhaled into his lungs felt like ice shards scraping, slightly stinging.
He restrained himself from thinking about food, otherwise sour water would surge up from his stomach and mouth.
After slightly calming his emotions, he suddenly realized that his mind was now very clear, no longer drowsy like before. Could the "strange illness" be leaving?
Though hungry and cold, the long illness finally took a turn for the better. His eyes gained luster as he awaited the arrival of "shallow night."
As time passed, the wind grew softer, and the swirling heavy snowflakes gradually turned into scattered small snowflakes.
From the courtyard next door came movement and the sound of conversation. It was a young couple, Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing.
"Where are you going? To bring food to Qin Ming again?" Liang Wanqing's voice rose gradually.
"He just recovered from a serious illness, only sixteen or seventeen years old, living all alone. It's quite pitiful." Lu Ze said in a low voice.
"Don't you know, we don't have much food left at home either? If this goes on, the two children will go hungry!" Liang Wanqing was emotional.
"When the blizzard stops, there will be a way to solve it." Lu Ze gazed at the pitch-black world.
……
Qin Ming heard the couple's argument and felt very apologetic. He didn't want to accept Lu Ze's kindness anymore. In such times, every family was having a hard time.
He had already gotten up from the heated brick bed. After putting on his cotton-padded clothes, he still felt cold. He found an old fur coat from the cabinet, wrapped it around himself, and kept walking and rubbing his hands in the dark room.
After his serious illness, his tall figure was now a bit thin. The black hair hanging over his shoulders had lost some of its luster. His handsome face was slightly pale, but his clear eyes were bright and very spirited. Though he still looked sickly, there was a determined air about him.
A month ago, he had struggled to escape from the mountains. At that time, his hands and feet had turned somewhat black, and he had been seriously ill until now.
As for his fellow travelers, they died the day they returned.
Qin Ming was plagued by the "strange illness," and many thought he wouldn't survive.
But he endured until now and was clearly improving.
Thinking of the unknown dangers in the mountains, he still felt lingering fear to this day.
The darkness outside had changed, as if ink had been dripped into a small amount of clear water and diluted. "Shallow night" had arrived, which was "daytime" in this era.
Obviously, this was only slightly better than "deep night." The world as a whole was still shrouded in night, and distant scenery couldn't be seen clearly.
The courtyard gate was pushed open. Lu Ze arrived, his body sturdy and strong. He used a shovel to push the accumulated snow aside, quickly clearing a path to the door.
Qin Ming opened the door, which had been sealed by heavy snow, and called out, "Brother Lu."
Lu Ze carried a glowing cloth bag, pouring it into a stone basin in the snow. A pile of brilliant red stones fell out, striking with crisp sounds, their light cutting through the night.
These were "sun stones." Their very name embodied people's certain beautiful wishes in this era. Now they illuminated the courtyard.
Lu Ze was surprised. "Little Qin, I see your spirit seems much better."
Qin Ming invited him into the house and told him the truth. He was no longer drowsy and guessed he was really getting better.
Lu Ze said he was lucky to be alive after contracting the mountain's "strange illness." It was truly not easy. He poured the remaining glowing stones from the bag into a copper basin in the room, instantly filling the room with radiance.
The sun stones were taken from the "fire spring." Though they blazed with colorful flames, their temperature was far below that of a human's skin. They would extinguish automatically after several hours and needed to be returned to the "fire spring" to be nourished again.
"Here!" Lu Ze handed over a food box.
Qin Ming had been seriously ill for a month. His stored food had run out many days ago, and he had relied entirely on Lu Ze's help. Having heard the couple's argument recently and knowing their situation wasn't good either, he felt guilty.
"Eat while it's hot." Lu Ze was an honest man who believed in repaying kindness. Once, he had been lost in the vast, dark forest. It was Qin Ming who called his name over and over, guiding him back.
Looking at the steaming hot dark flour buns, the intense hunger made Qin Ming swallow saliva uncontrollably.
"Why are you standing there not moving? Your body isn't better yet. Starving won't help you recover. Are you being polite?" Lu Ze placed the food box directly in his hands.
"Brother Lu!" Finally, Qin Ming didn't stand on ceremony. He tore off a piece of bun. It felt very rough, but he devoured it greedily, feeling a mouthful of sweet fragrance.
"Call me if you need anything." Lu Ze turned and left.
The hunger subsided, and Qin Ming's spirit grew stronger. The various discomforts in his body were disappearing. He was sure his long illness was leaving.
He wanted to go outside for some fresh air and a walk. He pushed open the courtyard gate and came to the street. The weather was exceptionally cold. Every time he breathed, white mist surrounded his nose and mouth.
Shallow night, which was "daytime" in this era, had the glow of sun stones flowing from each household, giving the street a faint light.
"Qin Ming, are you feeling better?" Someone noticed him.
"Little Qin, let me take a look." Grandma Zhou from North Street stopped him, looked him over from left to right, and found his complexion much better than last time.
Qin Ming smiled and greeted them, telling them that his body was indeed recovering.
There weren't many people at the intersection, and they all looked incredulous. Could the "strange illness" actually be cured?
"Little Qin, even if you're feeling better, don't rush to go outside. It's very dangerous out there now." Grandma Zhou warned, looking at the ink-black world beyond the village.
Other neighbors also showed worried expressions. Times were hard. The lack of food was a big problem. If this continued, people would starve to death.
Qin Ming noticed that Grandma Zhou, who used to be kind and amiable, now lacked color in her face and was so thin that she seemed like she might fall with a gust of wind.
After the others left, Grandma Zhou carefully took out a few pieces of dried sweet potato from her pocket and stuffed them into Qin Ming's hand.
Qin Ming quickly pushed them back. The old lady was so old and already showed signs of hunger himself. How could he accept her daily rations?
Each household had cleared the road near their home, but not thoroughly. There was still snow, and stepping on it made a crunching sound. Qin Ming exhaled white mist and walked forward.
Approaching the village entrance, he stopped.
In front of a relatively large courtyard was a small threshing floor. A black goat as tall as a man's shoulder was pulling a stone mill, crushing the silver-particle-like mutant wheat.
Not everyone lacked food. Clearly, this family at the village entrance was doing well.
Qin Ming stared at the black goat, his eyes gleaming. Now that food and warmth were problems, he naturally hadn't eaten meat in a long time. The desire was overwhelming.
The black goat was quite large, with thick horns, looking somewhat fierce. Sensing Qin Ming's gaze, it seemed startled, and its raised tail drooped immediately.
"Little Qin, you've recovered? Surviving a great disaster brings good fortune." A sturdy, middle-aged man with a full beard stood at the courtyard gate. He thought Qin Ming was looking at the mutant grain under the mill—silver wheat. Then he added, "My family is large, and we consume too quickly. This is also my family's last stored food."
"Uncle Yang is impressive. You can take care of such a big family in these times." Qin Ming smiled. Of course, he didn't believe the man only had one bag of silver wheat left.
After greeting Yang Yongqing, he made his way to the village entrance.
The "fire spring" was just ahead, illuminating the surrounding area brightly.
It was built and enclosed with stones, forming a pool about six meters square. The stone enclosure was only knee-high, and inside was a glow of fiery red.
In this blizzard season, though the fire spring inside was nearly exhausted and no longer gurgled out, it still had flames lingering.
In the pool were two trees, which was how Double Tree Village got its name. One tree had jet-black leaves, the other snow-white, neither withering in the harsh winter.