The Post-Apocalyptic Big Farm Owner

Chapter 29: No

Will to Live Back to the City. As always, Yan'er was waiting at the intersection. When she saw the agricultural tricycle roaring toward her, her little face lit up with a delighted smile, and she waved nonstop. This sight warmed Li Ba’s heart. In the apocalypse, human life was as worthless as grass; having a loved one by his side who cared for and thought of him was the greatest happiness. The vehicle came to a stop. Two large sacks of beans were unloaded. Although the yield from growing beans was far lower than that of corn, there were still over two hundred jin—more than enough to make bean sprouts. Dafang, Xiaofang, and the two sisters all gathered around. Working in pairs, they carried the beans inside. Li Ba didn’t see Zhou Yan anywhere, which puzzled him. He asked Zhang Jie, “Where’s your boss’s wife?” “The boss’s wife isn’t feeling well; she’s resting at home,” Zhang Jie replied. “Not feeling well…” Li Ba thought to himself that after dinner, he might drop by to check on her and show his concern. That evening, around seven o’clock, Li Ba took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and went to visit Zhou Yan. As he walked along the concrete path, he spotted Heizi and Daozai standing at the entrance to Zhou Yan’s house from a distance. From inside the Villa, soft music drifted faintly out. “There’s a show tonight!” Li Ba perked up. He’d nearly lost his life in a zombie encounter earlier that day. He planned to really unwind tonight. As he walked over, Li Ba pulled out a cigarette from a distance and greeted them with a smile: “Brother Hei! Daozai!” Having spent time with them these past few days, he was already quite familiar with these two “door gods.” They felt the same way; upon seeing Li Ba arrive, they nodded in greeting. He handed out a pack of Xiao Su cigarettes—twenty yuan a pack—and lit one for each of them. As his finances had improved, Li Ba was upgrading the quality of the cigarettes he smoked. He took a deep drag. Heizi glanced at Li Ba and said casually, “Sister Yan’s in a bad mood today. Don’t go bother her.” “Didn’t you say… she was sick? I came over to check on her.” From Heizi’s tone, it seemed Zhou Yan wasn’t actually sick—she was just in a bad mood. Li Ba scratched his head, wondering to himself, “Could it be that her problem still hasn’t been resolved? “Let him in.” Zhou Yan’s voice came from inside the Villa. “Sister Yan,” Daozai called out, a hint of concern flashing across his face. “I’m fine. You guys should go back… I have something I need to discuss with him.” Zhou Yan’s voice came through again. It sounded tinged with a hint of weariness. “Go on in… If you get the chance, try to talk Sister Yan out of this for us.” Heizi whispered to Li Ba. Then, he and Daozai left. Something’s going on! That was Li Ba’s first thought. Without giving it a second thought, he strode into the Villa. The lights flickered, and soft music played in the background. As Li Ba entered the living room, his gaze swept the room. He saw Zhou Yan sitting alone on the sofa; the coffee table in front of her was littered with liquor bottles, and she was drinking by herself. Zhou Yan seemed to have dressed up especially for tonight. With her meticulous makeup, long hair elegantly pinned up, and a black dress paired with shiny silver high heels, she exuded an air of regal elegance and beauty—like a noble goddess, radiating brilliance. She was holding a wine glass; upon spotting Li Ba, she downed the entire glass of red wine in one gulp. Licking her lips, she beckoned Li Ba with a flick of her finger and chuckled softly, “Come here. Have a drink with me.” She didn’t look the least bit upset—or sick, for that matter! “OK!” Li Ba walked over with a grin, pulled up a chair next to Zhou Yan, and plopped down. As he inhaled the faint fragrance wafting from her and felt the softness of her body, Li Ba’s heart fluttered—she was captivating even without trying. “What’d you like to drink?” Zhou Yan asked. “White liquor, beer, red wine—whatever you’ve got. Tonight, I’m willing to risk my life to keep a beauty company!” Li Ba waved his hand grandly, brimming with swagger. “Let’s go with some baijiu—it packs a punch.” Zhou Yan opened a bottle of Feitian Moutai and poured a glass for both Li Ba and herself. It was truly rare—more than five months had passed since the apocalypse, and her family still had such fine liquor in their collection. “Maotai, the national liquor—I love it.” “Then… let’s down it in one!” Zhou Yan’s eyes sparkled as she raised her glass and, to everyone’s surprise, downed the entire glass of baijiu in one gulp. “What a drinker!” Faced with such a beauty, Li Ba wasn’t about to be outdone; he downed his drink in one gulp, leaving not a drop behind. He caught sight of Zhou Yan’s delicate cheeks, flushed with a faint blush under the light—she was breathtakingly beautiful. Unable to resist the temptation, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. This time, Zhou Yan didn’t pull away; instead, she leaned into his embrace. Li Ba was overjoyed. Judging by how things were going today, he had a real shot at winning this woman over. “Li Ba, do you like me?” “Of course.” “What do you like about me?” “That goes without saying. You’ve got a great figure and you’re beautiful—what man wouldn’t like that!” Li Ba blurted out what was on his mind. Afterward, he felt an urge to slap himself. He’d been too blunt—no woman would appreciate that. He should have taken a more indirect approach, praising her inner beauty and how deeply she’d captivated him. “In the apocalypse, if a woman is too beautiful… it’s not a blessing—it’s a curse.” Zhou Yan, nestled in Li Ba’s arms, murmured this sentence, her tone filled with an inexplicable sadness. Even with his mind clouded by lust, Li Ba could sense that something was off with her at that very moment. “What’s wrong? Hasn’t the matter with that old bastard Zhao Laifu been resolved yet?” Li Ba ran his fingers through Zhou Yan’s lustrous, satin-black hair and asked gently. He knew that what Zhou Yan needed most right now was comfort, not to be taken advantage of. “Do you want to hear my story?” “Go ahead, I’m listening.” Zhou Yan seemed to have a heart full of worries; nestled in Li Ba’s arms, she wanted to pour it all out. Before the apocalypse, she and her husband, Jiang Jiaxuan, had been childhood sweethearts with a deep bond. When they grew up, Jiaxuan enlisted in the army, and she was admitted to college. The two made a promise: as soon as Zhou Yan graduated from college and Jiang Jiaxuan was discharged from the military, they would get married immediately. Everything went according to plan. Five years later, Zhou Yan graduated from college. Instead of staying in the big city, she returned to Xibu, the hometown where she was born and raised. By then, Jiang Jiaxuan had also been discharged from the military. With the blessings of family and friends, they walked down the aisle to celebrate their wedding. It was right in the midst of a major tourism development boom in Xibu Town. Both young spouses had a knack for business, so they used their family’s land and took out a bank loan to open a hot spring resort. Business was booming, and the fruit of their love, their daughter Nana, was born. With three generations living under one roof, the family enjoyed a blissful and happy life. “…Who could have imagined that the apocalypse would strike, and darkness would engulf the earth? My parents… and Jiaxuan’s parents—they all turned into zombies. Even my poor Nana turned into a zombie.” At this point, Zhou Yan looked up, her face streaked with tears. “I saw Nana turn with my own eyes. Her gaze… there wasn’t a trace of her former cuteness left; she pounced on me like a wild beast… I screamed, calling out my daughter’s name, and didn’t flinch… I’d rather die at Nana’s hands than continue living in this world of despair.” Her tears flowed uncontrollably. She poured herself another full glass of baijiu and downed it in one gulp. Li Ba stood by her side but didn’t stop her. He knew that perhaps only by getting drunk could this poor woman find some relief. “Jiaxuan… he stepped in to save me. He saved me from the hands of our most beloved daughter,” Zhou Yan murmured, as if reliving that unbearable memory. “He… he even smashed our daughter’s skull with his own hands. Blood spattered everywhere, covering the floor. I still remember it clearly: Nana lying on the ground, her body convulsing uncontrollably, letting out a piercing scream.” Having voiced the pain hidden deepest in her heart, Zhou Yan seemed on the verge of breaking down. She covered her head with both hands and kept repeating, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! My daughter, Mom couldn’t save you…” Li Ba quickly pulled her into his arms, comforting her endlessly. Sobbing, Zhou Yan continued in broken sentences, “The darkness has finally passed, but my heart… died long ago with Nana. Thankfully, there was Jiaxuan. He comforted me, encouraged me, and gave me the courage to go on living. But in the end, it was still because of me that Jiaxuan was killed by that old beast, Zhao Laifu—his body was never found. I have no family left in this world!” “You still have me,” Li Ba said, his voice growing hoarse. As he spoke those words, a fleeting glimpse of pain flashed inexplicably in his eyes. “I want to become strong!” Zhou Yan suddenly pushed him away, grabbed the bottle, and gulped down the remaining half-bottle of baijiu in one go. “I want to avenge Jiaxuan… but unfortunately, I’m not an Evolver—I don’t have the power to take revenge.” Her delicate face was now filled with hatred. “From Heizi Daozai, I learned that the Settlement Research Institute has developed an evolution serum capable of awakening abilities in ordinary people, turning them into Evolvers… I want it! I must have it!” At this point, she wiped the tears from her face, looked at Li Ba, and said loudly, “Purchasing an evolution serum requires a massive sum of money. To fulfill my wish, I began trying every possible way to make money. Running a restaurant, performing stripteases… I’ve done almost every money-making scheme out there—the only thing I haven’t done is… sell my body.” No wonder she was so greedy… So, there was a reason behind it all. Li Ba fell silent upon hearing this. In the past, he had looked down on her more than once because of her greed. “Time no longer allows me to wait. I’ve mortgaged everything—including myself,” Zhou Yan said, her face etched with anguish. “I got my hands on the evolution serum—just this past noon. After I took it, I endured agony worse than death, but in the end, it still failed.” “Life is so unfair—why must this happen to me? I’ve lost everything; what’s the point of staying in this world any longer!” At that moment, Zhou Yan suddenly grabbed a bottle of liquor from the table and began drinking it in great gulps. A pungent odor filled the air. Pesticide! Li Ba’s expression changed, and he roared, “You’re out of your mind! Do you know what you’re doing?!”