Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 40

The next morning, Tang Yu walked a lap around the village, inviting the aunties to the small courtyard where she was staying for a meeting.

Though it was called a meeting, it wasn’t very formal. There weren’t enough tables and chairs in the courtyard, so everyone gathered in a circle. Some stood, while others sat on the stone ledge bordering the yard, looking for all the world like they were just having a casual chat.

The supplies brought back from A-City hadn’t been sorted yet and were piled high in the courtyard.

Tang Yu and Jin Ye stood before the supplies, facing the crowd, ready to speak. Due to the language barrier, they planned to open their game panels and send voice messages, letting Xiao Li relay the information.

Tang Yu cleared her throat with an air of importance and said, “I’ll just say a few words…”

“Everyone has come to this village and become a family. From now on, we’ll need to use our own hands to improve our lives. I’ve called everyone here today for three things: first, to establish the basic rules of our village; second, to work together to sort and categorize our existing supplies; and third, to assign the tasks that need to be done.”

Tang Yu had learned this point-by-point method from her time at North Stream Camp. She laid out the agenda first so everyone would know what the meeting was about.

The aunties, who had been chatting casually, pricked up their ears and listened intently when they saw Tang Yu quickly get into meeting mode. To them, Tang Yu was speaking nonstop with an extremely serious expression, but they couldn’t understand a single word. It was like listening to nothing at all.

Confused, the aunties turned their gazes to Xiao Li.

Only then did Xiao Li convey Tang Yu’s meaning word for word. The aunties let out a long “Ohhh” and turned back in unison to Tang Yu, waiting for her next words.

“First, the village rules. Our camp currently has exactly twenty people. Although everyone is very friendly and easy to get along with, disputes are inevitable when there are many people, and disagreements can arise when we work. That’s when we need a standard to set the rules. Jin Ye and I discussed it and have come up with three basic rules. Let’s see how we can adjust them.”

“First, regarding the ownership of supplies. Our village has nothing right now, and collecting supplies depends on everyone’s joint effort. It’s obviously unrealistic to distribute supplies now. If you get a little more and I get a little less, people will feel it’s unfair. Besides, dividing this small amount of supplies is useless. Building the camp will definitely require everyone to work together, and supplies and tools will need to be shared.”

“Therefore, we propose that for the first year, all supplies we collect will be public property. Except for consumables like clothing and food, other items will be managed through a borrowing and returning system. Supplies will be stored in a common area, and all borrowing and returning will be registered on a list, with the information being open and transparent. What does everyone think?”

Tang Yu didn’t set the rules directly but instead threw out a proposal for everyone to discuss together. Jin Ye had taught her this. When a group of people gathered, if one person made all the decisions, it would eventually become a dictatorial camp like North Stream Camp. Moreover, no matter how open-minded one person was, there would always be blind spots. That’s when suggestions from others were needed. Besides, a result that everyone discussed and agreed upon would have a higher acceptance rate.

The aunties were a little surprised to hear about public ownership of supplies. Someone asked, “Won’t that dampen everyone’s enthusiasm? If everything we make is public, like houses and fields, people would be much more invested if they were their own.”

Aunty Pang picked up on this, “You have a point, but our situation is indeed special right now. Many things still need to be done collectively. For example, clearing wasteland—can you do it alone? Building a house—can you do it alone? This is not a time to distinguish between ‘yours’ and ‘mine.’ If we draw the lines too clearly, we’ll have to calculate everything. Once the basic infrastructure is more or less established, we can start dividing things up.”

Everyone thought that made sense and agreed with this view. Someone else offered a few suggestions, such as a maximum one-month borrowing period for tools, and if more than two people needed the same tool, they would use it in a queue.

Tang Yu collected everyone’s suggestions and continued, “This will only be for the first year. After the first harvest, and once the houses and water systems are all set up, everyone can be allocated their own property in the second year. At that time, you can circulate your goods through a barter system.”

In the current world, there was no currency. In the past, people had relied on snatching supplies. This bad habit certainly couldn’t continue in the village. Bartering was the most primitive and also the most peaceful method.

Then Tang Yu stated the second rule: “This one is about people. We hope to maintain a harmonious and communicative atmosphere in the camp. Therefore, any dissatisfaction or resentment should be expressed openly. We are not afraid of offending people; we are only afraid of resentment building up. Not only can the aunties complain to each other, but you can also openly state any dissatisfaction with me, Jin Ye, Xiao Li, or even Zhou Zhou. We will set up a public wall. If anyone is too embarrassed to say it to our faces, you can write it on the wall.”

This rule wasn’t actually that important for the camp’s construction, and few people would bring things up so directly. Tang Yu included it in the rules from the beginning because she wanted the villagers to develop a habit and atmosphere of communication in the early stages of building the camp. In the future, when they encountered problems, they would be accustomed to expressing themselves openly and laying things out to be dealt with.

Don’t be fooled by how harmonious everyone was now. How could humans get along without encountering disputes? A small bit of hatred could very well brew into a disaster that could destroy the camp. What they needed to do now was to prepare for a rainy day.

The aunties all nodded in agreement with this rule. Tang Yu then continued with the third rule: “I hope everyone can learn a survival skill, whether it’s farming, building, or cooking. Let’s all contribute and avoid being lazy. In addition, we will spend half a day each week teaching everyone some self-defense methods. When necessary, we will need everyone to pick up firearms to protect the camp.”

They wouldn’t pin their hopes on the mountains being able to block attacks from zombies and players. It was very likely that one day in the future, the camp’s location would be exposed. Faced with intruders, these NPCs with no combat power had to learn to protect themselves.

Even if the camp were to be breached one day in the future, these scattered NPCs would still have a skill to sustain themselves.

These long-term strategies were not thought up by Tang Yu alone. Jin Ye and Xiao Li had offered many suggestions, and the aunties’ idle chatter during dinner the previous night had also given Tang Yu a lot of inspiration.

After explaining the rules, everyone gathered to discuss some details. Lu Lu pulled out a notebook and a ballpoint pen from the pile of supplies and voluntarily took on the responsibility of taking notes.

Once the village rules were set, everyone began the second task: taking inventory of the supplies.

Mrs. Li’s mattress and bedding had been taken for use the previous night. What remained were some miscellaneous items.

The mountain of supplies was diverse, and it took everyone a full two hours to count everything, which Lu Lu then recorded in a ledger.

First was the food.

They currently had three bags of rice totaling 180 jin, 9 jin of potatoes, 100 jin of flour, and 20 jin of sweet potatoes. There were no fresh vegetables at all; when they stockpiled supplies, they had only chosen non-perishable foods.

This amount of grain seemed like a lot, but when divided among twenty people, it was only enough to last for about a month.

In addition, there were two packets of chili seeds, one packet of radish seeds, three packets of corn, and five packets of rice seeds.

Next were the daily necessities.

There were over forty pieces of scattered clothing. The aunties had also brought some of their own, so it was more than enough. Everyone picked out two loose-fitting garments for changing, and the rest that didn’t fit were cut up into towels or rags, without a single bit going to waste.

There were about ten candles, which wasn’t a plentiful supply, so everyone decided to use them only in emergencies. There were five flashlights, and someone had grabbed three large packs of batteries of various sizes, all of which were placed with the public supplies.

The remaining toothbrushes, sanitary napkins, pots and pans, seasonings, lighters, and water buckets were not numerous enough for one per person. Except for the toothbrushes, everything else was also designated as public supplies.

Then there were the tools and weapons.

The tools were quite abundant. The aunties probably knew how important they were, and since few players bothered with these things, they had picked up a few more.

There were at least ten each of hoes, hammers, pliers, saws, and wrenches, a large box of nails, ten trowels and small plastic buckets for construction work, ten bags of cement, five iron cages, five rolls of wire, and a miscellaneous assortment of other items like iron plates, two steel bars from a construction site, glass, and a cash register. Lu Lu filled an entire page with the list.

Most importantly, there was a set of kitchen knives of various sizes, five in total, as well as one axe and three small curved knives.

Tang Yu breathed a sigh of relief. In the future, when cooking, she would finally not have to use her Startling Dragon to chop firewood.

Firearms were harder to find. There were only the fifteen guns they had stolen from North Stream Camp.

Finally, there were the medical supplies.

All the medical supplies were handed over to Zhou Zhou for her to inventory herself. After all, when it came to this kind of stuff, let alone the aunties, even Tang Yu and Jin Ye didn’t understand it.

When Zhou Zhou finally handed over the list, everyone craned their necks to look. It was filled with names like acetaminophen and berberine hydrochloride tablets. They recognized the characters, but strung together, they were incomprehensible. Everyone sheepishly pulled their heads back and pretended nothing had happened.

Zhou Zhou smiled and said, “There are medicines for colds, the flu, and stomach problems. The resources are quite sufficient, so don’t worry.”

This sentence everyone understood, and they all felt relieved.

Fortunately, this world had existing supplies, which brought them great convenience, saving them from having to start by mining iron ore to make tools.

These supplies were sorted by category and placed in the courtyard where Tang Yu lived. The task of management and storage was given to Lu Lu. She had always been methodical in organizing things, so it was a perfect fit for her.

By the time all this was done, it was noon. To save grain, no one had eaten breakfast, and since everyone had only had some plain boiled sweet potatoes the night before, it hadn’t been a proper meal. Now, their stomachs were growling with hunger.

A very capable-looking aunty voluntarily stood up and said she would make hand-sliced noodles for everyone.

Tang Yu let out a happy cheer and announced a temporary suspension of the meeting so everyone could prepare food.

Xiao Li was even happier than her. This capable aunty was known as Aunty Zhu, her full name being Zhu Fengxiang. She looked like a deft person at a glance. With someone to help with the cooking, Xiao Li the chef would have a companion from now on.

The previous night, everyone had already built a stove. It was called a stove, but it was merely some broken stones arranged in a circle to contain the firewood, with an iron pot placed on top.

They didn’t have a proper kitchen yet, so they could only cook in a corner of the courtyard.

The flour was ready. Xiao Li and the aunty took eight jin, mixed it with well water to knead a dough, and set it aside to rest.

During this time, everyone went in groups to look for wild vegetables outside the village. The mountains were rich in resources, and the one thing they didn’t lack was leafy greens.

Some of the aunties who grew up in the countryside were very skilled at this. While pulling up weeds, they kept exclaiming, “Oh, this is shepherd’s purse! Oh, this is thistle! Oh, this is wild garlic! Oh my god, there’s wild onion too!”

Zhou Zhou and Xiao Li were dumbfounded. In their eyes, these were all just ordinary weeds by the roadside. How come in the eyes of these NPCs, they were all treasures?

It wasn’t until an aunty called out, “Oh, this is a dandelion!”

Tang Yu and Jin Ye were stunned. “Dandelions are edible?” They recognized common crops but were not very familiar with wild vegetables.

“The leaves can be served as a cold salad. Let’s dig some up,” the aunty explained to herself. She couldn’t understand what Tang Yu said, but from Tang Yu’s expression, these players were very surprised, so she was happy to explain.

It was April, and the wild vegetables all over the mountains had plump leaves, covering the ground in a lush, green carpet that was a feast for the eyes.

Tang Yu looked up. The weeds that she used to find unremarkable now all looked like food in her eyes. She walked with careful steps, afraid of trampling on these delicious things.

Li Xishi stood under a black locust tree and smiled, “Village Chief Tang, can you climb trees?”

Tang Yu paused for a moment, shifting her gaze from the ground to the air. The locust tree was hung with clusters of small white flowers, gathered together like grapes. The crystal-clear white against the green leaves was exceptionally beautiful.

Tang Yu: ? Edible?

“Black locust flowers. After blanching, you can mix them into the noodles. They’re very fragrant.”

Tang Yu dubiously hugged the tree and started climbing. She was agile, and climbing trees was not a problem. She quickly scrambled up to a branch.

Li Xishi instructed her to pick the entire flower cluster and throw it down. Huang Qianqian gathered the flowers under the tree. The little black cat came closer for a sniff, and pollen dusted its pink nose, making it sneeze.

When Jin Ye and Xiao Li saw this, they found it interesting and also found a tree. One picked, and the other gathered. Soon, they had collected a large pile of locust flowers.

By the time everyone returned to the courtyard, each person was holding a large handful of wild vegetables. Now, not only was lunch taken care of, but dinner was as well.

Aunty Zhu and Xiao Li lit the fire. First, they blanched the locust flowers, dandelions, and thistle to remove any toxic substances from the vegetables, then they boiled a large pot of water to cook the noodles.

Xiao Li went to prepare the dressing for the cold dandelion salad, while Aunty Zhu lifted her hands and poured the locust flowers into the kneaded dough. Her arms exerted force, her movements deft and swift. The large dough seemed to come alive in her hands, constantly changing shape, leaving Tang Yu dumbfounded.

When it was kneaded enough, she tore off a piece of dough, rolled it into an oval, took a square kitchen knife, and began slicing noodles into the boiling water.

The blade swept across, easily slicing a portion of the dough into strips of even thickness and a clean cut. With a flick of the blade, the noodle slice fell precisely into the pot. Before the splash disappeared, the next slice followed closely behind. The sliced noodles plunged into the boiling water one after another, as if they were queuing up for a dive.

Xiao Li couldn’t help but ask, “Aunty Zhu, were you a chef before?”

Aunty Zhu laughed, “What chef? I just cooked at home for over twenty years. I was in charge of all the meals for a large family. If you do it for a few decades, you’ll become skilled too.”

A sense of admiration rose in Xiao Li. Although her cooking skills were good, they had only been honed over the past year. Her knife skills and techniques were still a certain distance from Aunty Zhu’s.

Aunty Zhu had joined the camp alone. Hearing her mention her family, everyone was a little stunned, but they all tacitly refrained from asking about her family’s situation.

The noodles cooked quickly, floating to the surface one by one. The noodle soup also turned a milky white, emitting an enticing aroma. Before taking it off the heat, Aunty Zhu poured the blanched thistle into the pot. The addition of the leafy greens instantly added a splash of color.

Finally, Aunty Zhu added some salt to taste, let it simmer for a moment, and then sprinkled in some chopped wild onions to finish.

The green onions against the milky white noodles made one’s mouth water. The cold-dressed dandelion leaves were also ready, seasoned with just simple salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.

Everyone held the bowls and chopsticks they had scrounged up and gathered around the iron pot to serve the noodles. For those without bowls and chopsticks, Tang Yu cut some bamboo sections as a temporary solution.

This was originally an ordinary home-cooked dish, but now, this bowl of hot soup seemed exceptionally precious. Li Xishi held her bowl, almost shedding tears.

The thickness of the noodles was just right, not making one feel choked. The soft-boiled noodles broke apart after a couple of chews. The fragrance of locust flowers mixed with the aroma of the noodles rushed into the nose, and swallowing it down filled the stomach satisfyingly.

The cold-dressed dandelion was very refreshing to eat. The bitterness had been completely removed during the blanching process, leaving only the fresh taste of the vegetable leaves.

Everyone ate very happily, repeatedly praising Aunty Zhu and Xiao Li, which made Xiao Li exclaim in embarrassment and hide behind Jin Ye with a red face.

Tang Yu blew away the floating onions in her bowl and drank the last mouthful of noodle soup. She sighed in satisfaction. This life was truly comfortable.

Full and satisfied, everyone was revived and full of vigor. Great, they had the energy to work again!