That day, the sun set and never rose again...
In this eternal night, the world was pitch black, as if an unfathomable abyss was ready to swallow everything.
Daytime had long become a thing of the past, a mere legend.
The vast frozen ground was bitterly cold, with fierce winds and heavy snow piling up to half a person's height.
In Double Tree Village, the snow partially buried the homes.
There were only about forty to fifty households here, a village seemingly forgotten by time, where the outlines of houses were barely visible in the darkness.
In the howling wind, many rooftops swayed slightly, as if they might be blown away at any moment.
Qin Ming felt weak, waking up from hunger, his stomach growling non-stop. In this cold night, he couldn't help but swallow at the thought of any kind of food.
Forget about steaming meat or delicious fruits; even thinking about a hard piece of bread made his mouth water and his taste buds tingle.
The freezing cold made the darkness inside and outside feel suffocating.
Qin Ming wrapped himself tightly in a worn-out blanket. The warmth from the heated bed couldn’t fend off the biting cold outside; the chill felt like ice shards slicing through his lungs, causing a slight sting.
He tried to control his thoughts, pushing away the idea of food, or else he would start to feel nauseous.
After calming himself, he suddenly realized that his mind was clear now, not muddled like before. Could it be that the "mysterious illness" was finally leaving him?
Though he was still hungry and cold, the fact that he was starting to feel better brought a glimmer of hope to his eyes as he awaited the arrival of "shallow night."
As time passed, the wind quieted down, and the heavy snow that had been blowing wildly began to turn into light flurries.
He heard some noise from the neighboring yard, a conversation between a young couple, Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing.
"Where are you going? Are you going to bring food to Qin Ming again?" Liang Wanqing's voice was rising.
"He’s been seriously ill, just sixteen or seventeen years old, living all alone. It’s really pitiful," Lu Ze said softly.
"Do you know that we don’t have much food left at home? If this keeps up, our two kids will go hungry!" Liang Wanqing was getting emotional.
"The blizzard will stop, and we’ll find a way to solve it," Lu Ze said, looking at the dark world outside.
…
Qin Ming listened to the couple argue and felt a pang of guilt. He didn’t want to accept Lu Ze’s kindness anymore; everyone was struggling in these hard times.
He had already gotten out of bed, but even after putting on a cotton coat, he still felt cold. He rummaged through the cabinet and found an old fur coat, wrapping it around himself as he walked back and forth in the dark room, rubbing his hands together.
After being seriously ill for a month, his tall frame had become a bit thin, and his long black hair had lost some of its shine. His handsome face looked a bit pale, but his clear eyes shone brightly, full of spirit. Despite his illness, there was a certain determination about him.
A month ago, he had managed to escape from the mountains, his hands and feet had turned black from the cold, and he had been seriously ill ever since.
As for the others who had been with him, they had died the same day they returned.
Many believed that he wouldn’t survive the "mysterious illness."
But he had made it this far, and he was clearly improving.
Thinking about the unknown dangers in the mountains still sent shivers down his spine.
The darkness outside began to change, like ink dropping into a small amount of clear water, becoming lighter. "Shallow night" was coming, which meant "daytime" was arriving.
Clearly, it was still much darker than true daytime, and the overall world remained shrouded in night, with distant objects still hard to see clearly.
The yard door creaked open, and Lu Ze came in, strong and sturdy. He used a shovel to clear the snow to the sides, quickly making a path to the door.
Qin Ming opened the door that had been blocked by snow and called out, "Lu Ge!"
Lu Ze carried a glowing cloth bag and poured its contents into a stone basin in the snow. A pile of bright red stones fell out, making a crisp sound as they hit, illuminating the night.
These were "sun stones," named for the hope they represented in this era, lighting up the yard.
Lu Ze was surprised. "Xiao Qin, you look like you're feeling much better."
Qin Ming invited him inside and honestly told him about his situation, saying that he was no longer muddled and was probably on the mend.
Lu Ze said he was tough, surviving the "mysterious illness" from the mountains was no small feat. He poured the remaining glowing stones from the bag into a copper basin in the room, instantly brightening the space.
Sun stones were taken from the "Fire Spring." Although they glowed brightly, they were nowhere near as warm as a human's body temperature and would extinguish after several hours, needing to be returned to the "Fire Spring" for recharging.
"Here!" Lu Ze handed him a food box.
Qin Ming had been ill for a month, and his food supplies had run out days ago, relying solely on Lu Ze's help. After hearing the couple's argument earlier, he felt guilty knowing their situation wasn’t great either.
"Eat quickly while it’s hot." Lu Ze was a straightforward person and knew how to be grateful. He remembered how Qin Ming had called out his name repeatedly when he was lost in the dark forest, guiding him back.
Looking at the steaming black bread, Qin Ming couldn’t help but swallow hard from the intense hunger.
"Why are you just standing there? You’re still recovering, and you can’t afford to starve. Don’t be polite!" Lu Ze placed the food box firmly in his hands.
"Lu Ge!" In the end, Qin Ming didn’t hold back. He tore off a piece of bread. It felt rough, but he devoured it eagerly, savoring the delicious taste.
"If you need anything, just call me." Lu Ze turned to leave.
As his hunger subsided, Qin Ming felt more energetic, and the discomfort in his body began to fade. He was sure that his illness was finally leaving him.
He thought about getting some fresh air and taking a walk. He pushed open the yard door and stepped out onto the street, where the weather was exceptionally cold, and his breath formed white mist in the air.
Shallow night, which was the "daytime" of this era, saw the sun stones glowing in every household, casting a faint light on the streets.
"Qin Ming, are you feeling okay?" someone noticed him.
"Xiao Qin, let me take a look." An old woman named Granny Zhou from the north street grabbed him, inspecting him closely and noticing that he looked much better than the last time they met.
Qin Ming smiled and greeted them, telling them that he was indeed recovering quickly.
There weren’t many people at the intersection, but they all looked incredulous. Could someone really recover from the "mysterious illness"?
"Xiao Qin, even if you’re feeling better, don’t rush outside. It’s very dangerous out there," Granny Zhou warned, glancing toward the pitch-black world beyond the village.
Other neighbors also wore worried expressions. The year had been tough, and the lack of food was a big problem; if this continued, people would starve.
Qin Ming noticed that the once kind and gentle Granny Zhou now looked pale, and her body was thin and frail, as if she might fall over with just a gust of wind.
After a few others left, Granny Zhou carefully took out a few pieces of dried sweet potato from her pocket and stuffed them into Qin Ming's hands.
Qin Ming quickly pushed them back. The old lady was already at such an age, looking hungry herself; he felt embarrassed to take her food.
Each household had cleared the snow around their homes, but it wasn’t thorough, and there were still patches of snow that crunched underfoot. Qin Ming breathed out white mist as he walked forward.
As he approached the edge of the village, he stopped.
In front of a larger yard, there was a small threshing ground, where a black goat, about as tall as an adult's shoulder, was pulling a stone mill, grinding the silver-like mutated wheat.
Not everyone was lacking food; clearly, this family at the village entrance was doing well.
Qin Ming stared at the black goat, his eyes shining. Now that even basic food was a problem, he hadn’t eaten meat in a long time and felt an intense craving.
The black goat was quite large, with thick horns that looked somewhat fierce. Feeling Qin Ming's gaze, it seemed startled and dropped its tail.
"Xiao Qin, you’re feeling better? Surviving a great disaster brings blessings," a sturdy middle-aged man with a beard stood at the yard entrance, thinking Qin Ming was looking at the mutated grain below the mill. He then spoke, "We have a big family, and our supplies are running low. This is our last bit of food."
"Uncle Yang is impressive; even in this tough year, you can take care of your whole family," Qin Ming replied with a smile, knowing full well that the man was not down to his last bag of grain.
After greeting Yang Yongqing, he continued toward the village entrance.
The "Fire Spring" was just ahead, lighting up the area brightly.
It was built with stones, forming a square pool about six feet wide, with a low stone wall that barely reached his knees. Inside, there was a fiery red glow.
In this blizzard season, the fire spring was nearly dried up, no longer gushing forth, but flames still flickered around.
In the pool, there were two trees, which gave Double Tree Village its name. One tree had black leaves, while the other had white leaves, both remaining green even in the cold winter.