The fish in the tank love to eat these black fruits, and these fruits are everywhere even in sad times.

Humans can't eat them, so they can't be used to satisfy hunger, because it's poisonous and causes diarrhea, and I use them to feed the fish, also because they seem to be interested in these fruits.

I don't think fish need these fruits to survive, after all, they live for many years without eating or drinking.

The fish tank is a cube with five fish, the red one, which I call 'Yong', the white one, which is called 'Chun', the golden one, which is called 'Xin', and the sky blue one, which is 'Shan'. Earlier, we didn't find the last fish because it was black, and the water in the tank was slightly blackened, and it was hidden in the corner and no one saw it.

This black fish often scares everyone who sees it, and no one can say why. Maybe it's its color, maybe it's the way it swims, maybe it's its eyes, maybe it's the elusiveness that makes people have nightmares at night, dreaming that they are being eaten by this ghostly black fish, in short, it makes people uncomfortable.

We called it 'Hungry', and I don't know who came up with it, but the villagers found it a bit darkly humorous, because it often eats people in dreams.

It was precisely because of the appearance of "hunger" that this fish tank fell from the status of the altar and became a thing that everyone avoided, so it belonged to me.

But what exactly are they? Why is the vitality so strong? At first, I thought the secret was the black water in the fish tank, but the village apothecary found out that the black water was just ordinary water, and it seemed that "hunger" had stained the fish tank black.

The immediate purpose of the waterless village is survival, and scientific research has no priority. I take fish farming as fun, in fact they don't need me to raise them at all, they.... They are just there, not living on anyone.

What if I empty the water in my fish tank? Will these fish die? It's hard to say, but I'm not going to do it, and I'm not going to allow anyone to do it.

I put the magazines and newspapers I found along the way on the floor, and opened my cupboard, which was full of books from the last century, all of which I had turned over.

The mystery is after the books.

I locked the door of my room and moved the books outside, inside were dried meat, canned food, snacks, compressed biscuits, and airline lunches, which were the food I had accumulated for a whole year, my private collection.

If Ochid had known, I would have been punished and these things confiscated. Because I am a scavenger, I already have more food quotas than others, so everything I bring back belongs to the village, and I can't hide any of it, which is a sin to fill my own pocket.

It's a semi-open secret among us that every scavenger will more or less secretly hide some inventory, even for a serious person like Mirse..... Well, he doesn't do that, but he doesn't stop us.

But no one hid more than I did, and I had enough to eat for three whole months.

I've been doing this since Messey left.

Dali knocked on the door and shouted, "Longi! Ochid has something to do with you! She turned the doorknob, and luckily I locked it.

I put the magazines in the cupboard, blocked the compartment, and opened the door. Dali looked at me dissatisfied, her pretty face looking lukewarm, not far away. She said, "What are you doing?" Why does it take so long? ”

I smiled awkwardly and said, "Some private matter." ”

Dali furrowed her eyebrows, as if she wanted to comment on it, but finally said, "Hurry up." ”

We walked through the steel-paved walkways, platforms, and stairs to a glass house, which housed Ochid's office, the cleanest of all in the waterless village, and which once seemed to be the resting place of the mine's foreman.

Ochid, Newt, and Umeze were all there. The other two were originally under the command of Ochid in the Sword and Shield Society, and when they were discharged from the army, they came here to assist Ochid, they were both warlike veterans and very trusted friends of Ochid. Newt is a taciturn strong man, and Meze seems to be a good talker.

Dali said, "I've got him!" Dad, can I go? ”

"Of course," said Ochid. After Dali left, he said, "Longi, we found a secret door. ”

I asked, "The secret door?" ”

Ochid: "Yes, this place was a mine, but we suspect it's just a façade. The mine has long been mined, and there are secrets hidden under it. ”

I said, "Father, give orders, and I will uncover for you all the mysteries behind the secret gate." ”

Ochid sighed, "You are now the most capable man beside me, clever and in the prime of life. I don't know what to do if you're not there. ”

I was refreshed by this, but immediately remembered that these words had been spoken to Misser, and now that Misser was gone, it was my turn.

The four of us walked out of the glass house, and the secret door was behind the cultivation room, and as I walked through the mushroom field, I noticed that the mushrooms in one field were not growing well, and the mushrooms were very small, not as full as before. I also worked in the fields, and it was very rare for mushrooms to grow like this.

Further on, I saw them pry open a large wall panel, and behind it was an iron door, which was also forced open by a crowbar, and behind the iron door was a long ladder that led deep underground.

They may have known about this secret door for a long time, because they were very targeted when they pried open the wall panels, and there were no signs of prying around them.

Ochid handed me a loop of rope and tied one himself, and he said, "The air down there is not good, but you and I should be able to withstand it, just in case, put on an oxygen mask." Newt, Meze, you see, no one is allowed to come in. ”

I said, "Father, I'm enough alone." ”

Ochid reached out and patted me on the shoulder and said, "No, we are in pairs, you cover me, and I cover you." ”

I was filled with gratitude and pride, and when Milsea was gone, he finally recognized my worth, and at that moment my heart's desire was slightly shaken.

Twenty meters down the ladder was a tunnel, lined with thick pipes that seemed to have water flowing through it.

I said, "This.... Could this be the internal circulation device of the mushroom petri dish? ”

Ochid didn't seem surprised, and he said, "Perhaps, it's a secret, understand?" ”

They had known the location of the underground pipes for a long time, and perhaps the village chiefs of the previous generation had known about it, but no one dared to come here, because the mushroom fields were at stake for everyone's lives, and they did not want to take the slightest risk of damaging the petri dish.

I asked, "What's wrong with the mushroom field?" ”

"It's fine, just a little worried," Ochid said. It's best to check it out. ”

I decided not to ask any more and firmly trusted my adoptive father. He's right, sooner or later we have to figure out how the petri dish works, and if there is a real fault, we have to know how to fix it, and we can't be trapped in superstition and rely on the sky all the time.

After walking in silence for a while, Ochid said, "I asked Dali if she would like to marry you. ”

I was even more speechless in shock.

"When you and Mirsey are by my side, I confess that I think more highly of Misser, and you are all very good, far better than the rest of the young people here," said Ochid. Misser is much like me when I was younger, heroic, yet reckless. I also know that you often feel inferior to him in front of him, and that I seem to be partial. But you know what? I think you're the one who reassures me the most. ”

I said, "Father, I'm not complaining, I'm just..."

Ochid: "You can be adaptable, you can be creative, and when faced with a real crisis, you come up with a solution, whether it's debatable or not, but you can get through it." Mirsekong had the strength of life, but he could not leave the soil that suited him. You're different, you're a survivor, the greatest survivor. ”

I cried out, "Father, you praise me so much that I don't know what to do." ”

"So I sent Misser away and kept you, because he was more in tune with the rules of the Sword and Shield Society, but I think you are my better heir," said Ochid. ”

He stopped, turned to hug me, and said, "I'll make Daria your wife, I've made it clear to her." ”

I said, "But.... Daria she was reluctant, she always liked Milse. Don't you see that she has been in a bad mood since Misser left? ”

"Nonsense," said Ochid, "I am in charge of this matter. I will hand her over to you, and you will protect her in my place. ”

I said, "I think Daria's opinion must be respected." ”

Ochid's eyes were like eagles, and he asked, "You don't want to?" ”

When I was young, I always wanted to be better than Milsey, to be better than him in every way, I wanted to be better than his position in the eyes of others, I wanted to have more power than him, I wanted to impress Ochid and snub Missey, and naturally I wanted to win the heart of Dali, because her heart had always been attracted to Missey. I did everything I could to get close to Dali and arouse her affection. If I can stir up a hint of jealousy in Mirse's face, my mood will become very good.

I took Misser and Dali to see my fish tank, and I worked with them to name the fish, but even when Dali was amused to laugh, her eyes fell on Mirse.

I saw Dali as a symbol of my victory, and I even thought about forcibly kissing her, taking away her first kiss that should have belonged to Mirse.

However, I knew in my heart that I didn't like Darly, and that jealousy drove me to do all sorts of stupid things. Now that Misser is far away, I don't see any need to provoke Dali.

I understand why Dali is avoiding me, because Ochid has ordered her to marry me. She was reluctant, she thought I was the one who got in the way, she thought I had persuaded Ochid to get into her misery.

Heaven and earth conscience, I have long passed this hurdle.

I replied, "Father, I am very grateful for your importance, but everything is about going with the flow." ”

Ochid sighed, "I just want to.... Alas, Longie, do you know that I am very old, and that it will not be long before I will be a dying old man, and I will no longer be able to take care of her and protect the village. ”

I said, "I think that one day Misser will come back from his studies and take charge of the village as you did, and marry Dali." They are a match made in heaven. You're strong, you're healthy, and you don't have to worry about the distant future. ”

Ochid suddenly said angrily: "Why do you push back and don't listen to my orders? Do you have other plans? ”