The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Chapter 64 Picking Up the Bags Again
He instructed Yao Dan and others to use three ropes, each about five meters long, to tightly tie the straps of the three zero-gravity backpacks together. Then, he used a thin twig to evenly string the three backpacks together and tie them tightly. The other ends of the three ropes were then tightly tied to the evenly spaced points of the log in the middle of the raft.

Then he had them use two 50-meter-long ropes to tightly tie the straps of the two zero-gravity backpacks, and use a thin twig to string the two backpacks together at both ends and tie them tightly. Then he tied the other ends of the two ropes to the middle of the three ropes.

Everything was ready by four or five in the afternoon. He checked it carefully several more times, found no mistakes, and then began to prepare for the other minor tasks.

Next, he had everyone move all their luggage over and tie it to the middle of the raft. Since they were all waterproof, no waterproofing treatment was needed.

The food will remain at the park for now; you can take it with you when you leave tomorrow morning.

To prevent wild animals from causing trouble at night, he left Chang'e, Furong, and Yan'er by the raft to guard them, while he and Yaodan returned to the Paradise Shed to rest.

It was already dark. Yu Qing couldn't see the road ahead, so Yao Dan carried him back.

As Yao Dan walked, she asked, "Husband, I don't understand why the backpacks aren't tied directly to the raft, but instead are tied to them with ropes. Some ropes are five meters long, and some are even fifty meters long. What's the reason for this?"

"My buddies, aren't your brains supposed to be great at reasoning? How come you can't even figure this out? Do you know how much impact such a heavy raft would have when it hits the water? If I put you on that raft at that moment, you'd be shaking to pieces."

Furthermore, when a raft enters the water, it won't sink flat; one side will inevitably go in first. At this point, there's no guarantee the raft won't capsize. If it does capsize, and you were originally secured to it, wouldn't you be submerged?
Use a five-meter rope to flexibly connect the zero-gravity backpack to the raft. The vibrations from the raft entering the water will not be transmitted to your backpack, and even if the raft capsizes, it will not pull you under it. You will always float on the raft because you are as light as a feather.

As for the two zero-gravity backpacks tied to the fifty-meter rope, they were prepared for me and my grandson, Dangui. The raft is not stable when it first enters the water, and you may be splashed by the water and waves, and it is possible that you will get soaked, but it will not matter for you.

We have a 50-meter rope to hold us up, and our zero-gravity backpacks float high in the air like balloons, keeping us away from all the waves. Only after the raft is stable will you slowly pull us down.

As for why we strung our backpacks together with thin branches, can you deduce what that was for?

Yao Dan said, "I know that. It's to prevent us from colliding with each other when we're being pulled by the rope."

"That's clever enough. But those two thin branches aren't just for that purpose; they're the poles we use to punt the raft. We need them to make sure the raft doesn't hit the rocks in the river or the bank."

"My husband is truly wise."

Back in the shed, Yu Qing lay on a hard, narrow plank, his back aching. He joked, "We primitive people are just made of tofu and farts, no wonder so many people don't like us."

Yao Dan said, "We all like you, at least you're smarter than us."

Yu Qing laughed and said, "How about I lend it to you for a bit?"

Yao Dan said, "Then I really took it off to see how it could be so smart."

Just as they were joking around, Daji also ran up. She had come out to empty the old man's chamber pot, but seeing Yu Qing and the others so enthusiastic, she came over to join in the fun.

"How is the old man? Will he be able to get up tomorrow?"

"Honey, don't count on that. I think I'll have to carry you on my back tomorrow."

“No, you carry the angelica, and let Yaodan carry the old man.”

Yao Dan said, "Husband, what do you mean by this? Why do you want me to carry the old man?"

"What did Daji tell us about that old man's name yesterday?"

Daji said, "Honggubiduoyilu." Yu Qing laughed and said, "That's right. The old man called it 'Honggu carried him all the way.' Isn't Honggu the same as Dangu? That is, Yaodan carried him all the way."

Yao Dan slapped Yu Qing: "Isn't this nonsense! I would have said you should be the one carrying him, he's your father-in-law."

Daji laughed and said, "That's even more ridiculous. You even got the seniority wrong."

Yu Qing said, "Alright, neither of you needs to carry him. I think Furong is more capable of handling this. In terms of hard work and dedication, you are far inferior to her. You all come from the same assembly line, so why is there such a big difference?"

“My husband, we’re not from the same generation as them; there’s a difference of several decades.”

After a brief silence, Daji took the chamber pot and went back to the basement.

Yu Qing was about to go to sleep when, less than three minutes after he closed his eyes, Daji suddenly rushed up in a panic and said, "Dang Gui is missing!"

Yu Qing sat up abruptly and asked, "What's all this commotion? Was she there when you came up here?"

"Yes, she's lying on the bed in the corner, playing by herself."

What can you do alone?

"I don't know. She was making rustling noises inside with her head covered, so I didn't ask too many questions."

"You two hurry up and go look for her wherever she might be!"

Yao Dan said, "That won't do. I have to stay here to ensure your safety."

"How about this, you carry me on your back, and the three of us will go look for it together. We're leaving tomorrow, and Dang Guizhen will find trouble for us! Did you ask the old man if she said where we're going?"

"I asked, and he said he didn't know, and that she never goes out at night."

So Yu Qing had Daji go ahead, with Yao Dan carrying him behind, to find Dan Gui where she might be. They hadn't gone far when Yao Dan suddenly turned around and stood still.

Yu Qing asked, "What's wrong now? Why did you turn around?"

Yao Dan whispered in his ear, "Husband, your wife is pooping with her butt sticking out in the front, do you want to see?"

Yu Qing muttered, "Disgusting. Let's go back first and let Daji keep her company. Also, I'm warning you again, Dangui is not my wife, so don't talk nonsense."

"Why? Aren't you both human? And so far, only the two of you can be paired up."

"You don't know anything! What is pairing? It's not like cats and birds are. Humans are emotional beings. Before there are feelings, we're far apart. Besides, those little skeletons covered in skin, to be honest, I have absolutely no interest in them."

"If there were really only the two of you left in the world, would you still not be interested?"

"Yes, there's no way around it. But for some obligation, there might be other plans in the future."

"People are so long-winded. We both decided our lives with just one kiss."

(End of this chapter)