The first to fall was the children's mother. Despite him immediately boiling medicine for the family, it couldn't stop the spread of the infection.
Now, besides his eldest son, everyone in the family has been infected, and each day more are dying. Even his brother-in-law's family wasn't spared, and the children's mother quietly passed away early on, her body taken out early in the morning and buried behind the house.
There is grain available now, but no lives left to eat it.
Zhang Dali regrets deeply, blaming himself for his wishful thinking and for listening to his wife's words, ultimately bringing harm to the whole family.
Now, he can only hope his son remains safe and can continue the Zhang family line.
