Fei Tang had a dozen questions bubbling in her mind—about Eye Tomb, the market, little films—but seeing Old Qian’s eyelids struggling to stay still, she was afraid that asking too many might raise suspicion, so she simply stayed quiet. Ye Liuxi was feeling overwhelmed by the constant back-and-forth between inside and outside the city, struggling to find peace for a good night’s sleep. Her mind kept flashing back to the song, then to the image of the hermit tending the furnace, the warm glow of the flames casting a steady light. As she lay there, Chang Dong softly asked, “Feeling restless again?” Ye Liuxi replied, “Not at all. Whether inside or outside, as long as I have food, drink, and a place to rest, and can carry out the things a person should do, I’m fine…” She turned to look at him, “Are you restless?” Chang Dong gazed up at the rough, dark ceiling of the cellar, “Not really. I’m just restless, but it doesn’t solve anything. I’m simply waiting.” The matter had already been resolved—like the baggage conveyor belt at the airport—no matter how anxious the passengers, the process moved slowly, and She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but again she found herself in that old house, the wooden door being blown and knocked by the wind. By the campfire, a shoe with a loose strap had fallen off, and at the cracked rim of the water jar in the corner, a pair of startled eyes peered out. She felt as though she had stepped into the dream itself, leaning against the door, idly watching everything unfold, growing tired and wishing to yawn, even wanting to complain: it's always the same scene, can't they change the setting? While others' dreams unfold like a drama with clear beginnings, developments, and resolutions, hers remained a monotonous loop of the same image. Next time she dreamed this, she should surely bring a yarn ball and a knitting needle to knit a sweater. She woke up laughing at her own thoughts. Opening her eyes, she saw Ahu already up, crouching beside a bundle of rice, using her hands to scoop rice into a basin. She scooped several handfuls, then paused, as if thinking it wasn't enough, and scooped even more. Then she walked out, her steps light and delicate, clearly preparing breakfast for everyone. The interior of the region lacks abundant resources, and to eat and stay at people's homes without charge feels a bit awkward—especially since their arrival brings not just a few, but many more mouths to feed. Ye Liuxi leaned forward to push Chang Dong. Chang Dong woke up quickly, but his awareness didn't catch up; half of him remained immersed in fatigue and drowsiness. He asked, "What's up?" His voice was deep and resonant, with a faint, unclear rasp. Ye Liuxi suddenly paused, instinctively saying, "Could you repeat that?" She didn't care—whichever part sounded good or she particularly liked, she wanted it repeated. Chang Dong finally became fully alert. He rubbed his eyes and sat up with a sense of weariness. "What's wrong?" Ye Liuxi sighed. It felt different now—most beautifully, it struck unexpectedly, without warning, and yet, it couldn't be summoned. She reached out. "The car keys—there's food inside, right? Take some out. Ahu is preparing dinner, and we can't keep eating at theirs all the time." Chang Dong nodded. He lifted the blanket and got up. "I'll go." — The advantage of shared rooms is that if you wake up a little early or have a slight movement, you don’t need to shout—everyone else soon follows. Once awake, no one wants to stay down below. Chang Dong only folded his blanket and looked up to find most of the others had already gone. Except him, no one bothered to stay put—everyone simply pulled their covers aside and walked off. And beside him, Ye Liuxi’s blanket was neatly rolled up, like a flower roll. Chang Dong glanced at her twice, then she glanced at him and said, “What’s up?” Nothing much. He said, “Let’s go up—down here it’s stuffy.” As he stood up and took a few steps, he suddenly realized something. When he turned back, Ye Liuxi was reaching out to pull his blanket askew. She’d always found it odd that he folded his blankets so neatly and squarely, and she’d been waiting for him to leave. When he looked up, he realized she’d caught him right in the act. With a modest smile, she said, “This gives a sense of casual charm.” Chang Dong didn’t particularly value casual charm—he wanted to straighten things out. But Ye From the side of her shoulder, her quilt—originally neatly folded like a block of tofu—now seemed to have come to life, dancing and leaping toward the floor as if trying to commit suicide. Chang Dong felt as though something were clawing at his insides, his obsessive-compulsive nature taking over; the quilt wasn’t folded properly, and it felt as if he were wearing pants with a hole in the back. Ye Liuxi pretended not to notice, pushing and shoving him gently: "Don’t dawdle! Everyone else has already gone up, and we still have to cook..." Chang Dong suggested to her: "Liuxi, this is as good as it gets—I’ll help you fold it together." Ye Liuxi shook her head, but couldn’t help laughing, her laughter so hearty that she had to wipe away tears. Chang Dong watched her for a while, thinking she looked like a beautiful fool. He said: "Still laughing? Did you know your things have fallen off?" Ye Liuxi looked down, puzzled: "What?" Chang Dong stepped on the pedal at the entrance and climbed up: "The meat." Ye Liuxi looked down at her own figure, then up, saying: "That’s — As they move up to the ground level, the courtyard is filled with people: some brushing their teeth, others wiping their faces. Ahuo has set up a simple stove by the door, the fire blazing brightly, the porridge boiling in the pot. The fries are helping to slice potatoes, placing them into the pot one by one and then sprinkling a bit of salt. What kind of meal is this? Changdong hasn’t even tasted it yet, and already he finds the flavor strange. The weather isn’t great; Lao Qian holds his pipe and taps his lips, saying, “I think we’re going to have a sandstorm today.” There’s a strange sense of urgency in his tone. Isn’t a sandstorm on the Gobi plain a common occurrence? Changdong was just about to say something when Ahuo suddenly shouts, “What’s wrong? The fire’s going out!” Fat Tang picks up the words, shouting even louder than Ahuo: “I just walk by from the side, and the fire goes out? It’s afraid of me?” Changdong finds it both amusing and frustrating. He pauses, then calls out to Fat Tang, “Come on, help me fetch some things from the car.” He leads Fat Tang through Fei Tang was furious: "What kind of people are the ones from the interior region? I've been fighting her, and she's fought back too! I told Dongge—wait, I just stopped." Outside the courtyard, Chang Dong's car was leaning at an angle, two of its four tires collapsed, apparently torn apart by force. On closer inspection, the tires looked as though they had been chewed through. All over the car's body, dried-up hand and footprints were scattered—clearly, countless human figures had crawled and climbed over it. — Yet Chang Dong, despite the car's tragic condition, seemed determined to smile. When he first arrived in the northwest, he had met an elder who was several years older than him, driving a Land Cruiser and treating his car with great devotion. That man once boasted proudly, "A car is a man's wife—his girlfriend can only come in second." As men, their standards for choosing a partner varied. Chang Dong, however, believed that a car simply couldn't compare to a wife. So now the car is half-wrecked, and he's just holding a bowl of rice porridge, sipping it while walking around, watching the scene. Everyone else is either holding their bowls or chewing on roasted flatbreads. Ye Liuxi is holding a knife under his arm, tearing open a bag of pickled vegetables. It truly is the most bizarre "car show" he's ever witnessed. Moreover, it was still uncertain whether the fourth tire could be repaired at all, how far it could go once repaired, and in which direction it would head. Fei Tang remained silent. Chang Dong came down with the tool box, removed the jack and socket wrench to deflate the tire, and High Shen rolled up his sleeves to assist. Ye Liuxi guessed what Chang Dong intended and instructed Fei Tang, "Find a place where we can hide all these items." The vehicle was too large to fit anywhere, so they first removed the detachable parts, then the personnel frames, leaving only the chassis for it to endure—no more critical components should be wasted. The several rooms in the courtyard had collapsed beyond recognition, so Fei Tang located a room at the slope's base, whose door and walls were still sound. Chang Dong carefully dismantled the hardware from the vehicle, while Fei Tang and Ding Liu made repeated trips to carry the items to the room, storing them under tarpaulin covers and then piling up fallen wood, straw, broken cabinets, and broken jars on top—doing everything possible to make the setup as inconspicuous as possible. A perfectly good vehicle ended up just a hollow shell. All usable supplies were unloaded and moved into the cellar, where Ahuo arranged space for storage. Spotting an opportunity, she quietly remarked to Lao Qian, "I wasn't wrong, were I? These things aren't even found at the market." Lao Qian stared at the items, his expression somewhat unusual. By late afternoon, Chang Dong and Ye Liuxi had discussed reinforcing the gate and walls—essentially adding two layers of defense, sealing off the main gate and installing additional railings on the kitchen doors and windows, so that the other side couldn't advance unimpeded. Ding Liu was so excited her cheeks were flushed. As Chang Dong gave instructions, she kept exclaiming, "It's so exciting!" Chang Dong smiled wryly, feeling sure she had completely forgotten about Li Qi's instructions and about her efforts to impress her adoptive father. There were plenty of scraps in the courtyard, and when supplies ran low, they’d dismantle doors and bed frames from other buildings. The tool shed was well-stocked—everything from nail guns to electric drills and circular saws was on hand. Tasks were assigned, and everyone had something to do. Ahuo and the others helped pass materials along, offering whatever assistance they could. Just when things were getting hectic, Ding Liu suddenly asked, “Is that a dust storm?” Following her finger, they saw a deep ochre sand wall rapidly approaching from the horizon. Changdong nodded and added, “Cover your head and faces with clothes—be mindful of the wind. If it gets too strong, head indoors.” They needed to finish most of the work before dark, as Ahuo had said, otherwise people would start waking up at night. Not long after, the advance of the dust storm arrived—the sky darkened suddenly, and the wind grew so strong that people could hardly stand. Changdong looked up, and saw the sand clouds rolling in steadily, expecting the sky to be completely obscured within minutes. By chance, she turned her head and suddenly realized that only she had been busy—Ahuo, Shuai, and Lao Qian were nowhere to be seen. In an instant, Chang Dong suddenly had an idea and roared, "Go back to the cellar! Go right now!" Before he finished speaking, a strange cry echoed through the air, and a thin, frail figure nearly leapt from outside the wall, charging straight toward Ding Liu. Gao Shen, with keen eyes and swift hands, swung his engineer's shovel at him, shouting, "Little Liu, watch out!" The figure was struck squarely, howling in pain, rolled onto the ground, then quickly rose again, with the shovel tip lodged in his back. He slowly turned around, and Gao Shen picked up a piece of wood beside him, shouting, "Come on!" Chang Dong hadn't even finished speaking when he heard Fei Tang's voice, full of tears, saying, "We can't get in, Dong-gong—the cellar's sealed!" Without even looking at the cellar, several figures had already scrambled up the roof—five or six of them, using their arms and legs, moving swiftly and without hesitation, all rushing toward the Chang Dong roared, "Don't worry about the cellar—focus on yourself. Use what's at hand. If you don't fight hard, you'll be dead!" As soon as he finished speaking, a human figure charged straight at him. Without hesitation, Chang Dong lifted his nail gun and slammed it hard into the figure's head, then kicked it clear, sending it two meters away. The figure rolled to the ground, seemingly unaware of the pain, and immediately surged back again. After scaling the wall, Chang Dong didn’t pause a moment. With a swift hand-over-hand roll, he reached the roof, where the situation in the courtyard became clear at once. He roared, "Liu Xi and Gao Shen—hold the center, act as targets, cover each other!" Gao Shen, who had just slammed a person’s frame against the wall with force, heard the call and rushed toward the courtyard, while Ye Liu Xi came charging from the other direction and quickly positioned himself shoulder-to-shoulder with Gao Shen. "Good. Everyone's still here. Changdong feels at ease and thinks the layout is nearly complete: "Those who have fallen—take care that they don't rise again."