Chapter 57 Dealing with Him

The bungalow has three rooms. The largest is the one where Ji Hefeng sleeps, followed by the room where the leader's child sleeps, and the last is the study where Mo An currently sleeps. Molly either sleeps in the living room or with Ji Hefeng.

She didn't want to sleep on the floor, so she took the blanket into Ji Hefeng's room.

Ji Hefeng's bed was 1.5 meters wide, and Ji Hefeng slept on the outside, his thin body taking up less than half a meter of width. Molly put her blanket inside, took off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed.

It was too late, and it was colder here than in Xiaonan Village. She didn't want to take a cold shower, so she simply climbed into bed without even washing her feet.

As for the stench, well, actually the person with the strongest odor in this room is Ji Hefeng.

No matter how clean a paralyzed person is, they will still have a smell.

Just as Molly lay down, Ji Hefeng suddenly spoke up, "What does it mean to turn into a monster?"

Finally, could he not resist the temptation to regain full mobility?

"It's hard to say." In the apocalypse, everyone evolves in different directions, and their abilities are also different.

Will it become different from humans?

"It's highly unlikely. Even if a certain part is different, with some control, it will still revert to a human form."

"Then, will it cause mental instability and endanger human society?"

"No. You are still you, your nature remains unchanged."

"Then, let's go."

When Ji Hefeng said those words, his heart suddenly calmed down, and he felt a sense of peace and relief.

“It might not be of any use at all,” Molly said upfront. “Not everyone can be converted.”

Ji Hefeng wasn't discouraged. "Give it a try. If it doesn't work, I should give up. If I turn into a mindless monster, please kill me immediately."

Molly sighed. "I've really thought it through."

"I've thought it through," Ji Hefeng replied.

The next second, his flesh was invaded by tentacles thinner than a hair, entering his body from every corner.

Ji Hefeng had no feeling in his body, so he couldn't feel any pain. He thought Molly hadn't made a move yet, so he asked, "Can we start now?"

"It has already begun," Molly said, her voice slightly breathless.

She didn't know how many tentacles she should give Ji Hefeng, so she could only urge the tentacles to grow, split, and merge into Ji Hefeng's body until her consciousness gradually blurred. Only then did she use her last bit of strength to sever those tentacles.

After a long while, Ji Hefeng noticed that Molly's breathing had become very light, and he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. "Molly, is it over?"

Molly did not reply.

"Molly?" he asked again, but he couldn't turn his head and didn't see that Molly had already closed her eyes.

Ji Hefeng tensed up. He seemed to sense something was wrong. The next moment, excruciating pain surged through his entire body, and he let out a muffled groan.

He bit his lip tightly, trying not to make a sound.

pain!

He felt the pain!

He felt the pain again!

Ji Hefeng's tears flowed silently, it was hard to tell whether they were from joy or pain.

It felt like my whole body was being cut by a million blades, and even my bones were tingling with a pain that went straight to the depths of my soul.

There's still nothing I can do but endure.

His mind was perfectly clear; even falling asleep was a luxury. Time seemed to slow down, each second stretched out infinitely, as if an eternity had passed. Ji Hefeng slowly blinked, and the sky outside seemed to brighten.

The pain in his body continued, but he seemed to have become numb, or perhaps the pain had weakened, and he felt it wasn't so unbearable anymore.

The reveille sounded, and Molly beside him was still fast asleep. He tried to turn his head, and succeeded. He saw Molly's pale face, devoid of any color, almost translucent white.

What price did she pay for him?

Ji Hefeng felt a pang of heartache; he owed Molly so much.

Ji Hefeng moved his head, then tried to move his hands and feet. He could move them, but his movements were slow and he still had little strength. But Ji Hefeng was overjoyed. He smiled silently, his eyes welling up with tears again.

When the excruciating pain struck again, he still smiled, actually looking forward to this pain.

Molly was woken up by the sound of banging on the door.

Exhausted and sleepy, she got out of bed and walked towards the source of the sound without giving Ji Hefeng a glance. It was a locked room, and the key was in the lock.

Molly unlocked the door, tossed the lock aside, and opened it. She opened it with considerable force, and the door slammed against the person behind it with a thud. The person was startled. Molly walked into the room and looked down at the child who was about to turn nine.

His clothes were filthy, his hair was a mess that covered his eyes, his face was covered in bruises, and his fingernails were long and filled with mud.

Molly kept a stern face, but the boy wasn't afraid. He tried to push Molly away with both hands. Molly frowned, grabbed the boy by his clothes, lifted him up, and looked him straight in the eye. "Don't mess with me, or else—"

Molly carried the boy outside into the yard. She saw a stone, stomped on it, and it turned to dust.

"Did you see that?" he asked.

The boy's eyes widened, and he froze.

Molly ignored him, leaving him aside and not paying him any attention.

Knock knock, a knock sounded on the door.

Zhao Jian'an pushed open the door and came in, carrying a basin filled with eight large steamed buns. "Breakfast from the cafeteria. Do you want to eat lunch at the cafeteria, or cook it yourselves?"

"Let's go to the cafeteria." There are no green vegetables at home.

“I’ll take you there at noon.” Zhao Jian’an took out money and tickets from his pocket. “This is He Feng’s allowance for this month, and part of it is a reward and subsidy from the army.”

Molly took the hoe and said to Zhao Jian'an, "The things I mailed haven't arrived yet. Could you lend me a hoe? I need to turn over the soil in the yard to plant vegetables."

"So soon? Shouldn't you rest for a couple of days first?"

"Growing vegetables is something that needs to be done urgently."

There are no vegetables available, so we have to eat at the canteen every day. With so many people in our family, we don't have enough money and ration coupons.

"I'll go next door and borrow one for you, just wait a moment." Zhao Jian'an handed the basin to Molly and quickly went out.

Mo An then pushed open the door and came out, immediately seeing the boy playing with stones in the yard. The boy noticed someone approaching and turned to look at Mo An.

The next second, the boy lunged at Moan.

"Take care of him!" Molly snapped.

Mo An doesn't know how to fight, but he's three years older than the boys, a head taller, and stronger. His strength and speed are already outstanding among children his age. He doesn't even need much skill to deal with a little boy; he can just overpower him with sheer force.

Following Molly's suggestion, Mo An used one hand to shield the boy's head, preventing his hand from getting close. However, the boy was quite agile; he immediately crouched down and bumped his head against Mo An's stomach.

Mo An felt a sharp pain in his stomach and took a step back. At that moment, Mo An's competitive spirit flared up. He rushed towards the boy, kicked him to the ground, straddled him, and slapped the boy's buttocks repeatedly.

Molly ignored the two of them, calmly walked past, put the basin on the table, turned around to fetch water, and brushed her teeth and washed her face.

"Xiao An, brush your teeth and wash your face, come and have breakfast," Molly called to Mo An.

Mo An said "Oh," and got up from the boy. Then she heard Molly say, "Take him with you."

"He" here refers to a boy.

Mo An grabbed the boy by the back of his clothes, led him to the water's edge, washed the boy's hands and face, and roughly wiped the water droplets off his face with the boy's clothes.

The boy's face cracked, his brows furrowed, and he let out a soft gasp.

"Where's your toothbrush?" Moan asked.

The boy didn't answer.

“So there’s no toothbrush.” It’s no wonder Mo An thought that way; many children in Xiaonan Village didn’t brush their teeth and didn’t have toothbrushes. He then said to the boy, “Wait for me over there.”

The boy listened and waited obediently to watch Mo An brush her teeth and wash her face before the two of them walked to the dining table together.

"Two steamed buns each, finish them." Molly took a bowl, put two steamed buns in each bowl, and after she had finished two herself, she took two more into the room, ignoring Mo An and the boy.

Ji Hefeng didn't notice the commotion outside; the pain had completely absorbed his attention. It wasn't until he saw Molly enter that he forced a smile at her.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Molly asked.

"Mmm." Ji Hefeng bit his lip, afraid that if he opened his mouth, what he wanted to say would turn into a moan.

Molly wasn't surprised. "Looks like it worked." She just didn't know which direction Ji Hefeng would evolve in, but for now, everything seemed normal.

Molly placed the steamed bun on the bedside table, ignored Ji Hefeng, and went out again.

She quickly tidied her luggage, found a pair of scissors, and placed them on the table, saying, "I'll trim his nails and cut his hair in a bit."

"Sister, I don't know how to cut hair," Moan reminded Molly.

"Just cut it short, that's fine." Molly walked into the yard. The yard wasn't paved, overgrown with weeds, and littered with stones and wood. Molly first moved the wood to the kitchen, which would be perfect for starting a fire. Then she moved the stones to the corner, planning to use them to pave a path after hoeing the ground. However, these stones were clearly not enough; she would have to go and collect some more.

When Zhao Jian'an came in, he saw Mo An sitting in a chair and Lu Lu sitting on the ground. Mo An was taking scissors and making cuts here and there on Lu Lu's head. Lu Lu did not struggle and obediently let him cut.

“His name is Lu Lu,” Zhao Jian’an said.

"Which law?" Mo An asked.

"The discipline of self-discipline." Zhao Jian'an put down his hoe. "I'll come at noon to take you to the cafeteria."

After saying that, Zhao Jian'an left.

Lu Lu's hair got shorter and shorter, and because it was cut unevenly, Mo An kept trimming it until it finally became flat against his scalp.

The only piece of furniture in the kitchen was an aluminum pot, which Molly used to boil water while hoeing the ground.

"Sister, it's all cut," Mo An said.

“Brush your hair back and burn it in the fire,” Molly said without looking up.

Mo An obediently did as instructed, while Lu Lu sat on the ground, dazed and motionless.

"Have he trimmed his fingernails and toenails?" Molly asked again.

"You've trimmed his fingernails, but not his toenails. I'll trim them for him now." Mo An went to take off Lu Lu's shoes. The shoes had holes, and the socks had holes too, with his toes sticking out.

"It stinks!" Mo An said with disgust, but still took the scissors and cut off Lu Lu's toenails, which had grown so long they were bent.

“Go to his room, get him a change of clothes, and let him take a shower.” Molly started scooping water.

There are only two wooden tubs in the house. Molly plans to ask around later where she can get custom-made wooden tubs and basins, so that the tub for bathing and the tub for washing vegetables can be separate.

“Sister, there’s nothing in his room except a quilt.” Mo An couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for Lu Lu. They were both abandoned, but Lu Lu was more pitiful than him. At least he had two sisters who were good to him, but Lu Lu had nothing.

"Then give him one of your own clothes first. After he takes a shower, you can teach him how to do the laundry."

"Should I bring my old clothes?" Mo An brought his outgrown clothes too; he couldn't bear to throw them away. Old clothes could be used to make socks and shoes, but his second sister was too busy, so those clothes were still safely stored away.

"Can."

Molly had already carried the water to the bathroom, which was half hardened cement and half dry toilet, and the smell was really unpleasant.

"Sister, do you think he can take a bath?" Mo An looked at the blank, motionless person, not quite sure.

Molly wasn't sure either, so she gave Lu Lu an order: "Lu Lu, take off your clothes and go take a shower."

Lu Lu winked at Molly, but didn't move.

“It seems not.” Molly took a new towel out of her handbag and handed it to Mo An. “You and he can wash together, and you can wash yourself too. You can also teach him how to wash. When the water runs out, put the bucket outside and I’ll refill it for you.”

Mo An carried the clothes in one hand and held Lu Lu's hand with the other, and the two went into the bathroom together.

Molly carried the aluminum pot to the well to add water, then put it back on the stove to continue cooking. She also continued to hoe the ground, only needing to go to the kitchen to add firewood from time to time.

"Sister, he's so dirty. He's covered in layers of mud, like he hasn't washed in ages," Mo An called from the bathroom, scrubbing Lu Lu's body with a towel.

Lu Lu grimaced as he was being rubbed, trying to dodge, but Mo An grabbed him back, making him look like a small blade of grass battered by wind and rain, utterly pitiful.

"Is there enough water?" Molly asked.

Mo An: "It's not enough."

Molly added two more buckets of water for them, and the two of them used a total of six buckets of water for one bath.

After washing, Lu Lu looked even thinner, with a sunken face, skin and bones on his wrists, and hands that looked like chicken claws with cracked skin that was still black even after washing.

Without waiting for Molly's instructions, Mo An went to find the face cream and applied it to Lu Lu.

"Sister, his hands are cracked too badly, don't let him do the laundry yet, just let him watch me do it," Mo An said.

Molly had no objection. "You can decide for yourself."

Molly spent the whole morning hoeing the ground. After she finished, she took a shower and was about to do laundry when Zhao Jian'an called from outside the door, "Sister, take the money and tickets, let's go to the canteen."

"Okay, just a moment." Molly hurriedly took the money and tickets, called Mo An and Lu Lu, and said, "Let's go, let's set off."

Mo An smiled and followed. Lu Lu paused for a second, then dragged the shoes Mo An had given him and followed as well.

When Zhao Jian'an saw Lu Lu, he was stunned for a moment. "He looks a bit like he used to be. You guys really know how to do things. We wanted to give him a bath before, but he kept yelling and running around, so we had no choice but to give up."

"Where are his clothes?" Logically speaking, with a regimental commander as his father, this child shouldn't lack clothes and shoes.

Mentioning this, Zhao Jian'an gritted his teeth in anger, "When his grandparents came to pick him up, they packed up his and his parents' belongings and sent them back to their hometown. When they brought him back, all they had were the clothes he was wearing and those worn-out shoes. The grandparents must have kept the child's things. And then there's Commander Lu's pension; those two old folks threw a tantrum and insisted they'd used it all up. The organization couldn't do anything about it; they couldn't detain them, so they had to let them go."

“This child used to be chubby and loved to laugh, but after this incident, he has completely changed.”

"Don't blame Hefeng. Hefeng has already mentioned it to his superiors. He can't take care of this child, so he will send the child to an orphanage in a while. The organization contacted the orphanage two days ago."

Molly raised an eyebrow in surprise, but Ji Hefeng didn't mention it to her.

"Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao, who are these people next to you? They don't look familiar."