Those were lifeless eyes, devoid of any will to live. If it weren't for her legs restricting her movement and the absence of any sharp objects within her reach, she would have been dead long ago.

Even so, the woman was leaning over the edge of the bed, as if trying to reach for something.

But Gu An'an doubted that it was true.

"You, you're the educated youth Gu who came last time, right?"

Although Qiao Mei's legs are no longer useful, her hearing has been trained to be excellent.

"Don't you want to live anymore?"

Gu An'an's question was so direct that Qiao Mei was momentarily stunned.

This kind of question is too sensitive. Most people wouldn't ask it even if they could tell. But thinking about it, it's understandable. Gu Zhiqing really is from a big city.

Qiaomei nodded gently.

Gu An'an frowned, "If you die, what will happen to Uncle Nian?"

When Wang Laonian was mentioned, there was a struggle in Qiaomei's eyes, but she eventually calmed down.

“Without me holding him back, he can have an easier time.”

Gu An'an didn't think so. If it were an ordinary man, Qiao Mei might be a burden, but the room where a patient who had been paralyzed for more than ten years lived had no smell at all, which showed how much care the person taking care of her had put in.

Looking at Qiaomei, who had lost the will to live, Gu An'an recalled a description from the original text.

When Qin Xue finished work, she heard that a paralyzed man in the village had committed suicide. She just shook her head and said, "Sometimes death is not a bad thing. At least everyone is free."

A single sentence from a moral high ground summarized the lives of two people who had been sidelined, without even inquiring about the specifics of their situation. He then went back to currying favor with Xie Yuan after uttering those words.

Looking back now, Qiaomei was the only one in the village who was paralyzed and bedridden. Who else could have committed suicide but her?

Are you sure?

When Gu An'an asked her a question, Qiao Mei hesitated.

The only right thing she ever did in her life was marrying Lao Nian, but...

But she wronged him! If she hadn't been so incompetent, Dog Egg wouldn't have been lost!

"You'll be rid of everything if you die, but what about Uncle Nian? What about Brother Gou Dan? Aren't you going to bring him back?"

He spoke his mind directly, hitting her right where it hurt, and the suicidal thoughts in Qiaomei's eyes finally faded a little.

"Dog Egg, is Dog Egg still alive?"

In those days, food and drink were scarce, and there were even cases of people exchanging children to eat. How could her dog egg possibly survive?

Qiaomei didn't know, and neither did Gu An'an.

"If you die, you'll never know if he's still alive."

Two simple sentences brought Qiaomei to tears. To avoid upsetting him, Wang Laonian never dared to mention Gou Dan's name at home, but this kind of thing couldn't be forgotten just by not mentioning it.

"Dog Egg, my Dog Egg, it's Mom's fault, it's all Mom's fault."

Wang Laonian was afraid of upsetting her and dared not mention it, and she was also afraid of worrying Wang Laonian and dared not vent her inner pain.

Stimulated by Gu An'an, Qiao Mei's emotions surged like a tsunami, engulfing her in immense sorrow.

Throughout the ordeal, Gu An'an stood quietly to the side without disturbing Qiao Mei's emotional outburst. If Qiao Mei still decided to commit suicide after crying, Gu An'an would not intervene to save her.

After all, you can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep, let alone cure someone who wants to die.

Wang Laonian was always the first to arrive at work, so naturally he could finish earlier than others.

Just as she was thinking about how long it would be before the goods were delivered, she vaguely heard a woman's wailing. She had heard this sound for decades, so how could she not recognize that the wailing belonged to her wife?

At that moment, Old Wang panicked and started running home. As he ran, his tattered straw sandals finally gave way, the soles falling off completely. But he didn't care about that anymore.

"Qiao Mei, Qiao Mei, what's wrong?"

When he saw the courtyard gate wide open, Wang Laonian thought someone had broken in again. Many images flashed through his mind, the most prominent being the scene of losing his son. His mind went blank.

He rushed into the house and immediately checked on Qiaomei. When he found that she was just crying and not injured, Wang Laonian was relieved and had time to look at Gu An'an standing at the door.

"Gu Zhiqing, what are you doing in my house?"

Although they hadn't had much contact, Wang Laonian's intuition told him that Gu Zhiqing wouldn't harm him and Qiaomei. He just couldn't understand why this person had come to his house.

"I heard that my aunt was unwell, so I came to visit her. I never expected to find her trying to commit suicide."

Gu An'an ignored Qiao Mei's shaking of her head; Wang Laonian had the right to know about such matters.

"Qiao Mei".

Upon hearing that his wife was contemplating suicide, Wang Laonian's eyes instantly filled with pain. "You, how could you abandon me? I told you I would cure you, don't you even believe me anymore?"

Qiaomei shook her head while crying, "No, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I don't want to be a burden to you anymore. I'm a useless person. Even if you spend all your money on me, I'll still be a useless person and won't be able to stand up."

"Old Nian, let me go. Use that money to marry another wife. As long as she's a good person and can give you another child, I'll be at ease."

Qiaomei was indeed doing it for Wang Laonian's good, but her words were still like knives stabbing into Wang Laonian's heart.

What happened next goes without saying: one, you let me go; two, I will absolutely not let you go alone.

Gu An'an walked into the yard, giving the couple enough space.

Half an hour later, the two calmed down, and Wang Laonian also managed to persuade Qiaomei temporarily before leaving the room.

"Gu Zhiqing, thank you. If it weren't for you, I..."

A man doesn't easily shed tears, unless he's truly heartbroken—that perfectly describes Wang Laonian today.

“What will we do in the future? As long as she doesn’t get better, this kind of thing will probably keep happening. You can’t stay by her side all the time.”

This is reality, and Wang Laonian is certainly aware of it.

"I will find a way to cure her."

Honestly, Gu An'an was only able to make a move because she was moved by Wang Laonian's determination.

Such care, unwavering for over a decade, is a rare and precious quality, whether in the apocalypse or in the present day.

"I can help you take a look."

Old Wang thought he had misheard. "You, help me take a look? How? Are you a medical student?"

Gu An'an shook her head, "My maternal grandfather has a friend who is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. I learned a little from him when I was young, but I can't guarantee that I will succeed."

She wasn't lying. The Gu family used to run a pharmacy, and there was an old man who was even older than Old Master Gu in charge of it. However, the pharmacy was later handed over to the state, and the old man went home to retire.

Although Grandpa Gu passed away early, he often came to visit the original owner of the body and her daughter. Later, he visited the original owner of the body, and then he passed away as well.

At that time, Zhang Changsheng's mind was focused on his concubine and illegitimate child, and he didn't care whether the original owner was in contact with a stinky old man.

"Really? You're not kidding?"