"Xiaoxiao?" Fu Min looked at her daughter and the pile of food in her arms with surprise and doubt. Her eyes widened. She wondered if she was seeing things because she was so hungry.
"Mom, take the things inside first." Running over quickly, Zhang Xiaoxiao stuffed the steamed bun into her mother's arms and then went back to fetch water. She moved quickly. Although this area could be considered safe at the moment, it was not absolutely safe. Apart from zombies, attacks from outsiders often occurred.
The cool, damp touch of the food made Fu Min shiver. She snapped back to reality, grabbed the steamed bun, and rushed back into the house as fast as if she were being chased by zombies.
The whole family stood at attention by Dad's bed, their eyes glued to the golden-yellow steamed buns at the foot of the bed, swallowing repeatedly.
Zhang Xiaoxiao was the first to react, and she chuckled as she went to find the kettle and poured water for her mother and younger brother.
The hot water in the kettle was boiled with firewood. Fortunately, her father smoked and often lost his lighter, so the family always bought a large box of lighters in bulk and kept them at home. So even in the apocalypse, they didn't have to worry about fire. As for firewood, they had more than enough. After all, the empty house was full of wooden furniture.
Having never experienced the apocalypse, if someone told Zhang Xiaoxiao that a single steamed bun could taste like nectar, she would definitely think that the person was out of their mind.
Now... haha~ she's definitely not out of her mind, but she's really enjoying her meal~
It feels so good to have something in my stomach! The feeling of slightly hot tea mixed with steamed bun going down my esophagus is amazing!
I wiped my eyes, and my hand was wet.
These steamed buns are so delicious I could cry!
Because of the debt, Yuan Zhuan planned to get off the train early.
After sitting for another two hours, when Yang Ailan and her daughter got up to get their luggage and get off the bus, Zhao Yuxiang and her two sons also stood up.
"Huh? You're getting off too?" Yang Ailan's surprise was palpable. She didn't know why the mother and her two children were suddenly getting off halfway through the journey. Weren't they supposed to be going to Jibei?
"Sister Yang, let's go to our relatives' house first. They sent us some things, and we'll have to transfer to a train later." Zhao Yuxiang didn't expect her daughter to suddenly change her mind and go to the same place as Yang Ailan and her daughter.
Despite the unexpected turn of events, Zhao Yuxiang didn't think much of it. The two families chatted and laughed as they got off the bus together.
There were many people waiting outside the station. When Yuan Zhuan saw the private car and the man who looked like the driver coming up to greet them and respectfully taking the gifts from Yang Ailan and her daughter, he was a little surprised.
In the early 2000s, owning a Santana, especially the latest model, suggested a family's financial situation.
If you ask her how a person from the future knows if a car from 2002 is the latest model, well, she can only say that it stems from a small hobby. She even knows when the first Sang'an car produced in the country was made, what it looked like, and what the design drawings were. She doesn't know every brand, after all, in the era before the apocalypse, there were countless car brands, and even if she had ten heads, she couldn't remember so many details. The reason she knows the Sang'an models from this era is thanks to her deceased family members. They really liked driving this brand of car. This old car brand has always been ranked first in safety performance among domestic brands. Not only are its sales high in China, but it is also exported to many places abroad, which once gave foreign brands that wanted to seize the market a lot of headaches.
"Hey girls, where are you going? Get in the car, the driver will take you there." Yang Ailan was a kind and helpful person from beginning to end.
"Sister Yang, thank you. The place we're going to is only a few hundred meters from the station, not far at all, so we won't trouble you." Zhao Yuxiang was quite adept at lying, which surprised Yuan Zhuan by raising an eyebrow.
It seems that her adoptive mother and adoptive brother weren't the silly spores she initially thought they were.
Yang Ailan frowned, seemingly a little doubtful that Zhao Yuxiang was being too polite. "Really? Sister, don't be so polite with me. I really think it's too hard for you to raise two children alone. So I thought that since you're going far away and don't know anyone here, I'm a local and familiar with the area. Maybe I can help you in some way."
It's clear that Yang Ailan genuinely wanted to help the mother and her two children.
Yuan Zhuan pulled Yuan Zhu to stand aside, watching the two newly "appointed" sisters chatting warmly back and forth. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were old friends, hence their close and reluctant parting.
Yuan Zhuan's gaze fell on Xu Yu, who was looking both amused and exasperated, and he curled his lips into a smile.
Sometimes, a little kindness can save your life.
This shows how important goodness is.
I wasn't planning on meddling, but now it seems I can't ignore it.
Seeing that her mother was continuing to chat with Aunt Zhao, whom she had met on the train, Xu Yu prepared to remind her mother that her father would be getting off work soon, and if he didn't come home soon, there wouldn't be time to prepare dinner.
Just as I was about to take a step, I felt my clothes being tugged. I turned around and met a pair of bright, round cat eyes.
"Sister, don't go down Wensheng Road, that's not a place for you." After saying that, Yuan Zhuan led her younger brother back to Zhao Yuxiang's side. "Mom, it's getting late." It was almost six o'clock, and it would soon be dark. They needed to find a hotel, and they really couldn't delay any longer.
Finally, Yang Ailan, who found herself getting along very well with Zhao Yuxiang, left her phone number and repeatedly told her to remember to contact her when she left. Then she got into the car with a thoughtful Xu Yu and drove away.
Even after walking a long way, Yang Ailan would still reach out her hand to wave goodbye.
Yuan Zhuan was somewhat speechless at the strange affinity between the two women.
"Mom, do you really like Aunt Zhao?" In the car, Xu Yu asked the question that had been bothering her. It was the first time she had seen her mother, who didn't like making friends, talk so much, especially with a stranger she had just met.
The strange words spoken by the skinny girl flashed through his mind.
Could it be that this family frequently visits Beiyu? That's why they know about Wensheng Road? But how did she know they were going via Wensheng Road? She even said it wasn't a place they should be going~
Strange words, strange eyes~
When Yang Ailan heard her daughter mention her new best friend, she smiled and said, "I think we click. Sometimes there's a strange magnetic field between people. Some people are drawn to each other, while others are repelled. It's hard to explain. I really like Yuxiang."
Xu Yu chuckled and teased her mother a few times.
Despite being full of doubts, Xu Yu didn't take the strange little girl's words too seriously. After all, she was just a child, probably just being mysterious to amuse her.
Another thing is that they have to take Wensheng Road to get home. If they take a detour, they won't have time to cook dinner for their dad. Then their mom will feel sorry for him and cook him a special meal. What annoys her is that the special meal her dad likes smells terrible! It has durian in it! Just thinking about it makes her feel uncomfortable.
Normally, whenever she and her brother are home, her mother won't cook that dish. No matter how aggrieved her father feels, he has to put up with it, except when he's acting all dramatic and crying.
Thinking of her father, who was a drama queen at home and always trying to steal her mother's attention, Xu Yu was speechless. No wonder her brother always said that the two of them were superfluous at home. Hmph!
The train station is quite a distance from my home; it takes more than an hour to drive there.
Having not had much rest, Xu Yu tilted her head and fell asleep against the leather backrest.
Following the directions he had calculated, Yuan Zhuan found a very clean inn. The landlady was a very honest middle-aged woman. Perhaps seeing how simply they were dressed and that they had two thin children with them, she offered them a discount, charging only fifteen yuan for a large room (the normal price was thirty).
The double room had exactly three single beds, just enough for the three of them.
After paying a 100 yuan deposit, they went upstairs, pushed open the door, and the mother and her two children rushed in with chuckles, each taking over a spot, rolling around a few times, and humming comfortably.
Looking at the two children's joyful faces, Zhao Yuxiang was happier than ever before, her eyes sparkling.
Her child should be smiling like this!
Yuan Zhuan, who couldn't stand being so dirty, rested for a while and then took a change of clothes into the bathroom.
Sure enough, the squat toilet was spotless, and the water heater was almost new. Just as she had expected, the environment was really great.
On the tiled washbasin, in the mirror, a thin, sallow-faced girl grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and said, "Yuan Zhuan, hello there~"
After his eccentric self-introduction, Yuan Zhuan gave a silly laugh.
Washing up...
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