13. It's all your fault
"It's too cold here, let's go upstairs and talk," Fu Yunong said.
Hope instantly ignited on the woman's face, and she nodded repeatedly, "Okay! Okay!" She then looked at the man on the ground and hesitated before asking, "Then what about him..."
Fu Yunong and Shi Dong didn't reply, and turned to walk upstairs.
The woman gritted her teeth, hurriedly told the man to wait for her to come back, and quickly followed him.
The man grimaced as he got up, muttering "bitch" under his breath, and staggered into an empty room on the first floor to escape the cold.
The woman hadn't expected that Fu Yunong was referring to the top floor. Already hungry and cold, she was now so weak she was almost fainting, but she still gritted her teeth and followed.
Fu Yunong glanced back, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes, but she didn't say anything more. Shi Dong, on the other hand, remained expressionless throughout, her steps never faltering.
Once inside, Shi Dong added a few pieces of firewood to the brazier, and the fire immediately burned brighter. She then poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to the woman, who quickly thanked her and took it, sipping it slowly as the warmth flowed down her throat.
Fu Yunong took a backpack out of the bedroom, took out two small bread rolls and handed them to her.
The woman was both surprised and delighted, and asked incredulously, "This...this is for me?"
Fu Yunong nodded, "Let's eat first, and then we can talk about cooperation."
The woman's hands trembled violently; the more she rushed, the harder it became to tear open the packaging. Finally managing to tear off a corner, she shoved the bread into her mouth, swallowing it whole after only a few chews. When she picked up the second one, she hesitated for a moment, but finally tore it open, this time slowing down and chewing slowly.
After finishing the last bite of her hot tea, the woman licked her lips with a lingering sense of satisfaction. Looking up, she saw the two men staring at her and couldn't help but smile shyly.
Fu Yunong smiled slightly. "What's your name?"
"My name is Xiao Linfang," she answered softly, then briefly explained her situation.
"Where are your children?" Fu Yunong asked casually.
A bitter smile crossed Xiao Linfang's face. "He can't have children. We were planning to adopt one, but who knew..."
At this point, resentment welled up inside her. She had despised the man for being infertile, and had served him like a slave all these years, only to be met with insults and beatings in return.
Fu Yunong took out a crystal core from her pocket and handed it to Xiao Linfang. "This is what I need, it's called a crystal core. If you help me find it, one crystal core can be exchanged for two loaves of bread and four water purification tablets."
Xiao Linfang held the crystal core and examined it carefully, then asked in confusion, "Where can I find this?"
Fu Yunong looked directly into her eyes, "Inside the zombie's brain."
"Zombies!" Xiao Linfang's heart skipped a beat, and her voice almost cracked.
When she left, Xiao Linfang carried two loaves of bread, four water purification tablets, and a half-full bottle of hot water. Before leaving, her gaze lingered for a few more seconds on the fresh water scattered on the floor, her envy barely concealed.
As she walked downstairs, she kept replaying the image of the crystal core in her mind, afraid of forgetting it. At the same time, she didn't forget another thing Fu Yunong had mentioned: if she could introduce someone to trade and that person successfully obtained the crystal core, she would receive half the reward, which was a loaf of bread and two water purification tablets.
Once they reached the first floor, she found the man and they decided to go back together.
The man looked her up and down, his face full of impatience. "You went up there and came back empty-handed?"
Xiao Linfang thought for a moment, then took out a piece of bread and some warm water and handed them to him.
The man snatched it away, wolfed it down, and then gulped down water.
During this break, Xiao Linfang talked to him about the transaction.
The man spat, "What kind of bullshit deal is this? This is sending us to our deaths!" He glared fiercely at Xiao Linfang, "Couldn't you have begged her a little more? This piece of junk isn't even enough to fill my teeth!"
Xiao Linfang remained silent.
The man glared at her with disgust. "You look terrible again!"
Fu Yunong closed the door, turned around and quickly ran back to the brazier to warm herself.
"You're probably going to make a losing deal." Shi Dong leaned back on the sofa, took a sip of coffee, and said with a hint of teasing in his voice.
Fu Yunong poked at the firewood in the brazier and said nonchalantly, "It's just a little bit."
As she spoke, she took out the bucket containing the crystal cores, looked at Shi Dong, and said with encouraging eyes, "Quick! Absorb!"
Shi Dong was both amused and exasperated. He rummaged through the bucket and pulled out two level-two crystal cores. "These two are enough."
She absorbed it as before, only this time the crystal core's halo was stronger, and the light it emitted was purer. A crackling current coursed through her body, and the arc of electricity in her eyes surged for a moment before slowly subsiding.
"It's been upgraded." She said casually, her tone as indifferent as if she were talking about dinner.
Fu Yunong shook her head and clicked her tongue. Sometimes she really thought Shi Dong was quite good at pretending. Her eyebrows were practically raised to her temples, but she still pretended to be calm.
"Want to keep smoking?"
Shi Dong shook his head, "Let's wait until the newly absorbed power has solidified before talking about it. Don't bite off more than you can chew."
Oh, so it couldn't suck it up!
Shi Dong's cool gaze swept over, and Fu Yunong immediately held the cup with both hands and sat obediently.
Last night, Fu Yunong dreamed of fragrant rice, so she decided to splurge this time and used a power bank to cook rice in an electric pressure cooker. She also bought a whole chicken and stewed it with potatoes, glass noodles, soft tofu, and fresh vegetables, aiming for a balanced diet. In total, it cost her 34 points.
The quick-cook mode only takes 15 minutes. Once the rice is ready, the two of them sit around the fire and enjoy their meal. The fragrant, dry rice paired with the bubbling stew in the pot made Shi Dong feel especially satisfied. She could clearly feel that her face had gotten fuller over this period of time.
Fu Yunong finished eating first, then stood up and stretched for a few laps before starting her physical training. She began with push-ups, followed by squats, and finally planks to strengthen her core.
Shi Dong told her not to think about anything else right now, and that improving her physical fitness was the most practical thing to do. Once her physical fitness caught up, she could then train her endurance and explosive power.
Shi Dong ate slowly while supervising her, and corrected her when he saw that she was doing something wrong.
The days are short, and before we knew it, it was getting dark again.
Shi Dong chiseled ice blocks out of the bucket, placed them on the brazier to melt slowly, intending to heat them up to use for wiping his body.
Fu Yunong warmed herself by the fire, stamping her feet to keep warm. This awful weather was going to get even worse after nightfall.
Shi Dong fiddled with the wood in the basin, her brows slightly furrowed. If the two of them were like this, what about the others?
Unexpectedly, the snow stopped the next day. Although the sky was still overcast, the temperature rose a bit.
Fu Yunong won a 20L gasoline item in the lottery.
Shi Dong crossed his arms and said, "Since they've come to our doorstep, why don't we go out for a stroll?"
Fu Yunong had the same idea!
I filled the motorcycle's fuel tank with 20L of gasoline, and put the rest away.
Fully equipped, Fu Yunong filled her water bottle with hot water and set off!
When they got down to the first floor, the snow at the entrance was already half a person high. They climbed out first, and then launched their motorcycles from a hidden corner.
With a loud crash, the car wheels kicked up a spray of fine snowflakes as it drove out of the residential area through a collapsed wall.
Looking around, the world was a blanket of white, looking much cleaner than before. The two rode slowly along the surrounding area, occasionally encountering zombies frozen into statues. Fu Yunong would then take care of them with a machete and personally dig out their crystal cores.
At first, her movements were clumsy and her hands trembled uncontrollably, but as she chopped more, she gradually overcame her mental barriers. Shi Dong watched silently from the side, feeling both gratified and a touch of sadness.
"Let's go, next one! I feel full of energy!" Fu Yunong became even more enthusiastic.
Shi Dong smiled, gestured with his chin at her, and the motorcycle roared forward again.
Fu Yunong's excitement kept them from returning until the afternoon. Their haul wasn't much, only eight level-one crystal cores. It seemed most of the zombies were buried under the snow.
When they climbed back to the 35th floor, they found a figure huddled at the door. Upon seeing them, the person shakily got to their feet, handed them three crystal cores, and asked in a trembling voice, "These...are these...okay?"
Fu Yunong quickly ushered her into the house and poured her a cup of hot water from the kettle. Shi Dong added firewood to the brazier while observing Xiao Linfang. Her face was bluish-purple, her teeth were chattering, and she was sluggish; she was clearly quite cold.
Fu Yunong took out some bread from her backpack and handed it to her. Xiao Linfang swallowed the bread with hot water, and her complexion improved.
"Didn't your husband come with you?" Fu Yunong asked softly.
Xiao Linfang licked her chapped lips, her voice trembling with tears, "He...he's dead."
She choked back tears as she recounted how the two, seeing the weather was improving, decided to try their luck. Unexpectedly, they encountered three frozen zombies. Their hunger made them forget their fear, and they hurriedly grabbed a kitchen knife to pry open the crystal cores. But then, one of the zombies suddenly awoke, grabbed the man, and bit him hard. Knowing he was doomed, the man stubbornly dragged the zombie away, letting her run first…
Fu Yunong listened, feeling a pang of sadness. Human nature is indeed complex; that man was so wicked, yet he unexpectedly stood up for her at the crucial moment.
“He’s never been good to me, but I never expected that in the end… I would owe him such a huge debt of gratitude.” Xiao Linfang said, laughing and crying at the same time.
Shi Dong glanced at her, and she hurriedly looked away, picking up her things to leave. Fu Yunong called out to her, "Eat your meal before you go." As she spoke, she poured the last of the rice into the pot and stirred it with a wooden spoon.
Xiao Linfang glanced at it, then silently sat back down.
As the aroma of the rice porridge wafted out, her stomach immediately started growling. After the porridge was cooked, Fu Yunong served her a bowl and handed her two roasted potatoes, to which she repeatedly expressed her gratitude.
After finishing their meal, Xiao Linfang got up to leave. Fu Yunong took out six loaves of bread and twelve water purification tablets and placed them in her hand. "Those were for you, these are your payment. But remember not to tell anyone." She then winked playfully.
Xiao Linfang's nose tingled with emotion, and she quickly nodded, saying, "Don't worry."
She returned home hunched over, and as soon as the door closed, she slid down onto the floor, covering her face with her hands, and suppressed sobs escaped through her fingers.
Actually, it was she who suggested going out to try her luck when the weather cleared up. But the man was unwilling to move at all, grumbling and saying it was freezing outside and that she should go by herself and just bring back enough food. In the end, he reluctantly went with her, knowing in her heart that he was afraid she would secretly keep something.
Later, they stumbled upon three frozen zombies. She quickly grabbed a kitchen knife to pry open the crystal cores, while the man stood by and watched. Unexpectedly, one of the zombies suddenly awoke and lunged at her. She instinctively dodged to the side, but the man was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground. No matter how much she shouted, he was completely paralyzed with fear, trembling uncontrollably, unable to even crawl.
It wasn't that she couldn't save him. But all the harsh words and abuse he'd inflicted on her over the years flooded her mind in an instant. Hearing the man's desperate cries, she raised the kitchen knife and slashed at the zombie. After prying out the crystal core, she ran away without looking back.
"It's all your fault...it's all your fault!" She clenched her bright red fists and pounded them on the cold ground, tears and snot streaming down her face, her sobs filled with resentment.
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