Bian Haifang was speechless after being rebuked, and could only purse her lips in resentment before sitting down to the side.
Ko Wen-pei glanced at everyone, could only sigh helplessly, and then went out.
After leaving the ward, he wandered aimlessly through the streets littered with shards of glass, unsure of what to do next.
It wasn't until his stomach started rumbling that he realized the people in the ward probably hadn't eaten yet.
But now, he has nowhere to buy it.
The hospital's restaurants primarily cater to medical staff, while most restaurants outside are also closed.
The few businesses that remained standing also temporarily closed down after the earthquake.
Helpless, Ke Wenpei could only go to those large supermarkets to buy rice and flour.
However, after walking for a while and turning several streets, he found that all the supermarkets were closed.
Unfortunately, the supermarket manager dared not bring the staff back to work until the earthquake was confirmed to be over and the buildings were confirmed to be safe, in case something happened.
Ke Wenpei could only return home as if he had lost his parents, and then ask his neighbors for help.
The news of the burglary at the Ke family's home spread amidst Bian Haifang's wailing and the farcical scene of Ke's mother fainting and being taken to the hospital.
So, without him offering much explanation, someone gave him some of their family's food as an emergency measure.
However, it's not much, at most the amount for one or two meals.
Even so, he was content. After all, this was a timely act of kindness.
Ke Wenpei went to several places and borrowed enough food to last a week, then prepared to cook for his family.
However, the lack of gas and electricity presented him with another problem. Having no other option, he knocked on his neighbor's door once again.
Having heard about the Ke family's situation, the neighbors, worried about their own homes being burgled, left someone at home the day after the earthquake and moved back in. However, they were fully armed, ready to flee at any moment during aftershocks.
Seeing Ke Wenpei explain his purpose with a shy expression, the neighbor could only watch him sigh helplessly, then turned around and took out an alcohol stove from the kitchen for him to take in case of emergency.
What he was thinking was, "I wonder what's going on with the Ke family. Don't they know we've entered the apocalypse? Anything unexpected could happen at any moment, and yet they haven't prepared anything!"
Normally, after experiencing extremely cold weather, everyone would know to prepare a coal stove for their home. But judging from Ke Wenpei's situation, he probably just stayed indoors and endured the cold during that time.
What he didn't know was that the Ke family originally had a stove; otherwise, how would they have been able to sell braised food in the winter?
However, after the business was shut down, Bian Haifang's brothers from her maternal family came to his house and "borrowed" the coal stove.
And so, Ke Wenpei took the alcohol stove home.
Because his neighbor only gave him a small piece of solid alcohol, he didn't dare to mess around with it. He could only prepare the dough in advance, make noodles, and then cook them in a pot.
As for vegetables, the potted bok choy at home hadn't been stolen, so he picked a handful, washed it, and threw it into the pot.
Add some soy sauce and vinegar, sprinkle some salt, and lunch is ready.
He took a bite first, and then began to eat voraciously. He must have been starving to find such a simple and oil-free lunch so delicious.
Then it was time to cook for my mother, wife, and children. It was still simple vegetable noodles, but this time there were a few eggs given to me by a neighbor.
After he cooked the noodles, he packed them into a lunchbox and took them to the hospital. Because there was no transportation, the noodles were all soggy by the time they arrived.
Bian Haifang continued to grumble and complain, but she didn't slow down her eating at all.
The children grimaced in disgust when they received their lunchboxes, but the rumbling in their stomachs made it impossible for them to refuse the bland soup in front of them.
Left with no other choice, we had to make do.
"Oh, by the way, go to your brother's house later and get our coal stove back," Ke Wenpei said.
Upon hearing this, Bian Haifang immediately stood up defensively, "What are you going to do? We agreed to lend that stove to my brother."
Ke Wenpei rolled his eyes. "Now that the water, electricity, and gas are cut off, tell me, how are we supposed to cook?"
Bian Haifang clearly grasped a different point than what Ke Wenpei had said. She excitedly grabbed his hand and asked, "Did we... did we find our family's grain?"
"How is that possible!"
Ke Wenpei tried to shake off the hand on his arm that was about to break his bones, but he couldn't do it no matter how many times he tried.
He gave up, saying irritably, "There are no clues at all. Where are we supposed to find the grain? Besides, do you think the thief who stole the grain wouldn't leave it at home for you to look for? He's probably already moved it and hidden it in some nook or cranny."
Then, frowning, he said, "Even if they're really unlucky and get caught, they can lie and say they've run out of food and offer cash compensation. Anyway, under the Alliance's control, those things aren't really worth much money."
Disappointed at not getting the answer she wanted, Bian Haifang shook off Ke Wenpei's arm and said unwillingly, "But you can't buy food with money at all!"
"So what? That's the reality. If they dared to steal, it means they had a backup plan. Maybe they had it planned all along, and the earthquake just provided the perfect opportunity."
Upon hearing this, Bian Haifang, however unwilling, had no choice but to accept her fate.
Then, recalling what Ke Wenpei had said, he asked, "Where did you get the grain? Do you have a secret stash of money?"
“No, I borrowed it from a neighbor. I said I’d return it after the summer harvest,” Ke Wenpei said. “Even the stove for cooking lunch was borrowed. If you don’t want to go hungry, go back to your brother’s house and ask for a coal stove.”
Bian Haifang was clearly reluctant. She said awkwardly, "Since we've already borrowed from the neighbors, let's just use it for now. It would be too embarrassing for me to go home and ask my brother for it."
Ko Wen-pei was not surprised at all by this statement.
Because this has happened many times over the years, his family's wealth has been almost completely emptied out in this way, and his wife is completely unaware of it.
Helpless, Ke Wenpei could only patiently explain, "The neighbor borrowed an alcohol stove, which only has one block of solid alcohol inside. We used half of it to cook noodles for you at noon today. We don't know if the rest will last until we finish cooking dinner."
Bian Haifang then realized the seriousness of the matter. She nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go to my brother's house this afternoon."
Ke Wenpei hummed in agreement, then reminded him, "While you're at it, borrow some food from your older brothers. Our neighbors only give us a bowl each, enough to last us this week. If you can't borrow any, you and the kids will go hungry starting next week."
As for his mother, he would try to save some food rations to bring her back. But his wife and children weren't on his side, so he'd better leave them be.
But these words struck Bian Haifang like a thunderbolt. Without a second thought, she refused, "How can that be? My brother's family doesn't have much grain. What will happen to my nephew and niece if I borrow it?"
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