Xiao Xiaobao's funeral was very simple. Or rather, there was no funeral at all.
The group found a spot outside the base, dug a hole, and buried the person.
Mr. Xiao looked dejected, as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant.
Liang Huaxin felt sorry for the family, so he instructed the guards behind him to take a dozen kilograms of grain from them as a token of his sympathy.
The guard was a kind-hearted man. Hearing his boss say that, he secretly thought that he should also give something in return.
well!
Mr. Xiao stayed there for more than an hour until he couldn't stand the cold anymore before going back.
Some of the people who helped in Zone D had already gone home, while others stayed until the very end. Everyone was heavy-hearted and remained silent.
"Go back and rest. You have to look forward," Liang Huaxin said, handing the bag the guard had given him to Xiao's father.
Feeling the heavy weight in his hands, Mr. Xiao was at a loss for words.
Liang Huaxin patted him on the shoulder and left. That was all he could do; he couldn't do more than that.
The others glanced at the sack of grain, their eyes sparkling with envy, but none of them harbored any ill intentions.
There's nothing we can do; the Xiao family is truly pitiful. If they were to leech off them, they'd be worse than pigs and dogs.
The group escorted Old Man Xiao to his doorstep before returning home.
"Well, have you found the person?" Mother Xiao asked anxiously, her eyes unconsciously fixed on the grain sacks.
Mr. Xiao looked dejected and slumped to the ground, saying weakly, "It's gone, Xiao Bao is gone."
"How could this be!" Mrs. Xiao asked in disbelief. "Even if that child is simple-minded, he still knows how to come home. Who, who harmed him? Did someone else compensate for the grain?"
Mr. Xiao looked at his wife and sighed deeply. He knew his wife had changed a lot, but in such a hopeless life, who could maintain their original intentions?
He shook his head: "No, the child accidentally fell and couldn't get up, so he froze to death. The food was given to me by others who took pity on me."
"Oh? Oh, my little darling, how could you suddenly leave like this? Grandma didn't mean to, Grandma didn't expect you to fall. How could you suddenly be gone! Oh, my precious darling, you're taking Grandma's life!"
Xiao's mother was wailing, seemingly very heartbroken. But if you listened carefully, you could sense a feeling of relief within her sobs.
That's true. Even the strongest person would find it unbearable to face three idiots every day. Now that one of them is gone, the burden on the elderly couple has been greatly reduced.
Mr. Xiao was still immersed in grief and did not notice his wife's emotional change. He simply said, "Don't cry. She's gone. Crying won't bring her back."
Xiao's mother paused in her sobbing and peeked at Xiao's father through her fingers. Seeing that he was not displeased, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao Fei and Chen Jin remained stunned, as if the child's death had no effect on them whatsoever.
Xiao's mother wanted to start cursing again, but when she looked at her husband's figure and remembered that it was because of her loose tongue that they lost their grandson, she suppressed her resentment.
But still unwilling to give up, he said, "You two better try harder and have another one. Maybe the next grandson will be clever and bright."
Xiao Fei and Chen Jin's gazes remained unchanged. Xiao's father patted his backside and stood up, as if resigned to his fate, saying, "Why are you telling them all this? With your son like this, does he even understand those things anymore?"
Xiao's mother bit her lip and glared at Chen Jin with resentment.
"I don't know which deity we offended, that such divine punishment would befall us. Sigh!"
"Alright, old man, let's not talk about this anymore. Who gave you that grain? What kind of grain is it?" Xiao's mother thought that if it was given by a neighbor, she would act weaker in the future and take advantage of everyone's sympathy.
To everyone's surprise, Xiao's father said, "The guard gave it to me. It contained half a bag of sweet potatoes and about ten kilograms of rice."
Xiao's mother's eyes lit up; she thought this was even better. How much food could her poor neighbors possibly have? It certainly wasn't as much as these base guards.
She grabbed her husband's hand and asked, "Do you think we could apply to the base for a minimum living allowance or special subsidies? We had those before the apocalypse, didn't we? Our situation is just too difficult. Honey, what do you think?"
After thinking about it, Mr. Xiao agreed and said, "I've never heard of it before. I'll ask Captain Liang tomorrow."
"Okay, okay, that would be great." We wouldn't have to waste our lives every day just to have something to eat.
The elderly couple chatted for a while longer before resting. Chen Jin and Xiao Fei were also in the room, but in another corner.
The two of them watched as their parents lay in bed before slowly taking off their clothes and hiding under the covers.
Listening to the even breathing in the room, Mr. Xiao slowly closed his eyes. However, he suddenly woke up just as he was about to fall asleep. He looked at his wife with disbelief.
It seems she never asked where Xiaobao was buried.
Mr. Xiao's feelings were incredibly complicated at that moment.
"Well, that's how it is. I only heard it from my parents when I woke up the next day," Zeng Yiming said.
Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan sighed in unison: "Life is too bitter. It's a good thing that the child is gone."
“Who can argue with that? That’s what our neighbors over there are saying too.”
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. The rice is ready, let's eat first," Shen Yanming said.
Zeng Yiming smiled and stopped the conversation. He took the two bowls the couple handed him, and smelled them; they were indeed very fragrant.
"Is this chicken from a farm? It smells so good!" Zeng Yiming thought that if possible, he would buy one for his parents to supplement their diet.
"Caught outside." There aren't any roosters this fragrant at the base.
Zeng Yiming lowered his head and took a sip: "So it's a pheasant. No wonder it's so fresh. You know how to hunt?"
"Yes, I learned it in the guard team. My skills are so-so, but I get to eat meat every now and then," Shen Yanming said modestly.
"That's great!" Zeng Yiming put down his bowl and gave a thumbs up. "I wish I had your skills!"
"It's alright, I'll give you a rabbit when you leave." He dared not give her a chicken; that would give him away easily.
"That won't do. Nobody does what I do, eating and taking things at the same time."
Shen Yanming didn't care and was determined to prepare some meat for him.
Zeng Yiming thought he had given up when he didn't say anything. But to his surprise, when he finished eating and was about to leave, two live rabbits were stuffed into his hand.
"You can clean up, right?" Shen Yanming asked.
Zeng Yiming nodded blankly, then subconsciously hugged the lively rabbit into his arms.
"Then let's go back. There's some hay in the bag, enough to feed them for two more days. You can feed them as you see fit," Shen Yanming reminded them.
Zeng Yiming was pushed out of the room and hurried home. He had no idea what he was doing; he had made a trip and ended up bringing back so much meat.
But I'm quite happy. I didn't expect that after not seeing him for several years, Lao Shen would still remember him.
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