The big wolfdog's caramel-colored eyes were full of desire. He was pretending to be serious, but in Xia Runrun's eyes, he looked a little pitiful.
Xia Ruanruan thought for a moment, then turned and walked over to Dahei. She raised her upper body by standing on tiptoe, then reached out and touched the wolfdog's lowered head. "Dahei, do you want to play ball? I'll take you out to play, okay?"
"Awoo!" (No!)
As if someone had suddenly discovered the secret hidden in his heart, the big wolf dog frowned vigilantly, tilted his head, pretended to be fierce, and barked.
As a pack leader with ideals, ambitions, and responsibilities, how could he play with a ball like a child? That's a game only pups a few months old would play.
The big wolf dog shook its furry ears and curled its tail unconsciously in guilt.
But…but…
The big wolf dog's eyes followed the jumping of the red ball on the ground and moved subconsciously. When Kang Kang was around, he always played the ball-picking game with it.
Alas, the big wolf dog rested its head on its two front paws, its ears subconsciously pulled up, and it looked listless.
Xia Runrun blinked. Seeing the mutant wolfhound's appearance, how could she not know that what the dog said was completely different from what he thought in his heart?
The little girl's eyes rolled around, and she stretched out her two little arms, like lotus root nodes, and hung herself on the big black dog's face. "But I want to go... Dahei, can you come play with me? I just want to play the ball game~~"
The little girl's voice was soft and sticky, with a sweet and coquettish tone, which immediately made Dahei's whole body collapse psychologically, and even the voice of rejection was not so firm.
"Ah..." (I'm a big dog now. I shouldn't play little games like that. Those are games only puppies play—)
"But I'm just a child. Children should play children's games. Dahei, please come with me."
"Other children have parents who play games with them. Although I don't have parents, Dahei is my family~" The little girl smiled and acted coquettishly, like a sweet colorful marshmallow in winter.
The big wolf dog's ears moved uncomfortably, and he glanced at the little girl secretly, and then stole another glance.
Home, family...?
The big wolfdog's cheeks were slightly flushed, but fortunately the thick dog fur gave Dahei enough face and did not reveal its current mood at all.
"Woof..." (Well, okay then... I'll play with you for a little while, just a little while... We'll have dinner soon.)
"Yeah! We'll be back for dinner later!"
Xia Ruanruan tugged at the big wolfdog that stood up and nodded in response with a smile.
Since the canteen of the shelter is so small, and there is fish today, there will definitely be a lot of people going to the canteen for lunch. There are also Maomao and Wuhuarou, two mutant dogs as big as elephants. Xia Runrun discussed with the canteen chef that she would take Dahei and the others to the canteen later to avoid the peak hour.
Warm yellow light quietly poured down from above the room.
The light shining on the man and the dog seemed to cover them with a layer of warm orange sunlight, which was cozy and fascinating.
The white cat squatted on the stool beside it with its small body, shook the whiskers on its cheeks slightly, and lay down with its head resting on its two front paws. The light in its eyes became bright and dim, and its tail unconsciously flapped on the ground, making a muffled "bang bang" sound.
It's a slightly disturbing emotion.
The inner struggle made Chu Hang wonder whether he should leave now. Although the body materialized by his mental power was not his real body, and did not have the special ability to eliminate the breath like his real body, he could easily pass through the entire city.
But this body is like the second incarnation of a monk in a novel about cultivation. As long as the original body is alive and his spiritual power is not dissipated, he will never disappear even if the body is destroyed.
Even though this body has not fully recovered yet, Chu Hang is not worried about encountering any danger while crossing the city.
so……
Do you want to leave?
The little white cat lowered its eyes, and its tail, which was flapping the ground, slowly stopped unconsciously.
Although the child in front of her was young, she possessed three mutant animals with outstanding abilities and was very powerful. She was fully capable of protecting the other party and allowing them to grow up safely in this city. Even if his mental strength recovered and he could transform into the most powerful beast form, it would not be of much use to the little girl.
Daily safety, food, mutant beasts, daily life, making friends with survivors.
There was not much point for him to stay with the little girl now. Even when he went out yesterday, he was left in a shelter by the little girl.
On the contrary, once the other party knows that he is related to his parents' death, he will probably feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Xiaobai, what are you thinking about? Why do you look so serious? Like a little old man?"
Xia Ruanruan stretched her neck, trying to aim her furry little head at Xiaobai's big cat face, and said in a baby voice, "Xiaobai, do you want to play fetch with us?"
The two chubby arms held the white cat's head and moved closer. The smile on his face was as bright as the scorching sun in July, making Chu Hang feel dizzy.
"Xiaobai, although you can't speak, it's okay, don't be afraid~~ There are many kittens in the world who are just like Xiaobai and can't speak. Don't be afraid, Xiaobai. Dahei, Egg Yolk and 666 won't bully you. You have to eat more in the future so that you can grow taller. When you grow up, you don't have to stay in the room every day to grow mushrooms!" Xia Runrun, who had already determined that Xiaobai was a mute cat, couldn't help but feel pity for the little guy every time she saw him lying alone on a small bench in the corner.
Ah! Her little Bai is so pitiful.
Fortunately, every time she spoke or someone else made a noise, Xiaobai would react. Otherwise, Xia Ruanruan would have suspected that Xiaobai was not only mute, but also deaf.
Chu Hang: ???
Looking at the regretful and loving eyes of the little girl opposite, the small white cat fell into deep self-doubt.
Chu Hang: “…”
What's wrong with this little girl? Have mutated cats and dogs started to learn to speak? But he has never heard of any cat or dog that can actually talk.
…
The blizzard outside the shelter has gradually stopped at this moment, and the faint golden sunlight gradually rises as the wind and snow stop.
White snowflakes enveloped the entire city. Even the street corners that used to look overgrown with weeds and old trees were now covered in snow.
A tall and strong mutant wolfhound and a little girl of three or four years old were playing back and forth on the empty street in front of the shelter.
"Hey! Dahei, you run so fast, even faster than the branch I threw out."
"Woof woof woof." The big wolf dog swung its tail and held the branch that fell on the snow in its mouth. It ran back to its original place carefully, for fear that if it accidentally used force with its mouth, the branch would snap and break into two pieces.
"Hahahahaha~ Dahei is so amazing, so fast~"
There weren't many children in the shelter, as most of them had to work hard every day to make a living. Xia Ruanruan had wanted to borrow a basketball to play fetch with Dahei, but after a while, the basketball was replaced with a wooden stick.
The little girl threw the stick in her hand out, and it was picked up by the big wolfdog. It was just a simple interactive game. The big and tall mutant wolfdog was having a lot of fun playing it, and its tail was wagging happily.
If the man and the dog had not seen that there were already people in the shelter carrying backpacks and weapons, going out to look for supplies again, looking like they had eaten and drunk their fill, Xia Runrun would have planned to play two more rounds with Dahei.
It was only about 20 minutes, but Dahei's mood became brighter, just like the sunlight in the sky, clear and bright.
Xia Runrun went to the room in a good mood and called Danhuang and Xiaobai out to go to the cafeteria to eat together. 666 had already squatted in the room in front of a small bowl filled with nuts and oranges, eating hard.
A large pot of fish soup brought a touch of joy to the normally bustling cafeteria. Aside from a few survivors rushing out to gather supplies or get back to work, most people slowed down their eating, savoring the delicious fish. Even after Xia Ruanruan waited over half an hour before entering the cafeteria, many survivors remained.
Seeing the little girl leading the mutant beast into the cafeteria, many survivors looked at her with gratitude.
Many of them even greeted Xia Runrun, especially those whose family members had received help from Xia Runrun before and got revenge by getting fish meat for cleaning rabbit fur.
"Miss Xia, look at this guy who didn't clean up the table after dinner... I'll help you clean up the table, just wait a moment!" The middle-aged lady who had just drunk fish soup had an exceptionally bright smile on her face. She looked at Xia Runrun with a look that was both loving and grateful, and a bit like she was treating a golden doll with caution.
She took a large rag and, without waiting for the cafeteria staff to clean up as usual, she cleaned the entire table in just a few strokes! Her meticulous manner seemed as if she was not wiping the large table in the cafeteria, but the glass window of the gold and silver jewelry counter.
"Crack!" Another young man dragged a stool over early and greeted them warmly.
"Miss Xia, sit here, sit here! This stool is the best stool in our entire cafeteria!"
"The food is here! The food is here! Clear-boiled fish, braised fish fillets, and the stir-fried carrots we dug up yesterday! Little Xia, please eat more! This meal is the work of Chef Gong, his signature dish. Come and try it!"
Before Xia Ruanruan could even scramble to the cafeteria on her short legs to get her food, several survivors who had already finished their meals were already helping her place the food on her table. The fish in the bowl was all the best belly meat from the mutant fish, free of tiny bones and even the large, thick ones. Chef Gong had picked them out during cooking, fearing that the young children might get a choking ache while eating the fish.
Xia Runrun looked at the table full of food and the happy and grateful smiles on everyone's faces. She smiled broadly at Ji Chong and thanked him in a baby voice with curved eyebrows.
The little girl's cheeks were chubby, white, and tender, with a hint of baby fat. Her slightly curly hair swayed as she lifted her head. Add to that her brilliant and bright smile, and everyone's heart was immediately touched. Even the rebellious young men who usually hated marriage and children felt as if their hearts had been pierced by an arrow of cuteness, and they almost shouted, "I can do it!"
—Aren’t you just trying to trick me into giving birth to a daughter?! I can do it!!
…
Canteen corner.
A little boy who had just finished his fish soup rubbed the corners of his mouth with an aftertaste, and a bright smile appeared on his skinny face. "Mom, the fish soup is so delicious... Can we have fish soup again tomorrow?"
The little boy's eyes were bright and full of anticipation, which was a beautiful yearning for tomorrow's life.
"this……"
The young woman was a little hesitant. As an ordinary survivor and a single mother with a child, the young woman's ability was not strong. Even if she gritted her teeth and went out to look for supplies every day, the food she could find was still limited, and she still needed to use these supplies to exchange for daily consumption.
Life was so difficult that the young woman's thoughts were all about where to find food and where to go to avoid danger. As for other things happening in the shelter, she basically never got involved.
Because they were not involved in the work of cleaning the rabbit hair, the mother and son only received two bowls of fish soup with carrots and two pieces of fish meat the size of an adult woman's palm today.
If she had known that she could get four more pieces of fish by helping to clean the rabbit hair, she would have stayed in the shelter with her son to help with the cleaning yesterday.
It was just that it was missed. The young woman didn't want to lie. She sighed and shook her head at her son, "Tomorrow... there might not be any fish soup... Today's fish soup was bought by that little sister... It's very likely that there will never be such a thing again."
No one would treat everyone to a meal frequently for no reason.
Especially since there were a lot of people in the shelter, more than 300 in total. Even if the girl opposite was kind-hearted, it would be impossible for her to take care of everyone.
Thinking back to three years ago, when her son was three years old, the family had chickens, ducks, meat, and eggs to eat as much as they wanted, and they were fat and white. Looking at her son's increasingly thin face, the young woman's eyes reddened slightly. She didn't know how the world had become like this in the blink of an eye.
"Mom, don't cry! I don't want to drink fish soup anymore..." Seeing his mother's eyes red, the little boy was a little anxious.
He quickly looked up in the direction his mother pointed, and saw the well-behaved, fair-skinned, soft-looking and very cute Xia Ruanruan in the crowd. He said in a firm tone: "Don't worry, Mom... In two years, I will definitely be able to have my own mutant animal like my little sister. Then I will be able to take good care of you, and you won't have to work so hard anymore!"
The child's words sounded like the warmest soup in winter to the young woman, heavy with love. Her rough hands gently stroked the little boy's thin cheeks. The young woman's eyes were filled with tears, showing both emotion and love.
Oh my God!
She would be willing to do anything if it means her children can grow up safely, happily and healthily, and have enough food and clothing every day.
The young woman prayed in her heart, her eyes subconsciously looking at the little girl who was surrounded by the crowd not far away.
The little girl's fair and tender cheeks were faintly flushed, and her chubby cheeks made her look like a cute squirrel. Her long and thick eyelashes were curly and curled, making her look like an exquisite doll or a little angel who had just come to this world.
Indeed, the other party was truly an angel as he was generous enough to provide more than 300 people in the shelter with a full meal of fish soup.
At this moment...
The young woman gritted her teeth and made up her mind. Even though the future wasn't as smooth as she'd imagined, and she wouldn't get paid for her work, she felt it was always right to work harder. As long as she could get paid once out of ten, her son would have more nutrition and grow stronger. Eating only wild vegetables and grass roots every day was simply not enough to meet a child's growing needs.
At this moment, Xia Runrun seemed like the young woman's last straw.
It is also the only hope that can bring a good life to her and her children.
Xia Ruanruan swung her feet contentedly while enjoying the fish feast carefully prepared by Chef Gong, completely unaware that the thick red illustrated book above her head was emitting a long golden light.
The skinny figure of a young woman slowly emerged on the picture book.
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