Chapter 3 The Empire is Above!
Under the dim light, a short old woman with gray hair tied into a bun was busy in front of a small heating stove with her back to the door.
She was wearing an old apron that had been washed white, and her movements were quick, but her tone was filled with anger:
"Are you digging through the garbage again for your scraps? I've told you countless times that those things can't be exchanged for a few star coins, not even enough for you..."
She turned around while scolding, holding a bowl in her hand.
When her eyes fell on the door, the rest of her words were cut off as if by a pair of scissors.
Old Kane was holding a child.
A dirty little girl wrapped in his tattered coat!
Grandma Kane's eyes widened instantly, and she almost dropped the bowl in her hand. Shock and disbelief were written all over her face.
"Old...Old Kane! Where, where did this kid come from?!"
Her voice rose in surprise.
Old Kane didn't bother to explain. He carried An Zhi into the cabin quickly and carefully placed her on the only low mat in the room, which was covered with an old blanket and served as a bed.
As soon as An Zhiyi touched something slightly soft and warm, he instinctively curled up, hugged Gugu tightly in his arms, and looked timidly with his big eyes at the old lady in front of him who suddenly got angry.
"I found it! I found it at the garbage dump!"
Old Kane was breathing heavily, trying frantically to wrap An Zhi tightly, while lowering his voice and speaking quickly to his wife.
"He's right there, behind that pile of broken engine shells on the outskirts, freezing to death! Alone!
"By the empire, who is so wicked as to leave such a child there!"
Grandma Kane rushed to the low mat, bent down, and took a closer look.
Her gaze first fell on An Zhi's little face, which was pale from the cold and still fully grown but already overly delicate. She saw his eyes, which were wide open and wet with fear, especially when her eyes met the little mushroom that was being kneaded into a ball in An Zhi's arms.
The anger on Grandma Kane's face quickly faded like the tide, and was replaced by the same horror and disbelief as Old Kane's just now.
She gasped and subconsciously covered her mouth.
Old Kane grabbed his wife's arm, squeezed it hard, shook his head at her with a very serious look, and quickly glanced at little Anzhi, who was looking at them confusedly and seemed to have no idea what was going on.
Grandma Kane instantly understood the old man's meaning. She looked at An Zhi's pure yet frightened eyes, then at the pitiful child hugging the little mushroom for warmth. It felt like something had struck her heart. Who cares about nobility or unrest?
This child is now an orphan who is almost frozen to death or starved to death in a garbage dump.
The shock on her face was quickly replaced by an even stronger look of heartache.
She stood up, no longer looking at the mushroom, but turned her attention to Old Kane. Her voice returned to its previous sharpness, but this time it was clearly filled with fear and heartache for her cub:
"God damn it! Throwing such a small cub in the garbage dump?! Aren't you afraid it will be dragged away by wild dogs?
You are so cold, you must be starving. Wait, wait, baby."
She turned around in a hurry, rushed to the small heating stove, and rummaged through it swiftly, cursing non-stop:
"Those with black hearts, rotten livers and lungs will sooner or later receive their retribution and be taken away by the Zerg.
Old man, why are you still standing there? Tuck the door curtain in tightly. The heat is all gone, and the baby is cold! Go find the thickest blanket!
See if there's any nutritional cream left? I remember there's half a tube left."
As she searched, she deftly pulled out a patched old blanket from the tattered box in the corner and covered An Zhi with it without saying a word.
Then, she took out half a tube of nutritional paste from the depths of a cabinet, picked up the bowl, squeezed the nutritional paste into it, added some warm water, and stirred it vigorously with a small spoon.
**
The warmth in the hut gradually dispelled the coldness from An Zhi's body.
She was wrapped in a thick old blanket, holding the soft little mushroom in her arms.
An Zhi let go of the mushroom a little embarrassedly. She was too nervous and rubbed it several times. She didn't know if it hurt. She touched the mushroom along the umbrella cap and apologized quietly in her heart.
An Zhi looked at the old lady in front of him who had a loud voice and moved quickly. Although she looked fierce and kept scolding him, she covered him with a thick blanket and said she would give him food.
Her little head was a little confused, and she spoke timidly with a strong nasal tone:
"grandmother?"
Grandma Kane, who was stirring the nutrient paste, paused and her shoulders, facing away from them, trembled.
She didn't turn around, but her movements became noticeably lighter, and her voice lowered:
"Yeah. Just call me grandma."
Grandma Kane sat on the edge of the low mat with the bowl of mixed paste.
The contents of the bowl were gray in color and a bit sticky, emitting a smell that An Zhi couldn't describe, similar to that of overcooked potatoes. It wasn't a pleasant smell, but to a stomach that was about to faint from hunger, the smell was very tempting.
"Come on, baby, open your mouth." Grandma Kane's voice was still a little hard, but her movements were very gentle.
She scooped up a little bit of the paste, brought it to An Zhi's mouth, and blew on it habitually.
An Zhi was extremely hungry and couldn't wait to hold the spoon in his mouth. The warm and sticky paste slid into his mouth, instantly soothing the burning sensation in his stomach.
She squinted her eyes in satisfaction, her little cheeks puffed up as she chewed, and her pink tongue licked the corner of her mouth with an unsatisfied look, so adorable that anyone's heart would melt.
"Pfft" Grandma Kane almost couldn't hold back the toughness on her face, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.
"Eat slowly, eat slowly, no one is going to snatch the food from you!" Grandma Kane couldn't help but nagging her when she saw her eating in a hurry, but the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothed out.
She scooped up another small spoonful and fed it to him patiently.
Old Kane sat on a creaky old stool nearby, rubbing his hands nervously as he watched his wife feed the child. Seeing An Zhi eating so happily, his tense nerves relaxed a little, and a simple smile appeared on his face.
He glanced at the mushroom in An Zhi's arms with a complicated look, then quickly looked away, and silently fanned the flame in the stove a little more vigorously.
An Zhi ate the porridge in small mouthfuls. She looked at the old lady in front of her curiously, and then secretly glanced at the old grandfather sitting next to her. He was also smiling at her, a very warm smile.
The feeling of being wrapped in warmth quietly replaced the previous fear.
An Zhi stopped shaking and just opened her mouth obediently, accepting every spoonful of food. She unconsciously rubbed against the arm that Grandma Kane was holding when she handed her the spoon.
Grandma Kane paused for a moment, her heart feeling as if a feather had gently brushed past it.
Just then—
“Bang, bang, bang!”
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