"I hope this remains your goal. Remember, if you ever do anything wrong, I will kill you."
Wu Shiyao looked at Li Xiaoxiao as she spoke each word with utmost seriousness in her eyes.
"Alright, then you have to become stronger too, because you might not be my match." Li Xiaoxiao looked at the woman in front of her with a smile, her stubborn and persistent demeanor was also somewhat cute.
"I will surpass you." Wu Shiyao emphasized again. She was just a little unwilling. This younger sister had not contributed anything to the family, but she still received Wu Xinyue's care.
With Li Xiaoxiao's appearance, Wu Xinyue paid more attention to Li Xiaoxiao and no longer cared for her as much as before.
She had called her mother for ten years before, but now she felt like an outsider.
Last time, when she used a sixth-grade pill to save Li Xiaoxiao, she was completely unaware of the huge mistake she had made. At that time, in order to obtain the Tiger Seal, she did not give Wu Xinyue the pill.
Looking back now, she realizes it was all her own doing. Li Xiaoxiao's appearance created a crisis for her, and she was unwilling to accept it, even though the world should revolve around her.
"Ran'er!!" The woman's shrill scream almost pierced Tao Ran's eardrums. Tao Ran frowned. What was that sound?
She struggled to open her eyes and saw a pale, emaciated woman sitting by the bed, weeping bitterly.
What's going on?
Tao Ran was completely bewildered. Just a few minutes ago, she was fighting to the death with zombies, but unfortunately, she was outnumbered. Too lazy to waste her energy, she simply threw away her machete, closed her eyes, and waited to die. How did she end up here when she opened her eyes?
What is this place?
Looking at the large spiders hanging down from the beams that had been infested with insects, Tao Ran closed her eyes again. Why was there an old woman's face in front of her? Wasn't she surrounded by zombies?
She must have opened her eyes wrong.
Or is she already dead? Has she gone to another world?
Tao Ran shook her head. She must have been numb from being eaten by zombies and was hallucinating.
"Mom, Mom, I saw my sister open her eyes!" The boy, who was barely tall enough to reach the bed, tiptoed and quickly glanced at his sister lying on the bed, then tugged at his mother's sleeve.
"Ran'er, are you still alive? Don't scare your mother!" Upon hearing this, a light flashed in the woman's originally dull eyes, and she shook Tao Ran's shoulders violently.
Tao Ran felt like she could faint again.
"Don't...don't shake me," Tao Ran said, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. He had no choice but to speak, but his voice was barely audible.
She clutched her neck in terror. What was wrong with her? This listless, frail state was not like her at all. In the apocalypse, she couldn't survive like this.
"Mommy, Mommy, my sister is still alive!" The little one laughed happily and ran out in a flash. "I'll go get my sister some porridge."
In the room, only Tao Ran remained, staring blankly at the woman who was weeping with her face covered.
"It's all my fault. I'm incompetent. I couldn't raise you and your brother. If it weren't for trying to save that little bit of food, my Ran'er would have almost starved to death. It's all my fault."
The woman's self-reproachful sobs echoed in Tao Ran's head.
She was stunned for two seconds. She was afraid that the original owner of this body had really starved to death. She didn't know how she ended up here.
Tao Ran hesitated, wanting to say something comforting, but didn't know where to begin.
Just as she was hesitating, the little one came to Tao Ran with a bowl of steaming porridge, saying, "The porridge is here, sister, drink it quickly."
The woman stopped crying, forced a smile, and her wrinkles deepened. "Drink this bowl of porridge, and Ran'er will get better." She rubbed Tao Ran's head.
...My stomach was indeed hungry, it was growling, but when I got really hungry, I didn't feel it anymore.
Tao Ran glanced at the little one who was desperately swallowing and whose eyes were glued to the porridge bowl, and at the woman who was looking at her expectantly, and sighed.
It seems this is the family's lifeline; how could she possibly eat it all by herself?
"Mother..." Tao Ran greeted her somewhat awkwardly. She coughed a few times uncomfortably and propped herself up. "I can't finish this by myself. Let's each take a bite of the porridge."
"Silly Ranran..." Upon hearing this, the woman exclaimed again, hugging Taoran and bursting into tears.
Having stayed here for a long time, Tao Ran gradually adapted from his initial discomfort. His body was extremely thin, probably due to long-term malnutrition. It took Tao Ran three or four days before he could barely get up.
This is Qingtian Village. Despite its name, it doesn't have the large tracts of good farmland that its name suggests. The land is all sandy soil, and the harvest is pitifully small no matter what you plant. Not to mention, if there is a natural disaster, you will get nothing at all.
Originally, the family was not in dire straits, but a month ago, the original owner's father, Shen Dazhuang, was helping a wealthy merchant unload goods in the county town when the cart carrying several hundred kilograms overturned and he was crushed. He has no feeling in either of his legs since then and can only be kept alive by medication every day.
After running out of cash, they stopped giving the medication.
Her younger brother is only five years old. Although she is fourteen and can help the family, she had just recovered from a serious illness. It would be good enough if she didn't cause any trouble for the family. Now, she can only rely on her mother, Tao Li, to manage the family's two acres of meager land.
Sigh, Tao Ran carried a small basket on her back and walked into the mountains. Although she was not a picky eater and drank coarse porridge from Kasangzi every day, she still wanted to go into the mountains to find some mountain products to improve her family's diet.
The mountains and forests outside have been trampled flat. In places where villagers frequently come and go, there must be nothing of value left.
Tao Ran squeezed through the low thickets of thorns and headed deeper into the mountains.
The sun was getting stronger, and the power of the late summer heat was not to be underestimated. Tao Ran wiped the dense sweat from her forehead, her whole face was flushed from the sun. She picked a grass leaf the size of a palm fan and wrapped it around her head before continuing to walk in.
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