After returning home and unloading the supplies from the car, we immediately began tidying up the third floor where Wang Jun and his wife would be staying.
With many hands, the work went quickly.
Except for Lili, all of us rolled up our sleeves and got busy cleaning—changing bed sheets, mopping the floor, tidying up the kitchen, and more.
In just half an hour, the previously dusty third floor had been completely transformed.
We also gave the couple some bottled water, biscuits, and beef jerky.
Before heading upstairs, Rongrong, knowing there would be a feast that evening, warmly reminded them to come for dinner.
The supplies we brought back this time filled the kitchen to the brim.
Since the living room is used for everyone's daily activities, it wasn't convenient to store too much there, so everything else ended up piled in my bedroom, where I sleep alone.
Looking at the room now filled to the brim, I felt an unusual sense of satisfaction—at least for the next few months, I wouldn't have to worry about food and drink.
In a good mood, I didn't feel tired at all.
As soon as I finished stacking everything, I took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and started preparing dinner.
Washing rice, cooking, stewing meat—I was happily busy.
During that time, Rongrong, Shen Xue, Mei Jing, and Yangyang took turns sneaking into the kitchen, drooling over the pots.
As soon as the food was ready, Rongrong immediately scampered up to the third floor to call Wang Jun and his wife down for dinner.
The staircase from the first floor to the second had been completely blocked off by Suo Tian and Shen Feng using furniture from the second floor.
Since we wouldn't be going out anytime soon, we decided to just leave the door open, making it easier for Lili and the others to come and visit.
With two new people around, the house suddenly felt lively.
Rongrong, that little rascal, always gets extra energetic when people come over.
After finding out Lili had a baby in her belly, the way she looked at her completely changed.
She stuck to Lili like glue the whole evening.
Every now and then, she'd sneak out a tiny finger and gently poke at Lili's belly.
Even at dinner, her eyes kept stealing glances—she nearly shoved the rice in her spoon up her nose.
The meal was filled with laughter and chatter, and eventually we all finished eating.
Shen Xue and Yangyang volunteered to clear the dishes.
I boiled a pot of purified water and found a big tin of tea leaves I'd bought earlier.
I made everyone a cup of tea, and we all sat in the living room, sipping tea and chatting—it was so cozy and peaceful.
Because we couldn't turn on the lights at night, dinner was eaten a bit earlier.
Everyone was still full of energy.
Lili and Wang Jun were both great conversationalists and loved to joke around, so with everyone chatting and laughing, the time passed quickly.
As the sky gradually darkened, Suo Tian, seeing that there was nothing particularly noteworthy on the news, got up and went back to his room to rest.
Once Suo Tian left, Mei Jing also returned to her room.
Rongrong was still extremely fascinated by Lili's belly.
Every now and then, she'd ask, "Auntie, isn't it hot for the baby living in there?"
Wang Jun glanced at Lili quietly talking to Rongrong, then turned to me with a worried look and asked, "Sister Chen, are we really going to just stay here like this from now on?"
I was taken aback for a moment, glanced at Wang Jun in surprise, and said, "Of course. We've got food and shelter here, and there are way fewer walkers outside now. With such ideal conditions, of course we're staying. Why? You're thinking of going to one of those shelters they talk about on the news?"
Wang Jun quickly waved his hands. "No, no, that's not what I meant. The fact that you all have stayed here this long clearly means getting to those shelters isn't as easy as it sounds."
I nodded—Wang Jun was pretty sharp.
"So what are you trying to say?"
He hesitated for a moment, then stood up and gestured for me to follow him to the balcony.
Seemed like there was something he didn't want to say in front of Lili.
"What's up?" I asked after closing the balcony's glass door behind us.
"Sister Chen…" Wang Jun frowned, rubbing his hands together anxiously.
He lowered his head, thinking for quite a while before finally continuing, "You know Lili's situation… she's over three months pregnant now. In at most six or seven more months, she'll…"
"You're worried about her giving birth?" I asked.
"Yes… that's exactly it. Lili hasn't said anything, but I know—she must be really scared."
"Brother Wang, don't worry just yet. After all, there's still half a year to go. A lot could change during that time. The current situation might improve, order might be restored. The military's still out there, the TV signals and electricity are still on—that shows things aren't as bad as we think."
To be honest, those words were more for comforting Brother Wang than anything else—I didn't believe them myself.
I already had a clear understanding of just how bad things were out there—the massive horde of walkers that once surrounded our home had made that painfully obvious.
"Let's hope so…" Brother Wang still looked worried.
"Right now I hardly know anything about what's really going on. You all seem to know more—if I didn't ask you, I honestly wouldn't know what to do."
"Come on, worst case scenario, there are several middle-aged ladies living in the building next door—they've got experience. If we ask them to help when the time comes, things should be fine."
Brother Wang nodded, saying gratefully, "Sister Chen, if it weren't for you all, I'd be panicking all by myself."
"Brother Wang, now that's just being too polite."
When we returned to the living room, Wang Jun took Lili upstairs to the third floor to rest.
Shen Xue also went back to her room, while Yangyang and Rongrong started playing cards on the sofa by flashlight.
I locked the security door, reminded the two of them not to make too much noise, and then went back to my room too.
By now, we had all gotten used to sleeping as soon as it got dark.
Maybe it was the intense impact from seeing that female walker during the day—while I was awake I felt fine, but once I fell asleep, it was a different story.
I dreamt practically the entire night, a messy jumble of one bizarre dream after another—it was like watching a whole marathon of soap operas.
When I finally struggled awake from those dreams, it was already bright outside.
I could hear footsteps and voices coming from the living room.
I lay in bed, turning my head to look out the window.
The curtain hadn't been fully drawn, and sunlight was streaming into the room.
I tried to recall what had happened in my dream just now, but strangely enough, I couldn't remember a single thing.
The moment I opened my eyes, it had all felt so vivid—and just a few seconds later, it was all completely gone.
After lying there for a bit, I gave up trying to remember.
Maybe it was better that way.
Just from the feeling it left, I could tell it wasn't a good dream.
Even remembering it would probably just put me in a bad mood.
I walked out to the living room.
Rongrong was wearing a freshly changed cotton dress, spinning in circles in the middle of the room with a huge grin on her face.
Shen Xue and Mei Jing stood off to the side, giggling nonstop at her antics.
Shen Feng and Yangyang were probably in the kitchen making breakfast.
Suo Tian was sitting on the sofa, staring intently at the news that was being replayed again and again on the TV.
His expression was just as serious as the news broadcast.
I scratched my head, went to the bathroom to wash up, and when I came back to the living room, Rongrong was slumped over on the sofa, moaning dramatically.
Seemed like she'd gotten herself dizzy from spinning too much.
I couldn't help but laugh.
I walked over and gave her little butt a light smack. "You little maniac, look at you—sweating like crazy."
"Auntie, I'm not a little maniac…" Rongrong squinted her eyes and protested, clearly unhappy with the nickname.
"Yes, you are a little maniac," Shen Xue stepped forward and straightened out Rongrong's twisted clothes with a smile.
Then she asked, "After breakfast, shall we go visit Auntie Lili?"
"Yes~!"
"I'll go too," I said, settling onto the couch and stretching lazily. "I want to check if they're settling in comfortably."
I felt refreshed.
I'd always been used to waking up early, but back then I'd usually stay up late watching TV, browsing Online Shop, scrolling through forums, or watching movies with Yangyang.
I rarely went to sleep early.
The result of that was I spent half the next day in a daze, like I was floating and my feet couldn't touch the ground.
Now that there's no Online shop, no forums, no movies, I've been going to bed early—and honestly, I feel way better than before.
Maybe it's just my imagination, but I even feel like I've gained a little weight.
After breakfast, once the dishes were cleaned up, we gathered everyone and headed up to the third floor in a mighty procession.
Rongrong kept glancing back over her shoulder.
I asked her what she was looking at.
The little one pouted unhappily. "Why isn't Suo Tian coming with us?"
Shen Xue gave her a playful flick on the forehead. "You little brat! Is that how you talk? Don't you know how to respect your elders? Sounds like someone needs a good scolding."
Rongrong rubbed her forehead, clearly not convinced, and protested, "It is Suo Tian! I'm calling him Suo Tian, so I'll keep calling him Suo Tian!!"
That was it—Shen Xue couldn't let that slide! She rolled up her sleeves, ready to discipline her.
Just as I was about to step in and stop her, a loud bang suddenly echoed from downstairs.
BANG!!!
The sound came so abruptly that none of us were prepared for it—we all jumped in fright.
Rongrong, who had been so bold and defiant just a second ago, instantly turned pale and threw herself into Shen Xue's arms.
We had no idea what caused that loud noise, but a blast that big so close by definitely wasn't a good sign.
I quickly told everyone to get back inside the apartment.
Suo Tian, who had been resting inside, clearly heard it too—by the time I locked the security door, he was already out on the balcony.
After what happened last time, I didn't let anyone else go out onto the balcony.
If there were a horde of walkers downstairs right now, all of us rushing out there would only expose ourselves.
Suo Tian stayed hidden on the balcony, observing for a while before returning to the living room.
His lips were tightly pressed together, as if deep in thought.
Shen Xue, being the impatient one, immediately lowered her voice and asked, "What's going on out there? What was that sound? Are there walkers down there? How many?"
Shen Feng interrupted her, "Xiao Xue, calm down! How's he supposed to answer if you throw all that at him at once?"
Suo Tian glanced at me, then slowly said, "A car crashed into a tree in the clearing out front."
He paused for a moment, then added before we could speak, "The person inside is probably dead."
The moment Suo Tian finished speaking, the room fell silent...
Right now, no matter what we said, none of us could just stand by and watch a life fade away right in front of us without feeling something.
After a few minutes of respectful silence, Yangyang sighed and asked, "Why would the car suddenly crash into a tree?"
Suo Tian shook his head, indicating he didn't know either.
"Let's not focus on that right now," Mei Jing said, raising the most pressing concern.
"What I'm worried about is—won't that loud crash attract everything nearby?"