A hot summer afternoon. The sound of cicadas came in waves, and the scorching sunlight shone through the open window, falling on the dirt floor inside the house and bringing a wave of heat.
The weather was so hot that it made people sweat all over, but it couldn't warm anyone's heart.
Grandpa Su walked in slowly with his hands behind his back. As soon as he reached the doorway, he asked, "How is she? Has she woken up yet?" He was old, and his speech was a little slow, but even so, it couldn't hide the worry in his heart.
Yesterday around noon, his third grandson suddenly felt uneasy. He had a bad feeling that something had happened at home. Then, they found the little granddaughter by the river after she had fallen in.
The barefoot doctor in the village said if they had been even a little later, the little girl wouldn't have made it. Now she had been saved, but no one could say when she would wake up.
Hailee had always been pretty since she was little, soft and cute like a little dumpling. The whole family adored her, as if they were afraid she would break or melt if held too tightly.
Now she was lying in bed with a pale face, her life uncertain. Even Grandpa Su, who had seen many things in life, felt deeply upset.
Looking after Hailee were her mother and Grandma Su. When they heard Grandpa Su's question, Grandma Su wiped the corners of her eyes and choked out, "Not yet. I don't know who the heartless person was who did this. My good granddaughter… If I ever find out who did it, I'll skin them alive."
Hailee was such a well-behaved child. How could she have fallen into the water? Someone must have done this to her.
Mother Li didn't say anything, but the anger in her eyes was just as strong. She had three sons and only this one precious daughter. She never even let Hailee do chores, afraid she would suffer.
Now that her daughter had been hurt like this, how could she stay calm?
Just as she was thinking this, a soft sound suddenly came from the bed. Mother Li was instantly pulled out of her thoughts. Tears filled her eyes with surprise and joy. "Hailee, my precious girl, you're awake?"
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face. She quickly wiped them with her sleeve, afraid they'd block her view of her daughter.
Hailee frowned. Her eyes were still closed, and her eyelids felt heavy. Her throat burned painfully and felt dry.
She opened her mouth and softly said, "Water."
Just that one word felt like a knife cutting through her throat. The pain almost made her cry.
Hailee paused, then mocked herself. She used to be a fearless leader in the apocalypse, not afraid of anything, even willing to die together with the zombie king. Since when did she become so weak? Just a small injury and she was already wanting to cry?
Wait. Something was wrong.
Hailee's eyes snapped open. She remembered clearly choosing to go down with the zombie king, using a powerful bomb she had carefully crafted. It had enough power to destroy everything within ten miles.
How could she still be alive?
She opened her eyes to see an old face full of wrinkles. Instinctively, Hailee wanted to throw a punch.
In the apocalypse, the scariest thing wasn't just zombies or mutant animals, but people. People were unpredictable, more dangerous than anything else.
She had survived by being cautious, never letting strangers get close, not even when injured.
Hailee was confused. When did she become so careless that she didn't even notice an old lady without any strength getting near her?
No, this didn't make sense. In the later days of the apocalypse, ordinary people had a hard time surviving, especially the elderly.
The old lady in front of her looked thin and had a yellowish face, clearly from long-term malnutrition, but she was alive. There was light in her eyes, a kind of hope for life.
This definitely wasn't someone living in the apocalypse.
"You," who are you?
As soon as the word "you" left her mouth, the old lady laughed. She was already old, and when she smiled, the wrinkles on her face made her look even older.
"My good granddaughter is awake. The doctor said you choked on water. Your throat must be feeling uncomfortable now. Don't speak yet, and don't worry. Drink some water to soothe your throat."
After saying that, she reached out and touched Hailee's forehead. After confirming that her temperature was normal, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
The doctor had said her granddaughter was in critical condition and mentioned many possible complications. Fortunately, the only problem was her throat discomfort, and none of the other things happened.
And thankfully, her granddaughter had woken up.
Good granddaughter?
Hailee felt full of confusion. She urgently wanted to figure out what was going on. When she calmed down and focused, she realized that not only was her body weak, but her powers were also gone. That made her panic.
She knew all too well what life was like for people without powers in the apocalypse. Especially women, their fate was tragic.
Taking a deep breath, she told herself not to panic. While the old lady helped her drink water, she quietly looked around.
A small, rather run-down room. Other than the bed she was lying on, there was a rectangular table placed against the wall.
The table looked old but was very clean.
The walls were made of both bricks and clay. The lower part, about one meter high, was brick, and the upper part was clay.
The floor was also made of dirt. Still, it was clean.
The whole room gave off one impression: poverty.
Could it be that she had been saved by people from some remote mountain village?
As soon as that thought came up, Hailee denied it. Even if there were such a backward village, it couldn't be anywhere near the city she had lived in.
Life in the apocalypse was hard. The government built survival bases centered around several big cities. Those cities had been the most developed areas before the apocalypse, surrounded by tall buildings. A village like this was impossible there.
Grandma Su helped her sit up, and Mother Li personally brought over some sugar water and fed it to her. When her lips touched the sweet liquid, Hailee's mind, which had been drifting, was pulled back. She instinctively opened her mouth and gulped it down.
When only a bit was left, Mother Li stirred the cup with a chopstick and fed her the last drops.
"I added malted milk in this. You mustn't waste it."
Speaking of the malted milk, Mother Li couldn't help but swallow hard. In times like these, malted milk was a luxury. It wasn't something just anyone could buy.
Their family had this tin of malted milk only because Grandpa Su had once been a soldier and a minor official. It had been given to him by the higher-ups for his health. He couldn't bear to drink it himself and saved it for the kids.
When the girl fell into the water, Grandpa Su was afraid she wouldn't be able to eat properly and wouldn't get enough nutrition. So he told Mother Li to use the last half-tin to make something for her.
Malted milk? What's that?
Hailee subconsciously looked up, and her eyes landed on the only tin on the table. The side facing her just happened to have the characters for "malted milk" printed on it.