When I was avoiding zombies and went to a small supermarket, I encountered my boyfriend and his group.
They had been hiding in the small supermarket all along.
At that time, their excuse was that there were too many zombies outside, and they didn't dare to go out.
But when I went there, there weren't any zombies outside at all.
Obviously, they were lying.
Perhaps they thought we girls were burdens and didn't want to take care of us anymore.
I thought I had seen through their true nature that time, but I never expected that once some people's evil nature is unleashed, there's no bottom to their depravity!
I didn't force them to do anything, just said I wanted to take some supplies back for their girlfriends.
At that time, they still had a shred of conscience. Although they weren't willing to return with me, they did give me some food.
I planned to give those supplies to their girlfriends and leave by myself at dawn.
I had my own matters to attend to. I could help them once, but I definitely couldn't take care of them forever.
However, that night, a group of people suddenly broke through the windows and jumped into my house.
These people were from the abandoned prison.
From them, we learned that those worthless men had betrayed us.
Those scumbags had revealed our location to save their own lives.
I watched helplessly as three of the girls were tortured until they lost their minds.
They were going to do the same to me, but one of them said I would be more useful if they took me back, so I escaped that fate.
You know what happened after that."
"Were those three girls the ones I saw at the abandoned prison?"
"No, of those three who were tortured, two went insane, and that group killed them because they were considered burdens.
The remaining one was... repeatedly tortured on the way back until she died.
The three you saw were others they captured from elsewhere during their return journey."
Hearing this, Yun Xiaoxiao was speechless.
After the apocalypse, girls faced more dangers than boys.
This must be why Jin Xiaoqing disguised herself as a boy.
She understood this better than anyone.
While they were talking, they had arrived at the house's gate.
Just as they stood under the eaves, the rain suddenly became much heavier.
It poured down like a curtain of water.
"Xiaoqing, you're back?"
Hearing movement outside, Jin Xiaoqing's Mother came out smiling.
Their father followed closely behind.
When both parents saw Yun Xiaoxiao and Ling Jing, they were clearly taken aback.
"Who are these..."
"Mom, Dad, this little sister is the one I mentioned before, who saved me."
She looked at Ling Jing, "And this is sister Xiaoxiao's companion."
"Oh, oh, welcome, welcome! Come in quickly and dry off, you're all wet."
Jin Xiaoqing's Mother hurriedly invited them in, her face radiating warmth.
Jin Xiaoqing's Father also smiled kindly, "Yes, yes, come have some hot tea to ward off the cold."
It was evident that Jin Xiaoqing's parents were very down-to-earth people.
Though the house's furnishings were simple, everything was neat and comfortable.
The yard had both flowers and vegetables.
This was clearly a family that knew how to live well.
"Please sit for a while, I'll go cook a few more dishes."
Jin Xiaoqing's Mother smiled warmly before heading to the kitchen.
The group chatted casually.
Through their conversation, they learned that the siblings' parents were forest rangers for this mountain.
They usually preferred to stay close to the forest.
For work convenience, and to let their children have more contact with nature and a different kind of childhood,
the couple had worked together to build this wooden house on this large grassland.
They had made it more and more complete over time.
"Sister, I need to use the bathroom, where is it?"
Yun Xiaoxiao suddenly asked.
Jin Xiaoqing: "It's behind the kitchen, I'll show you the way."
The conversation paused as Yun Xiaoxiao followed Jin Xiaoqing to the bathroom.
The entire house had a covered walkway around its exterior that led directly to the kitchen and bathroom, so they didn't have to walk in the rain.
At this time, the rain was still intensifying, and combined with the howling wind and dark sky, it created quite an eerie atmosphere.
After using the bathroom, Yun Xiaoxiao was about to return to the living room when she heard sobbing sounds.
They seemed to be coming from the kitchen.
Curious, she walked over and saw Jin Shengjie in the dim kerosene lamplight, crying while looking at chicken feathers scattered on the floor.
"There, there, don't cry. She's your sister's savior, and we don't have anything good to serve them except Little Flower..."
Jin Xiaoqing's Mother was patiently consoling Jin Shengjie.
"I know, Mom. I'm just a bit sad. When no one would talk to me, I always talked to Little Flower, but now... Don't worry, I'll only cry for a moment, I'll be fine soon."
He sniffled and wiped the tears from his face.
Hearing this, Yun Xiaoxiao quietly turned and left without saying anything.
A while later, dinner was ready.
"Come, come, we don't have anything special, please make do with what we have."
Jin Xiaoqing's Mother smiled as she brought out a pot of firewood-cooked chicken.
Jin Shengjie carried a plate of greens in one hand and a plate of steaming buns in the other.
There was only a small pot of rice, probably enough for just two people.
Looking at the meal setup, Yun Xiaoxiao realized that if she and Ling Jing hadn't come today, this family would probably have had just vegetables and steamed buns for dinner.
The siblings had gone out looking for supplies probably because they were running low on food, so they likely couldn't afford to eat rice.
The rice had been specially cooked for her and Ling Jing's visit.
And then there was... that chicken.
"I won't eat, you all go ahead."
Ling Jing walked to one side by himself.
"Please eat something, don't try to save food for us, we have enough."
Jin Xiaoqing's Mother quickly urged, thinking Ling Jing was just being polite.
Yun Xiaoxiao picked up a large piece of chicken, "Auntie, don't mind him, he's on a diet. If he's not eating, we'll eat more. Come on, everyone, eat up."
She directly placed the chicken into Jin Xiaoqing's Mother's bowl.
Ling Jing's mouth twitched, but he didn't expose the truth.
Jin Xiaoqing's Mother was touched but flustered, and she passed the chicken to Jin Xiaoqing.
"I don't really like it, you all eat."
Jin Xiaoqing frowned slightly and passed the chicken to her father.
"I don't care for it either, let Shengjie have it, he needs to grow."
Jin Xiaoqing's Father put the piece of chicken in Jin Shengjie's bowl.
That single piece of chicken kept getting passed around.
It wasn't that they didn't want to eat it, but rather... they couldn't bear to.
Everyone wanted to save the best for others.
Yun Xiaoxiao watched silently, saying nothing.
Afterward, she was practically the only one eating the chicken heartily, while the others barely touched the dish of chicken again.
