She endured until daybreak, washed her face with cold water to shake off the drowsiness, though her head still throbbed with pain.
Fearing she might also be running a fever, she took her temperature—it was normal. She brewed a packet of cold medicine and drank it. In the kitchen, she ladled out some porridge that had been kept warm. Shu Dabao only took a few sips, while Shu Hanguang finished his bowl in one go.
Neither had the energy to speak.
Shu Dabao couldn’t sleep anymore, her small eyes filled with unmistakable longing. Suppressing her irritation, Feng Qingyue helped her sit up in bed, propping pillows behind her and setting up a small bed table in front with a tablet to play cartoons—whatever she wanted to watch.
Shu Dabao stared quietly at the screen. Feng Qingyue examined her eyes closely; though they lacked their usual sparkle, they were clear and alert—just an ordinary cold, after all.
She went to check on Shu Hanguang, who was snoring soundly in deep sleep.
Taking out her phone to fill out some forms, she hadn’t finished when a video call came through from home. Before she could even say a word after answering, another video call lit up Shu Hanguang’s phone.
She simply propped her own phone next to the tablet—since both sides just wanted to see the child—and took Shu Hanguang’s phone to the living room to answer.
On the other end were Father Shu and Mother Shu. As soon as the video connected and they saw who was on screen, Mother Shu’s heart sank: Oh no, it’s our daughter-in-law.
Worry overpowered their awkwardness, and they instantly concluded something had happened to their son, asking in unison, “Where’s Hanguang?”
Feng Qingyue forced herself to appear relaxed, smiling as she replied, “He caught a bit of a fever from Dabao, ate breakfast, and went back to sleep.”
Father Shu and Mother Shu immediately asked to see him, and Shu Xin squeezed into the frame as well.
Feng Qingyue walked to the bedroom, hearing her own parents speaking softly to Shu Dabao from the other room.
Shu Hanguang’s dark complexion made it hard to tell if he was flushed from fever, and he was always a deep sleeper. At the moment, he was snoring contentedly in bed, looking utterly at ease.
Holding the phone up to Shu Hanguang’s face, Feng Qingyue reached out and touched his forehead, exclaiming with relief, “His fever’s gone down, it’s gone down! He’ll be fine, definitely fine.”
She pinched his ear, trying to wake him.
Shu Hanguang frowned, half-opening his eyes, and mumbled, “Hungry… want meat.”
Able to eat and sleep—clearly a healthy, living person.
The elderly couple on the other end felt a bit embarrassed. Having confirmed their son was fine, they turned their concern to their granddaughter. Feng Qingyue moved to the next room, saying cheerfully, “Dabao, say hello to Grandpa and Grandma.”
Her own phone was still on, with Father Feng and Mother Feng remaining silent on the other end.
Shu Dabao stared at the screen, blinking slowly, but said nothing.
If she were well, Feng Qingyue would have given her a smack, no question.
Even so, Father Shu and Mother Shu were overjoyed. Their granddaughter was awake! Though she lacked energy, she was conscious. That meant it was just an ordinary cold.
With their granddaughter improving, their son likely wasn’t in serious trouble either. The elderly couple spoke to Feng Qingyue in gentle, pleading tones, even sounding somewhat deferential. After all, their son was in her care.
Feng Qingyue felt deeply embarrassed, blaming her younger self for failing to restrain her true nature back then.
After ending the call with the Shus, she turned back to her own parents’ video. Shu Dabao was fixated on the tablet, completely ignoring the phone, while Father Feng and Mother Feng patiently watched her without speaking, afraid of disturbing her.
Seeing this, Feng Qingyue’s temper flared: “Just wait until you’re better—I’ll deal with you then.”
Father Feng and Mother Feng chided her, “The child is still feeling unwell. Don’t scare her.”
Feng Qingyue went to the living room, where her parents asked, “Is Hanguang sick?”
Feng Qingyue wiped her forehead. "She has a bit of a fever, but she can eat and drink. Just now she said she wanted meat. I'll stew some later."
The elderly couple waved their hands. "Go ahead then." They added, "Don't tire yourself out."
They told her, "At times like these, you two should take good care of each other."
After putting down her phone, Feng Qingyue went into the kitchen. She took out meat and vegetables and set the electric stew pot on a timer. She checked the kitchen supplies and then went to look in the small storage room. Staples like rice, flour, and oil were fine—they could be stored and eaten slowly. But vegetables and meat… maybe she should go out once?
She hesitated.
Shu Dabao called for her mother, and Feng Qingyue hurried over.
"My head hurts."
Feng Qingyue quickly put away the tablet and asked if she needed to use the bathroom. Shu Dabao shook her head and lay back down.
Feng Qingyue worried. Not urinating or having bowel movements meant the virus couldn't be expelled.
She took Shu Dabao's temperature—it hadn't risen much. Checking the time, she gave her more medicine.
Shu Dabao didn't want to take it, rubbing her stomach. "It's bloated."
Thinking for a moment, Feng Qingyue gave her a pill. Shu Dabao reluctantly drank water to swallow it.
Feng Qingyue then went to Shu Hanguang and had him drink the powdered medicine. Shu Dabao slipped out of bed and slowly walked over. "Daddy."
Shu Hanguang's mind was hazy. "Go back quickly. Daddy has a fever. I don't want to infect you."
Feng Qingyue didn't stop Shu Dabao from coming over, thinking to herself that in such a small space, it would be strange if she didn't get infected.
Shu Dabao leaned against his arm, touching his face and then his forehead. She turned her head. "Mommy, Daddy has a fever."
Feng Qingyue: "Mm, it's okay. He'll be better tomorrow."
Shu Hanguang: "Hurry and take her back."
Feng Qingyue led Shu Dabao back to bed, wiped her down, changed her into dry pajamas, and put the dirty ones in the washing machine.
Shu Dabao quickly fell asleep, and Shu Hanguang also dozed off.
"No, I still have to go out. What if it gets harder to buy things later?"
The three of them hadn't eaten much these past few days, and the full fridge hadn't freed up much space. Feng Qingyue worried that the supply of vegetables and meat might be cut off. Otherwise, why would the property management distribute vegetable seeds?
With both of them sound asleep, Feng Qingyue locked the door, checked it repeatedly, and went downstairs. She drove awkwardly to the supermarket. She rarely drove, so calling her a novice wasn't an exaggeration, but there were noticeably fewer cars on the road.
Trembling, she drove to the parking lot, parked, and took a few steps before suddenly stopping. The cars in the parking lot were usually arranged in a pattern—the closer to the entrance and exit, the more convenient the spot, the more cars parked there. Now, in her view, several prime spots were unexpectedly empty. Looking further, she felt inexplicably that some areas were conspicuously vacant.
And the ground—there were traces of towing in many places.
She thought of something, took out a single-packaged mask, and put it on, figuring it was better than nothing. A few other people around were also there to shop. Whether they noticed anything unusual or not, they all hurried toward the elevator.
Feng Qingyue also walked quickly and noticed everyone was wearing masks. Several people glanced at each other through their masks, clearly wanting to say something. When the elevator arrived and they entered, the small space somehow brought them closer.
"Did any of you come yesterday? I saw a car suddenly crash into another. The driver didn't get out."
"What happened then?" another person asked.
The person shook their head. "When I came out after shopping, I saw someone towing the car away. The driver inside was gone."
The supermarket had limited opening hours. Who had the time to stay and watch?
Another person said, "I know. They must have been taken away. There's a single person living near my place, and I don't know if he left his door unlocked or what, but he crawled out in broad daylight—scared me half to death. Later, some people in uniforms took him away and mentioned something about centralized quarantine."
After exiting the elevator, there were many people outside. Some were maintaining order, and everyone lined up. The available items were limited, so people basically grabbed what they could and left, avoiding congestion.
Feng Qingyue looked around. The supermarket shelves were nothing like their former well-stocked selves. Most of the space was blocked off by moved shelves, and the open ones were filled entirely with food, drinks, and daily necessities.
Those who came had to open a mini-program to state how many people were in their household. The amount of food each person could buy was only enough for three meals a day. Within this limit, they could choose the types of items.
Feng Qingyue wanted to exchange her entire quota for meat but was refused.
"There are limits on meat and vegetables."
Fine, then she would take what was allowed within the limits, along with some instant noodles and flatbreads.
She asked quietly, "Toilet paper, sanitary pads, toilet cleaner, disinfectant—"
These were also limited and in high demand, as they were daily consumables.
In the end, she managed to get one pack of toilet paper, two packs of sanitary pads, and a large bottle of toilet cleaner.