Chen Qingqing was someone who trusted her instincts. Her instincts had saved her life many times.
So instead of staying in bed and waiting, she picked up the machete from the bedside table and cautiously followed him out.
Lin Bai looked outside through the peephole, then opened the door.
“This is rice, and this is flour. See if it’s enough. If it isn’t, I still have more at home.”
The man standing outside was indeed the perverted neighbor from downstairs. His face was plastered with an ingratiating smile.
You might as well take advantage of a bargain when it came your way.
Lin Bai accepted the two bags of rice and flour and nodded at him. “All right. Thanks.”
The man glanced inside again. He happened to see Chen Qingqing walking toward the door, and his eyes lit up—only to immediately notice the identical machete in her hand.
“…”
“You two are really vigilant, huh…” the man said with an awkward laugh.
“Of course. Things are too chaotic outside today.” Chen Qingqing stared intently at him.
“How could we not be careful?”
“I advise you not to go outside either. It’s too dangerous out there,” Chen Qingqing said.
The man scratched his head, seeming surprised by her concern. “Oh… all right.”
“And don’t go around talking nonsense.”
The man was confused. “Talking about what?”
With the machete gripped in her hand, Chen Qingqing took several steps toward him, her voice gradually dropping lower.
“If someone asks you about us… you know what to say, right?”
The man had never seen this kind of look in Chen Qingqing’s eyes.
He had set his sights on this family precisely because Chen Qingqing looked weak and kind.
Yet now, this seemingly delicate woman was giving him an even stronger sense of pressure than the husband standing beside her!
“I’ll say that I don’t know you at all!” his instinct for survival prompted him to blurt out.
This was not an exaggeration. He even felt that if he took one second longer to answer, the machete in Chen Qingqing’s hand would come down on his head!
Only then did Chen Qingqing withdraw her gaze.
“Right. Say exactly that.”
The man asked timidly, “C-can I go now?”
Chen Qingqing simply closed the door and turned toward the bedroom.
“Qingqing?”
Not to mention the neighbor downstairs—even Lin Bai had never seen his wife like this before.
He hurried after her. When he saw her open the wardrobe and begin packing, he could not help but freeze. “Qingqing, what’s wrong?”
Without turning her head, Chen Qingqing continued packing. “I think it’s still dangerous to stay here.”
“Let’s leave. Even if we don’t leave H City, we can find somewhere else to stay.”
Sensing that something was wrong with his wife, Lin Bai continued gently, “Can you tell me why?”
Chen Qingqing paused.
She turned around, the tension plainly visible on her face. “I’m worried that those people will come looking for us.”
“The people who took Shuoshuo’s jade pendant!”
“They formed a team on the second day of the Apocalypse, and they even found our jade pendant… I’m so worried they’ll find us again this time!”
Lin Bai said, “Wasn’t it because I went out last time?”
“What if they come looking for us even if you don’t go out this time?”
As she spoke, Chen Qingqing tightly clutched the clothes in her hands. Sweat had already gathered on her forehead.
“Some things can’t be explained by common sense, like the spatial realm inside the jade pendant!”
“What if they knew from the very beginning that we had the jade pendant and knew where we lived? What if they didn’t just happen to pass through the neighborhood, but came here specifically for us?”
“After all, the jade pendant is so miraculous. Who wouldn’t want it?”
After saying all that, Chen Qingqing collapsed onto the bed. She covered her face with both hands and began to sob softly.
“I’m sorry… Maybe I’m just being too sensitive.”
“I’m really worried that you and the children will be in danger.”
Even potential danger was unacceptable!
If she were alone, perhaps she would not be so afraid.
But after being given another chance at life, she did not want to lose any of her family again!
Lin Bai sat beside her and gently put an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go.”
Chen Qingqing raised her head.
Lin Bai gazed at her with gentle eyes. “Let’s go. I know of a resort hotel nearby. It’s the off-season right now, so there probably won’t be many people there.”
“Once these few days have passed, we’ll come back. How does that sound?”
Chen Qingqing bit her lower lip. “You believe me?”
Lin Bai smiled. “You’re my wife. If I can’t even believe my own wife, then there’s no one in this world worth believing.”
He took the clothes from her hands. “I’ll do it.”
He paused, then looked at Chen Qingqing again, his voice gentle yet firm. “Don’t put any pressure on yourself. Wherever you want to go, our whole family will go with you.”
“Don’t demand too much of yourself just because you’ve been reborn. The world is unpredictable, and besides, this is the Apocalypse. No one can guarantee that they won’t make mistakes.”
“We’re staying by your side not because you’ve been reborn, but because you’re my wife and the mother of my children.”
“It’s because you’re Chen Qingqing.”
“Didn’t Xiaohuan say that our family should help one another because we’re a family?”
Lin Bai’s words were like a warm spring breeze, soothing her agitated and uneasy heart.
Chen Qingqing gradually calmed down.
The two exchanged a smile and began packing together.
After finishing, they took turns standing watch and slept for a short while. At five o’clock in the morning, the alarm rang on schedule.
Lin Bai was responsible for feeding his daughter, while Chen Qingqing went to wake Xiaohuan and help him wash up.
When Xiaohuan returned to the bedroom after washing up, he saw the clothes laid out on the bed.
“Mom, are we going out?”
Chen Qingqing acknowledged him.
After receiving her answer, Xiaohuan put on the new outfit he liked best by himself, then went to sit beside the dining table in the living room.
Chen Qingqing handed him some warmed milk and a fried egg and explained, “We’re going to stay somewhere else for a few days.”
Xiaohuan took a sip of milk, leaving a half-circle of milk around his mouth.
“But isn’t it very dangerous outside?”
Chen Qingqing froze, unsure how to answer.
Lin Bai pulled out a chair and sat beside his son. “But there might be a group of bad people coming to our neighborhood in the next few days.”
“We need to avoid them.”
Xiaohuan nodded thoughtfully, then blinked his big eyes and asked curiously, “Where are we going?”
“To a resort hotel—the kind with slides and a swimming pool. Are you excited?”
Xiaohuan’s eyes lit up, and he immediately clapped his hands. “Yes!”
“Eat quickly. As soon as we’re done, we’ll leave.”
Lin Bai winked at Chen Qingqing.
Chen Qingqing realized that her son was capable of understanding what they were saying.
Although Xiaohuan did not know how bad those people were or what they might do, he understood that his parents were taking them away from home to avoid danger and protect them.
That was much better than telling the children nothing at all.
They might be young, but they still had the right to know where they were going and why.
Once both children had eaten and drunk their fill, the family of four hurried to the underground garage. Soon, they drove out.
Chen Qingqing sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window.
There had been a pileup on this road yesterday, but it had already been cleared away last night.
She wondered whether the road would still be this clear when they returned in a few days.
“A lot of the shops are still open.” Lin Bai looked at the stores on both sides of the street. “Want some milk tea?”
Milk tea…
Chen Qingqing licked her lips.
She had not had any in three years.
Although Chen Qingqing had not said anything outright, Lin Bai understood her little gesture at a glance and could not help laughing.
“I’ll go buy two cups of milk tea.”
At that, Xiaohuan immediately leaned forward. “Is there one for me?”
He knew that Dad never drank milk tea, and Mom definitely could not drink two cups by herself!
Lin Bai reached over and flicked Xiaohuan on the head. “Of course!”
While rubbing his head, Xiaohuan said excitedly, “Then I want coconut jelly, tapioca pearls, pudding, and taro balls!”
Chen Qingqing laughed. “Are you drinking milk tea or eating porridge?”
Xiaohuan smacked his lips. “I haven’t had it in so long!”
Milk tea was high in sugar, so Chen Qingqing did not let Xiaohuan have it often.
Lin Bai soon pulled over by the roadside to buy the milk tea.
During the first few days, relatively few people had been infected, and the hospitals could still accept patients without difficulty, so the roads were not particularly dangerous yet.
Even so, Chen Qingqing vigilantly scanned her surroundings. The machete remained by her feet, ready to be picked up at any moment.
Lin Bai quickly returned with the milk tea, carrying several packets of toppings as well.
There were dry-packaged tapioca pearls and taro balls, along with bagged coconut jelly and agar jelly.
“I asked them. These vacuum-packed ones can be stored at room temperature for several months.”
Chen Qingqing deftly put them into the spatial realm. “Perfect. I bought quite a bit of tea, too.”
“It’s so good!” Xiaohuan took a large gulp of milk tea and happily chewed the tapioca pearls as he heard what Chen Qingqing said.
“Then we can make our own milk tea, too?”
“Of course.” Lin Bai started the car while chatting with his son.
“Wife, is yours good?”
“…Wife?”