82: Be prepared!

While Bai Wanning's home was filled with laughter and warmth, on the other side, after Bai Minghe had settled Bai Qingshi's family, the atmosphere was as cold as an ice cellar.

Bai Qingshi's family had been trapped in prison before and knew nothing about the outside world.

The Apocalypse came so suddenly, they had no preparations whatsoever, and their temporary accommodation was bitterly cold, without electricity or water.

Although Bai Minghe had found a portable heater, without electricity, how could it be used?

As for food—

"Is this all?" Chu Xia's face immediately darkened as she looked at the few fish Bai Minghe had painstakingly caught earlier.

She had once lived a life of wealth and luxury, taking whatever she desired, but now, overnight, she had fallen to such a state, her heart filled with resentment.

In the past, with just a word, delicacies were at her fingertips, but now she couldn't even eat a decent meal.

"Mom," Bai Xue tugged at her sleeve, nudged her chin towards Bai Minghe, and softly reminded her to be mindful of her words.

Only then did Chu Xia force a smile and say, "I didn't say anything harsh... it's just that there are so many people, I'm afraid there won't be enough to eat. Minghe, don't misunderstand."

Bai Minghe naturally understood whether her words contained barbs. He silently pursed his lips, stood up, and said, "I'm not eating. You all share it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the room where he slept, not even sparing a glance back.

Perhaps he knew in his heart that no one would truly stop him.

After he entered the room, Chu Xia immediately spat on the ground: "Pah! Just that one pack of biscuits and a few fish, and he acts like he's bestowing charity upon us? Is there really a need to put on such a smug display?"

"Mom!" Bai Xue cast a wary glance at Bai Minghe's door, then turned to Chu Xia, her face full of anger, "Can you please not be so impulsive? Or do you simply not know what's happening outside? If you keep acting like this, will Older Brother Minghe still go out to find supplies for us? Do you want him to abandon us?"

"How dare he?!" Chu Xia shrieked. Unlike others, she had never truly accepted the fact that the world had completely changed.

Bai Qingshi finally lost his temper.

He violently slammed the half-eaten fish onto the ground and roared furiously, "Chu Chuxia! Are you blind?! Can't you see so many people kneeling and begging us to take them with us? Didn't you see that couple push their own mother towards that monster?!"

As Bai Qingshi brought up that incident, Chu Chuxia's entire body trembled violently.

On their way home with Bai Minghe, they had witnessed a young couple push an old woman behind them towards the pursuing zombies.

The scene that followed was gruesome.

The monster pounced directly, biting off half of the old woman's face. Chu Chuxia would never forget the agonizing screams the old woman let out as she struggled to push the monster away.

But no matter how she shrieked, the couple who had personally pushed her into hell never looked back.

Finally, half of the old woman's face was gnawed off, and most of her intestines were torn out, leaving her drenched in blood.

Chu Xia originally thought she was dead, but she never expected that after the monster left, that bloody body would stagger to its feet, and she too became a monster.

In just a few seconds, Chu Xia witnessed the process of a human turning into a monster. The fear of that moment was etched into her bones like frost.

"Hmph." Seeing her terrified expression, Bai Qingshi said coldly, "Do you still think we live in the past? This world is already ruined. If you keep talking nonsense, go out and find food yourself! I'm telling you, if Minghe kicks you out, I won't care about you anymore."

"My dear!" Chu Xia's heart chilled at his cold words.

They had been together for over twenty years, yet now he could say such things without hesitation—that if Bai Minghe didn't want her, he wouldn't care either.

Bai Qingshi ignored her and turned to look at Bai Xue and Su Hu.

"You two as well," he said in a cold tone, "Don't cause trouble for Minghe. Think carefully before you speak or act. If he gets angry, you'll only be able to fend for yourselves; don't expect me to help you."

Bai Xue was startled by her father's cold and heartless demeanor, but reason still made her nod: "Dad, don't worry, we won't cause trouble for Older Brother Minghe."

After all, what more could one expect from a man who would sell his daughter for business?

...Bai Wanning had no idea what was happening on Bai's side.

With the advent of the Apocalypse, the once stable water, electricity, and gas supplies were all cut off, and even the communication network lost its signal. People had no choice but to find new ways to survive on their own.

The rain gradually lessened, but the temperature dropped day by day.

Bai Wanning thought about connecting the previously collected radiators to each room and then to a generator, but she couldn't do it alone and needed her Older Brothers' help.

However, everyone's minds were in disarray now, all worried about survival, and no one was willing to do these chores at such a time.

Mother Bai had ventured out late that night and returned with a high fever. Although she didn't say anything at the time, she was clearly terrified out of her wits.

Since then, Bai Wanning no longer dared to let her mother go out. She simply let her mother stay at home in peace, responsible for planting vegetables and fruits.

Although Mother Bai didn't notice anything unusual, Bai Wanning, as an Ability User, had long noticed the small sapling that often moved around her mother.

Bai Wanning still didn't know what ability Yan Meiyu had awakened, so Bai Wanning decided to ask her mother after she recovered.

After all, seeing the drastic changes in the world, it was inevitable that her mother would be afraid.

"Those supplies..." Mother Bai, lying weakly in bed, still couldn't help but ask.

"Mom, Older Brothers and I will handle it," Bai Wanning said, tucking her quilt in, "Also, don't worry about this. If you can grow the crops well, that will be a great help to us. At least we won't starve if we don't go out."

Mother Bai hesitated but finally sighed, "I wish I could awaken like Jixuan and Zhan'er."

"Mom," Bai Wanning interrupted her, asking seriously, "Do you truly want to awaken, or are you saying this because you're afraid of becoming a burden after awakening, like Older Brothers?"

Seeing Mother Bai didn't answer, Bai Wanning sighed, sat on her bed, took her hand, and held it gently, yet firmly.

"Mom, you don't have to worry about being a burden to us. You raised us, and you've done very well."

"Occasionally wanting to relax and live a comfortable life is what you deserve. If there isn't even a glimmer of hope for life, then what meaning would the three of us Ability Users have?"

Seeing her mother relax slightly, Bai Wanning understood that she didn't necessarily want to awaken, but rather was afraid of dragging her children down.

Bai Wanning smiled and said to her mother, "Mom, why don't you try researching ways to awaken? Although it's the Apocalypse now, there were still some researchers who started studying the changes and effects after awakening before the Apocalypse."

"I'll send you some of the theories they proposed. You can read them and find your own method, and perhaps you'll awaken your own power."

If she could, Bai Wanning would have told her mother the truth long ago.

But thinking about her current weak body and tense mind, and not yet fully accepting the existence of supernatural beings and zombies, she decided to wait until her mother's health improved and her emotions stabilized before telling her.

If she told her now, it might worsen her condition, which would be counterproductive.