Chapter 141: Chapter 140: An Apocalyptic Life from Scratch (14)
After the staff member left, Su Shu surveyed the place where she and Xiaoâai were to stay, acknowledging that it indeed felt a bit damp and chilly.
However, they were not among the disaster victims sent here at the first moment of the disaster; it was because she could not bear to see Xiaoâai aggrieved that they had stayed in the hotel for two more days, arriving only when the initial crisis day was about to pass.
It might be chilly, but after all, they would not stay here for too long before the entire shelter would be reorganized and managed.
On the floor, she laid out the foam pad theyâd been given, and from her suitcase, she took out a small, fluffy blanket to place on Xiaoâaiâs spot, trying to make it as comfortable as possible for her.
Xiaoâai was well-behaved, knowing that her aunt was busy, she didnât interrupt and quietly stood by her little suitcase, holding her own Mr. Dinosaur, waiting.
In the huge hall of the badminton court, a few hundred people were crammed, all like Su Shu, carrying the government-issued luggage and making do with their allocated spots to rest.
Having arranged their resting area, Su Shu patted the mattress, calling Xiaoâai to come and rest.
Inside the venue, unlike outside where there were tents providing some separation, here, everyone slept togetherâeverything was visible at a glance with not the slightest bit of privacy.
Though Su Shu was not used to it, for the moment, there was no alternative.
She could not possibly wander alone with Xiaoâai in such a chaotic world; that wouldnât be brave, it would be suicidal.
Now, as the Apocalypse had just begun, the societal structure and morality had not yet immediately crumbled; but with time, once people snapped out of their shock, the world would no longer be that of an era abundant in resources, and it would turn into a brutal battlefield of humans preying on each other.
Even with immense power, she could not risk placing herself and Xiaoâai in such peril.
Here, every day, more people were brought in; inside, some lay numbly with expressionless faces, quiet and silent; some sat on their mattresses, hugging their knees and silently weeping; some looked tense as they repeatedly dialed phone numbers, getting increasingly anxious as they failed to connect; some ordinary citizens, having calmed down, actively helped the government staff arrange the disaster victimsâ accommodations, coming and going in a sweat.
Holding Xiaoâai in her arms and covered with a blanket, Su Shu silently observed the situation in the hall for a while.
She looked down and let out a soft sigh.
This was only the beginning, she thought.
There would be many more and much harder challenges to face in the future.
Hearing her soft sigh, Xiaoâai turned her head and looked up at her.
Su Shu gently touched her little face and smiled, âAre you hungry?â
Xiaoâai shook her head.
âIf youâre hungry, eat some bread.â
Xiaoâai nodded.
Su Shu took out a fairy tale book from her backpack for Xiaoâai, and while Xiaoâai read, she sat behind her, redoing the little girlâs hair.
Next to where Su Shu and Xiaoâai were staying, there was a family of four: a father, a mother, and two brothers.
The mother, seeing Su Shu fixing the girlâs hair tie, said with envy, âGirls are nice, so obedient and docile.â
Su Shu turned her head, and the woman greeted her with a smile, âHello.â
âHello,â Su Shu responded politely.
âMy name is Li Xiaoxia, you can call me Sister Xiaoxia.â
The womanâs voice was very gentle, but Su Shuâs expression was reserved, her politeness distancing.
âAlright.â
The woman hesitated for a momentâher attempt to be friendly had not been reciprocated with a nameâthen realizing that Su Shu did not want to get too close, she smiled faintly and said nothing further.
Su Shu glanced at the woman in her thirties beside her, appreciating her acumen.