Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Are You Okay?

The person didn’t seem malicious, so Xing He nodded. “Yes. You can just call me Xiao Xing.”

“My surname is Wang.”

Xing He felt an instinctive warmth toward elderly women. She called out obediently, “Grandma Wang.”

Grandma Wang smiled in response and leaned against the wall to slowly sit down. “My old man passed away last year, and I’ve only got one son who works out of town. I’m a bit worried about him, but he never picks up when I call. Is there something wrong with this phone? Can you check it for me?”

Xing He took the device. It looked like a military-grade handset, even equipped with advanced satellite communication features likely custom-made. It seemed her son was very filial. Looking at the call logs, there were indeed over a dozen unanswered outgoing calls. She checked the buttons and the system; everything was functional.

Considering safety and battery life, most people would keep their phones on silent during this time. Xing He tried dialing the number labeled “Son.” The dial tone rang, but after a while, the cold mechanical voice responded: “Hello, the number you dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later.”

Xing He hung up. “Grandma Wang, your phone is fine. It just didn’t go through. You’ll have to try again later.”

Grandma Wang frowned. “He told me this was some advanced satellite technology, said it would work even during an earthquake.”

Xing He comforted her: “Many places have no signal these days; it’s normal not to get through. Your son has likely already joined up with the rescue forces. Don’t worry.”

Grandma Wang tucked the phone back into her pocket, seemingly accepting the explanation about the poor signal.

Xing He thought the old woman would leave now that the favor was done, but a pair of scarred, rough hands suddenly took hold of her bandaged left hand. Xing He instinctively moved to pull away, but seeing the pity in the old woman’s eyes, she suppressed her reflex.

“Xiao Hua said when they found you, your hand was bleeding non-stop. Does it hurt, dear?”

Xing He shook her head. “It doesn’t hurt, Grandma.”

Grandma Wang pulled a crumpled bag from her pocket. Unwrapping layer after layer of cloth, she revealed a single boiled egg. “You must be starving. I boiled this egg before I left home the day before yesterday. It hasn’t gone bad yet. Eat this for now.”

Xing He waved her hands. “No, Grandma, I’m not hungry. You should eat it yourself.”

Grandma Wang insisted, stuffing the egg into Xing He’s hand. “I have more! Listen to this old woman—eggs are nutritious. You’re injured; you’ll heal faster if you eat this.”

“But…” Xing He tried to refuse again.

Grandma Wang’s face fell, looking as though she would be genuinely angry if Xing He said another word of protest. Xing He had no choice but to swallow her words. Seeing her finally obey, a smile returned to Grandma Wang’s face.

“My old man and I always wanted a girl. Girls are so sweet and well-behaved. But we ended up with a boy. That boy was a handful growing up, but he turned out alright. He’s a police officer in another city now.”

Xing He could tell the old woman’s love for daughters was genuine, but she was clearly proud of her son as well.

A pregnant woman nearby joined the conversation. “Your son sounds amazing! I hope my baby grows up to be that successful.”

Since both had children, they found common ground and were soon chatting away. Xing He listened from the side, unable to contribute much.

In truth, she had a grim suspicion regarding Grandma Wang’s son. If he were an ordinary civilian, perhaps he had just lost his phone. But as a police officer, he would have been on the front lines when the virus broke out. If even a satellite phone couldn’t reach him, then most likely…

Looking at the white-haired woman who trembled even as she walked, Xing He couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“Back during the wars, we didn’t have many good days. I thought you young people wouldn’t have to go through what we did,” Grandma Wang sighed. “I didn’t expect that just as my life is nearing its end, I’d have to see you children suffering like this.”

The woman in the gaudy pink dress in the corner suddenly spoke up, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Old lady Wang, if you know your life is nearing its end, why bother being a burden to everyone else?”

The mother with the child couldn’t stand it. “Li Xiaoyan, everyone grows old. Have some heart.”

Li Xiaoyan sneered. “Zhao Li, you have the nerve to plead for her? You’re in the same boat—you can barely feed yourself, yet you brought along another mouth that only knows how to eat.”

Xing He frowned. “Can you shut up? The noise is giving me a headache.”

Li Xiaoyan’s face turned black with rage, but she was afraid of Xing He because she had been bitten. She glared venomously at Zhao Li and Grandma Wang but said nothing more.

Just then, Fan Hua returned, accompanied by a beautiful woman and several men. They were wearing body armor and carrying rifles; it seemed they had finished scavenging the nearby supplies.

Fan Hua must have briefed them beforehand, as Chen Xia’s face showed no surprise at seeing Xing He. She performed a routine check and, seeing that Xing He seemed stable, said nothing.

The men, however, had different expressions, exchanging looks and whispering behind Chen Xia’s back. Eventually, one man stepped forward. He walked up to Xing He with a look of extreme caution and roughly pulled back the gauze on her hand. Seeing the jagged, irregular wound, he flinched and retreated two steps.

“She was bitten!”

A man in dress slacks stepped forward. His name was Peng Peng, and he seemed to be the leader of this faction. After confirming the wound, he immediately questioned Chen Xia. “Officer Chen, your girlfriend didn’t mention she was housing someone bitten by a zombie.”

Chen Xia hadn’t known the extent of the injury, but since Xing He hadn’t turned, she felt it was only right to take her in. She replied stoically, “She didn’t say the person hadn’t been bitten, either.”

Peng Peng was so angry he laughed. “Fine. You’re a ‘police officer for the people,’ and I won’t argue about playing the hero with you. Do what you want, but according to our agreement: we take five parts of the supplies, you take one. You can stay here with your pile of ‘dead weight’ and keep playing cop.”

Chen Xia said nothing, merely standing by the door. Her meaning was clear: Get out.

Peng Peng stormed out, followed by his lackeys. One small man, who hadn’t spoken the entire time, looked up just once. His eyes met Xing He’s. In that instant, she saw a flicker of murderous intent and predatory desire, which was immediately replaced by a mask of cowardice. He looked away in feigned fear.

That is a deeply calculating and dangerous man, Xing He concluded. She decided she would warn Chen Xia and Fan Hua when she got the chance.

Once the men were gone, Fan Hua lightened the mood with a few jokes while Chen Xia quietly distributed supplies. The atmosphere in the hall finally relaxed.

Grandma Wang received a piece of bread. Zhao Li, the pregnant woman, received a carton of milk and oatmeal. Xing He and Li Xiaoyan were given a simple bag of biscuits.

Chen Xia clearly favored those who were physically weaker, which seemed logical to most, but Li Xiaoyan didn’t see it that way. She took the biscuits with a fake smile, but the moment Chen Xia turned away, her expression soured. She looked at Zhao Li and the others with envy, thinking bitterly that Chen Xia must be hoarding the good stuff for herself and Fan Hua.

Chen Xia eventually reached Xing He and handed her the transparent bag of biscuits.

Xing He waved it off. “I’m not hungry. You guys eat.” It wasn’t just politeness; she truly wasn’t hungry. It had been nearly a day since she left home. Aside from the initial weakness when she first woke up, her strength had returned—she actually felt more energetic than when she started. Her wound no longer pained her, only itching occasionally. She guessed her new “Super Regeneration” ability was at work.

Chen Xia, thinking she was just being modest, said seriously: “You have to eat to recover your strength. Otherwise, if you become a burden, I might actually leave you behind.”

Unbelievable, Xing He thought. In two lifetimes of the apocalypse, this is the first time someone has threatened me into eating.

Seeing her hesitation, Fan Hua chimed in, “Go on, eat. We have plenty.”

Xing He couldn’t win, so she took the biscuits and feigned a few bites before tucking them into her bag. Chen Xia worked hard for these; she would return them before she left.

The two women went over to their bed and began whispering to each other. As darkness fell and the distant moans of zombies echoed outside, Xing He couldn’t help but worry about Qing Meng.

Is she okay alone at home?

Remembering her phone was still by the bed at home, she asked to borrow Grandma Wang’s phone. It was as if someone had been waiting by the receiver; the call was answered almost instantly.

A soft voice came through: “Hello? Who is this, please?”

The voice was filled with obvious hope, mixed with a nervous fear of disappointment.

“It’s me. Xing He.”

There was a short silence on the other end. Then, Xing He heard a voice struggling to suppress a sob.

“Are you okay?”

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