Alice hadn't noticed just now, but upon sitting down, she discovered several dishes she liked, and a smile crept onto her lips.
Seeing how easily satisfied she was, Blanche couldn't help but smile. "I tried a different approach today, see if you like it."
Alice picked up a piece of duck meat and, surprisingly, found it tasty. "Delicious."
The family enjoyed their meal, but many nearby, unable to eat, only grew hungrier smelling the aroma.
"Who gets to eat meat every day, smells so good. Can't you consider others' feelings?"
"Shameless, showing off like that. You'll get robbed sooner or later, then it'll be good."
"Don't let me catch who's eating meat. Otherwise, I'll have to... steal some back."
"They just have skills. Even in the apocalypse, they can still live luxuriously. Unlike us, we used to be poor laborers. Now everyone's doing well, but we're still lagging behind."
"..."
The Allen family had no idea their meat consumption had caused such an uproar.And even if they knew, they'd continue eating without hesitation.No one said they couldn't eat meat. Whether you can eat meat or not depends solely on your abilities.
Unable to go outside, the family could only sit at home by the fire, roasting a few ears of corn.
Alice sat beside Blanche, chatting away, and soon the conversation turned to childhood.
"You were so soft and adorable when you were little. Grew up into such a gentle lady. I never expected you to become such a tomboy now," Blanche said, looking at her tenderly.
Alice just wanted to escape at this moment, after all, that wasn't 'her' childhood. She couldn't empathize.
"Environment shapes one's character," Alice replied with a smile.
"That's why I worry." Blanche gently touched her hand. She could see a hint of toughness in Alice now, all traces of a ladylike demeanor gone.Alice felt quite content with herself. She could only reassure Blanche, "You should be glad that I have the ability to protect myself. Even when I go out, you don't need to worry about me."
If it were the previous soft and tender original owner, she might have been bullied into who knows what in this apocalypse. Oh, wait, no, the Allen family were just cannon fodder.
As the family chatted happily, a loud collapse suddenly came from outside.
The Allen family members paused for a moment, then quickly opened the door and went outside. Thankfully, their yard was intact.
The next moment, screams came from outside. "Oh no, the wall collapsed! Help!"
Outside, there was a commotion. Alice put on her raincoat and went out.
Alexander glanced around, picked up an umbrella by the door, but as soon as he opened it, the umbrella was blown away by the strong wind.
"..."
Alice arrived at the gate and saw that the wall of the house diagonally opposite had collapsed.
The people from that house were cursing, "The base did a shoddy job! You all should be careful too. It's best to prop something against it. Move the stuff near the wall quickly."
"What a mess! This is so unreliable. I'm going to demand compensation from the Base Commander."
After comforting her for a few moments, the crowd went back to check their own yards.
Alice also returned and pushed against the wall of their yard. Surprisingly, it was a bit loose.
Arnold, who had just put on his raincoat, came over and furrowed his brow, "This wall is unstable. We need to find a way to reinforce it."
If it collapses now, it would be troublesome. It's not easy to repair after rain, and the outside electric grid could also be damaged.
For safety, they would turn off the electricity after heavy rain.Alice pondered for a moment. "We don't have any wood here. We'll have to go cut down a tree to prop up the wall."
"I'll go. Hand me the big axe," Arnold reached out to her.
"Let's go together," Alice replied without hesitation.
Ignoring the rain and wind, the siblings briskly walked towards the nearby forest.
Seeing this, Alexander followed suit. He couldn't let his little sister carry wood alone.He suddenly thought of something amusing and approached Alice with a grin, "Remember when you used to love running under the trees when it rained? Big bro and I had a hard time catching you."
Arnold also recalled past memories, a rare smile appearing on his handsome face. "That's right. We told you it wasn't safe under the trees, but you didn't believe us. You even said you've never been struck by lightning and wanted to try it."
Alice facepalmed. Embarrassingly, that foolish girl wasn't her.
"We were foolish kids back then. I remember you, second bro, loved going out in the rain, getting your hands swollen from being hit, but you wouldn't listen to anyone," Alice raised an eyebrow, teasing each other.
Now it was Alexander's turn to be speechless.
Meanwhile, Arnold, always the exemplary older brother, remained faultless.
The three siblings arrived at the forest and found a large tree to cut down.
"Will one tree be enough? We have two walls in our yard. Should we cut down another tree just in case?" Alice tested both walls, the other side being stable, but for precaution's sake, she nodded.
After cutting down both trees, Alexander did some warm-up exercises. "Little sis, you go back first. Big bro and I will carry them."
"Are you sure you two can handle it?" Alice looked at them skeptically because the two trees didn't look light.Alexander tried lifting one tree and found he couldn't do it alone, so he and Arnold ended up each carrying one end, planning to make two trips to bring them back.
Seeing them successfully descend the mountain, Alice simply hoisted the other tree onto her shoulder and strode down confidently.
Alexander was stunned by this sight, frozen in place.
Arnold, feeling equally dubious about life, chuckled, "Little sis, can't you give us a chance to shine?"His sister was too impressive, making them feel particularly useless as older brothers.
"I'm just strong," Alice laughed.
Suddenly, Alexander remembered something, "Wait a minute, you used to be weak. You couldn't even open a bottle cap. Even if you've grown up, you couldn't have gotten this strong."
Alice, smiling mischievously, asked, "So, what's your conclusion?"
Guess what? He couldn't guess that she wasn't their sister anyway.
After pondering for a moment, Alexander mysteriously declared, "You've always been this strong, haven't you? You've been hiding it from us, right?"
Alice: "...Yeah, you're right."
"I'll go ahead. Catch up soon," Alice impatiently urged them to move faster and took the lead.
Watching their little sister stride ahead with ease, Arnold and Alexander could only silently pick up their pace.
The three siblings returned home in the wind and rain. Seeing Alice carrying the wood alone, Atticus felt heartbroken. "Let your two brothers carry it. Your shoulders are delicate. What if they collapse?"
Then, he turned to his wife and whispered, "Make more nourishing soup for them in the future."
Arnold: "..."
Alexander: "..."
After bringing the wood back and cutting it into four pieces, they propped them against the wall.
Alice touched the wall, making sure it wouldn't budge, before finally feeling reassured.