"What are you eating?"
Li Lao San walked over, looking puzzled.
The three women instinctively tried to shield Zhang Xiao Xue, but Li Lao San forcefully pushed through. He grabbed Zhang Xiao Xue and pried her clenched fist open. Inside her hand, he found a small piece of uneaten jerky.
"Hmm, dare to hide and eat!"
"Smack!!!"
He slapped Zhang Xiao Xue directly across the face, leaving a handprint. Despite the pain, the little girl suppressed her tears, afraid that crying out loud would result in more beatings. She quietly nestled into her mother Zhang Yu's arms.
Li Lao San put the jerky into his mouth without hesitation, swallowing it down, then turned to He Li, extending his hand:
"What about the rest? You'd better hand it all over, or I'll let Big Brother deal with you!"
Li Lao San wasn't stupid; he knew the jerky could only have been brought back from outside by He Li. But he didn't want to share it with his two brothers. So, he planned to use threats to get all the jerky. Feeling embarrassed, He Li whispered,
"There, there isn't any left..."
"None left?"
Li Lao San frowned. He Hua, beside him, worried that Li Lao San would report to Big Brother, so she quickly handed over the piece of jerky she hadn't finished eating. There were only two pieces left.
"Third Brother, I still have a bit..."
Trembling, He Hua handed over the jerky. Li Lao San took it and deliberately rubbed He Hua's hand, making her recoil in fear, while he chuckled to himself. Meanwhile, Zhang Yu handed over the last remaining piece of jerky:
"I, I only have this left..."
Li Lao San took it and immediately put it in his mouth, saying,
"I'll let you off this time, but if there's more next time, remember to tell me. Maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll leave some for you."
"Yes, Third Brother, thank you, thank you..."
He Li replied with a forced smile. Li Lao San then glanced at Big Brother, who was snoring loudly on the couch by the exit of the store. He thought to himself that his older brother was truly like a pig, sleeping like that, but Li Lao San was happy about it because it meant there was no one to compete with him for the jerky.However, at this moment, Li Lao San was unaware that not far from here, a pair of cold eyes were silently watching them.
In the afternoon, Li Lao Er, who had just woken up, scratched his itchy back. After scratching, he found his fingernails covered in grease. Li Lao Er felt sticky all over his body. So, he grabbed a bucket of water and went to the school bathhouse next to the store. He intended to take a cold shower, but when he turned on the tap, he found that the water was cut off.
"Shit!"
After several attempts to turn the tap on and trying other taps, Li Lao Er gradually realized something was wrong. When he returned to the store, he said to his two brothers,
"Brothers, we're screwed. The water in the bathhouse is cut off!"
"What?"
Li Lao Da was stunned and quickly went to the toilet in the back room, only to find that even the store had no water. The three brothers had become accustomed to relying on the school's water source. Now that the water was suddenly cut off, they immediately became uneasy.
"Brother, what should we do from now on?"
Li Lao Er asked, and Li Lao Da furrowed his brows, pretending to think. Then, he turned his gaze to He Li in the corner and said,
"You, come here!"
Trembling, He Li walked over, forcing a smile,
"Is, is something wrong, Brother Li?"
Li Lao Da got straight to the point,
"The school's water is cut off. You need to find a safe place outside that still has water, and we need to move. Same rule as before, you have two days. If you don't come back..."
He gave a meaningful look at He Hua and Zhang Xiao Xue, implying the consequences would not be pleasant. He Li could only reply with a weary nod. Apart from physical exhaustion, she was emotionally drained. She even felt like giving up, but she had to hold on. Her main reason for living was her sister, along with her longtime friend Zhang Yu and her daughter Zhang Xiao Xue. With her weak and tired body, He Li left once again.
"Here, take this!"
Before she left, Li Lao Da threw He Li the travel bag she had brought back. He added,
"Bring back some food when you return, not too much, just fill it halfway."
"Fill it halfway?"
He Li thought to herself sarcastically, but she had no choice. She could only leave with the bag on her back. As she left the school, she encountered some scattered zombies on the way. But He Li was already used to greeting these zombies, as long as she quietly avoided making any noise that would attract their attention. In that case, she wouldn't be in danger, as zombies often had low intelligence. However, reality was often harsh. He Li had overestimated her physical condition. In fact, at the moment she was about to step out of the school gate, due to her anemia and malnutrition, He Li felt dizzy.
She collapsed to the ground with a thud, and her head collided with the metal gate at the exit.
"Bang!!!"
The loud noise shattered the tranquility of the area. In an instant, all the nearby zombies turned their attention towards her.
"Uh..."
Seeing the approaching zombies, He Li panicked. When she managed to stand up, a zombie had already lunged towards her, ready to bite.
"Ah!!!!"
He Li was terrified and fell back to the ground. She instinctively tried to block, even though she knew it was futile. Was her life about to end like this? He Li's heart felt bitter. Ironically, as a teacher, she was stealing from her students before she died. Surely that child must resent her deeply? However, even if she was resented, He Li had nothing to say. After all, it was only natural.
"Farewell, sister..."
He Li had already prepared herself to be overwhelmed and devoured by the zombies. But in the next moment...
"Bang!!!"
A figure suddenly appeared in front of her and kicked the zombie away. Then, he picked He Li up from the ground and hoisted her over his shoulder. In a posture reminiscent of a bandit abducting a bride, he rushed out like a whirlwind. He Li was astonished, being carried away, she turned her head and could only see the person's back. But she recognized him immediately.
It was Bai Yin!