During the apocalypse, Lin Bing remained unconscious, and her mother, unable to reach Lin's family, worried deeply. She had little appetite and ate sparingly due to stress. Later, her mother revealed that she had slipped and started bleeding, realizing she had miscarried.
With zombies rampant, hospitals were among the most dangerous places, making finding a doctor akin to finding heaven.
When Lin Bing woke, her mother had already miscarried due to lack of medical help, leaving residual clots. Unaware of her pregnancy until then, her mother mourned the loss and often cried silently at night, feeling guilt-ridden.
The journey to Chaoyang City was arduous amidst the apocalypse, yet her mother never complained. Over time, her health deteriorated.
Determined to care for her mother this time, Lin Bing recalled her mother being two and a half months pregnant during the apocalypse. Now, at one and a half months, symptoms were subtle, unknown to her family.
Lin Bing sighed inwardly, knowing her mother would have wanted this child. However, survival in the apocalypse was uncertain, and even if the child survived, without protection and sustenance, survival was fleeting.
Upon returning to the Lin family's old residence, Lin Bing was greeted by the aroma of chicken soup. The rich scent almost made her mouth water. She restrained herself; with so many people around, she couldn't lose face.
Uncles, aunts, father, and mother were all present.
Lin's mother eagerly called for the maid, "Xiao Li, come help Zhou Sao, take Bing Bing's luggage upstairs to her room."
Lin Bing greedily sniffed the food's aroma, regretting not stopping earlier on the road for a good meal in a private room at a restaurant.
"Dad, Uncle, Auntie."
Seeing these familiar faces after three years felt both familiar and strange. With no news since the apocalypse, she had no idea where her family had gone, or even if they were alive.
"Bing Bing's back!" Auntie greeted Lin Bing warmly, asking with concern, "Have you thought about what to do next after graduation? Work, perhaps? That's what adults are most concerned about."
"Not yet, still considering," Lin Bing replied casually, thinking to herself about fighting zombies for work next month; she needed to train and earn some money.
Seeing the maid coming down from upstairs, Lin Bing couldn't resist asking, "Is the chicken soup ready? I'm starving." It was only four in the afternoon, still a while until dinner.
Now, all Lin Bing could think about was food!
Hearing this, Lin's mother started nagging, "I told you to stop dieting. Look, now you're hungry. A snowflake said you only eat an apple for a meal. How can that not make you hungry?"
"Mom, okay, I got it," Lin Bing sighed helplessly.
"Zhou Sao, aren't there dumplings in the fridge? Let them prepare some quickly." With several servants in the Lin household, Zhou Sao managed household affairs, including the kitchen where several cooks were employed, specializing in Chinese and Western cuisines.
Excited at the mention of dumplings, Lin Bing would have rushed to the kitchen herself if her father hadn't been present. Three years into the apocalypse had changed her from the pampered rich girl she once was.
"Zhou Sao, ask them to make extra," Lin Bing instructed, remembering her small appetite three years ago, wasted so much food to stay thin! She hated herself for it!
Lin Bing sat gracefully in the dining room chair, her eyes fixed on the kitchen.
The dumplings were soon ready.
The dining area and the living room were adjacent without much distinction, and the aroma filled both rooms. When a large bowl of dumplings was placed in front of Lin Bing, her mouth nearly stretched to her ears.
However, she noticed her mother's slight frown at the scent of dumplings.
"Mom, are you pregnant?" Lin Bing asked casually.
"You child, what nonsense," her mother scolded, but secretly wondered if she could be pregnant at her age. She was nearing fifty and thought she couldn't conceive, but Lin Bing's words made her unsure.
Lin's father, reading the newspaper, paused at her words, exchanged a look with his wife, and silently resolved to call the family doctor.
Lin Bing ate quickly but elegantly.
"Zhou Sao, another bowl!" Lin Bing handed over the empty bowl, sighed deeply; she really enjoyed eating!
Zhou Sao was astonished; the young lady must have not eaten for days to be this hungry.
By the time Lin Bing finished three large bowls, the living room was empty. Auntie went for a beauty treatment, Uncle had a dinner meeting, and Lin's parents had gone out.
Lin Bing headed upstairs.
The elders' rooms were on the second floor, while the younger generation's rooms were on the third.
Back in her room, Lin Bing turned on her computer and started browsing. She looked up news about the zombie apocalypse and searched for information about bracelets that had space in novels. Staring at her own bracelet, she wondered if it could be one too.
Lin Bing was intrigued.
Generally, ancient jade bracelets require a blood oath to acknowledge their owner, right? Lin Bing went down to the kitchen and grabbed a fruit knife. Of course, she also brought up a slice of watermelon to eat. Crystals in the apocalypse were expensive too; the soil was contaminated, and there weren't many places suitable for growing crops, let alone fruit trees.
Lin Bing cut her left thumb, a drop of blood oozing out. She dripped the blood onto the bracelet, the red contrasting vividly against the green jade, glaringly so.
The blood followed the edge of the bracelet and dripped onto the floor.
No reaction.
Could it be that her hands were not right? Lin Bing cut her right thumb and tried again, but it was still ineffective.
Could it be the palms of her hands?
She cut a notch in each palm and tried again, but there was still no response from the bracelet.
Lin Bing realized she was being fanciful. Although the bracelet was old, it was just an ordinary piece and not a spatial one. Lin Bing couldn't help but feel disappointed.
She placed the bracelet on the coffee table and went to the bathroom to wash the blood off her hands, wiping them dry with a tissue. The wounds were small, so she simply covered them with band-aids.
What if she tried using blood from somewhere else?
Lin Bing's imagination ran wild, still considering the idea. Should she try again? She glanced at the bracelet on the coffee table. Wait, where was the bracelet? She distinctly remembered leaving it on the coffee table before going into the bathroom, but now there was nothing on the table at all!
It was gone!
Could it be?
Lin Bing silently repeated to herself, "I want to enter the space, I want to enter the space." (She was just messing around.)
One second later.
Clean stream water, small fish frolicking, occasionally jumping out of the water. Open land, about an acre, all black soil, with an ancient and quaint house...
Lin Bing looked at everything and couldn't help but smile.
A big laugh.
So, the space was real.