Chapter 7 I Don’t Dislike

Ye Wuyou drifted off to sleep while thinking.

Clang.

That was the sound of a door opening. Ye Wuyou instantly shot up from the bed, alert.

“How are you feeling?” A man’s voice reminded her that this wasn’t the apocalypse anymore.

“I’m fine,” Ye Wuyou replied.

“Do you want some water?” Ling Yu glanced at the tea bowl set to the side. As he spoke, he poured some tea himself and held it to her lips.

Ye Wuyou was indeed a little thirsty, so she drank from his hand. But maybe he poured a bit too much, so she only drank half. Ling Yu looked at the half-bowl of tea left and, without the slightest distaste, drank the rest straight from the bowl.

“I already drank from that,” Ye Wuyou reminded him.

“I don’t mind,” Ling Yu replied indifferently.

Ye Wuyou: “…Alright then.”

“I’ll go make food. You just stay in bed,” Ling Yu said, glancing at the sky outside. Without waiting for her response, he pulled some brown rice from the cabinet and headed into the kitchen.

When Ling Yu entered, his younger brother had already started the fire.

“Big Brother, how’s Sister-in-law?” Ling Zixiao asked.

Ling Yu’s hand paused slightly as he washed the rice, but he quickly recovered and said, “She seems to be doing alright. I took leave tomorrow, planning to take her to the city for a checkup. Do you want me to bring anything back for you?”

Ling Zixiao shook his head. “No. But Big Brother, tomorrow you should buy Sister-in-law some clothes. The rags she’s wearing aren’t decent.”

“Mm, I know. I only gave the Ye family 200 before. There’s still 100 left. You can use that when you go to school in the county,” Ling Yu said to Ling Fei.

“It’s better not to,” Ling Zixiao objected. “Let’s pay back the money borrowed when Father and Mother passed away first. And besides, high school classes have been suspended—I can delay my studies. Plus, it’s autumn now, and soon the city schools will be on break anyway. We still don’t have cotton-padded clothes or quilts for winter. I can make do with mine, but you just got back, and Sister-in-law doesn’t have any at all.”

Ling Yu rubbed his forehead, realizing how many things still hadn’t been taken care of.

After finishing washing the rice and putting it in the pot, he skillfully added sweet potatoes and wild greens to cook together. Once the two brothers ate their meal by firelight, Ling Yu told Ling Zixiao to rest early, then carried a remaining bowl of porridge into the bedroom.

By now, the sky had gone completely dark, with only faint moonlight streaming in.

Ye Wuyou, as an ability user, had senses sharper than most. Even with such low visibility, she could see clearly. She stared at the bowl of porridge mixed with wild greens and sweet potatoes, filled with disbelief. Just how poor did they have to be to eat like this? Even in the resource-scarce apocalypse, she had never treated herself this badly.

Ling Yu, once a soldier, also had good night vision. Seeing the look of disdain on her face puzzled him. Their family wasn’t the wealthiest in the village, but they weren’t the poorest either. His younger brother had told him the Ye family had always mistreated this girl—by logic, she should have eaten worse than this. But now, judging from her expression, it seemed their food wasn’t even up to her standard?

Unable to resist, Ling Yu asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Can I not eat this?” Ye Wuyou asked pitifully.

Ling Yu frowned, immediately refusing without thought. “No. You haven’t eaten anything all day, and I doubt you had much yesterday either. This is all we have to eat.”

Ye Wuyou let out a resigned “oh,” realizing she couldn’t escape. She obediently drank from the bowl in Ling Yu’s hand. Her hand was so swollen it looked like a pig’s trotter, still wrapped in bandages.

After she finished the porridge, she savored the lingering taste. The sweetness of sweet potatoes mixed with the bitterness of wild greens and the fragrance of rice. Actually, it didn’t taste too bad, Ye Wuyou thought.

Once Ling Yu saw her finish, he took the bowl out to wash, then brought in a basin of water. Coming to the bedside, he asked, “Can you get down yourself?”

Ye Wuyou tried moving her legs, felt it might be possible, and replied, “I think so, let me try.” She then attempted to get out of bed and put on her shoes.

But the moment her heel touched the ground, a sharp wave of pain shot up from her foot. She hissed in pain, instantly retracting her foot, eyes brimming with tears as she looked at the tall man before her. Inwardly, she cursed the Ye family viciously:

“Those damned bastards, just wait. Once I recover, I’ll make sure your whole family tastes the pain I’m suffering right now.”

Seeing her pitiful state, Ling Yu frowned. “Forget it, just sit on the bed.” He then walked over and began unwrapping the bandages on her hand.