Auntie

"What did you just call me?"

Xie Yi's voice came from behind, but Song Weishi didn't turn around. Why would she? She just kept walking forward, casually arranging the wild vegetables in her basket.

Ever since they'd arrived here, Xiaoli and the others no longer needed Jiang Qingrou to feed them—they'd sorted out their own meals by mid-morning.

All the little animals had also been let out for some fresh air. It had been so long since they'd touched nature; before, they'd been stuck in constant flight. Now life was far more comfortable, and the quality of living had taken a sharp upturn.

By noon, everyone had woken up. Song Weishi and Xie Yi returned, each carrying a basket full of greens on their backs.

The two of them had chased each other along the way without exchanging a single word. Song Weishi thought this state of affairs was just fine—Xie Yi wouldn't come pester her with idle chatter, and it felt much more relaxed that way.

Still, whenever she faced Xie Yi, she couldn't help but recall what had happened in the car. It made her feel awkward and a little strange.

Keeping her distance from that odd factor was the best course of action.

The aunties filtered back one by one as well. Without electricity, there was no way to tell the time, but old-fashioned mechanical watches were much more reliable. There were plenty of such watches in the old house, so everyone had one—no need to worry about losing track of time and making others go out searching.

Song Weishi set down her backpack, which was filled to the brim with vegetables. At the bottom lay a slab of pork belly, some hotpot base, and dipping sauce.

Just as expected, the aunties didn't pry into where she'd gotten all this, saving Song Weishi from any embarrassment. They were only briefly surprised before accepting it with smiles.

As Xie Yi had said, everyone had their own secrets. Their good virtue was that they never casually exposed someone else's—if someone didn't want to talk, they simply didn't ask.

The thing that had been weighing on Song Weishi's mind dissolved without a fuss. The aunties all thought her ability was beyond imagination, but once they knew she could store things in a space in addition to foreseeing danger, it didn't seem all that shocking.

Song Weishi could finally share things openly. Her space was stocked with frozen goods but no fresh vegetables. Thanks to the Xie family, she could replenish her supply—these greens were everywhere in the mountains, and she had all the time in the world to pick them.

She was a hoarder by nature. Before, not knowing these things existed had been one thing, but now she itched to run out and harvest every vegetable in sight.

Still, she figured she'd wait until after lunch. The afternoon sun was scorching, and everyone agreed to stay inside and nap, then head out at dusk to gather more.

The two big baskets of vegetables were just enough for ten people. With no need to keep watch, Xiaoli and the other animals were completely free to roam.

Once was never enough. Song Weishi also pulled out the solar panels and hooked the house up to electricity. The rooftop caught plenty of sun, so why waste the converted energy? She plugged in the fridge, stuffed it full, switched on both air conditioners, and chilled the entire first-floor living area.

At night, everyone could sleep here, too—no more waking up drenched in sweat in the middle of the night. Life was too good. Unrestrained joy was written across everyone's faces.

They gathered around the round table in the living room to prepare hotpot. Ke Shaoyi and Jiang Qingrou carried Xie Huiqing down from upstairs. She was in an average state, still unable to move.

Though her wounds had scabbed over, she was still in recovery. Having lost too much blood, Xie Huiqing's face was pale—she needed proper nourishment to recover her strength quickly.

Relying on vegetables alone wouldn't cut it, and those canned goods were completely devoid of nutrition. Luckily, now that she'd come around, Xie Huiqing could finally eat well too.

Her attitude was remarkably open-minded. When Xie Huiying made braised pork and sweet-and-sour spare ribs, Xie Huiqing didn't ask where they came from. She simply opened her mouth and ate when food was brought to her, clearly starving after all these days.

She gave Xie Huiying a big thumbs-up. "These last few days of sipping nutrient solution have made my mouth feel like it's not my own. Meat is what really hits the spot."

Song Weishi also dove into her meal with abandon, barely sparing a thought for the hotpot. Her cooking skills were poor—before, all she could do was roast meat, and she'd toss used plates into her space rather than wash them. Later, even roasting wasn't an option, and she'd survived on plain vegetables the whole way, choosing simplicity and convenience. But now that her golden ticket was out in the open, the aunties handled nearly all the cooking and dishwashing. She was living the good life.

This meal had sweet-and-sour ribs, braised pork, shrimp-and-egg custard, seaweed meat rolls, and fish from the lake, served both steamed and in soup. Vegetables and assorted hotpot balls were bubbling in the pot, too—she couldn't even eat it all.

Compared to the grab-and-go instant meals she'd subsisted on before, the deliciousness was on a whole other level.

The bowls of porridge from the morning had long since digested, so she ate with abandon, polishing off five full bowls of rice before wiping her mouth in satisfaction.

The aunties' cooking was impeccable. Everyone had been focused solely on the food since the meal started, not pausing for a moment.

Clearly, they'd all been starving for the past two months. Being able to eat proper, normal food felt like a dream.

Song Weishi lay sprawled on the big sofa in the living room, indulging to the extreme. She hooked up the TV, too—back in Huihai City, she'd downloaded a ton of stuff onto her phone, but she'd never had time to watch any of it. Everyone had been without entertainment for ages and could barely see anything, so now they all crowded around the TV, watching a sitcom.

Xiaoli, all fluffy, also came back from outside. It much preferred this cool environment. It crouched obediently beside Song Weishi, a plate of fruit set in front of it, eating with its own little fork.

Song Weishi could finally share fruit with the others too. Life was comfortable and leisurely.

After watching for a while, the aunties started tidying up the house, preparing for the evening outing. Jiang Qingrou and Ke Shaoyi carried Xie Huiqing back upstairs—she needed to use the bathroom and have her wounds tended to.

Everyone tried to keep the two main workers from having anything to do, and before long, the spacious living room was left with only Song Weishi and Xie Yi.

Song Weishi slowly sat up from the sofa, leaning against it, watching Xie Yi's movements out of the corner of her eye.

For some reason, she could never relax around Xie Yi. The other woman hadn't done anything, but Song Weishi still felt something was off.

Maybe it was because of Xie Yi's status as the female lead. They'd had a chance to mend their relationship before, but that scene in the car had ruined everything.

Xie Yi's slender fingers sifted through the vegetables. She was sorting the watercress they'd cut that morning. Washing it was troublesome—you could always pick out bits of grass from it. That was why they hadn't eaten much of it at lunch. Song Weishi thought it tasted pretty good, actually, just a bit of a hassle.

The aunties had told them to take a break, but Xie Yi's hands wouldn't stop. There was no denying that in the eyes of the older generation, she was a good kid—sensible and obedient, sharing the housework without a single complaint.

Song Weishi felt a little embarrassed just sitting there doing nothing. She picked at her hands, then decided to pull out the seeds from her space.

The wild vegetables outside were tasty, but she still preferred these ordinary ones.

She was about to wrap the seeds in a damp towel to sprout them when the container gave her pause.

She'd never done much gardening. She had basic common sense, but she was still stumbling in the dark.

Xie Yi glanced over, stood up, wiped her wet hands, then went outside and brought back a clear container.

"Put them in here."

Song Weishi tossed the towel inside. Xie Yi used her fingers to smooth the towel flat, then poured a bit of water in.

"Doing hydroponics?"

Song Weishi grunted in confirmation. She'd been agonizing over whether to ask Xie Yi for help when the other woman simply took the towel and seeds from her hands—first soaking the towel, then carefully placing each seed one by one.

Watching her meticulous work, Song Weishi's restless mood instantly calmed.

"There's some nutrient solution upstairs. It's no longer fit for people to take, but it should be fine for these plants."

Song Weishi nodded, then thought of the mutated kapok tree they'd encountered earlier. "But do you think the mutated plants outside the city were affected by this too?"

Back on the national highway before Xinzhao City, they'd come across a very strange plant that nearly strangled them.

If the kapok trees outside the city were affected by the pharmaceutical company's influence, then what about the mutated plants out there?

Xie Yi thought for a moment before answering, "Can't say for sure, but it's impossible to claim they weren't affected at all. After all, the mutation rate among plants in Huihai City is much higher than elsewhere."

Song Weishi nodded. "Alright, then go get the nutrient solution. Feeding it to these seeds is a good thing."

That saved her the trouble of racking her brain over what to do with the plants.

Xie Yi nodded and stood up. Her hands hung awkwardly at her sides, and Song Weishi immediately remembered that Xie Yi's arm had been injured earlier.

She stood up on the spot. "Let me go instead. Is your arm okay? Feeling any better?"

After all, Xie Yi had been hurt saving her. No matter how Song Weishi felt, she couldn't ignore that.

Xie Yi turned and smiled. Song Weishi instinctively took a step back, feeling like the other woman had turned around too quickly, as if it had all been planned.

It was like she'd been waiting for Song Weishi to ask. A faint sense of unease prickled at Song Weishi—this scene felt eerily familiar.

Xie Yi: "A bit better. Thank you so much for your concern, Auntie."

She stressed the last two words, her tone almost gritted through clenched teeth.

Song Weishi forced out a smile. "No need to say that. Thanks for saving me back then—wasn't it only right?"

Xie Yi smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying. "Yeah, I thought about it. I really should call you Auntie. We can't mix up the generations, can we?"

Song Weishi got the feeling Xie Yi was being sarcastic, but she sounded so sincere. Looking down at the other woman's limp, dangling hand, Song Weishi reflected on whether she'd been too harsh before. Xie Yi had indeed saved her life and hadn't done anything unforgivable.

She'd already treated Xie Yi as a friend; she should at least be a bit nicer.

So Song Weishi smiled more sincerely. "It's fine. Even though we're about the same age, I'll take good care of you from now on."

Song Weishi tried her best to act like a big sister, so she wouldn't seem weak in front of the female lead.

The smile on Xie Yi's face grew even more natural and sincere. "Great, I understand. Since that's the case, it's only right for a younger one like me to receive some care from an elder, isn't it?"

Song Weishi's face was a little red at that, and she could only nod stiffly.

The person before her, upon getting confirmation, surged forward and wrapped her arms around Song Weishi, who froze completely. She only heard Xie Yi's cool voice say, "Then I'll be counting on you. Please take good care of me from now on."

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Author's note: As I was writing, I thought it was about to wrap up.

Turns out the story's only just begun.