Chapter 287: Angry Again
Chapter 287: Angry Again
After surveying the general environment, Anran carries Doll and leads Little Mint into the dormitory. It seems like no one has lived there for years. The place is clean, free of zombies, and the doors and windows are still intact.
She opens one of the rooms on the first floor. Inside, there is a double bed, a wardrobe, and a desk—all covered in a thick layer of dust.
With no running water, cleaning will be troublesome. If she simply pats the surfaces, the dust will scatter everywhere. The baby is too young to stay inside such an environment.
Anran finds a stool, lets Little Mint hold Doll, and sits them in the shaded corridor outside the dormitory. Then, she grabs a rag, fills a bucket with water, rolls up her sleeves, and starts scrubbing.
By the time she finally finishes cleaning the small dormitory, Zhan Lian has returned. He has switched to a pickup truck, its cargo bed packed with brand-new cotton bedding, sheets, quilt covers, and mats. He also carries a large baby crib, which he moves directly into the room she just cleaned.
"Look at this crib—it’s brand new," he says, placing it beside the bed like it’s some sort of treasure. He pats the railings proudly.
Anran straightens up and glances at Zhan Lian, then at the crib he has brought in. It’s white, designed in a delicate, princess-like style—almost identical to the one she had back at her home in Sunshine Lake Community.
She opens her mouth, wanting to ask if he went back to their home.
But before she can, Zhan Lian pulls out a string of toy wind chimes—the battery-operated kind—sits down on the freshly cleaned bed, and begins studying how to assemble them.
He is completely focused, taking the task very seriously.
Seeing this, Anran says nothing. She turns around and starts spreading the quilt over the big bed.
"Zhan Lian, where did you take Yun Tao and Hengheng?" she asks casually while pulling the sheets into place. "There are so many rooms here—can they stay with us?"
She waits for his response.
But Zhan Lian acts as though he hasn’t heard her. He has somehow produced a small star-shaped screwdriver and is now unscrewing the tiny bolts on the round, plastic sun attached to the mobile.
"Zhan Lian, where are Yun Tao and Hengheng?" This time, Anran straightens up and asks again.
Zhan Lian abruptly tosses the screwdriver onto the bed, throws down the plastic sun, and gets up. He yanks the door open and storms out.
Just like that, he was angry again!
Anran sighs, shaking her head. She sits down where Zhan Lian had been moments ago, smoothing the mattress and sheets before picking up the screwdriver and the plastic sun he discarded. She resumes unscrewing it.
Zhan Lian’s temper—though seemingly improved over the years—is still the same at its core. He is just as impulsive as ever, like an overgrown child. Say the wrong thing, and he’ll explode. The only difference is that now, he is trying to hold it in.
Once she removes the screws and opens the cover, she finds the battery slot. Looking around, she spots the large bag of toys Zhan Lian brought in. It’s filled with princess-themed playthings—and an entire pack of unopened batteries.
She bends down, grabs the batteries, tears open the packaging, and inserts them one by one into the little plastic sun.
The round little sun immediately starts playing music.