Chapter 52 Empathy
Chapter 52 Empathy
With good food, Anran's mental state improves. She discovers a pattern: whenever she overeats, the veins on her hands emerge. The more she stuffs herself, the faster and more pronounced the veins appear. Aside from eating, she hasn't found any other way to trigger this phenomenon.
While the veins appear more quickly, the energy in her hands depletes just as fast. Often, she exhausts this energy by resurrecting a cluster of withered flowers. She realizes that if she drains her energy too much, her recently filled stomach soon grows hungry again, an uncomfortable feeling she wants to avoid.
After several attempts, all the flowers in her basket have grown roots and started to bloom beautifully. Yet, despite the lovely sight, she finds the flowers useless; she can’t eat or drink them, she can only admire them.
But Anran feels it is a pity to throw the flowers away. Since discovering her ability to bring plants to life, Anran develops a strange empathy for them. It is hard to describe—perhaps it is a shift in her personality. Leaving the flowers to wilt feels like watching her own daughter cry, stirring a deep sense of responsibility within her.
Then, Anran has an idea. She rummages through the doctor’s office on the fifth floor and finds several flower pots. There are plenty of potted plants around, whether for aesthetic reasons, gifts from patients' families, or to absorb computer radiation. In any case, there are plenty of such pots.
Anran plants the flowers she has nurtured along with the avocado seedlings into the pots. Mixed with the existing greenery, they look lush and vibrant, creating a cheerful atmosphere. After finishing this task, Anran feels a sense of accomplishment as she touches each flower, experiencing a strange sense of security.
It is as if the flowers and plants communicate with her, allowing Anran to capture this mysterious state. They also feel safe; buried in the soil, the flowers feel at peace. No longer adrift without roots, they now feel grounded.
Feeling this security, Anran inexplicably goes to the sink, fills a cup with dim yellow water, and waters the flowers and plants. This action brings her not just security but a strange joy.
However, this feeling is fleeting, like a light brush of white paint on a white sheet of paper, quickly fading from her mind. Plus, she has been forgetful lately; once that feeling disappears, she doesn’t delve into it any further.
After arranging the flowers, plants, and avocados, Anran looks back at the doctor’s office where she previously dealt with the doctor zombies. She thinks about it, moves Doll and Chen Jiao’s son into the office, and places them under her avocado pot.
Then she arranges the pots of green radish, lucky bamboo, pink Powdered Snow Mountain, bellflower, lily, and others in a circle around the two children.