Chapter 78: Adding Salt to the Wound
Chapter 78: Adding Salt to the Wound
Zhan Lian purses his lips, shoots a fierce look at Lao Mao, and swings a fist at his head. Lao Mao dodges and dashes away, leaving Zhan Lian fuming as he shouts, “You think it's fun, always adding salt to the wound?”
It has been nearly half a year since his divorce, and only Zhan Lian and his ex-wife know the real reason behind it. It isn’t because of his temper or violent tendencies, as their comrades assume. In fact, Zhan Lian has been very calm when he is with his ex-wife, and she is gentle as well. Once he makes a decision, An Ran rarely opposes it. For instance, when it comes to buying a house or a car, whatever Zhan Lian chooses, that's what they go with. Whether it is the location of the house or the brand of the car, his decisions stand.
He never considers that perhaps it is because she doesn’t have the financial means to have a say in those decisions.
But eventually, their marriage falls apart. His ex-wife keeps bringing up divorce, as if it were an easy option, as if finding another wife would be a simple task for him. She mentions it in nearly every conversation. Each time she does, Zhan Lian’s anger flares uncontrollably. For three long months, their relationship hangs by a thread. If he hadn’t heard An Ran crying toward the end, he might have stuck it out with his ex-wife, at least until he is discharged from the army.
As the days drag on, a journey that should take two days stretches into over ten, even twenty days. Roads are blocked repeatedly. Even after clearing zombies off the highway, they still have to navigate obstacles or find another car to continue their journey. Zhan Lian's frustration grows with each passing day, his anger simmering just beneath the surface.
The longer it takes, the more unlikely it seems they’ll find An Ran alive. If they do find her—well, Zhan Lian doesn’t know how he’ll face her if she has turned into a zombie. Sometimes, he almost hopes they won’t find their loved ones. That way, they can cling to hope and keep searching endlessly.
He and Lao Mao continue moving forward, clearing the path of zombies, slowly but steadily getting closer to Xiangcheng.
As dawn breaks, the vast world ahead seems both near and unreachable, full of despair and flickers of hope. The wind carries a sorrowful scent, mingled with the faint sting of tears. The sky is clearer and bluer than it has ever seemed.
Meanwhile, An Ran spends the past few days clearing zombies off the third floor. Today, she takes Doll and He Wen to the sky garden to bask in the sun, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation. Hu Zhen and Chen Jiao are busy gathering supplies elsewhere on the third floor. An Ran spreads a quilt on the grass and places Wawa and He Wen on it. Watching the babies wave their tiny hands and kick their little feet, she feels a sense of peace. A gentle breeze blows by, and a soft smile appears on her face as she sits on the grass, soaking in the comfort of the moment.
She moves all the flowers and plants from the fourth floor to the sky garden, including her avocado seedling. Except for a pot of pink snow mountain, everything else is planted in the garden. The expanded space allows the plants to spread their roots more freely.
The flowers flourish, and An Ran's spirits lift.
Lost in her thoughts, An Ran suddenly notices the grass under her palm stirring. Startled, she looks down and sees that a small patch of grass has grown taller than the rest.
“You grow so easily,” she murmurs with a smile, tugging gently at the tallest blade.
These past few days, An Ran has grown physically stronger too. Constantly shadowed by Hu Zhen and Chen Jiao, she feels her strength improving. In the beginning, she had to rest after killing a single zombie. Now, she can slay thirty in a row without breaking a sweat.