Chapter 84: What's wrong with you just enduring it?
Chapter 84: What's wrong with you just enduring it?
When a woman can care for a baby, slay zombies, and secure supplies on her own, everyone else becomes redundant to her. Even Zhan Lian is no exception.
Before, An Ran relied on Hu Zhen to gather supplies and on Chen Jiao to watch the baby when she went out to kill zombies. But now, she does everything herself. Though it's tedious, she takes her time, determined to manage it all.
There is a long road ahead, and An Ran learns, slowly but surely, how to survive with her child alone in this apocalyptic world.
Most importantly, An Ran comes to a crucial realization: if she dies, there’s no guarantee that Chen Jiao will care for Doll. And when push comes to shove, Hu Zhen may not risk her own life to bring both Doll and He Wen out of the hospital. This thought brings her clarity.
So now, An Ran takes the baby with her when she kills zombies. If she lives, the baby lives. If she dies, they go together. She finds it better than leaving the baby behind to starve in an indifferent world. At least, if they’re both taken down by the same zombie, she’ll hold her child on the journey to the afterlife, where they can support each other into the next life.
The baby carrier feels snug and secure. With the baby held close to her chest, An Ran can lightly jog without waking her. Nestled against An Ran's heart, the baby sleeps peacefully, lulled by the familiar heartbeat. She doesn’t even need a pacifier.
With the baby swaddled in the carrier, An Ran heads down to the third floor. She meets Hu Zhen, who carries a roll of black plastic bags, ready to follow her to the pharmacy for medicine. Seeing An Ran with the baby, she steps forward to take her.
But An Ran’s face is set in a stern expression. Without a word, she turns, sidestepping Hu Zhen and entering the sewage passage with a fruit knife in her hand.
Confused, Hu Zhen looks back at Chen Jiao, who holds He Wen, and asks, “Did you two argue again?”
“How would I know what’s wrong with her?” Chen Jiao says, oblivious to An Ran’s mood, lazily yawning as she cradles He Wen. “She’s always been a bit odd. Maybe killing zombies every day has made her lose it, haha.”
“Can’t you try talking to her nicely for once?”
Hu Zhen shakes her head, looking at the oblivious Chen Jiao. She understands that Chen Jiao isn’t a bad person; she’s just been spoiled by everyone around her before the apocalypse. She’s aged, but her mind hasn’t matured.
Such people are actually less suitable to survive in the end of the world than An Ran and herself.
But now, what choice do they have? Since Chen Jiao refuses to grow up, she depends on An Ran for survival. Yet Chen Jiao’s obliviousness, coupled with An Ran’s habit of bottling things up, means that Chen Jiao probably won’t realize when she crosses the line until An Ran explodes—and by then, it will be too late.
“I’d love to,” Chen Jiao says, looking exasperated. “But have you seen her attitude lately? That face of hers is colder every day. I try to talk, but as soon as I see her expression, I can’t help but snap at her.”
“Try dealing with zombies every day,” Hu Zhen says, rolling her eyes at Chen Jiao. Deep down, she feels a bit sorry for An Ran. “She’s under a lot of pressure, and maybe she argues with you just to vent. So, what’s wrong with just enduring it a little?”