At Teacher Liang’s house.
Feifei was packing up her books, and while the day’s learning yielded some results, it involved watching Tingting and Gu Zicheng, the two top students, easily answer the questions raised by Grandma Liang.
For her, however, it was tough; she understood the questions, yet they didn’t provide her with answers. She could only bite her finger, thinking hard, and it would take a good half day to come up with something.
Math was truly her Achilles heel.
When she used to see math problems, she would feel dizzy and lost, in a fog of confusion.
The apocalypse had inflicted great damage on her young mind, just like the death of her father, but she finally managed to stand up and regain hope under care and support.
Who would’ve thought that upon Lin Uncle’s recommendation, coming to Grandma Liang’s place to receive an education would plunge her into darkness once more.
"Hey, Tingting, Zicheng, don’t run so fast," Feifei, who was still packing her bag, saw them with their bags on their backs, dashing out of sight, and she stomped her foot in irritation, hurrying to pack her bag. "Grandma Liang, I’m heading back first."
"Go ahead, see you later," Grandma Liang said with a smile.
Feifei left with her backpack. As for Grandma Liang’s words about seeing her later, she didn’t take them to heart, assuming it meant Liang would talk with her mom about her studies.
Feifei knocked on the door, "Mom, open the door, I’m back."
She was used to this life of study, with her world confined to the residential complex. It had been a long time since she’d been outside, and even if she could go out, she didn’t dare; there were many zombies outside that preyed on people.
Just thinking of their appearance made her afraid.
They were so hideous.
While taking off her shoes, Feifei said, "Mom, studying was so tiring today."
No sooner had she finished speaking than she noticed there were a lot more people in the room.
She stared wide-eyed.
There was a bit of confusion in her eyes.
Everyone was there, including Tingting and Zicheng who had run off earlier, now looking at her with beaming smiles.
"Mom, what’s going on?" she stammered, her mind racing through the past few days’ events, making sure she had been well-behaved and diligent in her studies.
Li Mei looked at Feifei with a smile, then glanced to the side.
Following her mother’s gaze, Feifei looked to the side as well.
She immediately spotted the cake on the table.
"Is it Mom’s birthday today?" Feifei asked excitedly.
Li Mei said, "Today is your tenth birthday. When Lin Uncle found out it was your birthday, he specially bought this cake to celebrate for you."
Feifei, still holding her backpack in her hand, stood there dumbfounded, like a scene from a TV drama. Overwhelmed with shock and joy, her backpack slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor.
"Thank you, Uncle, thank you Auntie, and thank you Grandpa and Grandma for celebrating my birthday." She didn’t even realize it was her tenth birthday today.
Lin Fan smiled, "Come on in."
After Feifei entered, Grandma Liang also appeared at a leisurely pace.
Feifei understood why Tingting and Zicheng had run off so quickly; they had known about her birthday in advance and had come over to wait for her.
The emotional Feifei felt like crying.
But she held back the tears, for this was her first double-digit birthday. How could she cry so casually? She had to be happy, very happy.
Li Mei looked at Lin Fan with gratitude. When she found out that Lin Fan had brought a cake for Feifei’s birthday, she had so much she wanted to say.
In times like these...
Is a birthday more important than being alive?
Just being alive was already good enough; who would think of anything else? But when Lin Fan told her he saw Feifei’s ID while flipping through the tenant records, he insisted that birthdays, especially the first one after turning ten, must be celebrated.
In that moment, Li Mei was at a loss for words.
All she could say was condensed into one phrase.
The dishes were not lavish, quite simple actually.
But no one remarked that the meal was meager; everyone was satisfied, grateful to enjoy such food amidst the apocalypse.
They were luckier than many survivors.
Lin Fan clapped his hands and looked at Feifei with a smile, his eyes sparkling, singing the birthday song, hoping to leave Feifei with a beautiful memory of her tenth birthday.
Of course, this was all he could do. The circumstances of the post-apocalyptic world were not great; many things were hard to come by. How wonderful it would have been in the past when things could have been easily delivered.
Li Mei said, "Lin Fan, wouldn’t it be troublesome if we sing too loudly?"
Concerned that singing might attract zombies and trouble to the neighborhood, she knew Lin Fan was strong and could protect everyone, but she didn’t want Feifei’s birthday to cause any issues. Having cake and everyone together was more than enough.
She was truly content. There were no further desires.
Lin Fan replied confidently, "It’s fine, I’m here."
Those few words were enough to convey his confidence.
If those words had come from someone else’s mouth,
People might not have believed them.
But when they came from Lin Fan, they meant trust and peace of mind to the group.
As the birthday song began, everyone clapped their hands and celebrated Feifei’s birthday.
Though such a birthday party could not compare with even a modest celebration in the past, for Feifei it was the most profound memory she would carry for the rest of her life—a birthday celebrated by the people she lived with during the apocalypse.