Translator: 549690339
She couldn’t remember when she had fallen asleep, but when she woke up again, the sky was already bright.
Shen MO was not in the room.
Bai Youwei slowly yawned, saw a mouthwash cup, toothbrush and toothpaste on the table, and a basin of cold water prepared.
She didn’t immediately get started, but sat on the bed in a daze for a while, then slowly changed her clothes, got out of bed, sat in the wheelchair, brushed her teeth and washed her face.
She had accumulated two days worth of dirty clothes that she desperately wanted to throw away. However, she reluctantly washed them in the independent bathroom of the dormitory considering she had no more money to waste.
It was a nuisance indeed. She had never washed clothes before in her life.
Teacher Chang was cooking in the hallway outside.
He borrowed a stove and a pot from upstairs. There were bottles of rice, oil, salt, vinegar, and various other condiment placed next to it. Hearing Bai
Youwei getting up, he immediately said, “Weiwei, breakfast will be ready soon. We have porridge and eggs, and Teacher Tu also sent a pack of instant noodles. Which would you like to have?”
“Any will do…” Bai Youwei asked from inside the room, “Where’s Shen MO?”
“He and Tan Xiao went to Yangzhou Port early this morning.” Teacher Chang looked in the direction of the school gate, “They should be coming back soon.” Bai Youwei responded with a casual “oh,” absentmindedly scrubbed her clothes a few times, not concerned about whether they were clean or not, and hung them all in the dormitory.
Then with nothing else to do, she went to the back of the dormitory building in her wheelchair, grabbing handfuls of mint leaves from the garden.
She pulled out quite a large bunch.
She meticulously washed each leaf and dried them in the shadow of the corridor.
Perhaps it was because she and Chang Weicai were so laid back, one cooking and the other drying leaves, the students from upstairs didn’t know what to say when they saw them.
Tu Dan was preparing to take his students to play a frog game today, so the atmosphere was tense from early morning.
Bai Youwei, while watching them bustling about and sipping her porridge, felt a pang of regret because Teacher Chang’s cooking was clearly not as good as Tu Dan’s.
She saw thirteen students, along with Tu Dan, in total fourteen people get on their bikes, raise their arms and waved:
Tu Dan also waved back at her, before setting off with his students.
Fourteen bicycles left one after another, riding on the campus road, like a school of fish darting through the water. The rhythm and zeal they carried were neat and full of energy.
Watching the wheels of those speeding bicycles, Bai Youwei took a sip of her porridge and murmured, “I’m so envious…”
Not long after Tu Dan and his group left, Shen MO and Tan Xiao returned.
They had acquired gasoline and collected some living supplies, filling the SUV fuller than ever before, nearly bursting.
“It’s over.” Bai Youwei remarked coldly, “It looks like finding a shelter is out of the question, otherwise they wouldn’t have bothered to bring back so many supplies.”
Chang Weicai was anxiously watching Shen MO and Tan Xiao, hoping they could bring back good news.
Facing the old man’s gaze, Shen MO, usually so decisive, found it difficult to speak.
He pondered for a long time before finally saying, “…the ship never came.” Teacher Chang’s eyes immediately dimmed.
Shen MO continued, “The craft responsible for transporting people used to come every two hours, but in recent days, not a single one has showed up. Some people, unable to wait, seized the ferry at the dock, and some others went south along the Yangtze River bank. Now there are only a dozen tents left at Yangzhou Port. I estimate that the remaining people will also leave in a couple of days.”
“You mean…the ship will never come?” Teacher Chang asked shakily, “Those people are not going to wait any longer?”
“We can’t wait any longer.” Tan Xiao sighed on the side, “They say the mist in the city is continuously expanding. At first, it was only as large as a residential area, but now, the entire city district has been swallowed! If we wait any longer, even Yangzhou Port will not be safe!”
Teacher Chang stared blankly, “Then we…we…”
“My suggestion is….” Shen MO looked at them and said, “Should we go and check out the mist?”