Su Zhiruan was not made of stone, but neither was she a saint.
From the very beginning of hoarding supplies, all she wanted was to survive the natural disaster and complete her mission.
She built a base, distributed supplies, but she was never completely transparent, saving enough living reserves for herself and the son from another realm, and the gun—these were her true backbone.
What caused a sudden shift in her thought was an idea that struck her one day.
At that time, she realized she was the only one in the world who knew what was to come. If she could save some people, she would, as a way to do good deeds. Considering the subsequent development, her continuous efforts on the base had saved many from death.
Accumulating good deeds fosters virtue, and with it, God blesses a saintly heart.
"No need to thank me," Su Zhiruan approached and opened the door, helping up the middle-aged teacher who was the leader, then helped several other elderly people to their feet, "This is everyone’s collective effort."
Tears filled everyone’s eyes.
After five long and arduous years, it seemed as though everything had changed, yet nothing had changed.
But in the end, the sun was rising again.
After observation by everyone, they noticed that the severe weather was indeed receding bit by bit, and Su Zhiruan’s broadcasts did not report any follow-up. People from places other than Jinghua did not believe that the disaster had simply ended.
But the rising sun each day spoke for itself.
People descended the mountains, stepped out of their homes, tentatively searching for the shadows of their homes in their memories.
One year of torrential rains had left its mark, and lower-lying areas were still submerged, with various objects floating on the water.
But at this point, they could no longer concern themselves with these details; everyone’s steps quickened towards their own homes.
Wen Qingyu was rowing the boat, with Su Zhiruan and her child sitting in the back.
Xiangsheng curiously observed this world he had never encountered, leaning into Su Zhiruan’s arms, "Mom, is this the outside world?"
"This was our original life," Su Zhiruan stroked his hair and spoke softly, "We have gone through five years of disaster together, and now we have finally returned."
Xiangsheng looked at the high-rise buildings on both sides, and the various storefronts, with colorful signs hanging above them.
People on both sides looked over and, upon seeing Su Zhiruan’s family, called out greetings, and some even dragged their children over to bow down in front of Su Zhiruan.
Su Zhiruan felt somewhat helpless for a moment, and Wen Qingyu rowed the boat a little faster.
"Mom, are we going to row a boat every time we go out? I want to learn to row too," Xiangsheng said upon seeing many people rowing boats, looking at Su Zhiruan.
"No need," Su Zhiruan fed him a calcium tablet, "The sun has come out, and once the water drains away, we’ll return to our original lives. Then you can go to kindergarten, where there are many kids to play with."
Upon hearing this, Xiangsheng’s eyes suddenly lit up.
This time, their main purpose was to visit the Wen Family.
Su Zhiruan’s father and Su Yaozu had long been killed by Su Mingzhu, and now a return to the Su Family would probably reveal a scene of limb-strewn horror, not to mention that the old and dilapidated house of the original host was even less worth the return.
"Ruanruan, I’ve lost my memory." Wen Qingyu arrived at the Wen Family home, following the address left by Grandma Wen, and looked innocently at Su Zhiruan, "So I don’t have the password or keys."
"Your house looks quite big," Su Zhiruan already knew this outcome. Holding onto Xiangsheng, she looked up at the mansion and then jokingly poked Wen Qingyu, "If I remember correctly, Teacher Wen, you used to be a big star."
"I can’t remember," Wen Qingyu spread his hands, "How about I become your kept man, my dear wife?"
"Sure," Su Zhiruan agreed readily.
The original owner had won a sizable lottery jackpot, and after stocking up on supplies, there was still a lot of money left.
Even though the apocalypse had just ended and order needed to be reestablished, she still had gold.
She had thought about this during her hoarding. Even though the price of gold was a bit high, reaching its peak at the time of her purchase, in the event of a disaster, apocalypse, war, or virus outbreak, precious metals like gold became a valuable currency.
Worst case scenario, they could return to the mental hospital in the mountains, where the leftover supplies would be enough for them to survive for another two years.
Xiangsheng ran back and forth, taking a look at the tightly closed gate. He tugged on Wen Qingyu’s sleeve and pointed at the gate with his small hand, "Dad, it seems a face can open it, too."
"Really?" Wen Qingyu held his son in his arms, exchanging a look with Su Zhiruan, "Let’s go and try."