Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

”Dr. Yu, what’s wrong?”

”Hungry...” Yu Tianfeng was practically draped over the round table, with no regard for his image.

The Song Family watched him, their lips twitching.

’Why does it feel like a stray dog has wandered into our house?’

Xie Ning wanted to bash his head in.

She didn’t like strangers coming into her home uninvited, especially a nuisance from the research institute.

”Don’t, don’t, daughter! We can’t afford to pay if you break the good doctor.” Song You’ai hurriedly blocked her furious daughter.

Song Youzhi quickly said, ”Xiao Lu asked me to look after him. Just give him a couple of steamed buns so he doesn’t starve. My dear niece, don’t be angry. I’ll get him two buns and send him on his way.”

But Yu Tianfeng clung to the table—or more accurately, to the large pot on it—and refused to let go for dear life.

Seeing how pitifully wretched he looked, her grandmother, Sun Meiying, couldn’t help but ask, ”Young man, how about I cook a bundle of noodles for you? Is half a catty enough?”

The young man nodded repeatedly, still hugging the pot. ”Just cook it in here.”

Song You’ai reached out to take the pot from him. ”Oh, this is all leftovers. I’ll dump it out and cook a fresh batch.”

”Ma’am, it’s not dirty. I don’t mind.” The young man turned his head, looking at Song You’ai with his beautiful, slender Rui Feng eyes, a pathetic expression on his face.

It wasn’t dirty, but Song You’ai felt bad letting a doctor eat the leftovers from their whole family.

Grandma Sun Meiying smiled kindly. ”Then let’s just use this pot. The young man doesn’t mind. I can see he’s starving, and starting a new pot would take time.”

”Mhm, thank you, Grandma.”

Xie Ning rolled her eyes, a little annoyed.

’What good could possibly come from the research institute? Her family is still too soft-hearted. I’ll have to toughen them up later.’

”Xinxin, Junjun.” Xie Ning decided to ignore Yu Tianfeng and turned to her younger siblings, pretending to pull two tablets from her backpack and handing them over. ”I’ve downloaded the complete curriculum for junior and senior year of high school on these. Go upstairs and study.”

”Get up early tomorrow and work out here at home.”

Song Kexin and Song Shijun stared at each other, tablets in hand.

Xie Ning glanced at them and clenched her small fist. ”Knowledge is power. Even though you don’t have to take the college entrance exams anymore, you still need to self-study and graduate high school. Don’t disappoint your big sister! I have high hopes for you.”

The two kids trudged upstairs with their heads hanging low.

Xie Ning called out after them, ”Junjun, I suggest you practice your Wind Ability while you study. Grab a few old newspapers and practice on them from a distance! Be careful not to blow a hole in the wall.”

Song Kexin glanced back at her genius of a brother. ’Haha, poor guy. Even his ears are drooping...’

Over on the other side, once a bundle of noodles was boiling in the pot, Yu Tianfeng was already eating blissfully.

Song Yaoguo, seeing how pitiful the young man was, had Song Youzhi’s wife toss a small handful of greens into the pot, along with a few pieces of meat and an egg.

After Yu Tianfeng single-handedly polished off the entire pot of noodles, he seemed to come back to life, emerging from his previous listless state.

”Thank you, Grandpa. Thank you, Grandma. Thank you, Uncle. Thank you, Auntie.” The young man bowed in gratitude. ”My name is Yu Tianfeng, and I’m twenty-five years old.”

’So young,’ Song You’ai mused to herself. ’He really is a great genius.’

’It’s a good thing Ningning didn’t cripple him...’

Old Mrs. Song smiled and nodded. ”Young man, there’s no need to be so formal.”

Yu Tianfeng glanced at the old woman. ”Ma’am, have you suffered from chronic stomach problems?”

The old woman was taken aback. ”Did Ningning tell you?”

Xie Ning felt like spitting blood. ’How could I be such a blabbermouth and tell a stranger something like that?’

Yu Tianfeng shook his head. ”I know a little bit of medicine. If you trust me, Grandma, I can prepare a few bottles of soothing and therapeutic potion for you.”

”Its main functions are to protect and repair the gastric mucosa, inhibit gastric acid secretion, and so on.”

”So you’re a medical doctor!” The Song Family swarmed around him. Xie Ning felt as if they’d found a treasure, the way their eyes lit up as they stared at him.

’It makes sense. In the post-apocalyptic world, medical resources are tight and healthcare workers are scarce. A medical doctor really is a treasure...’

The young man’s face was black and blue, and after a few days, he was a bit scruffy with stubble.

His white lab coat hung loosely on his frame, and a mess of white hair was plastered to the side of his head. To Xie Ning, he looked less like a doctor and more like a psychiatric patient.

”Xiao Yu, can you really treat Grandma’s stomach problems?”

Xie Ning was speechless. ’Mom is so pragmatic, she’s already calling him ’Xiao Yu’. This level of enthusiasm is just too much to watch.’

”I can.”

”Wow, being well-educated is truly amazing.” Xie Ning’s mom had a look of pure envy on her face. ”Xiao Yu, what else can you treat?”

”From what I can see, you’re all quite healthy. Except for Grandpa, who has some osteoporosis. His lower back seems to have been injured before—it probably hurts when it’s windy or raining, right?”

Her grandfather, Song Yaoguo, stood up in excitement. ”Xiao Yu, you’re incredible!”

”Later, I can help massage Grandpa’s lower back for him.”

”Oh, yes, yes! That would be wonderful, but we wouldn’t want to trouble you, Xiao Yu.”

”Xiao Yu, do you have any medicine for insomnia?”

Xie Ning: ...

’Great! First it was Xiao Gu, and now there’s a Xiao Yu.’

...

Before six o’clock the next day, Xie Ning was knocking on Song Shijun and Song Kexin’s door. ”Time to get up and train.”

Yesterday, the family had spent half the day enthusiastically chatting with ”Xiao Yu this” and ”Xiao Yu that” before happily seeing the good doctor off.

By the end, Xie Ning couldn’t even stand to watch them anymore...

’On second thought,’ Xie Ning mused, ’it wasn’t a bad deal.’

’The Old Song Family are a bunch of sly foxes. They managed to rope in a medical doctor with just a single pot of noodles.’

Originally, Xie Ning had planned to make her younger siblings run twenty laps around all four floors of the villa.

But after just ten laps, her own legs were aching. As for Song Kexin and Song Shijun, they had collapsed on the stairs long ago, unable to move.

Remembering the saying about not pulling up seedlings to help them grow, Xie Ning sent them back to their rooms to rest, planning to wake them up at the same time tomorrow to continue.

Seeing that it was 8:30, Xie Ning glanced at the ceaseless acid rain outside and decided to go out for a bit.

But very quickly, her plans were thrown into complete disarray.

Her mother wasn’t feeling well.

Comrade Song You’ai, who yesterday had been vigorous enough to cook fifty catties of rice, came out today complaining of a stuffy nose.

Then, after drinking half a bowl of congee, she leaned back on the sofa, completely listless.

Early in the morning, the Li Dawei siblings from across the hall came over to collect their due. Song Youzhi, in full gear, delivered several large bags of cooked rice along with a few small side dishes to their door.

When he returned, he looked at his sister and frowned. ”Sis, why is your face so red?”

”Is it?” Song You’ai sniffled. ”I just feel sore all over and have no energy.”

Xie Ning walked over and felt Song You’ai’s forehead. Her expression immediately became exceptionally grave. ”Mom, I think you have a fever.”

”What? Then we should take her temperature right away.” Her aunt started to panic a little.

Song Shijun rummaged through drawers and cabinets before pulling out a mercury thermometer. He ran to the sofa and comforted Xie Ning, ”Sis, don’t worry. It might be nothing.”

Just then, several gasps and screams came from Building 86 across the way.

”A rat! There’s a rat! Why is it so big?!”

”Quick, kill it!”