Yu Li slowly withdrew her hand.
In the deep of night, when all was silent, the house was pitch black. Because her eyes couldn’t see, her ears became more sensitive, amplifying even the slightest sound.
Being able to live again was a gift from heaven for Yu Li.
Especially when she saw through the memories of the original host that, though this world was backward, it was free of omnipresent pollutants and rampant mutated species. Everything was so beautiful.
This was something unimaginable for anyone living in the apocalypse.
The sky was not shrouded in haze, the land could still yield crops and grow plants, the water was unpolluted and clear, the air had no foul stench, and animals were all small in size. Even the largest beasts were so petite and adorable, incapable of flying into the sky to attack humans…
Yu Li was delighted, and this joy allowed her to temporarily endure the breathing of another person in the house.
As a member of the new humans cultivated in the research institute, trained to eliminate pollutants and mutated species for survival, she was accustomed to constant combat and remaining vigilant. She was always on guard against her companions and teammates who might be polluted, mutated, and suddenly attack her. Because of this, they found it difficult to share a relatively enclosed space with others during rest, often unable to resist the urge to attack and drive others out of their territory.
Her body was extremely uncomfortable—her head was heavy, her mind clouded, her mouth parched, and her stomach nauseated.
The original host had worked under the blazing sun during the scorching summer, combined with prolonged malnutrition and lack of rest. Her body was already at the end of its tether, and falling ill was only natural.
The current condition seemed to be heatstroke.
Yu Li took a while to recover before fumbling to get out of bed.
When her feet touched the ground, her body gave way, and she nearly collapsed outright.
Yu Li propped herself against the bedpost with both hands. It was her first time experiencing such weakness, and even she was shocked. Even in her dying moments, she had still been able to wield a weapon and kill a few more mutants. She had never felt such fragility before.
After regaining herself for a while, she continued to grope her way forward.
The room was truly too dark, and this body seemed to have night blindness. Her surroundings were pitch black, rendering her unable to see anything, forcing her to proceed by touch.
Fortunately, the house wasn’t large, and soon she reached the door. She gently pushed it open.
The moment she stepped out, she looked up and saw a sky full of stars.
Yu Li froze.
She stared blankly upward, gazing at the stars in the night sky. This was a sight that could never be seen in the apocalypse. It was so vast and majestic, so profoundly moving.
After the apocalypse, the sky had been shrouded in haze, and it had been a long, long time since people had seen the sun, moon, or stars.
To survive, human technology had advanced rapidly, and humanity had built steel cities as safe havens. In these cities, artificial suns, moons, and starry skies were simulated. But fake was still fake—it could never replace the real thing. Many of the older generation would feel an indescribable sadness and regret when recalling the sun, moon, and stars they had seen before the apocalypse.
Yu Li hadn’t understood this before.
But now, she finally comprehended the sorrow and pain of those elders.
After a long time, Yu Li let out a soft sigh and continued fumbling her way to the kitchen. There, she found a water jar, scooped water out with a gourd ladle, and gulped it down.
At this moment, she could no longer care about the risks of drinking unboiled water. She felt that if she didn’t drink, her throat would burn with thirst, and her body and consciousness would be consumed by the flames.
Clear water slid down her throat and into her stomach, finally alleviating that dreadful feeling of dryness and burning thirst, even if only temporarily.
Yu Li licked the drops of water from the corner of her lips and suddenly felt that the water was incredibly delicious. It lacked the unpleasant, strange taste of bleach and detoxifying agents.
She lowered her head and poured herself a few more gulps of the clear water.
Her stomach growled with hunger. When she had been delivered to the Fu family in the evening, the Yu family had simply tossed the original host into the so-called “bridal chamber”—the room where Fu Wenxiao resided. Zhou Shi had shown some kindness by sending over a bowl of porridge made from coarse rice, but the original host’s body had been so unwell that she had managed only a few bites before collapsing onto the bed.
Now that Yu Li had taken over, she felt an unbearable hunger.
Yu Li never imagined there would come a day when she would drink water to fill her stomach.
Although she had grown up in the apocalypse, she rarely experienced true hunger. The food she had eaten wasn’t great—either nutrient solutions with strange flavors or rough, compressed rations. These were designed to satiate hunger, with no attention paid to taste or texture.
She reminisced about the few bites of coarse rice porridge the original host had eaten earlier that evening and found it remarkably delicious.
At this moment, Yu Li heard the sound of a door opening from the right wing of the house.
She didn’t move, continuing to sip water from the gourd ladle, one small sip at a time.
Before long, footsteps approached the kitchen door, and a voice called out, “Li Niang, what are you doing?”
Zhou Shi, carrying an oil lamp, had originally come out to check on her youngest son, who lay unconscious in the house. She was unsure if this marriage had brought any positive change. Hearing sounds from the kitchen as she stepped outside, she had come to investigate, only to stumble upon this scene.
She spoke gently, “Li Niang, are you thirsty? There’s boiled water on the table.”
Zhou Shi’s voice was soft and delicate, immediately giving the impression of someone with a mild temperament.
She walked into the kitchen, placing the oil lamp on the table. Then she took a coarse pottery bowl, lifted the water jar from the table, and poured a bowl of cooled boiled water for Yu Li.
Although Yu Li’s stomach was already full of water, she didn’t refuse the water Zhou Shi had poured for her.
This was unpolluted water—it had no taste at all. It was wonderful to drink.
Zhou Shi couldn’t help but chuckle when she saw Yu Li holding the rough pottery bowl with both hands, drinking the water with a serious expression.
In the dim light, she thought she saw an expression of reverence on Yu Li’s face, as though the water were some kind of divine nectar, extraordinarily delicious.
After Yu Li finished drinking, Zhou Shi asked, “Would you like more?”
Yu Li extended the bowl.
Zhou Shi poured her another bowl. Watching as Yu Li seriously drank it down again, and then requested a third and fourth bowl, she couldn’t help but advise, “Li Niang, don’t drink too much water. Your stomach might burst.”
The rough pottery bowl was not small; even one bowl of water was enough to make someone feel half-full, let alone three or four. Drinking so much might truly overfill her stomach.
Zhou Shi observed Yu Li’s thin frame and wondered how such a frail body could hold so much water without bursting.
She couldn’t help but mutter internally. Did the Yu family not give this child any food? When the Yu family had sent her over in the evening, she had already looked terribly thin. Now, under the light, she seemed even thinner.
Yu Li was someone who listened to advice. Although she still wanted to drink more, she was keenly aware that this body wasn’t the enhanced physique of the new human warrior she had been in her previous life. After downing so much water, she indeed felt uncomfortably full. Even a belch carried the faint taste of water.
Hmm, water without bleach or detoxifying agents—it tasted pretty good.
Zhou Shi chuckled when she saw Yu Li burp. “Li Niang, it’s still early. You should go back and get some more rest.”
After all, tonight was the bridal chamber night. She hoped that Yu Li would stay in the room with Fu Wenxiao and spend more time together. Maybe by tomorrow, Fu Wenxiao would wake up.
Yu Li wasn’t accustomed to interacting with strangers, but when she thought of Zhou Shi’s identity—by the customs of this world, she was considered her mother-in-law and thus family—she obediently responded with a soft acknowledgment.
As she walked out of the kitchen, Zhou Shi suddenly asked, “Li Niang, how is Xiao Ge’er?”
Yu Li paused for a moment before replying, “He hasn’t woken up.”
Zhou Shi wasn’t surprised. Though they had hoped the wedding might bring good fortune, she didn’t truly believe that marrying someone would immediately wake her youngest son.
She sighed deeply, her heart heavy with worry, and returned to her room.
—
Yu Li also groped her way back to her own room.
The room was pitch dark. There was an oil lamp in the house, but Yu Li, being new here, was unfamiliar with the setup. Additionally, in the Yu family, to save money, none of the rooms where she and her sisters lived had oil lamps or candles, so she had no habit of lighting one.
Feeling her way to the edge of the bed, she slowly climbed in.
Even after drinking so much water, her body still felt unwell. Her head was heavy, and her limbs weak. All she wanted was to lie down and recover as quickly as possible. The frailty was disconcerting; she couldn’t even lift a large water jar in this state, something that left her feeling very uncomfortable.
There was already someone lying on the bed. Although this person had been unconscious for days and wouldn’t wake up or suddenly lash out at her like those pollutants and mutants, she still found it difficult to adapt. The faint sound of his breathing made her want to silence it entirely.
No, she couldn’t act on this impulse.
She reminded herself that this wasn’t someone who could turn into a pollutant at any moment. She didn’t need to remain constantly on guard or eliminate him the moment he moved.
After quite a while, unable to endure her discomfort any longer, Yu Li finally closed her eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
She slept until broad daylight.
The faint sounds outside woke her.
Yu Li opened her eyes and tilted her head to listen. She could hear the murmured whispers outside, likely Zhou Shi and two children. Though their voices were low, her heightened senses allowed her to catch them from a distance.
After some time, Yu Li slowly sat up.
Having rested, her body finally felt less frail. However… as she clenched her fist, she found that her strength was still feeble and her limbs soft.
This left her somewhat disappointed. It seemed that when people here fell ill, they couldn’t recover quickly and needed a period of rest to regain their strength.
The light in the room was dim. She turned her head to look at the person lying on the inner side of the bed. She could only vaguely make out his outline and features.
Last night, after a simple wedding ceremony, which counted as their bridal night, she had been sent here despite the groom’s unconscious state.
Listening to his breathing, which remained steady though faint and weak, Yu Li decided he wasn’t in immediate danger of dying and paid him no further attention.
She climbed out of bed slowly, dressed herself, and opened the door to step outside.
Waiting for updates! Thanks 😊