Chapter 218: The Mink Coat

An Nan sized up Chu Peipei, who hadn’t shown her face in a long time, and noticed she’d gotten much thinner.

“Peipei-jie, are you okay?”

Chu Peipei gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

At first, she really had taken a hard hit.

After all, she had truly loved Chu Xiaoguai as her own daughter. Just when she thought she’d found a purpose to strive for in the second half of her life, she discovered it had all been a lie.

How could she not be upset?

But after a period of gloom, she bounced back quickly.

Life is full of hardships—this was actually one of the easier ones for her to accept.

Living for someone else is never as good as living for yourself.

Besides, she still had Nannan, Zhao Ping’an, and the rest of her friends. Even without a child, she wasn’t alone.

An Nan smiled at Zhao Ping’an and Chu Peipei. “You two wait a moment, we’ll change and be right out.”

Although the temperature outside had dropped a bit, it was still close to fifty degrees. Staying out for too long still carried the risk of heatstroke.

The temperature-regulating fabric Zhao Ping’an had given her was enough for four sets of clothes.

She’d made one for herself, and the one for Little Fugui was pieced together from leftover scraps.

Now that Fugui had grown too big, that old suit didn’t fit anymore, so she’d altered it for Lord Rabbit.

There was still enough unused fabric left for three more outfits. With nothing else to do at home lately, she’d made one for Gu Zhiyu, and another new one for the now-chubby Fugui.

When Gu Zhiyu put on the clothes for the first time, a look of admiration appeared on his face.

“Zhao Ping’an really is talented.”

The clothes were as light as cicada wings—you could barely feel them on your body. But once you put them on, the temperature around you became much more comfortable.

An Nan joked with a smile, “So the one who made the fabric is talented, but the one who made the clothes isn’t?”

Gu Zhiyu glanced at her. “The one who made the clothes is even more impressive.”

Then he raised the corners of his mouth. “Are you jealous of Zhao Ping’an?”

An Nan gave him a playful punch. “Nonsense!”

Gu Zhiyu almost lost his balance from the blow and said helplessly, “An An, do you have a tendency toward domestic violence?”

An Nan punched him again. “I do!”

Gu Zhiyu raised both hands in surrender. “I give up.”

The two of them bickered and laughed as they changed clothes, then got ready to head out.

Before they could step out the door, Fugui, who had been silent all this time, suddenly let out a disgruntled howl.

“Awoo awoo awoo! Awoo awoo awoo?”

Are you ignoring me? Has love made you two stupid?

An Nan and Gu Zhiyu exchanged a glance.

They’d almost forgotten about the dog.

Now that they could finally go out, the one most eager to get outside and run wild was definitely the dog.

An Nan patted Fugui’s head to comfort him, then helped him into his temperature-regulating suit before getting ready to leave.

Lord Rabbit, meanwhile, stayed curled up motionless on the sofa, his red eyes following them as they left, as if he had no interest in the outside world whatsoever.

Laifu, on the other hand, stuck close behind them, and as soon as An Nan opened the door, he slipped right out.

An Nan quickly called after him, “Laifu, you don’t have a temperature-regulating suit! Get back inside!”

But Laifu ignored her and ran straight to Chu Peipei’s door.

Chu Peipei and Zhao Ping’an were waiting outside just then, and the sudden appearance of a big rooster startled them.

An Nan called again, telling him to go home, but he stubbornly stayed in front of apartment 1401.

Gu Zhiyu looked at him thoughtfully. “An An, I don’t think he wants to go outside.”

An Nan was taken aback. “Huh?”

Laifu nodded vigorously at Gu Zhiyu, then pecked at the door of 1401 with his beak.

Zhao Ping’an caught on too. “I think he wants to go to Peipei’s place!”

An Nan looked at Laifu, a bit exasperated. “What do you want to do at their place?”

Chu Peipei seemed to realize something. “I know—he’s looking for Xiaobai!”

Laifu nodded even more vigorously.

An Nan was speechless.

This rotten rooster—trying to sneak off for a date with the little hen while we’re out?

Chu Peipei laughed and opened the door. “Let him come in and play. Xiaobai’s been out of sorts lately—maybe chickens have more to talk about with each other.”

An Nan didn’t bother with him anymore and let Laifu happily run inside.

Before Chu Peipei closed the door, An Nan caught a glimpse of Xiaobai wobbling out of the bedroom, leading a little yellow chick.

An Nan: …

She locked the door, and the four of them, plus the dog, headed downstairs in a grand procession.

The outsiders who’d been living in the building had long since left, and now only the three resident households remained.

Once outside, they looked at the walls, mottled and pitted from acid rain.

From a distance, the building looked like a block of Swiss cheese, riddled with holes.

Chu Peipei sighed. “Our building is really tough—after all this corrosion, it’s still standing strong.”

An Nan looked thoughtfully at the battered building. Why did it seem even more damaged than in her previous life?

The asphalt roads were also pitted and uneven from corrosion—one wrong step and you could twist your ankle. The group walked carefully toward the edge of the complex.

Luckily, the ground had been baked dry by the heat, with not a trace of standing water left.

It was even hot to the touch.

Fortunately, An Nan had the foresight to put thick shoes on Fugui, or his paws would have been burned.

There were many incomplete skeletons by the roadside, probably corroded by acid rain. With the pitted roads and ruined buildings…

It all painted a true picture of a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

No one spoke; a sense of desolation settled over them.

Gu Zhiyu gripped An Nan’s hand tightly as they walked forward step by step.

There were hardly any people in the complex, but as they neared the main gate, voices gradually appeared.

Looking out, they saw that the area outside the complex had returned to its pre-acid-rain bustle. The small marketplace was back, and it had grown even larger than before.

Wherever there are people, the sense of desolation fades.

Their spirits lifted, and they headed over to take a look.

After the ordeal of the acid rain, everyone looked thinner.

The people coming and going around them were all skin and bones, so the four of them, with their still-round faces, stood out immediately.

Especially An Nan, who was walking a plump, well-fed dog.

All eyes instantly turned their way.

But most people here were locals, and the terror of the “chainsaw demoness” was deeply rooted in their hearts. After a quick glance, they hurriedly looked away.

Some others, though, stared openly, as if they wanted to devour Fugui with their eyes.

Fortunately, none of the four looked easy to mess with, and An Nan was openly carrying a gun. Fugui also looked fierce enough. So, for now, no one dared to cause trouble.

They browsed the market, but most of the goods were useless. Just as they were about to reach the end of the stalls, An Nan’s eyes lit up.

“Is that… a mink coat?”"