Chapter 24: They Have a Gun Now

Sensing Nong Yasi’s gaze, Shi Yuebai didn’t say a word.

Nong Yasi finished cleaning the baby, then licked her dry lips, looking at Shi Yuebai with longing in her eyes.

“Yaoyao, give Dr. Nong some water,” Shi Yuebai instructed.

Shi Yaoyao immediately took out a small bottle of water from her backpack.

Nong Yasi, full of excitement, reached out to take it.

But Shi Yuebai raised her long stick and pressed it down on Nong Yasi’s hand.

Her eyes were cold as she spoke in a flat voice,

“From now on, if you’re following me, you need to know what to say and what not to say. Understand?”

She had the ability to protect herself. Even if someone found out the Shi family had water hidden in their tent, she could still get away safely.

But before she left, anyone who dared to leak information—she’d make sure they died first.

Nong Yasi nodded urgently. She was a smart woman.

She’d seen how Shi Yuebai nearly beat Chen Huaihai to death, and she knew exactly who she needed to follow to survive.

Shi Yuebai put away her stick, satisfied as she watched Nong Yasi grab the water bottle and drink desperately.

“Don’t worry. As long as you do your job well, you’ll have plenty to eat and drink.”

Nong Yasi paused, a bit suspicious about where the Shi family’s clean water actually came from.

Thinking about Second Sister-in-law’s good looks, Shi Mother’s pregnant belly, and the fact that there were only women in the Shi family’s tent…

In the wasteland, women who lost the protection of men usually had to do certain things to survive.

It wasn’t hard to guess.

Nong Yasi lowered her head, drinking water and nibbling her small piece of bread.

Her eyes were numb.

She accepted it. No matter what the future held, she wouldn’t leave the Shi family.

Staying here was much better than being killed by men outside, with not even a bite to eat or a sip to drink.

Shi Yuebai had no idea what was going through Nong Yasi’s mind. She glanced at Shi Mother, who had collapsed from exhaustion.

She patted Yaoyao’s head and said softly,

“Go practice writing. The character Auntie just taught you—write it a hundred times.”

Yaoyao obediently crawled over to the writing desk.

Shi Yuebai then told Second Sister-in-law and Nong Yasi,

“Go next door and find Guai Guai. Have him make a crib for the baby.”

She paused, tilting her head to ask Second Sister-in-law, “What’s the baby’s name?”

Second Sister-in-law, holding the freshly washed baby, stammered,

“We haven’t named her yet.”

Life had been so hard. Every member of the Shi family woke up each day scrambling just to find something to eat.

Who had time to care about the baby in Shi Mother’s belly?

Shi Yuebai thought for a moment. “Alright, then let’s call her Shi Xiangrui.”

This little girl was her blood-related sister.

After all these years, it was the first time Shi Yuebai had so many relatives—and now, a little sister.

She cared deeply about this baby.

Shi Yuebai had Second Sister-in-law bring Xiangrui over.

Fat as a mountain, Shi Yuebai formed a hand seal above her head. As she finished, a faint light glowed around her hands.

She touched the light to Xiangrui’s forehead.

“In the name of the Great Shaman, I give you this name. May your life be blessed with good fortune. May water flow smoothly, may the wind always be at your back.

When you reach the mountains, the path will open; when you reach the fog, the clouds will part.”

Xiangrui opened her bright eyes and looked at Shi Yuebai, cooing softly.

“Take her away. Everyone, get back to work,” Shi Yuebai said.

Nong Yasi blinked in shock.

That move Shi Yuebai just did—it looked like some kind of ancient ritual.

Could Shi Yuebai be… an esper?

Thinking of this, Nong Yasi shook her head as she helped Second Sister-in-law out.

There were espers in the wasteland, but they were rare—almost the stuff of legends.

Espers were the elite of the wasteland, at the very top of the pyramid.

If Shi Yuebai really was an esper, there’s no way she’d still be living in a dump like this with the Shi family.

The best resources in the wasteland all belonged to espers.

Setting aside her doubts, Nong Yasi and Yaoyao returned from next door with a shopping cart from Guai Guai.

Guai Guai never collected useless household items.

His tent was piled inside and out with all kinds of parts and components.

If he had any household goods, it was only because he wanted to take them apart for some part inside.

Along with the shopping cart, Nong Yasi was carrying two small prosthetic limbs.

“These are from Guai Guai. He said they’re for Yaoyao.”

Whenever the Shi family went scavenging, Second Sister-in-law had to carry Yaoyao on her back.

It was exhausting for her, and uncomfortable for Yaoyao too.

Shi Yuebai was delighted and quickly had Nong Yasi help Yaoyao put them on.

“That Guai Guai is actually useful for something.”

She was very pleased.

She immediately had the overjoyed Second Sister-in-law deliver ten bottles of water to their neighbor.

Nong Yasi and Second Sister-in-law: “…”

Second Sister-in-law frowned. “Yuebai, do we really have ten bottles of water?”

What she really wanted to ask was, do we have that much water?

They’d just used a whole pot of clean water to wash Xiangrui, and according to Shi Yuebai’s plan, they were going to bathe Yaoyao soon too.

And now there was still water to give away?

Shi Yuebai was impatient. “We have enough. Just do as I say.”

“Isn’t your daughter being able to stand and run around worth ten bottles of water?”

The bottles were all scavenged anyway, didn’t cost them anything, and there was a whole pile of them in the Shi family’s tent.

Shi Yuebai found them annoying.

Second Sister-in-law said no more, fumbling over to pick up the bag of ten bottles of purified water Shi Yuebai handed her.

No question, this water didn’t even need testing—it was pure, zero-radiation water, worth its weight in gold.

Second Sister-in-law even had the illusion that anything passed from Shi Yuebai’s hands was automatically zero-radiation.

Guai Guai next door accepted the water in silence, not even saying thank you.

He just hugged the big bag of bottles and disappeared back into his own tent.

Just as Second Sister-in-law, Shi Yuebai, and the others thought that was the end of it—

Guai Guai suddenly burst out of his tent and tossed something into the Shi family’s tent.

He seemed afraid of people, and darted back into his own place at lightning speed.

Shi Yuebai picked up the object curiously and her eyes went wide.

A gun?!

It looked homemade.

Holy crap, what kind of creature is Guai Guai, he can even make this kind of thing?

“Yuebai, what is it?” Second Sister-in-law asked anxiously, feeling her way over.

Shi Yuebai handed her the rough, homemade pistol.

“Guai Guai gave it to us in return. You keep it.”

Inside the tent, Nong Yasi, who was helping Yaoyao stand and walk, was just as excited.

They had a gun now.

Oh my god, they actually, actually had a gun?!

Even though it looked old-fashioned, nowhere near as good as the mercenaries’ laser guns.

It still used old-style bullets.

But it was still better than just sticks and clubs.

A lot of people struggling in the wasteland didn’t even have an old pistol.

It was Friday. Vacation time. Hahaha, oh my god."