Chapter 33: There’s Actually Green Tea-Flavored Toothpaste

Shi Yuebai, who was inexplicably called out, stretched her neck as much as she could—even though she didn’t really have one.

She glanced at Shi Xiangrui, who was surrounded by mercenaries.

Shi Xiangrui had been washed clean; the redness and wrinkles from birth were gone from her face.

Her fuzzy little head squirmed restlessly in the cradle.

Shi Xiangrui’s mouth opened and closed, smacking softly.

“She’s hungry, definitely hungry.”

Chen Yong guessed, shouting, “Get her something to eat, quick, quick, quick!”

The rough men gathered around the cradle suddenly became extremely anxious.

Even Yi Zhe started fumbling around in a panic.

“What do babies this small even eat?”

“Last time, outside the big city, I saw—”

The mercenary speaking suddenly went pale.

He was actually trying to recall what babies this young could eat in the wasteland.

But every memory he had of newborns here was disturbing.

Either the babies were abandoned right after birth, or they were sold off.

As for what happened to those sold babies in the end, no one dared to think too deeply about it.

Because if they did, it would expose the darkest, most terrifying side of human nature.

That would make everyone in the wasteland utterly despair.

The mercenaries, flustered, started trying to figure out what to feed Shi Xiangrui.

Shi Yuebai, meanwhile, told Shi Yaoyao to pick up Shi Xiangrui from the cradle.

She gently patted Shi Xiangrui’s little head, and the baby let out a soft whimper and closed her eyes, falling asleep again.

“She’s asleep again?”

Yi Zhe found this fascinating, his eyes clear as he asked Shi Yuebai.

Shi Yuebai replied, “She’s always like this—not quite the same as other babies.”

Any baby that managed to survive birth in the wasteland was already different from normal infants.

They were often missing limbs, or so obviously abnormal that you could tell at a glance.

A perfectly healthy baby was actually a rare sight in the wasteland.

Yi Zhe looked carefully at Shi Xiangrui in Shi Yaoyao’s arms again.

He understood, and said nothing, but Chen Yong couldn’t help but sigh regretfully, “Such a healthy-looking kid…” Too bad she’s mute—not even able to cry.

Yi Zhe shot Chen Yong a glare.

Chen Yong pressed his lips together and fell silent.

He’d always been the type to speak without thinking.

Chen Yong gave Shi Yuebai an apologetic smile.

Shi Yuebai pursed her lips, not blaming him.

As for Shi Yaoyao, there was no need to worry—she was obviously a child with intellectual disabilities, obvious at a glance.

A child like that couldn’t even understand what Chen Yong had left unsaid.

“Yaoyao, go back to scavenging.”

Shi Yuebai told Shi Yaoyao to put Shi Xiangrui back in the cradle.

She watched as Yaoyao, shaking her head and moving awkwardly, turned to rummage through the rubble.

Yi Zhe turned and sat down on a big rock next to Shi Yuebai.

“Yuebai, why do you collect so much useless stuff?”

Shi Yuebai, sitting on a flatbed cart, was rummaging through a box of toothpaste, her arm thicker than a chubby thigh.

“It’s useful. We’re in desperate need of this stuff.”

Survivors in the wasteland, tormented by the lack of resources, only cared about food and water.

But Shi Yuebai was different. Ever since she transmigrated into this body, she hadn’t eaten a single bite.

Once she’d solved the basic problem of survival, of course she wanted a better quality of life.

Yi Zhe sighed, giving Shi Yuebai a long, searching look.

What a pity.

Among the Shi family, only Second Sister-in-law and Shi Yuebai seemed to have normal intelligence.

At least, that’s what Yi Zhe used to think.

But Shi Yuebai had a bad temper.

Before, Yi Zhe could only communicate with Second Sister-in-law.

Now, he could talk to Shi Yuebai too, and they could communicate just fine.

But he still couldn’t understand her actions.

Maybe her intelligence had been affected by the radiation of the wasteland, too.

It’s just that, compared to the rest of the Shi family, the decline in her intelligence wasn’t as obvious.

After a while, Chen Yong called out to Yi Zhe from a pile of rubble.

Yi Zhe stood up. “Well, Yuebai, keep looking.”

“I’ll take you all back later.”

He brushed the dust off his clothes symbolically, grabbed his weapon, and with a few quick steps, joined Chen Yong.

Once the mercenaries had all left, Shi Yuebai waved at Shi Yaoyao.

“Want to brush your teeth?”

Shi Yuebai took out a tube of toothpaste, tore open the box, and looked at Shi Yaoyao expectantly.

“This box of toothpaste expired a year ago. Yaoyao, try it—see if it still works?”

Shi Yuebai took a bottle of purified water and a brand-new toothbrush from Yaoyao’s backpack and handed them to her.

On Yaoyao’s wrist was a black, rough-looking radiation detector.

They’d traded for it from Guai Guai.

Everyone in the Shi family wore one of these detectors on their wrist.

[Scan: 0 radiation contamination. Purified water.]

That line appeared on the detector’s screen.

To avoid drawing attention, Shi Yuebai had everyone set their detectors to silent mode.

Yaoyao saw the words on the screen.

Her little face paused, a thoughtful expression appearing.

“Auntie… read?”

These days, Auntie had been making her practice reading every day.

In Yaoyao’s muddled mind, a new understanding suddenly dawned.

So this is what “words” are.

She thought these “words” were kind of fun—like a new game.

Shi Yuebai took Yaoyao’s hand.

Seeing Yaoyao couldn’t stop shaking her head, Shi Yuebai pressed her hand on top of Yaoyao’s head, holding her still.

“Come, Auntie will teach you.”

Shi Yuebai pointed at the words on the detector, teaching Yaoyao to read them one by one.

Yaoyao stammered, “Scan… zero radiation… contamination… purified water…”

“Scan… purified water…”

She repeated each word, over and over.

After dozens of repetitions, Yaoyao finally squatted down and brushed her teeth with the toothpaste and toothbrush Shi Yuebai gave her.

Shi Yuebai watched closely—the toothpaste still foamed.

She couldn’t resist grabbing a new toothbrush from the box and joined Yaoyao.

One squatted in front of the ruins, the other sat—both brushing their teeth together.

Shi Yuebai opened her mouth, rinsed, and felt her mood improve immensely.

Ah, the refreshing taste in her mouth.

This really had been a highly advanced, resource-rich civilization before the wasteland.

Toothpaste was one thing.

But there was even green tea-flavored toothpaste!

From today on, Shi Yuebai would brush her teeth every morning and night.

Not just her—everyone in the Shi family would do the same.

(The holiday is coming up soon—what are your plans?)"