The villa wasn't too dirty, and soon the mother and daughter finished tidying up.
Xu Yan placed her prized orchids on the coffee table and watered them, then contentedly let Xu An go to wash.
Xu An entered the bathroom, carried in the pre-heated water bucket, and poured it into the bathtub.
She then comfortably rinsed herself clean.
The clothes she took off were directly discarded.
She lay in the bathtub, contemplating what to do next.
She would definitely have to go to a gas station. It would be best if there was fuel; if not, she'd at least get to see the current situation.
She could also check the surroundings for any more resources to collect.
After all, it was free to take anything available.
After soaking for a while, a scent of luosifen (river snail rice noodles) reached her. Her stomach grumbled uncontrollably.
Getting out of the bathtub, she dried her hair, changed into new pajamas, and followed the smell to the kitchen.
Fortunately, they were now living in a villa. Even if it wasn't sparsely populated, the distance between houses was large.
Even if she cooked luosifen, the smell wouldn't waft out.
As she reached the doorway, she saw Xu Yan making fried eggs. The golden egg batter was being rapidly stirred in a bowl, churning up and down.
"It smells so good!"
"Wait a moment, once the eggs are ready, we can eat."
Xu An didn't stand idly. She went to the refrigerator, took out all the food from her spatial storage, and filled the refrigerator.
After everything was stored, she looked at her masterpiece with satisfaction and then opened two cans of meat for Gou Dan.
Gou Dan, overwhelmed by the smell of luosifen, was hiding by the door. Xu An searched for a while before finding him. When she pulled Gou Dan back to the living room, he refused to go near the kitchen.
Xu An hadn't expected Gou Dan to be so repulsed by the smell of luosifen. She had no choice but to string a line from the living room to set up a separate fan for Gou Dan.
The sun was now high in the sky, and the heat was beginning to stir again.
Xu An now understood why Hou Yi shot the suns.
However, the villas in this area were originally built for wealthy people to use as holiday homes. The walls were all coated with heat-insulating material, making it much cooler than the high-rise apartments they had lived in before.
"If only we had moved here directly earlier, we wouldn't have had to go back and forth like this."
Xu An complained, holding an ice cream.
Xu Yan brought the cooked luosifen to the dining table and called Xu An.
"Come and eat quickly."
"It's perfect just the way it is now, anyway. We haven't lost anything."
Xu An nodded, True.
Hindsight is twenty-twenty. If it weren't for that security guard, they would probably still be safely in their high-rise apartment.
Xu Yan not only made luosifen but also prepared some jelly, sliced some salmon, paired it with a refreshing vegetable salad, and red bean shaved ice.
A simple lunch was ready.
The crisp lettuce paired with the soft salmon, the hot luosifen with the sweet red bean soup.
A strange combination brought a magical taste.
Xu An's appetite was greatly stimulated. After finishing one portion, she wasn't satisfied and took another serving of sukiyaki and two bottles of ice-cold cola from her spatial storage.
The two of them ate until they were sweating, but the taste was unforgettable.
Soon, Xu Yan surrendered, touching her full stomach. She could only watch as Xu An continued her solo battle.
Xu An dipped the last slice of salmon in wasabi and ate it with the last piece of fatty beef.
The spiciness of the wasabi stimulated her taste buds, shooting straight to the top of her head, making Xu An unable to stop.
Seeing the plate wiped clean by Xu An, Xu Yan teased her.
"That's great. You've saved us the trouble of washing the dishes."
Xu An scratched her head sheepishly and pestered her mother affectionately.
"Mom, did I really eat that much?"
"Mm... not that much. As long as you're happy."
Hearing the insincere reassurance, Xu An pouted and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Xu Yan stifled a laugh, wondering why she hadn't noticed how cute her daughter was before.
After eating, they turned on the deodorizing system to get rid of the smell. Xu An increasingly felt that her foresight was excellent, having renovated the villa again when reinforcing the house.
After eating, the family gathered in the living room, watching "The Legend of Zhen Huan" on their tablet.
Just as An Xiaoniao was performing an ice dance, the previously silent radio crackled, "Zzzzzt—Zzzzzt—" a few times, and then a voice came through.
[Emergency notice: Starting from Thursdays, supplies will be distributed to survivors. Survivors are requested to wait on the rooftop... Every Thursday... Please trust the country... trust...]
Xu An paused the TV as she listened to the broadcast.
Mother and daughter exchanged glances.
"Is the country starting rescue operations?"
"I don't know. The rescue shouldn't be this early. It should be the previously announced supply drop."
Xu An calculated. Supplies would be dropped starting on Thursday, and today was Wednesday, meaning there was one more day.
"Then, do you think they'll deliver supplies here?"
"Don't think about it. This place is so remote; they probably won't deliver supplies here."
Xu An comforted her mother. They weren't really lacking in supplies, but the feeling of being remembered by the country was moving to anyone.
However, material aid was usually distributed in densely populated residential buildings or commercial streets.
Villa resort areas like this were generally not included in rescue zones.
But now that the country could spare the resources to distribute supplies, did it mean that preparations for shelters were also underway?
Xu An felt a glimmer of anticipation. In her previous life, due to her poor sense of direction, she had gone the wrong way. Although she eventually avoided the zombie horde, the small shelters she went to were all private institutions.
Those with resources and capabilities could exchange for a dilapidated tent to rest in, while those without anything could only find some straw to lie on, with the sky as their quilt and the ground as their bed.
She had fled in a hurry, not taking anything with her. It was only because Gou Dan stood guard that she could rest on a haystack for a while.
As for those who were alone, they could only endure their fatigue and sit on the haystack all night.
After all, it was the apocalypse; no one dared to fall asleep completely unprepared.
In her previous life, she had only heard that China had eventually concentrated its manpower and financial resources to build four major shelters, each representing the last surviving strength of humanity.
They were also the crystallization of human technology.
And until her death, she had never managed to reach an official shelter to see it.
In this life, she planned to take her mother and Gou Dan directly to the first shelter located in the capital.
Xu An's expression became determined. The natural disasters in this life had occurred early, and she didn't know if there would be any other changes.
She had to send Xu Yan to a safe place before she could rest assured.
The air in the room became hot again. She got up, poured out the water from the bucket, and replaced it with fresh ice.
After watching TV, mother and daughter did not forget to continue practicing.
Xu Yan could now successfully dodge all the reaction balls.
Xu An's swordsmanship was also becoming more proficient.
Although she was more accustomed to using a dagger, a long sword was definitely essential.
In the afternoon, they both took showers and had a simple meal of cold noodles. Xu Yan, unable to stay awake, went to sleep first.
Xu An turned on the radio and, finding no new developments, hugged Gou Dan and gradually drifted off to sleep.
Before falling asleep, she looked at Xu Yan's sleeping face, feeling immensely grateful in her heart. It was good that everyone was here in this life.