Chapter 126: Rest

Li Qingxuan's fingertip lightly tapped the tabletop, his voice low and heavy yet carrying an undeniable comfort: 'It's good to be alive; being alive is most important.'

His words were like a stone dropped into a deep pool, sending faint ripples through the dead water; Wang Hongmei's back finally relaxed a fraction, while Li Jing quietly lifted her eyelids, and for the first time her pupils reflected the warm glow of the light overhead.

'You rest today, then follow Li Feifei and help her around the fortress—we don't keep idlers here; everyone must work. Adjust your emotions quickly and fit in.' Li Qingxuan said sternly.

'Feifei, I think we should give them a big bed or push the three together; sleeping together might make them feel better and more secure.' Li Qingxuan turned his head and said to Li Feifei.

Li Feifei glanced at their expressions: 'Crowding together might make them feel less empty.'

She stood up and walked toward the upstairs, saying, 'I'll bring them to put the beds together right now.'

She gestured for Wang Hongmei and Chen Xiulan to follow, and gave an encouraging glance to Li Jing, who was almost shrinking into her chair in the corner.

The three left the dining table silently and followed Li Feifei upstairs without a word.

In the hallway only their faint footsteps and the rustle of clothing remained.

Back at the door of the little house where they were lodged, Li Feifei stopped and said, 'Lend a hand; let's put the beds together.'

She pushed the door open, and Li Feifei swiftly began moving the three small beds that had been scattered around the room.

Wang Hongmei and Chen Xiulan exchanged a silent look, walked to the other end, and pushed the beds toward the middle.

Li Jing, meanwhile, kept her head lowered, pressed tightly against the cold wall, as if trying to sink into it.

Soon, the three small beds were joined into a wide bunk.

'All right, you'll sleep here from now on.' Li Feifei patted her hands, though there was no dirt on them.

Their gazes lingered on the joined bed for a moment, then quickly shifted away.

'The bedding is laid out too—I picked thicker ones especially for you; rest early.' Li Feifei said softly, 'A little thicker keeps you warm and gives peace of mind.'

Wang Hongmei moved first, almost shuffling to the bedside; her fingertips probed tentatively, touching the noticeably thicker bedding—soft and reassuring. She murmured, '…Thank you.'

Chen Xiulan also slowly walked over, sat beside Wang Hongmei, and the mattress gave a faint creak under her weight.

Li Jing came last; after a long hesitation she inched to the bed's edge, still choosing a spot closest to the wall, and sat down carefully.

Li Feifei watched as the three of them finally sat crowded together on the large bed; her mind eased a little, and she said softly, 'Sleep in peace—I'll lock the door, call me if anything comes up.'

She withdrew from the room, gently pulling the heavy door shut.

With a soft click, the interior and exterior worlds were sealed off once again.

Inside the door, the three sat side by side on the wide bed, none of them lying down right away.

Only their light breathing filled the room.

The warm scent of soap pods and clean cloth drifted about, yet that pure sense of calm remained like an invisible membrane.

They sat stiffly for a long while, until Li Feifei's footsteps in the corridor faded completely; then Wang Hongmei seemed to have expended her last ounce of strength, slowly leaning back, sinking into the fluffy bedding, and letting out an almost inaudible sigh that seemed to rise from the depths of her soul.

Chen Xiulan then lay down as well, her body unconsciously shifting toward Wang Hongmei.

Li Jing was the last to lie down; she pressed herself almost against the cold wall, carefully pulling the blanket over herself from head to foot, leaving only a pair of wide, bewildered eyes staring fixedly at the blurred outline of the ceiling in the darkness.

Her body was wrapped in thick, warm fabric, her companions' faint breathing beside her—this unfamiliar 'safety' felt like a heavy burden, pressing so hard she could barely breathe; all she could hear was the rush of her own blood and the pounding of her heart.

Li Feifei returned to the bedroom and saw Li Qingxuan lying on the bed.

He was clearly still awake; a dim yellow oil lamp on the bedside table cast his angular profile onto the mottled wall, throwing a long, swaying shadow.

He held an open, edge-worn old booklet, but his gaze did not fall on the pages; instead, it pierced the dim light and turned toward the pitch-black night outside the window.

Hearing Li Feifei's footsteps, Li Qingxuan turned his head slightly.

The lamp's halo flickered in his eyes, dispelling some of the day's gloomy heaviness, yet leaving deep furrows of fatigue.

The stubble newly sprouting on his chin took on a bluish-gray cast in the yellow light; his whole person resembled a piece of iron that had been repeatedly hammered and now lay temporarily still.

'All settled?' his voice hoarse, dry from prolonged thought.

Li Feifei gave a soft hum, then turned and pulled the door shut, cutting off the last faint echo from the hallway.

She walked to the bedside, not lying down right away, but wearily rubbed her slightly stiff wrists, the joints looking pallid in the lamplight.

Moving those heavy bed frames, even though they were makeshift, had cost her considerable strength.

'Mm, the beds are joined, the three of them crowded together.' She replied softly, her eyes falling on the pages Li Qingxuan had spread open—filled with blurry diagrams and scrawled notes—'I gave them thicker blankets. Hopefully… they'll sleep more soundly.'

She paused, a hint of worry barely audible in her voice: 'The youngest, Li Jing, is still curled in the corner like a frightened little beast.'

Li Qingxuan closed the booklet in his hand with a muffled thud.

He raised his hand and pressed firmly with his fingertips on his brow, as if trying to knead away the heavy thoughts lodged there.

'Time,' he uttered the word again, low and slow, as if chewing its bitterness and uniqueness, 'We can only leave it to time. What we can offer is a sheltered corner, a bowl of hot porridge, and… a chance to survive.'

He fell silent for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the impenetrable darkness outside the window.

Beyond the fortress walls lay a wilderness rife with crisis; within the walls was a cramped scrap of land barely maintaining order amid scarce resources.

Every new survivor who joins means another mouth to feed and another potential responsibility.

'Tomorrow…' Li Qingxuan's voice sank even lower, carrying an indisputable resolve, 'Let Ling'er take them to familiarize themselves with the fortress's basic zones—mainly the living area and the logistics warehouse. Rules must be established bit by bit. Especially Wang Hongmei and Chen Xiulan, who seem relatively steady; get them to do whatever they can manage as soon as possible—cleaning, sorting supplies, anything. Having something to do lets the heart gradually settle.'

Li Feifei nodded, offering no objection.

She knew Li Qingxuan was right.

In this world, pure compassion cannot last; order and effort are the foundations of survival.

She walked to the other side of the bed, lifted her own equally thick blanket, and lay down slowly.

The bedsprings beneath her gave a familiar, comforting creak.

'Understood.' She replied, her voice thick with fatigue, 'I'll tell Ling'er.'

She turned onto her side, gazing at Li Qingxuan's still-tense profile, which in the dim lamplight looked especially cold and hard, and said, 'You should get some rest too—tomorrow… there's still plenty to do.'

Li Qingxuan did not answer right away; he simply reached out and quietly switched off the room's light.

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