55 days until the apocalypse.
Su Shu withdrew all her savings from the bank, her pockets full of cash, and drove Xiao'ai for a shopping trip.
Sitting in the back seat, Xiao'ai gazed out of the window for the entire journey, her round eyes blinking continuously, filled with curiosity about the world.
Occasionally, seeing her look like that through the rearview mirror, Su Shu would sigh silently in her heart. It was the age to start understanding the world, but instead, she was about to face the arrival of a cruel apocalypse, which was heartbreaking.
Before bringing Xiao'ai back, the director of Songshan Welfare Institute mentioned that when Xiao'ai was brought in, in addition to being non-verbal, she seemed very curious about everything around her. The director said in an implied way, suspecting that Xiao'ai had lived in a confined space for some time.
This was said in a very subtle way, short of directly accusing her never-met sister of child abuse.
In her heart, Su Shu also harbored doubts about Xiao'ai's reluctance to speak, but based on her observations over the past few days, there was no trace on Xiao'ai's body or spirit of having been abused. Her curiosity about everything seemed to be innate.
Those eyes, no matter what they looked at, were always sparkling.
But, she just wouldn't speak.
She couldn't really do anything about this issue and could only hope that their relationship would slowly improve over time. Now, with time so pressing, even if she wanted to take Xiao'ai to see a psychologist, there wasn't enough time, not to mention that Xiao'ai didn't seem to have any serious psychological disorders.
If she had curiosity about the world she lived in, then Su Shu thought she should take her out more before the apocalypse, to let her enjoy and try as much as possible.
Knowing what was in her heart, Su Shu looked at the traffic lights ahead and suddenly smiled.
The feeling of having a family member was truly wonderful.
The feeling of being able to take care of a family member was truly wonderful.
*
After taking Xiao'ai to the supermarket last time, she found that the little girl really enjoyed sitting in the shopping cart and picking out items.
Therefore, without a second thought, she headed straight for the largest supermarket in the city center. The large supermarket was divided into two floors, with daily necessities and food on the upper floor, and fresh produce, fruits, vegetables, and grains on the lower floor.
Returning to the supermarket, Xiao'ai seemed very happy, her chubby little face flushed with excitement.
Indeed, coming here was the right choice.
To stockpile supplies for the apocalypse, one definitely couldn't buy in bulk from the supermarket. Su Shu hadn't planned on mass purchasing from the supermarket; she had her own methods. However, since she had a cute child at home, driving around made her think that many items available now might become scarce once the apocalypse arrived. So she decided to let Xiao'ai pick out her favorites first, and then she would select some items that would be hard to buy or find later.
The things that Xiao'ai liked, that could be bought from the supermarket, and wouldn't raise suspicion due to large quantities, she would buy more and take home. Since she had driven there today, even if she bought more, it would be fine.
As for those items that couldn't be bought in large quantities for the time being, she would order them online later in the evening. In short, she wanted to stockpile as much as possible for whatever Xiao'ai liked.
The primary reason for her visit this time was to check on baby formula.
Xiao'ai was still growing, and baby formula was the best nutrition for children. It wasn't wrong to be prepared.
And so, Xiao'ai, sitting in the shopping cart, happily chose products from aisle after aisle, while Su Shu noticed that whenever the little girl really wanted something, she would glance at her with intention, as if observing whether she would agree or not.
Su Shu laughed, "Little girl, you're quite sharp for someone who doesn't speak much. Don't worry, your aunt has money. Whatever you want to eat, whatever you want to have, pick whatever you like, your aunt will buy it for you!"