Chapter 14: Warmth

"Little girl, are you hungry? Come and have some bread!" A woman in her twenties, who had lost her husband, was sitting on the sofa to Di Ping's left, holding a child. Her complexion had improved significantly, though her face still bore few expressions. The little girl in her arms seemed to have recovered from her fear, her long eyelashes fluttering as she curiously peered at Di Ping with her big, dark eyes.

"Come on! It's delicious!" Seeing the child hesitate between fear and curiosity, Di Ping softly encouraged her.

"Thank you, Uncle!" At this moment, the woman spoke in a gentle voice, which sounded warm and comforting.

Only now did Di Ping take a good look at the woman in front of him. She was indeed very beautiful—her body was full-figured, with a curvy waist and chest. Her straight black hair framed her delicate features: fine eyebrows, narrow eyes, a small nose, and a mouth that radiated charm with every smile. She wore a fitted t-shirt on top and a pair of light blue jeans that clung tightly to her, accentuating her perfect curves, particularly her hips. If it weren't for the redness in her eyes from crying and the pallor of her face, she could easily score above 90 in looks.

The woman seemed to sense that Di Ping had been staring at her for a bit too long. Her face flushed, and she lowered her head.

Cough, cough…

Di Ping, who had encountered many beautiful women in his years of business, quickly cleared his throat to cover up his embarrassment. He then said, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Di Ping. Everyone, let's introduce ourselves—name, occupation, so we can get to know each other. We'll all be sharing the same pot in the future, so it's better to understand each other."

So far, he only knew Fatty Chen Gang, the stoic Li Sheng, and Lao Luo. He wasn't familiar with the woman and the middle-aged man.

"I'm Chen Gang, nickname Fatty, and I'm a warehouse supervisor at Yun Jia Supermarket. You can call me Fatty!" Chen Gang quickly introduced himself with a laugh.

"I'm Li Sheng, the captain of the Yun Jia Supermarket transport team," Li Sheng briefly said.

"I'm Luo Quanyou, I work in building decoration, just call me Lao Luo," said the shy Lao Luo.

"I'm Cheng Chao, a former soldier who used to run a hotel. Feel free to call me Ah Cheng or Old Cheng," the middle-aged man said with a hearty laugh, still exuding the vigor of a soldier.

"I… I'm Yu Shujie, a professional manager specializing in business planning," the woman hesitated, clearly a little nervous with all the eyes on her. After a pause, she spoke slowly.

Di Ping inwardly praised her for her beauty, both in name and appearance.

"I'm Ye Nannan!" At this moment, the little girl in her arms, seeing everyone else introduce themselves, decided it was her turn and piped up, introducing herself in a sweet voice.

"Haha! Right, we've got Nannan too!" Di Ping laughed heartily. The little girl was truly adorable, and he wanted to tease her a bit. "So, what does our Nannan do?"

"I… I'm just a kid! I don't have a job! Uncle is silly," the little girl pouted and gave Di Ping a playful glare.

Cough, cough...

Di Ping was momentarily stunned, almost choking on his words. He coughed a few times and shot the little girl a playful, somewhat exasperated look.

Everyone else in the room burst into laughter at the exchange, and even Yu Shujie smiled, gently swatting her daughter's bottom in mock reproach.

The sadness of the post-apocalyptic world seemed to be momentarily lifted by the laughter, and everyone's relationships felt closer, warmer, with less distance.

"I think everyone's hungry. There's food in the kitchen. Whoever knows how to cook can prepare something. My cooking skills are average; I can only manage to cook the vegetables," Di Ping said, scratching his nose. He wasn't sure what else to say, especially since even the little girl had become cheeky. So he changed the topic.

"I'll do it," the woman said suddenly, seeing the confusion on everyone's faces. She gave a soft smile. "Although I work, I usually cook dinner for Nannan after work. Right, Nannan?"

"Mm-hmm, Mommy's cooking is really delicious!" Nannan eagerly nodded, her little head bobbing up and down like a pigeon.

"Well then, thank you! We'll rely on you. We believe in Nannan's mommy, right?" Di Ping smiled warmly and lovingly patted Nannan's head.

"Yes, yes, you're all lucky! My daddy doesn't even get to eat it," Nannan said proudly.

At these words, everyone's expressions darkened. Yu Shujie's eyes shimmered with tears, and Di Ping's heart ached. It seemed the little girl hadn't yet realized that her father was gone forever. Fighting back his own tears, Di Ping smiled gently at Nannan. "Alright, we'll thank Nannan for the food. Today, we're all lucky!"

"Mr. Di, I'll go prepare the food now," Yu Shujie said, as though afraid she might break down in tears if she stayed any longer.

"Alright, go ahead," Di Ping replied with a somber tone.

Carrying Nannan, Yu Shujie hurried toward the kitchen, her steps quick, almost frantic, as though something dangerous was behind her. The others could only sigh softly.

As Yu Shujie left, the room grew silent. Di Ping sank back into the sofa, feeling exhausted. The others, too, were drained—having run and fought for their lives had left them all physically spent. Now, with the tension eased, their muscles ached, and they didn't want to move.

The clanging sounds from the kitchen and the rhythmic chopping of vegetables filled the room, adding to the eerie silence. Occasionally, soft sobs from the woman could be heard. Everyone looked grim, but none of them spoke.

Yu Shujie proved her worth quickly. In no time, five dishes were brought to the table, each perfectly cooked, with an inviting aroma that made everyone's stomachs growl. Di Ping, who had been starving after a morning of work, eagerly anticipated the meal, though the bread he'd eaten earlier hadn't satisfied his hunger.

Finally, Yu Shujie placed a bowl of rice on the table, smiling warmly as she called everyone to the table.

"Come on, let's eat. Food is the most important thing, and you need a full stomach to have the energy to work," Di Ping said as he got up, urging everyone to sit.

Hearing his words, everyone stood up and hurried to the table. They had all been starving for a while but had waited until Di Ping invited them.

"Come on, Nannan, sit next to Uncle!" Di Ping smiled as he lifted Nannan and placed her beside him at the table. He took his seat at the head of the table and called out, "Come on, everyone, sit down! Are you planning to stand and eat?"

The others laughed and, without hesitation, sat down at the table.

As soon as Di Ping sat down, Yu Shujie hurried over to serve him a bowl of rice. Di Ping watched her, noticing the sweat on her forehead from her efforts, and he couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for her. She was clearly a smart woman, one who knew how to adapt and recognize her place.

"Let's feed Nannan first! She's still growing, right?" Di Ping smiled as he took the rice and placed it in front of Nannan.

Seeing her daughter's face relax, Yu Shujie let out a deep breath, her expression one of relief and slight excitement, tinged with a bit of sadness.

Di Ping, noticing this, felt a sense of admiration for the woman. In this world where survival was paramount, her ability to quickly adjust and make decisions for her and her daughter's future was impressive.

Yu Shujie knew that by serving him food, she was symbolically acknowledging his leadership in the family. If he hadn't accepted her offering, it would have been a refusal of her role. But by accepting, he was accepting her dependence, not as a woman but as Nannan's mother.

The woman's subtle emotions were not lost on Di Ping. He knew how difficult it was for someone in her position, yet she had managed to find a way to survive, to make herself useful in this harsh world.

As everyone began to eat, the atmosphere lightened. Even Fatty, while stuffing his face, managed to mumble through the food, "This is so delicious!"

"Dead Fatty, how haven't you choked to death yet?" Li Sheng teased.

Fatty coughed dramatically as he swallowed too hastily, making everyone laugh at his expense.

With the laughter filling the room, for a moment, it almost felt like a normal meal in a peaceful world—despite the chaos outside.