Chapter 10 The day is approaching.

Chapter 10 The day is approaching.

Xiao Mei bought her usual vitamins and cosmetics. She went from store to store until her shopping cart was full, then wheeled it all out to the car, unloaded it, and returned to shop again. After that, she picked out clothes and shoes for herself and her grandma, enough to last through several seasons. She only stopped when the shopping bags filled up the cart again.

While Xiao Mei was loading everything into the car, Pao Pei was busy with the tablet she had let him borrow.

"Master... come look at this," Pao Pei said, turning the tablet screen toward her.

"A zoo? It's outside the city, not far to the west. Do you want to visit?" Xiao Mei assumed he wanted to go on a little trip, so she was about to consider it.

"I don't want to go for fun... I'm warning you, that place is dangerous," Pao Pei said, his voice serious.

"Mutated animals are even scarier than regular zombies. They're stronger, faster, and evolve quicker too." He had memorized the location—one of the danger zones. His master must not go near it under any circumstances!

"Alright, alright. No going west. No going near the zoo. Can we go home now?" Xiao Mei flicked Pao Pei's forehead lightly. She couldn't help but feel a mix of affection and amusement at how he acted like a grown-up warning a child about danger.

Pao Pei popped out of her bag and took his usual spot in the passenger seat. Once they were out of the city, he was still glued to the tablet, analyzing the city's population data and studying maps as Xiao Mei drove them back to the farm.

They arrived just before sunset. Uncle Ma and the workers had already gone home, leaving only Grandma Li Zhu, who was checking the progress on the work Uncle Ma had left unfinished.

"Grandma... Pao Pei is starving!" Pao Pei jumped out of the car and ran to her, pleading.

"Can I have a big juicy pear, please?" Ever since he had tasted it once, he'd fallen in love with its sweet, crisp flavor and declared it his favorite.

"This little one keeps begging for pears—look at that belly, it's sticking out already!" Grandma Li Zhu lifted him up and poked his belly once.

"If you get any heavier, I won't be able to carry you anymore, Pao Pei!"

"Let's head inside. We've been out all day. I'm getting hungry too," Xiao Mei added.

After dinner, they all went their separate ways to rest. This had become Xiao Mei's daily routine—heading to the city in the morning with Pao Pei to stock up on supplies, then returning in the evening for dinner with her grandma. On some days, she stayed at the farm to oversee construction progress—power installation, plumbing, solar panel setup, and other home upgrades. Sometimes, she even supervised the workers herself.

Pao Pei explored the farm daily, acting like the nosy neighbor auntie in a soap opera, always eager to know everyone's business. At this point, he knew exactly how many people lived in which house, what jobs they had, who argued with whom, and who were allies. Every day, he spied on the neighbors and reported back to Xiao Mei.

One day, he ventured farther than usual and discovered that not far from their house, a large area was fenced off with high walls. People came and went around the clock. After several days of observation, he discovered it was a military zone, spanning nearly a hundred rai.

"Master... about fifteen kilometers from our farm, I saw what looks like a base. The wall is taller than our house, and it's huge!!"

"A military base? Did you manage to get inside?"

"No way. Security is tight. I was afraid they'd see me." He really had wanted to sneak in, but a fist-sized bee bumbling through enemy lines was guaranteed to get caught.

"Pao Pei... can you show me those asteroids again?"

Pao Pei projected the image of the two asteroids for Xiao Mei. Their distance had closed in much more than before.

"You think the government knows they're going to collide?" Xiao Mei suspected the base was where the military was preparing for doomsday.

Pao Pei ended the projection and replied to her doubts.

"They have to know. The orbit distance from Earth isn't that far. From the trajectory alone, it's obvious they're going to crash."

Xiao Mei had thought the same—the government must have known ahead of time but chose to stay silent to avoid public panic. But whatever plan they had wasn't something she could control. All she could do was protect herself.

"Uncle Ma's coming today to pick up his final payment. Perfect timing. I'll send some fruit to Aunt Zhen too."

Xiao Mei had become close to Fei Zhen, the owner of the gun shop, after taking several shooting lessons with her. That's how she found out Uncle Ma and Fei Zhen had been friends since high school. Now, Xiao Mei could disassemble and clean guns herself, and Fei Zhen even recommended a submachine gun for her. Xiao Mei felt confident that she could survive when the world ended.

Uncle Ma arrived to collect his final payment after completing the wall. He had originally estimated less than a month for the job, but it ended up taking almost two due to Xiao Mei's ever-expanding requests—home extensions, a new shed, roofing, electrical wiring, solar panels, and security cameras. Her farm had now become one of the safest, most fortified places in the entire city.

"If you ever head into town, don't forget to drop by and visit me."

"I will if I get the chance."

Xiao Mei waved to Uncle Ma as he drove off. He waved back before rolling up the window and heading out. They'd grown close over the two months he'd worked at the farm. Though he looked big and burly, Uncle Ma was kind and even taught her how to fix leaky faucets and do minor repairs. He once told her, "You have to be able to take care of yourself before you can take care of others."

Today's mission for her and Pao Pei was feeding the ducks and chickens—for the first time! After Uncle Ma finished building the chicken coop, Xiao Mei had bought thirty hens and thirty egg-laying ducks. Grandma used to feed them, but ever since Pao Pei chased them around and scared them into chaos, she got mad and assigned the feeding duty to Xiao Mei and Pao Pei instead.

"This is all your fault, Pao Pei! Now I have to get up early and feed chickens!"

After feeding them, Xiao Mei had to sweep up the poop and clean the coop. Meanwhile, the troublemaker Pao Pei, terrified of getting his fur dirty, ran off the moment she picked up the broom.

Xiao Mei spent over an hour cleaning the coop by herself. When she finally stepped outside, she spotted Pao Pei chasing butterflies next to Grandma, who was gardening. That was it—he needed a scolding!

"Pao Pei!! You left me to do all the work and now you're running around playing?"

"I didn't ditch you, Master... I went to feed the fish and then came to keep Grandma company."

He looked up at Grandma with wide, innocent eyes. The coop was full of poop—if his feet stepped in there, he'd never recover from the trauma. At first, he thought about sneaking off to play in the fields, but figured his master would scold him anyway. So, he decided to feed the fish instead—at least he'd have an excuse later.

"Alright, that's enough from both of you. No one's allowed to go out and play today. Stay inside the farm. Now go—shower and come eat. I've prepared everything."

Grandma Li Zhu waved them both inside. The weather had been fickle lately—cold in the mornings and scorching hot by midday. She didn't want her granddaughter catching cold or sunstroke.

Pao Pei dashed into the house ahead of Xiao Mei. He loved getting pampered—showered, fluffed, and powdered. After his bath, Grandma always hugged him and praised how clean he smelled—and gave him pears as a reward. He had to stay clean! He couldn't be a dirty, scruffy stray like those other animals.

"Walk faster, Master! It's hot! I'm panting already!"

"Alright, alright, your highness. My legs are as long as they'll go—I know you like bath time."

Since the day Pao Pei sent Xiao Mei back in time, only a few weeks remained until the New Year. She had done everything she could to prepare. All that was left was to live each day with peace, waiting for the moment the two asteroids collided. After that... whatever was meant to happen would happen. Everyone had their own fate.

Xiao Mei didn't go out and meet people much—she didn't want to form attachments. She feared that if loss came, she wouldn't be able to handle it. For now, she only needed to take care of her grandma and Pao Pei. That was enough.