Under the setting sun, Wang Xiaoli carried a large bucket of water, struggling to bring it to unit 202.
Listening to the violent coughing from inside the house, she subconsciously tightened her mask.
She placed the water bucket on the ground by the door, then knocked.
Not long after, the door creaked open a crack.
Wang Xiaoli wanted to put the water bucket inside the room as usual.
But the door was held in place. Granny Li covered her own chest, waved her hand with effort, turned around, covered her mouth and coughed a few times, then pointed with her free hand to a stool by the door.
On the stool was a large bag containing some shriveled fruit, some smoked meat, and some rice.
Wang Xiaoli froze for a moment, then picked up the bag. It was so heavy.
Heavy and full. Could Granny Li have given her all the remaining food in the house?
"Go."
Granny Li's hoarse voice came from inside the door.
Wang Xiaoli picked up the bag, bowed to Granny Li, turned and went upstairs. After taking two steps, she stopped and had just turned her head.
The door behind her had already slammed shut with a bang.
The slanting sunlight shone on the wall. In a daze, Wang Xiaoli remembered that about a week ago, at almost this same time, she had seen Granny Li's hunched back as she struggled to carry a water bucket when she was returning home in the afternoon.
She had stepped forward to help as if guided by a ghost.
After carrying it to the second floor, just as she was about to leave, Granny Li had stopped her, given her an apple, and asked her a question, "My back isn't very good, and I usually have to take care of my husband. Could you help me carry some water every day? I won't let you help for free."
Since then, she had helped Granny Li carry a bucket of water every day. Granny Li sometimes shared some candy with her, sometimes gave her a few fruits, and other times gave her some dried fruit.
Gradually, she had gotten used to it.
After all, she sometimes went downstairs for a walk after dinner anyway, but these past few days an infectious disease had been spreading through the residential complex, so she hadn't gone out much. She still went to fetch a bucket of water at dusk when there were fewer people around.
From behind the tightly closed door came the sound of Granny Li's labored coughing.
Carrying the bag in her hand, Wang Xiaoli silently walked upstairs. For some reason, she felt the things in her hand were heavy.
Returning home, she placed the large bag on the table, then took out the things inside.
Before taking out the items, she specifically went to the bathroom and washed her hands with hand soap.
Air-dried smoked meat, already shriveled fruit, a small box of figs, half a bag of walnuts, a small bag of rice, two candies wrapped in colorful paper, two unopened new masks, and half a box of cold medicine.
When she saw the cold medicine, Wang Xiaoli's hand trembled. She could now be certain that Granny Li was really entrusting her with her final wishes.
Thinking of this, she felt inexplicably depressed.
Sitting on the sofa, she buried both hands in her scalp, her eyes somewhat lost.
She didn't know what to do.
Right, the building head.
Our building has a building head, doesn't it?
Wang Xiaoli's eyes lit up.
She hurried downstairs and knocked on Zhao Pu's door.
After listening to Wang Xiaoli's account, Zhao Pu fell silent, then said, "I'll go downstairs with you to take a look."
Standing in front of unit 202, Zhao Pu felt somewhat complicated.
These past two days, Granny Li inside had asked him for medicinal herbs several times, even saying she could exchange rice for them. He had inquired, but the herbs that could suppress coughing and bacteria within the Alliance Mutual Aid Society were all in high demand.
He had asked several times, but they all said there were none left.
He knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside for a long time.
The two stood at the door for over ten minutes. Seeing that the door still wouldn't open, they had no choice but to leave.
Zhao Pu shook his head, "Then there's nothing I can do either. Elderly people have weaker resistance to infectious diseases. I'm afraid it's..."
Ever since the transmigration, similar things had often happened in the residential complex.
Some elderly people, after their spouse met with an accident, with nothing left to tie them down, would choose to end their own lives, unwilling to continue suffering alone and lonely.
Wang Xiaoli was conflicted, "So there's really no way?"
Zhao Pu shook his head: "No, but the Alliance has a special team for handling bodies. Once the homeowner's death is confirmed, they will enter the room to clean up the body. Any remaining items in the room also go to the body cleanup team."
"Ah?!" Wang Xiaoli's face showed unwillingness, "Granny Li, she..."
"I don't know." Zhao Pu said, "Alright, go back to your own home and rest. Try to minimize going out. But if you want to join a Gathering Team, you can tell me. I can help you ask if any new teams are recruiting."
Wang Xiaoli said softly, "Thank you, Doctor Zhao."
"You're welcome."
Watching Zhao Pu leave, Wang Xiaoli turned back to look at the door. She stepped forward and knocked on the door, "Granny Li, it's me, Wang Xiaoli. Granny Li, are you home?"
"Hey, keep your voice down." The door to unit 201 opened, and the homeowner said.
Wang Xiaoli bit her lip.
This time she didn't speak, just persistently knocked on the door.
Finally, perhaps disturbed by the noise.
Granny Li opened the door, looked up at Wang Xiaoli, her eyes somewhat complicated, "Good girl, you go and rest well. This old woman just wants to have a good sleep."
After a pause, Granny Li said, "You're still young, like a flower. Live well."
After saying this, she closed the door.
......
"Brother, I've been practicing for two days now. I feel like my arms are about to break." Qin Ziwu rubbed his own arms, sitting on a small stool, watching his older brother practicing archery.
"If your body is tired, just stay inside here a while longer. This place helps with recovery." As he finished speaking, Qin Ziwen released the bowstring, hitting the bullseye.
While practicing, Qin Ziwen felt his archery skills improving by leaps and bounds, but when he left the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery, that divinely assisted feeling would disappear.
Fortunately, the muscle memory gained during practice wouldn't disappear. As long as he could practice diligently, his archery skills would inevitably get better and better.
However, he was using the bow provided by the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery. If he used the compound bow, the feel might be different.
Thinking of this, Qin Ziwen couldn't help but frown, but suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration.
He turned and went back to the bedroom, took out the Archery Equipment Case.
He took out the compound bow from inside, then carried the compound bow into the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery.
His fingers touched the bowstring. That enhanced feeling... hadn't disappeared!
Turning to look at the arrow case used to hold the Carbon Fiber Broadhead Arrows, he took one out, aimed at the distant target.
"Thud!!!"
The target swayed heavily.
This arrow directly pierced through the straw target, tearing open a large section.
He shot all fifteen arrows in succession, then looked down at the now empty quiver.
He carried the bow and quiver out the door, then walked back in.
The quiver magically refilled completely, and at the same time, the arrows that had been shot into the straw targets also disappeared.
"Haha." Qin Ziwen couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He had found a new use for the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery. This building granted archery enhancement, but it didn't specify what kind of bow. Bows brought in from outside also counted.
Plus, with the special effect of infinitely generating arrows, he had previously been unable to practice freely due to the limited number of carbon fiber arrows. Now, that concern was gone.
Qin Ziwen practiced until past ten at night before stopping.
He went to take a shower, then lit the tavern lantern to prepare for receiving guests.
Feeling somewhat bored during his free time, he simply took out the two Mountain Animal Guide Fragments he obtained yesterday.
These fragments seemed rather useless. The plants and animals described on them were basically ones he hadn't encountered. But then again, thinking about it, the forest was so vast, with so many types of flora and fauna. Encountering them would be fate, and not encountering them was normal.
The two newly acquired animal guide fragments recorded four animals: Forest Giant Mayfly, Stone Burrow Ancient Giant Toad, Monkey-Eating Eagle, and Post-Cat.
Qin Ziwen was treating it like a nature documentary. He originally thought they were all new things he hadn't seen before, but he actually found something familiar.
Monkey-Eating Eagle!
Solitary bird of prey, adult wingspan exceeding 6 meters, some individuals can reach 8-meter wingspan.
Fierce temperament, preys on monkeys, apes, and small to medium-sized mammals. Prefers to lift prey into the air and drop it. Also preys on other smaller birds. Pulling force can reach 100-150 kilograms, grip strength can reach 280 kilograms.
After reading the two pages of the guide, seeing Du Yu's curiosity, Qin Ziwen handed the fragments to him.
Qin Ziwen asked, "Can you understand the characters on this?"
Du Yu frowned, stared for a long time, and finally shook his head, "Somewhat. Some of the characters resemble the writing from our place, but not quite."
"Haha, it's fine, I'll teach you." Qin Ziwen chatted with Du Yu while teaching him the characters.
Listening to the master's explanation, Du Yu sometimes shook his head, sometimes nodded, his eyes sparkling with wonder.
"Master, these strange and exotic beasts are truly marvelous. In Great Yong, I've never heard of these. That giant bird can actually catch and eat people. Its strength is truly terrifying. However, its size is large, making it easier to deal with. These birds seem big, but their weight isn't that heavy. As long as crossbows are prepared in advance, and several arrows are fired together when it descends, it will definitely be injured."
"It's also strange to say, after that Monkey-Eating Eagle came twice, it never came again."
"Probably went to find other prey. This paper says it's solitary, so its hunting range should be quite large."
Qin Ziwen smiled slightly, "Perhaps the two worlds are just different."
He looked at the quiet curtains, "Seems there are no guests today. Let's rest early."
"Yes, master!"
Du Yu's sleeping place was the sofa in the living room. The living room sofa could be folded out, and when spread, it became a bed.
Qin Ziwen used to like sleeping on the sofa. He sometimes found the sofa more comfortable than a bed.
Returning to the master bedroom, he closed his eyes to rest.
Waking up the next day, he checked yesterday's settlement.
「You have successfully survived safely in the wilderness for the twentieth day. You obtained a card from the altar and gave it away... Comprehensive score: 42 points」
「You received rewards: 【Building Card】 Level 1 Salt Well, 【Resource Card】 Level 1 Stone Quarry, Nylon Woven Bag*10」
......