11 Chapter 11 Starving for Five Days_1

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Ding Yuqin finished speaking and, without waiting for Wang Tao to refuse, hurriedly began to gently massage the muscles on Wang Tao's arm.

As Ding Yuqin drew closer, a faint scent of shampoo wafted into Wang Tao's nostrils, making him feel unexpectedly hot and bothered.

Wang Tao had intended to refuse. After all, he was a manly man, and what was a little wound to him?

But his sister-in-law, after all, meant well. Seeing how earnest she was, Wang Tao really couldn't bring himself to refuse—and it definitely wasn't because her gentle kneading felt very comfortable.

"Oh right! I have a first aid kit at home, just wait for me…"

Ding Yuqin got up, ready to head out the door, but then quickly turned back and gave Wang Tao an appeasing smile.

"Wang Tao, don't forget to open the door for your sister-in-law later!"

She was afraid that once she left, Wang Tao would lock the door behind her.

"Okay."

Wang Tao nodded, not closing the door. After all, they lived across from each other, just a few steps away. Plus, the zombies in the corridor were already dead, so it was still safe for the time being.

Before long, Ding Yuqin came out carrying a medicine box from her place, and seeing Wang Tao's door open, her face lit up with joy as she quickly trotted in wearing her high heels.

"Inside here are some medications for treating contusions and sprains…"

Ding Yuqin opened the medicine box, revealing various medicines and items like bandages.

Wang Tao watched the medicine box in silence.

He had rummaged through two households and hadn't found a medicine box, at most some cold and anti-inflammatory medicines. Not even his own home had one, as his health had always been pretty good and he hadn't been to the hospital in years. He didn't have any regularly used medications either.

After all, medicines have expiration dates, and they're expensive too. Apart from some well-off individuals or those with a sense of crisis who might prepare a professional medicine box, most people wouldn't buy such an item.

"These were bought by your Brother Zhao, haven't even been used yet…"

Ding Yuqin spoke with a touch of pride.

But after saying it, she felt a bit deflated. If she had spent the money for the medicine box on food instead, she could have eaten for quite a while…

When Ding Yuqin applied some ointments and medicated solutions on Wang Tao's arm, his eyes lit up.

Because he saw a change in his HP bar.

[+1]

[+1]

[+1]

[118/120]

The medications had added 3 HP to Wang Tao!

He could also clearly feel the pain in his arm diminishing significantly, accompanied by a tingling numbness.

No pain meant an increase in HP, which made sense.

And from this incident, Wang Tao could also infer that he probably hadn't injured his bones, otherwise he wouldn't have recovered so quickly.

"This medication is really effective!"

Wang Tao praised.

"As long as it helps!"

Ding Yuqin, seeing that Wang Tao didn't seem to be just being polite, was suddenly cheered by the fact she could help him. After all, she wanted to borrow some food, and it was best for her to offer something in return. No one was a fool.

After applying the medicine, Ding Yuqin continued to knead the muscles on Wang Tao's arm, which helped with the absorption of the medication.

However, after a while, Ding Yuqin began to inwardly complain.

It was just too hard, and her hands were getting sore!

And with her hunger pangs, she was running out of strength…

Feeling Ding Yuqin's hands losing their strength, Wang Tao directly spoke:

"Sister-in-law, you don't need to keep massaging, it doesn't hurt anymore. It's also mealtime. Why not have something to eat before you go back?"

"Sure!"

Upon hearing about eating, Ding Yuqin agreed before her brain could even register, but perhaps realizing she seemed a bit too eager, she hurriedly added:

"Ahem, I don't have anything else to do at home anyway, so let me help you! You guys probably don't cook often, right? I'm actually quite good at cooking…"

Wang Tao suddenly noticed that Ding Yuqin's HP bar had also increased.

[+1]

[+1]

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[...]

Indeed, Ding Yuqin's HP bar above her head was not only depleting due to hunger but also because of fright, lack of security, and other reasons.

"Okay, then I'll trouble you, sister-in-law."

With more people, there was more strength, and Wang Tao did not refuse. Besides, he wasn't really good at cooking. He followed the simple principle that as long as it was cooked, it would suffice.

He had just gotten some vegetables with poor appearance from Apartment 301; they had been put aside for several days and would go bad if left any longer. It made sense to invite Ding Yuqin for a meal, especially considering Brother Zhao had asked him to take care of his sister-in-law.

Men and women working together made for lighter work.

It didn't take too long, and a rather sumptuous lunch was prepared.

Looking at the full spread of four dishes and a soup, Ding Yuqin swallowed hard once again.

Five days, it had already been five days!

She hadn't eaten a proper meal for five whole days! She didn't even know how she had gotten through it.

As she looked at the table full of food, tears suddenly blurred her vision. Only those who had experienced hunger could realize the preciousness of food.

"Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"

When Wang Tao saw Ding Yuqin suddenly covering her mouth and crying, he was quite surprised.

Could she have misunderstood that all this food was specifically prepared for her? Was she moved to tears? If so, she might be reading too much into it.

"No, I'm fine, sorry for making you laugh..."

Ding Yuqin hastily wiped away her tears. Even while wiping her eyes, her other eye did not leave the sight of the food. She feared it was all a dream, and with a blink, everything would disappear.

Seeing Wang Tao washing his hands, she quickly washed the bowls and chopsticks and set them neatly on the table, then stood aside waiting for Wang Tao to sit first.

"Have a seat, don't be polite."

Only after Wang Tao sat down did she take a seat herself. Holding a small bowl brimming with rice, she could feel the warmth in her hands and almost burst into tears again.

"Oh right, I suggest you don't eat too much all at once, sister-in-law,"

Wang Tao suddenly said.

"Yes, yes, I understand!"

Ding Yuqin quickly nodded, understanding that if someone had been starving for too long, eating too much at once could be overwhelming for the body.

She carefully picked up some greens, put them in her mouth, and bit down. A flood of happiness filled her senses!

Even though the vegetables were wilted, she felt they were the most delicious food she had ever had in her life!

"Huh? It really does taste good!"

Wang Tao was a bit taken aback; he hadn't expected his sister-in-law's cooking skills to be this good.

As he ate, he observed. He noticed that with each movement of Ding Yuqin's chopsticks, her green HP bar started to slowly increase.

[+1]

[+1]

[+1]

[...]

Moreover, it must be said that Ding Yuqin was someone who could restrain her own desires. Wang Tao could feel that she wanted to devour all the food, but she was still trying to eat slowly, although her table manners were not very elegant.

After eating for a while and feeling her strength gradually returning, Ding Yuqin finally had a moment to sneak a peek at Wang Tao.

No wonder Wang Tao was such a big guy with developed muscles; it turns out he could really eat! He could consume half of the large spread of dishes all by himself...

However, she also realized at that moment that her own eating manners were quite unseemly.

To avoid embarrassment, she wiped her mouth and then took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

"Sigh, Wang Tao, you don't know how unlucky your sister-in-law has been. It's a good thing we're neighbors..."

After Ding Yuqin explained, Wang Tao finally understood why she was so starving.

Simply put, she and her husband went back to their hometown last month, planning to spend a month there. So, they cleaned out all the food in their home in advance.

But her husband had sudden business and came back earlier.

Upon returning home, they had no food at all, but they didn't think much of it, deciding to make do with a meal at a restaurant for the time being and to go shopping together at the supermarket once her husband was less busy.

The next day, she slept in, and by the time she woke up, the virus had broken out.

That meant that, while other families could last a few days even with little food, she had nothing at all at home. If it weren't for some snacks she bought earlier and a bag of bread given by Wang Tao, she might have truly starved to death...