"Maybe she was scared stiff from the start, so she stayed still, made no noise, and didn't attract the monster's attention, saving her own life—a silver lining in the tragedy."
Su Li thought to himself that this girl, separated by a door, had heard everything happening outside with her own ears, knowing her father had died horribly. Being scared into this state was understandable.
A sense of pity for the girl rose in his heart. Seeing that she didn't react after he spoke a few times, Su Li felt a headache coming on. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he hurriedly pulled a small bag of bread from his pocket.
Earlier, when he left the raft and climbed in, he hadn't put all the food in the backpack, just in case something happened after leaving the raft. Instead, he had brought a few pieces of bread and biscuits with him.
Now, thinking about the girl hiding here and that the events here had happened at least a day ago, he deduced she must have been hiding here without eating for at least a day.
Su Li took out the bread, tore open the outer bag, then slowly approached, holding the bread out in front of the girl.
This method worked. The girl, who had been staring with wide eyes and a blank expression, finally showed a reaction.
Her eyes slowly moved, then fixed on the bread Su Li was holding out.
The enticing aroma of the bread made her instinctively swallow.
"Looks like she's really starving," Su Li thought, pleased to see her respond. He nodded to her and said, "Take it, it's for you. I've got more."
The girl seemed to understand his words. Slowly, she reached out her hand, hesitated for a moment, then took the bread from Su Li. Staring at the bread in her hand, she paused for two or three seconds before finally taking a very small bite.
Though she ate slowly, one tiny bite at a time, perhaps because she hadn't had water in too long and her throat was dry, she still choked. Her small face flushed red as she coughed.
"You haven't eaten in too long; you should drink some water first," Su Li realized. He wanted to get water for her but then remembered all the water was on the raft. Getting it would take some time, so he started searching the house.
Soon, he found a glass cup in the living room with a little over half a cup of plain water in it. It was cold, but it should still be drinkable. He brought it over, opened the lid, and handed it to her.
The girl took it, drank a couple of sips, and finally caught her breath.
She ate very slowly. Even though it was just a piece of bread, it took her a while to finish. Su Li handed her another small bag of biscuits, though it pained him a bit inside.
Food was scarce now, and these were life-saving supplies. But seeing how pitiful the girl was, Su Li couldn't bear to let her die. Besides, he craved companionship. Even if she seemed like a useless girl, it was better than being alone.
What Su Li feared most was the loneliness of being by himself—that was the most terrifying thing.
He was terrified of being the only one left.
So now, seeing this girl, he was more excited than anyone.
The girl looked at the biscuits Su Li offered again. Her small hand reached out to take them but stopped, a hint of hesitation on her face.
Su Li put on a smile and said, "It's okay, eat up. I've got plenty more." As he spoke, he tore open the outer wrapper and pressed the biscuits into her hand.
He thought to himself, this girl is pretty good at reading expressions. Could she have noticed my pained look earlier? That's a bit awkward.
After eating the bread and biscuits and drinking the rest of the cold water, the girl's originally pale and blank face gained a bit of color, and she seemed much more alive.
Su Li leaned against the cabinet, quietly observing her. He thought to himself, she's not bad-looking, wearing a white dress that makes her seem quite cute.
"My name is Su Li. What's yours? How old are you?" Su Li asked, trying to communicate with her as she finished eating and regained some energy.
After finishing the biscuits, the girl carefully licked the crumbs off her fingers before finally turning her big eyes to look at Su Li. Her lips moved slightly, and she spoke in a very small voice: "Xu Xuehui, 13 years old."
"Xu Xuehui, thirteen," Su Li repeated, making small talk with a smile. "That's a nice name..." As he spoke, he watched the girl, who was staring blankly at the middle-aged man's corpse. Suddenly, she shifted, crawled out of the wardrobe, and reached out to touch the corpse's face, lowering her head slightly.
As the girl crawled out, Su Li noticed that the back of her white dress was torn in several places and stained with blood. The white dress was almost unwearable.
Su Li found it a bit strange.
She wasn't injured, so why was her clothes so tattered?
"Xu Xuehui, is he your father?" Su Li took a deep breath. Though he knew it was cruel, he still asked.
Xu Xuehui didn't answer. Her thin shoulders trembled slightly, as if responding to him or crying.
Su Li sighed inwardly. He decided to take her away from here. Letting a thirteen-year-old girl keep staring at her father's corpse was too cruel.
"Come on, I'll take you away from here. There's no one alive left here. Staying here won't work," Su Li said, reaching out to take her hand.
He grabbed Xu Xuehui's arm, trying to pull her up.
Xu Xuehui lifted her head slightly, following Su Li's hand as she tried to stand. But halfway up, she slumped back down, unable to get up.
"What's wrong with your legs?" Su Li was a bit startled. If her legs couldn't support her, that would be a big problem. In this dangerous world, she'd become a huge burden.
"I... I'm fine. My legs are just numb. It'll pass in a bit," Xu Xuehui said, a flicker of panic in her eyes, as if she sensed Su Li's concern and feared he might abandon her.
Su Li understood. She had been curled up in the wardrobe for too long, her legs bent, causing poor blood circulation. That's why she couldn't stand.
"It's okay then. Rest here for a bit. I'll check the other rooms."
With that, Su Li left the bedroom and returned to the living room. Seeing the fallen shoe cabinet and shoes scattered all over the floor, he spotted a pair of leather boots and picked them up.
On the raft, his shoes would get wet. The ones he was wearing weren't waterproof, and his socks and shoes were already soaked. This pair of waterproof boots caught his eye, and the size seemed just right.
Without hesitation, Su Li took off his wet shoes and socks, found a clean pair of socks to put on, then slipped on the leather boots. He tried them out—they fit perfectly.
Su Li looked satisfied.
Though it might be a bit hot to wear leather boots in this weather, he had to endure it. It was still better than walking around in wet socks and shoes.