A Close Call

Chapter 31 A Close Call

Ian had done everything he could, and after working tirelessly inside and out for half a day, his stomach was now growling.

He took out his pocket watch and checked the time. It was already past one o'clock in the afternoon. He glanced back at Eileen lying on the bed and then gently closed the door.

……

He took out pots, pans, and various kitchen utensils from his backpack. Although he had a diesel generator and plenty of fuel, he had not set up any wiring, so he could only choose the primitive cooking method.

Take out the ready-made firewood from the infinitely extendable backpack, light the campfire, and set up a simple stove.

Considering that the other person probably hadn't eaten for several days, he planned to make some light, easily digestible liquid food. He rinsed the rice, boiled water, cooked porridge, washed the vegetables, and chopped them...

Wisps of smoke rose from the chimney, and soon a simple yet nutritious pot of egg and vegetable porridge was ready. After simply sprinkling some salt, it was done.

He first filled a bowl for himself and sat on the ground to eat. Perhaps he was really hungry, because he then added another half bowl before he was finally full.

He turned around and added some more water to the pot to make sure it wouldn't dry out, then took a chair out of his backpack.

A man sat there in a daze, quietly gazing out the window at the small patch of land that had been tilled, while thinking about the woman lying unconscious on the bed.

At this moment, he still felt a little guilty. If this matter had nothing to do with him, he wouldn't have been too bothered even if the woman died. But since it was related to him, he couldn't get over it with his conscience.

……

After an unknown amount of time, Eileen's eyelashes fluttered a few times. She opened her eyes, her pupils unfocused, staring blankly at the white ceiling.

where is this?

"hiss--"

She tried to sit up, but her body was weak from not eating for a long time, and she couldn't muster any strength.

"Wait, how did I end up lying here?"

Suddenly, as if remembering something, his hands instinctively reached for his clothes, finding them all intact. Only after finding the small-caliber pistol at his waist did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

A few minutes later, she managed to sit up.

Seeing the spotless floor, the clean and white bedding, and the fact that the walls were spotless and undecorated, in the apocalypse, being as smooth as a mirror was the best decoration.

She didn't know how long it had been since she had seen such a clean room; she couldn't even remember.

Since the outbreak of fungal infections, with power and water outages, and with the city's remaining water resources becoming scarce, she has not washed herself, let alone taken the luxury of cleaning her room.

After carefully looking around the room, she vaguely heard noises outside the door and couldn't help but stand up.

After the initial period of chaos passed, the whole world was deathly silent, with the only sound being the occasional whistling of the wind.

In the past, she preferred quiet to sleep, and even the slightest sound would make her very irritable.

Now, what she fears most is silence. She must fully wind up her once priceless mechanical watch and listen to the faint ticking sound before she can fall asleep; only then does she feel alive.

She stood up, struggled to maintain her balance, and walked step by step toward the door.

Grasp the doorknob and pull the door open forcefully. The sound becomes clearer, somewhat like the sound of a diesel engine.

……

That's right. After finishing his meal and resting for a while, Ian felt that sitting there was a waste of time, so he successfully connected the power to the villa, ushering in the electric era.

Then she heard another sound, followed the direction of the sound, walked through the corridor, and came to another room.

Ian's keen senses had already detected her presence. He turned around abruptly and saw Eileen standing quietly at the door. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

Waking up and being able to move freely proves that there's nothing seriously wrong with her body.

He said somewhat angrily, "You're finally awake! Working on an empty stomach, you really are something else. This isn't a sweatshop. If you haven't eaten, just tell me."

Considering the other party was still recovering from a serious illness, Ian changed the subject and said:

"Never mind, go sit on the chair in the living room for a while. I'm cooking porridge, it'll be ready to eat soon."

He ate all the remaining porridge, so we had to make a new batch.

This time it was much simpler. After turning on the power in the room, Ian took out the brand-new induction cooker he had bought for free at the mall.

Eileen looked at the figure chopping things at the cutting board, and her eyes welled up with tears.

She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be taken care of. She remembered the last time was the night before the fungal outbreak. Because she worked too late, she got home late at night, and her mother, who had already gone to bed, got up again to make her a sumptuous late-night snack.

Thinking of this, the suppressed tears could no longer be held back and burst forth.

Fortunately, Ian was busy chopping vegetables and didn't notice.

She quickly turned around, wiped away her tears, silently walked to the living room, and whispered "Thank you" in a voice so soft that only she could hear it.

When she reached the blind spot at the corner of the room, she inexplicably turned back to look at the busy figure, lost in thought.

As she walked slowly into the living room, she noticed that although the space was quite large, there were only a few pieces of furniture.

A low walnut round table, three high-backed chairs, and a small mountain of various daily necessities piled up in the corner.

Little did they know that these few simple pieces of furniture were all the belongings Ian carried in his backpack.

……

Sitting in the chair, she was just staring blankly at the two soup spoons on the table.

About fifteen minutes later, Ian came out carrying two plain white ceramic bowls filled with freshly cooked egg and vegetable porridge.

"Eat."

Ian placed the food on the table and then sat down opposite her.

Eileen silently picked up her soup spoon and ate the food in front of her in small bites. Although she was very hungry, she still maintained her inherent elegance.

Neither of them spoke during the meal; they simply ate their food in silence.

Ian was a man of few words, both in this life and the next, but at this moment he was curious about what was going on in front of him.

The first time we met, although the other person was as nervous as a quail, we were at least able to communicate. How come they became silent after just one time?

In the quiet atmosphere, the two quickly finished their food.

Just when Ian thought the silence would continue, Eileen finally spoke.

What are your plans for the future?

Upon hearing this, Ian paused slightly, thought for a moment, and replied:

"I've gathered plenty of supplies here, as you can see. I plan to cultivate the wasteland. So, even if this world ends, even if I'm the only one left, I will live on."

Can one person survive?

Eileen fell silent again upon hearing this.

Fortunately, this didn't last long before Ian broke the spell.

"So, how long has it been since you last ate? Your low blood sugar is really dangerous today."

Before the other party could reply, Ian continued, "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. There may not be many survivors left in this world, so I hope you can take responsibility for your own life, instead of doing what happened today."

After thinking for a moment, he added:

"I can pay you the reward first. As for the land clearing work, there's no need to rush. You just need to finish it in the next two weeks. And as you can see, I have plenty of supplies here. If you need anything, just ask."

This was the explanation Ian had already prepared.

Whenever I look at her delicate, pale face and jet-black hair, I always remember her slender hands covered in blisters.

So he decided to go all the way and be a good Samaritan, even if it meant eating and living there for free; supporting one more person was no big deal for him.

A hint of confusion flashed in Eileen's eyes, then her voice lowered slightly: "Don't worry, I'll finish my work. I won't take your things for nothing..."

Ian rolled his eyes, somewhat speechless, feeling that this girl was rather stubborn.

However, for Ian, who had been single for thirty years in his previous life, the thing he disliked most was trying to guess what girls were thinking.

Since that's what they said, let her be. Anyway, we'll try to arrange some easy things for her to do in the future.

Looking at the somewhat dim sky, Ian got up and turned on the small light, then said after a moment's thought:

"Actually, there are still many empty rooms here. If you need one, you can choose one to move in."

"No need, I have my own home."

His voice was still deep, but the stubbornness in it was even more pronounced.

However, Ian found it reasonable at this moment, since it was expected that the other party would disagree if a man and a woman were alone in a room together.

The reason Ian mentioned it again was simply to let her know that he had accepted and acknowledged her, and hoped that she wouldn't have to work so hard in the future.

……

Realizing that the atmosphere wasn't really suitable for chatting, Ian had to find something else to do.

Various daily necessities are categorized and organized, various foods are arranged, and empty containers are filled with pure water using magic.

Eileen sat quietly, watching him bustle about like a hamster.

She knew exactly what was inside the box the other party brought over, having watched the whole thing.

Inside were toiletries such as toothpaste, toothbrush, and towel, as well as two 5-liter bottles of purified water, the previously promised potatoes, seasonings such as salt, vegetables that are easy to store such as onions and eggs, and high-calorie foods such as chocolate and toffee.

The suitcase, which was half a person tall, was packed full.

Ian pointed to the bag of luggage and said, "These are all for you. Think of them as whatever you want, even if you consider them an advance payment."

After a brief pause, he continued:

"I'll also set up a simple water tank next to your room tomorrow. You can come and get water for washing and cleaning. I'll put the drinking water inside the room, so you can fill it up in a bottle whenever you go back."

"Thank you, I understand. I will come to work on time starting tomorrow."

Ian looked at the stubborn woman in front of him and was too lazy to say anything more. He simply waved his hand to indicate that he understood.

Eileen didn't say anything more, she just silently picked up her suitcase and walked towards the door.

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The seedlings cannot grow without your help and support~

(End of this chapter)