Chapter 45 - 042: Adding Insult to Injury to My Already Meager Wealth

Words : 1764 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 45: Chapter 042: Adding Insult to Injury to My Already Meager Wealth Sunshine District. "Lin Fan, where did this child come from?" As soon as he returned to the district, he saw the two elders tinkering with something new. Elder Wang watched from the side, while Elder Zhou was the embodiment of a craftsman, engrossed in his new creation. "Elders, I was out jogging when I heard a baby crying so I went to check it out, and then..." Lin Fan’s ability to recount events was clear and even a bit elaborate for a relatively simple story, emphasizing every detail, including the scent in the air. He obviously wanted the elders to visualize the scene in their minds. The silent clothing store, the hideous zombies outside, the rotting corpse hanging on the second floor with an infant in its embrace. He stressed several environmental factors. Having listened to his story, Elder Wang Zhongguo sighed, "Ah, a mother’s love in the post-apocalypse. To lose one’s parents while still an infant is truly..." Even though he had been through a lot. And had encountered similar incidents before, he still felt an uncomfortable blockage in his heart upon hearing it anew. "Elder, is Grandma Xu at home or in the vegetable patch? The child seems to be in danger; I think Grandma Xu should take a look at the baby." Lin Fan knew Grandma Xu used to be a military doctor, someone who saved lives on the battlefield, and her medical skills were impeccable. "She’s in the vegetable patch." "I’m going there right now." Lin Fan carried the infant and ran quickly to the vegetable patch. The two elders followed him, although they certainly couldn’t keep up with Lin Fan; to them, it was as though Lin Fan’s legs were fitted with little electric motors, barely touching the ground as he ran swiftly. The fields. Li Mei and Grandma Xu Guifen were tending the vegetable patch, talking and laughing. In these apocalyptic times, such a scene was truly rare. Their peaceful life owed much to the Sunshine District. And even more so to Lin Fan. "Grandma Xu, please look at this child." Lin Fan arrived with the child in front of Xu Guifen. Xu Guifen was surprised to see the infant, clearly not expecting Lin Fan to return with a baby. But she immediately set down what she was doing. And examined the child carefully. Though she was not a pediatrician, her medical knowledge was extensive. Grandma Xu’s expression turned grave, "This baby must be around five or six months old, extremely malnourished, with a low body temperature. The baby’s bottom is infected. We must hurry back and prepare warm water to clean it right away." "Lin Fan, go get some erythromycin ointment and clean gauze. Also buy some stage one formula and come back. That’s for starters; we’ll have to see what else is needed based on the baby’s condition." "Oh," Lin Fan committed everything Xu Guifen said to memory. Then he turned and left quickly. The two elders hadn’t even reached the fields when they saw Lin Fan running towards them. They were about to say something when they heard Lin Fan say. "I have to go buy some things..." The elders looked bemused as Lin Fan passed by, his hurry suggesting some grave matter. Before they could react, Xu Guifen and Li Mei, carrying the child, quickly approached and rushed towards the stairs without even a word. "What are you standing around for? The child must be in trouble; let’s hurry and follow them," Elder Wang realized, patting Elder Zhou on the shoulder as they picked up their pace to catch up to the others. ... Outside. Kanghai Pharmacy. The pharmacy was in disarray. In the past, Lin Fan might have lamented the mess and offered to clean, but now he walked straight in, searching for the items mentioned by Grandma Xu. "Erythromycin ointment, erythromycin ointment..." Lin Fan moved along the shelves, scrutinizing them carefully, searching on his own without guidance. Roar! A zombie in a white coat staggered out of a dark corner, drawn by the noise. These zombies could follow sounds but were sluggish and hesitant to expend energy until they saw fresh flesh and blood. At first glance, the white-coated zombie fixed its gaze on Lin Fan. This female zombie must have been a pharmacy sales clerk before the apocalypse. They weren’t doctors but merely donned the attire to provide psychological comfort to customers seeking medication. It gave the impression that the pharmacy was professional and that the medicine was reliable. And while making purchases, they would often suggest a slightly more expensive alternative, guaranteed to have an effect, just a tad pricier. Lin Fan ignored her, concentrating on finding the medicine. He had already located the clean gauze; he just hadn’t stumbled upon the erythromycin ointment yet. To find what he needed among these shelves required some difficulty. "Heh..." The white-coated zombie shuffled towards him, clearly injured in the leg, moving slowly. "Don’t bother me; I’m looking for something," Lin Fan said, his eyes on the shelf, feeling he was finally in the right section where the erythromycin ointment might be. He was aware, after all, that many medicines were organized by category, not just randomly placed, which would make searching truly troublesome. Roar! The white-coated zombie reached Lin Fan, its mouth dripping with black blood, exhaling a foul stench right into his face. Thwack! Frostmourne pierced the zombie’s head. Lin Fan didn’t even look. He pulled out the sword, stepped over the zombie’s body, and continued his search. "Found it." Holding the sought-after medicine, he smiled and headed to the counter. "How much?" There was no one at the counter. He picked up a price scanner and scanned the medication himself. It wasn’t expensive, so he paid and left. He now needed to go to a baby store to get infant formula, stage one formula suitable for children aged 0-6 months. Picking up the pace, he searched along the roadside. He saw no maternal and child health store. Thinking carefully, he suddenly remembered that not far from here, there seemed to be one. With that thought, he quickly ran towards that direction. At the crossroads, the traffic light was red. In this post-apocalyptic world, it wasn’t strange for street lights to still function. Their district still had electricity. Some traffic lights were secretly connected to the residents’ lines. The electricity was paid for by the residents. If one wasn’t careful, they might not even realize their high electricity bill was due to power theft. At that moment. Lin Fan wasn’t the only one waiting for the green light. He hadn’t expected to see an old lady in a wheelchair, also waiting for the light to change. The old lady had turned into a zombie, her body bound by straps. Seeing Lin Fan stand beside her, the old lady snarled viciously, trying to lunge at him but was unable to do so. Hearing the noise, Lin Fan looked towards the old lady. "Hello." He felt that this old lady was quite nice. Although she had turned into a zombie, she still greeted him in a friendly manner, not lunging at him as soon as she saw him, a habit he appreciated. "Roar! Roar!" The old lady roared, struggling constantly, desperately wanting to pounce on Lin Fan and bite him fiercely, but because of the restraining straps—and her original paralysis—she was unable to. Lin Fan sneakily observed the old lady, feeling a bit embarrassed by her fervent greeting. He smiled politely. "Hello, old lady." Ding! The green light came on. Just as Lin Fan was about to cross the street, he saw that the old lady remained stationary. He turned around, walked towards her, pushed the wheelchair, and helped her cross the street together. This was a normal thing to do. Helping an old lady cross the street was a basic act of kindness. Every elderly person had contributed to the city in their youth. It was tough for those who were infirm and had no children nearby in their old age. The street wasn’t long. He quickly pushed the old lady to the other side. Doing a good deed could elevate one’s soul. He had been skeptical at first, but after doing a good deed, it really made his whole day better. The simplest act of kindness could bring happiness to one’s heart. If it was a very important act of kindness, not only would he be happy, but he would also receive society’s praise and be showered with fame and fortune as a reward for doing good deeds. The light of righteousness always shines on the path. "Goodbye, old lady." He waved his hand. Watching the old lady twist her grotesque head, he knew she was responding to his words. Perhaps she was saying, Good boy, thank you. ... New Feng Maternal and Child Store. The shop’s windows were shattered, the interior dark and grimy, with items scattered everywhere and coagulated bloodstains visible. On the shelves, he found the baby formula he wanted to buy. Feihe, Starboard, stage one formula, suitable for infants (0-6) months old. "The price is reasonable, one hundred and ninety-nine yuan." He picked up a can, bought a baby bottle, and remembered that the water for mixing the formula needed to be kept at forty-five degrees, which meant he needed to buy a thermostatic kettle as well. Xiaozhuang Bear thermostatic kettle, priced at one hundred and eight. The price was also acceptable. He took his items to check out. The prices were all labeled: formula at 199, thermostatic kettle at 108, and baby bottle at 191. Totaling 498 yuan. Lin Fan was very poor and didn’t have much money. After paying for these items, he would be broke, but he didn’t mind at all. Money, after all, couldn’t be brought into life or taken away in death. Spending it on meaningful things was worthwhile. If he ran out of money, he’d just earn more. After all, Lin Fan was able-bodied, not lazy, could endure hardships, and wouldn’t starve to death. Having bought what he needed, he hurriedly left the store, knowing the baby at home must be anxiously waiting. He also wanted to tell the mother who had passed away, Rest assured, I will take good care of the child. Although I don’t know how to take care of a baby, where I live, there’s Sister Li and four elderly people. They’re experienced and have been through this before. PS: Please give a vote, hehe...

Chapter 45 - 042: Adding Insult to Injury to My Already Meager Wealth

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