Chapter 446: Eternity 7.

The family meals became another small battlefield. Mother Yan worried

that Yan did not eat enough when she was busy, and Yan insisted that she

was fine. Bai, who often forgot meals herself whenever a repair caught

her attention, unexpectedly sided with Mother Yan.

"She needs to eat," Bai said one afternoon when Yan tried to carry her

bowl away unfinished.

Yan turned slowly. "You told me yesterday that I could finish later."

"Yesterday you were checking the water lines. Today you’re sitting down.

There’s no reason not to eat."

"You are changing the rules whenever it’s convenient."

"The rules are based on the situation."

Mother Yan nodded as though Bai had made an excellent argument.

"Exactly. Eat first, then finish your work."

Yan looked between them. "You have formed an alliance."

"A very sensible one," Bai said.

"Against me."

"For your health."

Yan looked at the two women for another moment, then sat down and picked

up her chopsticks. "Traitors. Both of you."

Bai placed an extra portion of vegetables in Yan’s bowl. "Eat your

vegetables, traitor."

Yan glared at her, but the corner of her mouth betrayed her. She ate the

vegetables. Later, she returned the favor by putting a second cup of

water beside Bai’s tools and refusing to let Bai start another task

until she had finished it. The household’s rules about food and water

had become reciprocal enough that nobody could claim moral superiority

for very long.

The Neighbors of Building 9

The rest of Building 9 began to settle into a cautious routine as well.

No one believed the building was permanently safe, especially after

zombies had found their way inside again, but the previous night’s

cleanup had given the residents a little breathing room. People were

willing to open their doors for short periods, talk quietly across the

corridor, and carry supplies to neighbors without making every movement

feel like a gamble. They still kept weapons near the entrance and

listened before stepping into the stairwell, but they were no longer

living in constant fear that something dead might stumble around the

next corner.

Bai did not encourage anyone to become careless. She reminded the

residents that clearing the building once did not mean the threat had

disappeared. Every entrance had to be checked, noise had to be

controlled, and people needed to report broken locks or strange movement

instead of assuming someone else would deal with it. Some residents

listened carefully. Others nodded and then returned to their old habits

as soon as Bai walked away. She could not force every person in the

building to become sensible, but she could make the rules clear and show

them what happened when those rules were ignored.

A few neighbors had begun to treat her as the person responsible for

every problem. One morning, a man from a lower floor knocked on the

apartment door to ask whether Bai could help move a heavy cabinet. The

cabinet was blocking part of his room, and he wanted it shifted to make

space for stored food. Bai agreed to look at it, then found that the man

had not removed the smaller items from the shelves before trying to move

the cabinet himself.

"You could have taken everything off first," she said.

"I thought I could move it quickly."

"And now the shelves are leaning, one door is loose, and the cabinet is

wedged against the wall. You made three problems out of one."

The man looked embarrassed. Bai did not keep scolding him. She steadied

the cabinet, shifted its weight, and guided him through moving it

safely. Yan helped remove the remaining items while Mother Yan checked

that the passage stayed clear. Once the cabinet was where it belonged,

Bai showed the man how to secure it so it would not tip if the building

shook.

He thanked her repeatedly. Bai told him that next time he should think

before lifting something heavier than his own judgment. The man looked

as though he was not sure whether that was an insult or advice, but he

thanked her again and promised to be more careful.

Yan waited until they were back in the corridor before speaking. "You

know, you could try being encouraging."

"I helped him."

"You did. You also made him look as though he had been called before a

court."

"Maybe he will remember the lesson."

"He will remember your face for the rest of his life."

Bai gave her a sidelong look. "Good. That means he won’t make the same

mistake again."

Yan shook her head, smiling despite herself. She was beginning to

suspect that Bai’s idea of kindness was to solve the problem so

thoroughly that the other person would never have to experience it

again. It was an awkward approach, but it came from a sincere place. Bai

was not interested in making people feel good for five minutes if a

little discomfort now could keep them alive later.

Not every problem was resolved as easily as a cabinet. There were

disagreements over water use, food storage, and the amount of noise

people could make during the day. One family had been using more water

than their share because they kept washing clothing in small batches.

Another resident complained that a neighbor was storing too much food

near a shared ventilation point. Mother Yan handled the first

discussions, explaining what the household records showed and proposing

a schedule everyone could follow. Yan helped settle the arguments when

people became emotional, while Bai checked whether any of the complaints

pointed to a real safety problem.

They did not make the building into a perfect community. Some residents

remained selfish, some were frightened, and some still hoped that the

military would arrive and return the world to normal. But a few useful

habits began to spread. People kept the stairwells clear. They marked

the water containers that were safe to use. They stopped leaving waste

near entrances. Those who could repair things began offering help before

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TO BE CONTINUED.