Chapter Seventeen: The Dead Must Make Way for the Living

“Big sister, my name is Chen Pei. Here’s the thing: both my little sister and my older sister are ill, coughing constantly. The pharmacy in the compound refuses to give us medicine—they’ll only trade for goods. Captain Wu said he can’t force anyone to give me medicine and mentioned that you went out today. We barely have anything left to eat or drink at home. I was wondering…” Chen Pei had intended to talk about his father, as his aunt had taught him, reasoning that since his father had contributed so much to the entire community, invoking his name would surely yield some help.

Yet, the young boy changed his approach. “I was wondering, apart from food and drink, what other items might you accept in exchange for some cough syrup or tablets?”

Jiang Huan frowned. That Wu Gang.

He had just promised that from the fifteenth floor up, everything would be under her control, but now he’d sold out her medicine supply and sent someone her way.

And Wu Gang wasn’t even shy about it—he came right over to explain, “This child belongs to Old Chen.”

So what if he was Old Chen’s child?

Who was Old Chen, anyway?

The image of a man flashed through her mind, the words ‘army coat’ coming to her lips.

He was the one who had always taken his work seriously, who, even on his deathbed, still worried about her and her brother—the tenants from out of town. A good man to the end.

So, his father had died in the line of duty, and now the child didn’t even have medicine?

Wu Gang could tell at a glance that he’d caused some misunderstanding.

“The pharmacy couple is as sly as foxes. They keep the doors locked and are always trying to jack up the prices. After a lot of back-and-forth, I managed to get the price stabilized. I don’t know if they’re just nasty people, but when kids come, they mock and scold them. I felt sorry for this child and pointed him in your direction, since you might have some medicine. How about this? Whatever you need in exchange for the medicine, as long as it’s not too much, I’ll agree. Is that alright?”

Jiang Huan looked at the trembling child and thought of that army coat, sighing softly.

“What I want… I’m quite fond of gold and silver jewelry. Whatever gold or silver ornaments your family has, I’ll take. Go home and look for them, then come up with me to get the medicine. But you’ll have to wait for me at the door.”

The boy’s face turned serious as he listened, then he took off at a run. His bulky clothes hampered his speed, but he hurried, afraid Jiang Huan might change her mind.

“I only have a few packets of medicine left, but I did manage to collect some toilet paper, sugar, and salt this time. I won’t stay in the compound forever. If Captain Wu ever needs anything, he can trade gold jewelry for supplies too.”

With that, she turned to wait for the child.

He was quick, hands in his pockets, cheeks flushed—whether from the cold or happiness, it was hard to say.

When he started to pull something from his pocket, Jiang Huan pressed his hand down.

“Let’s go up first. Captain Wu, I’ll leave you to your work.”

“Alright, I’ll give your proposal some serious thought.” Watching the two head upstairs, Wu Gang finally realized that Jiang Huan’s offer was both a sweetener and a job for him.

On one hand, it gave people a reason to come to him for help with supplies, building his authority. On the other, it meant he had to play gatekeeper, making sure not just anyone could go upstairs, whether they were up to good or ill.

Once Wu Gang figured it out, he told his two temporary assistants, “Later, take the doors and big locks piled up at the management office and install them on the twentieth floor, right at the corridor entrance. Don’t keep any keys—give them all to Jiang Huan.”

“Won’t people complain? And if you do this, won’t everyone think you’re showing favoritism?”

Wu Gang wasn’t worried about that. He’d dealt with all sorts—thugs, ordinary folks, people at the top. As long as he was straightforward with someone like Jiang Huan, without scheming, he might even benefit from the association.

If she was willing to trade supplies for gold, maybe she’d even discover some good place outside.

But there was no need to explain that to the temporary assistants. He led the team on patrol, enjoying the extra firewood they received as compensation—making a few rounds downstairs each day was well worth it.

In the stairwell, Jiang Huan was already getting used to climbing twenty flights, but the child was out of breath by the eighth floor.

Jiang Huan slowed her pace to keep the boy company for a few more flights. When they reached the fifteenth floor, the boy took out a plastic bag, unwrapping it layer by layer until even a sheet of newspaper emerged…

He certainly knew how to keep things safe.

Inside was a gold chain, two long gold earrings, a silver ring, and a pair of silver bracelets.

“The silver ones are from our neighbor auntie, who wanted to trade too. But Mom and Aunt said we should use our own gold jewelry first.”

Jiang Huan nearly laughed. Such an obedient child.

“Wait here. I’ll be back in a bit.”

She went upstairs, brought down a few packets of medicine, a flattened biscuit, a piece of chicken breast—frozen—and a couple of heat packs, along with two glass bottles.

Worried the child would be too honest and divide everything equally, she explained, “The glass bottles are for your sick sisters. Fill them with hot water to keep warm. The heat packs are for when you go out—hide them well. The chicken breast and biscuits are for you and your family to eat. As for the two silver pieces, they’re not worth much—just enough for two packs of medicine.”

The boy thought it over, put two packets of medicine in his pocket, and stuffed the rest of the items into his clothes. Luckily, his clothes were loose—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to fit so many small things. He thanked Jiang Huan sincerely before heading back down, holding the banister for support.

She could have just given out the medicine and taken advantage of the situation.

She wasn’t a saint, but she also refused to let the scum she’d met in her past and present lives turn her into a monster.

As long as people left her alone, she’d do the same.

That night, her sleep was more restful than it had been in a long time. The next day, the smell of instant noodles woke her.

Jiang Xi had boiled water and made two bowls of instant noodles. There were marinated eggs ready to go, just needing a quick heat-up. Jiang Huan glanced at the time—it was already one in the afternoon.

No wonder Jiang Xi was so hungry he resorted to instant noodles.

She took out a roast duck and some greens from her space, treating the instant noodles as the main staple, and made a proper meal.

The afternoon was spent training, her schedule neatly arranged.

During her second round of target practice, she was already drawing tight circles around the bull’s-eye when the sound of drilling echoed from outside, like someone was doing renovations.

She went out to find workers installing a door.

“Captain Wu sent us,” they explained.

Jiang Huan inspected it: sturdy iron, heavy-duty lock—maybe not foolproof against all threats, but at least no one would be dropping by their door uninvited.

After finishing, the workers didn’t ask for anything extra or try to take advantage—they handed her the keys without a word and left, as if they’d just done a good deed.

After two days of training at home, Jiang Huan felt her stamina improving, the lactic acid from exercise no longer as overwhelming as it had been at the start. She and Jiang Xi even helped each other massage sore muscles.

Just before eight o’clock, the loudspeaker downstairs crackled—the compound would be organizing a sweep of the buildings, checking each one for empty apartments.

There weren’t many residents left, but with several units emptied out and some owners still missing, it seemed the supplies had run out again, prompting this new approach.

They called it a building sweep.

The plan was to go in order—Block One, Block Two, and so on. Everyone was to cooperate: don’t take anything, just act as witnesses to ensure Wu Gang’s team didn’t take more than they should.

Whatever people said behind closed doors, the survivors publicly agreed.

In times like these, the dead always had to make way for the living.

A little over two hours later, they reached Jiang Huan’s building.