Every baby is different. Some open their eyes on the day they are born, while others take five or six days. Ding Yao had been trying hard to open his eyes, but to no avail. The only things he could do now were eat, drink, relieve himself, and sleep.
The next day, he was taken out by a young girl. She had sewn a simple bib the previous night, which seemed more sturdy than the makeshift one made from torn cloth. This new bib was made of clean fabric, free of odor. Ding Yao was placed inside this bib and followed her onto a smooth, silent motorcycle, arriving at a crowded place.
From the sounds, it seemed to be a market.
Ding Yao listened as the girl approached a shop and began selling something.
“An unblemished amplifier,” she announced, placing an item on what seemed to be a counter, causing it to make a thud sound.
As she spoke, her voice was muffled, as if she had a piece of candy in her mouth. She consciously lowered her tone, trying to sound less youthful. Ding Yao guessed that she had even disguised herself to hide that she was just a girl.
The atmosphere here was likely unfriendly to young women, just like the zombie apocalypse he had survived in his last life.
Han Yanyan later seemed to possess great powers, but before that, she had to endure and submit to him for survival.
Han Yanyan was dead. Ding Yao suspected he might be dead too.
For those who have died and the roads they have traveled, there is no need to look back. What Ding Yao was more worried about now was the girl before him, who didn’t seem to know how to bargain.
She exchanged a few words with the other person, then accepted the price offered. Ding Yao had no understanding of the market but could discern from their tone that it was clearly not a good price. The girl was obviously the one losing out, yet she seemed to understand this, unwilling to argue further.
The other person tossed something he couldn't identify onto the counter with a clatter. The girl grabbed it and stuffed it into her waistband before turning to leave. Were they still using metal currency here?
After leaving the place of trade, the girl went to another location where she listed out the items she needed, all things she had rambled on about to him the previous night. The price quoted was significantly higher than what she had sold that amplifier for, but thankfully, the girl seemed to have prepared in advance, taking out something from her waistband to give the seller.
The seller asked her to “wait,” and she found a spot to sit down, gently cradling Ding Yao in her arms while lightly rocking him.
The wait dragged on, and even though Ding Yao had been fed rice soup before leaving, he found himself hungry again. Worse still, he had already urinated a bit on the way there, and since it wasn’t much, he continued to endure it. It seemed easier to bear a damp diaper than to bear hunger, so he held on.
But as time passed, the dampness became uncomfortable. Even while the girl gently rocked him, she remained silent, making it clear she didn’t want to draw unwanted attention. This was evidently not a safe place.
Considering his discomfort was secondary to safety, especially in his current weak state, Ding Yao continued to endure.
However, as hunger grew stronger, he found himself making involuntary sounds, the “wa wa” cries echoing.
The girl paused in her gentle rocking. Hesitating for a moment, she felt his bottom, then let out a soft “oh,” clearly realizing he had soiled his diaper. She laid him down where she was sitting, untied the wrapper, and changed his wet diaper. Although the cool air made him shiver, the dry diaper was a great relief.
Yet, the pangs of hunger could not be ignored. He pursed his lips and began emitting soft whines.
“Are you hungry?” she patted him softly, saying, “Just wait a moment, Mommy brought you some food.”
Before long, her finger dipped in rice soup was pressed gently into Ding Yao’s mouth. The soup was warm; she must carry a thermos. But it came with a potent scent.
Ding Yao was speechless.
The girl clearly hadn’t washed her hands. She had just changed his diaper and then fed him without washing up.
Even during the zombie apocalypse, Ding Yao had experienced danger but had never faced such indignities. While most people wallowed in despair, he had lived comfortably and serenely.
But since arriving here yesterday, he had been encountering situations he had never faced before.
He told himself in silence that the baby’s urine was nourishing, especially since it was his own. He struggled against his hunger, sucking eagerly on the rice soup on the girl’s fingertip.
Han Yanyan purposefully ruffled her hair and wore a mask to hide her face. Beneath the mask, her smile peeked through.
After cleaning her finger from the remnants of the rice soup on the soiled diaper, she dipped her finger in the water jug for a little more rice soup and stuffed it into Ding Yao’s mouth...
Today is your day, she thought joyously.
As for the past, the resentment had worn off, but a small kind of revenge was inevitable. Moreover, she had brought Ding Yao here with his memories for him to suffer.
Ding Yao found the meal quite somber. Newborns can’t open their eyes or speak, but their hearing and sense of smell are sharper than those of adults. Until he was full, the smell of urine lingered in the air as she held him.
Thankfully, once he was full, he felt drowsy, and after being rocked gently, he fell asleep.
The next time he woke was because of discomfort in his bottom.
Held in the bib, he felt the girl moving; she was likely on her motorcycle again.
If Ding Yao were an adult at that moment, he would surely be blushing, for he was in the act of... well, pooping!
But compared to the previous day’s spontaneous and uncontrollable relief, Ding Yao found this time significantly more difficult! The feeling of blockage in his rectum was unbearable. He bit down on his bare gums, using all his strength to try for a smooth passage.
While he eventually succeeded, the process was hard to describe.
Fortunately, the motorcycle soon returned to the girl’s “den.” Upon entering, feeling her relaxing body against him, Ding Yao instantly burst into tears.
Han Yanyan was speechless. She really wanted to say, “Ding Yao, stop pretending! I know it’s you.”
If she had said it, Ding Yao's expression would surely have been amusing.
But Han Yanyan had to hold it in. She forced herself to remain calm as she unwrapped the cloth and discovered Ding Yao had not only urinated but also pooped. She cleaned him up and changed him into a fresh diaper.
In reality, because he had been fed rice soup rather than breast milk since birth, Ding Yao’s stool was quite dry and hard for a newborn.
However, this time it wasn’t a deliberate attempt to tease him. Han Yanyan had no experience in caring for infants and hadn’t noticed this detail.
They had been out for quite a while, and after all that potty business, Ding Yao was hungry again. But the girl now seemed more familiar with him, and as he began to smack his lips, she quickly put a bottle into his mouth.
They had gone out that morning to gather these life necessities. Ding Yao, still with the lingering scent of urine from the earlier rice soup, found comfort in sucking the bottle, feeling a sense of normalcy returning to his life.
The bottle was much faster than her fingers; before long, he was full. Yet, having just woken, he was quite alert. After the girl took the bottle away and left, Ding Yao, wrapped like a matchstick, lay on the bed, trying hard to open his eyes. But it wasn’t until he caught the aroma of food that he truly failed to succeed.
He listened closely as the girl seemed to prepare a meal for herself. After she had her fill, she stretched and crawled onto the bed, patting him as she said, “Be good, let’s take a nap together, okay?”
Who are you, Mom? Ding Yao couldn't help but think.
As they lay on the bed, the girl’s voice had softened and relaxed, losing that practiced tone, revealing a hint of childishness. She was at most a teenager, he figured.
Though his eyes were closed, he was still quite alert and didn’t want to sleep. However, the girl lay beside him, her breathing subdued and rhythmic. The soft sounds were strangely hypnotic, and before long, Ding Yao succumbed to sleep after a few yawns.
When he woke again, it was to relieve himself one more time. Becoming accustomed to having his diaper changed, Ding Yao felt the familiar, careless tugging from the girl as she took care of him.
After she quickly sorted him out, she put him in a paper diaper.
“Use it sparingly; I can’t bring back too many at once,” she murmured.
Ding Yao, clad in a fresh diaper, was tucked back into the bib and carried on her back.
“Let’s go, time to work!” the girl announced with a pat.
With Ding Yao in tow, the girl left their living cave. However, this time she didn't head outside; instead, she ventured deeper into the tunnels. After quite a while, she boarded something like a vehicle, moving much faster.
Feeling the wind rush against his face and the rhythmic “clack clack” of the vehicle, the still-blind Ding Yao had a sudden revelation: no wonder there were tunnels and caves!
They must be underground in a mine!
The girl’s subsequent actions confirmed his thoughts.
She took him deeper into the earth. It seemed she carried a small device, which was mostly quiet but occasionally emitted a soft beeping sound. Whenever it beeped, the girl would stay in place, walking in circles until she found the spot where the sound was the loudest, then she would pull out a small tool and start digging at the wall.
But several times, she found nothing, disappointedly moving on.
Finally, she managed to dig something out of the wall. From the delighted “ah” she let out, Ding Yao could tell she was happy.
He could easily guess that whatever she was digging from the mine was something that could be exchanged for coins to sustain her livelihood.
Considering the struggles of a young girl trying to make a living, Ding Yao silently endured the discomfort of his dry bowel movements while she worked tirelessly.