Chapter 67: Labor Approaches

Shenchi's job was relatively light, and before long, he was pulled over by several aunties to join a group of about twenty other pregnant women. They would discuss the dos and don'ts of childbirth and childcare, occasionally attending music classes and psychology sessions.

Cao Kun and Ming Jing frequently bought items for the baby, and sometimes Cao Kun would return early and attend the lectures. Occasionally, he would chat with others who came to pick up their wives.

Even though the baby wasn't born yet, the nursery was already filled with essentials like swaddling blankets, bottles, formula, clothes, towels, baby powder, strollers, rattles... For Shenchi, there were clothes, hats, socks, water bottles with straws, slippers, towels, and specialized basins for new mothers. The cabinets were stuffed to the brim.

Shenchi felt both amused and exasperated but ultimately said nothing, letting them do as they pleased.

Ming Jing was assigned to the Medical Team and quickly became a male nurse due to his basic medical knowledge. He was then posted to the B District Health Station, responsible for daily health checks in that area.

Shenchi’s classes were also in B District, right next to the Health Station, across from a playground and an orphanage.

Inside the orphanage lived around forty to fifty children, ranging from four to eleven years old, all having lost their parents. Currently, they were being cared for by the safety zone. The expectant mothers often felt a surge of maternal love and would save some food to give to these malnourished children.

Ming Jing also loved those children and would often help out, giving them toys or supervising an old man who liked to wander around.

There was an old man who often visited, looking fierce and speaking harshly. He enjoyed teasing the children until they were on the verge of tears, at which point he would laugh heartily. Sometimes he would share candy or tell stories, but he never did anything harmful. Over time, Ming Jing grew more relaxed around him and even started listening to his stories occasionally.

One day, the old man disappeared for several days, causing Ming Jing to worry. But soon enough, the old man reappeared.

Shenchi had heard Ming Jing talk about this old man many times and couldn’t help but pay attention when he saw him. He overheard the old man remarking how much the children had grown in just a few days, then began telling stories and teaching them simple arithmetic like 1 + 1 = 2 and 1 + 2 = 3.

Not long after, news spread that the school was reopening.

Another piece of news that swept through the entire safety zone was the emergence of a dual-elemental earth-wood ability user!

Rumors also circulated that this dual-elemental ability user had given birth to a son half a month ago, and the baby had also awakened with dual earth-wood abilities!

This news overshadowed the excitement of the school reopening and sparked much discussion within the safety zone.

Some said the mother and child were now in the new capital, while others claimed the child didn’t survive and the mother had gone to kill zombies in the North Latitude Autonomous Region. There were also rumors that they had fled to the West Latitude.

On the night the news broke, Cao Kun came to Shenchi’s room. Both agreed that the emergence of this dual-elemental ability user was beneficial, reducing the risks if Shenchi’s own dual-elemental abilities were exposed later.

Shenchi thought of Xia Yi. In his previous life, Xia Yi had delivered the dual-elemental mother and child, but this time there was no mention of Xia Yi. Even if he knew where the woman was, he could try his luck. Unfortunately, his inquiries yielded no results.

Shenchi was the most advanced in pregnancy within the safety zone, making him the first expectant parent. Many people paid close attention to him, so he gradually stopped attending classes.

Free prenatal check-ups were available at the hospital, but Shenchi didn’t go. Instead, they found a doctor whose movements they had tracked and planned to bring him in on the day of labor.

As for the medical equipment, Shenchi had asked Xia Yi for a list and, during an outing, brought all the necessary equipment into his space.

One day, it rained outside, and Shenchi, not needing to work, returned home to clean. Soon, someone pounded on the door.

Opening the door, Shenchi saw a burly man holding a lively fish in his hand, twice the size of Shenchi’s fist.

The man gruffly said, “Take it!”

Shenchi narrowed his eyes, slightly displeased.

“A-Yong means well!”

A girl with a bob haircut peeked out from behind the man; Shenchi recognized her as a neighbor.

She smiled and said, “Sister, I heard eating fish during pregnancy makes the baby smarter. You should take it and eat it!”

Shenchi hesitated, about to refuse, “No…”

The man pushed the fish forward insistently, “Take it!”

The girl giggled, “A-Yong caught several, and we can’t finish them all. It’d be a waste if they went bad. Sister, please help us eat some!”

With that, she led the man away, and he pushed the fish toward Shenchi one last time before following her.

Shenchi took the fish into the kitchen, along with two apples and pears that looked unappealing but tasted sweet.

He knew how valuable these items were; fruits were rare and precious. In his past life, he couldn’t buy an apple with a level-two crystal core, and when he finally got two, his parents gave them to Shen Tian.

Due to the rain, it grew dark earlier than usual, and Cao Kun and Ming Jing returned home early with groceries.

Shenchi told them to wash up while he cooked dinner. He made fish soup, a pot of braised pork, and stir-fried vegetables from the space and Cao Kun’s purchases.

Then he filled a bowl with meat and another with vegetables, asking Ming Jing to deliver them to the neighbors.

When Cao Kun learned of this, he smiled, revealing a dimple on his left cheek, which surprised Ming Jing, who had never noticed it before.

That night, Shenchi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Standing by the window, he watched the drizzle outside, lost in thought for a long time.

When he finally lay down again, he realized that this life was more comfortable and peaceful than before the apocalypse.

The safety zone wasn’t always joyful. There had been a few small-scale zombie outbreaks, resulting in over two hundred casualties. People lit candles in their memory, and Ming Jing took a day off to recite scriptures all night.

The second and third generations of the C1S9 vaccine were developed and produced, reducing the activation time from ten seconds to five and increasing the efficacy of the antigens by 17%. This meant that even a bite from a zombie might not result in infection.

However, the downside was that the antibodies’ effectiveness was reduced, and the cost was high.

With half a month until the New Year, experts predicted a climate shift, estimating that the southern regions would experience temperatures as low as minus thirty to forty degrees Celsius.

The safety zone hurriedly prepared for the cold, causing chaos.

Half a month later, on Chinese New Year’s Eve, February 4th, after finishing his last shift, Shenchi collected a pound of rice, half a pound of meat, 200 grams of vegetables, and a bag of sugar provided by the government and headed home.

Red lanterns were hung up in the safe zone, and "Fu" characters and couplets were pasted on doors. The snacks at the stalls were much more plentiful than usual, and some people were rehearsing performances, getting ready after work.

To celebrate the New Year, the curfew in the safe zone was extended by two hours tonight. The streets were packed with people, all wearing smiles on their faces.

The performances included popular stars singing, leaders showing off their vocal skills, handsome men and beautiful women dancing, children around seven or eight years old doing waist-twisting dances, hilarious skits, the heroic demeanor of soldiers, and various displays of superpowers.

The audience was very supportive, giving enthusiastic applause to every performer.

The soldiers guarding the city gates stood straighter with smiles on their faces.

Shenchi, Cao Kun, and Ming Jing stayed out until the curfew whistle blew, then returned home with the crowd and started preparing dinner.

Together, they prepared a sumptuous dinner in less than an hour.

Cao Kun took a can of beer and asked for a toast, while Shenchi and Ming Jing used plain water instead. They finished all the dishes.

The temperature dropped quickly after nightfall. Shenchi brought out the quilts he had prepared earlier and laid them out. Just as they finished, snow began to fall outside. Many people opened their windows to watch, seeing the snow grow heavier and the indoor temperature drop.

Some closed their windows, others turned on the heaters, and some wrapped themselves in down jackets they had prepared and continued watching the snow from their windows.

Someone remarked, "How similar it is to that sudden snowfall last June!"

The next morning, just after six, the sky was blue, and the white snow covered everything in sight—houses and roads alike. People were still walking on the streets.

Yesterday, the safe zone had issued a notice: starting from the Spring Festival, the curfew would be from 6:15 PM to 5 AM the next day, except for staff members.

On the first day of the lunar year, when the temperature dropped to minus twenty-one degrees, people went about their daily routines, working on assembly lines and farming, while also increasing the number of personnel on duty for crops and livestock at night.

On the second night, the temperature dropped to minus forty degrees, and by the third night, it was minus forty-three degrees, with daytime temperatures averaging around minus thirty degrees.

The roads were icy, so people had to wear UV-blocking sunglasses to prevent snow blindness.

The street sweepers were replaced by snowplows and ice removal vehicles, but the ice removal efforts were not very effective. As a result, ice skating became a new form of entertainment.

Despite thorough preparations, many people still caught colds due to the extreme low temperatures. Ming Jing, working at the community health station, was exhausted after several days.

Due to the cold, people wore bulky clothing both indoors and outdoors. The radio constantly reminded everyone to open windows for ventilation to avoid suffocation from lack of oxygen.

On February 19th, the Lantern Festival, the government distributed tangyuan (sweet rice balls) to all residents of the safe zone. Children began looking forward to the next festival.

Shenchi's hair had grown longer. He removed his wig, tied his hair back, and wore a hat and thick down jacket, covering himself completely except for his dark eyes.

He no longer wore women's clothes intentionally, and no one doubted his gender.

Perhaps due to his superpower attribute, Shenchi felt very cold during winter, while Cao Kun was the opposite—he only needed a coat even when it was so cold that people had to take sticks to the bathroom.

The drop in temperature significantly reduced the spread of bacteria, leading to a sharp decrease in the number of plague infections. After the initial busy period, Ming Jing gradually eased up and started preparing things for children and adults, buying food to supplement their calories.

In March, ten days before Shenchi's due date, Cao Kun stopped going on missions and only patrolled and stood guard within the city. He kept his phone in his pocket, checking it frequently.

Shenchi also stopped his new job and started staying at home, reading books, listening to prenatal education music, and exercising.

On March 19th, with only five days left until the due date, Cao Kun and Ming Jing decided not to go out anymore and stayed at home to accompany Shenchi, just in case Shenchi went into labor.

Cao Kun even cleared out his bedroom to use as a delivery room, while he himself shared a room with Ming Jing.

That day, after finishing peeling vegetables, Shenchi suddenly felt a tightening in his stomach and a sharp pain in his lower back when he stood up. Shenchi felt a surge of anxiety, thinking he was going into labor, but the pain subsided after a short while.

Shenchi breathed a sigh of relief and put down the basket, preparing to go to the bathroom. Suddenly, a level-one alarm sounded outside, causing Shenchi to turn around sharply!

— The zombie horde has arrived!