Making My Already Poor Life Even Worse

Sunshine Residential Complex.

"Little Fan, where did this child come from?"

As soon as he returned to the complex, he saw the two old men tinkering with something new. Old Man Wang was watching from the side, while Old Man Zhou had transformed into a DIY expert, working on a new project.

"Old gentlemen, I was out running when I heard a baby crying. I went to check on the situation, and then..." Lin Fan's ability to recount events was flawless. He turned a relatively simple matter into something slightly more complex, emphasizing the scene at the time and even describing the smell in the air.

Clearly, he wanted the two old men to be able to form a mental image of it.

A silent clothing store, hideous zombies outside, a rotting corpse hanging from the ceiling on the second floor, and the baby in the corpse's arms.

He pointedly highlighted several environmental factors.

After he finished speaking.

Old Man Wang Zhongguo sighed, "Alas, the maternal love in this apocalypse... to lose one's parents while still an infant, it really is..."

Even though he had experienced a great deal.

And had encountered similar situations before, hearing this now still made him feel a tightness in his chest.

"Old gentleman, is Grandma Xu at home or in the vegetable patch? The child seems to be in some danger, and I want Grandma Xu to take a look at the situation." Lin Fan knew that Grandma Xu used to be a military doctor; she was someone who had truly saved lives on the battlefield, and her medical skills were beyond reproach.

"She's in the vegetable patch."

"I'm going there now."

Lin Fan cradled the baby and ran quickly toward the vegetable patch.

The two old men followed closely behind. Their speed certainly couldn't keep up with Lin Fan; after all, in their eyes, Lin Fan's legs were like they had electric motors installed—he ran incredibly fast.

Field District.

Li Mei and Grandma Xu were tending to the vegetable patch, chatting and laughing. It was a rare sight to behold in this apocalypse. That they could have such a life had everything to do with living in the Sunshine Residential Complex.

And it had even more to do with Lin Fan.

"Grandma Xu, please take a look at this child."

Lin Fan brought the baby to Xu Guifen.

When Xu Guifen saw the infant, her expression was one of surprise. Clearly, she hadn't expected Lin Fan to return with a baby.

But she immediately put down her work.

She examined the child carefully.

Although she wasn't a professional pediatrician, she had been involved in various aspects of medicine.

Grandma Xu said with a solemn expression, "This baby is about five or six months old. She is severely malnourished, her body temperature is low, and her bottom is infected. Hurry, go back and prepare warm water; we must clean her up immediately."

"Little Fan, like this, go get some erythromycin ointment, some clean gauze, and buy some stage-one baby formula. That's it for now; as for what else we might need, we'll have to see how the child does."

"Oh." Lin Fan committed everything Grandma Xu said to memory.

He then turned and left quickly.

The two old men hadn't reached the patch yet when they saw Lin Fan running toward them. Just as they were about to say something, they heard Lin Fan call out to them.

"I have to go buy some things..."

The two old men looked at Lin Fan, bewildered. He was in such a rush, as if something major had happened.

Before they could even react, Xu Guifen and Li Mei walked past them quickly, carrying the child. They didn't even speak, rushing toward the stairs.

"What are you standing there for? Something must be wrong with the child, let's catch up!" Old Man Wang realized what was happening, patted Old Zhou on the shoulder, and matched their pace.

Outside.

Kanghai Pharmacy.

The pharmacy was in a mess. If it were before, Lin Fan would have sighed, What a mess, should I offer to clean up for you? But now, he walked straight into the pharmacy, searching for the items Grandma Xu had mentioned.

"Erythromycin ointment, erythromycin ointment..."

Lin Fan walked in front of the shelves, looking carefully. No one was there to tell him where things were, so he had to find them himself.

Roar!

A zombie wearing a white lab coat stumbled out from a dark corner. Zombies that heard movement could follow the source of the sound, but when they didn't see fresh flesh, they appeared very sluggish, as if they were unwilling to move much for fear of wasting energy.

At first glance.

The white-coat zombie set her sights on Lin Fan. This zombie was female. Before the apocalypse, she must have been a pharmacy clerk. They weren't doctors, but the attire gave customers a sense of psychological comfort.

At a glance, one would feel that this large pharmacy was professional and that the medicine sold there was definitely reliable.

Moreover, when you bought medicine, they would often suggest a thing or two—not always, but many would recommend a slightly more expensive version of the same type. It would certainly be effective; it was just a bit pricier.

Lin Fan ignored her, focusing on searching for the medicine. He had already found the clean gauze, but he hadn't found the erythromycin ointment yet. Finding exactly what he wanted on these shelves required a bit of effort.

"Hrr..."

The white-coat zombie stumbled along. Her walking speed wasn't fast; it was clear her leg was injured.

"Don't bother me, I'm looking for something." Lin Fan lowered his head, looking at the medicine on the shelves, feeling that he had found the right section. The ointment might be here.

He knew full well that many medicines were organized by category rather than just tossed about haphazardly; otherwise, finding them would be a real headache.

Roar!

The zombie in the white lab coat reached Lin Fan, opening a mouth filled with black blood as a wave of foul-smelling breath washed over him.

Squelch!

Frostmourne pierced through the white-coated zombie's skull.

Lin Fan didn't even glance at it; he pulled out his sword, stepped over the zombie's body, and continued his search.

"Found it."

Holding the medicine he had retrieved, he smiled and walked over to the counter.

"How much?"

There was no one at the counter, so he picked up the price scanner, scanned the medicine himself, and finding it wasn't expensive, paid the bill and left.

He needed to head to a mother and baby store now to buy formula for the infant; stage one formula was suitable for children aged zero to six months.

He quickened his pace, searching along the roadside.

He didn't see a mother and baby store.

He thought back carefully and suddenly remembered there seemed to be one not far away.

With that in mind, he ran quickly toward that direction.

At the intersection, the traffic light was red.

In this post-apocalyptic world, it wasn't particularly strange that the streetlights were still on; his own residential complex still had electricity, and some traffic lights were secretly wired into the residents' power lines.

The residents were the ones paying the electric bills, and if they were a bit careless, they might never realize their bills were so high because someone was stealing their power.

At this moment.

Lin Fan wasn't the only one waiting for the green light.

He hadn't expected to see an old woman in a wheelchair also waiting for the light; the old woman had already turned into a zombie, her body secured by restraint straps.

Seeing Lin Fan standing beside her, the old woman snarled ferociously, trying to lunge at him but unable to reach.

Hearing the noise, Lin Fan looked toward the old woman.

"Hello there."

He felt this old woman was quite pleasant; even though she had turned into a zombie, she was still greeting him in a friendly manner, without the bad habit of lunging at him the moment she saw him.

"Roar! Roar!"

The old woman roared, struggling incessantly, desperate to pounce on Lin Fan and tear into him, but due to the restraints and her original state of paralysis, she simply lacked the ability.

Lin Fan peeked at the old woman; such an enthusiastic old woman, she was making him feel a bit embarrassed.

He wore a polite smile.

"Hello, ma'am."

Ding!

The green light turned on.

Lin Fan was just about to cross the street when he saw the old woman remain motionless; he turned back, walked over to her, and pushed the wheelchair, helping her across the street together.

This was only natural.

Helping an old woman across the street was a basic operation, a gesture of friendliness.

Every elderly person had contributed to this city in their youth, and in their old age, while those who were still spry were fine, those who were infirm and lacked children by their side had a truly difficult time.

The road wasn't long.

He soon pushed the old woman to the other side.

Doing a good deed could elevate one's soul, making one feel exceptionally happy for the entire day; he hadn't quite believed it before, but after doing a good deed once, he found it was truly the case.

Even the most ordinary good deed could bring joy to one's heart.

If it were a significant good deed, not only would he be happy, but he would also receive praise from society, with fame and fortune coming in droves—this was the reward for doing good.

The light of the righteous path always shines upon the road.

"Goodbye, ma'am."

He waved his hand.

Watching the old woman's head twist and snarl, he knew she was responding to his words as well.

Perhaps she was saying: Good child, thank you.

Xinfeng Mother and Baby Store.

The storefront glass was shattered, the interior was dim, and items were scattered all over the floor, where dried blood clots could still be seen.

On the shelf, he saw the milk powder he needed to buy.

Feihe, Xingfeifan, Stage 1 milk powder, suitable for infants (0-6) months old.

"The price is reasonable, one hundred and ninety-nine yuan."

He took a tin, bought a baby bottle, and then thought about the water temperature for mixing the formula, which needed to be kept at forty-five degrees; this meant he needed to buy a constant-temperature kettle.

Little Strong Bear constant-temperature kettle, priced at one hundred and eight.

The price was also fine.

He carried the items to checkout.

The prices were all marked: milk powder 199, constant-temperature kettle 108, baby bottle 191.

A total of 498 yuan.

Lin Fan was very poor and didn't have much money; after paying for these items, he was truly destitute, but he didn't feel a shred of heartache.

Money is something you can't bring with you when you're born, and you can't take it with you when you die; it is well worth it to spend it on something meaningful.

If there's no money, just keep earning more.

I, Lin Fan, have hands and feet, I'm not lazy, and I can endure hardship—surely I won't starve to death.

With the items purchased.

He quickly left the store; the baby must be waiting anxiously at home.

He also wanted to tell that mother who had already passed away.

Rest assured.

I will take good care of the child.

Although I don't know how to raise a child.

But where I live, there is Sister Li and four elderly people; they are all experienced and very knowledgeable.

PS: Seeking some votes, hehe...

Thanks to: Ayo Meng Wuhen, Wild Turtle of the Indian Ocean, Travel Ten Thousand Worlds Know Ten Thousand Things, Lin Fan is a Crossdresser, Yue Xiaochou, sym9876, Yuan Qi xxx, ll4, Heize Suoma, Night Rain Star, and other book friends for their tips, thank you very much.