Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Ruan Mei thought there wouldn't be any problems for the time being, but she forgot a common sense fact.

People subconsciously ignore things they can't imagine, and the more they take something for granted, the more thoroughly they ignore it.

For example, Qi Zhimu doesn't even know how to use chopsticks.

Seeing the boy staring intently at her chopsticks, trying to imitate her but unsure how to apply force, Ruan Mei did not show any impatience.

She got up and went behind Qi Zhimu, leaned down and pressed her hand against the back of his head, correcting it with her own hands.

The tone wasn't particularly gentle, but at least it didn't make people feel uncomfortable.

In this scene alone, she played the role of a loving mother.

Black Tower's expression became complicated again.

"Yu Qingtu, can you still remember when you learned to use chopsticks? In my hometown, we usually use knives and forks. I only learned to use chopsticks after I met Zhimu, but I can't remember the exact time."

This is truly an ordinary, normal, and unremarkable event, and it doesn't hold any significance for being bookmarked in memory.

"I can't remember," Yu Qingtu shook his head.

"well……"

Black Tower realized that he had sighed more times in the past few hundred years than he had sighed in the previous hundred years.

The amount of time that passes in the simulated universe will be synchronized with the real office.

That's why they've witnessed firsthand everything Ruan Mei has done for Qi Zhimu over the past two years.

Putting aside the future, even with the most critical and demanding scrutiny, and even with prejudice, one cannot find anything to criticize about Ruan Mei's current actions.

Aside from research projects, I've never seen Ruan Mei care so much about outsiders.

At that time, Qi Zhimu was clearly just a patient to her, yet he made her...

Not to mention Black Tower, even Yu Qingtu had never seen Ruan Mei like this.

It's truly hard to imagine her current behavior and character.

……

Qi Zhimu gradually learned to use chopsticks, and also learned many other skills that ordinary people would never even think about, which he could master unconsciously.

Most of these achievements are inseparable from Ruan Mei's meticulous guidance and, more importantly, her patience.

Normally, children will naturally acquire a lot of common sense during their optimal formative years, and they will not lack exposure to their parents.

Unfortunately, during this period, Qi Zhimu only received the apocalyptic understanding that order had been lost and the dark side of humanity was no longer restrained.

Before Ruan Mei rescued him, he thought it was only natural that the old, weak, and disabled would be eaten as food, just as the sun rises and sets in cycles.

That kind of world and those days were truly hell...

As the days went by, Qi Zhimu's health improved considerably.

Although the virus hasn't diminished at all, and the person still looks sickly, at least they're not so weak that they'd collapse at the slightest breeze, and they're able to spend much more time outside the treatment ward.

Yu Qingtu had been keeping an eye on Ruan Mei's progress and came to the preliminary conclusion that Qi Zhimu would probably not need to return to the intensive care unit soon.

A few weeks after his birthday, Qi Zhimu woke up from his sleep one morning as usual.

As I walked out of the laboratory dressed simply, I happened to meet Ruan Mei, who was carrying a bamboo basket as she entered, and caught a whiff of her refreshing fragrance.

It smells similar to my sister's, but stronger.

"Sister, are these flowers? What are they called?"

"plum bossom."

"Is it okay to eat?"

"It's fine to say you can eat them. Plum blossoms have many uses. I'll use these plum blossoms to make pastries."

"Besides eating, what other uses does it have?" Qi Zhimu asked curiously.

"Supplies for bathing, or materials for making certain items," Ruan Mei replied calmly.

I was focused on Qi Zhimu for some time and missed the best time to pick plums.

Before long, the plum blossoms that bloomed naturally this year will wither, and if you want to get them then, you'll have to go to another world, which isn't very convenient.

She didn't need to tell Qi Zhimu these things.

Hei Ta didn't think much of it, but Yu Qingtu, who knew her best, saw the compromises Ruan Mei made in treating Qi Zhimu.

The more compromises she makes, the more complex my emotions become.

It turns out that Ruan Mei can also put herself in other people's shoes, but why does she become less and less visible as Qi Zhimu grows up, and even disappear?

The doubt flashed by, and then the answer was found.

Ultimately... it's all because of that obsession with mending the past.

"Sister, may I watch and learn from you when you make pastries with plum blossoms?" Qi Zhimu asked, a pleading look on his face.

"Why do you suddenly want to learn this?" Ruan Mei stopped in her tracks.

"My sister is so busy, but she still spends a lot of time taking care of me every day. She is so good to me, so I want to be good to her too. I'm trying to learn how to cook so that I can cook and make pastries for her in the future."

The boy's pure brown eyes stirred a ripple on the calm lake of Ruan Mei's heart.

"good……"

What was meant to be a casual remark turned into a nod of agreement during a glance.

Seeing Qi Zhimu follow Ruan Mei into the kitchen, Hei Ta felt a little uncomfortable and couldn't help but curse himself for being pretentious.

Now I understand. In his previous life, during the days when Qi Zhimu and Ruan Mei depended on each other for survival, Qi Zhimu's culinary skills must have been greatly influenced by Ruan Mei.

Oh right, I almost forgot about his medical talent!

It's not yet time for Qi Zhimu to become Ruan Mei's student, but it's an obvious fact.

The next day, Ruan Mei prepared to go out to continue picking plums, but Qi Zhimu woke up early and waited at the door.

"Sister, I want to go with you."

"It's cold outside, and you're not feeling well, so you shouldn't go out," Ruan Mei said softly.

"It's okay, sister. Although I'm not in good health right now, there are still things I can do to help you."

As he spoke, Qi Zhimu took the bamboo basket from Ruan Mei's hands, his smile bright.

Seeing his smiling face, Ruan Mei acquiesced.

I fetched thicker, warmer clothes for him to wear, then took his cool hand, opened the door, and headed towards the back mountain.

There was light snow this morning, sparsely dotting the frozen forest.

Seeing that the snow was deep, Ruan Mei simply picked up Qi Zhimu with one arm and let him sit on her arm.

Although he is now over eight years old, his body is still about the same size as a four or five-year-old child, and he is very small.

She opened the oil-paper umbrella, tilting it slightly towards Qi Zhimu, completely enveloping him within it.

"I can walk by myself, sister..."

"The snow is thick and the mountain road is difficult to walk on. Hold on tight to my neck. This is the first time I'm taking you out, and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"…good."

Qi Zhimu tightly embraced Xue Bai's slender neck, the refreshing fragrance of plum blossoms lingering around his nose, and felt a warm sensation in his chest.

During the journey, Qi Zhimu humbly asked her for advice on the precautions for picking plums.

Ruan Mei's explanation was simple and easy to understand, and Qi Zhimu found it easy to comprehend.

Before long, Qi Zhimu stood under the plum tree with a bamboo basket in his hand. As he looked back at her, he slightly tiptoed and pointed to the plum blossoms blooming on the branches above his head.

"Sister, these plum blossoms are perfect for picking, aren't they?"

"Yes." Ruan Mei nodded.

Qi Zhimu immediately wielded the bamboo knife, carefully picked the plum blossom, and placed it in the basket.

When the branches were tugged, some of the accumulated snow was shaken off, and it looked like it was about to fall into Qi Zhimu's collar.

Ruan Mei promptly raised her hand to block the snow above, casually brushing it away.

Looking at the picturesque and heartwarming composition, Black Tower rested his chin on his hand and sighed softly once more.

The more wonderful things were in the beginning, the more...sigh...