Apocalypse: My Sweetie Is Tough but Cute

Chapter 82: Chapter 082: Abandoning One’s Own Interests to Save the Greater Good as a Last Resort

No one knew how a person on the brink of death could come back from the gates of hell overnight. Unable to find a reason, they could only attribute it to the blessings of their ancestors.

Su Shu didn’t know the reason either, but the fact that people could come back to life was enough.

The villagers of Peng Village, after a night of calm, had begun the next day to prepare for the possibility that the disaster relief might not come for a long time. Peng Sanye and some of the elders were discussing that if the main road couldn’t be cleared, they would have to try taking the mountain paths to send messages to the outside world.

Located in a remote area, Peng Village would face even greater difficulties if they couldn’t effectively communicate their situation to the outside world.

The earthquake hadn’t caused severe damage to the village, so food wasn’t an issue. The real problems were medical supplies and emergency treatments.

Peng Sanye noticed that the new girl, having only been through one night, had changed completely.

It wasn’t that Su Shu had changed much, but his sharp old eyes, having observed people all his life, could see the calm surface and emotionless depth in her eyes, devoid of the empathy she had shown the day before.

Despite not standing by idly regarding the issues of settling people in the square and rescuing villagers still unaccounted for, the elder still found an opportunity during a break to approach Su Shu.

“Su girl.”

Su Shu was sitting on the ground, about to drink some water and have a bite to eat, when she suddenly heard someone calling her name. She looked up and saw Peng Sanye.

She stood up politely and said distantly, “Grandpa Sanye.”

“Sit down, old man is tired. May I rest here with you?”

What could she say but yes? She made some room to her side, and the two of them sat on the ground together. A villager distributing food brought a portion to Peng Sanye. The spot Su Shu had chosen was a bit distant from the crowd, which was exactly why Peng Sanye felt inclined to talk to her.

“Would you care to chat with an old man like me?”

Su Shu took a bite of her own bread, “Sure.”

“The bread is too dry, have some warm porridge later.”

“Mhm.”

Su Shu’s responses were polite and courteous, but they lacked the previous ease and warmth. Peng Sanye sat beside her, took a sip of warm porridge, warmed his stomach, and sighed.

“The people of Peng Village have disappointed you.”

Su Shu’s bread-eating halted suddenly, but only for a few seconds before she resumed her composure.

After a while, she said, “No, it’s normal, I understand.”

Peng Sanye said, “You can understand, but not accept.”

“I can accept too,” Su Shu said.

Peng Sanye turned to look at her. The young girl, earnestly saying “I can accept” with an unchanged expression and unaltered gaze, was obviously speaking from the heart. Yet, that heartfelt sentiment was now devoid of its former warmth.

She must have thought it through all night, Peng Sanye reckoned.

“Girl, maybe you think I’m being presumptuous in saying this, but I would like to explain on behalf of the people of Peng Village. Sometimes, it’s not that the people in the village are heartless. We have lived here for generations, through good times and bad. In tough times, we always face many difficult choices. Sometimes, human power is so feeble that retreat and cowardice are inevitable.”

Unexpectedly, Peng Sanye explained so much to her. Su Shu’s gaze fell on the green hills in the distance as she pondered his words.

Seeing her silent, Peng Sanye continued, “Sometimes, sacrificing the needs of the few to save the many is an unavoidable last resort. It’s truly too dangerous to enter the mountains at night.”