The Last Realm of Rust and Dust

Chapter 4

Anderson would never consider bathing with the meager half-basin of water. A simple wipe-down would have to suffice. As he was cleaning himself, Evie's calm and gentle voice drifted in from beyond the door.

"I thought you might need some clean clothes. I brought these back from the back hill this morning and just finished washing and mending them. Do you need them?"

Anderson glanced at his tattered and filthy clothes, then responded, "Yes."

"I'll come in then." Evie's tone was soft, her voice light.

"Wait!" Anderson hurriedly grabbed his dirty clothes and pulled them on.

As he fumbled with the buttons, Evie gently pushed the door and said, "Are you done yet? I need to go to the kitchen, the milk is about to boil over."

"Just leave the clothes at the door."

"But I haven't swept the floor today, and it'll dirty the clothes I just hung out to dry."

Having no choice, Anderson walked to the door, opened it a crack, and reached out, "Give them to me."

Evie suddenly seemed to understand. "Oh, you're shy. There's no need for that, really. Because in my eyes, you're no different from the wild grass on the wasteland that needs tending."

Anderson: "... Could you be quiet?"

Evie handed him the clothes and said, "Hurry up, I'll bring you your medicine and milk."

The sound of Evie's light footsteps quickly faded away. Anderson returned to the bedside, took off the shirt he hadn't finished buttoning, and looked at the clothes Evie had brought him.

Evie's "mending" was indeed literal. The shirt was clearly a tattered T-shirt, its holes patched up with several pieces of mismatched fabric. The threads were clearly visible, and the mending lines resembled twisted centipedes... ugly and slightly damp.

Anderson was extremely disgusted, but disgust was one thing, and he didn't want to wear his smelly clothes anymore. This shirt was his best option.

Fortunately, the pants were relatively normal. After changing into them, Anderson walked out. The wounds on his body ached as he moved, but it was bearable.

Just as Anderson stepped out of the door, before he could even take a look at his surroundings, Evie rushed over. Her fingertips were trembling slightly, seemingly burned. Only after she rushed into the room and put down the bowl did she let out a sigh of relief.

Anderson slowly walked back in.

Evie looked him up and down and said, "You're recovering really fast. In two or three days, you'll be able to leave."

Anderson couldn't wait. He simply replied, "Hmm."

Evie blew on her reddened fingertips and said, "Let me change your bandages before the medicine and milk cool down."

Anderson moved aside and said coldly, "I can do it myself."

"Then go ahead." Evie pushed the medicine towards him and sat down, ready to watch Anderson's performance.

Anderson reached for the ointment, then retracted his hand. He couldn't help but ask, "Why are you staring at me?"

"You probably can't change the dressing on the back of your head yourself. I'm waiting to help you."

"Oh, I almost forgot you hit me with a hoe."

Evie blinked and said matter-of-factly, "You wanted to hurt me, of course I wouldn't just sit there and wait to die."

Anderson retorted, "If I wanted to hurt you now, you could only sit there and wait to die."

"Oh."

The atmosphere became slightly silent. Evie turned her head away, no longer looking at him, but staring at her still-red fingertips. Anderson wondered if he had said something wrong, but he felt he was stating a fact.

While he was pondering, Evie urged him, "Are you daydreaming? Can you please not waste my time?"

Anderson: "..." Indeed, why should he care if Evie was angry?

Anderson didn't respond to Evie's words. Instead, he turned his back to her and was about to lift his shirt when he turned his head again, "Could you please leave?"

Evie glanced at him, finding him fussy and long-winded. Without wasting any more time, she stood up and left.

The room fell silent. Anderson took off his shirt and looked at the crisscrossing wounds on his body, his eyes cold.

Because of that little girl who saved him when he was on the verge of death, he didn't want to die now. He wanted to live. And if he wanted to survive, then some debts, once he returned to the survivor base, would have to be settled one by one, until death did them part.

Having grown up in the apocalypse, dealing with wounds was commonplace for Anderson. So in no time, he had changed his bandages and reapplied the medicine. However, as Evie had said, he couldn't see the wound on the back of his head and found it difficult to treat.

Anderson didn't ask for Evie's help because he felt he had already troubled her enough. He wasn't someone who liked to bother others. He endured the pain and raised his hand, feeling around the back of his head. His fingers pressed on the wound, confirming its location.

By the time he finished changing the dressing on the back of his head, Anderson was covered in sweat.

He still drank the medicine first. This time, the medicine wasn't completely cold, so it wasn't as bitter. However, when he drank the milk, the excessively sweet taste left a complex flavor in his mouth.

"Did she put too much sugar in it?" Anderson muttered, feeling the intertwining bitterness and sweetness in his mouth.

As he hadn't seen Evie for a while, Anderson took the initiative to clean up the two bowls and left the small room. He saw the stove in a corner of the yard and realized this was the "kitchen."

There was already a bowl in the sink, which must have been Evie's. Anderson, not wanting to be a freeloader, scooped two ladles of water and washed both the bowls and the pot. He remembered Evie saying that water was precious, so he also poured the water onto a nearby patch of medicinal herbs.

After doing all this, Anderson vaguely felt the wounds on his body aching, but it was bearable, so he didn't plan to go back to rest.

Anderson wanted to explore the surrounding environment.

There was still a very dim light in the house in the evening, but by the time he finished washing the dishes, it was dark. At night, the place was completely dark. The pitch-black sky was devoid of stars and moon, with not a trace of light.

Anderson's eyesight was excellent, and seeing in the dark was not difficult for him.

He followed the medicinal field forward.

This was the twentieth year of the apocalypse. The world had become a wasteland due to the war between humans and zombies. Humans retreated to a corner with intact soil and established survivor bases.

Anderson had, of course, seen the land outside the base. Rubbish, wastewater, weapons, corpses… They had left the land scarred and the soil heavily polluted, turning it into a blackened wasteland, highly unsuitable for human habitation and plant growth.

Yet now, on this wasteland, there was such a paradise. Even in the pitch-black night, Anderson could still see the beautiful green plants and smell the fragrance of grass and flowers… The owner of this place was Evie. How much effort had this girl put in to bring this wasteland back to life?

After passing through the medicinal field, Anderson came across a small plot of land planted with vegetables and fruits. However, Evie wasn't there. He walked a little further and suddenly saw a swaying warm orange glow.

He looked over and saw Evie carrying a kerosene lamp. The lamp was extremely old-fashioned, its light very dim. Anderson didn't expect anyone to still use this for lighting and wondered where she had found it.

Under the warm orange glow, Anderson clearly saw Evie tending to the flowers. Her other hand held a blooming white flower. Anderson's gaze involuntarily shifted from the flower to her hand. Perhaps it was the dim lighting, but he thought Evie's hand was whiter than the flower.

The temperature at night was a bit low. A cool breeze blew past, and Anderson came back to his senses and walked towards Evie. Hearing footsteps, Evie quickly said, "Don't step on my flowers."

"I won't." Anderson understood the preciousness of plants here and took every step carefully.

Evie replied "Oh" and only asked after Anderson had come over, "Why are you here?"

"Just taking a look around."

Evie's lips curled up slightly. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Hmm."

"One day, I'll make the land beneath your feet as beautiful as this." Evie crouched down, gently sniffing the fragrance of the flowers, and spoke softly.

Anderson didn't know how to respond, so he remained silent. He felt that while plants were beautiful, they were also useless. In the survivor base, people preferred to build buildings rather than cultivate flowers and grass.

Somewhere nearby, there seemed to be the chirping of midsummer cicadas. This little world was tranquil and beautiful.

Anderson suddenly asked, "The milk today... was very sweet. Did you add more sugar?"

"Yes. Didn't you say the medicine was bitter? So I added an extra spoonful of sugar for you." Evie broke off a redundant branch, holding the beautiful branch in her hand.

Anderson wanted to deny it, but Evie handed him the branch with several beautiful white flowers on it. It was lovely.

Evie said, "Here, for you."

"Why are you giving me flowers?"

"Flowers bring good mood." Evie said cheerfully, "Alright, let's go back."

Evie carefully carried the kerosene lamp and walked towards the small house. Anderson could tell that her night vision wasn't good.

Neither of them spoke again. They silently returned to their respective rooms. The peaceful night passed quickly, and soon it was the next morning.

Anderson woke up hungry.

He was an adult man, and although injured, his body needed more than just morning and evening milk.

It was still early, but Evie had already washed up and was squatting by the medicinal field, talking to a green herb. When she heard Anderson's footsteps, she stopped talking and looked over.

The light wasn't good yesterday, so Evie only saw Anderson's face clearly this morning. She thought, besides his beautiful eyes, this man was also handsome.

Anderson asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

"What are you looking for me for?"

"Can I use the water in the tank to wash up?"

Evie held up a finger. "One ladle of water."

"Thank you."

Anderson went to wash up. Evie began to decoct the medicine and boil the milk. Decocting the medicine was much faster than boiling the milk. By the time Anderson finished washing up, she had already started on the milk.

Anderson stood by and watched her slowly wash the rice, put it in the pot, add water, and light the fire. Finally, he couldn't help but say, "Is this what you eat every day?"

"No." Evie said, "You're still recovering, so you need to eat light."

Anderson glanced at her small plot of land in the distance and tentatively asked, "How about you let me do it?"

"Okay." Evie agreed readily.

With Evie's permission, Anderson went to her field to find vegetables to add to the milk. But it was clear that Evie wasn't good at farming. If her medicinal field was thriving, then her vegetable field was lifeless.

He searched for a long time before picking out a couple of small pumpkins, turning a pot of plain milk into pumpkin milk, and had a satisfying meal.

They had breakfast together this time. Seeing him eat quickly, Evie asked, "Have I not been feeding you enough these past two days?"

Anderson swallowed the milk in his mouth, feeling warmth in his stomach, and replied, "Little girl, not everyone eats like a cat like you do."

Evie had a piece of soft and sweet bread stuffed in her cheek. She stared at Anderson and mumbled, "You eat too much. You're hard to feed."

Anderson: "..."