Chapter 279: Chapter 279: Misfortunes Never Come Singly

Melody Summers got a bit of a headache now whenever she heard the word "benefactor."

She forced a smile, bent down to pat the little boy’s head, and pulled a lollipop from her pocket. "You’re not to call me ’Benefactor Sister,’" she told him. "Call me Missie Summers. If you’re a good boy, I’ll give you this candy!"

The little boy stared at the orange-flavored lollipop and subconsciously swallowed.

He could already imagine the lollipop’s sweet, orangey taste.

He hadn’t had any snacks in a long time since the disaster; he’d almost forgotten what an orange even tasted like.

Even though he desperately wanted the candy, he fought the urge and refused. "No, I can’t take it..."

Melody Summers, however, paid him no mind and pressed the lollipop directly into the little boy’s hand.

The child was simply too thin. Even his lips had an unhealthy pallor, making Melody Summers wonder if he was anemic.

Hearing the commotion, Mrs. Vance, who was in the bedroom, finished getting dressed and ran out to see what was happening.

She was surprised to see Melody Summers and Grace Sutton standing at her door.

After a moment’s hesitation, she quickly ushered them in. "Miss Summers! What brings you here? Come in, quick!"

Melody Summers and Grace Sutton stepped inside, carrying their things, and couldn’t help but shiver.

It was somehow even colder inside the apartment than it was outside.

Mrs. Vance’s home was even emptier than when Melody Summers and Officer Tristan Tanner had visited that morning. Even the wooden table and chairs in the living room were gone.

With nowhere to even sit in the living room, Mrs. Vance rubbed her hands together awkwardly.

She looked hopefully at Melody Summers and Grace Sutton and asked timidly, "Why don’t... why don’t you come sit in the bedroom? It’s warmer in there!"

Melody Summers and Grace Sutton exchanged a glance, nodded, and followed Mrs. Vance into the bedroom.

The bedroom was no different from the living room—it was just as bare. Other than a wardrobe, there was only a double bed piled with three quilts. It was clear the family of three was now crammed into this single room.

A few plastic bags filled with firewood and charcoal were scattered on the floor.

A small coal stove, the room’s only source of heat, was lit. Water was BUBBLING away on top of it, with a few specks of oil floating on the surface.

Susan Warren was leaning against the bed, her face pale. When she saw the group enter, she struggled to sit up.

Grace Sutton rushed forward to gently push her back down. "Don’t, don’t get up! You’re pregnant, just lie down and rest!"

Susan Warren gave a weak smile. She shifted further onto the bed to make room for Melody Summers and Grace Sutton, saying, "Please, have a seat."

Melody Summers and Grace Sutton sat on the edge of the bed. They then placed the bags they were holding on the floor and said to Mrs. Vance, "We can’t accept these things. We’re returning them to you."

Only then did Mrs. Vance notice the bags they were carrying were the very same ones she had brought upstairs earlier.

Seeing that Melody Summers didn’t want them, she grew anxious and quickly said, "Don’t worry, everything is clean! Aside from the provisions the community just distributed, I bought the rest of it new!"

Ever since she’d learned that Melody Summers was her family’s savior, Mrs. Vance couldn’t help but want to slap herself every time she thought about how she had repaid that kindness with malice by stealing her pork.

She had thought it over and over, concluding that she absolutely had to repay this debt of gratitude.

So, that afternoon, she had taken the last few pieces of furniture she owned, sold one of her coal stoves on the black market for a little cash, and used it to buy pork and chocolate. She then gathered most of her previously stockpiled supplies and took everything over to Melody Summers.

Hearing this, Melody Summers quickly clarified, "That’s not what we meant. It’s just that we really don’t need these things. Mrs. Vance, we appreciate the gesture, but please take them back."

Grace Sutton chimed in, "Yes, that’s right. The thought is what counts. You should keep these things for yourselves!"

With that, Melody Summers took the vitamin pills and powdered milk she had brought from her pocket, placed them on the bed, and said to Susan Warren, "You should take this powdered milk and these vitamins. You’re pregnant, so you need to keep your strength up."

Susan Warren was stunned.

’Powdered milk?! Vitamin pills? These things are incredibly precious after the disaster!’

She hurriedly refused, "No, no, these are far too valuable! We can’t possibly accept them!"

Mrs. Vance also chimed in anxiously, "Miss Summers, you saved our family and even forgave my wrongdoing. We haven’t even had a chance to repay you yet, how could we possibly take more from you?..."

Melody Summers cut her off directly. "Mrs. Vance, just call me Summers! And please, don’t stand on ceremony with us. We’re all neighbors; it’s only right that we help each other out. I stockpiled this before the disaster. It’s powdered milk for seniors, but it’s still milk. Just make do with it!"

Fearing the Vance family would refuse again, Melody Summers said decisively, "During a disaster, neighbors are supposed to help each other. Just accept it. Consider it a gesture of friendship!"

Mrs. Vance was shrewd and worldly-wise; she knew that befriending a neighbor like this at a time like this would be no loss.

Grace Sutton added her support, "That’s right. If our family runs into trouble in the future, we might need to ask for your help, too. Neighbors should help one another, so please don’t refuse."

After speaking, Grace Sutton turned to look compassionately at Susan Warren, whose cheeks were sunken from malnourishment. "Besides," she continued, "you’re pregnant and so thin. You really need to build up your strength."

Hearing this, Mrs. Vance was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes, and she looked as if she was about to kneel before Melody Summers again.

Fortunately, Grace Sutton was quick to react, pulling Mrs. Vance up and helping her sit on the bed.

Grace Sutton then turned back to Susan Warren and asked with concern, "When is your due date? Have you made arrangements for the delivery?"

A bitter edge touched Susan Warren’s smile as she replied, "A little over a month from now. I’ll give birth here at home."

Private hospitals now charged exorbitant prices, and public hospitals were so overwhelmed with patients that the healthcare system was on the verge of collapse. Ordinary people had no money for private care. When they got sick, they had to grit their teeth and endure it. Pregnancy was no different; the only option was a home birth.

No doctors, no nurses, no medicine, no equipment. They had to rely on the most primitive methods: a few towels, a basin of hot water, and the mother’s own effort and luck.

But childbirth had always been a walk on the edge of life and death.

’Melody Summers recalled something from history. In the ancient Cathaysian Nation, there was an Emperor whose concubines gave birth to over a dozen princesses. According to historical records, nearly half of those princesses died from complications during childbirth.’

’If even pampered royal princesses faced such fates, it was a testament to the dangers and hardships childbirth brought upon women.’

Recently, a few pregnant women in The Metropolis Residences had also given birth at home, but very few of them—mother and child—had made it through safely.

Susan Warren had seen the messages in the community group chat. She knew that for other pregnant women in the complex, childbirth had been a life-or-death struggle. She had already mentally prepared herself for the worst...

This baby Susan Warren was carrying had been a complete accident.

Both Susan Warren and her husband had trouble conceiving. They had been married for several years without any success, and it wasn’t until a few years ago that they finally had a son through in vitro fertilization.

Because they both had fertility issues, they never bothered with contraception. But to their complete shock, Susan Warren had gotten pregnant a few months ago.

The whole family was dumbfounded by the news.

After some discussion, they decided to have the baby.

Susan Warren’s husband still had a job after the disaster, and they calculated that if they saved diligently and sold off some furniture and jewelry, they would have enough money for her to give birth in a private hospital when the time came.

But fate has a cruel sense of humor. Some time ago, The Metropolis Residences was hit by a terrorist attack, and Susan Warren’s husband was killed in it.

Susan Warren lost her husband, Mrs. Vance lost her son, the child lost his father, and the family lost its only source of income.

As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours. The blows to this family were far from over.

Just three days after her husband’s death, Susan Warren’s son came down with a high fever that wouldn’t break, even with medicine.

To get the boy to a hospital for treatment, Mrs. Vance and Susan Warren spent all their savings and even sold off their valuable clothes and jewelry.

Fortunately, the boy was saved, but the family was left destitute.

To provide nutrients for her recovering grandson and the pregnant Susan Warren, Mrs. Vance later sold off more of their furniture at the second-hand market in exchange for food.

Now, the family was just barely surviving. Giving birth in a private hospital was out of the question.

After hearing all this, Melody Summers and Grace Sutton exchanged a look, seeing the same sympathy and helplessness reflected in each other’s eyes.

The disaster was merciless, and its blow to every family was devastating.

The two could only offer a few words of comfort to Mrs. Vance and Susan Warren before getting up to take their leave.