Melody Summers and the others saw this and thought, ’This is bad.’

’We were so focused on hiding the fruit bowl and snacks on the table, we completely forgot about the trash that we hadn’t had time to take out!’

Zella Kane’s eyes lit up when she saw the empty orange juice bottle in her daughter’s hand.

She walked over and picked up her daughter, then nonchalantly glanced into the trash can.

Inside, besides the empty orange juice bottle, were two transparent wrappers that looked like they held small buns, along with some nutshells and apple peels.

Zella Kane stared at the contents, unable to look away.

’The Summers family can still afford to eat such good things,’ she thought. ’It seems their situation is much better than we imagined!’

’No matter what, my family has to live here!’

Seeing this, Grace Sutton quickly stepped forward, took the empty orange juice bottle from Gemma Fletcher’s hand, and said with a smile, "Oh, sweetie, that’s trash. Be careful, it’s dirty."

As Grace spoke, she put the bottle back in the trash can and tied up the bag.

A new idea occurred to Zella Kane. She carried her child back to the sofa and sat down.

Then, she put on a smiling face and said to Melody Summers, "Dear child, I misspoke earlier. I’ve always been a bit careless with my words, so please don’t take it to heart! Actually, I’m also divorced and brought my kids back to my parents’ home, just like your mother. So, I really understand her difficulties!"

Melody Summers nodded nonchalantly at her words. She didn’t really care what outsiders thought of her anyway.

’It’s just funny,’ she thought. ’Zella Kane is in the exact same situation—divorced and living with her parents—yet she used it to mock others. I have no idea what goes on in that woman’s head.’

While studying Melody Summers’s expression, Zella Kane continued, "Sigh, my ex-husband... he’s not even human! After the disasters started last year, he brought his mistress home, and he kicked the three of us—my two kids and me—out onto the street..."

"...I had no choice but to take my two children back to my parents’ home to rely on my mother and sister. After my sister Rhea got married last year, it was just my mother and me left to raise these two kids on our own..."

"...When the neighbors found out it was just women and children in our house, they repeatedly smashed our windows, trying to break in and loot our supplies... I can’t even tell people how much we’ve suffered these past two years..."

As she spoke, Zella Kane raised a hand to wipe away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes.

Hearing this, Grandma sighed and said, "...I see. It certainly hasn’t been easy for you..."

Having also raised young children by herself, Grandma had been through similar struggles. Hearing Zella Kane’s story, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

But her sympathy was where it ended. She had no intention of giving up her house.

Grace clearly felt the same way.

Zella Kane and her family might be pitiful, but there were plenty of pitiful people these days. They were just ordinary people themselves; they couldn’t change anything.

As for Melody Summers, she’d wanted to roll her eyes the moment Zella Kane started her sob story. It wasn’t that she was heartless, but... she could tell the difference between genuine suffering and putting on a show.

Many ordinary people now had sallow complexions from lack of food, but the three generations of the Kane family before her—grandmother, mother, and child—all had rosy, healthy complexions. It was obvious they weren’t lacking for food or water.

’Zella Kane might really be struggling to raise two young children with her mother, just as she said,’ Melody thought. ’Life probably isn’t easy for them. But their current condition is already better than that of the vast majority of people in this disaster. It’s not my place to pity them.’

While wiping her tears, Zella Kane watched the expressions of the three Summers women. She had originally thought that by exposing her own "scars," she could evoke their empathy and get them to voluntarily offer one of their houses for her family to live in.

But to her surprise, the Summers family didn’t say a word!

Zella Kane’s hand, still wiping at her tears, froze by her face. It was a little awkward.

Seeing this, Mrs. Kane, who was sitting nearby, quickly said to Grandma, "My dear in-law, we really shouldn’t be asking this, but we’re at our wit’s end..."

"The house we’re renting now has no furniture. No air conditioning is one thing, but there isn’t even a bed! We have to sleep in a tent, in sleeping bags. We adults are tough, so it’s not a big deal for us, but the real problem is the two young children at home!"

"Look, it’s already started to snow. The ground is getting colder and colder. Last night, the two kids were freezing in the tent. We can’t go on like this!"

As Mrs. Kane spoke, her eyes started to redden. "We’re not asking you to give up a whole house. We’re just asking if you could spare two or three rooms for us. As soon as this snow disaster is over, we’ll move out immediately. We won’t cause you any trouble!"

Zella Kane was shocked to hear this and instinctively looked at her mother. ’I don’t want to live under the same roof as the Summers family; I want a whole house to myself! It would be so awkward to see strangers every time I came in or out!’

She didn’t understand why her mother had suddenly changed the plan.

Mrs. Kane secretly gave Zella a look, signaling for her to be patient and not to act rashly.

Their immediate priority was to move in first. After they moved in and got to know the Summers family better over a few days, they could then ask for a separate house. By that point, they believed the Summers family would be too embarrassed to refuse.

After she finished speaking, Mrs. Kane looked up at Grandma with expectant eyes.

Grandma sighed. Although she felt a bit sorry for them, she still couldn’t agree.

Just then, Melody Summers suddenly spoke up. "Actually, you don’t need us to clear out a house. I have another way to solve your current problem."

As Mrs. Kane and Zella Kane stared at her in confusion, Melody Summers continued, "Your problem right now is that you don’t have a bed in your room, so sleeping on the floor is too cold... Why don’t you just buy a bed?"

Melody Summers remembered chatting with Mrs. Vance before. Mrs. Vance had mentioned that she’d always wanted to drag the two spare beds in her home to the black market to sell for cash. Unfortunately, the beds were too heavy for her to move, and it wasn’t worth the cost to hire someone to help, so she had given up on the idea.

So, Melody Summers continued, "As it happens, I know that Mrs. Vance in 1505 downstairs has spare beds. You can just buy one from her and move it up here!"

’It’s such an easy problem to solve,’ Melody thought. ’I don’t understand why they’re so insistent on our family giving up a house.’

Melody Summers’s words were completely unexpected. Mrs. Kane and Zella Kane opened their mouths, stunned, but didn’t know what to say.

Hearing this, Grace nodded repeatedly from the side. "Yes, yes! You can buy a bed from downstairs, and you can use your weekly allowance at the community supply point to get a mattress and blankets. That would solve the problem!"

Grandma chimed in, "Yes, that’s a great idea! My dear in-law, you should go get them as soon as possible. The snow is getting heavier. It’ll probably be difficult to go out in a few days!"

Mrs. Kane and Zella Kane looked at each other, and in each other’s eyes, they saw helplessness and resentment.

’We’d much rather move in than buy a bed!’

The air was quiet for a moment.

Then, Mrs. Kane spoke in a low, mournful voice, "My dear in-law, can you really not find it in your hearts to let our family stay here temporarily? ...How can you be so unfeeling?"

As the Summers family stared in astonishment, Mrs. Kane continued, "Our Rhea gave your Caleb a son, for crying out loud... How can you be so cruel!"