According to Yuan Mubing’s statement before coming, and the description in the original text, in this impenetrable underground fortress, every survivor has an equal right to accommodation.
The size and level of the house are no longer different due to identity, and are only allocated according to needs.
What Jiang Miaomiao has seen and heard after entering is also true.
The huge underground space like a city is cut into different parts by countless hard and cold metal passages.
If you want to shuttle between them, you have to take a new type of “subway”-a simple means of transportation that combines the convenience of a subway and the low cost of a minecart.
The car has a speed of 30 kilometers per hour, which seems not to be enough to see before the end of the world with a speed of hundreds of hours, but it is the most suitable vehicle for the energy consumption and needs of the base.
You don’t need to insert coins to ride the bus, but you have to swipe an identity card that only survivors at the base have. You must take your body temperature and scan your pupils when you get in and out of the car. It is strictly forbidden to get infected.
Jiang Miaomiao didn’t have a card, and she could only stand by and watch when the crowd lined up to get on.
Fortunately, before getting off the plane, she put on the uniformly distributed snow-protection suit in the base, which was tightly covered, with only two eyes exposed. The dog and luggage walked in the carriage of the wagon, not by their side.
Therefore, the appearance is not much different from others, and it will not be eye-catching.
Yuan Mubing took out the communicator and said something to whom.
The automatic gate suddenly opened, and she lifted her chin.
“Come in.”
Jiang Miaomiao followed her in. Many people along the way took the initiative to greet her. There was even an old man who ran over to give Yuan Mubing two chubby big white steamed buns, and said excitedly.
Yuan Mubing’s hospitality was hard to beat, so he had to accept it. This kind of warm welcome disappeared when they walked to the empty carriage.
When Jiang Miaomiao was wondering why so many people knew her, he looked up and the LCD screen on the carriage wall scrolled through her interview.
There are no seats in the car, everyone can only stand or sit on the ground.
Jiang Miaomiao leaned on the railing and looked out the dark window blankly.
Yuan Mubing handed her a steamed bun, and she shook her head.
“Let’s eat, the food in the base is scarce recently. I’m afraid this kind of refined noodle buns are not often available.”
Really?
She is self-sufficient on the island and has almost forgotten the feeling of lack of clothing and food.
Jiang Miaomiao took it, did not eat, put it in her pocket, and said thank you.
Yuan Mubing smiled, stood aside, undressed his mouth, and quietly nibble on the buns.
In the novel, she is a person with few words, strong execution, strong ability, and cold personality.
Except for a few teammates who were born and died, rarely took the initiative to contact others.
It is precisely because of this that she and the original hero have been secretly in love with each other for a long time, experienced several life and death, and never pierced that layer of paper.
Jiang Miaomiao, who was once just a reader, was so anxious that he couldn’t sleep at night.
It was a strange feeling that the other party was right in front of her now.
“Can you tell me about the outside area?”
Jiang Miaomiao asked actively.
In the future, Lu Qiming will most likely not be by her side. She will have to live alone. As a married person, she can no longer be stupid and turn a blind eye to things outside the window.
Yuan Mubing glanced at her, raised his hand, and took a brief base map from the shelf on the inner wall of the carriage.
Jiang Miaomiao was slightly surprised, “It turns out that there is still this.”
Yuan Mubing said: “The main buildings are marked with locations and bus routes. You can take them with you and use them later.”
She nodded and opened it to check.
There are dormitories, canteens, factory locations, material distribution points, emergency services, etc., as well as police stations that have not disappeared after the end of the world.
A red reminder is printed on the back of the map.
Refuge management regulations.
All residents of the Huaxia Survivor Refuge shall comply with the following requirements:
1. Do not steal, rob, or violently damage the property of others or endanger the lives of others.
2. Comply with government arrangements and undertake work tasks.
3. Obligation to protect the safety of the refuge.
If the above three points are not complied with, the shelter will cancel the residency rights at its discretion and deport them.
The warning is cold, and the subway is cold.
Obviously, the thermometer showed that the indoor temperature was 18°C at the moment, but Jiang Miaomiao was still so cold that he shrank his neck and wanted to find Lu Qiming for a hug.
Fortunately, after ten minutes, they arrived at their destination.
The two got out of the car in the crowd, walked around for a long time, and finally came to the dormitory area.
It was a huge concrete building, and the walls were made thick to prevent the cold, so it looked rather crude.
The dormitories are divided into one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom rooms. The dense arrangement of windows and doors is reminiscent of a crowded honeycomb.
Because the zombie outbreak has broken many families and scattered their wives, most of the survivors lived in one-bedroom houses, but only a few lived with their families.
The government probably hopes that people’s lives will be more interesting, and some precious lawns have been laid on the open space outside the dormitories.
When they arrived, there were a dozen children of all ages playing on the grass.
“Sister Yuan.”
A little girl wearing a red woolen hat ran over and said to Yuan Mubing:
“My mother said that as long as I study hard, I can go out to beat the zombies and save the world like you in the future.”
Yuan Mubing bent down, it was rare. He smiled softly and touched her head.
“I didn’t save the world. She was the one who saved the world.”
“She?” The
little girl looked at Jiang Miaomiao with a confused expression, “Who is she?”
“She is Jiang, and she is also a very powerful sister.”
Jiang Miaomiao was very ashamed when she heard this, knowing that she has never had anything to do with the word formidable.
Of course, if appetite is also a measure, then it can barely be counted.
The little girl quickly ran to find friends to play with, and the two continued to move forward, passing the elevator to the thirteenth floor.
Yuan Mubing introduced her to the floor manager, a short middle-aged woman named Liu Lan.
She was a college dormitory administrator before the end of the world, but after she fled to the base, she continued to do this job.
Yuan Mubing is busy with work, so he has to leave when he sends Jiang Miaomiao here. Before leaving, he told
me : “I live in the third dormitory building with my team members and can be reached by subway line 2. If you have anything to worry about, please contact me. You can use the public communicator in the dormitory building to dial my private number 443005…”
Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t remember the more anxious, “What?”
Yuan Mubing took out the map from her pocket and wrote himself in the blank space. Passed her address and number, and patted her on the shoulder.
“Save it, I’m leaving.”
She walked into the elevator, and disappeared soon.
Jiang Miaomiao was holding the map, surrounded by strange surroundings and people, and he deeply felt his helplessness.
Fortunately, after a while, someone helped her bring the luggage and the dog.
Jiang Rourou was so sick of motion sickness that he immediately became active when he saw her, and ran over for a hug.
Jiang Miaomiao held it laboriously and followed Liu Lan to his dormitory.
There is a silver metal house number-1173 on the door.
Liu Lan opened the door with the key and introduced her to the facilities in the house.
“This is a one-bedroom apartment with a 90*180 single bed, a single-door wardrobe, a set of desks and chairs. The bathroom has a squat toilet, sink, and shower.
Heating is provided 24 hours a day, 20 Supply cold water from 00 to 21:00 and hot water from 21:00 to 22:00. A
notice will be posted on the elevator announcement screen one day in advance if the heating or water is stopped . You can go to the central water supply point of the dormitory if you want to use it. Remember to bring more A few barrels.”
Jiang Miaomiao tried to remember the time period, and asked curiously: “What about the power outage?”
Although there are no electrical appliances in the house, the light bulbs and elevators are all powered by electricity. Does the power outage mean that you can climb the stairs in the dark?
Liu Lan gave her a surprised look.
“Electricity? Our electricity is transformed through geothermal heat. If there is a power outage, there is a high probability that we will all be finished.”
“So…”
She nodded.
The other party continues to introduce.
“There is a red button here, which is connected to the police station. You can press it when you encounter an attack or other emergencies. The police will rush over as soon as they receive a call for help.
This is your temporary identity certificate, and you need to show it to the staff during random inspections. You should also use it when you go to the cafeteria to eat. There is a quota of 2,000 yuan per month. In addition, using the communicator also requires a swipe card, which can be used three times per person per month. “
Jiang Miaomiao took the magnetic card and put it in her pocket carefully.
Liu Lan opened the cabinet. There were quilt pillows, basic clothing, and daily necessities in it.
After handing over the things one by one, she asked:
“What else do you not understand? Is it? “
Of course!
Jiang Miao said hurriedly, “When will Lu Qiming come back?” Can I go find him? “
Liu Lan puzzled, “What is Lu Qiming?” “
The one who came with me.” “
I don’t know what you are talking about. The task given to me above is to arrange for a woman with a dog to move in. Is there anyone else?” “
She felt disappointed when she heard this.
She didn’t even arrange accommodation for him. Could it be that he will live in the laboratory in the future?
I thought I could meet at least at night.
Seeing that she didn’t speak, Liu Lan was not interested in asking too much. Many, ready to go back to do other things. The
room is small, only a dozen square meters, Jiang Rourou’s tail swept her lap.
Liu Lan looked down and reminded:
“Your dog had better not run around, although Embezzlement of other people’s property is not allowed in the base, but if someone steals it when you are not paying attention, the police will have nowhere to help you find it. “
She hurriedly said: “Okay, I will take good care of it, thank you. “
Liu Lan nodded, walked out of the room, and closed the door for her.
This is her new home?
Jiang Miaomiao sat on the wooden bed and looked at the cramped room in front of her with a dreamlike unreality.
At this time yesterday, she was still enjoying her honeymoon on the island.
“Bow!”
Jiang Rourou pulled his luggage, seemingly hungry.
She cheered up and began to clean up the room.
First spread the sheets and quilt. The heating in the room is not enough, but the quilt is quite thick and it should not be cold at night.
The daily necessities provided by the base are lackluster, and she barely meets the needs of life, but she brings a lot of luggage.
Hang the clothes in the closet, put the shoes in the corner, stack all kinds of food on the desk, facing the warm air vent, so as not to freeze.
Rourou also has a bunch of belongings. Its toys, mats, and large shells for grinding teeth are all placed by the bed, taking up the last little space.
Everything was cleaned up, the small room was overcrowded, and it was difficult to turn around.
The closet is too small for her big wedding dress.
Jiang Miaomiao found a nail, knocked it on the wall, and hung the wedding dress there, with the hem of the big skirt blocking half of the window.
She touched the hem of her skirt and began to miss Lu Qiming again.
What is he doing now? Already undergoing trials?
I don’t know how long it took before someone knocked on the door.
Jiang Miaomiao opened it and saw that it was Gu Changzhou’s subordinate.
“Miss Jiang, your friend’s test results have come out. It is determined that Professor Chen Hong is the person they are looking for. Then he will stay in the laboratory for a long time to undergo the test. During the test, he must be isolated. You can apply for visits every month. Once.”
“Once a month?” She couldn’t accept, “That’s too little, right.”
“I’m sorry, this is no way. If he comes into contact with bacteria from the outside world that affects the test results, he will probably lose all his efforts.”
Jiang Miaomiao said, “According to you, wouldn’t it be that I can’t touch him when we meet?”
The other party nodded, “You can only meet in the isolation room.”
Jiang Miao thought about the scene and felt uncomfortable.
The subordinate looked at her and comforted:
“You don’t have to worry too much. He is the hope of developing a vaccine. The experts will regard his life more importantly than yourself.”
This should be the truth, but what’s the use of importance? No one can endure the pain of being a guinea pig instead of him.
Jiang Miaomiao raised his head and asked: “Can you visit more often? I promise you won’t delay their work.”
“This…” The subordinates looked embarrassed, “I’ll go back and tell the captain, let him help you fight for it, you see. Is it okay?”
She downcast, “Okay.”
“Your official residence permit hasn’t been issued yet? You will start working after it is approved, and you won’t be bored by then.”
“What kind of work will I do? ? ” “
before you are generally based on the work assigned to the appropriate location, if you have any ideas, but also can be made with the staff transfer to. ” “
ah, thank you. ” “
you’re welcome, I go back muddle. “
The man was about to leave. After two steps, he turned around and said, “Yes, there is one more thing. The captain is on a mission outside, saying that I want to see you when I come back.”
See Gu Changzhou?
In all likelihood, it was because of the information she had said before.
The original owner was an orphan who had been abandoned since childhood, but she made up those words completely based on the original plot, mainly to keep Gu Changzhou and create time for Lu Qiming.
It’s okay to meet in person, explain clearly, so as not to misunderstand him.
She nodded, and the subordinates left without worry.
Soon after he left, the survivors who lived in the same dormitory building returned home from get off work one after another.
The horn in the corridor chimes the time-18:30.
Jiang Miaomiao has never been sociable and never went out to make new friends.
She sat in the room, judging from the sound and movement that the one living on the left is a woman, and the one living on the right is a man.
They are not very young, over twenty years old and under forty years old. About work is quite hard, and the tone of speech is not very pleasant.
There are mostly middle-aged and young people in the base. The elderly are physically weak. When the zombies erupt, they are among the first to be infected.
Everyone is reluctant to leave their children, but parents with children are more difficult than others, and the end result is often that the whole family becomes zombies.
It was written in the original text that the number of newborns in the shelter is extremely small, and the population growth rate is far smaller than the death rate.
The government hopes to increase the number of newborns. After all, people have hope only when they are alive. They will be the main force in the construction when they return to the city.
To this end, many measures have been taken to organize blind date meetings to improve reproductive welfare, but unfortunately, the results have been minimal.
Jiang Miaomiao understands this very well.
Who would be willing to give birth to a child to endure the same torture when it is hard to protect himself.
The survivors rested in the dormitory for a while, and went out at seven o’clock, seeming to be going to eat.
Liu Lan explained the location of the public canteen of this dormitory building, which is on the third floor.
So Jiang Miaomiao took out the aluminum lunch box distributed to her, left Jiang Rourou in the room, and followed the crowd to eat.
As a former college student, she was familiar with places like canteens, but after she actually arrived, she was still shocked by the crowds.
There are tens of thousands of people living in a dormitory area, but there are only two or three canteens, and it is not like a university where you can eat or order outside.
Every mouth had to be fed by the cafeteria, and the long dragon in front of the window made her suspect that she might not be able to eat before dawn.
But the aunts in the cafeteria moved faster than she thought, and arrived at her after more than an hour in line.
Jiang Miaomiao looked at the dishes in the window and wanted to escape back to the island.
A big bucket of potatoes, a big bucket of radishes.
There is fleshy color in the radish, it should be stewed pork ribs. But the quantitative comparison between the two is like a flock of sheep and a shepherd dog, you have to squint your eyes carefully to find the pitiful figure.
The aunt held the spoon and knocked the bucket impatiently.
“What to eat quickly, don’t waste time.”
She had no choice but to say: “One meal, one carrot.” The
aunt made it in three seconds. When she was still hesitating whether to order more potatoes, the credit card machine showed that Price-33 yuan.
Puff…
Jiang Miaomiao almost vomited blood.
A meal is 33 yuan, one hundred yuan a day, three thousand a month.
She has a total quota of only 2,000, isn’t she still hungry for a few days a month?
Woo, she’s going back to the island… After
swiping the card, Jiang Miaomiao returned to the dormitory with a pitiful meal.
The portion is not enough for one person, and there is a big mouth like meat waiting next to him.
She remembered that Yuan Mubing had given herself a bun before, and quickly took it out to share with it, barely ate a five-point full.
In the original text, she always wrote about the lack of food in the base. She didn’t feel it when she saw it, but now she has a first-hand experience.
What to do from now on? Hungry every day?
She brought back a lot of seafood, but she couldn’t eat it without a pot or stove.
After eating, I was worried about how to wash the dishes. Someone outside called for water.
She thought of Liu Lan’s time-limited water supply, and quickly took a bucket to pick it up under the faucet in the bathroom.
@#￥%…… The
faucet is like an old man with asthma, making all kinds of strange noises, and the water flow is pitifully small.
She squatted and waited for half an hour, but only received a small bucket of cold water, and no water came out of the pipe.
After another half an hour, hot water began to be supplied.
Jiang Miaomiao brought a thermos and received a small bottle of hot water.
The water is drawn from the snow-capped mountains. It tastes good, has a sweet feeling, and has very few impurities.
But the portion is too small, and the drink is not enough. What should I do if I take a shower?
She poured a little bit of hot water into the basin, and a little bit of cold water. She barely dampened the towel and wiped her body and face.
When I was about to go to bed, the female neighbor next door knocked on the door.
“You’re new here, oh, there is such a fat dog.” When
she heard the word “fat”, all her hairs were erected, and she quickly explained.
“Not fat or fat, thick hair, puffiness, actually not much meat.” The
other party didn’t care too much, dragged her to chat for more than an hour, and passed her a big salted fish and two yaos. column.
After finally sending him away, Jiang Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief, and made up his mind in his heart when closing the door: in the future, there will be less contact with others.
She wasn’t that piece of material at all, and it was okay to fight with Tie Hanhan and Lu Qiming. When she really communicates with people, she has to be taken up by others.
After the night, the heating became a lot colder somehow, and she was still shivering with the quilt tightly wrapped.
Seeing Jiang Rourou was also lying on the mat and shaking, he pulled it onto the bed and hugged it to sleep.
Jiang Rourou is solid and fat, with a big chubby belly against her, and there is a rumbling inside, obviously not full of food at all.
She touched its wet nose and asked in a low voice, “Do you miss him?”
Jiang Rourou blinked.
She buried her head in its white hair and her voice was uncomfortable.
“I really miss it.”
Since he chose to come back from the zombie tide, the two have never separated again, and they are inseparable for eating and sleeping.
Suddenly he wasn’t by his side when he was sleeping, so he was really not used to it.
Jiang Miaomiao turned the simple silver ring on his finger, imagining his silly appearance when he stood up to wear the ring in the middle of the night, and his tears wet the dog’s hair silently.
On the fifth day of moving into the base, her official ID card came down.
On the day the certificate was received, someone from the Human Resources Bureau came over to arrange work for her.
The visitor is a very gentle young lady, holding the computer and asking her:
“What did you do before? Do you have any requirements for work?”
“I used to be a student and only worked part-time in a restaurant. If requested…”
Jiang Miao Miao was a little embarrassed, but she still asked the truth, “Is it easier?”
It would be very sad to leave Lu Qiming. If he receives another hard job, he will be half tired if he can’t eat enough every day. That day It’s impossible to get past it.
Miss sister couldn’t help laughing and nodded.
“Okay, I’ll find it for you.”
She tapped the keyboard for a while and pushed the screen over.
“What do you think of this? Canteen cleaner. Mainly responsible for cleaning up the leftover meals for everyone. The working time is not long. It is almost two hours after each meal. It is about six hours at the end of the day, but it will be better than others after work. Later.”
Two hours after
dinner … Everyone has to finish dinner at 8|9 o’clock, which means she can’t get off work at least after 10 o’clock. By then, the supply of hot and cold water would have stopped long ago, and there will be no water. No way.
Jiang Miaomiao asked: “Is there anything else?”
“And this, childcare worker. The main job is to take care of children under the age of five. The requirements are good health, sufficient energy, and patience. To shift work, three shifts a day , Each class is eight hours.”
This sounds good, but she has never taken care of children, and she has average patience.
If a group of children were crying in front of them…Oh my God, kill her.
“Well…is there anything else?” The
young lady helped her find it again. Except for medical treatment and weapons, there are basically no jobs requiring technical skills in the base, and most of them are fairly basic and indispensable positions.
Jiang Miaomiao used to learn design, and his original master was engineering cost, which is totally useless here.
After looking for a circle, one is not as good as one, and finally she came back and chose to be a childcare worker.
Because the little sister said that the children don’t have any toys, if her dog is obedient, she can take it to play with them. And there is a private cafeteria in the kindergarten, which can provide a working meal.
This is undoubtedly a great temptation for her.
Leave a work certificate, and let her go directly to the job tomorrow.
Thinking of starting to work soon, Jiang Miaomiao was a little nervous, took out his ID card and looked at it, and decided to call Yuan Mubing.
It is daytime, everyone is at work, and there is no one in front of the communicator.
She dialed Yuan Mubing’s number and waited for a long time before connecting.
The other party seemed to be outside, hunting in the cold wind.
“Jiang Miaomiao? What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t have the contact information of the laboratory. I want to find them to determine the visit time for this month.”
“Okay, I’ll let someone transfer you there.”
Waited a few more minutes. , A soft female voice came over there.
“Hello, this is the research room of Chen Hong’s classroom.”
Jiang Miaomiao reported to his house and stated his purpose. The other party asked her to wait a while and changed Chen Hong to answer.
She has the impression that this person is the master in charge of vaccine research and development in the base and the pillar of the medical industry.
The two discussed for a while, and set a time to meet—in five days.
Before hanging up the phone, Jiang Miao asked specifically: “Can you increase the number of visits? I can meet all your requirements, as long as I can see him.” The
other party was silent for a while, “I can understand your feelings, but… Sorry.”
“Then how is his current situation?”
“So far, it looks good, you can rest assured.”
Chen Hong was very busy and hung up after speaking.
Jiang Miaomiao had nothing to do, standing in the corridor looking ahead.
People’s lives have undergone earth-shaking changes, but they are still going on, and they have not become robots because of the pressure of survival.
On the left dormitory, a mother who had just left the night shift was beating her children. Behind a window in the right dormitory, a husky’s head poked out, envious of Jiang Rourou’s freedom.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, cheering on herself from the bottom of her heart.
Lu Qiming is working hard, she will also work hard, at least not to worry him.
The next day, Jiang Miaomiao woke up early, went to the cafeteria to drink a bowl of porridge of 15 yuan, and took Jiang Rourou to work in the elevator.
The kindergarten is not far from her, it will be here soon.
The moment she walked in, she was very thankful that she had chosen this place.
It’s cold everywhere in the base, it’s different here.
The walls are painted with colorful paintings in bright colors, and the tables, chairs and doors are all in cartoon shape.
A group of children were playing games in the classroom, and there was a silver bell-like laughter, which made her feel alive instantly after she had been depressed for several days.
A female teacher of the same young age saw her and walked over and asked, “Hello, may I ask what you are…”
Jiang Miaomiao handed out the work certificate, and the other party knew the head of the school.
The principal introduced her to the kindergarten and then assigned work tasks.
The staff were not familiar with the new arrivals. She was first in charge of the cleaning in the garden and helped in the small cafeteria.
Jiang Rourou played with the children.
At nine o’clock in the morning, Jiang Miaomiao received a mop and a rag and began to clean the classroom one by one.
Two hours later, the canteen began to cook.
She immediately put down her work and ran to help peel the potatoes.
After the whole day, it is false to say that you are not tired, but on the way back, Jiang Miaomiao felt very fulfilled.
She works for the base, the base feeds her, and she lives in the dormitory.
Every day that passes, there is one less time to see Lu Qiming.
This kind of purposeful life is really very practical.
Today is almost over, as long as she goes to work four more days, she will be able to see Lu Qiming.
“Come on!”
She yelled this sentence at her reflection on the subway window, attracting countless stunned glances.
Kindergarten shifts are changed once a week, and on the day of the appointment, Jiang Miaomiao changed shifts to a colleague.
Go to see Lu Qiming during the day and go back to work at night.
She couldn’t fall asleep with excitement the night before, and kept simulating the scene of seeing him in her mind.
What should I say then? Do you want to bring him a gift?
But first he had nothing on hand, and second he was in isolation, and he didn’t know if things could be put into his hands.
The female neighbor next door heard that she was going to see her husband and lent her a new dress.
My neighbor was an editor of a fashion magazine before the end of the world, and now works as a female worker in a rolling mill. When escaping, he paid no attention to anything, only brought a suitcase of the most precious clothes and shoes.
The one lent to her is still Chanel’s latest model.
Jiang Miaomiao used her cosmetics to put on her makeup, put on a skirt, and put on another layer of snow-proof clothing. He carried four salted bird eggs that hadn’t been marinated. He took Jiang Rourou and took the subway for half an hour to the base. See Lu Qiming on the other side.
The laboratory is much stricter. As soon as she entered the gate, her salted bird eggs and dogs were stopped, saying that nothing was allowed in.
Jiang Miaomiao had to store them at the front desk first, and went in alone to find the meeting room they said.
The room is about 20 square meters, divided into two by a glass wall.
The heating inside was turned on enough, she took off the snowsuit and straightened her hair to the reflection in the window.
Before he lowered his hand, the door on the other side opened.
She had been thinking about Lu Qiming for a week, walked in from the door, dressed in white clothes and pants, and gave her a weak but bright smile.
“Miaomiao.”
His voice came from the intercom, and her nose was sore that she almost shed tears.
To laugh, to laugh, not to worry him.
Jiang Miaomiao sat on the chair and said with a silly smile:
“Hey, am I smart? I chose to come during the day so that I don’t see you at night.”
Lu Qiming’s eyes were red.
“Well, very smart.”
She looked at him, feeling terribly uncomfortable, and quickly changed the subject.
“Do you think my dress is pretty? Where’s Chanel’s.”
Lu Qiming’s mouth was almost grinning, but he couldn’t speak.
YanniMTL 