Chapter 379: Chapter 379: About Mental Health
After the two of them left, Wyatt Vaughn came over.
"I feel like Claudia Schultz and Christina Thorne have developed serious psychological problems. It’s no wonder, really. After going through so many hardships, anyone’s willpower would be worn down to nothing."
Evelyn Ford knew this feeling all too well. It was just like that for her in her past life. By the sixth and seventh years, she was still alive, but she had become a walking corpse.
She wanted to kill herself at every moment, to end it all. But at the same time, she was afraid of death.
For a long time after her rebirth, Evelyn’s mental state remained suppressed. She was like a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment. There were several times she looked in the mirror and was frightened by the look in her own eyes. She became irritable, emotionally unstable, and her words were barbed, yet she lived with extreme caution, terrified that someone would discover her secret.
It wasn’t until the time she spent living alone on Broken Cloud Mountain that her psychological ailments slowly began to heal.
"Anyone who has survived until now, aside from those with exceptionally strong mental fortitude or people who are naturally devoid of empathy, will have some degree of psychological issues."
Wyatt sighed. "You know? I saw Aunt Crane muttering to herself in the kitchen a while back, and she would just zone out. I thought she was developing dementia. But she told me later that she was trying her best to review her family members’ faces and the promises they made to each other."
As Wyatt spoke, her voice choked with emotion. "Damn these natural disasters for making us go through all this. Our beautiful country, our cities... they’ve become like this. The number of dead and injured is already immeasurable. And how many people have been separated from their families, with no idea if they’ll ever find each other again."
While talking about others, Wyatt perhaps didn’t realize that she was a "patient" herself.
Back in the safe zone, she had a fierce personality, more like a boy. Now, she had become more sensitive and melancholic, with a constant look of dejection on her face.
"Evelyn, do you think Azure will ever see a better day?"
Evelyn looked at Zoe in her arms, then nodded after a moment of silence. "It definitely will."
"Do you think we should set up a counseling room, or maybe hold some activities like a social gathering, to give everyone some psychological support?"
Wyatt, afraid Evelyn would think she was being meddlesome, quickly explained, "We have a group of patients living together. If someone has an emotional breakdown, they might do something terrible. Once a person’s emotions reach a tipping point, it’s easy for them to shatter."
Evelyn nodded. She understood this perfectly. Just half a month into the apocalypse, with the torrential rains never stopping and the floodwaters rising, some people couldn’t bear the suffering and simply leaped from their buildings.
Some chose to end their own lives. Others chose to harm others to release their emotions.
Everyone looked normal on the surface, but in reality, each person was sicker than the last.
"Okay. If we set up a counseling room, who do you think would be a good counselor?"
Wyatt already had someone in mind. "Quincy."
"He’s the best candidate. I know him so well. If we were to grade everyone on the farm for their mental health, I think only Quincy and Ronan Kendrick would pass. But Ronan isn’t suited for counseling. He’s too intimidating; he’d probably just make people more depressed."
Evelyn glanced back at the closed bedroom door and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
"That’s a very vivid description. Would Quincy be willing?"
"He’d definitely be willing."
"Alright, we can set up a counseling room, but let’s not make Quincy depressed in the process. And let’s pick a day, treat it like the New Year, and hold a social gathering. Everyone can perform something—sing, dance, do a skit..."
Wyatt looked like she wanted to put Zoe down and rush over to give Evelyn a big kiss. "Evelyn, you’re just the best! No wonder Wendy likes you so much. Your name is practically her catchphrase."
Evelyn raised a hand and waved it dismissively. "Let’s keep it low-key, low-key."
* * *
After Wyatt left, Evelyn took out all the books from her space—joke collections, comics, story anthologies, and all sorts of romance novels.
Ronan Kendrick came out of the bedroom and looked at her, confused. "Are you selling books?"
"I’m finding some books for everyone to read."
"What are these?"
Evelyn glanced over and quickly snatched them back. These were what she had collected from the tomb in the Broken Cloud Mountain caverns. She had thought it was Gold and silver, but it turned out to be a collection of ancient Fireproof Maps.
And they depicted all sorts of bizarre positions, even wilder than what modern people get up to.
"No looking."
After snatching the items back, Evelyn immediately tossed them into her space. Ronan Kendrick just smiled and picked up another one. He was tall, so he just held it up to read, well out of Evelyn’s reach.
However, the moment he flipped open the first page, his smile froze.
"What is this?"
Evelyn pinched his waist hard. "It’s a dirty book! Give it back, you’re not allowed to look."
Ronan’s throat bobbed. He handed the book back to Evelyn, who quickly put it away.
"How do you have this?"
"I scavenged them from the tomb in the Broken Cloud Mountain caverns."
Evelyn was a little embarrassed. "I haven’t flipped through them. I only saw the first page. Anyway, the books are sorted. I’m going to take them to Quincy."
Ronan watched Evelyn’s retreating back and quickly poured himself a glass of cold water. But when he recalled the images he’d glimpsed in the book, his composure vanished.
’So there are that many variations? I really want to try... but I’m afraid Evelyn will get angry.’
Meanwhile, Evelyn’s face was still burning when she arrived at Quincy’s door, books in her arms.
"What are you holding?"
Evelyn put the books on the table. "Books. Did Wyatt talk to you about the counseling room?"
Quincy nodded. "She did, and I agree. Say no more. When it comes to guiding people, I’m practically a professional psychological expert. You can rest assured. Under my guidance, everyone on our farm—men and women, young and old—will become optimistic and cheerful, free of all worries."
Evelyn suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Quincy, why do I suddenly get the feeling that you’re the sickest one on the whole farm?"
"No way! Have you ever seen a patient like me?" Quincy protested, determined to prove how normal he was. He even broke into a spontaneous rap right there, forcing Evelyn to quickly cover her ears.
"I’m not saying you have mental or psychological problems. I’m saying I think you have an intelligence problem."
Quincy was speechless. ’Why the sudden personal attack?’
"To be honest with you, I never wanted to study pharmaceutical research in the first place. I always wanted to study psychology and become a therapist. Saving all the unhappy people—that’s my dream."
Evelyn turned to leave with a deadpan expression, but Quincy quickly blocked her. "My bad, I’ll stop joking around. I promise I’ll complete this mission."
"Back to business. Even though the theme is psychological counseling, you can’t go poking at everyone’s scars, understand?"
Quincy nodded. "Got it."
"So how do you plan on counseling them?"
Quincy gave her a mysterious smile. "It’s a secret."
It wasn’t until three days later, when Evelyn saw the sign that read "Farm Line Dancing Practice Room," that she finally understood what Quincy was up to.
She had thought Quincy was just messing around, but to her surprise, as soon as the line dancing practice room opened, everyone came over to dance with great enthusiasm.
Quincy was at the front, leading the dance. He was wearing a ridiculously funny skirt, and his movements were exaggerated and sinuous, making everyone roar with laughter.
