Chapter 45 p2
When she returned to her residence.
Just as Ji Yang had opened the door and sat down, she heard a knock on the door from outside. It was estimated that they had been paying attention to this side and had come over when they heard her return.
When she opened the door, it was indeed Qiao Yi.
Qiao Yi didn’t come in, but asked gently, “Yangyang, I was looking for you at noon and didn’t see you. Is there something?”
Ji Yang nodded. “Yes, I came over to do something. I was busy today.”
Qiao Yi: “Are you done?”
“Just finished.” Speaking of which, Ji Yang also said directly, “I’ll probably be leaving tomorrow or the day after. I only rented this house for a month. After a month, it will be reclaimed by the government. I don’t know who will live here then. You guys shouldn’t come over again.”
Qiao Yi’s face turned pale. “So soon?”
Ji Yang, on the other hand, didn’t feel much. “I was only busy for these few days. If it weren’t for the rain, I would have already left.”
Qiao Yi’s heart tightened. This meant that if it weren’t for the rain, she might have missed Ji Yang when she had come to look for her. It would have been impossible for the mother and daughter to meet. For a moment, her heart became even more sad. She forced a smile. “Then are you coming over for dinner tonight? You didn’t come at noon, and your grandmother and aunt have mentioned it several times.”
“No, I have to pack tonight,” Ji Yang refused again.
It was enough to go and eat once. There were too many people, and she was still not used to it. Besides, there was no need to be too close. They were not familiar relatives in the first place. She had sent a gift and had fulfilled the fate of this meeting, which was enough.
Qiao Yi could no longer smile.
How could she not see Ji Yang’s intention to draw a clear line with them?
The mother and daughter had not spent time together, and they had no topics of conversation. After being rejected several times, Qiao Yi was even more downcast and didn’t know what to say. Under Ji Yang’s hint, she turned and went upstairs in a daze.
A cup of water was brought to her. “It’s a little hot. Drink it later.”
Qiao Yi seemed not to have heard and subconsciously brought it to her mouth. Her lips were burned, and she quickly let go. Her fingers were also red from the burn. Xue Jianping frowned. “What’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve lost your soul.”
Qiao Yi pursed her lips and shook her head, about to say something.
Xue Yuanyang had woken up from his nap and was yawning. “Dad, Mom.”
Then he went to the kitchen to find something to eat.
Qiao Yi looked at her stepson. Compared to A-Yang, her daughter, Ji Yang, was willful and disobedient, which gave her a headache.
She suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She thought of something, looked at her husband, and wanted to say something, but she was afraid of being heard. She pulled her husband into the room and then tried to say, “Old Xue, what are your requirements for A-Yang’s other half?”
Xue Jianping was surprised. “A-Yang? Him?”
Soon he understood. “Are you thinking of letting Yangyang and A-Yang meet?”
Qiao Yi’s expression was embarrassed, but she still nodded. “They are not related by blood, and they are not on the same household registration. I was thinking that if they were together, Yangyang might be able to stay. Just now I went down to see her, and she said she would be leaving in these two days. Once she leaves, Old Xue, I’m so flustered. I always have a feeling that it will be difficult to see her again. I used to think that Ji Anfeng would take care of her, but now that I think about it, Ji Anfeng is also unreliable, so Yangyang is living alone. In the future, if a more serious situation arises, what will she do alone?”
Speaking of this, her tone was a little hurried, and she was even more sure that her idea was not wrong.
A woman always has to get married. Choosing A-Yang was also because he was a good child and would not bully her daughter. With her watching, her life would definitely be comfortable. The most important thing was that A-Yang was obedient and would not leave. If they were together, Ji Yang would not leave either.
“I didn’t say I was unwilling. Don’t cry first. Don’t be anxious. There will be a way to make Yangyang stay,” Xue Jianping quickly coaxed her. Seeing that her mood had calmed down, he breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart was not as beautiful as his wife had thought.
Ji Yang was clearly not the kind of girl who was willing to go on a blind date. She was independent and capable. A-Yang, besides his face and his easy-going personality, had nothing else. The possibility of her agreeing was almost nil.
But looking at his wife like this, he understood that he couldn’t persuade her, just like her willfulness back then. All he could do was to try his best to make up for it.
“Okay, I’ll go and tell A-Yang. He will definitely be willing. I just don’t know if Yangyang is willing. But you don’t have to worry too much. She can even raise a dog so well. She is very formidable herself. Even if she is alone, she can live very well.”
Qiao Yi did not speak.
She understood this, but she just couldn’t get over it in her heart.
In the past, she had not cared about Ji Yang, and her family had also told her a few times. But at that time, the Ji family had taken very good care of Ji Yang, so it had been glossed over. But now, Ji Yang was alone, and the two old people of the Ji family were gone. If she were to let Ji Yang leave again, it would not be so easy to get over.
So, if A-Yang’s side agreed, she would go and talk to Ji Yang’s side to see if they could meet. Ji Yang’s temperament was cold. A-Yang had said that she had completely ignored that mother and son, but she was willing to trade with A-Yang outside. There must still be some affinity.
Xue Yuanyang saw this and got up to find his son.
Then, he heard a “boom” from Xue Yuanyang’s room. The young man fell to the ground, his handsome face full of disbelief. “What did you say?!”
“We are siblings!”
Xue Jianping said in annoyance, “Siblings who don’t even know each other when they meet?”
Xue Yuanyang: …
He scratched his face and got up sheepishly. “But this is also very strange, and I don’t like her.”
She was quite good-looking. If it were at the beginning, he would definitely not be repulsed. But after that incident, he really didn’t like this somewhat cold sister. Besides, he didn’t understand. She was already alone. Why did she have to leave?
Going to Changnan City was also to be alone, without any support. It was so dangerous.
Isn’t it good to be with her own mother?
He had come back from abroad at the first opportunity.
Xue Jianping understood and patted his shoulder, appealing to his emotions. “I know it’s a little awkward, but you haven’t spent time together, so there’s no brother-sister bond. Since that’s the case, it’s fine to change the relationship. Yangyang is so beautiful and capable. It’s really not a loss for you. Besides, she might not even be interested in you. You should think about it. You know very well how your mother has treated you all these years. She’s also afraid that she’ll never see her own daughter again. You… can you live with that?”
Xue Yuanyang: !
With such a serious tone, he was really swayed.
Qiao Yi was really good to him. She had been like a real mother to him since he was a child. It wasn’t until he had gone to study abroad that his younger brother had been born, because the two of them were too lonely at home.
But to let him go on a blind date with Ji Yang?
It was too strange!
*
His father had already left and closed the door. Xue Yuanyang sighed and lay down on the bed, his hands behind his head. He was so conflicted. Logically, he shouldn’t agree. This was about the happiness of the latter half of his life. But emotionally, he really couldn’t bear to see Qiao Yi sad.
“Buzz—” the walkie-talkie rang.
“Want to go out for a meal? Call Zheng Youning too. He doesn’t seem to have found a job yet, so he should have time.” His good brother, Guo Yao’s voice, with a familiar breakdown, “My mom is pushing me to get married again. I’m so done. It’s the apocalypse, and she still wants to have a grandchild. Does she think she’s so strong that she can support a pregnant woman and a baby in the coming extreme heat?”
In the past, Xue Yuanyang would only have gloated and teased him. But today, when he heard it, for some reason, he felt a sense of sympathy and empathy. He wished he could hold his brother and cry. “Okay, I’ll be right there!”
A dozen minutes later, the three of them gathered at a bar in the base.
Xue Yuanyang, Guo Yao, and Zheng Youning. They had met when they were studying abroad, and later, they had been lucky enough to come back together. It was just that Zheng Youning’s family’s situation was not as good as theirs. When he had come back, the Zheng family had had an accident, and most of their things were gone. He had followed Xue Yuanyang back to Hu City, and it just so happened that he had met up with Guo Yao. The two of them had helped the Zheng family, and they had barely been able to gain a foothold in the base.
Naturally, it was Guo Yao who was the first to pour out his troubles. It was the apocalypse, and he still had a mother who was pushing him to get married.
Normally, it was Xue Yuanyang and Zheng Youning who would comfort him. This time, Xue Yuanyang also joined in the complaining. “Let me tell you guys something. Don’t tell anyone.”
The two of them were immediately distracted. “What is it?”
Xue Yuanyang looked around shyly. After confirming that there was no one he knew, he lowered his voice and said, “Isn’t my mom my stepmother? She also has a daughter. It just so happens that her daughter has come to our base recently, but she’s leaving soon. My dad can’t bear for the mother and daughter to be separated, so he’s thinking of letting me marry her daughter, so that her daughter won’t leave.”
“Holy crap!”
“Holy crap!!!”
Two gasps, two dumbfounded faces.
Guo Yao smiled slyly. “Is she pretty? If she’s pretty, it’s okay to sacrifice a little.”
Zheng Youning: “That’s right, is she pretty?”
“She is,” Xue Yuanyang nodded honestly. “But I don’t like her. She’s too calm. Last time, didn’t I almost die? She’s the one I said who didn’t save me when I was in danger. Of course, I’m not saying she had to save me, but I really don’t like this kind of person. Now, all of humanity is in danger. We should have helped each other. She’s too cold.”
Guo Yao secretly complained about his friend’s saintly personality. He didn’t think that girl was wrong, but he nodded. “That’s a bit inappropriate. If your three views are not compatible, it’s easy to have conflicts if you’re forced to be together.”
“Isn’t it?” Xue Yuanyang sighed and suddenly looked at Guo Yao. “Hey? Why don’t you do it?”
“?” Guo Yao shook his head frantically. “No, no, I don’t dare to get married. In this world now, marriage is too scary.”
Zheng Youning’s eyes sparkled, and he was just about to speak.
Xue Yuanyang glanced at him and then shook his head. “Hey, you can’t do it either.”
A wave of heat rushed to Zheng Youning’s face, and he said with shame and anger, “Why can’t I?”
Xue Yuanyang said, “You’re a playboy. How can you marry my sister?”
Zheng Youning was choked and said stubbornly, “I’m not a playboy now. Besides, you don’t like her. Why do you care about this?”
“I don’t like her, but she’s also my sister. I can’t watch her be entrusted to the wrong person,” Xue Yuanyang said seriously. “In other aspects, you’re my brother, but in this, you really can’t.”
Zheng Youning was not a playboy now. It was because he didn’t have the conditions. Before, when his family was at its peak, he had endless money to spend. Every time he saw him, he had a different female companion. He could be a brother, but not a brother-in-law. No!
Even if they were just ordinary friends, he would not recommend marrying Zheng Youning, not to mention that Ji Yang was his sister. Even if they were not related by blood, she was still his sister.
Zheng Youning pursed his lips and didn’t speak. He took a big gulp of wine.
Everything was expensive in the apocalypse. A can of beer that had cost three or four yuan before now cost fifty or sixty points a bottle. He usually couldn’t afford to drink it and could only drink a little at this time.
The alcohol entered his body, making him even more irritable and angry.
And the two of them started to chat again. In the end, they comforted each other. Xue Yuanyang said faintly, “It’s a pity I stayed abroad for too long and didn’t know many people. Brother Zhang and the others are not an option either. My sister rented a large flat by herself. Not just anyone can support her…”
In the end, he seemed to have made up his mind. “It seems it can only be me.”
Guo Yao couldn’t stand it anymore. “You’re acting as if you’re sacrificing yourself. Be careful, she might not even be interested in you!”
Xue Yuanyang: …
He scratched his head in embarrassment. Thinking of Ji Yang’s attitude the two times he had seen her, his momentum suddenly weakened. “That’s really possible. It should be said… the possibility is very high. But I can still give it a try. If it really doesn’t work, I’ll just tell her the truth. Maybe she’ll be moved and take the initiative to stay, and I won’t be needed.”
Guo Yao burst out laughing.
The two of them talked back and forth. Zheng Youning, who was on the side, listened with a burning heart. As expected, she was a young lady with abundant supplies. If he were with her, he would no longer have to look for a job and be looked down upon everywhere!
But who would have thought that the last sentence was like a basin of cold water poured on his head.
As expected.
He knew that Xue Yuanyang had rejected him just because his current conditions were not good. But clearly, before the disaster, his family was the best of the three!
Zheng Youning gritted his back teeth and looked at the two who were chatting happily, and he couldn’t help but feel a hint of malice.
What would it be like if these two were to end up in the same situation as him?
Could they still be so relaxed?
Suddenly, as if he had made up his mind, he smiled. He poured them a drink. “I’m going to the toilet first. You guys drink up. Don’t sneak away.”
The two of them didn’t care and nodded with a smile. “Go on. It’s still early. We have to have a couple more drinks anyway.”
Zheng Youning smiled, temporarily left this side, found a corner, switched to a channel, and said in a low voice, “I agree to what you said. Now is a good opportunity.”
—
That day, at the Qiao family’s dinner, everyone also noticed that Qiao Yi was restless. When they asked, they found out that Ji Yang had said she would be going back in these two days.
Grandpa and Grandma Qiao immediately went downstairs to call Ji Yang up for dinner, and they also wanted to persuade her again.
A child is willful. It might be because of Qiao Yi’s improper handling back then. If they persuaded her more, they might be able to move her.
They had thought that there was still a lot of time yesterday. Who would have thought it would be so soon?
Ji Yang couldn’t resist their enthusiasm and went up for another meal, but she still refused to budge.
Grandma Qiao wiped her tears and regretted that she hadn’t persuaded her daughter more back then, which had made Ji Yang really distant from them. Even if she was good to them, emotionally, she might not even be as good as her daughter’s stepson.
Ji Yang smiled and said, “Don’t be so sad. We’re all living well. We might meet again soon.”
After chatting for a while, she got up to leave.
The Qiao family looked at each other, and they all felt a little bad. This parting… even if they all firmly believed that the natural disaster would pass and everything would return to normal, they were still terrified in their hearts. Next time… who knew when it would be?
Grandpa Qiao sighed. Grandma Qiao was sad and angry. If she were a little younger, she could have beaten her daughter. But now, it was too late to say anything. They were also at fault.
Qiao Yi watched all of this, her heart sinking to the bottom. She guiltily avoided her parents’ blaming gazes, her heart in a panic, and there was also a glimmer of hope. If Ji Yang really liked A-Yang, then the problem would be solved.
By the way, where’s A-Yang?
Why hasn’t he come back yet?
She wanted to say something, but just at this moment, Uncle Qiao spoke. “Little sister, you really didn’t handle this matter well, which is why Yangyang is not close to us. Since she is unwilling, it’s useless to force her. Let’s pack some supplies and send them over, so that she can live a more comfortable life.”
“Okay, okay,” Aunt Qiao nodded and was the first to get up. “Hurry up and pack. We’ll send it over tonight. I’m afraid this child will leave too quickly, and we’ll miss her tomorrow.”
Xue Jianping also got up to pack. He was the stepfather, so he should prepare more. Fortunately, he had brought all the good things from home when he had come over, so he could afford to give.
For a moment, the Qiao family was busy again. Qiao Yi opened her mouth, but she didn’t say anything.
What if it doesn’t work out? She was afraid that her daughter and A-Yang would be embarrassed in the future, so she didn’t say anything for now. She just followed her parents, wanting to persuade Ji Yang to stay for a few more days.
And on that side, Ji Yang was already preparing to sleep. When she ran into them at her door, she was also surprised for a moment.
When she saw so many precious supplies, she fell silent.
Grandpa Qiao smiled gently. “You child, don’t think it’s too precious. We still have some at home. You’re alone outside, and there are many places where you need to spend points. With these in hand, you can exchange them with the government when you need them. It’s also a guarantee. But you have to remember, don’t show off your wealth. People’s hearts are unpredictable. Once good things are exposed, it’s easy to attract trouble…”