Chapter 46 p1
Ji Yang had always felt that her relationship with the Qiao family was just that of ordinary relatives, even less so than distant relatives who visited often. But she had never expected them to be able to take out so many things for her at this time.
Regardless of how many supplies the Qiao family had, to be able to give so much was already surprising.
She was a little at a loss. She had never thought she would experience such a thing. Facing the eager gazes of the two old people, her heart softened, and she almost forgot that in terms of actual blood relations, they were actually very close.
Fortunately, Ji Yang was still rational. She pushed away the things that the two old people had handed over and directly took out a stack of paper points from her pocket for them to see. “Look, I’m really not short of points. These are the points I exchanged for after I came here, and I haven’t finished using them yet.”
Grandma Qiao was anxious. “What you have is your business. If it were normal times, we wouldn’t be so worried. But times are different now. Just take them. Otherwise, we won’t be at ease.”
Ji Yang chuckled and also explained seriously, “Grandpa, Grandma, I know your good intentions. If I were really short of points, I would have taken them. But I’m really not short of these. If I take them, I won’t be at ease. Your family has many people, and there are many places where you need to use points. It’s more appropriate to leave them with you.”
Her attitude was firm. If she said she didn’t want them, she didn’t want them.
The two old people of the Qiao family were not stupid either. After a short period of getting along, they could figure out Ji Yang’s current temperament. She was a cold-hearted girl in the first place, and now she was even more resolute and would not be swayed. They had no choice but to give up.
Qiao Yi watched them talk and finally couldn’t help but say, “Then can you stay for a few more days? We haven’t seen each other in a long time. At least we can spend a few more days together, right?”
“There’s not enough time,” Ji Yang’s tone was less warm when she spoke to Qiao Yi than to the two elders of the Qiao family, and it was a little more polite. “I came here to do something. I’ll leave after I’m done. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be leaving without even finishing spending my points.”
Qiao Yi’s eyes completely dimmed, and she murmured, “Are you blaming me?”
Ji Yang’s smile did not change. “What did you say?”
Grandma Qiao quickly pinched her daughter. Qiao Yi came to her senses and quickly shook her head. “No… nothing.”
*
The Next Day
It was not even eight o’clock.
Ji Yang hadn’t even gotten out of bed when there was an urgent knock on the main door. Xixi noticed it at the first moment and ran over, but it did not bark warily. Ji Yang guessed that it was the people upstairs, so she sped up and got up, changing into her outdoor clothes.
Just as she reached the door, she heard Qiao Yi’s anxious voice from outside, “Yangyang, have you seen A-Yang?”
“Are you talking about Xue Yuanyang?” Ji Yang opened the door and found that Qiao Yi’s face was exceptionally pale. Seeing her nod, she said, “No, I haven’t opened the door since I came back yesterday.”
Qiao Yi’s face turned pale, and she was even more at a loss, as if her last glimmer of hope was gone. “This child went out yesterday afternoon and hasn’t been seen since. He didn’t come back all night. We’ve also looked for him in the places he usually goes, but we haven’t found him! Could something have happened to him?”
She was still holding on to a glimmer of hope, thinking that he might be with Ji Yang. Young people nowadays, if they really hit it off, they would get together very quickly. Who would have thought that her hope would be shattered again, and her legs would go weak.
“In the base, nothing major should have happened,” Ji Yang said with uncertainty. “Let’s look for him first.”
Qiao Yi shook her head. If it were before, it would definitely be safe. But now it was different. For a person who hadn’t come back all night, the possibility of being gone was too high. There were not a few who had gone missing in the base.
Safety was only relative. Ever since the natural disaster had come and order had collapsed, there was no truly safe place.
Her tears were already coming out. Yesterday afternoon, she had just told her husband and A-Yang about her idea, but now he was gone. If anything happened to him, she couldn’t even imagine.
If she looked again, she would definitely be able to find him!
Qiao Yi turned around in a hurry, but suddenly, her vision went black, and she swayed a few times before she was about to fall to the ground.
Ji Yang quickly took two steps forward to catch her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Qiao Yi quickly nodded, her head dizzy again, and her legs still weak.
If she were to fall down the stairs, it would be no joke.
Ji Yang could only turn around and call out, “Xixi, close the door.”
Xixi obediently came out and pushed the door into the house. With its two paws, it successfully closed it. Ji Yang supported Qiao Yi and went upstairs. “You should go back and rest for a while. I’ll go out and see what’s going on.”
She wouldn’t look for him herself, but she still had some points left. She had originally planned to waste them, but it was a good opportunity to issue a mission. With many people, there would always be someone who would provide a clue.
A living person could not have disappeared into thin air.
Xixi followed step by step.
Outside, it had to follow its owner closely.
The atmosphere in the house was also a little heavy. At present, only the two old people and a few of the younger ones were at home. The others had all gone out to look for him. Qiao Yi had suddenly thought of Ji Yang’s side and had come to ask, but it turned out that she also didn’t know.
Seeing Ji Yang bring Qiao Yi in, Grandpa and Grandma Qiao forced a smile and didn’t forget to ask her, “Has Yangyang eaten?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve already prepared breakfast,” Ji Yang quickly refused, helped Qiao Yi to sit down, and was about to go downstairs. But there was also the sound of urgent footsteps from downstairs. Then, a girl came in. It was one of Ji Yang’s cousins. She didn’t remember her specific name.
The little girl said in a huff, “There’s news! I ran to my cousin’s friend’s place. His family just received a note saying that his son has been kidnapped, and my cousin has also been kidnapped. If they want to exchange for the hostage, they have to take out supplies!”
“What?!”
The remaining people in the room were all stunned. “Kidnapped?!”
The girl: “It says that one person needs two thousand jin of grain and a yacht, as well as a pile of miscellaneous things. We have to prepare them within three days, or they will kill the hostage. It is estimated that the note will be here soon.”
“Hiss—” Grandpa Qiao clutched his chest, a little unable to bear the shock.
Grandma Qiao, on the other hand, quickly took out her walkie-talkie and asked everyone in the family to come back and discuss a countermeasure. Even though there were not many people, the room was already in a mess. Ji Yang stood in the middle of it, not knowing what to do for a moment.
Now there was no need to look for him.
It was just that being kidnapped was a bit tricky.
Two thousand jin of grain, and a yacht… Ji Yang was not sure how many points the Qiao family had saved, but this amount, looking at the expressions of her grandpa and grandma, she knew that it would greatly damage their vitality.
This group of kidnappers really dared to ask for it!
She frowned. “Have you contacted the government?”
The little girl shook her head blankly. “I don’t know. I ran back as soon as I heard this.”
Just as she was speaking, the walkie-talkie in her grandmother’s hand rang with Uncle Qiao’s voice. “Mom, you guys come to the Guo family in Building 23 of the first district. The government is here. The note that was sent to our family has already been taken by the government. They also know who the kidnappers are and are discussing a countermeasure.”
“Okay, okay,” Grandma replied repeatedly. “Let’s go, let’s go.”
But the two old people had just been shocked, and they were not steady on their feet. They were trembling as they walked with their canes. The little girl quickly went to support them. Grandma wiped her tears and looked at Ji Yang. “Yangyang, can you help me watch Pingping and An’an at home? They are still young, and they probably can’t be left alone.”
Pingping and An’an were Uncle’s grandchildren, a pair of twins, only three years old this year.
They were young and needed someone to watch them.
The older ones upstairs didn’t need to be taken care of.
Ji Yang looked at her cousin. “Let my cousin stay at home. I’ll go with you to take a look. I happen to have an assault boat. Otherwise, you’ll have to call someone to come and pick you up.”
Now, if you wanted to go out and didn’t have transportation, you could shout for someone at the window. People with transportation would come over when they heard it and earn some extra money, two or three points at a time.
The cousin was at a loss and in a panic. Hearing this, she immediately nodded. “Okay, okay, I’ll stay at home.”
After the two parties had agreed, Grandpa and Grandma naturally had no objections. They were originally the only two who had stayed at home. Some of the others had gone out for work, and some had gone out to look for people. The rest were a few half-grown children. This time, only Grandpa, Grandma, and Qiao Yi were going. Ji Yang followed and supported her grandmother.
The accumulated water was still very deep. When they went downstairs, Ji Yang went to get the assault boat again and also put Xixi in her space.
It just so happened that one assault boat could carry everyone. Following Qiao Yi’s directions, they went directly to the first district.
The security booth at the entrance was also submerged, and there was no one on guard here for the time being. They went straight in and arrived at the Guo family. The first floor had been submerged, and everyone was gathered on the second floor. As soon as they arrived, Xue Jianping was the first to come over. His face was a little ugly, but he was smiling at his grandpa and grandma. He was also a little guilty and embarrassed, and kept saying, “Thank you for your hard work, Dad and Mom.”
Only then did he notice Ji Yang, who was securing the assault boat, and showed a look of surprise.
Ji Yang smiled and didn’t say anything, following behind and going upstairs.
—