Chapter 87 Wishes Fulfilled

This was Molly's first time shopping at a department store. It was a three-story building, and you could see all the ready-made clothes hanging on the racks on the third floor at a glance. There were escalators on both sides, and people were going up and down on them, making it very lively.

"Shall we go look at bicycles first?" Ji Hefeng asked Molly for her opinion.

The bicycles in the county are all the same style, all being the old-fashioned 28-inch bicycles.

Ji Hefeng glanced at it and immediately objected, "Too ugly?"

“What’s ugly about it? I think this car is great. Xiao An can ride, Xiao Lu can sit in front, and Chu Yang can sit in the back. It’s perfect.” Molly immediately took a liking to a black one.

Ji Hefeng, who originally wanted to buy a women's bicycle: "...You're right."

Molly paid the money and ticket, picked up the bicycle, and the two of them pushed it out the door together. The young soldier driving the jeep found a rope and tied the bicycle to the back of the jeep.

After securing the car, Molly and Ji Hefeng returned to the department store.

"Let's go buy a radio." Ji Hefeng led Molly upstairs.

Molly had seen a radio at Commissar Bao's house, but when she went there, Bao's wife hadn't turned it on. Looking at the large black device, Molly's eyes were filled with curiosity. Ji Hefeng fiddled with it for a bit, and then a sound came out—a sudden, loud female voice that startled Molly.

Ji Hefeng turned to look at her, his eyes smiling, "Don't be afraid, it doesn't eat people."

Molly pursed her lips. She wasn't someone who hadn't seen the world. Back in the apocalypse, she had even seen TVs over a hundred inches in size, but there was no power or signal, so she couldn't turn them on.

The two bought a radio, then milk powder, using up all their milk powder coupons. After that, they bought fabric, White Rabbit milk candy, and used industrial coupons to buy two thermos flasks. They also bought a lot of soap and other similar products.

The two stopped when they ran out of tickets. Of the more than 500 yuan Molly had brought, only a few dozen yuan remained.

Throughout the entire process, Molly showed no remorse for losing the money, only satisfaction and joy at the items she had acquired.

After leaving the department store, they began to turn back.

It was already dark when we got back to the camp.

As soon as the car stopped in front of the house, the three children rushed out and screamed at the newly bought bicycle.

Ji Hefeng's expression was a mixture of doting and helplessness. He could only unload the bike first. As soon as the bike hit the ground, Mo An got on. Just as Molly had said, Mo An was in charge of riding, with his nephew in front and his niece behind. The bike shot off in a flash.

"This kid has long legs," Ji Hefeng praised. "He's also quite strong, just like you."

Actually, they don't look alike. Mo An and Mo He look very similar, but Molly doesn't resemble either of them. Molly is fairer, with a straighter and more upturned nose. Her features are more delicate, and her eyes are especially beautiful—pure and lively. If he were stared at by her for a few seconds, he wouldn't be able to resist surrendering without her saying a word.

Mo An is also quite good-looking, especially in the last two years. Molly has taken excellent care of him, and he has grown taller and stronger. He still has the physique of a teenager, but with a thin layer of muscle on his arms and abdomen. He has also become more cheerful and confident, as if he has been reborn.

Even Lu Lu and Mo Chuyang, after spending a short time with Molly, had already changed completely and were no different from the other children in the camp.

She influences those around her single-handedly.

Dinner was ready, and the children were riding their bikes outside. Molly wasn't in a hurry to eat; she took a shower first. Ji Hefeng was fiddling with the radio, and soon, a sound came on, seemingly broadcasting the news.

The whole family listened with great interest to a news channel.

After the news ended, there were still people singing and telling jokes. There were only three channels available, which Ji Hefeng was not very satisfied with, but Molly and the three children sat there and refused to leave.

Ji Hefeng secretly decided that he would get them a TV after a while, so that he wouldn't feel sorry for them when he saw their naive and unsophisticated appearance.

The three children, Mo An and his companions, had to go to school the next day, so Molly turned off the radio at nine o'clock and told them to go to sleep. Although the children were reluctant to leave, none of them questioned Molly's decision.

Molly went back to her room as well.

"Come and take a look at the books we bought today?" Ji Hefeng had already placed the books on the bookshelf, and a stack of comic books was piled on the desk. Comic books have pictures, only a few words on each page, and you can finish reading one in a few minutes.

Molly clearly loved comic books, and headed straight for them. She stood there, her round bottom resting on the table, holding a book in one hand and turning the pages with the other, her eyes sparkling like a million stars.

"Molly, do you want to go to school?" Ji Hefeng suddenly asked.

Molly looked up. "Why are you asking that?"

Mo An also asked her this question.

"I'm just worried you'll regret it." Regret for not having gone to school.

Molly thought about it seriously, "I'll go when I have regrets."

Ji Hefeng couldn't help but laugh, "Yes, let's go when we have regrets."

That night, after Molly fell asleep, Ji Hefeng secretly pulled her into his arms. The soft, fragrant body nestled in his embrace, and he closed his eyes contentedly. Little did he know that Molly had opened her eyes at that moment; her gaze was clear, showing no trace of sleepiness.

Ji Hefeng was on vacation at home and took on almost all the housework: washing clothes, cooking, feeding the chickens, rabbits and geese. After watering the sweet potatoes and potatoes in the yard, he followed Molly's example, carrying buckets of water and taking the goslings out.

Those geese aren't picky either; they'll follow anyone who takes them out.

Molly stayed home reading, and when she got tired of reading, she would listen to the radio, which was very pleasant.

Just when she thought this would last for half a month, Ji Hefeng returned with a sullen face.

It feels so familiar.

Molly blinked, seemingly surprised, yet not surprised at the same time. She calmly asked, "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow." Ji Hefeng reached out and hugged Molly. "I'm sorry. Things are getting more and more chaotic in the south; there might be a war."

Molly remained silent, unsure of what to say. She felt a tightness in her chest, a desire to vent, yet no outlet for it. Perhaps she wasn't a suitable military spouse.

No one spoke at the dinner table; the meal was incredibly oppressive. Molly put down her chopsticks and went back to her room. She lay flat on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. For a moment, she wondered if she could go to the battlefield with Ji Hefeng.

After a while, Ji Hefeng came in. He started tidying his clothes and, when Molly wasn't looking, put the women's watch on Molly's desk into his own bag, while leaving his Swiss mechanical watch on the desk.

This was a gift from his uncle when he went to Hong Kong. It looked ordinary, but it actually cost tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars.

After packing a few sets of clothes, Ji Hefeng lay down next to Molly. He reached out to hug Molly, but Molly rolled over and climbed on top of him.

“Let’s have a baby,” Molly said.

Ji Hefeng paused for a moment, then shook his head. "Molly, the mortality rate is very high over there."

He couldn't guarantee he would survive either.

“That’s why we need to have a child.” Molly’s eyes were firm and determined. She had the source of the pollution, and so did Ji Hefeng. In this timeline, they were the only two outcasts, and they were the most compatible. Ji Hefeng was intelligent, good-looking, and had impeccable character and values. She couldn’t find better genes than him.

Moreover, Grandpa and Grandma Ji are kind, and Mom and Dad are also kind people. Even without Ji Hefeng, the child will not lack relatives; there are many people who love her child.

She herself will give the child the best.

Ji Hefeng was both touched and helpless. "Molly, you're only nineteen. You have a long life ahead of you. You'll meet many more people, and perhaps you'll regret it then—"

Ji Hefeng paused, and his voice turned bitter at the thought of Molly falling for someone else. "When that time really comes, nothing can be undone. I don't want the child to be a burden to you."

"But I just want a child." Having been alone for decades in the apocalypse, Molly couldn't say whether she regretted not having a child before she died. She wasn't really nineteen; she didn't yearn for love, and freedom wasn't that important to her—she had been free enough in her previous life. Ji Hefeng was the only person in both her lives with whom she wanted to have children; there would never be another.

Ji Hefeng would never know that although she looked young and naive, her thoughts were actually unconventional and old-fashioned.

She loves children, she loves vibrant life. She loves her own children even more, the children who share the same blood as her.

If Ji Hefeng is going to die, then let's squeeze every last bit of value out of him.

After all, she saved him so many times; he owed her.

As Molly pressed down on Ji Hefeng, he realized that even with seven-tenths of his strength, he couldn't budge her. He could only watch helplessly as she stripped off her clothes, watching those petal-like, vibrant lips get closer and closer, pressing against his chin, and moving downwards, as if venting her anger, biting down hard on his Adam's apple.

Um--

Ji Hefeng groaned, his eyes instantly turning red.

"You'll regret this." His voice was already hoarse.

Molly responded with even greater force, and Ji Hefeng wondered if his neck was bleeding.

"It's no use regretting it now." Ji Hefeng changed his mind. She was his, and could only be his. Even if she died, she would still be his, and no one else could touch her.

Ji Hefeng used all his strength to switch places with Molly, his tone contemptuous, "You don't know anything, so let me teach you."

Ji Hefeng and Molly explored together all night. Molly ended up completely exhausted, at Ji Hefeng's mercy. As for Ji Hefeng, he treated this night as both his first and last, tossing and turning from dusk till dawn. When the time came, he only had time to quickly change his clothes, leave a kiss on Molly's forehead, and stride away.

When Molly woke up, it was already bright outside. The sheets were crumpled and covered her, but she couldn't find her pajamas anywhere in the house or outside.

Someone must have taken it.

Molly looked speechless when she saw the mechanical watch on the table. It seemed that not only her pajamas had been taken, but also her watch.

Lu Lu cooked lunch—tomato and egg noodles. Molly ate two large bowls before she felt a little stronger. The two children went to take a nap, and she went to wash the sheets. After washing the sheets, she lay back down on the bed for a while before taking the twelve geese out for a swim in the river in the evening.

In just over a month, the gosling has grown to about three pounds, its feathers have been replaced, its beak has become longer and wider, and it is eating more.

The sweet potato vines in the yard had been pecked bare, leaving not a single leaf. Molly had fenced off the potatoes, otherwise they would have suffered the same fate.

"Molly, your geese are so beautiful." More than one military wife praised the twelve geese.

Some family members tried to order these geese from Molly in advance, but Molly refused.

Nowadays, the management of poultry and livestock farming is becoming more and more relaxed. In the past, people would come and post notices from time to time, but now no one mentions it for more than half a year.

On Monika's wedding day, Molly took a hen from her home, specifically choosing the most beautiful one and tying a red ribbon around its neck. When she carried the hen to the hospital cafeteria, it attracted countless stares. Finally, Monika burst into laughter and took the hen from her arms.

“You sit at the head table!” Monika pulled Molly to the head table.

Molly was puzzled. What gave her the right?

"Just because you took Ji Hefeng as your partner, and made me see the error of my ways and stop being so stubborn, I should offer you three toasts in a minute." Monika smiled brightly, then winked at her boyfriend, "My boyfriend is much better than your Ji Hefeng. He's gentle, considerate, family-oriented, respectful of me, and loves me. Most importantly, we share the same ideals!"

Molly then noticed another newcomer today. She wasn't as tall or as pretty as Ji Hefeng, but she had a sunny smile and was polite to everyone. Especially when she looked at Monika, her eyes were full of doting affection.

The man handed Molly a red envelope, saying, "Thank you, Comrade Molly."

Molly was completely confused. She was a guest at the wedding and hadn't given the newlyweds a red envelope, so why were they giving her one?

Monika covered her mouth and laughed, "This is a thank-you gift for the matchmaker. My husband said that you were our matchmaker, and that you made me realize the truth. He should thank you properly."

“More than that. You saved Nini, and I’ve always wanted to thank you in person, but it wasn’t the right thing to do until today.” The man bowed deeply to Molly. “Thank you, Comrade Molly.”

"You're welcome," Molly said.

With tears welling in her eyes, Monika muttered, "Silly girl."

Monika didn't come to toast Molly after all; she drank three cups of nuptial wine with the groom and got herself drunk.

Molly watched as the groom carried her away, and saw everyone's kind and teasing smiles. She felt that the surroundings were lively and noisy, but her heart was like a dark night, without sound or a glimmer of light.

A month after Ji Hefeng left, Molly seemed to have adapted. She still did housework every day, planted vegetables, raised geese, listened to radio programs, read books, and slept when she was tired.

In October, Mo An came back and said that the college entrance examination was going to be reinstated. He was excited and said, "Sister, I want to take the military academy entrance exam."

"You're only in the first year of junior high, and you've already made up your mind?" Molly was surprised that Mo An's goal was so clear.

“Yes.” Mo An’s gaze was firm. “It is an honor to be a soldier, and I want to be a general. Brother Zhao said that my physical fitness is excellent, and if I can graduate from military academy, I may be able to achieve my dream.”

Molly affirmed his idea, "I think you can too."

"Mom, I haven't decided what I want to do yet." Lu Lu was a little conflicted. He didn't want to join the army; he preferred a stable life.

Molly patted his head. "Then think about it slowly."

"Mom, I want to fly a fighter jet." This was the first time Mo Chuyang had mentioned his dream.

Molly was extremely surprised. Her quiet daughter wanted to fly a fighter jet?

Have you thought it through?

"I've thought it through. I exercise with my uncle and brother every day now, Mom. I'll try my best." At this moment, Mo Chuyang shone brightly, dazzlingly.

In late October, Molly belatedly noticed something was wrong with her. She became extremely tired, excessively sleepy, and her mood became erratic... She hadn't had her period for two months.

She was so oblivious that even she was surprised.

Molly went to the hospital, registered, and had her blood drawn. The result was as she expected: she was pregnant.

"Doctor, can you tell how many I'm pregnant?" Molly asked.

The doctor was taken aback, then his expression became subtle. "How many more do you want to have at once?"

Molly: "......."

She felt something was wrong with her stomach.

"Generally speaking, only one in a hundred pregnant women will have twins. Do you think you're one of the lucky ones?" the doctor asked Molly.

Molly: "......."

Whether she was lucky or not, she didn't know; she felt things were getting out of control. That night, she really wanted a child, that's true, but she couldn't activate those tentacles to capture sperm.

Molly wanted to cry.

The doctor was anxious. "Oh dear, young lady, try to think positively. You're only twenty. You can have twins later. It doesn't have to be twins at once. Having twins is more tiring for the mother and also more dangerous. It's not necessarily a good thing. If you really want to know how many you're carrying, you can go to Kyoto for a checkup in two months. They've recently imported a foreign machine that can show it. We don't have that equipment here yet."

Molly: "What if I accidentally get pregnant with several babies?"

doctor:"......."

This child must be mentally ill.

After returning from the hospital, Molly became absent-minded, which terrified the children.

“It’s nothing serious.” Molly didn’t know whether she was trying to comfort herself or the children.

"I'm just pregnant," she continued.

"Sister, you're pregnant!!!" Mo An panicked. He stood up and said, "I'll go to the cafeteria and ask Master what foods pregnant women should avoid."

Lu Lu and Mo Chuyang were also a little flustered. They wanted to touch Mo Li's belly, but they didn't dare to go forward. Finally, they said, "Mom, why don't you go back to bed?"

Molly was indeed feeling tired.

After a while, Mo An returned, accompanied by Uncle Wang.

"Does it make you feel nauseous?" Uncle Wang asked with a worried look.

Molly shook her head.

Uncle Wang continued, "Do you want it sour or spicy?"

Molly: "I want both."

Uncle Wang: "I'm going back to town tomorrow. I have some pickled plums and some chili sauce that I made. I'll bring them all for you."

The next day at noon, Uncle Wang not only brought Molly pickled plums and chili sauce, but also Aunt Wang, who brought two net bags of oranges.

Aunt Wang beamed with joy the moment she saw Molly, as if she were her own daughter-in-law who was pregnant. She spent the afternoon with Molly, offering advice on things to be mindful of during pregnancy, which reassured Molly considerably. When Aunt Wang left, she took all the fabric from Molly's house, saying she wanted to make clothes for her unborn child.

The fabrics were bought by Molly and Ji Hefeng at the department store; they were all extremely soft cotton, perfect for making children's clothes.