Chapter 16
In the early morning, just as the sky was getting light, thick clouds hid the sun behind them, and the whole town was shrouded in a layer of mist.
Xi Sen did not sleep. After Ango's breathing stabilized, he returned to Lin Yaoxin's residence.
Lin Yaoxin still didn't know what happened last night. He yawned when he heard the noise in the living room. He sat down on the sofa with sleepy eyes and asked, "Brother, why are you back?"
After saying that, he seemed to have thought of something and continued to ask, "Could it be that Sister Jiang Can has arrived?"
Lin Yaoxin was still a little confused, but vaguely remembered that a few days ago, when he returned to MAA to get his maintenance injection, he ran into Jiang Can's sister. She had also promised to come to Taiyang Town to visit him today. Because Jiang Can had a good relationship with her eldest brother, even though she was usually busy with work, she would occasionally contact Lin Yaoxin and make time to see him.
"No, I told her that she doesn't need to come." Xi Sen replied.
Hearing Xi Sen's answer, he woke up immediately: "Why?"
Xi Sen glanced at Lin Yaoxin and said, "Sangria is in town, Jiang Can might find out."
Lin Yaoxin curled her lips and said, "I haven't seen Sister Jiang Can for a long time. You are too cautious. Even if she knows that Dr. An is in town, it doesn't matter. We will meet sooner or later. Don't you also want to bring her into MAA?"
"Oh, they don't understand Sangria's personality. I'm afraid they'll make things worse." Xi Sen raised his lip sarcastically. "They'll lock Sangria up immediately. There's no way they'll let her out... If she lives freely like this, Sangria will definitely run away again. She's been under the control of the group for over a decade. She finally escaped and she won't compromise again."
"Not really." Lin Yaoxin scratched the back of his head. "Sister Jiang Can is usually very easy to talk to, isn't she really that extreme?"
Xi Sen chuckled. "You think one month is the longest time limit I can give Sangria? Jiang Can and the others don't have that kind of patience. Let's wait and see."
"What if Dr. An still doesn't want to cooperate with us after a month?" Lin Yaoxin asked again, "Will you let her go?"
"Then I will tell Jiang Can and the others the truth. Sangria... will be immediately imprisoned by the MAA." Xi Sen's tone was unquestionable firmness, but also a subtle hint of pity. "Then these few months will probably be the only happy time in her life."
Lin Yaoxin looked at Xi Sen quietly. He knew that Xi Sen and An Ge had known each other for many years. He had heard of this talented researcher a long time ago, and from Xi Sen's few words, Lin Yaoxin could see Xi Sen's approval of her, and even some sympathy... which he himself had not yet realized.
Lin Yaoxin paused for a moment and then asked, "It seems...she is quite important to MAA."
"I've heard rumors of a major technological revolution. Humans will never be able to keep up with the times," Xisen explained slowly. "If we don't take Sangria with us to ride this wave, we'll never... be able to bring down Interhede."
When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on Sun Town, Irene's family was still sleeping soundly. It was not until ten o'clock in the morning that Irene hurriedly got up.
Today was the weekend. Unlike previous weekends, Irene didn't take the nutrient solution out of the refrigerator. Instead, she went out to the street with a little excitement. She didn't wake up Ace and Ango who were still sleeping, but planned to give them a surprise secretly.
Last night's restaurant trip wasn't pleasant, having been interrupted by security agents. So this time, Irene planned to use the salary Ango had handed over to improve her food and cook a delicious meal herself. She hadn't had the chance to eat real food in years, so she was sifting through the market, unsure what to buy.
At this moment, a childish voice came into her ears: "Sister Irene?"
Irene looked back and saw a little girl who looked very familiar. She seemed to have seen her walking with Ace before.
As expected, the little girl came forward and introduced herself crisply: "I'm Tang Yu, Ace's classmate."
"Ah, hello." Irene smiled. "What a coincidence! Are you here to buy groceries too?"
"Yeah!" Tang Yu nodded, then tilted his head. "My grandparents are old, so I'm the one who goes to the market to do the shopping every day. Actually, this is the first time we've met."
Looking at Tang Yu's curious face, Irene didn't know what to say for a moment.
They were short of money, so they had to rely on nutrient solution to survive. Tang Yu's family was obviously better off, able to go to the market every day to shop and eat fresh food. According to Ace, Tang Yu's parents both worked in Morino City and sent money home every month, so their financial situation was relatively good.
"I don't come here often. Since you have experience, I wonder if you have time to help me pick out some vegetables?"
"certainly."
Tang Yu agreed immediately. She pulled Irene to a familiar shop and introduced it, "This butcher shop is the freshest and most reasonable in the market. I always buy from them... Boss, I want two pounds of beef."
"Okay!"
The butcher cut and weighed the meat, packed it and handed it to Tang Yu.
Watching Tang Yu's skillful movements, Irene also bought some beef, and then they went to buy some milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables. When they finished shopping, they found that their residences were in the same direction and not far away, so they planned to walk back together.
The sun was shining, and Erin's steps became lighter.
They talked and laughed along the way. Tang Yu was very enthusiastic and told Irene what dishes his grandfather liked to cook and if he had any recipes to recommend to Irene. Irene was also very happy. She asked Tang Yu for his contact information and planned to write it down after returning. The two quickly became familiar with each other.
As they chatted, Irene suddenly had an idea: "I heard from Ace that your parents both work in Morino City?"
"Yeah." Tang Yu asked, "What's wrong?"
"Ace's growing up, and we'll have a lot of expenses in the future. I'm thinking maybe I can leave him and go to a big city to earn more money." Erin's eyes flickered with longing. "I'll improve his food, and even better... renovate our house."
The small bungalow they live in now is in very simple conditions. Sometimes when it is windy and rainy, the roof leaks. It has been repaired for many years. The yard at home has long been abandoned, but they have no money and have not been able to improve their living conditions.
"Hmm..." This time Tang Yu did not respond immediately, but instead looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.
"When I make enough money, I'll go back to town to retire..."
"Actually, life in Morino City isn't easy either." Tang Yu sighed and said slowly, "When my parents first moved there, they lived in a bunk bed. Because they couldn't afford to rent a house, twenty of them had to squeeze into a large dormitory... The money they earned each month wasn't enough to cover their expenses in Morino City..."
"Ah, then... where are they now?" Irene opened her mouth in surprise.
"It's much better now." Tang Yu smiled happily, "Because the factory where they work was acquired by the Interhead Group. Although they are still low-level employees, their salary has doubled after joining the big company, so they can send money back home."
"No wonder everyone wants to work for a big chaebol." Irene nodded thoughtfully, "But it's not easy."
"Of course, they themselves said that they were lucky to have such a good thing happen to them." Tang Yu said, "Some time ago, they even called me and asked if I wanted to transfer to Morino City to attend school. They said that the group heard that their children were Beyonders and gave them a special opportunity. It's very rare..."
Irene was a little excited: "Isn't that a good thing?"
In the eyes of ordinary people, this opportunity means that Tang Yu has been noticed by a big tycoon who wants to recruit talents, and his future prospects are limitless.
"Yes! I'm excited too!" Tang Yu said, "And... I like Sangria very much! If I join the Interhead Group, I can be closer to her!"
Irene saw that there was a fiery light flashing in Tang Yu's eyes.
"Your idol is Sangria." Irene asked in surprise, "Why do you like her?"
Tang Yu nodded heavily: "She's amazing! Her transformation system can give ordinary people extraordinary abilities... It's really amazing. If possible, I also want to learn from her and do research with her!"
"Well...but Sangria is now..."
"Yes, her whereabouts are unknown." Tang Yu looked a little lost. "Three months ago, she suddenly disappeared, and my interest in going to Morino City faded by half. Plus... I couldn't bear to leave my grandparents, teachers and classmates, so I declined."
Irene said with some regret, "It's a pity... But as long as you have excellent abilities, there are plenty of opportunities."
She could see that Tang Yu was a girl with strong opinions, and she must have her own reasons for making decisions.
"Yeah! I think so too! Maybe when I'm good enough, I can meet Sangria." Tang Yu's smile sparkled in the sunlight, "And I can bring my friends with me to realize our dreams together."
In a small bungalow.
Irene wrote down the recipe Tang Yu shared with her on the dining table, word by word. Then she carefully took out the meat and vegetables, washed and cut them. Soon, as if she heard some noise, Ace walked out of the room sleepily.
"Good morning!" Irene greeted while humming a song.
"Good morning..." Ace yawned, then blinked and saw what Irene was doing. He pointed at the fruits and vegetables on the table in disbelief, "This...this..."
A smile played on Irene's lips. Ace must have been very surprised. She pretended to be calm, but there was a hint of suppressed joy in her tone: "Well, we'll have a big dinner today."
Ace opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word, looking stunned.
Irene was confident that she had given Ace a surprise, so she lit the fire with grace and composure.
Ace's face suddenly changed, and he jumped up three feet high as if his feet were scalded by the floor. He ran towards Ango's room and knocked frantically on the door: "Ango! Ango! Something big has happened!"
"What is this child talking about? Could it be that he has fallen asleep and become stupid?" Irene muttered to herself and put the beef in her hand into the pot again.
"What happened?" Ango quickly opened the door. She was already alert, and when she heard Ace's voice, she relied on her body instinct to quickly get up and walk out of the room.
Ace's expression was filled with fear. He pointed tremblingly at Irene in the kitchen and said, "Don't let her get close to the kitchen!"
As soon as the words fell, there was a crackling sound, the fire in the pot shot up high, and smoke filled the air. Irene was still leisurely chopping vegetables on the other side. She seemed to feel the fire and threw the kitchen knife casually beside the sink, with the tip facing outwards and half of it hanging in the air, and it was still shaking gently when she put it down.
Irene turned around, but was caught by the bag at her feet. She stumbled and fell towards the tip of the knife, but she managed to stop at the last moment and smiled at the two of them: "Wow, that was a close call."
Then she picked up the water on the table and prepared to pour it into the pot.
"Don't!" Ango and Ace said at the same time, but the bowl of water in Irene's hand had already tilted...
Ace acted decisively and stretched out his hand to stop it. The water in the bowl seemed to feel Ace's call and floated in the air, while Ango rushed to the stove with a dark face, quickly turned off the stove, and closed the lid of the pot. Only then did the flames disappear.
Irene blinked, still looking confused.
Ango took the bowl of water from her hand, and the water fell into the bowl under Ace's control. The two of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sister... please sit down, please sit down, we will cook today." Ace put on a smile, pushed Irene onto the sofa, and winked at Ango.
Irene immediately grabbed Ace's ear and said, "Hey, what do you mean? Don't you trust my craftsmanship?"
"No, no, how could that be?" Ace grimaced in pain.
Ango also understood what Ace meant. He opened the lid of the pot, looked at the color of the meat in the pot, and suddenly asked, "How much marinade did you put in?"
Irene looked up at the sky: "Hmm... I think I put a whole bowl in. Tang Yu said to use a moderate amount, but I don't know what a moderate amount is."
Ango immediately had a bad feeling, held his forehead, put on his apron, said nothing, and silently began to process the ingredients on hand again.
After settling Irene, Ace came over. Seeing Ango's skilled cooking skills, he said sheepishly, "My sister...every time she goes near the kitchen, bad things happen. Once, she almost set the house on fire...but she hates it most when people say she can't cook."
Ango gave Ace a sympathetic look and a bowl of unbeaten eggs: "I understand."
Ace took the bowl tacitly and beat the eggs.
At this moment, Irene came over again: "You two, what are you whispering about?"
Looking at Irene's smile, even Ango felt a little uneasy for some reason, so he interrupted and said, "Let's cook. Sister, go get some drinks."
After receiving the task, Irene immediately shifted her focus and happily went to the dining table to prepare drinks. "What should we drink? Let's have milk today! Ace is too short, so prepare two cups for him."
Ango glanced over and saw Ace's expression twisted. Knowing he was about to speak, he covered his mouth and threatened, "If you don't drink the milk, she'll come to the kitchen again."
Ace's voice was muffled by Ango's hand, turning into broken syllables, but Ango still heard his words clearly.
He was clearly saying – drinking milk would be worse than killing me!
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