Upon seeing that Qiao Meng had actually brought up her relationship with Chen Yu in the letter, Qiao Xin sighed inwardly, "Sister, are you confused! My cheap brother-in-law is probably going to break a leg today!"
The Qiao family has always had strict family rules, especially regarding marriage, where they maintain a traditional and cautious attitude. Not to mention Qiao Meng and Chen Yu's private engagement, even dating requires the consent of their parents.
Judging from the contents of the letter, Qiao Meng has probably already consummated her marriage with Chen Yu, which shocked and worried Qiao Xin.
She knew all too well that such behavior was tantamount to violating the law in the Qiao family. Qiao Meng dared to let Chen Yu come to their door alone; wasn't she just walking into a trap?
However, to Qiao Xin's surprise, Qiao Gang and Liu Tonghua did not seem to show excessive surprise or anger at the "private engagement" mentioned in the letter. Instead, a hint of relief and understanding flashed in their eyes.
"It's good that she's alright, it's good that she's alright!" Mr. and Mrs. Qiao repeated this phrase over and over. Their eyes revealed their deep concern for their daughter's safety, rather than their anger at the breaking of family rules.
Tian Yuan was also overjoyed and wept. He had lived in the Qiao family all his life, had no children, and had long regarded the Qiao family as his own.
Qiao Gang gently patted Liu Tonghua's hand, and the two smiled at each other, their tacit understanding needing no further explanation.
"Hehe, Xiao Chen, is it alright if I call you that?" Liu Tonghua looked at Chen Yu with a warm smile, her tone carrying a hint of friendliness.
“Auntie, you are my elder, of course you can,” Chen Yu replied with a smile.
“My daughter Xiaomeng is gentle and weak, I understand. Without your care, she would probably be alone in this natural disaster…” Liu Tonghua’s voice choked slightly as she spoke, but then turned firm and grateful. “But seeing you, we know that she chose the right person. During this time, thanks to your companionship and protection, she was able to get through the difficulties safely.”
Upon hearing this, a gentle light flashed in Chen Yu's eyes. He said softly, "Auntie, you're too kind. Xiao Meng is very strong. We faced the difficulties together. Moreover, being able to be by her side is my greatest fortune."
Liu Tonghua nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, a satisfied look on her face.
"Ahem!" Qiao Gang coughed lightly, breaking the warm yet slightly sentimental atmosphere. "Xiao Chen, I saw in Xiao Meng's letter that you established a survivor base. What's going on?"
“That’s right, uncles and aunts, our base is called ‘Tianyu Base’. We came here to pick you up and take you there together,” Chen Yu said earnestly.
Then, he gave the group a brief introduction to the Tianyu Base.
"Hehe~! To be honest, our Tianyu Base has been developing for so long, but our education sector has not yet fully recovered. Compared with this vast capital, we are still somewhat ashamed of ourselves! But don't worry, Tianyu Base is now in a stage of rapid development, and I believe that conditions will get better and better in the future."
Upon hearing Chen Yu's words, everyone present except Lin Lele looked at him with strange expressions.
Qiao Xin became even more emotional: "What a lousy education system! It's nothing but a bunch of rubbish!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yu frowned. He glanced at Qiao Zheng and Liu Tonghua, and was somewhat surprised to see that neither of them spoke up to stop Qiao Xin's impulsive remarks.
It's important to know that both Qiao Zheng and Liu Tonghua are highly educated individuals. Qiao Zheng is even a professor at Kyoto University, and his emphasis on and respect for education runs deep in his bones.
However, faced with their daughter Qiao Xin's strong reaction, they chose to remain silent, a silence that contained a profound meaning.
Recalling the previous conversation between Qiao Xin and Zheng Dong, Chen Yu realized that things were probably not so simple.
"Xiao Chen, Xiao Lin, you must be hungry after your long journey. I'll go prepare some food, and we can eat and chat." Liu Tonghua broke the silence, her expression somewhat unnatural.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Auntie," Chen Yu replied politely. He could tell that Liu Tonghua seemed to have some lingering concerns about education and wasn't in a very high mood.
Liu Tonghua nodded, then said goodbye to the others and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
"Sigh!" Qiao Gang sighed heavily. "Xiao Chen, to be honest, Kyoto is now ruled by treacherous officials and is no longer the Kyoto it used to be. The apparent prosperity is nothing but an illusion built on the bones of countless people."
"Schools are no longer cradles for cultivating talent, but have become battlefields for competing for resources. Teachers and students spend their days either fighting each other or singing praises to the powerful and wealthy, with no purity or dignity in their academic pursuits. The essence of education has been distorted, and the light of knowledge has been obscured by the shadows of power and interests."
Qiao Gang’s eyes revealed deep worry and helplessness. He continued, “In such an environment, many people of insight feel disheartened and desperate, but no one dares to openly resist, because anyone who dares to stand up openly will be collectively beaten down by their students or classmates and colleagues on the spot.”
"If you think this place is no good, why don't you leave?" Lin Lele interjected. "I think it's quite easy to get out of the city."
Qiao Gang shook his head and said with a wry smile, "It's freezing cold today, where can we go? As far as I know, the nearby cities have all become ghost towns."
Chen Yu frowned even more deeply: "We came from Stone City this morning. According to the only survivors, the grain in Stone City's granary was forcibly taken away by a group of armed men."
“You guessed right,” Qiao Gang said with a bitter expression. “Otherwise, how could this city maintain its current prosperity?”
"Beast!" Chen Yu cursed under his breath, his eyes flashing with anger and incomprehension. He knew all too well that in this apocalyptic world, the dark side of humanity was magnified infinitely, but such blatant plundering of resources and sacrifice of the people's interests still made him feel angry and heartbroken.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
