Chapter 26 Black Rain
It took Jiang Rong five or six hours to get to Hongda Gas Station, but less than an hour to return. By the time she arrived at Chu Qiang's house, the villagers were fast asleep.
Jiang Rong parked the car in Chu Qiang's yard. He turned to look at the group of people who were fast asleep, reluctant to wake them. Just as he was considering whether to open the window a crack so that everyone could sleep in the car, the people in the car opened their eyes.
Seeing the familiar courtyard, the Chu family elders hurriedly opened the car door and got out. Overwhelmed with excitement, Aunt Chu stumbled and almost fell: "Old man, we're home! Qiang, we're home..."
Wang Chunlan and her daughter also got out of the car. Seeing the dense rose vines on the doors and windows, she glanced in Jiang Rong's direction.
Jiang Rong was helping Chu Qiang out of the passenger seat. Chu Qiang's self-healing ability was too strong; after just a short nap in the car, the swelling on his body had subsided considerably. However, his legs were still several times thicker than usual, which caused him to walk unsteadily.
Wild rose vines cascaded down from the doors and windows like a tide, revealing the neat and beautiful three-story building in its entirety before everyone. Jiang Rong took out the key to the front door and placed it in Chu Qiang's hand, saying casually, "It's returned to its rightful owner."
Chu Qiang tried to smile at Jiang Rong, but could only manage a distorted expression: "Little Jiang, I won't thank you enough. From now on, if you tell me to go east, I won't go west."
Jiang Rong was both amused and exasperated. "Stop making empty promises and go inside." If Chu Qiang had listened to him earlier, his whole family wouldn't have suffered like this.
Uncle Chu tried to open the door, but his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't get the key into the lock. Aunt Chu had to hold his hand, and together they managed to put the key in the door.
The Chu family's front door opened quickly, and with a "snap," the crystal chandelier in the living room lit up.
Bright light streamed from the doorway, and the people standing in the orange light were somewhat dazed: How could there be electricity?
After days of traveling, they've grown accustomed to the sweltering heat of the day and the darkness of the night. For them now, having a place to settle down is already a blessing; they dare not even dream of living like they did before the crisis.
If electricity had already surprised everyone, then the neatly stacked supplies under the lights had made them almost dizzy with happiness. So much stuff was enough to keep them comfortable for many years to come.
Chu Qiang stared intently at the bright crystal chandelier, tears welling up in his eyes once more. Aside from his childhood friend, he couldn't think of anyone else who would go to such lengths to arrange their lives.
Jiang Xiaoheng took the hands of the Chu family elders and walked into the house: "Grandpa and Grandma, welcome home~ Xiaoheng wants to tour your beautiful house!"
Uncle Chu's legs were so weak that each step felt like walking on cotton. He kept responding to Jiang Xiaoheng, but he only took a few steps forward. He dared not go any further, afraid that everything in front of him was a dream and that if he continued, the dream would shatter.
Jiang Rong said to Chu Qiang, "I installed solar panels on your roof. Now the electricity in your house is all from solar energy. There shouldn't be any problem with normal household electricity use, but try to avoid using high-power appliances. Your house already has a well, so you have a water supply."
Chu Qiang, a traditional STEM graduate, knew more about hydropower than Jiang Rong. He was extremely grateful: "I don't know how to thank you enough. How about I repay you with my body?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Rong gasped: "You surnamed Chu, I don't expect you to be grateful, but you can't repay kindness with enmity."
With Chu Qiang and his family safely home, Jiang Rong finally felt a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. Having a place to stay after such a major crisis, with friends and family all around her, was the greatest fortune in the world.
Chu Qiang was badly injured by the mutated wasps and it took him more than half a month to fully recover. This rest period lasted until July.
The weather in July was unbearably hot, with the continuous high temperatures baking the earth to a scorching heat. The vegetation in the mountains and forests was severely tested, and even the plants that had been given wood-type abilities by Jiang Rong were wilting.
When the temperature is high, people feel listless and don't want to do anything, but Jiang Rong has managed to cultivate a vegetable garden despite the high temperatures. Under the shade net, there aren't many varieties of vegetables, and most of them are still tender seedlings.
Early in the morning, the temperature was approaching forty degrees Celsius. Jiang Rong squatted in the field, inspecting the seedlings he had painstakingly cultivated. Jiang Xiaoheng held a small water ladle in his hand, watering the seedlings he thought were thirsty.
Just then, a shout came from the mountain path to the east: "Little Jiang, godson~ I've brought you some delicious food~"
Without turning around, he knew it was Chu Qiang. Ever since he confirmed that he was alright, Chu Qiang couldn't wait to run to Jiang Rong's house. Just like when he was a child, he made several trips a day, undeterred by the high temperature and scorching heat.
Seeing Chu Qiang come out wearing only a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, Jiang Rong frowned: "Why didn't you take any precautions before coming out? Be careful not to get bitten by wild animals on the mountain."
Chu Qiang didn't care at all. He walked towards Jiang Rong and his son with a thermal lunchbox in his hand: "I'm a superhuman, after all. Besides, with your tangled path blocking the way, where would any wild things be? Come and eat breakfast. My mom made mung bean soup and sweet rice cakes. Godson, come and eat breakfast!"
After washing his hands in the bucket, Jiang Xiaoheng skipped over to Chu Qiang: "Good morning, Uncle!"
Chu Qiang handed the food box to Jiang Xiaoheng and hummed a couple of times: "Remember to call me godfather next time."
Jiang Xiaoheng picked up a sweet-smelling cookie and said, "Thank you, Uncle."
Chu Qiang was so angry he almost fell over backwards: "This kid won't fall for any tricks, no wonder he's your son! Xiao Jiang, come and have breakfast."
Jiang Rong washed her hands and walked to Chu Qiang's side. "We have to try." As she spoke, she looked at Chu Qiang's leg. "How is the wound healing?"
Chu Qiang then glanced at the scar on his leg. "It'll be healed soon, don't worry."
That being said, the mutated wasps still left Chu Qiang with a permanent scar. A palm-sized scar appeared where the wasps had stung him; the scar was bluish-purple and bumpy to the touch. Luckily, he wasn't a vain little girl, otherwise he wouldn't even dare wear a skirt anymore.
Jiang Rong took a sip of mung bean soup: "You should be content. You're lucky to have survived."
Chu Qiang nodded repeatedly: "Yes. Luckily, I have good character and was able to meet a reliable doctor and smart brothers, otherwise I would have lost my life."
Speaking of reliable doctors, Jiang Rong added, "Is Dr. Wang doing well at your house?"
Wang Chunlan is a very strong woman with courage and integrity. When Shanmao and the others in the convoy were kicking Chu Qiang's family when they were down, only she stood up and stood in front of them, saying, "A person should have a conscience."
Based on that one sentence alone, Chu Qiang's family and Jiang Rong were convinced that she was a reliable person. After a major crisis, fewer and fewer people can stay true to themselves; people like Dr. Wang will become increasingly precious.
Chu Qiang gave a thumbs up: "Sister Chunlan is so reliable. You have no idea how hardworking she is. With her around, the house is always spotless. My parents tell her to take a break, but she refuses. Look, she made breakfast today. It tastes pretty good, doesn't it?"
The Chu family elders have already recognized Wang Chunlan as their goddaughter, and the family gets along very well.
The only worrying thing is Wang Chunlan's daughter, Leilei. When the crisis occurred, Leilei was watching TV at home with her father. The child witnessed the entire process of her father's death, and afterwards she was traumatized and became somewhat dazed.
However, everyone felt that Leilei would definitely get better, especially Wang Chunlan, who felt that Leilei's reaction was much better after arriving at the Chu family than when they were traveling.
As they were speaking, several yellow spikes pierced the ground beside Chu Qiang. Seeing these spikes, Chu Qiang jumped up again: "Xiao Jiang, look! Your little fairy attacked me again! Can't you do something about it?"
After recovering, Chu Qiang visited Jiang Rong's house for the first time, only to be terrified by a giant cactus outside the yard. This wasn't a cactus; it was Optimus Prime, a mountain of spikes, a boss from a game whose health bar wouldn't budge no matter how much you attacked it.
Even though the fairy had already been taken care of by Jiang Rong, she couldn't resist teasing Chu Qiang. A few sharp thorns pierced him, and Chu Qiang screamed in agony, much to the fairy's satisfaction.
Jiang Rong glanced at the spikes a few times: "Don't worry, it won't hurt you, it just wants to scare you." If the little fairy really wanted to prick Chu Qiang, Chu Qiang would have been a hedgehog long ago.
Chu Qiang turned to look at the fairy and angrily raised his middle finger. The fairy shook the spikes on her body and made a provocative "rustling" sound.
While Jiang Rong and his son were having breakfast, Chu Qiang took a walk around the vegetable garden: "It's so hot, and you're still in the mood to plant vegetables. Wood-type abilities are really great. I wish I could awaken wood-type abilities too."
He didn't remember the events of the day Jiang Rong saved him very clearly, but his parents told him that he controlled the Wild Thorn and dealt a heavy blow to the Lynx gang. Every time he heard this, Chu Qiang felt a sense of relief and satisfaction.
Chu Qiang, who grew up in the mountains, could recognize all the vegetable seedlings Jiang Rong planted: "Little Jiang, your chili seedlings are pretty good."
Jiang Rong fed his son a sip of mung bean soup and casually said, "When he grows a little older, you can transplant a few back home. These things can survive if planted in flowerpots."
Chu Qiang waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, it would be a sin if I killed it. Even if I were to transplant it, I would have to wait until the weather cools down."
As Jiang Rong drank her mung bean soup, she thought to herself: It's going to be hot for a long time to come; it will be several more months before it gets cool.
However, a few days later, at dusk, large clusters of dark clouds appeared in the sky.
As the dark clouds began to gather, Jiang Rong was taking his son for a walk on the mountain behind their house. The moving clouds brought a breeze, and the cool air lowered the temperature on the mountain. Jiang Xiaoheng exclaimed happily, "Daddy, Daddy, the wind is blowing!"
Jiang Rong looked up at the sky, which had turned from a clear blue to dark quickly, indicating that a heavy rain was imminent.
The parched land truly needed a downpour, but this rain came too suddenly, without any warning. Just like... the red glow on the night of June 5th.
Suddenly, Jiang Rong's heart skipped a beat.
He remembered; this rain was anything but timely. The dark clouds didn't hold clear rain, but rather a greasy, foul-smelling black rain, like paint.
If the red light on Awakening Day was like a signal flare, then this black rain was like a catalyst.
After the black rain, the mountains and land were smeared with a dirty black color, and the stench lingered for months. After that, plants and animals mutated at an even faster and more terrifying rate, and the water and land on which humans depended for survival were polluted, making life increasingly difficult.
The scariest thing is that many people will fall ill after the black rain.
How could he forget something so important?
The dark clouds arrived quickly, and a strong wind whipped up dirt and fallen leaves, slapping them against Jiang Rong and his son. Jiang Rong scooped up his child and ran frantically toward the house, while Jiang Xiaoheng clung to his father's neck in fear, whispering, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Xiaoheng isn't afraid."
Jiang Rong had never run so fast on a mountain before. His heart was pounding, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead and palms. He was afraid that he wasn't running fast enough and his son would get wet in the rain.
The surrounding light grew dimmer and dimmer, until it became pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. A strong wind blew you about, making it impossible to tell which way was which.
Suddenly, the wind stopped. The withered branches and leaves that had been swept into the air by the gale lost their momentum and crashed heavily back to the ground, along with the dark raindrops.
The torrential black rain swept across the sky, and in an instant, all colors were swallowed up by black.
The world has been stained black.
Author's Note:
It's going to be a paid content (VIP) tomorrow! After that, it will be a 6-day/7-day post. Thank you all for your support and encouragement!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
