Chapter 28 The Prodigal Son
Jiang Rong ultimately couldn't refuse Uncle Li's offer and accepted the large basket of pink and white peaches. Just as he was about to carry the peaches home, Jiang Xiaoheng burst out of the yard yelling, trying to pull his little duck sun hat up over his head as he ran: "Daddy, Uncle's awake!"
He was running too fast and lost his balance. As he rushed out of the courtyard gate, he tripped on the sliding track of the gate: "Ouch..."
Seeing his son fall forward, Jiang Rongxin's heart leaped into his throat: "Watch out!" But even if he were on top of the world, he couldn't catch his son before he fell.
At the crucial moment, a long, slender arm grabbed Xiao Heng by the back of his collar. With a sudden pull, Xiao Heng was lifted up. Xiao Heng turned his head in confusion and saw Guan Shao's handsome face.
Realizing that it was his uncle who helped him up, Xiao Heng obediently thanked him, "Thank you, Uncle~"
Guan Shao gently put the child down, "Mm."
After Jiang Xiaoheng stopped, Jiang Rong ran up to him. Seeing that his son was unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief: "You have to watch where you're going when you run. Look how dangerous it was. Did you thank your uncle?"
Jiang Xiaoheng nodded repeatedly, then looked up and pointed in Guan Shao's direction, "Dad, Uncle's awake!"
Jiang Rong and Guan Shao locked eyes. Before he could speak, Guan Shao thanked him, saying, "Thank you." If Jiang Rong hadn't saved him, he didn't know what would have become of him and his child.
Jiang Rong smiled and said, "It was nothing. By the way, how are you feeling now? Is anything bothering you?"
Guan Shao's lips curled up slightly, his sharpness replaced by gentleness. "It's fine."
Jiang Rong's neck was burning hot from the sun. He pointed inside the house and said to the two of them, "You two go back first, I'll be right back. Xiao Heng, go get your uncle some water."
Jiang Xiaoheng responded and skipped towards the living room, while Jiang Rong walked eastward along the mountain path. Just as he was about to carry the peaches away, Guan Shao, who had come from behind, picked up the peach basket.
The man, his body wrapped in bandages, seemed oblivious to his wounds, carrying a large basket of peaches as if they were weightless. Guan Shao weighed the plastic basket in his hand and, ignoring Jiang Rong's attempts to stop him, strode towards the courtyard.
With Jiang Rong's superpower enhanced, the peaches at Uncle Li's house were large and sweet. The peaches, wrapped in bags, were not contaminated by the black rain, and each one exuded a sweet aroma. Jiang Xiaoheng loved eating these peaches, and he and the little boy brought by Guan Shao sat obediently on small stools, savoring the sweet peaches with gusto.
Jiang Rong and Guan Shao were chatting near the bar in the semi-open kitchen. A quick glance was enough to keep track of the two children's movements. Although it was only the second time Jiang Rong had chatted with Guan Shao, the two had a relaxed and pleasant conversation.
Jiang Rong held a large peach in his hand, squeezing it gently. During their conversation, he had learned some important information.
Guan Shao is an employee of a renowned international security group; in layman's terms, he's a mercenary. After learning his profession, Jiang Rong understood how he acquired his numerous injuries.
Before the great crisis, Guan Shao was the only one left in his family. The child he risked his life to protect was named Jiang Hao, and Jiang Hao's father was Guan Shao's deputy captain.
Before the major crisis, Guan Shao's team went out on a mission. During the mission, the deputy captain was tragically killed. Before his death, the deputy captain entrusted his child to his teammates.
As the team leader, Guan Shao took the initiative to shoulder this responsibility. After returning to China, he went to the address given to him by the deputy team leader, but he did not expect to encounter a major crisis. The roads were extremely congested, and people had lost contact, making the search extremely difficult.
The various difficulties encountered along the way need not be elaborated upon. Guan Shao searched for a long time and finally found him in Jiangjiaqiao Town near Lingshan Reservoir a few days ago.
“I thought finding the child was the hardest part, but after seeing him, I realized things weren’t that simple.” Guan Shao took a sip of water and said, “The child can’t speak. I don’t know if there’s something wrong with his organs or if he’s been traumatized. Once he’s recovered, I’ll take him to see a healing-type ability user.”
Jiang Rong nodded in agreement: "Nothing is insignificant when it comes to a child; the sooner the better." If Jiang Hao's condition were Xiao Heng's, Jiang Rong would be frantic with worry.
But things are different now. Where can Guan Shao find a healing-type ability user?
Guan Shao had already planned for this: "I heard that a survivor base has been set up in N City to the west, and I originally wanted to take the children there to take a look." However, he encountered the Black Rain in the middle, which delayed his trip.
After the internet and telephones became unusable, humanity panicked for a time. However, the power of the masses is great; it wasn't long before people discovered they could send signals via radio and receive messages using broadcasts or mobile phones. Although they couldn't talk to family and friends, being able to hear from the outside world was a glimmer of hope for those in dire straits.
After the great crisis, Guan Shao often received messages from various survivor bases on the radio. The enthusiastic voices on the radio told everyone: Welcome to the base. In the base, everyone can feel the warmth of a big family and live a stable life.
Upon hearing the words "survivor base," Jiang Rong stopped pinching the peach.
When Jiang Rong first heard about the survivor base in his previous life, he was filled with anticipation and joy, thinking it was a sanctuary for ordinary people. It wasn't until he went there himself that he realized there's no such thing as a free lunch.
From the moment superhumans appeared, people began to divide humanity into different classes. Ordinary people became the objects of exploitation at the base's gates. In his past life, Jiang Rong had to pawn his car outside the base's gates just to get his father, son, and dog allowed inside.
He had thought that once he entered the base, he would be able to live a good life and redeem his car. But once inside, he discovered that the base was a ruthless den of monsters that devoured ordinary people.
Everything in the base requires points. Ordinary people work day and night to earn a small number of points. Those points are hardly enough to live a good life, let alone make ends meet.
Survivor bases were no pleasant places; he and his son had suffered greatly there in his past life. Therefore, no matter how much the radio touted the benefits and conditions, he would simply laugh it off.
However, Guan Shao is no ordinary person; he's a superhuman. If he goes to the base, he should be treated well given his abilities. Jiang Rong nodded slightly: "That's good. The N City base isn't far from here. If you go there, you should be able to find a good job."
Guan Shao chuckled lightly: "I don't plan to stay at the base."
Jiang Rong was taken aback for a moment, "Huh?"
Guan Shao said solemnly, "I'm just going to find a healing-type ability user to help treat my child; I don't plan to stay there."
Jiang Rong raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled, "Then you might need to prepare some exchange supplies." Superhumans aren't philanthropists; it's impossible to get them to do things without giving them something in return.
Guan Shao nodded slightly: "Okay."
Just then, the two children finished the peach pieces on their plates. Jiang Xiaoheng, carrying the empty plate, toddled towards the kitchen, and Jiang Hao followed suit. Seeing how well-behaved the two children were, Jiang Rong's heart melted. "Finished? Want some more?"
After cutting another peach for the two children, Jiang Rong glanced back and noticed Guan Shao facing him with a dark gaze. Guan Shao had striking features, and when he looked at someone intently, he exuded a strong sense of pressure. However, as he smiled slightly, the pressure vanished.
After spending some time with Guan Shao, Jiang Rong discovered that he was a very sensible person.
While Guan Shao was unconscious, Jiang Rong kept thinking about how he should answer some of Guan Shao's questions. For example, why did his house have electricity? Why did he build such a sturdy house in the woods…?
Jiang Rong had already prepared answers to any questions Guan Shao might ask. If Guan Shao asked too many questions, he would tell him to leave sooner rather than later. After all, in the wasteland, nobody wants someone who likes to pry into their life.
However, after Guan Shao woke up, he didn't ask any questions.
Furthermore, whenever Jiang Rong wanted to do something, Guan Shao would always get it done before him.
Jiang Rong discovered that Guan Shao could do almost any household chore. Whether it was washing rice and cooking, or mopping the floor and washing clothes, he was adept at it. With just a little practice, he could skillfully use most of the household appliances.
Of course, there were things he couldn't understand either. For example, right now, Guan Shao was deep in thought, staring at the hardworking sweeping machine. The tall man sat on the sofa, holding slippers in his hand, his face serious. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the sweeping machine had offended him.
After observing for a while, Guan Shao suddenly spoke up, "Can it clean glass?"
Jiang Rong shook her head: "No, it only sweeps and mops."
Upon hearing this answer, Guan Shao smiled with satisfaction, "Very good."
Jiang Rong scratched her cheek in confusion. This... is a really strange question.
After spending most of the day with Guan Shao, Jiang Xiaoheng had gotten used to having an uncle in his home. He took out his treasured cartoons and toys for Guan Shao and Jiang Hao to play with, showing that he really liked Uncle Guan and his older brother.
Time flies, and it's evening again when the father and son go out for a stroll. Usually at this time, Jiang Rong would take his son for a walk in the back hills or Uncle Li's orchard, to relax and check on the surrounding area. Now, the father and son know exactly what's around their home.
These past few days have been raining heavily, and Jiang Xiaoheng has been cooped up at home. Now that it's finally time for him to go out, he eagerly put on his little yellow duck sun hat and sun-protective clothing. "Dad, shall we take Uncle and the little brother for a walk?"
Jiang Rong responded and then looked at Guan Shao, "Guan Shao, do you want to go out for some fresh air?"
This was a test. If Guan Shao said he wouldn't go out, he wanted to see what Guan Shao would do while he was away. If Guan Shao took the opportunity to spy on the secrets of his house, he would not hesitate to kick him and Jiang Hao out.
It wasn't that he was heartless; he had seen too many people turn against each other over a little bit of resources in his past life, and he didn't want to leave any potential problems.
Guan Shao nodded without hesitation: "Okay." But he had one small request: "Do you have a water bottle at home? I'd like to bring some water to drink on the way."
Guan Shao loved drinking water; before the major crisis, he would drink several jugs of water every day. When Jiang Rong first met him, he was filling his water jug. Unfortunately, he had lost his usual water jug, and finding a similar one now would be difficult.
Jiang Rong's family has many kettles; he bought no fewer than ten so that Jiang Xiaoheng could drink enough water. After opening the cabinet, Guan Shao immediately spotted the largest glass kettle: "This is it."
Jiang Rong glanced at the glass that could hold a liter of water and wanted to tell Guan Shao that they were just taking a short walk and wouldn't go too far.
*
By the time the four of them finished getting ready and went out, Jiang Rong's supernatural abilities had returned. As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, the little fairy, perched on the west wall, cheerfully greeted them: "Engineer Jiang~"
After a whole day of diligent scrubbing, the little fairy finally managed to remove most of the dirt from her body. Her body returned to its emerald green color, although some black rain had seeped into her thorns, staining the yellow thorns with mottled black, making her look very imposing.
The giant cactus suddenly moved, startling Guan Shao into taking a step back and assuming a defensive stance, while Jiang Hao let out a cry of "Ah!"
Seeing the two of them like this, Jiang Rong quickly introduced, "Don't be afraid, this is my family's mutated cactus fairy."
The little fairy-like plant shook its thorns at the people in the courtyard, then burst into bloom with several vibrant red flowers. Seeing the red flowers, Jiang Hao's fear of the cactus lessened considerably. Seeing Jiang Xiaoheng bury his face in the flowers, he slowly raised his hand to touch the soft petals.
Guan Shao's expression was very subtle. When he left the yard this morning, he noticed a huge cactus outside. But seeing that the cactus was completely still, he assumed that it was just like other mutated plants, only larger in size, and shouldn't pose any threat to people.
To my utter surprise, this thing can actually move. Not only that, it can even talk.
Watching the little fairy rub against Jiang Rong with the big red flower, Guan Shao exclaimed, "This is the first time I've encountered a talking mutant plant." It was also the first time he had encountered such a lively and affectionate mutant plant.
Jiang Rong laughed, "My little fairy is just the beginning..." Suddenly he froze, "What did you say?"
Guan Shao looked at Jiang Rong with a puzzled expression, then repeated what he had just said, "Is there a problem?"
Upon hearing the words "there's a problem," the fairy-like girl responded enthusiastically, "Jiang Gong, Jiang Gong~ there's a problem~"
Hearing the fairy's voice, Jiang Xiaoheng was overjoyed: "Daddy, the fairy can talk! Daddy, can you hear her?"
Jiang Rong looked at the fairy in disbelief. Before, no one but herself could hear the fairy's voice. After the black rain, its voice could now be heard by ordinary people; its power had increased.
After being covered in pollen by the little fairy, Jiang Xiaoheng, holding Lele's hand in one hand and the little brother's hand in the other, sang as he walked towards the vine-covered path: "Little brother, I'll take you to Grandpa Li's house to see the fruit trees. They have so many trees."
Jiang Hao obediently followed Jiang Xiaoheng, and after hearing Jiang Xiaoheng's words, he slowly nodded.
Behind the two children, Jiang Rong and Guan Shao walked side by side. A ball of electricity flickered between Guan Shao's fingers: "My superpower has become much stronger. I think it's because of the Black Rain."
Jiang Rong felt the same way; he sensed his superpowers were growing rapidly. He had already considered the reason Guan Shao had analyzed.
Now he was more interested in Guan Shao's superpower: "You're a lightning-type superpower user? That's really impressive."
One in ten thousand is a natural-type ability user, and their abilities are far more powerful than those of ordinary ability users. In his previous life, Jiang Rong had only heard of the existence of lightning-type ability users; he never imagined he would see one with his own eyes in this life.
Guan Shao turned his head and looked at Jiang Rong curiously, "What's so good about it?"
Jiang Rong chuckled, "Lightning-type abilities are great, they're like walking power banks." If there were a lightning-type ability user in the house, why would we need solar panels? We could just have the ability user generate electricity when there's no power.
Guan Shao couldn't help but laugh out loud. After he finished laughing, Jiang Rong heard his deep voice: "Then in the future, if you need electricity, I'll help you charge it."
It was just an ordinary sentence, but Jiang Rong's ears burned. He turned his head and said, "Okay."
Passing through the kudzu-covered path, a stream with dark gray water rushing through came into view. The black rain of the past few days had caused the water level in the stream to rise sharply, giving the stream a brief but false prosperity.
They could no longer walk on the riverbed; they had to cross the small bridge spanning the stream. This so-called bridge was simply a few planks of wood. Unfortunately, one of the planks slid off the pier, making the already narrow bridge even narrower.
The two children had clearly never crossed such a narrow bridge without handrails before; they stood at the edge of the bridge, somewhat frightened. Jiang Xiaoheng turned to Jiang Rong, looking aggrieved, "Dad, the bridge has lost weight..."
Jiang Xiaoheng doesn't have a large vocabulary, and sometimes he'll blurt out some unexpected words. Jiang Rong couldn't help but laugh: "Don't be afraid, Daddy will hug you."
Before Jiang Rong could step forward, Guan Shao stepped forward and grabbed one child with each hand. Jiang Xiaoheng exclaimed and hugged Guan Shao's neck, while Jiang Hao on the other side also reached out and hugged him.
Amidst the children's exclamations and laughter, the three had already crossed the small bridge. Jiang Rong stood on the other side of the bridge, watching this heartwarming scene, and a sense of peace welled up within her.
Guan Shao placed the two children on the other side, then quickly turned back to Jiang Rong and extended his hand: "There's moss on the bridge, let me help you."
Jiang Rong stared intently at Guan Shao's slender fingers, and after a moment he smiled: "No need, I can cross this bridge with my eyes closed." When he was a child, the bridge piers were made of round logs, and he and Chu Qiang often ran back and forth on them.
Seeing Jiang Rong walking calmly ahead, Guan Shao glanced silently at his palm, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
Usually, only the elderly couple, Uncle Li and his wife, were in their orchard, but today more than a dozen people came. The group included men and women, young and old, and they were carrying bags or baskets, picking fruit from the trees.
They picked the fruit haphazardly, regardless of whether it was ripe or not. Because of their rough handling, many branches of the fruit trees broke. The broken branches revealed pale white cracks, and small fruits and leaves fell to the ground, making the entire orchard look like a locust swarm.
Seeing this tragic scene, Jiang Xiaoheng burst into tears. Since returning home, his favorite thing to do was to go to Grandpa Li's orchard with his father. He was always so happy to see the fragrant fruits and vegetables.
How could his beloved fruit tree be like this? Large tears streamed down Jiang Xiaoheng's cheeks: "The tree is injured, sob sob sob..."
The child's crying attracted the attention of the fruit pickers, who became much more subdued and spoke in quieter voices: "That's the wood-type ability user." "Why is he here?"
Jiang Rong carried the sobbing child toward Uncle Li's shack. Under the eaves, Uncle Li was smoking with a dark face, and Aunt Li's eyes were swollen like peaches. A young couple sat beside the old couple; the man looked refined and somewhat like Uncle Li, while the woman was heavily pregnant with a belly as big as a drum.
Upon seeing Jiang Rong and his son arrive, Uncle Li sadly turned his head away, wiping away his tears with his withered hands. Aunt Li glanced at Jiang Xiaoheng, whose face was red from crying, and tears also streamed down her face.
At this moment, the refined-looking man stood up and greeted Jiang Rong with a smile, extending his hand: "Jiang Rong, it's been a long time! I'm Li Xiaojun, do you remember me?"
The pregnant woman sitting down didn't have the same pleasant expression as Li Xiaojun. She rolled her eyes at Jiang Rong and his son, making no attempt to hide her disgust.
Those unaware of the situation might have thought Li Xiaojun was there to inspect the work. Jiang Rong ignored Li Xiaojun's outstretched hands and calmly met his gaze: "I know."
Li Xiaojun was Uncle Li's only son and the "other people's child" that Chu Qiang hated the most. He was a good student and relied on the money that Uncle Li and Aunt Li earned from growing fruit trees to go through school. After graduation, he was admitted to a job that everyone envied, married a beautiful wife, and lived in a garden villa.
If there were no major crisis, Li Xiaojun would be a winner in life, with a beautiful wife and a thriving career.
Unfortunately, he was unlucky and encountered a major crisis. After the crisis, he lost his proud job, and life in the city was impossible without water and electricity. The garden villa lost all its advantages over the country house, so Li Xiaojun took his family back to his hometown.
People with relatives in the countryside flocked to their homes, and those without relatives created opportunities to do so. This was the case with Li Xiaojun's wife's extended family; relying on seemingly unrelated connections, more than a dozen of them squeezed into Uncle Li's villa.
The saying goes, "It's easy to invite a god, but hard to send him away," and Uncle Li and Aunt Li knew this all too well. They had tried to dissuade Li Xiaojun from the beginning, but they couldn't resist their son's generosity.
Li Xiaojun said that his family are all peasants, a grassroots family, and he owes his success today entirely to the support of his wife's family.
He said these dozen or so people weren't there to freeload; they brought money and supplies, enough to last them for a while. Now was a critical moment, a test of character. If he didn't take good care of them, he'd hurt his wife's family. After the crisis passed, his family and career would be ruined.
For their son's sake, Uncle Li and Aunt Li endured it. During this period, the elderly couple tightened their belts, saving money for these people instead of eating or using it themselves.
But this was a family of over ten people, and they needed to eat, drink, and relieve themselves as soon as they opened their eyes. Uncle Li's refrigerator was quickly emptied, and the supplies they had painstakingly stockpiled were gone. So, this group set their sights on the fruit in the orchard, and a few days ago they suggested coming to see the orchard.
Uncle Li and Aunt Li knew exactly what they were up to. After making excuses for a few days, Li Xiaojun finally confronted the elderly couple today. They couldn't survive in the village anymore and were planning to go to the survivor base in N City.
Since we're already leaving, there's no point in keeping these fruit trees. We might as well pick all the fruit; we can eat them for a while on the road.
That's why this group of people appeared in the orchard.
Uncle Li and Aunt Li were powerless to stop the tragedy; they could only sit under the eaves and weep. If anyone else had destroyed their orchard, they would have grabbed a knife and fought them to the death. But the person who destroyed their orchard was their son, their proud only child. What choice did they have?
Seeing that Jiang Rong didn't reach out, Li Xiaojun withdrew his hand and awkwardly wiped it on his pants. "I heard about it from my parents. Thank you for taking care of my family's orchard during this time. Here's the thing, I'm planning to take my parents to the survivor base. After we leave, the orchard will be yours. You're a wood-type ability user, so I hope these fruit trees will be helpful to you."
Anyone who didn't know better would think Jiang Rong got a great deal.
Jiang Rong remained silent with a straight face. Just then, a sharp female voice came from beside her: "Ugh, so annoying! It's so stuffy and hot. Are you done yet? Shall we go back?"
Li Xiaojun turned around and quickly walked to the pregnant woman's side. He lowered his voice and said, "Qianqian, hang in there a little longer. We haven't packed our things yet."
Qianqian impatiently wiped the sweat from her forehead and pointed to the farm tools under the eaves. "What's the point of cleaning these up? We won't need them at the base. Look at these things, they're filthy!"
Li Xiaojun quickly lowered his voice and apologized. Qianqian snorted and glanced at Uncle Li and Aunt Li: "If my dad didn't know the leaders of the N City base, do you think just anyone could go to the base?"
Author's Note:
Jiang Rong: Great lightning abilities, a walking power bank.
Guan Shao: Okay, I'll charge you from now on.
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