Ten kilometers away, Du Jie's home.
The house smelled of rotten and stuffy. Zheng Meng was very hygienic, but she couldn't cook without rice. Clean water was so precious now that it was not enough to drink, so how could she bear to use it for bathing, washing clothes, and cleaning? The weather was too hot, and everyone had a rancid smell from sweat. Zheng Meng fanned herself impatiently and tried to comfort the child to stop crying.
"Where's Dad?"
"Your dad is out. He will be back soon."
"Will Daddy bring back food?"
Zheng Meng was in a bad mood, but she suppressed her irritability and coaxed the child: "Yes, you have to be obedient before Daddy will bring you food." She calculated the food reserves at home in her mind. She lost her appetite when she thought of the porridge, but there was nothing she could do. After the temperature rose, all the shelters were gone, and the supply ships no longer distributed supplies. The food reserves at home were decreasing day by day. Her husband tried hard to go out and find ways, and occasionally brought things back. Sometimes he would be injured and there would be blood stains on his clothes, but she didn't ask anything, but just silently covered up the blood stains with her previous cosmetics.
Before dark, Du Jie came back with red and swollen cheeks.
"What happened?!" Zheng Meng was shocked.
"I was beaten by my cousin! It hurts so much. Do you have any medicine at home? Take it out and apply it on me."
Zheng Meng hurried to get the medicine box and took out a bottle of safflower oil. The safflower oil had been frozen before, and it had a strange smell after thawing, but there was no way to complain at this time. It was better to have medicated oil than nothing. She carefully applied the medicine to Du Jie and said angrily, "Is your cousin crazy? Why did he beat you for no reason? You can't go to the hospital to see a doctor now that you are injured!"
Du Jie felt a little guilty, but then he thought about it and realized that Meng Meng knew nothing, so he said confidently, "It's all your friend Qing Qing's fault. Do you know what their family did?"
"Qingqing?" Zheng Meng was stunned. She hadn't heard this name for a while. She was a little dazed when she first heard it. Oh, Qingqing, her best friend Qiao Qingqing. It turned out that they hadn't seen each other for two years. The last time they met seemed like a thing in their previous life.
"Qingqing, what's wrong? What does your cousin beating you have to do with Qingqing?"
"My cousin and his friends went to Jinyuan Community to do some work. There was a small misunderstanding at the time. For some reason, a pot of boiling hot water was spilled from Qiao Qingqing's house. Hot water! It scalded one of my cousin's friends, the one named Da Jun!"
Zheng Meng exclaimed.
"I've been to see him. You have no idea how miserable Da Jun is now. His hair is falling out along with his scalp, his face is covered with blisters, and he can't even open his eyes. He already had a high fever when I left. Now there is a lack of medical care and medicine. He may not survive such serious burns!" Du Jie became more and more excited as he spoke, and kept cursing.
"No way, Qingqing and her husband are both very good-tempered. Why would they pour hot water on a stranger for no reason? What kind of misunderstanding is this?"
"I don't know either—" Du Jie's eyes moved, and he held her hand, "Wife, you and Qiao Qingqing are good friends, why don't you help to connect my cousin and Qiao Qingqing and let them sit down and have a good talk to clear up the misunderstanding, what do you think?"
Zheng Meng hesitated: "But the last time I went to see her...when it was about her father, I felt that she was angry with me. She hasn't contacted me in the past two years."
"You two have been friends for more than ten years. Can she really break up with you? Honey, please help me! My cousin got me beaten up because of his anger. Look at my face—"
She softened her heart and thought about it. Her cousin had a misunderstanding and conflict with Qingqing, and because of her, her cousin even took his anger out on her husband. This matter was indeed related to her, and she had the responsibility to step forward and resolve the issue.
"Okay, I'll help. I'll go out after the water recedes. I'm afraid to go out now." She thought of the corpse she saw in the water, with swarms of flies biting it. It was very scary.
Du Jie disagreed: "Strike while the iron is hot! Let's go tomorrow, I'll teach you how to tell her! Her family hurt my cousin's friend, but they probably don't know my cousin. Don't tell her directly after we go there, first coax her to open the door and let us in, understand? We'll sit down and talk after we get in!"
“I understand.”
Since the big drop in temperature, the nights are no longer quiet. Before, there was the sound of ice breaking, but now the water level has dropped, and there are constant noises at night, such as the sound of objects colliding and the sound of giants exploding. As order collapses, another kind of sound has been added to the night.
That night, Qiao Qingqing was awakened by a cry for help.
"Someone is shouting for help, and it seems to be nearby." Qiao Qingqing calmed her breathing and asked Shao Shengan if he could hear the location.
"I heard it and it feels like it's the direction of the Qinghui Supermarket in front." Shao Shengan hugged his wife tightly, his heart beating fast.
The scream just now was so shrill that it pierced through the night and pierced into the eardrums, making people shudder and their heartbeats speed up.
There was also the sound of parents being awakened from the next room, and Qiao Qingqing also heard Shao Shengfei crying.
"Brother is frightened, go and have a look."
Touching Qiao Qingqing's head, Shao Shengan got out of bed and opened the door. As soon as the door opened, the heat was overwhelming, so he quickly closed the door.
Qiao Qingqing got out of bed and walked to the window, drawing back the curtains. Just like inside the room, it was a dark world outside, without a single ray of light. After looking for a while, she could see nothing. Suddenly, there was another piercing scream, and she immediately looked to the east, but it was still pitch black.
She sighed, not knowing whose family had the accident. In her previous life, she often hid under the bed at night, and dared not come out even if the weather was hot, just for the sense of security under the bed.
"Brother is okay, Qingqing?" Shao Shengan returned to the house.
"I'll just take a look outside." Qiao Qingqing climbed onto the bed and pulled the quilt over her. Shao Shengan also came onto the bed, fumbling to make sure that she was covered with the quilt before lying down, and casually pulled a corner of the quilt over his stomach.
"Don't worry, our community is fine, go to sleep."
Early the next morning, Shao's father started planting vegetables with full energy.
"The previous ones were so hot that they were impossible to grow crops," Shao's mother worried.
"It was so cold a while ago, but I still managed to grow vegetables, right? I have to give it a try." Shao's father decided to plant the new vegetable plot in the attic. Anyway, no one lives in the attic now, so it is the most suitable place to grow vegetables. In order to provide shade, he asked Shao Shengan for some plastic film, cardboard and unused clothes, cut them up and built a sunshade in the attic, saying that this was a double guarantee.
“I’ll plant it after the sun goes down!”
Shao Shengan said he would prepare the seeds and soil. He remembered Qingqing said that there was some soil stored in the space.
Downstairs, Qiao Qingqing was acting coquettishly to Qiao Songzhi: "I think I'm fine now, I can take a shower now."
Qiao Songzhi disagreed: "Just change your clothes first and take a shower when you are fully recovered."
After much hesitation, Qiao Songzhi finally gave in: "Wash, wash, wash. Do you have any mugwort? Bring some out and I'll boil some mugwort water for you to use for bathing."
Qiao Qingqing is like a treasure chest, with everything in it. Qiao Songzhi used mugwort to boil a large bucket of water, and took two empty buckets for her to stand in to wash: "Collect the water while washing, otherwise the sewer will be blocked and the water will not flow down. You can collect it and use it for cleaning, don't waste it." Let Qiao Qingqing wash quickly while it's hot.
In the bathroom, Qiao Qingqing stood in an empty bucket and used a ladle to scoop water to rinse her hair. She applied shampoo twice before she felt her hair was clean.
After taking a shower, she felt like she had lost two pounds and felt much more comfortable.
After coming out, Qiao Songzhi urged her to blow dry her hair. Shao Shengan had already prepared the hair dryer: "I'll blow it for you."
She squinted her eyes and enjoyed it, saying with emotion: "The solar generator is really useful."
"That's right. It's so miserable without air conditioning in this weather. Do you know how many degrees it is today?"
"Let me guess... forty?"
"That was the temperature at ten in the morning. Now it's almost noon and it's already 44 degrees Celsius."
"Come and have lunch!" Shao's mother shouted in the living room.
"Let's go and have lunch." Shao Shengan used a clip to help Qiao Qingqing put up her hair and said happily, "Finally, we can have lunch together as a family!"
After lunch, it was past one o'clock and we couldn't go out at all. We even had to close the windows and draw the curtains. It was too hot!
The air conditioner was turned on and everyone went for a nap. Qiao Qingqing heard someone calling her while she was half asleep and half awake. She opened her eyes in a daze and found that the person calling her was Shao Shengan.
"What time is it?"
"It's past five o'clock. You've slept for four hours and can't sleep any more. Get up and wake up. We'll have dinner soon."
The couple chatted for a few words, and Qiao Songzhi, who was in the living room, heard a knock on the door. She called out and it was Grandma Wang's child.
"Someone is looking for Aunt Qiao!"
"I'll go see who it is first." Shao Shengan stood up immediately and came back soon.
"It's Zheng Meng. She said she came to visit you."
The smile on Qiao Qingqing's face disappeared immediately.
"Visiting me?"
"Well, I didn't ask the door downstairs to be opened. I came up first to ask for your opinion."
"She's alone?"
"It looks like it's one person. Let me take a look—" Shao Shengan walked to the balcony to see, then turned back and said, "Du Jie is on the kayak downstairs."
Qiao Qingqing wanted to say no, but Shao Shengan persuaded her: "After all, you have been friends for so many years, and the three of you were so close in the past. You have to figure out whether it is love or hate. If she is innocent, at least you can hate one less person. I hope you can feel more at ease."
"..." Qiao Qingqing nodded, "Then I'll meet with her. Don't open the iron gate. We can just talk through it."
Du Jie's cousin and his family came just yesterday, and Zheng Meng came today, which made her have to be on guard.
Going downstairs, Qiao Qingqing met Zheng Meng, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.
Zheng Meng was much thinner than before, and her eyes lit up when she saw Qiao Qingqing: "Qingqing! I finally see you! How have you been recently?"
"Very well, what do you want from me?"
"Qingqing, please open the door and let me in. It stinks outside."
Qiao Qingqing didn't move and asked her what she was doing there.
"I came to see you. We were so close. I was careless and said something you didn't like. Do you really hate me?" Zheng Meng's face was sad. "These days, everyone has a hard time. I just hope you can live a good life. I came here this time because I dreamed of you and Wenwen last night. Wenwen and Hu Yanhai moved out of the wedding house and said they went to Hu Yanhai's relative's house for refuge. I haven't had the chance to meet her in the past two years. The only person I can see is you. Qingqing, don't be angry. I apologize to you. We are still fine, okay?"
If it were the old Qiao Qingqing, she would have definitely softened her heart after hearing these words.
She had a blank expression until now: "I accept your apology, you can go back."
Very perfunctory.
Zheng Meng was dumbfounded, and after a pause she said, "Won't you invite me up to sit with you? We haven't seen each other for many years, and I have a lot to say to you——"
"There's nothing more to talk about with you. It's dangerous outside. You and Du Jie should go home early before it gets completely dark."
"Qingqing! Qingqing!" Zheng Meng called her. The more she called, the more aggrieved she felt. She couldn't help but choke up. "I knew that you were just friends with me verbally. In fact, you always looked down on me in your heart. Your best friend is not me and Wenwen, but only Wenwen! Your best friend is only Wenwen!"
Qiao Qingqing was a little dazed, thinking back to the intimate scenes of the three girls. She sighed and turned back: "Did you know that Wenwen is dead?"
"W-what?"
"Wenwen is dead. She has been dead for a long time."
Zheng Meng couldn't believe it: "Impossible, how could it be?!"
She turned around subconsciously, and there was no one behind her.
This state of mind reminded Qiao Qingqing of the time when Zheng Meng cried to her and Wenwen about Du Jie's cheating. At that time, she and Wenwen comforted Zheng Meng and persuaded them to break up for the Nth time. But as long as Du Jie called her, Zheng Meng would immediately let go of their hands, turn around expectantly, and then run towards Du Jie without hesitation.
It was the same at this time. When she heard the unexpected news, her first reaction was to find Du Jie.
At this moment, Qiao Qingqing suddenly wanted to tear everything apart and give herself an understanding.
Without further probing, Qiao Qingqing asked directly, "Did Du Jie ask you to come here today? Du Jie came here for his cousin, right?"
With just two questions, Qiao Qingqing was able to find the answer from Zheng Meng's expression.
"Qingqing, it's all a misunderstanding. I just want to help you clear it up—" Zheng Meng quickly explained, "Since you've guessed it, I'll tell you straight away. For my sake, please shake hands with Ajie's cousin and make peace. Open the door first, and I'll let my cousin come over to have a good talk with you. Don't quarrel anymore."
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Peng, who was hiding downstairs, turned pale.
"This stupid woman!"
In the corridor, Qiao Qingqing finally untied her knot in her heart. She smiled with relief: "Zheng Meng, go back and don't come here again."
After many years of friendship, Qiao Qingqing actually trusts Zheng Meng very much.
Zheng Meng is indeed weak, sensitive, and fragile, but she would never actively harm others.
But Zheng Meng loved Du Jie, and love blinded her eyes, making her willingly be deceived and used.
In her previous life, she was busy looking for her parents-in-law and uncle, worried about her mother back home, and concerned about her husband who was on a business trip and couldn't come home. She had no mood to contact anyone else.
Yuan Xiaowen and Zheng Meng were the only two people she could confide in when she was upset, in pain and anxious.
Before the communication was interrupted, Sheng An had not returned home yet. How did Du Jie know that Sheng An did not return home later and concluded that she lived alone?
The communication was interrupted, and the only relatives and friends who knew about Sheng An's death were Hu Yanhai and Wenwen. Hu Yanhai had sent her something, so he naturally knew that Sheng An had passed away. She recalled the scene when she and Sheng An first went to Hu Yanhai's uncle's house to visit Wenwen during the flood. At that time, Wenwen mentioned that when she moved to her uncle's house, she passed by Zheng Meng's house and greeted Zheng Meng.
Then she could infer that Wenwen had also seen Zheng Meng when she moved in her previous life. At that time, Sheng An had already passed away, and Hu Yanhai had come to her house at Wenwen's request. It was very likely that Zheng Meng knew about it at that time.
Soon after Wenwen moved, she began to feel unwell, and later suffered a miscarriage and became ill... She was unable to take care of herself, so Hu Yanhai never came to Jinyuan Community again.
Qiao Qingqing believed that Zheng Meng would not intentionally harm anyone, but the person she entrusted her life to would take advantage of her.
From what Zheng Meng said just now, we can know that Zheng Meng knew that her cousin Du Jie had a conflict with her, but she probably only knew one side of the story. Zheng Meng believed whatever Du Jie said to her, and she would not think too much about it, so the sharp blade moved forward, and the only person she would stab was her good friend.
"Go away!" Qiao Qingqing turned around and went upstairs without any reluctance.
Looking at Qiao Qingqing's resolute and indifferent back, Zheng Meng was filled with panic. She knew that at this moment, she had really lost Qingqing as a friend.
The plan failed, Zhou Peng went downstairs angrily, and his four companions quickly followed.
"Put the kayak in the water, let's go back." Zhou Peng was so hot and irritated. He looked to the west, where the sun was no longer visible, but it was still so hot! He hid on the sixth floor, which was stinking to death. The ground under his feet was all black mud, which creaked when he stepped on it, and cockroaches would jump out of it. What was the point of enduring all this? Wasn't it just to wait for the iron gate to open and rush up to grab that woman Qiao Qingqing as a hostage? !
In the end, that stupid woman Zheng Meng was completely useless. Not only did she fail to coax Qiao Qingqing, she also exposed her own past. Oh, you admitted it as soon as someone asked you, isn't that stupid?
Du Jie saw Zhou Peng coming down with a dark face, and hurried over to him: "Cousin, why are you coming down so suddenly? Where's Meng Meng?"
Zhou Peng bumped into him and said, "Don't mention it! You said your wife is silly and easy to coax. I think she is indeed silly. You can coax her, and so can she. She is just a fool! I will remember this. It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge. I don't believe that I can't take revenge!" He left angrily with his brothers.
Du Jie was confused. After a while, he saw his wife coming downstairs in a daze.
"What happened? Did you fail?"
"Qingqing broke up with me, and this time it's really a breakup." Zheng Meng's eyes turned red.
"Fuck! Why did you break up with her at this time instead of earlier? What did you tell her? Weren't you on good terms before?"
Zheng Meng couldn't figure it out. After just a few words, Qingqing's expression suddenly changed. She thought of something and asked, "What kind of feud did your cousin have with Qingqing's family? I saw that she broke up with me after she mentioned her cousin. Are you hiding something from me? Is there something else behind the injury of your cousin's friend?"
Du Jie waved his hands impatiently: "What have I hidden from you? I've told you everything I should have said. Don't you believe me? Hiss, my face still hurts!"
"Are you okay? I'll apply medicine to you when we get home..." Zheng Meng's attention immediately turned to her husband's face, feeling extremely distressed. "Your cousin was too harsh. If you have anything to say, come to me. Why would he hit you?"
"Okay, okay, you're my wife, I won't blame you for getting involved." Du Jie snorted. He knew his wife well. He was the one who suggested that his cousin beat him, and that it should look serious, but it wouldn't hurt that much. After spending so much money and still failing, Du Jie felt very embarrassed in front of his cousin, and his tone became impatient.
He looked at the building in front of him. The quality of this building was so damn good. No wonder his cousin was so angry. The cooked duck not only flew away but also bit people. If it were him, he would definitely be furious.
"Let's go home. It's dark and the road is unsafe. I have a headache. You row."
"Oh oh! I'll row, I'll row!"
By the window, Qiao Qingqing quietly watched the two groups of people leave one after another.
"I didn't expect Mengmeng to really help them to trick you. Du Jie didn't come up and stayed downstairs to confuse us and let us down our guard!" Shao Shengan was very angry when he found Zhou Peng and the other five. Where were those five people hiding? If Qingqing opened the door and let Zheng Meng in, what would the five of them do? Shao Shengan didn't dare to imagine.
"Don't be angry, let them go." Qiao Qingqing's voice was very soft.
Taking a deep breath, Shao Shengan asked her why she didn't talk to Zheng Meng in more detail just now.
"She looked as if she had no idea what was going on."
"She just doesn't want to know." Qiao Qingqing shook her head. "Since she met Du Jie, she has called herself Du Jie's girlfriend, Du Jie's fiancée, and Du Jie's wife. Everything about her revolves around Du Jie. If he were a good man, it would be fine. I don't reveal everything because of our friendship of more than ten years. It's a good thing for her to live in such a muddle. Let Du Jie continue to coax her."
This was her last bit of friendship towards Zheng Meng.
"I'm just worried that Du Jie won't want to coax him someday. I've always felt that Du Jie's eyes are too flexible and he doesn't look like a reliable person."
"That has nothing to do with me. Everyone is responsible for their own life. Okay, let's not mention her anymore."
That night, Qiao Qingqing dreamed about her carefree teenage years with Zheng Meng and Yuan Xiaowen on campus. She felt a little melancholy when she woke up the next day. Wenwen...
She shook her head and touched the alarm clock to check the time. It was just past five o'clock. Shao Sheng'an was still sleeping soundly. Qiao Qingqing got out of bed and drew the curtains. It was already dawn outside. The sun was shining brightly in the east. She brought in the outdoor thermometer. It was thirty-nine degrees Celsius.
There is no lower limit to the temperature drop, and this time the temperature rise also shows an arrogant momentum with no upper limit.
"Aren't you going to sleep anymore?" Shao Sheng'an's voice was hoarse and sleepy.
"You go to sleep. I'll go see my parents."
Qiao Qingqing walked around the house and returned to her room, taking out a long box from the space. Shao Shengan was folding the quilt and asked her what it was.
"You'll know once you open it. Look—" Qiao Qingqing opened the box, revealing the true appearance of the contents.
Shao Shengan was surprised: "Is this a crossbow? Is it a real one or a toy?"
"Why would I buy a toy? I must buy the real thing." Qiao Qingqing took out a quiver with twenty crossbow arrows in it. She picked up one and looked at the arrowhead in the sunlight coming in through the window. The metal arrowhead reflected the cold light, showing its sharpness and lethality.
Shao Shengan jumped off the bed, sat next to Qiao Qingqing, and caressed her curiously.
"You also bought this. It looks very lethal. Can it... kill people?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
