Chapter 56 Her Temper
When Molly got up, it was still dark. The cornmeal had started rising yesterday, and now it was perfect for making steamed buns. All the cooking utensils had been mailed away yesterday, so Molly had to use a clay pot.
A steamer was placed on the earthenware pot, and three steamers of buns were steamed.
She then started making pancakes, adding minced meat to the flour, intending to make minced meat pancakes. The smoked bacon, dried chili peppers, dried wood ear mushrooms, and dried mushrooms hadn't been mailed, so Molly packed them in a burlap sack, planning to carry them on a shoulder pole to catch the bus.
More than forty meat pies were made. When Zhao Jian'an arrived, Molly and Mo An were having breakfast.
"Have you eaten?" Molly asked him.
"No." Zhao Jian'an sat down, acting as if he were a guest, and grabbed a pancake to eat. "I told my mom I'd come here to eat and asked her not to make any more."
Molly: "......."
The meat patties were fried on a large rock. Each one was quite big, and Molly ate two, plus a cornbread bun, and was full.
Moan ate about the same things as Molly.
Zhao Jian'an, on the other hand, ate five meat pies and a cornbread bun all by himself.
"It's been so long since I've had anything this delicious." Zhao Jian'an wasn't embarrassed at all.
"How much is the ticket? I'll give it to you." Molly reached for her wallet.
"No need," Zhao Jian'an refused. "Just let me have a few more meals when my sister goes to the military camp."
Molly took the money back and decided to just consider it an advance payment for her meals.
Molly packed up the remaining biscuits and steamed buns, and just as the three of them were about to leave, Zhao Shangxun arrived with two aluminum lunchboxes.
"Your older sister is pregnant, and I was afraid she would cry, so I didn't let her come," Zhao Shangxun said apologetically.
Molly hummed in agreement; she hadn't planned to say goodbye to Mohe this morning anyway.
"These are the braised dishes she made last night. One box contains pig ears, and the other contains braised peanuts. You can take them with you in the car." Zhao Shangxun handed the two lunch boxes to Molly.
Molly took it and put it in Mo An's basket, saying to Zhao Shangxun, "Thank you, take good care of my sister. Remember to water the vegetables here, pick whatever you want to eat, and grow your own when you're done."
Zhao Shangxun nodded. "Okay. Have a safe trip. Remember to write back once you're settled."
Molly and her two companions first took a car from the town, and then took a train from the county.
Time was tight, and the three of them didn't have time to linger in the county before hurriedly boarding the train.
"Due to the rush, we couldn't get sleeper berths, so you're going to have to suffer a bit," Zhao Jian'an said.
Molly: "When will you arrive?"
"Tomorrow night at nine o'clock." Zhao Jian'an said apologetically, "It's a bit far. You guys can go to sleep if you're tired. I'll keep an eye on things."
Molly shook her head. "We'll take turns sleeping. Let's have lunch now."
Mo An was looking out the window, the sadness of parting was lessened by the novelty of taking the train. When he heard Molly say that she wanted to have lunch, he immediately took out the two aluminum lunch boxes from his basket and put them on the small table in the middle.
Molly and her two companions were seated in a two-person row. Mo An and Molly sat in the same row, while Zhao Jian'an sat opposite them, next to a young man. The man saw Mo An open his aluminum lunchbox, couldn't help but swallow hard, and turned his face away.
A hint of unease flashed across Mo An's face, but he didn't invite the man to eat with him.
Zhao Jian'an was used to it and asked Mo An to bring out the flatbread and steamed buns as well. The three of them took the flatbread and steamed buns and ate lunch with braised pig ears and braised peanuts.
After lunch, both aluminum lunchboxes were empty, and half of the steamed buns and flatbreads were still left.
Zhao Jian'an stood up. "I'll go wash the lunchboxes and get you some hot water while I'm at it."
Molly and Moan didn't have water bottles, so these two aluminum lunchboxes arrived just in time.
Molly woke up early and had lunch. She felt drowsy, so Zhao Jian'an told her to take a nap. She leaned back and closed her eyes, sleeping soundly until dark.
"You and Mo An go to the restroom to wash your hands first. I'll go buy some boxed lunches when you come back," Zhao Jian'an said.
Molly nodded and went to the bathroom with Mo An.
When they returned, Zhao Jian'an took out lunchboxes from his bag, along with Molly and Mo An's two, and walked towards the car where the boxed lunches were sold.
Zhao Jian'an bought one meat dish and two vegetable dishes, all of which were the same, with only a few slices of meat in the meat dish.
"That's all, eat it while it's hot." Zhao Jian'an said, and started eating heartily himself.
"Hey bro, could you watch my luggage for me? I'm going to buy some takeout too," the man said.
Zhao Jian'an: "I'll buy it for you. Give me your lunchbox, and also give me 1.2 yuan, 1 liang of grain coupons, and 1 liang of meat coupons."
The man hesitated for a moment, then didn't insist on buying it himself. He started taking out his money and tickets, and picked up his lunchbox. "Then I'll have to trouble you, comrade."
Zhao Jian'an: "You're welcome. It's for the people."
After dinner, it was Zhao Jian'an's turn to sleep, while Molly kept watch for the first half of the night.
Molly kept her eyes closed, but her ears were perked up, and not a single sound escaped her notice.
Molly's brow twitched as the sharp object cut the fabric. Just then, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that the train was approaching the station and preparing to stop for a ten-minute temporary halt.
Molly didn't want to get involved, but those men ended up eyeing her bag.
Bang!
Molly pinned the person to the ground, and the person's back slammed against the floor of the carriage with a loud bang, waking the sleeping person from their sleep.
"You brat, you're asking for it!" The man's companion charged at Molly with a dagger.
Before Molly could move, Zhao Jian'an rushed forward, and the two clashed in the narrow aisle of the train car.
To their surprise, there were more than two thieves in the group; there were two other people involved.
Chaos erupted in the carriage, screams filled the air, and passengers were running out. Only two men, armed with knives, charged against the flow of people toward Molly and Zhao Jian'an.
Molly grabbed the man in her hand, lifted him up, and threw him at the man who was rushing towards her. As they collided, she lunged forward and landed on top of him.
A cracking sound rang out, and the two men let out a wail.
On the other side, Zhao Jian'an also dealt with the two men.
"Your skills are quite good, little sister." Zhao Jian'an didn't expect that Molly's skills were no less than his, or even better. He couldn't match her speed and strength.
This girl is no ordinary person.
With Zhao Jian'an around, Molly didn't need to confront the train police officer on board.
"Sister, are you hurt?" When Mo An woke up, he saw his sister pinning down two men, but he didn't know anything else.
"I'm fine." Molly smoothed her hair, her expression calm.
"What bad things did those people do?" As his fear subsided, Mo An was left with only curiosity. It was the first time he had encountered such a scene. It was just a pity that he hadn't seen his second sister's villainous figure.
"Stealing."
Molly had barely finished speaking when someone in the carriage exclaimed, "My money is gone!"
"I have no money or tickets left."
"My newly bought watch is gone!"
"......."
The passengers were very anxious and all wanted to find the flight attendants.
At this moment, Zhao Jian'an returned, along with two train police officers. The officers told everyone to remain calm and go to them to register the lost items and money.
"That's so ruthless, breaking someone's arm." Zhao Jian'an whispered to Molly.
Molly glanced at him and said lazily, "I was too strong and couldn't control myself."
"It's good that you didn't accept it. Those guys are repeat offenders; they deserve to be taught a lesson." Zhao Jian'an smiled. "But I'm curious, how did you find out they were stealing?"
Molly: "He wanted to take my things."
Zhao Jian'an was taken aback. "So, if they didn't take your things..."
“I don’t care.” Molly didn’t think there was anything wrong with what she was doing.
Zhao Jian'an: "......."
It's not that it's wrong; after all, Molly appears to be a weak woman, and self-preservation is the right thing to do.
But she was not a weak woman.
Zhao Jian'an grabbed a handful of hair and thought, "Fine, let her do as she pleases."
Molly slept in the latter half of the night while Zhao Jian'an kept watch. Perhaps because of what had just happened, the entire carriage was quiet and nothing else occurred.
The next morning, Molly and the other two ate the leftover steamed buns and pancakes from the previous day. For lunch and dinner, they ate the boxed meals that were served in the car.
I got off the train at 9:30 pm.
"I sent a telegram in advance to have someone pick us up. Let's get off at the station first." Zhao Jian'an walked ahead carrying large and small bags, Molly carried a load on a shoulder pole, and Mo An carried a basket on his back.
As soon as I exited the station, I heard a soldier in military uniform shout, "Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao, over here."
When Molly and Moan saw the toy car for the first time, their eyes were glued to it, unable to look away.
"This is Battalion Commander Ji's wife, and this is Battalion Commander Ji's brother-in-law," Zhao Jian'an introduced Molly and Mo An.
"Hello, sister-in-law! Hello, brother!" the soldier greeted with a smile, his voice booming.
Molly and Moan looked away from the soldier and replied loudly, "Hello."
When the car arrived at the military camp, Zhao Jian'an took Molly and Mo An to the gate to register.
“The military camp just built a new family building last year, a two-story building. But considering that He Feng has difficulty moving around, everyone moved him to a single-story house,” Zhao Jian’an said to Molly. Seeing that Molly’s expression remained unchanged, he continued, “Actually, that single-story house is also very good. It has a well, a yard, and a lot of space. It’s just that the house is a bit old.”
Molly had no objection to this; surely the house couldn't be worse than the thatched roof of her little village, Nan Village. What she cared about was, "Is there a vegetable garden? Can we grow vegetables and grains?"
“There is a vegetable garden, but you’ll have to cultivate it yourselves. There’s a river to the west, and a patch of wasteland over there. The land here isn’t as fertile as back home, so it’ll take some effort to grow anything. You’ll have to fertilize the land first, understand?” Zhao Jian’an gave Molly a heads-up.
Molly, however, wasn't worried about that. "How big of a plot of land can it be developed?"
Zhao Jian'an: "Each household can cultivate two fen of land."
Molly frowned for a moment, then relaxed her gaze. "We're not one household, we're two households. Aren't there also the regimental commander's child here?"
“This—” Zhao Jian’an hesitated. Actually, he wanted to say that if Ji Hefeng didn’t recover, the higher-ups would definitely arrange for him to be demobilized. Of course, given Ji Hefeng’s condition, he wouldn’t be able to do much after being demobilized; most likely, the army would give him a sum of money and arrange for him to return to his hometown. In that case, there would be no need to spend so much time and energy on land reclamation.
"Go ask the leader for me. Given our family's situation, I'd like to open up five acres of land," Molly said.
Zhao Jian'an rubbed his temples. "I'll ask around for you."
The car stopped in front of a bungalow.
Molly got out of the car and the first thing she noticed was the mottled paint on the walls; they did look old. But fortunately, the walls were made of blue bricks and the roof was made of tiles, so being a little old wasn't a flaw in Molly's eyes.
Zhao Jian'an pushed open the door, turned on the lights in the hall, and invited Molly and Mo An inside. He and the soldier then took charge of moving things.
There's electricity!
Molly's eyes lit up; this was yet another advantage.
After the things were moved in, the soldier left first. Zhao Jian'an went to Ji Hefeng's room. Ji Hefeng woke up when he heard the noise, and when he saw Zhao Jian'an come in, his eyes lit up. "She's here?"
Zhao Jian'an nodded, "He's outside, packing his things."
Just as Zhao Jian'an finished speaking, Molly came in. He got up and walked outside. "I'll go settle Mo An in first. Mo An will stay in the study for now, is that alright?"
“Okay.” Ji Hefeng couldn’t take his eyes off Molly the moment he saw her.
Molly was also looking at Ji Hefeng. She walked towards him step by step and sat down on the bed. Neither of them spoke first. Their eyes met, and after a long while, Ji Hefeng looked away first.
"I'm sorry." His voice was a little hoarse.
"I accept your apology," Molly said calmly.
"I didn't die, so you won't get the Blood-Soothing Gold, and you'll be dragged down by this cripple. I'm sorry," Ji Hefeng apologized again.
Molly sighed. "You forgot one. Isn't there another child? That child is eight years old?"
“Yes, he’ll be nine in a month. His parents just died, and he’s been abandoned by his family. If I don’t take him in, he’ll have nowhere to go.” Ji Hefeng apologized for the third time.
Molly gave a mocking laugh. "But you can't even take care of yourself. How can you take care of him? With me? I'm not enough taking care of you, and now I have to take care of him too? What do you take me for? Your servant?"
"Am I destined to suffer?"
Molly was angry; she had been holding it in all the way, and now that she had vented, her anger dissipated.
Ji Hefeng bit his lip, his lips trembling slightly. His eyes were bloodshot, the bright red color somewhat frightening. He looked like someone on the verge of death, refusing to give up, still struggling with all his might, until blood trickled from his lips and he tasted the metallic flavor of rust. Only then did he look directly into Molly's eyes, "You have a way, don't you?"
When Molly learned that Ji Hefeng was paralyzed, she suspected that he had asked her to accompany him to the army so that she could treat him. Now, hearing Ji Hefeng's words, she was certain. The last time he pulled someone back from the brink of death, Ji Hefeng still noticed something was wrong.
She wasn't afraid that Ji Hefeng would discover anything unusual; she was confident that even the most advanced medical methods wouldn't detect anything amiss in her body if she didn't want to.
"Molly, please, help me." Ji Hefeng's eyes were pleading, and he said the word "please" with great difficulty. Although he was lying down, Molly seemed to see his hunched back and drooping head.
This strong man, who was not even afraid of death, was now humbly pleading with her.
“I should have died. With the status of a martyr, my family might have been able to return to Beijing, and you could have received the compensation for my family’s death. But I didn’t die. The moment I woke up, I hated myself. I hated myself so much. Now I can’t do anything. I need someone to take care of me for eating, drinking, and using the toilet. I can’t even commit suicide.”
"In the days since I woke up, I have felt like I'm living a life worse than death every single moment."
"These past few days I haven't been able to do anything but think, and all I can think about is you. I've started to hope that you could save me."
"I desperately want to see you, I want you to give me an answer, whatever it is, as long as you tell me, I'll believe you, I'll accept it. I'll have the organization send that child away, and as for me, if I really want to die, there are still ways." As he said this, Ji Hefeng revealed a bitter smile.
Molly remained silent. In the apocalypse, she had seen too many people struggling to survive; having seen so much, her heart had hardened. Ji Hefeng's words did not move her; she didn't even care much about saving Ji Hefeng.
She did owe Ji Hefeng, but over the past year, she has repaid it.
But then she thought of the Ji family. Ji Hefeng was dead; they must be very sad.
She was still wearing the little clothes that Grandma Ji and her mother had made for her, and she lingered on that rare warmth.
Molly went to see Ji Hefeng again. Ji Hefeng was highly compatible with the pollutant in her body. If she continued to send the pollutant into his body, he might become the second pollutant in this world.
"What if the price of saving you is that you might turn into a monster?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
