Upon seeing her Uncle and his family still alive, Jing Shu let out a soft sigh of relief. Her memories of Uncle Su Yiyang's family were of frequently visiting his home as a child, where Aunt Wang Fang would cook dishes Jing Shu enjoyed.
After her grandparents passed away, although they were in the same city, they seldom met, gathering only for the annual New Year's Eve dinner.
Three years into the apocalypse, a global earthquake struck.
Wu City, situated in a basin, experienced earthquakes every three or four days, but they were never above magnitude 6. Unlike Sichuan, where the earth shook twice daily and a major one hit every month or two. People in Sichuan said the earth was their bed that year.
Still, the Wu City Government urged citizens to sleep in squares, refugee camps, or on flat ground at night and distributed supplies to them.
Jing Shu vividly remembered that evening when her Aunt Wang Fang said, "The square smells awful, filled with all sorts of noises like grinding teeth, farting, and snoring. We just had a mild tremor, and it won't shake again so soon. Doesn't the Li family go back to sleep at home every night without any issues? Besides, Su Long can't stand this cold weather. Let's just go home for one night."
Su Long was Uncle Su Yiyang's son, five years younger than Jing Shu. He was a child of Uncle's later years and incredibly precious to them.
Uncle's family went home to stay. That night, a magnitude 6 earthquake hit, with the epicenter in the area of their home, causing surrounding apartment buildings to collapse.
There were no search dogs to rescue people, no firefighters for search and rescue, not even news reports, nor any investigation into the number of casualties from this earthquake.
Because it was the apocalypse; people died every day.
More people went to scavenge for supplies. Without sunlight, agricultural produce was scarce. There was no cotton, no clothes, no quilts; everything was lacking. Many people scavenged the ruins, occasionally pulling out a few bodies and even stripping the clothes off them.
Seeing this, Mrs. Jing cried, wanting to search for the bodies with her younger sister. Her younger sister, Su Meimei, cried, saying she was scared. Mrs. Jing then pulled Mr. Jing to go and search. When they found them, the sight was too gruesome to bear.
Jing Shu felt that her mother's indulgence towards her younger sister, Su Meimei, was partly because of the tragic death of Uncle's family.
In this life, I will no longer give Mom a reason to indulge Little Aunt, nor do I want Mom's brother to die again.
Her Little Aunt, Su Meimei, loved beauty but wasn't beautiful herself. Her daughter, Zhang Hanhan, was twenty, and they didn't have a good relationship.
This was because Little Aunt's husband, Zhang Zhongyong, favored sons over daughters. In 2002, during the family planning period, Zhang Zhongyong, being a government employee aiming for a promotion, couldn't have a second child. This probably marked the beginning of their marriage breakdown.
Zhang Zhongyong had an affair with Xiao San and even had a son with her. A few years into the apocalypse, he made the affair public, forcing Little Aunt into a situation where she and the other woman served one husband.
But it was only before my death that I discovered Uncle Sun and Little Aunt had been involved for a long time. Uncle Sun truly lacked courage. Little Aunt's husband dared to make his affair public, but Uncle Sun only dared to carry on in secret.
Unloved by her father and uncared for by her mother, Zhang Hanhan grew up selfish, self-absorbed, and hostile towards everyone.
As for Su Meimei, an ingrate who repaid kindness with ill will—Mom couldn't bear for her to die, and I couldn't either. I always wanted to push her to the edge of an abyss, then kindly pull her back, only to push her again...
RUMBLE~ RUMBLE~
Just as Jing Shu was recalling her past life, her stomach embarrassingly growled, and it was loud at this uncanny time.
"What mischief have you been up to again, you little rascal? Today, I've invited your Uncle, Aunt, and your Little Aunt and Uncle Zhang over for a meal to discuss your matters." Mrs. Jing rushed out of the kitchen wielding a cleaver... and handed Jing Shu a burnt... fish.
"Eat this first. Go talk with your Uncle and the others."
Well...
That scared me to death!
Seeing the burnt fish, Little Aunt Su Meimei stood up. "I'd better go help my sister."
Su Meimei had truly had enough of Mrs. Jing's cooking, from childhood to adulthood. She initially thought her sister did it on purpose, but later realized it was genuinely because Mrs. Jing was physically uncoordinated. Su Meimei had even been smug, thinking Mrs. Jing wouldn't find a good husband—but who would have known? Su Lanzi, who couldn't cook and did nothing, found a wonderful man who cherished her, loved her, and entrusted her with their finances! He even doted on their daughter like a precious pearl! And I, Su Meimei, who could cook and do everything, ended up with a man who did nothing but criticize me, required his approval for every purchase, a complete chauvinist! And the daughter I bore is treated as utterly worthless! Why! Su Meimei pinched her palm, suppressing her emotions.
Borrow money tonight? Dream on!
Jing Shu placed the mineral water in her bedroom and found that the boxes from today's medicine purchase were all piled up there, making the already cluttered small room even smaller. Fortunately, Little Aunt and the others probably haven't discovered them, right? Otherwise, if they come asking for medicine after the apocalypse starts, it will be troublesome.
After Jing Shu came out and chatted for a while with her Uncle and the others, Mr. Jing returned home. The thought of having to ask for a loan brought a troubled expression to the honest Mr. Jing's face.
Dinner was soon ready. It had to be said, Little Aunt's culinary skills received everyone's approval. Mr. Jing poured wine for Uncle and Little Aunt's husband, Zhang Zhongyong, and after a couple of rounds, he brought up the topic.
"Jing Shu has always dreamed of becoming a celebrity, a streamer. As her father, I'm so happy she's found a career she loves, and of course, I'll support her fully! Now, the opportunity has arrived. An entertainment company sent a contract offer. If we pay a sum, they can make her a star. Then she'll be able to earn her own money. I'm very proud of her! It's just 1,500,000, right? I'll scrape it together for her!"
As Mr. Jing spoke, he raised his glass and drained it. Uncle and Little Aunt's husband also drank up. Aunt Wang Fang and Little Aunt Su Meimei silently picked at their food on the side.
Jing Shu's eyes suddenly reddened. I don't know why. Is it wrong to deceive Dad—my kind, easily-persuaded Baozi's father—into begging for money like this? No, this is to let them re-evaluate Little Aunt! And at the same time, to see what level of relationship we should maintain with Uncle's family in the future. Never casually test human nature! Because it can't withstand the test! Why do I want to borrow money? First, to let my parents know who will help them in times of difficulty, so they have a clear idea. Second, borrowing money now to buy various supplies is also to help those who lend us money avoid the disasters of the apocalypse. After the apocalypse hits, money will be worthless, but supplies will be valuable. Then, I can repay the debt with supplies, helping them survive better in the apocalypse. I won't forget those who help me; I will treat them well. This is my reason for borrowing money. But if no one lends me even a penny, will I still have to provide supplies to those ingrates after the apocalypse and support them for nothing?
"The shop earns money, but that's nothing compared to what Jing Shu can earn on her own," Mr. Jing continued. "So we sold it! We sold it today for 600,000, and the money is already in the account."
"We're selling the house and car too! Old Sun still owes me 100,000 and said he'd pay it back in a few days, but the contract requires an 800,000 deposit by tomorrow. The car is hard to sell quickly. So, the reason I've called everyone here today is to ask if you can lend some money to Lan Zhi and me. Once we sell the house and car and get the money, we'll repay you."
For his daughter's future, Mr. Jing, though it was hard for him, finally spoke up. He looked at everyone with nervous anticipation. In Mr. and Mrs. Jing's minds, they'd repay the money in a few days. It was just a matter of bridging a short-term gap. Since they were all close relatives, they should agree, right? If any of them were in difficulty, Mr. and Mrs. Jing would surely support them without a second thought.
Old Sun will repay? Tsk, tsk, how naive. Old Sun's money is with me. Isn't there a saying? If you're unwilling to spend money on your wife, someone else will gladly do it for you and take your place, Su Meimei thought smugly, her gaze drifting over to the cuckolded man. She found Zhang Zhongyong comfortably drinking, completely unperturbed. It looks like he's not going to express an opinion and expects me to handle this.
Su Meimei ground her teeth and pinched her palm again. He's clearly setting me up to be the bad guy, to be the one to turn them away!
"What entertainment company is it? Don't get scammed. There are too many fraudulent schemes nowadays." Aunt Wang Fang's focus was clearly different.
"It was introduced and vouched for by the son of Zhu Zhengqi, an old colleague I've known for over twenty years. Jing Shu, bring the contract out for everyone to see." Mr. Jing trusted Zhu Zhengqi very much.
Jing Shu's heart skipped a beat. Aunt Wang Fang is a lawyer. She won't discover something, will she?