In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 182: The Cool Dad in the Apocalypse (12)

With two new members in the family, Qi Sheng decided to use the old bricks left over from dismantling their old house to build a luxurious and comfortable doghouse. The two dog owners, of course, had to serve as labor for the construction project.

Fortunately, both of them were quite willing and proactive, though they had plenty of opinions about the newly built doghouse.

Qi Hang: “Dad, can we build a slide for the dogs? That way they’ll have a playground too!”

“How about two windows? That way there’ll be sunlight inside!”

“There should be a door too—then it won’t get cold in winter!”

“Dad, next time we go out, let’s buy them a soft cushion!”

…

In just one day, Qi Hang had rapidly been promoted to Meatball’s dog dad, eager to provide every kind of thoughtful service imaginable.

“Summer’s almost here. No rush on the cushion—who knows, we might need to get them cooling pads instead.”

“As for the slide, let’s forget it. The yard’s big enough for them to run around in.” After answering Qi Hang, Qi Sheng looked over at Qi Lei, who was quietly working, and asked, “Lei Lei, any thoughts?”

Qi Lei thought about how Fat Dumpling had just come over to nuzzle him and, unable to hold back his curiosity, asked, “Are they going to live separately or together?”

“Together. They’re from the same litter—they can keep each other company.”

Qi Lei nodded in response. And so, the doghouse construction was completed while the three of them built walls and discussed the structure together. After cleaning the ground thoroughly, Qi Sheng even laid down some leftover floor tiles from a previous renovation.

Their doghouse was definitely worthy of being called luxurious. From the outside, it resembled a human dwelling, with double wooden doors in the center. The upper part of the doors was specially designed by Qi Sheng with a barred style, which could be covered in winter with two wooden panels to block the drafts—ensuring the doghouse stayed warm in winter and cool in summer.

After it was finished, the old lady in the house even came over to inspect it carefully. At first, Qi Sheng didn’t understand why she was observing the doghouse so intently—until a few days later, she returned home carrying a box of fluffy yellow chicks.

“Xiao Sheng, get cracking on building me a chicken coop in the next couple of days! And it needs to keep my chickens warm in winter, cool in summer, and safe from wind and rain!”

Qi Sheng: …

So that’s why she’d been inspecting the doghouse so closely a few days ago!

Qi Sheng counted the chicks—there were twelve in total, which was no small number. Once they grew up, they’d need a lot of space. So, Qi Sheng pulled his two sons in to help with building the chicken coop.

The month of May passed by with Qi Sheng building living quarters for the animals and harvesting eggplants to make eggplant sauce. The sale of both the eggplants and the sauce was handled entirely by Qi Mao and Qi Sen, who both carried the weapons Qi Sheng had provided. They didn’t run into any trouble on the road.

Qi Sheng had thought that these peaceful, tranquil days might last at least another month. But unexpectedly, as June arrived, the weather suddenly turned. It was as if a second sun had appeared in the sky, and a new round of brutal heat began in full force.

The whole family had no choice but to huddle in the living room with the air conditioning and fans on, sighing as they looked out at the blazing sun.

It wasn’t until 5 p.m. that the heat finally began to let up a little, and it was then that Qi Mao came to find Qi Sheng.

“Xiao Sheng, in a few days, we’d better harvest all the potatoes. I’m afraid if we wait any longer, the ground will be too hard to dig!”

Qi Sheng, thinking about the current weather, naturally had no objections—harvesting now at least meant they’d get something.

This second major decrease in yield caused food prices to rise again for city dwellers who had no means of growing or harvesting their own crops. That summer, even with emergency reserves of grain and other food, many households in various regions still struggled to meet basic daily needs.

By August, the scorching heat continued to intensify. Many regions experienced large-scale injuries and illnesses due to the extreme temperatures.

Even so, nature seemed unwilling to spare the suffering masses. Communication became unstable, and reports began trickling in that several coastal cities had been completely flooded or battered by violent typhoons. These updates gradually reached Qi Sheng’s ears.

But at this point, Qi Sheng no longer had the heart to care about anything happening outside.

Just a few days ago, Qi Lei had unfortunately suffered from heatstroke and fallen ill. He’d been plagued with severe diarrhea and vomiting, and within just a few days, he’d visibly lost weight.

Qi Sheng’s heart ached seeing the boy so weak he could only lie in bed. Worried something might happen, he had stayed by Qi Lei’s side constantly these past few days.

“Lei Lei, sit up. Dad will feed you some mung bean porridge.” The porridge had been left to cool to room temperature. After helping the boy sit up, Qi Sheng carefully fed him spoonful by spoonful.

“I can do it myself.”

Even after several days of being cared for like this, Qi Lei still wasn’t quite used to the newfound closeness.

“It’s okay. You just sit still—I’ve got it.”

The bowl of porridge was soon finished. Qi Sheng reminded him, “Sit for a while before lying back down,” and took the bowl to the kitchen.

Qi Lei obediently sat there, staring blankly at the doorway until Qi Sheng returned and brought him back to his senses.

This time, Qi Sheng came in with a small plate of cold cucumber salad, planning to offer a change of flavor later.

“Want to listen to some music? Dad can bring you the phone.”

Qi Lei shook his head. “No need.”

His face was pale, and Qi Sheng knew he didn’t have much energy, so he didn’t press further.

The room was very quiet. It was just too hot outside—no one was on the roads. Even the two puppies, now three months old, were lying quietly in their doghouse, panting and trying to cool off.

Qi Sheng had thought this silence would go on uninterrupted, until he heard the sound of Qi Lei shifting on the bed.

“What’s wrong? Do you need to go to the bathroom?”

Qi Lei shook his head and looked at Qi Sheng. “You don’t have to stay here with me all the time. If I need anything, I’ll call you.”

“You don’t need to feel guilty. I want to stay with you. From the time you were little, I never really took good care of you. I missed your entire childhood. I just want to make up for that now.”

The teenager on the bed lowered his head at those words. Seeing this, Qi Sheng didn’t say anything more.

He quietly sat there with him, until the boy finally spoke again.

“Dad…”

The long-lost word suddenly rang in Qi Sheng’s ears, and for a moment, he didn’t quite register it.

He looked at the teenager, whose eyes had turned red, and felt a pang of panic. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling worse somewhere?”

Qi Lei shook his head, then nodded again. After a long silence, his hoarse voice finally broke the quiet.

“Why did you say those things that day?”

“What things?” Qi Sheng didn’t understand at first. But then he noticed the large teardrops falling from the boy’s eyes—and finally realized which day he meant.

“Lei Lei… I’m sorry. I did a lot of things wrong in the past.”

Qi Sheng didn’t want to make excuses. The original version of him had messed up terribly—no amount of apology could truly make up for it.

“Lei Lei, what happened before was all my fault. But from now on, I won’t let you feel wronged again.”

The only thing Qi Sheng could do now was make a promise for the future. But the boy in front of him still kept his head down, silently crying. The stifled sobs tugged painfully at Qi Sheng’s heart.

He pulled the boy into his arms, gently wiping away his tears, unable to resist stroking his cheek as he asked, “Does it still hurt?”

The boy in his arms sobbed softly. Qi Sheng thought he wouldn’t get a reply.

Until a hoarse, suppressed voice finally sounded in his ear: “It hurts… it really hurts…”

“It’s my fault…”

After that, the father and son didn’t speak again for a long time. The only sound in the room was Qi Lei’s muffled crying, until Qi Sheng fully embraced him, allowing all that repressed emotion to finally pour out.

That afternoon, Qi Lei cried for a long time, and Qi Sheng stayed by his side, gently patting his back the whole time.

Perhaps releasing years of pent-up grievance and pain helped, because over the next few days, Qi Lei’s condition finally began to improve.

This illness became a turning point in their relationship, and from that day onward, Qi Sheng finally heard the boy call him “Dad” in a natural way.

It wasn’t until November that the weather finally started to cool down. And, if last year was anything to go by, it wouldn’t be long before heavy snow hit again.

Qi Mao and Qi Sen came to Qi Sheng’s house and sat gloomily on the living room sofa, worrying about their future livelihood.

“There are only a little over two months of normal temperatures in a year. Once the stored food is gone, are we supposed to survive on potatoes year-round?”

Thinking about the land lying fallow made Qi Mao both distressed and helpless.

Qi Sen was equally troubled, especially after hearing the latest news, which only added to his headache.

“People like us who still have land are already struggling—what about those stuck in the emergency shelters? If even basic living conditions can’t be maintained, the whole society’s going to fall apart!”

People hold onto morality when their basic needs are met, but if survival itself becomes a problem, some will inevitably abandon that sense of right and wrong.

When that happens, those of them who are relatively better off will become the first targets for those desperate to survive.

Qi Sheng understood their worries but still tried to reassure them. “It won’t come to the worst-case scenario. No matter how bad things get, people always find a way.”

But his words felt too hollow. The other two didn’t seem very comforted. Seeing their troubled faces, Qi Sheng continued, “We should start thinking about building some greenhouses. They’ll help us get through the freezing days ahead.”

Talking about farming seemed to lift Qi Mao’s spirits a bit. “You’re right. We have to hurry and get some greenhouses up. With more protection, maybe we can get a bit more yield.”

“But where are we going to find materials to build them?” Qi Sen asked anxiously.

Qi Sheng thought for a moment. “If we’ve thought of building greenhouses, then others must have, too. And with so many people who don’t have land to rely on, this might actually be the only viable option.”

Qi Sheng had a point. Education levels had improved in recent years, and most people still had moral lines they wouldn’t cross—at least not until things got truly desperate.

Better to fight now than wait for despair to take over.

Even what was left of the government had recognized this. Almost as soon as the weather improved, government workers began coordinating efforts to relocate and assist the displaced people living in temporary shelters.

Most factories had originally been built in the suburbs. While many were damaged by the earthquake, some still had machines that could either be used immediately or restored with repairs.

Humanity was adapting to this long, uncertain catastrophe as quickly as it could, facing the challenge with determination and perseverance.

By the time the first snow fell, Qi Sheng’s family and two others had managed—through food bartering—to construct a greenhouse of about three mu (roughly half an acre).

Once it was complete, they immediately planted cold-resistant crops—radishes, spinach, napa cabbage. Even in the harshest cold, the greenhouse allowed them to maintain a livable temperature for growing food.

That winter, the entire extended family survived on the fresh vegetables grown in that greenhouse. And across the country, families like theirs had finally managed to reap a bit of harvest and hope.