In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 184: The Cool Dad in the Apocalypse (End)

The scene was quiet for a moment. Qi Sheng turned his head and keenly noticed a flash of panic in Qi Lei’s eyes. What else was there for him to not understand?

Was he still doubting his character?

Alright, considering the original host had so many past offenses, it was only natural to be suspected at a time like this.

But Qi Sheng was still a bit dissatisfied. He fidgeted with his hands, and couldn’t help but roughly ruffle his son’s hair.

“Let’s go. Put the stuff back. We still have to come back and continue shopping.”

“Oh… okay!”

Qi Lei stood to the side, letting Qi Sheng do as he pleased. Seeing that his expression didn’t change and that he didn’t even glance at the two people in the distance, he followed Qi Sheng toward the parking lot.

Even after the father and son had left for a while, Yang Ning was still frozen in place. She wanted to chase after them but didn’t dare to. Thinking about the things in Qi Sheng’s hands, she ground her teeth in frustration.

Su Xue, who stood next to her, had guessed Qi Sheng’s identity after seeing Qi Lei. The man looked just like someone wealthy. She couldn’t understand why her mother could just let him leave like that. Based on her usual behavior, shouldn’t she have clung to him by now?

Yang Ning didn’t notice her daughter’s gaze. Even if she had, she would’ve had nothing to say—not because she was especially noble or honorable, but because after doing something so shameful, she didn’t have the face to go looking for him again. Truth be told, there were quite a few people Yang Ning had wronged. The fact that she was still able to live her life relatively well was because she had learned to keep her head down when necessary.

The most serious reason behind their divorce years ago was an affair—Qi Sheng had caught her cheating in bed. That was supposed to be a day when Qi Sheng was studying out of town, but he’d stubbornly returned early to surprise his beloved wife. As history has shown us, surprises can sometimes turn into shocks. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment, and things quickly turned into a case of love turning into hate.

Yang Ning didn’t even dare recall how she had survived that day. The image of her nearly rolling and crawling half-naked into the street to escape was terrifying even now.

From that point on, the man who once wouldn’t even speak harshly to her began to look at her like he wanted to eat her alive. Since then, whenever Yang Ning saw Qi Sheng, she avoided him like the plague. Otherwise, given her pampered and delicate nature, during those days of hardship when food and clothing were scarce, and even knowing that Qi Sheng’s hometown wasn’t far and that his life was likely better than hers, she had never dared to shamelessly ask to return.

That had been her plan at the time, but now, seeing that pile of food made her ache with regret. Knowing someone was doing well and seeing them do well with your own eyes were two completely different things. And so, Yang Ning began to hatch another little scheme.

Well—technically, she was still afraid of dying. So Yang Ning set her sights on Su Xue.

“Xiao Xue, do you want to live with your brother?”

Su Xue had a gentle temperament but wasn’t a fool. She asked warily, “What are you trying to do?”

“You always said you didn’t want to trade your body for food, right? Mommy was wrong before. Xiao Xue, you’re such a good girl. How could you do something like that? Mommy thought about it, and since your brother’s living so well now, giving us a bit of help should be nothing to him!”

“You want to cling to my brother?”

“What do you mean cling? He’s your brother. I carried him for ten months and gave birth to him. We share the same blood! Do you think he’d really just watch us starve and freeze on the streets?” Seeing Su Xue stay quiet, Yang Ning assumed she was tempted and continued to persuade her. “Xiao Xue, haven’t you always liked your brother? This is the perfect chance for you two to get close!”

Su Xue stayed silent for a long time. Yang Ning thought she was hesitating and was just about to come up with more convincing arguments when the stubborn girl in front of her suddenly nodded.

Yang Ning was overjoyed. “Ah, Xiao Xue, I knew you were the most sensible!”

With a new target in mind, Yang Ning no longer bothered with anyone else. She pulled Su Xue aside and began teaching her how to soften Qi Lei’s heart. Su Xue listened quietly, occasionally nodding.

Meanwhile, Qi Sheng had no idea what the mother and daughter pair were scheming. After finally sorting out the first batch of groceries, he wiped his hands, reorganized the grain they were about to buy, and looked at Qi Lei standing quietly nearby.

“You really didn’t see anything you liked just now? If you don’t buy anything today, we won’t be coming out again anytime soon.”

Qi Lei did want to buy something—and more than that, he wanted to know Qi Sheng’s true attitude. So he said, “I saw a pair of snow boots I liked just now.”

“Then let’s go check them out. Better not let someone else buy them first.”

Qi Sheng spoke so naturally that Qi Lei, who had imagined many different scenarios, was momentarily stunned before breaking into a smile. He immediately walked over and helped Qi Sheng carry his backpack, obediently saying, “Dad, I also saw someone selling ice skates. I want a pair too.”

“Ice skates? Your younger brother might want some too. Let’s go find him.”

The two returned to the market again. From a distance, Yang Ning caught sight of them and her eyes lit up.

“Xiao Xue, when Qi Sheng isn’t looking, sneak over and talk to your brother. Remember, don’t let that bastard Qi Sheng see you.”

Su Xue nodded. Yang Ning added, “When you talk to him, be sure to mention your current situation. Say as many pitiful things as you can—make him feel sorry for you!”

“I understand.”

Su Xue listened quietly, occasionally responding to Yang Ning with a few words. She kept her eyes on the tall and handsome young man in the distance. Seeing him occasionally smile and talk to the man beside him, she suddenly felt an urge to cry, though she couldn’t know why.

When Qi Lei was alone again, Yang Ning quickly nudged Su Xue. “You remember everything I told you, right? Our future depends on how well you do.”

Su Xue simply nodded in silence. Her usual quiet nature didn’t raise any suspicion in Yang Ning.

Qi Lei was trying on a pair of snow boots in the shoe section, admiring their style, when the light was suddenly blocked by the figure of a girl standing in front of him.

Looking up and seeing Su Xue, Qi Lei wasn’t particularly surprised. He stood up and led her to a relatively secluded corner. Watching the girl silently bow her head, he asked, “Are things going okay for you now?”

“N-Not really…” As soon as she spoke, tears began streaming down her face.

Qi Lei didn’t reach out to comfort her. Instead, he dug into his coat pocket and pulled out a few hard-boiled eggs, handing them to Su Xue. “This is all I can help you with right now. You… You should just… never mind. Just take care of yourself.” He originally wanted to tell her to leave Yang Ning, but seeing the frail girl in front of him, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Su Xue looked at the hand reaching out to her—slender, pale, holding four boiled eggs. Even through the shells, she could almost smell the aroma.

She accepted them carefully, holding them as if they were precious treasures. Finally, she lifted her head.

“Brother…”

That single word was all she managed before she broke down crying again.

Seeing her helpless expression, Qi Lei felt a pang of discomfort. He thought about her situation, then finally softened a bit. “Give me some time. I’ll see if I can find you a job in the city.”

He had helped his uncle and great-uncle sell things a few times and had met some capable business owners in the city. The only thing he could do now was try to help Su Xue gain the means to survive.

“The job will probably be tough, but at least you’ll be able to live with more dignity. Those bosses are decent people—they won’t make things hard for you on purpose.”

Su Xue started crying harder at his words. She didn’t speak, just clutched the eggs and sobbed.

Seeing this, Qi Lei frowned. “Are you scared it’ll be too hard?”

Su Xue shook her head.

Qi Lei looked even more puzzled. “Then why are you still crying?”

“…Wu… Brother…”

Seeing her cry without saying anything more was giving Qi Lei a headache. Fortunately, Su Xue eventually cried herself out and finally stopped. Otherwise, his patience would’ve run dry.

“Brother, I… I came to say goodbye this time. In a while, I’m planning to leave this place with a classmate.”

“Leave?”

“Mm. Don’t worry. The place my classmate chose offers a better chance of surviving than here, so I want to go there.”

Su Xue made up her mind when Yang Ning had told her to cling to Qi Lei earlier. Before this, she had hesitated to leave because she and her mother still had each other. But today, after seeing Qi Lei again, she finally decided to part ways with her mother.

“Brother, thank you for everything—both before and now. Please take care of yourself.”

After speaking, Su Xue carefully placed the eggs into her pocket. Seeing Qi Lei frowning with disapproval, she gathered her courage and gave him a quick hug.

“Brother, let’s both live well. I’ll come back to visit you someday.”

With that, she quickly let go, took one last look at him, and turned to leave in a hurry.

Qi Lei stood there watching her figure disappear. He didn’t chase after her or ask where she was going. Just now, for the first time, he had seen a spark of courage in that once-fragile girl’s eyes.

On the way home, after the family had finished shopping, Yang Ning sat peeling a boiled egg with a satisfied smile. “Your brother’s pretty generous. Just a few tears and he softened up. Good job, Xiao Xue! Keep it up next time!”

Su Xue didn’t reply. She still looked like the obedient, quiet girl she always was.

It wasn’t until a few days later, when Yang Ning returned from outside and found a note left in their shabby tent, that she finally realized the girl who used to listen to everything she said had truly left her.

During that time, Yang Ning even waited for Qi Lei at the market to ask where Su Xue had gone. But all she got was the same answer as what was written in the note—no one knew where she had gone.

Qi Lei had been a bit worried that the girl might do something foolish. But later, when Zhao Xiaofei came to play while on a supply run, he revealed a little information.

“Have you heard of Yang Yi from Second High? He was one of Su Xue’s admirers. His family has some military connections. I heard they moved to Shang City a while back. Su Xue probably left with him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well… not completely, but I think my guess is probably right. Yang Yi did help Su Xue fend off a few thugs before. Now that he’s still willing to help her, I think he must still like her. So, it’s not impossible that he took her away.”

Qi Lei thought of the hope that had shone in the girl’s eyes when she left, and could only silently agree that this might indeed be the case.

As the two of them chatted, Zhao Xiaofei looked at the chubby dog wagging its tail by Qi Lei’s side and couldn’t help but lick his lips.

“Brother Lei, I think this dog of yours looks kinda… delicious!”

Zhao Xiaofei stared at the shiny, plump local mutt at their feet, and images of hot pot and seasoning filled his mind. Seeing its round little belly, he suddenly felt his own stomach growl.

Qi Lei glanced at his friend, whose eyes were practically glowing, and his expression instantly turned cold. “Get lost!”

“Haha, just kidding! But seriously, looking at your dog’s size, I feel like it’s eating better than I am!”

Qi Lei glanced down at the chubby dog curled up at his feet and rubbed his brow in exasperation. Fat Dumpling’s size really did make it look like their family was living far too comfortably.

Well… they were indeed doing well, but the dog getting this fat was mostly due to the hidden rivalry between him and his younger brother Qi Hang.

Normally, the two brothers rarely argued or competed over anything—after all, Qi Lei was several years older than Qi Hang, and he didn’t feel right about fighting over things with a younger sibling. But when it came to raising their two puppies, they were inexplicably locked in a quiet competition.

The direction of their competition was quite bizarre too. In addition to seeing whose dog was better trained, they also competed over whose dog was fatter. So these two pups, who had been chubby since birth, simply stayed that way through the years!

Their bodies were now a perfect match for their names!

Zhao Xiaofei stayed at Qi Lei’s house for a long while. During that time, Qi Hang came bouncing in with his own dog. Seeing another fat pooch, Zhao Xiaofei practically started drooling.

So now the question was: could he have hot pot tonight or not?!

In the fifth year of the apocalypse, the disasters hadn’t lessened with time. On the contrary, increasingly extreme weather continued to torment everyone living on this land. Fortunately, as long as there was a sliver of hope for survival, humanity never gave up.

Agricultural techniques had advanced at an unprecedented pace. These days, even with harsh weather conditions, every household had protective greenhouses that could guarantee their harvests.

Food was no longer so scarce, but to better handle the ever-changing climate, the government had gathered numerous technical experts to focus on improving farming and protection methods.

Now nearing twenty, Qi Lei had grown into a bright and cheerful young man over the past five years.

“Xiao Lei, come with me to the city tomorrow. I need to buy another generator.”

“Sure.”

Qi Lei readily agreed, then suddenly thought of something and rushed into the room at the front of the yard with excitement and curiosity. Looking at the pile of equipment in front of him, he asked, “Dad, are you almost done designing the automatic greenhouse?”

Qi Sheng was busy working and didn’t even look up. “Almost.”

Qi Lei was overjoyed and walked into the workshop to help his father.

The convenience store that had once been prepared for the old man had now been completely converted into Qi Sheng’s workshop. Three years ago, he began reading all kinds of books on manufacturing, and in the past year alone, he’d already invented many useful gadgets.

Qi Lei admired his father’s talent and stayed close to learn everything he could.

Both father and son had long been dissatisfied with the current greenhouses. Though they helped guarantee some crop yield, every time the weather changed, every household had to spring into action. If the automatic greenhouse could really succeed, they’d no longer have to rely on manual labor to activate protection—and maybe it would even perform better!

The two of them worked straight through the day. When Tian Yue got off work and saw the kitchen still empty, she didn’t even have to guess—those two were holed up in the workshop again.

Resigned, she rolled up her sleeves to prepare dinner, all while mentally planning out her teaching schedule for the next day.

Even though the schools in the city couldn’t function as they used to, the truth that knowledge drives productivity never became outdated. So, once people gradually adjusted to the disasters of the apocalypse, reopening schools became a top priority. Tian Yue, being an excellent teacher in the city, was naturally hired.

Qi Sheng was too busy with his research to accept a teaching position, and he and his son were still buried in their designs when Qi Hang came rushing home after school.

“Dad, how far have you gotten? I want to join too!”

So Tian Yue stood by the kitchen, glaring coldly at the three men holed up in the workshop, feeling a very strong urge to scream at the top of her lungs.

The elderly couple looked at each other as their repeated calls to dinner were ignored. Picking up their chopsticks, they turned to Tian Yue and said, “Forget them. Let’s eat.”

If they weren’t even enthusiastic about eating, it clearly meant they weren’t truly hungry!