Chapter 279 - Meeting An Old Friend Again

Qingcheng was located at the northern edge of the mountain province.

Compared to Pingyao’s beef, Fenyang’s fen wine, Guangling’s dried bean curd, Jiaocheng’s date… Qingcheng was nothing special.

But this was Chen Yu’s hometown.

It was the most sentimental place since ancient times.

It was like meeting an old friend.

Just like a mother waiting for a wanderer without any news…

“Mom, let’s go inside.”

Walking into the balcony, Chen Siwen held Mother Chen’s slightly hunched back. “The weather is getting colder, don’t catch a cold.”

“It’s not cold.” Mother Chen’s voice was hoarse. “I can see far from here. When I see Xiao Yu coming back, I can give him hot dishes in advance.”

Chen Siwen forced a smile. “The news of the fall of capital city has just… just arrived. Xiao Yu also needs time to rush back. It’s too early today.”

“The news of the capital city just arrived…” Mother Chen turned around, her eyes dry and lifeless. “But it was destroyed last night…”

“…” Chen Siwen was silent.

“Didn’t Xiao Yu say he would leave early?”

“…”

“It’s been so many days. He should be here by now.”

“…” Chen Siwen remained silent.

With her hands on the balcony, Mother Chen’s cloudy eyes tried hard to look ahead, hoping to find the figure of the ‘child’.

However, she could only see the increasingly blurred mosaic.

After a long while, Mother Chen lowered her head, rubbed her eyes, and turned around to walk back to the house.

Chen Siwen: “Mom…”

Mother Chen: “I’ll go heat up the food. Xiao Yu doesn’t like cold food…”

Turning around, she saw her mother’s back swaying further and further away. Chen Siwen bit her lips. She allowed sorrow and despair to take over her entire body.

What was the meaning of living in this world?

Every person who was asked might have their own different answers.

But without exception, these answers were all related to the ‘future’.

Unfortunately, the current human race could no longer see the future…

Knock, knock, knock!!

Just as Chen Siwen was in a daze, a series of knocking sounds came from the door.

After she was stunned for a moment, she suddenly came back to her senses and instantly rushed into the room with burning energy!

Bang!

Bang!

Rustle…

She knocked the sofa away, overturned the refrigerator, crushed the floor tiles, and kicked the coffee table…

She rampaged all the way to the door and pulled it open with red eyes. “Chen Yu! You still know how to…”

“…”

“…”

Chen Siwen’s turbulent emotions slowly calmed down.

Outside the door, it was not her younger brother.

“I want to see if Chen Yu has returned.” Sister Qi was dressed in a cheongsam and a scarf, and there was a cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth. “Looks like… He’s still on the ‘road’.”

“…”

Chen Siwen did not reply. She only turned her body sideways. “Do you want to come in?”

“No.” Sister Qi shook her head and left indifferently.

Bang.

After closing the door, Chen Siwen sighed. She turned around and found Mother Chen standing behind her.

“Is Xiao Yu back?” She asked a useless question.

“He should be back soon.” She also said a useless sentence.

“That’s good! I’ll go and heat up the dishes for him.”

She returned to the living room and sat on the messy floor.

Chen Siwen stared at the television screen, but she couldn’t hear a single word.

After a long while, she took out her phone and dialed Chen Yu’s number for the umpteenth time.

(Sorry…)

Chen Siwen said, “Sorry, the subscriber you dialed has their power turned off!”

She could even recite it.

“Siwen, the dishes are ready,” Mother Chen said as she walked out of the kitchen.

“Okay.” Putting down her phone, Chen Siwen stood up. “I’m going to serve the dishes.”

“Did you call Xiao Yu?”

“…I did.”

“…”

“…”

As soon as she said that, the mother and daughter looked at each other and fell silent again.

“Siwen…”

“Mom, tell me.”

“Xiaoyu…” Mother Chen looked up. “Is he really not coming back?”

Chen Siwen: “He…”

“Is he really dead?” At this moment, Mother Chen finally cried out. “Is he really dead?!”

“Mom, it won’t happen.” Chen Siwen felt the same way. She also burst into tears and hugged her mother. “He can’t die. You’re not even dead. Can he die?”

“I…” Mother Chen’s crying stopped.

“He can’t die. He won’t die.” Chen Siwen hugged Mother Chen tightly and wiped her tears away. “He’s only in his twenties! He should only die when he reaches your age.”

“I…” Mother Chen stopped crying.

“If the d*mned people aren’t dead, how can the ones who shouldn’t die die?”

Mother Chen: “…”

“Wow…”

“Miss.”

“Wow… Ah?”

“With these few heartfelt words from you, I feel much better.”

“Mom, it’s good that you’re not crying.” Chen Siwen wiped her tears away.

“Daughter, as long as you’re happy.”

The old and young hugged each other, immersing themselves in the atmosphere of deep love and filial piety.

Without a pillar of support, this tiny family could only rely on themselves in the future…

Knock, knock, knock!

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door again.

Chen Siwen let go of her hand and looked up at the door. “What is she doing here again?”

“Open the door.” Mother Chen was exhausted.

“I’m not opening it. She’s annoying.”

“After all, she’s half your sister-in-law. What if she has Xiao Yu’s child in her belly?”

Chen Siwen: “…”

Knock, knock!

The knocking on the door grew louder and louder.

“F*ck, this is so annoying.”

Chen Siwen’s expression was unsightly. She walked to the door and angrily pulled it open.

Creak —

The moment the door opened.

The entire world fell silent.

Because the figure outside the door was the man that the mother and daughter had been longing for…

Ten seconds.

Thirty seconds.

Fifty seconds…

The first person to react was Chen Siwen.

Her eyes became redder and redder. She staggered forward and grabbed Chen Yu’s hand while trembling. “Xiao… Xiao Yu…”

“Sis.” Chen Yu smiled. “I’m back.”

“You’re back…”

“Yes, I’m back.”

Reaching out, Chen Siwen caressed Chen Yu’s face. Tears streamed down her face. “So… Today is already the seventh day.”

Chen Yu: “…What?”

Slap!

Mother Chen could not take it anymore. She slapped her daughter away and hugged Chen Yu. She cried out, “Xiao Yu! Why are you only back now?”

“I wanted to give you guys a call, but for various reasons, I did not succeed. I simply rushed back in a day’s journey.”

“It’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back… Oh right, Xiao Yu, you must be hungry, right? Mom… Mom has already heated up the dishes. Eat them while they’re hot!”

“Okay.”

Chen Yu nodded.

Mother Chen immediately ran into the kitchen with high spirits.

“Xiao Yu…” Chen Siwen looked at Chen Yu in a daze. “You… You’re really not dead?”

“Sis, you’re not even dead yet. How can I die?”

“…” Chen Siwen was silent for a moment. “Why do these words sound so familiar…”

…

She closed the door and entered the living room.

Chen Yu put down his backpack and weapons and looked around the messy environment. “Did you dismantle landmines at home?”

Chen Siwen: “…”

“Aiyo, the load-bearing wall is still there. It’s really good.”

Chen Siwen: “…”

Bending down, Chen Yu straightened the furniture one by one and sat down on the sofa. “Phew… This journey has tormented me to death.”

“Xiao Yu.” Chen Siwen sat beside Chen Yu and hesitated. “Capital city…”

“Capital city is destroyed.” Chen Yu took out a cigarette and lit it expressionlessly. “You should all know about it, right?”

“Yes.”

“I just found out too.” He exhaled a mouthful of white fog and closed his eyes. “During the early stage of the nuclear bombing and the mid-stage of Qinghai Li’s attack, more than half of the exotic beasts were eliminated. However, the capital city was still unable to stop the remaining Beast Tide.”

“When did you start to run away?”

“After the early stage.”

“You also went to the battlefield?”

“Of course.” Chen Yu flicked the ash off his cigarette. “I’m a martial artist. At least I have to go up and kill for a while.”

“Didn’t you say that you could escape ahead of time?”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you escape?”

“I escaped, but not completely.”

Chen Siwen: “…”

The siblings looked at each other.

After a long while, Chen Siwen cried out.

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you crying? Aren’t I already back?”

“Chen Yu, that’s a Beast Tide! How dangerous is it?! Why didn’t you come back earlier? Tell me, if you were to die without a corpse, in the wilderness, without a complete corpse, without a complete body, and with an unsatisfied death, what would Mother and I do?”

Chen Yu: “…En… Sister, I can understand your feelings, but the way you use words is a little… too savage.”

“That’s an exotic beast!”

“I know, but exotic beasts aren’t that cruel.”

“Why didn’t you call ahead of time?”

“There’s no signal. When there’s a signal, there’s no electricity.”

“Can’t you just borrow someone else’s phone?” Chen Siwen was furious.

“I did, but there’s still no signal.” Chen Yu spread his hands. “Oh right, speaking of phones, I suddenly remembered something.”

As he spoke, he took out three mobile phones from his pocket.

His own.

Bahuang Yao’s.

As well as the truck driver’s.

“Something happened on the road. I’ll contact the driver’s family first.” Stopping Chen Siwen who wanted to speak, Chen Yu picked up the Nokia phone, pressed the button, and searched for the contact directory.

He found that there was only one number in the entire directory.

(Mom: 13889 * * * * * * * * * *)

Sitting on the sofa, Chen Yu thought for a while and pressed dial-up.

Du —

Du —

“Hello? Son, you’re back? Mom will go cook now.”

The old and hurried voice of a woman came from the receiver.

Chen Yu held the phone, not knowing how to speak.

“Son, for your return, I made all your favorite food!” At this time, Mother Chen held a clean bowl and chopsticks and jumped like a child. She happily emptied the coffee table and put the tableware on it. “The dishes are all hot. They’ll be up soon.”

“…Okay.” Chen Yu nodded.

“Hello? Who are you?” On the other end of the receiver, the old woman who heard the voice sensed that something was wrong and said hurriedly, “Where is my son?”

“Aunty.” Chen Yu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, “I am a customer who hired your son’s vehicle. There was an accident on the road.”

“…What… What accident?”

“Your son, has passed away.”

“…”

“I have his cell phone with me. I’ll send it back to you by air in the afternoon. Zhongtong Express Delivery Company may also contact you through this number to discuss compensation issues.”

“Thank you.”

The speaker on the receiver only sent out two words before the call was hung up.

Looking at the busy Nokia, Chen Yu sighed.

“The dishes are here! Siwen, move aside. Don’t you have eyes?”

“Oh, oh…” Chen Siwen quickly moved aside.

Mother Chen placed the plates of ‘dishes’ on the coffee table.

Every dish, whether it was meat or vegetarian, had become something like a ‘paste’.

Obviously, they had been heated dozens of times..

After a long silence, Chen Yu suddenly picked up the chopsticks and put the ‘paste’ into his mouth.

At the same time, his tears were also falling.

Perhaps, to others, these dishes were things that could not be swallowed.

But to Chen Yu, these were plates of deep motherly love, plates of boiling family love…

“Mom, Sis.” Wiping the corner of his eyes, Chen Yu forced a smile. “You guys eat too.”

“No.” Chen Siwen shook her head. “They’re all cooked to the point of being rotten.”

“Yes, it’s all overcooked.” Mother Chen nodded. “Your sister and I will eat the new ones.”

“…”

Chen Yu’s smile froze…

…

After eating and having a simple conversation with his family, Chen Yu left the house.

He had a lot of things to do.

Mailing the cell phone.

Arranging for the body of Bahuang Yao.

Making preparations before ‘faking his death’.

Gathering the recent details of Qingcheng Alien Realm.

And… He had to go see Sister Qi.

He went downstairs and used his cell phone to contact Ma Li. Then, he drove the frozen car into the underground garage of the Ma family manor.

Then, he hurried to the cigarette shop on Elm Street.

But when he arrived at his destination, he found that the door of the shop was closed. The windows on the second floor were all closed.

“Huh?”

Frowning, Chen Yu walked around the villa and stopped a nearby resident. He asked, “Sir, why is this shop closed?”

“This shop?” The old man tilted his head and looked at the shop from top to bottom. “It’s been closed for a long time.”

“It’s been closed for a long time?”

“Yeah, it’s been closed for more than half a month.”

“Alright, thank you.”

After thanking him, Chen Yu walked around to the backyard of the villa again. He bent his waist and lifted his foot, smashing the window and jumping into the house.

Padah.

After his feet landed on the ground, Chen Yu glanced left and right and heaved a sigh of relief.

From the looks of the floor, furniture, and decorations, Sister Qi still lived here every day.

She did not leave this city.

“It’s not much different from before.”

Walking into the kitchen with ease, Chen Yu poured himself a glass of water and began to knock on the door one room at a time.

“Hey? Sister Qi?”

“I’m back.”

“Are you at home?”

“How have you been recently?”

“Do you still need chopsticks to go to the bathroom?”

Pushing open all the rooms on the first and second floors, Chen Yu did not find Sister Qi.

“Not at home?”

After thinking for a moment, he walked back to the second floor and entered the bathroom. He touched the toilet seat and said, “Yes, it’s still warm. She hasn’t been gone for long.”

The toilet seat: “…”

“Where did she go…”

Sitting on the toilet seat, Chen Yu drank water while thinking.

Not long after, he slapped his forehead and said, “F*ck! Did she go to that place?”

With this thought in mind, he drank the rest of the water in one gulp and took a piss. He quickly walked to the window and jumped down, running toward a park.

Soon.

He arrived at the park.

He saw the camphor tree.

At the same time, he also saw the figure of the woman in front of the camphor tree.

Although the woman’s back was facing him, Chen Yu immediately recognized the woman’s identity.

It was the female owner of the cigarette shop — Sister Qi.

At this moment, Sister Qi stood in front of the tree and looked at the scratches on the bark in a daze.

“Once, you had a wish.”

Chen Yu’s voice came from behind.

Sister Qi’s body trembled and her pupils slowly contracted.

“That was to send your child to the College Entrance Examination.” Chen Yu walked in front of Sister Qi and reached out to touch the scratches on the bark. “Now, he’s back. Do you want to see how tall he is?”

As he spoke, Chen Yu stood in front of the bark and used the top of his head to compare the scratches on the back.

Sister Qi smiled.

She laughed until two tears fell.

Then, she opened her arms and hugged Chen Yu tightly.

“Xiao Yu.”

Looking at the familiar, handsome, and friendly face of the youth, a desire that she had not felt for a long time suddenly arose in her heart. She caressed the youth’s strong back and her body trembled slightly.

It was the compression of emotions.

It was the romance that was stored up.

It was… the emergence of hormones.

It was a woman’s hair that was rarely seen in her life…

“Let’s go.” Sister Qi’s eyes were as clear as autumn water. “Follow me home.”

“Okay, Sister Qi.”

“You still call me sister?” Sister Qi was shy.

“…Mom.”

Sister Qi: “…”

Instantly, all her thoughts vanished into thin air…