"That's right. Eldest Uncle didn't even reserve any for Father and Mother, let alone for them."
The siblings' banter left Madam Qi completely embarrassed. She huffed and puffed, her chest heaving like a bellows, glaring at the two children with a menacing gaze.
Given her temperament, she wouldn't concede easily. She had already made up her mind. For now, in front of her elder brother-in-law, she would endure it. As soon as they were out of his sight, she planned to thoroughly deal with these three disobedient children.
Fortunately, the brothers, Xi Zi and the other, had a plan. Based on their years of understanding Madam Qi, they suspected she was brewing mischief these past few days. Even with the escort from the镖局 (biao ju - escort agency), they were still worried about their grandfather and Madam Qi traveling together.
After discussing it, they decided that Qi Fang would accompany their grandfather back. Otherwise, the two brothers wouldn't be able to sleep soundly from worry.
As it turned out, their foresight was well-placed, and it was a good thing Qi Fang had returned with their grandfather.
Upon returning home, the old village chief wrote a letter of safety. In it, he mentioned that on the day before they were due to arrive home, Madam Qi had acted like a bandit, trying to snatch the items Qi Yuanshan was bringing back for the old village chief.
She wouldn't let go even when they refused. She threw tantrums and clung to the items, insisting they were meant for her.
The old village chief was mortified and almost gave up on the items.
Just as Madam Qi was basking in her smugness, Qi Fang took decisive action. He stomped on Madam Qi's hand, grinding down hard. The pain made Madam Qi yelp in agony, and she finally let go.
After reclaiming the items, Qi Fang no longer traveled with them. He and his grandfather carried the goods and hired another ox cart to return to Qi Family Village.
Xi Zi read the letter and murmured to Uncle Yuanshan, "Uncle, you see? It's a good thing we let Xiao Fang go back with Grandpa. Otherwise, Grandpa would have suffered a great loss."
Qi Yuanshan didn't respond, secretly cursing in his heart: What sort of person is this, truly shaming the ancestors of the Qi family.
The weather grew colder, but Fu Xinci and Qi He still went to the seaside.
With just the two of them, Fu Xinci didn't hide anything from him. She took out two pairs of small, high-waisted waterproof boots and gloves from her space.
Seeing this gear, Qi He became even more enthusiastic, collecting seafood with even greater vigor.
Qi He had an advantage that others didn't: he did whatever Fu Xinci asked without questioning where she got these things. Sometimes, he even helped Fu Xinci keep them secret.
In his heart, he and Sister Fu were on the same side. Following Sister Fu's instructions was always the right thing to do, and he was certain Sister Fu would never harm him.
Grandpa Meng and Qi Yuanshan also noticed that after the weather turned cold, these two children were collecting more seafood at the beach than they were themselves.
Surprised, they let the children make their own arrangements.
...
Even after the apocalypse, the weather turned cold early. However, Longcheng Base did not appear desolate.
Especially every evening, everyone preferred to gather in the trading hall, staring at the vending machine, wondering what good things the people from Longteng would get today.
At the same time as yesterday, the people from Longteng, led by their captain, casually arrived at the trading hall.
In the hall, many ability users proactively sought to establish good relations with them. Especially the female ability users, who greeted Yang Xinjie, Xiao Ai, and Xu Ruyi with smiles.
The companions were not unfriendly. As long as there were no major grievances, they would give others face.
Upon seeing the Longteng group arrive, a tall female ability user, with a very impressive physique, grabbed Yang Xinjie and started whispering in her ear.
Yang Xinjie stole a glance at the woman's ample bosom, feeling a twinge of envy. Then, she remembered the woman's predicament, and the envy vanished.
In this apocalypse, a beautiful woman who couldn't protect herself was a sin.
She felt fortunate that at the beginning of the apocalypse, she and her companions were successively rescued by the captain. They had also shown good judgment and joined Longteng, which the captain had founded. Their journey had been safe thanks to the captain's protection.
"What are you thinking about?" Xiao Ai, seeing Yang Xinjie frown, couldn't help but come over and hold her hand.
"Nothing. Did you bring a pen? Later, have Xinci get us some underwear."
"We thought of the same thing. The straps on my underwear are loose too," Xiao Ai said mysteriously.
"What are you two whispering about? You look like you don't want anyone to know."
Seeing that the silly girl Xu Ruyi was about to blurt it out loudly, Xiao Ai quickly leaned into her ear and whispered a warning, "Silly girl, do you want to announce your underwear to everyone?"
"Okay." Xu Ruyi immediately shut her mouth.
After Xiao Ai finished writing down everyone's sizes, the lights on the vending machine lit up.
Looking at the items displayed, even the base leader who entered later couldn't help but murmur to himself: It's truly fitting.
Right after Longcheng had undergone its transformation, Fu Xinci sent over cold-weather clothing. She was truly an exceptional young woman.
What a pity, what a pity...
A strange thought suddenly entered the base leader's mind. Perhaps it was destiny.
He, a Level 5 initial stage lightning ability user and a Level 4 high-stage water ability user, was not only the highest leader of Longcheng Base but also the person with the highest ability level in the base. Yet, he believed in destiny, and firmly so.
He wondered if others would look at him like a monster if they knew his thoughts.
Base Leader: He felt he had grasped the truth.
Next, the lights that lit up on the vending machine panel once again made him believe that inviting Longteng to join the official team, especially to become his direct subordinate, was the most correct decision.
"My goodness, it's combat boots!"
Seeing a pair of women's combat boots displayed on the vending panel, the trading hall erupted in excitement once more.
As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In Longcheng, as winter approached, without a good pair of shoes, it was impossible to go on missions. Sitting and consuming resources would only lead to freezing to death from hunger.
The captain had recently learned to show off a little. He glanced at the base leader before instructing Xiao Ai, "I want ten sets of clothes and ten pairs of boots. The remaining clothes and boots should be for men."
"Yes."
The base leader said nothing, but he had fully captured the glance from the Longteng captain.
Next, the vending panel displayed a string of purple, crystal-clear grapes, as alluring as agate, which made even the base leader unable to remain calm.
Mouth-watering, the base leader was also human. He was only thirty years old. Who hadn't been a baby once?
Besides, he had two precious treasures at home, one big and one small.
When the captain received the bag of grapes, he guarded against everything but never expected the base leader to snatch them.
The captain decisively analyzed the situation, practiced detachment, and then nudged the base leader with his elbow, "Don't grab them. We'll share when we get back."
Base Leader: "I want a whole bunch."
Captain: ...
"My big and small treasures at home haven't eaten fresh fruit in a long time."
Captain: As if they had.