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By the light of the orange flame, the survivors could now clearly see the faces of Song Jinchuan and Jiang Ci.
“Isn’t that Boss Jiang and Captain Song?” Although Song Jinchuan had already left the Cheetah Squad a long time ago, the survivors still habitually liked to refer to him as Captain Song.
The one who recognized them was a survivor who often went on missions outside the base. He had been to C City several times, back when Gourmet City was just a lone hotpot restaurant, so he recognised Jiang Ci.
The name “Boss Jiang” was already infamous throughout the post-apocalyptic world. Most people knew that in C City, there was Gourmet City, a city where you could find everything, and whose boss’s surname was Jiang.
The survivors immediately became much more enthusiastic toward Jiang Ci since many of them had relatives or friends who had gone to Gourmet City in C City that very day to buy winter clothes and blankets.
The woman immediately fell silent. Her husband had also gone to Gourmet City to buy a down jacket for their son.
Jiang Ci didn’t continue to linger. After seeing Zhou Mengqi and her mother gather their belongings, she and Song Jinchuan left, carrying the little girl away with them.
“Mengqi, where are you going with Boss Jiang?” one of the survivors asked, noticing that Zhao Mengqi was not only carrying her mother on her back while also holding her sister’s hand, but also lugging several bags behind her, as if they were moving.
Zhao Mengqi glanced at Jiang Ci. Without Jiang Ci’s approval, she couldn’t bring herself to mention that she was going to live at the base near Gourmet City.
Jiang Ci, however, spoke openly, “She’s joining my base. You’re all welcome to come in the future.”
Her words exploded like a bomb among the survivors. Everyone knew the conditions at Gourmet City were excellent, and they all began to stir with excitement.
Meanwhile, the woman behind them was still fantasizing about how she could take advantage of her daughter moving to Gourmet City. What she didn’t know was that Jiang Ci had already blacklisted her entire family through the system.
She was even more unaware that her husband, who was still in line at Gourmet City at the time, had also been inexplicably kicked out.
Later, as people from their base gradually migrated to the base at Gourmet City, only their family remained in the increasingly empty and desolate base, shivering and huddling together for warmth.
Of course, that was a story for later.
After Jiang Ci and the others left the base, they boarded a bus. Zhao Mengqi’s younger sister, Zhao Mengtian, though somewhat introverted, was happy to have her mother and sister by her side. She spoke softly, her voice barely audible.
The little girl Jiang Ci had rescued didn’t seem to talk much. She sat obediently beside Jiang Ci, wearing a cotton coat that was much too large for her.
In reality, it was the smallest size Jiang Ci had on her, yet it still hung loosely on the girl’s small frame.
Watching the interactions between Zhao Mengqi, Zhao Mengtian, and their mother, the little girl’s face showed an obvious sign of envy.
Jiang Ci patted her head and handed her a small piece of bread, then gave another to Zhao Mengtian.
“What’s your name?” Jiang Ci asked.
The girl looked at her blankly and shook her head in confusion. After a while, she hesitantly spoke, “Dead girl? Or maybe ‘money-loser’… that’s what Mom and Dad always called me.”
Zhao Mengqi couldn’t help but turn her gaze to the little girl, her brow furrowing slightly.
“It’s okay. From now on, your name will be Jiang Xing,” Jiang Ci said after a moment of thought, hoping the girl could leave the shadows of her past behind and find happiness.
Jiang Ci felt she couldn’t bear to be too harsh on such a young child. In this apocalyptic world, she always found herself softening at the sight of them.
Watching Jiang Xing’s eyes light up, Jiang Ci sighed and patted her head again.
Sitting in the warm and comfortable bus, Zhao Mengqi’s mother watched her two daughters playfully bickering. The atmosphere was exceptionally cozy, and she couldn’t help but smile.
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
By the time the bus returned to Gourmet City in C City, it was already very late. The bus stopped directly outside the base, and Jiang Ci arranged rooms for them, letting Zhao Mengqi’s family of three settle in first. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.
As they entered the room, Jiang Ci switched on the light. Zhao Mengqi still instinctively squinted despite the light not being too harsh.
She knew the conditions at Gourmet City would be good, but she hadn’t expected them to be this good.
After settling her mother on the bed inside the house, she walked over to Jiang Ci and stuffed her money pouch into Jiang Ci’s hands, “I’m not sure if this is enough for my mother’s medical fees and the rent. If it’s not enough, I’ll go out tomorrow to get more crystal cores.”
Jiang Ci glanced at the crystal cores in the pouch, took a few out, and returned the rest to her, “This is enough.”
Seeing Zhou Mengqi’s eyes redden slightly, as if she wanted to say something more, Jiang Ci waved her hand, “This is the market price, I’m not overcharging or undercharging. Alright, get some rest early, or the other survivors will complain about us disturbing the peace.”
With that, she and Song Jinchuan left with Jiang Xing.
Back in her own small courtyard, Jiang Ci finally relaxed. Overusing her abilities today had drained her energy, and now her eyelids were starting to feel heavy.
But she still forced herself to wash up Jiang Xing and herself. She hadn’t figured out where to place Jiang Xing yet, so for tonight, Jiang Xing would sleep in her room.
Jiang Xing was very well-behaved, seemingly just a few years old, yet capable of doing everything herself.
While Jiang Ci was running hot water for her, Jiang Xing awkwardly said, “I can just use cold water, I always use cold water at home.”
“Kids who use cold water won’t grow tall,” Jiang Ci said seriously, looking at her.
Jiang Xing nodded blankly and then obediently used the hot water.
While washing up, Jiang Ci heard a very distinct growling sound. She paused for a moment before realizing she hadn’t asked Jiang Xing if she had eaten anything.
She and Song Jinchuan had already eaten on the way, and when they went to Zhou Mengqi’s house, Zhou Mengqi’s sister and mother had just had some nutrient solution, so it had slipped her mind.
“Look at my memory, your mother probably didn’t give you anything to eat,” Jiang Ci said.
Jiang Xing pinched her fingers, “It’s fine, sister, I don’t eat at night.”
As soon as she finished speaking, another loud growl came from her stomach, as if contradicting her words.
Jiang Ci didn’t listen to her anymore and directly placed a portion of food in front of her, sternly telling her, “Kids who don’t eat won’t grow tall either.”
In the end, Jiang Xing wolfed down the food and then lay down obediently next to Jiang Ci.
At home, she was the one who bore the brunt of everything. Since the age of two, when she could walk on her own, the only thing that awaited her was endless beatings and chores.
She thought all girls were treated this way at home, until she saw other girls being cherished like treasures by their parents.
At that moment, little Jiang Xing seemed to understand that she was the only one who wasn’t loved.
So when Jiang Ci appeared before her, she could help but tightly grip onto this lifeline.
In the darkness, she tried to curl up as much as possible to avoid taking up more space, but the blanket was too warm, the scent around her too clean, and the older sister beside her was too gentle. Jiang Xing couldn’t help but quietly lean her head closer to Jiang Ci, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.
When she woke up, she realized she had somehow moved from the edge of the bed to the inner side. The blanket was tucked tightly around her, making her feel as warm as if she were soaking in hot water.
Jiang Ci was no longer by her side. Jiang Xing quickly got up from the bed and noticed that the tattered clothes she had been wearing were gone. In their place was a warm-looking down jacket and a set of thermal underwear.
After hesitating for a while, she put on the clothes. Just as she finished getting dressed, the door was pulled open from the outside. She quickly straightened up and looked at the person entering.
“Awake? Come and have breakfast,” Jiang Ci said as she walked into the room, closing the door behind her and shutting out the cold wind that was howling outside.
The weather was getting colder. The biting cold wind had blown all night, and heavy snow had fallen continuously. Jiang Ci’s room had been warmed by the air conditioner throughout the night.
Seeing Jiang Xing still standing there in a daze, Jiang Ci stepped forward to help her tidy her hair and put on a hat. After making sure Jiang Xing had finished washing up, she took her hand and led her to Song Jinchuan’s room next door.
Inside the room, a steaming bowl of congee and buns were already laid out, filling the air with the aroma of food.
After breakfast, Jiang Ci took Jiang Xing to find Jiang Meng. As the weather had turned cold, Jiang Ci no longer allowed the children to pack vegetables outdoors. Instead, she had exchanged points at the system for a dedicated nursery room. Jiang Meng was now the manager and part-time teacher of the nursery room, spending her days teaching the children, telling stories, and still joining them in packing vegetables during activity sessions.
Jiang Ci had also spent points to decorate the nursery room in colors that the children loved.
Now, several more children had been sent over by new survivors of the base to join.
Jiang Ci held Jiang Xing’s hand and said, “Stay here and play with these kids and Teacher Jiang Meng. I’ll come back to pick you up after I’m done with my work.”
Jiang Xing’s fingers trembled slightly as she held onto Jiang Ci’s hand, clearly reluctant to let go. Jiang Ci was the person she trusted and relied on the most in this place, and she wasn’t keen on staying with strangers.
Jiang Meng walked out of the classroom and crouched beside Jiang Xing. Her gentle voice quickly soothed Jiang Xing, who followed her into the classroom.
“Take care of her,” Jiang Ci said, relieved. Although she had hired many employees, her daily tasks were still overwhelming, and she couldn’t possibly take Jiang Xing everywhere with her. Entrusting her to Jiang Meng was the best solution she came up with.
“Don’t worry, Boss Jiang,” Jiang Meng replied with a smile. She was content with her current life—well-fed, warmly dressed, and doing the work she enjoyed.
Jiang Ci glanced through the window and saw that although Jiang Xing was still a bit nervous, some children had already approached her and started playing with her. Satisfied, Jiang Ci left.
After leaving the nursery, Jiang Ci headed to another base. At the entrance, she saw a family with large bags and backpacks, lingering outside the base.
Upon inquiring, she learned that they wanted to join Jiang Ci. Their base was next to Xie Ling’s, and after hearing that Xie Ling and her group had moved away and were now living well, they decided to seek a better future for themselves.
“After the heavy snowfall, many houses in our base collapsed, so we have to find another place to survive this harsh winter,” the survivor explained.
the translator has nothing to add ◡̈
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