Chapter 109: -Title missing-
Zhang Xiao Qiang stopped Yuan Yi, then got Yang Ke’er to throw down a few bags of rice from the dump truck, before hoisting them into the Hummer. He then instructed Yuan Yi: “Hand them to Old Frank. Tell him, it doesn’t matter whether he treats them as his daughters or his wives, he’d better take good care of them. These are the words from Cockroach!”
Yuan Yi nodded and resumed driving.
As the Hummer left, Zhang Xiao Qiang sighed yet again. This was the most he could do. At least he knew that Old Frank was trustworthy and dependable, his nature honest and kind. Being under him would be an infinitely better fate than being shared between the rest. Giving them some food and rice was also the least he, Zhang Xiao Qiang, could do.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts, before turning to the dump truck in excitement: “Time to unload!”
“Hey…ehhhh…” Yang Ke’er let out a long moan of frustration, as she sat down on the floor. She looked up at the various stacks of goods and sobbed. Even Su Qian who was usually mild-mannered looked like she was about to cry.
Su Qian was preparing dinner, while Yang Ke’er sat on a chair, engrossed in her [Plants vs Zombies 3]. Her mouth was muttering nonstop, while Zhang Xiao Qiang laid quietly on his bed, with Yuan Yi massaging him. As she applied more pressure, he would moan: “Gentler… ah, that’s the spot. Slightly harder…Shit… are you trying to kill me?” Following his moans and complaints, Yuan Yi’s expression was even more bitter than Zhang Xiao Qiang. She had no idea how to make him satisfied, and her forehead was slick with perspiration.
Zhang Xiao Qiang felt depressed, he had thought that with Yang Ke’er as a forklift, he could take the chance to slack off. In the end, when he was directing them, Yang Ke’er was confused about the item to throw, and he had no choice but to catch the bag she threw. Who knew it happened to be a whole bag of rice instead of clothes that he was asking for. What a tragedy.
Now, he was enjoying Yuan Yi’s massage, but cursing Yang Ke’er in his heart. As Yuan Yi continued to massage him, he could smell her fragrance and was slightly stirred.
Earlier, his words directed at her were not nonsense, he really couldn’t understand what she was thinking half of the time. Of course, other than Yang Ke’er who had no ambition nor thinking of her own, Zhang Xiao Qiang didn’t really understand any other woman, Su Qian included. Although she had initially given him a good impression, after a long time of interacting with her, he felt that there were certain things about her he was not comfortable with. Especially when he had told them to run earlier, she had been the fastest, without saying anything.
When he had witnessed how fast she ran, although it seemed like he didn’t mind on the surface, in his heart, he felt a little uneasy. If she had hesitated slightly, he might have felt better. Of course, these things could only be thought of, and not said. After all, Su Qian had listened to his orders to run, and instead, it was Yuan Yi who had disobeyed but stayed with him that caused him to be touched. Although he was still cold to her, he was not heartless.
“You already possess the strength to live on in this world, even surpassing most of the men. Why… are you unwilling to leave? Don’t you feel stifled by this life you’re leading now?”
These words have been floating about in Zhang Xiao Qiang’s mind, and finally, he spoke out, softly. He did not know how he would treat Yuan Yi in the future, he just knew that he was prickly about her height, and his past experience with taller women caused him to be spiteful towards them. Even if Yuan Yi was willing to die together with him, it was something that might not change.
Yuan Yi heard the question and paused slightly. She then continued the massage, while her sweet and clear voice rang out beside his ear.
“Me? I don’t know, I just feel scared, really scared. Even more so than when I was threatened to be fed to those monsters. I really don’t know, I don’t want to know how to live on by myself!”
She paused slightly again, but Zhang Xiao Qiang could feel that her momentum was increasing.
“It feels like a dream still, that everything has changed. When I hid alone in that warehouse, staring at that corpse, day after day when the sunlight shone on me, I would think to myself ‘Yuan Yi, when will you become like that?’ I was scared, that was why I ran. When I lived with Brother Long and those bastards, I hated it, but I was also scared, even when I wanted to die, I couldn’t!”
Zhang Xiao Qiang could feel a few warm droplets of water on his back, he didn’t say anything and did not disturb Yuan Yi, instead, he laid there quietly and accepted it until even the tears turned cold. He didn’t console her either, he wouldn’t do that. In this desolate world, one could only rely on oneself, he just laid there and listened to her. Yuan Yi did not say much as well, it was like she had been repressing her feelings for so long and finally broke down, rambling on and on. After she finished, she felt refreshed, as though a weight had been lifted off her heart. She had never been so calm since the apocalypse started.
Yuan Yi was extremely thankful to Zhang Xiao Qiang and grateful for his listening ear. She could pour out her burdens, even in this apocalyptic world, which was already a blessing. She looked to him, and wanted to say thank you, but realized that his head was skewed and his eyes shut. It was evident that he had been sleeping for some time. Yuan Yi smiled gently as she covered him with his blanket, looking at his face that resembled a child while he was sleeping, before walking out.
=
Early the next day, Zhang Xiao Qiang got up and wore his clothes. He had forgotten everything that Yuan Yi had said, only remembering Yang Ke’er’s reckless throwing of the rice sack that nearly broke his back. He honestly had no way to deal with that stubborn kid, she might even have forgotten what he had done. Furthermore, she knew his tenacity and was less worried about him not being able to recover.
He walked to the garden and noted that the darkness of the night was receding, however, the mornings were eerily calm, with no sounds of birds chirping, or the hustle and bustle of humankind. It was truly desolate.
The Hummer stopped by the chicken farm. Zhang Xiao Qiang did not get off, only horning a few times. Soon, Old Frank appeared, and he brought the keys to open the gate, as he nodded at Zhang Xiao Qiang.
He saw that it was Old Frank who opened and immediately got down, before assessing Old Frank. Apparently, he had tidied himself and even washed his clothes. Some of the torn parts of his clothes had been patched, and his unkempt hair was combed neatly. He looked positively younger.
“Haha! Not bad! Just a few touches here and there and you look so much younger!” Zhang Xiao Qiang teased Old Frank, who turned red with embarrassment. He muttered: “It’s thanks to the pair of sisters you sent over last night, Brother Cockroach!”
“Haha!” Zhang Xiao Qiang roared with laughter: “You must treat them well! You can be considered an old cow enjoying young grass, ah!”
(Idiom: Old cattle enjoying fresh grass – meaning an older man paired with a much younger woman.)
Old Frank heard that and hurriedly corrected him.
“Brother Cockroach, I.. I’m only 28 this year!”
Zhang Xiao Qiang was shocked to the core, he had always thought Old Frank looked so honest, and attributed it to his personality, instead it turned out that he was truly young, and was just slightly mature-looking.
“How are the sisters?” Zhang Xiao Qiang looked at Old Frank, who was red with embarrassment, after all, he could not allow the people he brought here to be bullied.
“They’re fine! I’m taken them in as sisters, with Brother Cockroach’s gift of rice, I can assure you that I will take good care of them!” When he spoke about them, Old Frank’s eyes flashed with joy, his entire expression one of happiness. It seemed that he truly felt great about having family again.
Zhang Xiao Qiang was not too interested in how he took them in, he nodded to express his acknowledgment, and drove the Hummer in.
