Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Mom! Why are you here?

Xiang Tian looked every bit the traditional soldier—honest, enthusiastic, and kind. He didn’t seem like someone with malicious intent.

However, Xing He felt that because everything looked so perfectly reasonable, it created an inexplicable sense of eeriness. Out of caution, she personally lugged the bag of rice out of the car and discarded it.

Jiang Ping’an didn’t seem to understand why Xing He would throw away such important food. She pressed against the car window, staring at the scattered rice on the ground with a look of deep, bitter sorrow. In the passenger seat, Qing Meng remained impassive; she had likely guessed Xing He’s reasoning. Xing He didn’t have a hobby for killing, so she had naturally left a few insignificant survivors. Setting aside any suspicion of Xiang Tian, they had offended many people today; being cautious was only logical.

Worried about being followed, Xing He intentionally took several detours. Only after confirming no one was behind them did she return to the main road. It was around four in the afternoon when the group arrived at the small courtyard.

Jiang Ping’an was never one to hide her thoughts. Before even entering the gate, she was already making a fuss.

“Whoa! What is this made of?”

“I feel like this is similar to the bank vaults in movies. Oh, right, or like those doomsday bases in sci-fi films.”

“Hey, does this door use facial recognition or a card swipe?”

As it involved her secrets, Xing He found it inconvenient to answer. Qing Meng, however, had no such scruples. “If you have this much energy to talk, you clearly aren’t starving.”

Jiang Ping’an, who was looking around with great interest, was startled by Qing Meng’s sudden remark. She stopped making a fuss but continued to mumble under her breath. “This beauty is magnanimous and won’t bicker with ‘Little Meng-zi’.”

Xing He couldn’t help but let out a laugh. Qing Meng gave her a light, fleeting glance.

Oh no… forgot Qing Meng is still angry.

Xing He: Cease smiling, sit upright, look straight ahead.

As soon as they heard the roar of the engine, the people inside the house were ready to greet them. The gate opened, and just as Xing He finished parking and stepped out, the crowd swarmed around them, chattering away.

Fan Hua pointed and gestured. “Where did you guys go? Why didn’t you take me? Did you secretly go on a honeymoon?”

“Why didn’t you say anything before leaving? Auntie Hui made lunch for you today, and we waited forever but nobody came back.”

Chen Xia was speaking up for Auntie Chen, but she was clearly curious about where the two had gone. Auntie Chen didn’t like to pry into the affairs of young people and simply asked with concern, “Did you eat lunch? Are you hungry? Should I go make something now?”

Compared to the two adults, Dou Dou was sensible beyond his years. He didn’t ask where they went, but simply narrowed his round eyes and smiled. “Sister Xing He, Sister Qing Meng, welcome home! I missed you a lot today!”

Xing He patted Dou Dou’s head and turned to Auntie Hui. “Sorry, Auntie Chen, we made you worry today. Next time we go anywhere, we will definitely tell you in advance.”

Qing Meng also got out of the car. Her heart felt more uneasy than Xing He’s. After all, the events of the morning had been triggered by her. When she left, she hadn’t planned on returning, so she hadn’t said goodbye to Auntie Chen. The well-bred Qing Meng had never been so rude; her face flushed with hindsight, and she apologized to Auntie Chen with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Auntie Chen. I wasted your kindness. We’ll heat up the food and eat it later.”

Speaking of food, Jiang Ping’an and Xiao Yu hadn’t eaten properly for days and were surely starving. Xing He added, “Auntie Chen, is there enough food for two more people?”

To avoid wasting food, the lunch portions hadn’t been large. Chen Yun smiled. “It’s the same to make it now.”

The crowd was curious. Two more people?

“We brought back two people. One is Qing Meng’s best friend, and the other is from the rescue team…”

Xing He was about to introduce everyone, but when she looked back, only Qing Meng was beside her. Where were they?

Receiving Xing He’s confused look, Qing Meng turned to look inside the car. Jiang Ping’an was still sitting motionless in her seat, and Xiao Yu, who was napping on her lap, naturally hadn’t moved either.

Qing Meng called her in a louder voice: “Ping’an?”

Jiang Ping’an was immersed in her own world. She stared at Chen Yun and cried out, “Mom! Why are you here?”

She rushed to Chen Yun’s side with extreme urgency, grabbing her hands and checking her body for wounds. Her tone held both surprise and the relief of surviving a disaster. After confirming her mother was standing there perfectly fine and looking normal, the heavy stone in Jiang Ping’an’s heart finally fell to the ground.

Mom?

Everyone was shocked. Xing He suddenly remembered asking Jiang Ping’an at the hospital if she wanted to leave together. At the time, she had refused Xing He because she needed to find someone. And when buying spices before, Auntie Chen had mentioned she had a daughter around Xing He’s age. Connecting this series of events, Xing He realized the truth.

“Is Auntie Chen the person you were looking for?”

Jiang Ping’an nodded, a genuine smile—one not seen for a long time—appearing on her face. “She is my mother.”

Chen Yun’s expression was a bit confused. She seemed familiar with the person and the voice in front of her, but she couldn’t quite remember. “…My daughter?”

Jiang Ping’an nodded eagerly. How could her mother not recognize her after only a few days? “It’s me!”

Chen Yun let out an “Aiyo,” looking as if she had remembered. She became happy instantly and asked with concern, “Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt anywhere, did you? Have you eaten enough these past two days?”

Jiang Ping’an’s eyes felt hot. She shook her head. “Mom, I’m fine. I’m not hurt, and I’ve been eating well.”

Chen Yun held Jiang Ping’an’s hand back, wanting to nag some more. “Ping… sigh, look at my memory. How can I not even remember your name clearly?”

“Eh… Ping-what was it? This name was chosen by me and the old man together.”

Chen Yun knocked hard on her own uncooperative head. She felt as if those two characters were very clear and about to emerge, but she just couldn’t remember them. What’s happening?

Afraid her mother would hurt herself, Jiang Ping’an worriedly tried to hold her hand. Someone beat her to it—it was Qing Meng.

Qing Meng gently pulled Chen Yun’s hand down and settled it. When she spoke, her gentle, clear voice carried a power that set people at ease, calming the frantic emotions of both women. “Auntie Chen, if you can’t remember, don’t force it. Ping’an and I forget things like this all the time. It’s no big deal.”

Xing He also spoke up: “Auntie Chen, we haven’t eaten all day and even fought some bad guys. Everyone is starving.”

Upon hearing they had fought, Chen Yun’s attention was successfully diverted. “Oh, why were you fighting? No one is hurt, right?”

Xing He shook her head, her tone rare and slightly coquettish. “Everyone is brought back to you safe and sound. We just want to eat a bite of your cooking. We want it right now.”

Chen Yun laughed. “You child. Fine, I’ll go cook. You all wait now.”

Chen Yun left, and the area fell into a brief silence. Only after her figure vanished did Jiang Ping’an ask urgently, “What happened to my mom?”

Qing Meng told her everything about Chen Yun’s condition. After listening, Jiang Ping’an solemnly thanked Xing He. Thanks to Xing He, she had the chance to see her mother again. Xing He simply waved it off; it was merely to ease the guilt in her heart. She couldn’t accept such a thanks.

Still worried about her mother, Jiang Ping’an could only entrust Xiao Yu to Qing Meng for the moment. “I’ll go check on her. Xiao Meng, you help me treat Xiao Yu first.”

Qing Meng nodded. “Go ahead.”

Chen Yun was busy at the stove preparing ingredients when she saw Jiang Ping’an enter. She was a bit surprised. “What’s wrong? Are you so hungry you want to eat some fruit to tide you over?”

Jiang Ping’an shook her head. “No.”

Chen Yun’s gaze held a hint of suspicion. “Then what are you doing here? You can’t be here to give Mom a hand, can you? With those hands of yours, you could peel a potato into a grape. Are we going to eat dinner tonight or not?”

Jiang Ping’an said embarrassedly, “It’s not that exaggerated.”

“You were busy with work and didn’t cook every day; did you think Mom didn’t know?” Chen Yun’s tone was filled with visible heartache. Her understanding of Jiang Ping’an was etched into her bones; even if her memory wasn’t clear, she could reflexively speak of her various habits.

The emotions in her heart were swirling again. Jiang Ping’an tried to keep her voice calm. “That was in the past. I just wanted to come in and give you a massage.”

Chen Yun laughed and scolded, “Don’t cause trouble, I’m still cooking!”

“It’s okay, it won’t interfere with your cooking.” Jiang Ping’an stepped forward without further discussion and began massaging her shoulders.

Taking advantage of the massage, she saw the wound on Chen Yun’s head. As a doctor truly on the front lines, she actually understood her mother’s condition better than Qing Meng did. Without equipment, if they didn’t rely on external intervention and simply let the hematoma dissipate on its own, the best-case scenario would just be an extra scar. The worst case was the hematoma pressing on nerves, leading to gradual memory loss and eventually loss of consciousness.

Jiang Ping’an wasn’t a pessimist; she didn’t like to think of the worst-case scenario the moment a problem arose. But Chen Yun was her closest relative in this world. The thought of her mother losing her memory or even her consciousness made her feel a bit dejected.

That morning, Jiang Ping’an was on the night shift at the hospital. After realizing things were wrong, her first act was to call Chen Yun. Chen Yun was already at her shop.

She promised Jiang Ping’an she would go home immediately and told her not to worry. Jiang Ping’an felt relieved and went back to the task of evacuating patients. Later, when she called Chen Yun again, no one answered.

Upon discovering that Chen Yun was not among the evacuated crowd, Jiang Ping’an immediately decided to sneak out of the group and go home.

Even in such chaotic times, she was caught red-handed while climbing a wall by a female military officer who appeared out of nowhere.

Jiang Ping’an had an impression of this officer—it was Xiao Yu, who had rescued them from the hospital that day.

For some reason, Xiao Yu insisted on following her without a word. Lacking the time to argue, Jiang Ping’an tacitly allowed her to stay by her side.

Support Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse