Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: They Are Both Women, What’s The Problem?

When the two of them arrived at Chen Yun’s home, there was no sign of her.

They went to the vegetable market, but the shop was empty as well. Jiang Ping’an refused to believe that Chen Yun had met with disaster; she searched around the market for a long time, with Xiao Yu following her the entire way.

Eventually, Jiang Ping’an found a mobile phone lying on the ground. In that instant, she was crushed by regret. She should have known that every brick and tile of that spice shop was Chen Yun’s lifeblood; her mother wouldn’t have been so obedient as to leave immediately upon receiving a phone call. She must have settled everything in the shop before departing. Jiang Ping’an shouldn’t have just called her; she should have gone to find her immediately.

Every day following that, Jiang Ping’an was tortured by guilt, making it difficult to sleep. She even began to harbor thoughts of having no attachment left to this world. It was precisely because of her dazed state that, when the two returned to the evacuation point, Xiao Yu was blindsided by those thugs and suffered a heavy injury. Jiang Ping’an’s will to live was reignited; at the very least, Xiao Yu could not die here.

Thus, she had volunteered herself as a doctor, saying she could treat their wounds, wash clothes, cook, and even sweep the courtyard. As long as they let her give Xiao Yu emergency treatment, she was willing to do anything.

Coming to the present day, Qing Meng and Xing He had come to rescue them. Xiao Yu could receive treatment, and her mother was still alive. Everything was still in time. Jiang Ping’an finally relaxed her tense shoulders slightly.

By the time Chen Yun finished cooking a table full of food, Qing Meng had also finished treating Xiao Yu’s wounds. Perhaps due to the medication, Xiao Yu’s spirits were a bit better, and she looked capable of eating something.

When Xing He and Qing Meng helped Xiao Yu into the room, Fan Hua and Chen Xia were helping Chen Yun set the table. On the table were stir-fried seasonal vegetables, shredded potatoes, tomato and eggs, and sausages and cured meat. Considering the patient Xiao Yu, a light and nutritious meatball soup had been specially prepared.

Although they had initially asked Chen Yun to cook just to distract her, everyone was genuinely hungry—especially Jiang Ping’an, whose appetite was whetted the moment she saw such a rich spread. Thus, under the patronage of a group of “gluttons,” the meal ended as quickly as a whirlwind sweeping through clouds.

After the meal, Fan Hua and Chen Xia were very self-aware; they pulled Dou Dou along to conduct a round of self-introductions to the new companions. Jiang Ping’an naturally responded politely: “Hello everyone, my name is Jiang Ping’an. I am a doctor and also Qing Meng’s university classmate. Please look after me in the future!”

Dou Dou looked at Jiang Ping’an with curiosity. Jiang Ping’an liked this cute little fellow very much and made a point to smilingly instruct her: “You can call me Sister Jiang, just like how you call Qing Meng ‘Sister’.”

Dou Dou nodded and called out sweetly, “Sister Jiang.”

Then, the little fellow’s eyes darted around before she shook her head, correcting herself. “No, no, I can’t call you Sister Jiang.”

Jiang Ping’an was puzzled. “Why? Don’t you call Qing Meng and Xing He ‘Sister’ as well?”

Dou Dou frowned, appearing unsure of how to put it. Jiang Ping’an pointed at Fan Hua and Chen Xia, guiding her patiently: “What do you call them?”

“Sister Fan Hua and Sister Chen Xia.”

Jiang Ping’an taught Dou Dou to use analogy: “Exactly, so calling me Sister Jiang is the right thing to do.”

Dou Dou looked at Chen Yun, then at Jiang Ping’an, her expression looking very conflicted. “This is Grandma Chen. Grandma Chen is your mother, so I should call you Auntie Jiang.”

There seemed to be some logic to that. Jiang Ping’an found herself speechless, silenced by a child’s reasoning. Fan Hua couldn’t help but burst into laughter, and even Qing Meng allowed a rare smile. Jiang Ping’an’s face darkened; everyone else was a “sister,” while she alone was an “auntie”—it felt like she had aged several generations for no reason.

No, absolutely not. “I don’t accept this! Everyone, call me Auntie!”

Chen Yun gave her shoulder a sharp pat. “How old are you, still acting like a child?”

Instead, Dou Dou patted Jiang Ping’an’s head like a little adult. Dou Dou liked this auntie, so she lowered her principles slightly. She pointed at Xiao Yu next to them: “It’s okay, Auntie Jiang. I’ll change this sister to ‘auntie’ too, so you won’t be alone.”

Xiao Yu: “…”

Unsure of what she was thinking, she inconspicuously rubbed the cuff of her military uniform. This isn’t bad.

Dou Dou was very polite, staring at Xiao Yu with wide eyes. “Auntie, what is your name?”

“My name is Xiao Yu. You can just call me Auntie Xiao.” Xiao Yu was still weak, so she didn’t stand up, adding, “I’ll be troubling everyone for a while. If there’s anything I can help with, feel can call on me anytime.”

Xiao Yu had very heroic features—high cheekbones, slightly narrow eyes, and a sharp jawline. Although her face was pale from blood loss, she possessed even more of a “predatory” edge than Xing He, giving off an aura that made people want to submit.

Fan Hua was smitten, staring at Xiao Yu while practically drooling. Chen Xia naturally noticed this and felt a twinge of displeasure. While not showing it on her face, she kept piling food into Fan Hua’s bowl, her words carrying a hint of sourness. “Miss Xiao is still injured; taking care of yourself is the most important thing. We don’t have anything we need help with for now.”

By the time Fan Hua noticed, her bowl was overflowing. She looked at Chen Xia, somewhat baffled. “I’m not hungry.”

Chen Xia said expressionlessly, “You haven’t eaten enough.”

There is a type of “not having eaten enough” called “Chen Xia thinks you haven’t eaten enough.” Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Fan Hua began to finish off the food in her bowl, thinking as she ate: What a sweet burden. Regardless, she stopped looking at Xiao Yu.

For some reason, Chen Yun seemed quite interested in Xiao Yu. “Little Xiao, what do you do for a living?”

Influenced by her family upbringing, Xiao Yu respected her elders greatly and answered respectfully, “Auntie, I am a soldier. I came to assist everyone with the evacuation, but an accident occurred, and I stayed behind with Miss Jiang.”

Jiang Ping’an added: “Mom, don’t let Xiao Yu’s stern appearance fool you; she’s a very good person. There were so many zombies along the way, it’s all thanks to Xiao Yu’s help that I’m able to be so lively now. You see that injury? She got it shielding your daughter from a bullet.”

For some reason, as Fan Hua listened to this, she felt the air grow thick with the scent of a “secret affair.”

Chen Yun stood up with an “Aiyo” and walked over to Xiao Yu. Her gaze was filled with concern that was almost tangible. “Little Xiao, where were you hurt? Is your body okay? Oh dear, getting hurt here, it must be very painful. How long will it take to heal? Sigh, look at this, my daughter has caused you trouble.”

Xiao Yu hurriedly stood up. “It’s nothing, just a minor injury. It will heal naturally in time, so please don’t take it to heart. Besides, I’m with the rescue team; protecting survivors is what I should do.”

Chen Yun couldn’t allow a patient to keep standing, so she sat back down. However, the more she looked at this young girl, the more she liked her. Her bone structure and features were excellent, and the crisp uniform added a lot of integrity to her appearance.

Beside them, Xing He’s gaze swept between Xiao Yu and Jiang Ping’an. Wait, something’s not right.

If Jiang Ping’an didn’t see Chen Yun at the evacuation point, she would definitely leave to find her. But Xiao Yu was a soldier; she should have retreated with the main force. Even if she wanted to protect survivors, it should have been the large group at the evacuation point. Protecting just Jiang Ping’an—what kind of protocol was that?

However, as it was their private business, Xing He didn’t expose it, and the meal ended like that.

When night fell, the issue of sleeping arrangements had to be considered. Originally, Xing He and Qing Meng were in the master bedroom on the second floor, Chen Yun was in a small room on the first floor, and Fan Hua and Chen Xia were in the storage room on the first floor. Now that the courtyard had two more members, the beds had to be redistributed.

As it grew late, everyone prepared to work together to clear out a room for the new members to rest. While everyone was busy, Chen Yun pulled Jiang Ping’an aside.

Jiang Ping’an was confused. “What’s wrong, Mom?”

Chen Yun asked in a low voice: “Who are you sleeping with tonight?”

Jiang Ping’an found it a bit nonsensical. “With you, of course. I’m your daughter; if I don’t sleep with you, who else would I sleep with?”

Chen Yun coughed. “You aren’t sleeping with me tonight.”

Jiang Ping’an became wary. “Then who are you sleeping with?”

Chen Yun gave her head a sharp tap. “What are you thinking? I’m sleeping with Dou Dou. She’s small and can’t fall asleep alone.”

Jiang Ping’an let out an “Oh.” “Then I’ll sleep with you tomorrow. I’ll sleep on the floor today.”

Chen Yun glared at her. “You aren’t sleeping with me tomorrow night either. You’re sleeping with Little Xiao.”

Jiang Ping’an choked. “Cough, cough… What?”

Her voice wasn’t exactly quiet. Xiao Yu, who was resting on a chair nearby, happened to look up at her. Jiang Ping’an swallowed her unfinished exclamation. “Mom! What are you thinking? Why should I sleep with her?”

Chen Yun looked at her heartless daughter with annoyance. “Little Xiao suffered such a heavy injury for you. Can your conscience bear letting her sleep alone?”

Jiang Ping’an didn’t know how to describe her feelings. “I know she was hurt because of me, but… what does that have to do with sleeping?”

Chen Yun said patiently: “You are a doctor. By her side, you can take care of her anytime. If anything happens, you can lend a hand immediately, right?”

Jiang Ping’an wanted to say that she actually had confidence in Qing Meng’s bandaging skills, and in all likelihood, nothing would go wrong during the night. “We are both unmarried; word getting out wouldn’t be good for her.”

“They are both women, what’s the problem?”

Jiang Ping’an said irritably: “Mom, it’s 2025. How long has it been since the same-sex marriage legalization bill was passed? What do you mean ‘what’s the problem’?”

Perhaps Chen Yun felt a bit guilty, as she added: “There’s no one else around now, where could the word spread to?”

Jiang Ping’an belatedly realized that Chen Yun’s thoughts had gone off on a tangent. “We’ve only known each other for a few days; we’re just ordinary friends. Don’t go making a mess of things.”

“Every good girlfriend starts out as a friend. Mom just thinks Little Xiao is quite good and wants the two of you to spend more time together. It’s not like I’m asking you to do anything.”

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