hotmtlnovel Chapter 200
Chapter 200
Wen Qian's vigilance only lasted for a year. During this time, Old Liu barely managed to save enough supplies to get through the winter. After surviving the following winter, he left.
No one knew where he went. Some said he went south to find his son, though it was uncertain if he would succeed.
Old Liu's departure had always been Wen Qian's hope.
Old Liu was a man who couldn't settle down comfortably here, mainly because everything required doing things by oneself.
Self-reliance leads to a life of plenty.
But Old Liu despised doing things himself. Previously, when he didn't do something, others would always help him. Now, if he didn't do it himself, he would starve.
Quick money schemes, if discovered, would get him killed. So, all things considered, Old Liu decided to leave.
He thought about taking a roundabout route to other southern cities. This way, no one would recognize him, and in more populated areas, he might find suitable "work."
Just like before the calamity, when he had a steady job with a fixed, albeit low, salary, set working hours, and simple tasks.
He believed that if he went to a larger city, he could find the easiest job possible, rather than having to do everything himself in these mountains.
But he forgot one thing: his age now was different from before. Why would someone choose him over younger candidates for the same position?
Another goal of his journey was to find his son. If his son was successful, the old man could simply enjoy the good life.
However, Old Liu wasn't really that optimistic; he just hoped for the best.
Once this man disappeared, it meant one less person for the other neighbors to be wary of.
Especially for Wen Qian.
Not having to take matters into her own hands or constantly be on guard was indeed good news.
One day, Wen Qian removed the traps behind the iron gate. When her child asked why, she simply said the crisis was over.
Knowing that no one would come to steal their food, the child was also very happy.
For many years after, Wen Qian never saw the Liu family again.
The roof of their uninhabited house had collapsed, and Young Liu never returned.
She was also very observant of herself, always offering to help when she saw adults working rather than just watching.
She was a hardworking, kind, and lively young girl.
When Wen Qian taught her to shoot and make ammunition, she was calm and composed, never impatient when learning anything.
Wen Qian was even more pleased with this aspect, believing it would serve An An well in her future life.
If she were merely lively and kind, Wen Qian would have been worried.
In fact, An An could sense Wen Qian's unease, so she tried her best to learn. As Wen Qian grew older, she wanted her to learn more, preferably everything.
This sense of urgency was always present, but her mother managed to control it well, not letting the pressure spill over onto her.
At Wen Qian's age, although she looked younger than her peers, she was already elderly.
She was at the age where people called her grandmother, but only An An still called her mother. From a very young age, she had switched from calling her grandmother to mother and never changed.
Now An An felt she had grown up and was responsible for her mother's future life. Previously, her mother had protected her, but now the roles were to be reversed.
However, at just fourteen, as she watched her mother's hair gradually turning white, she couldn't quite hide the worry and sadness in her eyes.
One day at the market, An An saw a funeral being held nearby.
This small village had grown larger over the past decade, becoming a big village with a busier market.
As she watched the distant sounds of crying and the floating yellow paper, she felt that death was still unfamiliar to her.
But Wen Qian took her closer to watch. As the deceased was an elderly person, only the family members were crying while others seemed to be merely spectating.
An An also asked the question Wen Qian had once asked: why funerals were called "white happiness events."
Wen Qian fell into reminiscence, then told her the answer she had heard back then.
There was one thing Wen Qian didn't specifically say: that she too would die someday. She felt that if the young girl heard her say such things, she might burst into tears immediately.
No matter how strong she appeared, death was still a distant and unfamiliar concept to her.
The feeling that death was drawing near, the fear it could instill—these were sensations one only truly experienced when someone close to them passed away.
This was something Wen Qian would have to teach as well.