The afternoon came quickly, and Red Hair hurried to the place where Chen Wan and the others were staying.
When Chen Wan saw him coming, she quickly stood up, and Jiang Yanxin, who was beside her, also hurried over.
“How is it? Did you find her?” Chen Wan asked anxiously.
“Sis, we found her, but Jiang Wanning has caught the eye of a thug from District D, and the situation isn’t good,” Red Hair said cautiously.
Hearing that her sister was in trouble, Jiang Yanxin swayed a little.
Chen Wan quickly supported Jiang Yanxin and looked at Red Hair with a cold expression. “Where is she? And what do you mean by ‘not good’? Explain clearly.”
“She’s staying near Tent 982 in District D. A thug named Kaizi has taken a liking to her and has been causing her trouble. However, I heard that she’s had a severe allergic reaction for the past month or two, with hives all over her body. Kaizi finds it unattractive, so he hasn’t made a move yet, but he often harasses Jiang Wanning and her parents,” Red Hair explained cautiously, watching Chen Wan and Jiang Yanxin’s expressions.
Chen Wan breathed a slight sigh of relief and quickly asked, “How many people does Kaizi have with him? How strong are they?”
“Kaizi has about seven or eight brothers with him. They’re not the most powerful thugs in the base, but Kaizi has backing. It’s said that someone important from District A supports him, so he acts fearlessly. Basically, no woman he sets his eyes on can escape. Sis, you have to be careful. Kaizi is one thing, but the people in District A are not to be messed with,” Red Hair said, swallowing nervously. He didn’t want to offend either side; he hadn’t lived enough yet.
“Alright, take us to the place, and this matter will have nothing to do with you,” Chen Wan said coldly, then turned to Qin Ke and the others. “Let’s grab our things and go find her.”
“Okay,” Qin Ke and Yi Yi began packing their things, and Chen Wan and Jiang Yanxin also started putting on their backpacks.
Red Hair breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to get involved with the people from District A. After all, he and his brothers were doing quite well in the safe zone, and he didn’t want to be kicked out or lose his life.
Familiar with District D, Red Hair quickly led Chen Wan and her group through the rows of tents. After five or six minutes, they found Tent 982. “Sis, we’re here. What do you think?”
As Chen Wan was talking to Red Hair, Jiang Yanxin had already rushed into the tent, and Qin Ke and Yi Yi quickly followed, fearing she might get into trouble.
Chen Wan glanced at Red Hair. “Alright, you can go now.”
“Thank you, sis, thank you,” Red Hair said, expressing his gratitude. Just as he was about to leave, Chen Wan spoke again.
“Wait.”
Red Hair’s legs went weak. He really didn’t want to cause trouble; he hadn’t lived enough yet. But he couldn’t fight Chen Wan, so he forced a smile. “Sis, do you have any other instructions?”
Chen Wan snorted lightly. “Look at you, so spineless.” She took a backpack from behind her, which belonged to the men they had dealt with earlier, and pulled out an unopened bottle of white wine, handing it to Red Hair.
Red Hair looked at it cautiously, not understanding what it meant. “Sis, what’s this?”
“It’s for you. After all, you helped us find her. Take it and get lost,” Chen Wan said, frowning slightly. Although Red Hair wasn’t a good person, he did help them find her, so giving him a bottle of wine wasn’t a big deal.
Red Hair thought he had worked for nothing all day, but he didn’t expect to get something. A bottle of wine in the base cost 20 points and was a rare commodity. Seeing Chen Wan’s impatient expression, he quickly took the wine. “Thank you, sis, thank you. I’ll thank you on behalf of my brothers. I’ll be going now, sis.”
Chen Wan waved him off, and Red Hair quickly disappeared.
Chen Wan frowned and followed them into the tent. The smell inside was even worse, like something had rotted.
Jiang Yanxin stood in the tent, scanning the area. There weren’t many people inside, and those who were there were lying on the ground resting, making it hard to see their faces. Jiang Yanxin’s eyes reddened, and she called out anxiously, “Wanning? Wanning, are you here? It’s your sister.”
Jiang Wanning, who Jiang Yanxin was calling, was curled up in a corner of the tent, facing the wall. Her face was covered in hives, itching terribly, but she had to endure it. Otherwise, she would face hell.
These hives were something Jiang Wanning had intentionally caused. She was allergic to beef, and eating anything related to beef would cause severe hives. The piece of beef jerky was one of the few remaining foods from her father. To protect herself, Jiang Wanning risked eating it. Every time the hives subsided, she would eat a little more. Over time, the hives worsened, and her body grew weaker, but she endured it. However, the beef jerky was running out, and she didn’t know how much longer she could hold on, or if she would die from the prolonged allergy.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to leave, but what would happen after she left? At least in the base, there was military protection, and she wouldn’t be bitten by zombies. She could have a full meal every day. But outside, what then? Would she wait for death with her parents, who were over fifty? Jiang Wanning didn’t want to do that. Even if she died here, at least her parents could live a little longer in the base.
In a daze, she heard her sister’s voice. But how could that be? Her sister was far away in Weibei City, a long distance from Funan. In such difficult times, it was already good enough for her sister to survive, let alone come all this way to find her. And even if she did, she would only be a burden to them. She had gotten involved with the thugs in District D and didn’t want to drag her sister into it.
“Wanning? Jiang Wanning, are you here?” Jiang Yanxin’s voice grew more urgent as there was no response from the tent.
An elderly woman, about seventy, who was lying in the middle of the tent, saw that Jiang Yanxin and the others didn’t seem like bad people. She propped herself up and pointed to a figure in the corner. “Who are you to Xiao Jiang?”
“I’m her sister,” Jiang Yanxin said, quickly squatting down to ask, seeing that the elderly woman seemed to know her sister’s situation.
“Her sister? That child has had a hard life. The person in the corner over there is her,” the elderly woman said, looking at Jiang Yanxin and her group, hesitating before letting out a heavy sigh.
Such good girls, why can’t they live peacefully in this base?
Jiang Yanxin had already walked to the corner of the tent, where someone was lying with their face buried in their clothes, making it hard to see their features. The person was curled up, and Jiang Yanxin wasn’t sure if it was her sister, but she desperately wanted to find her. She reached out and gently pushed the curled-up person.
“Wanning, is that you? It’s your sister,” Jiang Yanxin said, tears falling uncontrollably. She had told herself all along that no matter what happened to her sister, she had to be strong. But now that she was about to see her, she couldn’t help but feel scared.
Jiang Wanning, in her daze, heard her sister’s voice again and felt someone pushing her. Her mind was foggy, unable to distinguish between dream and reality.
Jiang Wanning slightly revealed her face, turning to see who was pushing her. In her daze, she seemed to see her sister, her sister’s wife Chen Wan, and her niece Chen Yang, along with two women she didn’t recognize.
Jiang Wanning was stunned for a moment, reaching up to touch her forehead, realizing she had a fever again. Her recent allergic reactions often came with a fever, and her parents had no choice but to help her cool down physically, so she wouldn’t be violated by those beasts. Even if she died from the fever or the allergy, it was better than being humiliated to death.
After confirming she had a fever, Jiang Wanning was even more convinced that what she saw was a dream. Her sister had told her before the apocalypse that she was going to divorce Chen Wan. How could they appear together now, especially with Yang Yang being so young? How could her sister risk bringing Yang Yang to find her? It must be that her body couldn’t take it anymore, and she was experiencing a moment of clarity before death.
Jiang Wanning thought that seeing her family in this moment of clarity was good, but she worried about her parents not being able to bear it, as they would have to bury their child.
Jiang Yanxin had already embraced her sister, tears falling uncontrollably. “Wanning, how did you become so weak? Why are you having an allergic reaction? Your face is so hot.”
Jiang Wanning’s eyes reddened, leaning weakly against Jiang Yanxin’s shoulder, tears in her eyes, but with a smile on her face. “Sis, I’m fine. I didn’t expect to dream of you. I might really be at the end. It’s good to see you again, but it will make Mom and Dad sad. They’ve suffered so much because of me. If I’m gone, maybe they can live a little easier in the base.”
Jiang Yanxin sniffed, quickly interrupting Jiang Wanning. “What nonsense are you talking about? I’m here, so how could I let anything happen to you?”
“Sis, I’ve wanted to cry so much these days, but I didn’t dare, afraid of making Mom and Dad sad. Do you remember I’m allergic to beef? To avoid being bullied by those scumbags, I secretly ate beef jerky. Every time the allergic symptoms subsided, I’d eat a little more. That piece of beef jerky is almost gone. I’d rather die like this than not know what to do in the future,” Jiang Wanning said, her voice choked with sobs, truly believing she was dreaming and pouring her heart out to Jiang Yanxin.
Jiang Yanxin felt even more heartbroken, holding her tightly. “Don’t worry, I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you or Mom and Dad. Where are they?”
“Mom and Dad are doing hard labor in the base. They never say it, but I know. I can’t go out to work like this, so they go out to find work just to earn a few points for food,” Jiang Wanning said, growing more upset. She felt that if she hadn’t gotten involved with those people, her family’s life wouldn’t be so difficult.
