Apocalypse Chapter 10: Hoarding

Chapter 10: Hoarding

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

As soon as Jiang Rong returned home, he eagerly opened the fitness video he had copied from the gym and started exercising. However, he overlooked one thing: sudden exercise without professional training might not be a big deal at the time, but the next day, he might feel sore and achy.

Jiang Rong only practiced for a little over an hour, but the next day, he felt like his body was out of control when walking. Going upstairs was manageable, but when he went downstairs, it felt like there were small knives wedged between his muscles, causing aching with every step.

No wonder so many people couldn’t endure the Great Crisis; many office workers appeared healthy, but were actually in a suboptimal state of health. At the slightest disturbance, this group of people would collapse first.

Dragging his heavy legs, Jiang Rong climbed into his car. Today, he had to go to the neighboring Z Province to buy daily necessities for himself and his son. Previously, most of the hoarded items were food, and he hadn’t had the chance to accumulate clothes and other items yet.

The textile industry in Z Province was well-known, with Y City having the largest clothing city and small commodity market in the country. While Jiang Rong could buy food from all over the country in his hometown, in Y City, he could find all kinds of clothes shipped nationwide.

This time, he mainly had to buy clothes for Jiang Xiaoheng. His own body shape was already settled, not likely to grow taller anymore, at most a bit fatter or thinner. But Jiang Xiaoheng was different; he was still growing, so the clothes bought now would not fit in a few months.

He had to buy clothes for Xiaoheng to wear in the future, for every season, every size, as long as he could think of, nothing should be overlooked.

Besides clothes, there were many other things to buy, from bedding to sewing needles. If he didn’t shop personally, Jiang Rong couldn’t imagine how many things people needed to live well.

This would be his most extravagant shopping spree so far; everything had to be more, not less.

In May, the weather was already approaching forty degrees outside. Just as Jiang Rong stepped out of the house, he was sweating profusely. C City had many buildings and few plants, and the urban heat island effect made the temperature here several degrees higher than his hometown. Jiang Rong wiped his sweat and looked up at the cloudless sky, wondering if he should move earlier.

He had received several messages from the real estate agent these past two days. Although the wording was polite, they were urging him to move earlier. Jiang Rong had already made arrangements; as soon as he returned from Z City, he would start moving.

At that moment, Jiang Rong’s phone suddenly rang. Checking it, it was surprisingly a call from Xiaoheng’s kindergarten teacher. As soon as he answered, the teacher’s voice came through urgently, “Mr. Jiang Rong, Jiang Xiaoheng just hit a classmate. Are you free now? Hurry to our school.”

Jiang Rong halted his steps, then without another word, he rushed to the kindergarten. Jiang Xiaoheng was a very obedient child. Since entering kindergarten in the second half of last year, he had been well-liked by his teachers and classmates. Moreover, he had a gentle personality, so he couldn’t believe he would hit someone.

But that was the case. Not only did Jiang Xiaoheng hit someone, but he also left the other child with a bloody head. When Jiang Rong hurried to the school, he saw a chubby kid crying hysterically, and despite his parents’ efforts, they couldn’t calm him down. On the other hand, his son was sitting quietly in a chair, looking pitiful.

Seeing Jiang Rong enter, the teachers and parents in the office finally found their target. The teacher hurriedly approached, “Mr. Jiang, you finally came.”

Before the teacher could explain the situation, the other child’s parent aggressively confronted Jiang Rong, “How do you educate your child? Look at what your son did to mine! His head is bleeding, his nose is bleeding, what are you going to do about it?”

Jiang Rong glanced at the other child’s parent, then focused on the tearful chubby child. His head was bandaged, his face red from crying, which looked somewhat comical.

Jiang Rong quickly walked past the group and squatted down in front of Jiang Xiaoheng, “Xiaoheng, are you hurt?” 

Due to muscle soreness, Jiang Rong’s body swayed as he squatted down, almost falling to the ground.

Hearing his father’s voice, Jiang Xiaoheng slowly raised his head. Seeing his son’s face, Jiang Rong breathed a sigh of relief; at least there were no visible injuries. However, out of caution, he still needed to ask seriously, “Are you feeling any pain?”

Before Jiang Rong arrived, Jiang Xiaoheng remained silent, ignoring whatever the other child’s parent said, just keeping his head down stubbornly. Now, seeing his father, his eyes suddenly turned red, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Dad, I’m not hurt. But…” Jiang Xiaoheng couldn’t hold back anymore and threw himself into Jiang Rong’s arms, “Dad, the chubby boy said I don’t have a mom, said I was born without a mom’s care! Waaah…” Jiang Xiaoheng cried bitterly, “He said you don’t want me either, said I can only beg for food on the streets in the future. Dad, waaah, Dad… don’t not want me…”

The child’s crying made Jiang Rong feel guilty. Recently, he had been busy building the house and buying things, so he entrusted the child to Chu Qiang’s parents. Although he called and chatted with his child via video every day, the child still felt insecure.

Jiang Rong apologized repeatedly, “I’m sorry, son. Dad has been a little busy lately and couldn’t pick you up. You are the most important person to Dad, and Dad won’t abandon you.”

As soon as Jiang Xiaoheng spoke, the teacher looked at the chubby child with a reproachful gaze. The kindergarten was founded for families who didn’t have time to take care of their children, and many children came from single-parent families. The teachers taught the children to be united and friendly every day, but they couldn’t handle children like the chubby one who always hit others where it hurt the most.

Thinking about the usual behavior of the two children in school, the teacher’s tone became a bit heavier. “Ding Xiaopang, the teacher just asked if you said anything to Jiang Xiaoheng. Why didn’t you tell the teacher?”

Ding Xiaopang’s parents felt somewhat guilty, but seeing how badly their child was hurt, they couldn’t accept it. “Teacher, it’s true that Xiaopang said something wrong, but he didn’t start the fight first. Look at how Jiang Xiaoheng beat Xiaopang…”

Children fighting and playing is a normal situation, and there’s no need to make a big deal out of it. Besides, if his son started it, he must have been at a disadvantage. So Jiang Rong stood up with difficulty, holding his son, to face the other parent. “Ding Xiaopang’s parent, the situation is clear now. My child started the fight, so I apologize on behalf of Jiang Xiaoheng. How about this, you take your child to the hospital for a check-up, and we’ll cover the medical expenses. Is that okay with you?”

Seeing Jiang Rong’s good attitude, the other parent also eased up. “We also have our faults in this matter. Okay, we’ll do as you say.”

With the matter resolved perfectly, Ding Xiaopang’s parents took their child to the hospital. Jiang Xiaoheng still clung to Jiang Rong, his head resting on his father’s shoulder, unwilling to leave.

The teacher smiled and reached out to hug Jiang Xiaoheng. “Alright, Xiaoheng, Xiaopang is fine now. Let’s continue with the class, okay?”

Just as the teacher’s hand was about to touch Jiang Xiaoheng, Jiang Rong stepped back, avoiding the teacher. He calmly said, “Teacher, Xiaoheng is not feeling well. I’ll take him home first, and we’ll talk after he calms down, okay? If Xiaopang’s parents present a medical bill, please, send it to me.”

After leaving the kindergarten, Jiang Xiaoheng felt a bit better. He hugged Jiang Rong’s neck like a sticky puppy, rubbing his face against his father’s chest. “Dad, aren’t you going to scold me?”

Jiang Rong asked in surprise, “Why would I scold you?”

Jiang Xiaoheng pouted, “I hit Xiaopang, good kids shouldn’t hit others. And now you had to apologize to Xiaopang because of me…”

Jiang Rong chuckled, clutching his son’s bent legs. “I don’t know what other good kids are like, but I know my Xiaoheng is good. Dad just hopes that you can protect yourself when you encounter situations in the future. That’s enough.” After a pause, Jiang Rong asked the question that had been bothering him, “By the way, son, how did you manage to beat Xiaopang when he’s so tall and strong?”

Jiang Xiaoheng blinked and whispered, “I took advantage of his distraction and hit him with a toy. I had to make the first hit really hurt him. Only if I hit him hard enough would he not be able to beat me.”

Jiang Rong was stunned for a moment; this sounded familiar. Then Jiang Xiaoheng added, “That’s what they said on TV yesterday.”

Jiang Rong: …

Yesterday, he opened the martial arts exercise video and practiced in front of the TV, while his son played with a toy beside him. He was so immersed in his practice that he didn’t notice his son’s sparkling eyes glued to the TV. Never did he expect that while he, as a father, learned nothing and exhausted himself, his son would actually put what he saw into action.

Jiang Rong couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “That’s good.” 

If it were before, he would definitely take the opportunity to lecture his son, telling him that violence was not the answer. But now he felt that with this mindset, his son could adapt to life after the Great Crisis.

After realizing this, Jiang Rong carried his son towards the car. “Let’s go, son, Dad will take you to Z Province, and then we’ll go home to pick up Lele.” 

Previously, for his son’s health and the progress of the project, he could only leave the child in C City. Now that the house was built and there were supplies in the basement to sustain life, his pressure was not as great anymore. Now that he was taking his son with him, he was confident he could ensure his son’s health. The remaining time would be one of the few opportunities for his son to see the world in a safe environment. He wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of hoarding to take his son around the area.

Jiang Xiaoheng was overjoyed. “Dad! Are you taking me on a business trip? Yay!”

Jiang Rong strapped his son into the child seat patiently. “Yes, Dad is taking you to buy things. When we finish shopping, we’ll move to our new home!”

Jiang Xiaoheng raised his hands in excitement. “Yay!”

 

 

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