Apocalypse Chapter 29: Severing Relations

Chapter 29: Severing Relations

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Li Xiaojun bent down to comfort his wife in a low voice, “Darling, I know you’re tired. Just bear with it a little longer. Besides, Mom and Dad haven’t finished picking the fruit yet. If you go down the mountain now, you’ll just have to wait in the car. At least here, you can feel the breeze…”

Cao Qian’s voice became sharper, irritated, “Then why are you still dawdling? Hurry up and pack! I already told you, there’s not enough space in the car. Bringing so many people is already difficult enough, don’t bother bringing useless things.”

Li Xiaojun nodded repeatedly in a low voice, then looked up at his parents with a hint of impatience in his eyes, “Mom, Dad, hurry up and pack your things. The car is waiting for us at the foot of the mountain.”

After looking around the shack, Li Xiaojun realized his wife was right. Inside were just some old or bulky farming tools, which would indeed be inconvenient to bring along. “Mom, Dad, there’s really nothing much to pack. Just bring a few pieces of clothing with you. We can buy the rest at the base.”

Aunt Li wiped her tears, “Jun, how will we live after leaving the orchard?”

The orchard was something she had worked hard on, and every tree inside was like her child. Her half a lifetime was invested in the orchard. What would she do after leaving? Moreover, no one knew the situation at the base. Would they have a chance to come back after going there?

Li Xiaojun sighed, “Mom, to be honest, even if you stay to guard the orchard, life will be tough. With the temperature so high now, who knows when it will cool down? If the fruit trees die from the heat in a couple of months, what will you do then? Opportunities like this are rare. Cao Qian’s relatives managed to secure a spot. If you wait two months to go to the base, you might not have such a good opportunity.”

“Now, while there are fewer people at the base, you can find a good job inside. Isn’t that better than planting trees in the orchard? Mom, I’ve said all the good and bad things. Even if you don’t trust the base, at least trust me.”

Jiang Xiaoheng cried hard at this point, pointing at Daddy while complaining to Uncle Li and aunt, “Grandpa, Grandma, the trees… the trees are hurt.”

Aunt Li wiped her tears and walked towards Jiang Xiaoheng, holding him in her arms and wiping his tears away, “Don’t cry, sweetheart. The trees will grow back, everything will be fine.”

Seeing this scene, Cao Qian sneered, “You don’t care about your own grandson, but you’re busy consoling someone else’s child.”

Li Xiaojun’s expression changed, he lowered his voice, “Don’t talk nonsense. How could they not care?”

Cao Qian’s temper had become much more irritable after becoming pregnant, and she hadn’t been out much since the Great Crisis, unaware of the power of the mutants. Nowadays, there was no longer any law, and whoever had the biggest fist could rule. There were already cases of mutants killing people outside. He didn’t know how powerful Jiang Rong was, but it was better to avoid conflict if possible.

Obviously, his wife didn’t have this awareness. Cao Qian sneered, “What nonsense did I say? Your parents dote on this child so much. Today it’s Yangmei, tomorrow it’s peaches.”

Uncle Li and aunt looked at their son in unison. When it rained yesterday, their son went up the mountain and saw a basket of peaches. He wanted to bring them back, but Uncle Li stopped him, telling him they were for Jiang Rong and his son. They wanted to eat them, but they would pick them tomorrow.

Li Xiaojun just nodded at the time without saying anything. He didn’t expect to tell his wife about it as soon as he got back.

Uncle Li sighed disappointedly, and Li Xiaojun blushed and muttered a few words, “Qianqian, stop it. They helped save so many fruit trees. It’s only right to give some fruit to the child.”

Cao Qian shrugged, “Yeah, I didn’t say anything.” With that, she picked up a peach from the side and took a big bite, giving Jiang Rong and his son a disdainful look.

Jiang Rong lowered his eyes, hiding his emotions. After the Great Crisis, resources became scarce. The basket of peaches Uncle Li gave them was indeed a rarity, and many people would be envious. His wife wasn’t petty, he wouldn’t argue with a pregnant woman.

Uncle Li now had an important task to do. He pointed in the direction of the dog, Tiger, “Xiaojun, come and untie the rope. I’ll take the dog to the car first.”

Li Xiaojun ran over like an echo, “Dad, don’t move, let me do it. Tiger recognizes people. Don’t let him bite you.”

Seeing Li Xiaojun grabbing the iron chain, Tiger made whimpering sounds in his mouth, his huge body shrinking back. No matter how hard Li Xiaojun pulled, he refused to move forward. The big dog exerted force with all four legs, his neck twisted sideways by the iron chain. He looked towards his old master, whimpering in distress. Maybe realizing something bad was about to happen, big tears rolled down his face, wetting the fur below his eyes.

When Tiger cried, the people pulling him laughed, “Look, this dog has human feelings. It’s crying!”

“Having human feelings is good. It makes it obedient. After going to the base, it can be controlled by other mutants.”

“This dog is so big, it must eat a lot, right? Fortunately, our time on the road is short, or else it would eat us out of house and home.”

Li Xiaojun smiled and said, “Third Uncle, we can’t let Tiger go hungry. Our future depends on it.” After saying this, he gently coaxed Tiger, “Tiger, be good, come with me to a better place, better than watching the orchard.”

The dog’s cries became more and more pitiful, and Jiang Xiaoheng’s just stopped tears started to well up again in his eyes. “Doggy, they hurt the doggy. Daddy, please help the doggy…”

Jiang Rong took a few steps back after taking over his son. He couldn’t help with this kind of situation.

Since Li Xiaojun helped his father-in-law to pull the dog, Uncle Li’s body had been trembling uncontrollably. Despite the high external temperature, he felt bursts of coldness flowing down from his crown.

Watching his son’s ugly face as he pulled the dog, listening to those so-called relatives discussing how to use Tiger to exchange for a house and job at the base, seeing Tiger’s teary eyes, the thoughts that had been circulating in his mind countless times during this period emerged once again: What’s the use of such a son?

Ever since Li Xiaojun got into a good unit, everyone said that they had raised a good son, but who knew their hardships? For so many years, their child only contacted them voluntarily when he needed money, never calling on ordinary days. When they called him, their son would only tell them: he’s busy, he’s in a meeting.

They knew they were useless, and their child’s success depended entirely on their own efforts. They tried not to cause trouble for their child as much as possible. When he needed their support, they would drop everything and help him.

What did they get in return?

They emptied out all their savings to buy a house for their son, but they had no idea where the new house was. When their daughter-in-law entered the house, she never drank a cup of water poured by them, never ate a meal cooked by them, yet she had to endure the cold words and strange attitudes from her and her family.

After the Great Crisis began, they had no objections when their son brought his family back. They only had one daughter-in-law in their family, so it was natural for them to come along. But more than a dozen relatives from the wife’s family also came, which added a heavy burden on them.

They had talked to their son about the issue, but he never spoke a word from their perspective. Now, it’s even worse. He’s using the excuse of doing it for their own good to clearly plan their future.

Over the years, he had long seen through his son’s true nature. But there was still a glimmer of hope in his heart, hoping that his son would understand the hardships of being parents after having children of his own. Now, it seems his son won’t understand. Li Xiaojun would rather let his own parents suffer than offend the relatives of his in-laws.

Uncle Li believed that this group of people didn’t really want to take them to the base; they only came for Tiger. If Tiger followed them now, these people would leave without hesitation. Even a dog knows to protect its owner, but a son who has been raised for decades doesn’t understand this principle. Setting aside blood ties, Li Xiaojun is not even as good as a dog.

Uncle Li’s heart instantly turned cold.

“Stop.” Uncle Li opened his mouth and said this, but his voice was too small, with a hint of trembling, drowned out by the mocking laughter of the relatives.

No one took Uncle Li’s words to heart, except Tiger perking up his ears.

Uncle Li’s gaze gradually turned cold. “Tiger, attack—”

With his command, Tiger suddenly rushed forward, causing several people who were pulling him to lose their balance and fall backward. Tiger leaped over Li Xiaojun and accurately stepped on his father-in-law’s body. His front legs pressed against the man’s chest, and his head extended towards his neck.

If Tiger wanted to bite, Li Xiaojun’s father-in-law would have blood splattering on the spot. However, Tiger didn’t harm anyone; he just used his weight to make Li Xiaojun’s father-in-law unable to stand up. The father-in-law looked at the huge dog’s mouth in panic and shouted, “Murderer—”

The sudden change startled Cao Qian and her mother, who screamed, “Ah—,” followed by their panicked relatives, some of whom even ran down the mountain without looking back.

Li Xiaojun got up from the ground, too shocked to speak, and hurriedly reached out to pull the iron chain on Tiger’s neck, commanding, “Get down! Tiger, get down!”

Once Tiger targets someone, he only listens to Uncle Li and aunt Li. No matter how much Li Xiaojun drags, he remains unmoved. After a few attempts, his father-in-law cried out in pain, “Quickly, quickly, make this dog get off me, ah, it’s crushing me…”

Seeing her husband pinned down by the dog, Li Xiaojun’s mother-in-law trembled and asked with a trembling voice, “Son-in-law, what are you doing?!”

Cao Qian’s voice was sharp, “Li Xiaojun! Quickly make your parents stop the dog!”

Li Xiaojun looked at Uncle Li, stunned. “Dad, what are you doing? Quickly make Tiger stop!” Just now, when Uncle Li told them to stop, no one listened, but when he commanded Tiger, these people followed clearly. Even though he had made up his mind, when Uncle Li spoke these words, his eyes turned red and his voice trembled. “Li Xiaojun, from today onwards, I don’t have a son like you, and you don’t have me as your father.”

Li Xiaojun laughed as if he had heard something funny. “Dad, what are you talking about? How can you sever the bond of blood? Look, Mom, you should advise Dad. This isn’t the time for this. Qianqian’s relatives are all here. If you have any grievances against me, let’s talk behind closed doors later.”

Aunt Li handed Jiang Xiaoheng to Jiang Rong, adjusting the child’s hat. Her hands trembled slightly, but when she turned around, her words were firm. “Your dad means that he wants to sever ties with you. I think the same. Li Xiaojun, you’re already an adult, you’re married, and soon you’ll be a father. You should have stood on your own long ago.”

Li Xiaojun was incredulous, “Mom, Dad, are you both confused? What do you mean by severing ties? I’m your only child. If you don’t want me, who else can you have?”

Uncle Li smiled bitterly, “I can’t afford a son like you.”

While his own parents were struggling on the mountain, he couldn’t see it. When the relatives of his in-laws wanted something, he eagerly did it. He sucked his parents’ blood to raise others. He was indeed a good son raised by Uncle Li and aunt for others.

Uncle Li said, “I don’t want to say harsh words, I’ll only say one thing to you and your wife’s relatives: I and your mom don’t owe you anything. Where you want to go is none of our business, but we will never follow you.”

Li Xiaojun stared blankly at two familiar faces. He knew his parents had been wronged during this time. Relatives from Cao Qian’s family moved into their own home, and his parents took out everything in the house and gave it to them… But, wasn’t all of this for the future?

His family was just a grassroots family. If nobody helped, how could they live a good life in the future? Being good to Cao Qian’s family now, isn’t it just an investment in their future?

Suddenly, resentment surged in Li Jun’s heart. His parents were always like this. When he needed their help, they always held him back. Apart from giving him some tuition fees when he was in school, they couldn’t help with anything else.

Other classmates had their parents help arrange jobs and futures, but he had to rely on his own efforts for everything. It was the same when looking for a job, and it was the same when getting married and having children. For so many years, he had been humble and submissive in his in-laws’ house, not daring to breathe freely, just because he had no family background, just because there was no one in his family. If his parents had the ability like his wife’s parents, would he still be just a low-level clerk now?

Countless nights, he thought about how his classmates, who were not as good as him, were doing better, and it felt like a small knife was cutting his heart. He had never complained to his parents about this. Now, a rare opportunity was in front of him, and he finally seized the opportunity to connect with Cao Qian’s family. At the most critical moment, it was his parents who jumped up to trip him.

Li Xiaojun was furious and laughed sarcastically. The muscles under his skin twitched twice. “Are you still my real parents? When was this? How can you say such things?! Going to the base is to harm you? So many people begged for this opportunity, if you don’t cherish it, it’s fine, but you actually want to cut ties with me?”

Li Xiaojun’s blood pressure rose with anger. After pacing back and forth a few steps, he exclaimed, “Fine! If you want to sever ties, then sever them! I’ve had enough over these years! You can’t help anywhere, and you add trouble at crucial moments. Having parents like you, Li Xiaojun, is truly unfortunate!”

Uncle Li and aunt exchanged a glance, their disappointment uncontainable. What sins had they committed to raise such a selfish and ungrateful son? They admitted that as parents, they couldn’t provide significant assistance to their child, but they had been good to him within their means. It could be said that for their child, they were willing to sacrifice even their lives. However, willingly sacrificing one’s life and having a child demand it are two different concepts. The former is selfless love, while the latter is selfish desire.

Li Xiaojun breathed heavily. He looked fiercely at Tiger and said, “Tiger, come to me, and I’ll leave immediately!”

Uncle Li and aunt couldn’t even utter a word. It seemed that their previous thoughts had come true. In their eyes, their son wasn’t as loyal and faithful as a dog. In their son’s eyes, they weren’t as useful as a dog either.

Li Xiaojun, his eyes red, looked at his parents, attempting a final negotiation, “Give me Tiger, and I’ll leave immediately, never to return!”

Supporting each other, Uncle Li and aunt, within a short few minutes, aged significantly. After a long time, Uncle Li finally spoke, “I can’t decide on this…”

Li Xiaojun found it ridiculous, “If you don’t want to give him to me, just say so. Why use such ridiculous excuses?!”

Uncle Li’s eyes were clouded, his voice weary, “As the child grows, even a dog has its own thoughts. Whether he wants to go with you or not, you should ask Tiger yourself.”

Li Xiaojun snorted, “You raised it since it was a puppy. How could it leave you?” 

If Tiger had wanted to go with him, he would have taken it with him just now, without all this hassle.

Tears welled up in Uncle Li’s eyes, “We raised you from a child, yet you still left us, didn’t you?”

Li Xiaojun choked on his breath, “Can a living person be compared to a dog?!”

Just as Li Xiaojun was about to argue with his parents, Cao Qian cried and threw herself at him, “Are you heartless? Can’t you see that my dad is struggling to breathe? Are your parents trying to kill mine?! Let them go! Make your parents let them go!”

Seeing his wife protecting her parents like this, Aunt Li grinned, but her smile was uglier than crying. She envied the parents of others who could receive such protection from their children. If her son treated her and her husband just a tenth as well as Cao Qian did, she and her husband would not hesitate to go with him to the base. But forget it, with her son’s attitude, even if they went, they wouldn’t have a good life. Why bother to provoke others?

Cao Qian’s mother sobbed as she ran towards her husband, but when Tiger raised his head, she was so frightened that her legs went weak, and she couldn’t even stand up, only crying out, “Old Cao, hang in there! Hang in there!”

Seeing his crying wife and mother-in-law, Li Xiaojun deflated like a balloon losing air, “Fine, I promise you. Sever ties, leave Tiger behind, and let them go…”

Li Xiaojun and his group walked down the mountain with fruit baskets. Uncle Li and aunt stood under the shed, tears streaming down their faces as they watched their son’s departing figure. The strength they had forcefully maintained in front of Li Xiaojun had collapsed at this moment. He was their son, who should have stood by their side and been their pillar of support, but now he had become the one who hurt them the most.

Seeing Uncle Li and aunt in such a desolate state, Jiang Rong remained silent. The disintegration of a family under any circumstances was a sad thing. If one day, Xiaoheng were treated like this by outsiders, he didn’t think he would be any better than Uncle Li and aunt.

Thinking of Uncle Li and Aun Li’s sacrifices and Li Xiaojun’s sense of entitlement, Jiang Rong couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. He wished he could grab Li Xiaojun and his group and lock them up on the mountain, making them water the orchard and experience the hardships of Uncle Li and Aunt Li. 

But on second thought, it would be meaningless. It’s better to offend a nobleman than a villain. If he really did that, he would only offend this group of people.

He didn’t care about the fruit they took away; he was afraid that after they arrived at the base in City N, they might leak the news. Sometimes, the espers at the base would travel hundreds of miles to collect resources. If they leaked information about the orchard, having espers come to pick fruit every year would be a trivial matter. The most important thing was that his and his son’s house might also be exposed.

Thinking of this, Jiang Rong couldn’t help but sigh, “Ah…” He really wanted to cause some trouble for Li Xiaojun and his group, making them fear the orchard. However, with Guan Shao and Jiang Hao at home, it wasn’t very convenient to act.

At this moment, Guan Shao’s voice came, “Do you feel like there’s a grudge in your heart?”

Jiang Rong turned his head, seeing the same emotion in Guan Shao’s eyes, “Hm?”

Guan Shao smiled faintly, “I can’t stand hypocrites.”

Jiang Rong raised his eyebrows slightly. Was Guan Shao willing to join him in setting a trap for Li Xiaojun’s group? After thinking for a moment, Jiang Rong smiled, “Do you want to take a break and relax?”

Guan Shao’s pupils reflected Jiang Rong’s face. His smile was warm and sincere, “Sure.”

 

 

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