Snowstorm: I'm Super Rich in the Apocalypse-Chapter 197 - Everyone Has a Bitter Past
Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Everyone Has a Bitter Past
Chapter 197 -197: Everyone Has a Bitter Past
Li Shukang’s wife, Andi, made tea for them, “I’ve always heard Shukang speak of you. It’s finally nice to meet you today.”
Gu Pan placed the cosmetics in front of Andi, “Mrs. Li, this is a little token of our appreciation.”
Andi examined the brand of the cosmetics and the intact packaging. Indeed, it was an unexpected gesture, “You are so thoughtful.”
Lu Ruisheng put the gifts he held onto the coffee table as well—red wine, canned goods, jerky, dried vegetables, sugar—each item was a rarity.
Looking at these, Li Shukang thought to himself, these two kids really have skills.
He said with a smile, “You shouldn’t have gone to such expense.”
Gu Pan responded, “You are our elders, so how can this be considered an expense? It’s only right to be filial.”
Listening to Lu Ruisheng’s words, Andi’s eyes reddened slightly; she exhaled deeply, “If Chen’er were still alive, perhaps he would be as filial, right?”
Gu Pan knew that the apocalypse had left too many families incomplete, and the topic was common in this new world, yet many avoided it, and of course, some dared not face it.
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Their ability to speak about it showed they had come to terms with it, but acceptance did not mean they did not care.
It seemed Andi noticed what Gu Pan and the others were thinking, and she quickly said, “Look at me, bringing up these unhappy things again. Let’s not talk about this.”
Lu Ruisheng said, “Mrs. Li, I’ve heard it said that a person truly dies when no one speaks their name. So as long as we all remember him, he is still there, living by your side.”
With tears in her eyes, Andi replied, “Yes, you’re right; we should continue to live well in his stead, so that he would be happy watching over us from above.”
While she understood this in principle, sometimes she couldn’t control her emotions. However, the child was right; at least her son wouldn’t be forgotten by them.
Li Shukang looked at Lu Ruisheng, “Ruisheng, you don’t need to be so formal with me. Now that you’ve started calling me Uncle and Mrs. Li as such, when I tell people you are my nephew, it’s not for any benefit, but because I genuinely admire you two. We don’t have many relatives left, and seeing you both feel like family to us. You wouldn’t mind that, would you?”
At the beginning, perhaps it was for his career, but now it certainly wasn’t. He truly admired these two young people; they were just like the person he had dreamed his son would become.
Gu Pan quickly replied, “How could we mind? We don’t have many relatives left either, so to have family is something we are very happy about.”
Lu Ruisheng added, “Then we’ll inevitably be a bother in the future.”
Li Shukang laughed heartily, “I couldn’t ask for more.”
Gu Pan said, “My cooking is quite decent; if Uncle and Auntie don’t mind, perhaps you could come over for a simple meal someday?”
Andi and Li Shukang didn’t hesitate; they agreed right away. They were willing to interact with them like this, which made it feel more like a family.
Since their son had passed away in the apocalypse, Li Shukang had focused all his attention on work, trying to numb himself, but over time, he grew weary. Now, looking at these two young people, it was as if his previously oppressive mood had lifted.
Noticing it was getting late, Andi went to prepare dinner. Since Andi didn’t work, she took charge of cooking at home, which also served as a way for her to pass the time and forget some of her worries.
Gu Pan also went to the kitchen to help, leaving Lu Ruisheng to chat with Li Shukang.
Seeing Gu Pan follow her, Andi said, “Go back and sit with them. I’ve already got the rice stewing, and the vegetables are ready, just needing a quick stir-fry.”
Gu Pan replied, “Then I’ll keep Auntie company here and chat.”
Hearing the word ‘Auntie,’ Andi smiled and accepted the company, “Alright, let’s have a chat. I’m not very fond of going out; before the apocalypse, I liked to tend to my garden and do some knitting at home, but since the apocalypse started, those things have become difficult to do. Now, I just stay at home doing nothing much; cooking has probably become my greatest joy.”
“I’m a bit like Auntie in that respect; I don’t really go out much when I have nothing to do, just happy to stay at home and work on some small crafts. What kind of knitting does Auntie like? Do you like wool?”
Gu Pan thought about the wool she had and that sharing some with someone who appreciated it would be nice.
Andi paused her work and looked at Gu Pan, “I love wool the most. Using your young people’s terms, I’m quite the seasoned knitter—I used to fill a cupboard with the toys I made.”
Gu Pan had found a kindred spirit, “I like it too. So, next time when I have a chance, I’ll come to Auntie for advice. I have quite a lot of wool and crochet hooks at home; I’ll bring some over when I’m free.”
“You still have these things even after the apocalypse? They must be dear to your heart. You don’t need to bring any to me; if you’re unsure about something, we can discuss it together,” Andi said with a smile.
“I’ll be honest with you; on our last outing, we found a small spinning factory with acrylic fibers, not wool. We hid the machinery and a lot of thread. If needed, we could retrieve the equipment and have Uncle Li start up the spinning factory again. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about running out of thread,” Gu Pan thought this was an ideal time to bring this up.
Since the wool factory wasn’t big and didn’t have much equipment, the raw materials were likely purchased. The production chain wasn’t complete, but Gu Pan believed there might be other equipment at the base that could produce these raw materials. She had been contemplating the right time to offer this to Secretary Li, possibly earning some favor by doing so.
But she truly liked Andi as an elder, so she didn’t want to negotiate any conditions. It could just be an excuse for her and Andi to have the freedom to enjoy wool, as she too loved working with it. This way, she could find a use for her own wool stash.
After all, with the machinery in her Space, lacking the base’s support, she couldn’t produce independently. So, it wasn’t a loss for her to exchange it for happiness for herself and Auntie Andi. Plus, it would free up some space for other things and perhaps earn some contribution points in the process. When her friends arrived, they would surely have expenses, and earning more wouldn’t hurt.
Andi was shocked again because when Gu Pan mentioned the equipment, she didn’t think at all about how valuable they were and just how many things they had hidden. These two kids were really capable, weren’t they?
She said, “Silly child, don’t just bring these things back carelessly. Make sure to negotiate good terms with your uncle. Just because we have a good relationship, don’t hesitate to speak up. Your items are very valuable to the base; they can’t even get their hands on them. If you ask for more, it’s no issue.”
Gu Pan couldn’t help but laugh, “If Uncle Li heard that, he might think we’re plotting a rebellion.”
Andi also laughed, “Lately, he’s so full of himself; we really do need to keep him in check.”
While laughing, Andi continued cooking.
Gu Pan couldn’t actually be of much help because Andi had prepared everything so well, with all the vegetables washed and chopped. With little in the way of seasonings and accompaniments, there wasn’t much she could do.
Andi was very organized in her work, making each step a joy to watch, clean and satisfying.
