Chapter 698: I Really Love You All

Chapter 698: I Really Love You All

"A big family... meaning?"

"Even though it's a small family now..." Uncle Wan gave a bitter smile. "But I'll find a way to bring in more people, no matter what evil forces they come from. As long as we who carry the 'fragrance' stick together, they won't dare to touch us."

Brother Guyu thought about it for a moment, then pointed at me. "As long as I can stay with this little brother, I'm willing to join."

"Of course! Of course!" Uncle Wan seemed very pleased.

So on this battered eighth day, Brother Guyu joined us.

According to Uncle Wan's plan, he intended to keep searching for others who carried that clean scent.

But adults' plans often had flaws. Over the next two days, Uncle Wan, Sister Siwei, and Brother Guyu found no one else with that fragrance.

According to them, most of the people here were already dead, and they had no way to find any more 'fragrant ones.'

We stumbled into the tenth day in utter chaos.

This was what the adults called the 'Day of End.'

Holding Sister Siwei's hand, I stood outside and watched helplessly as she turned to dust before my eyes. My heart ached terribly, and I cried my lungs out.

I had never imagined anything in this world could hurt me this much. Even being away from my parents for ten days hadn't made me feel this sad.

Then it was my turn. I started dissolving from my legs, but strangely, it didn't hurt at all. Then my stomach, then my hands.

Finally, I felt like I was flying, floating up into the air. Then it was like I fell asleep, completely unaware of what happened next.

When I opened my eyes again, I was sitting in the classroom, with Xu Jiahua standing next to me as punishment.

I stared wide-eyed around the room, desperate to understand what was happening.

Why was I back? Had I escaped?

"Xu... Xu Jiahua?" I turned and called out.

"What's up?" Xu Jiahua whispered from where he stood. "Are you crazy? You dare to talk during the homeroom teacher's class?"

Seeing him standing there, alive and well, my tears wouldn't stop.

I could actually smell Xu Jiahua. Even though his clothes were dirty, his scent was clean.

But the homeroom teacher, who was cleanly dressed, smelled dirty.

From what Xu Jiahua said, I realized it was the day before the earthquake.

I had not only come back, but I had come back to the day before. I could smell everyone's scent, and I could even smell the 'coming earthquake.' Tomorrow afternoon, everything would happen again.

But what could I do?

After school, I wandered home in a daze. Everything was the same—the floor still littered with shattered plates, Dad snoring on the sofa, and my desk lamp still broken.

I put my backpack on the floor, slowly walked over to Dad, cleared away some of the plate fragments nearby, and sat down on the ground beside the sofa, gently leaning my head on his shoulder.

Dad, I'm so scared.

I had a terrible dream. I missed you so much.

"Dad," I called softly. "I want to talk to you. Can you hear me?"

But Dad kept snoring. He couldn't hear me. The smell of alcohol on him was strong, but it smelled happy, like he was having a good dream.

I had to go to school tomorrow morning. I didn't know if I'd die at school like last time. I just hoped I could talk to Dad and Mom before that. If I ended up in that red city again, I wouldn't see them for ten days.

No matter how I called him, he slept deeply. So I stood up and walked out the door.

I didn't want to do homework tonight. I wanted to see Mom.

After walking for about ten minutes, I found a brightly lit mahjong parlor in the alley, thick with smoke.

The people inside were always so loud, like they were arguing.

I pushed the door open. A few people glanced at me, then pretended not to see me and went back to their mahjong tiles.

The first person I spotted in the crowd was Mom. I missed her so much.

There was a faint bruise at the corner of her eye. She was sitting at a mahjong table, animatedly picking up tiles and muttering, "Three bamboo, three bamboo."

When she flipped it over, she seemed disappointed, cursed, "Wow, nobody loves me," and threw the tile onto the table.

I slowly walked up to her. Counting carefully, I hadn't seen her in ten days.

"Mom..." I whispered.

"Ah Xiong?" She glanced at me, then immediately turned back to her tiles. "What is it? Don't you have homework to do?... Pung!"

"I don't want to do homework. I want to see you." I dragged a little stool over and sat down beside her. "Mom, I want to talk to you..."

"Talk? That deadbeat dad of yours never talks to me all day... Six wan! You little devil, you have to talk to me while I'm playing mahjong? What sin did I commit?"

"Then I won't talk." I smiled. "Mom, I'll just watch you play."

"Are you out of your mind?" She kept picking up tiles from the table, not looking at me at all. "Dammit, learning to play mahjong at eight years old? Nine suo! Careful, you'll grow up to be as worthless as your dad."

I held back my tears, watching Mom's back.

Mom, do you know?

I'm about to go on a long journey.

I'm going to a very scary place. I might not see you for ten days, or I might die there for good.

You always say it would have been better if you never had me. If I really die, would you be happier than you are now?

"Mom," I called again.

"What now?" she answered loudly.

"Tomorrow afternoon, could you not stay at home?"

"Oh sure, now you're not even letting me come home." She picked up a tile, saw it wasn't the one she wanted, and cursed again. "Damn it. My wonderful son really cares about me."

"Promise me, Mom." I stood up and smiled at her. "I'm leaving now, Mom. I really love you."

Thank you for bringing me into this world.

But I did something bad, and I'm going to be taken to prison.

Mom, if I can come back, I want to talk to you so much. Will you listen to me then?

I met an especially good sister. I love her just like I love you.

The next afternoon, in the stuffy, cold classroom, the earthquake came right on schedule.

When the teacher stumbled out of the room, I immediately stood up and grabbed Xu Jiahua's hand.

"Xu Jiahua! Run!"

Before he even realized what was happening, I pulled him out of the classroom.

I couldn't let Xu Jiahua die.

The whole building was shaking, making a huge noise. Glass shattered from the trembling, and cracks began to appear in the walls.

"Xu Jiahua! I'm sorry!"

I shouted in the swaying hallway.

"What?"

"I'm sorry!" I ran and laughed, laughed and shouted. "I said 'I'm sorry!'"

I was grinning. I didn't know why I was so happy. I was about to die, but I was really, really happy.

Even if I was going to die, I had to say 'I'm sorry' to Xu Jiahua.

"You've lost it!" Xu Jiahua cursed. "Since when does a little brother apologize to his big brother?"

The wind whistled past my ears as Xu Jiahua and I kept running.

I had never run in the hallway before. The teacher never allowed it. Every day, I had to tread carefully, following every rule.

I wanted so badly to run in the hallway. I wanted to shout 'I'm sorry.'

Before the ceiling collapsed, Xu Jiahua and I felt the wind, stepped on the shaking floor, and experienced a freedom I had never known.