Chapter 117: Li Qingshui Four Years Later

Seeing Xiao Jing’s expression, a look of unexpected delight appeared on Liu Chang’s face.

"Well, well, it seems Fatty really is more approachable than other men. If I had known, I would have brought you over to him sooner." Seeing that Xiao Jing held no resistance, Liu Chang was pleased. "Starting today, I won’t keep you confined anymore. If you want to go out and play, go ahead, but you must have your brother Fatty accompany you."

"Mm." The young girl nodded. It was as if she had returned to the days of four years ago. She looked at Mo Sanpang, then at Liu Chang, and suddenly beamed, revealing that same well-behaved demeanor from four years ago. She nodded firmly, "Mm!"

"Go on, go on." Seeing Xiao Jing happy, Liu Chang felt much better himself. He crouched by the bed to help her put on her shoes and ushered her and Mo Sanpang out of the room. "Go have fun. I heard a new supermarket opened up near the end of our street; you two should go take a look."

"Aren't you coming with us, brother?" Xiao Jing looked at Liu Chang with a pleading expression. "Just like four years ago—we’ll go hunting, brother Fatty will gather greens, and then we’ll all drink that soup that tastes like poop together."

"Actually, I think I was quite happy back then," the girl smiled at Liu Chang. The scar on her face remained as conspicuous and jarring as ever.

Her words stirred a flood of nostalgia in Liu Chang—memories of the day the college entrance exams ended, the day he met the little girl, the days they spent drinking that foul-tasting soup...

"Sigh, but I have things to do today. The military..."

"Just leave everything to that mad scientist to handle. I just want you to keep me company for one day." Xiao Jing looked at Liu Chang, her eyes filled with persistence and supplication.

"Fine. Let the military go to hell. Today, the three of us are going out for a stroll." Liu Chang smiled and patted the young girl's shoulder; it had grown much thicker now.

Although she still appeared thinner than other girls her age, it was not as pronounced as it had been four years ago.

"Mm, just the three of us. You’re not allowed to bring He Zhizhi." The young girl took Liu Chang’s hand and walked ahead. "She tries to seduce you every day now, and I don’t like it."

"Alright, we won't bring her. Just the three of us." Liu Chang stroked the girl’s hair, and together with Mo Sanpang, the three of them walked out of the bar.

Outside, the dense fog still swirled.

In four years, the thick mist had not diminished in the slightest. Whether it rained or the wind blew, the fog persisted—it was said that the red mist dissolved perfectly into water, yet even in the rain, the mist remained.

It seemed as if these mysterious, unknown things were destined to remain forever, goading the life on Earth to keep moving forward.

The city was dilapidated.

Over the past four years, many collapsed buildings remained unrepaired, and few people bothered to maintain the roads. Due to the scarcity of resources, poor visibility, and the state of the streets, one could see nothing but the occasional bicycle; other modes of transportation were nowhere to be found.

Most of the city’s social functions had ceased due to resource shortages. After all, a city is like a giant, gluttonous pig; if it were to operate normally, it would consume endless resources every day. Without the support of the countryside, the city’s operations were bound to grind to a halt.

Without steel, without oil, and without any resources from the wilderness, the entire city had been reduced to an empty shell.

However, even so, people struggled to survive, living a life that was half-primitive and half-modern.

It was called "modern" only because people still retained the habit of shopping at supermarkets.

Stepping into the supermarket at the end of the street, the first things that met the eye were the firearm counters.

Various types of guns and ammunition were clearly priced inside glass cabinets, ranging from homemade civilian pieces to those diverted from the military. Next to the gun counters were shelves of medicine, with heavily armed soldiers patrolling the supermarket to prevent anyone from helping themselves to the goods.

Medicine, weapons, and food.

These were the staples of the supermarket, accounting for over eighty percent of the inventory.

"These things are so boring. Let’s go upstairs and take a look," Xiao Jing said, pursing her lips as she gazed at the items on the first floor. "Supermarkets run by the military are so dull; everything is packaged exactly the same way."

"Heh, well, supplies are tight these days. Who cares about packaging anymore?" Liu Chang smiled.

"That’s why I got scammed so badly! Back in the day, high-end liquor cost thousands or tens of thousands a bottle, and you could tell it was expensive just by the packaging," Mo Sanpang lamented, slapping his forehead. "Who would have thought that the 'Bald-Butt' swill I drank that day would be so pricey? If I’d known it was that expensive, us brothers never would have touched it!"

"Give it a rest, don't bring up that day," Liu Chang laughed, following the young girl up to the second floor of the supermarket.

Most of the goods here were compressed biscuits made with new storage technologies—ranging from mung bean compressed biscuits to other varieties—all highly practical items with a shelf life of up to two weeks.

Beyond these essentials, the supermarket finally featured a few scattered trinkets from the previous era. There were clothes, bedding, and a few stray toys and dolls.

"Are there really people with the leisure time to make these things now?" Mo Sanpang picked up a handmade plush doll, staring at its oddly shaped face. "What is this?"

"It’s a Gimi bug, a very cute insect that survives on photosynthesis. It’s not dangerous at all." The young girl snatched the doll from Mo Sanpang’s hand. "I want this."

"Oh, alright." Liu Chang nodded.

He spent the day accompanying the girl, buying useless little trinkets and selecting some long-lasting food in the supermarket. Afterward, the three of them strolled around for a while, and the day passed peacefully.

As evening approached, the three returned to the bar, which was on the verge of opening. Upon opening the door, they saw a figure dressed in a white lab coat inside.

Hearing the door open, the person in the white coat turned around and smiled at Liu Chang. "Long time no see!"

"This is..." Before Liu Chang could finish his sentence upon entering the room, Mo Sanpang strode over in three quick steps to stand before the man in the white coat. "You... you..."

Mo Sanpang rubbed his eyes and looked closely at the man's face. "Are you the one on the currency..."

"Yes, my name is Li Qingshui," Li Qingshui said with a gentle smile toward Mo Sanpang. "You look quite a bit like a friend of mine from the past."

"Is that so?" Seeing the legendary figure sitting before him, Mo Sanpang said excitedly, "Are you really the Li Qingshui from the currency?"

"What, are there many people pretending to be me out there these days?" Li Qingshui joked lightly.

"No, I just... I find it hard to believe. Everyone says you never leave the experimental zone and rarely show your face. There are hardly any people in the entire city of Zhengzhou who have actually seen you."