Li Zhou’s spine stiffened. He turned around, his clouded eyes fixed on the little girl in front of him.
“You’re, Xu Qian?”
Xu Qian’s tears could no longer be held back and began to fall.
“You old geezer, just leaving without a word! You had Xu Nian and me worried sick.”
Ji Li Yang silently gave a thumbs up. He hadn’t expected Elder Li to be Xu Qian’s relative!
Li Zhou wanted to reach out and pat her shoulder to comfort her, but found that her clothes were spotlessly clean, not a speck of dust on them.
He lowered his hand and said helplessly, “Ah, I’ve taught you two everything I could. If I don’t leave, are you two sisters going to support this old man?”
Xu Qian jutted out her chin, defiantly saying, “We can support two of you!”
Li Zhou was amused and laughed heartily.
“You, where’s Xiao Nian?”
Li Zhou looked behind her twice, not spotting the little brat’s figure.
Xu Qian pursed her lips and said sarcastically, “You only ask where Xiao Nian is, you don’t even care about me.”
Li Zhou couldn’t help but reach out and pinch her soft, fair hand.
“Alright, you look perfectly safe. You should go now, go do what you need to do.”
Li Zhou could tell at a glance that Xu Qian belonged to a base.
From what he understood, people living in the big bases had to go out on missions every day.
Of course, their Li Yang Base was an exception.
They usually grew vegetables, hunted mutant beasts, and managed to get by with enough to eat. They didn’t have so many rules.
These old men all wanted to stay here with the children until they died of old age.
Xu Qian didn’t dislike his unclean clothes or the sour smell emanating from him.
She wrapped her arms around his, rare for her, and said affectionately, “Old man, you want me to leave as soon as we meet? You’re too heartless.”
Li Zhou gave her a look. “You can stay as long as you want, who cares about you.”
Xu Qian’s eyes welled up with tears, but she suppressed them and chuckled, “Then fine, I’ll stay by your side.”
“Alright, alright, we can’t afford to keep you here. You’ll have to bring your own food.”
“Hey, old man, you’re really stingy.”
Xu Qian glanced back at the car window and saw no movement from Xu Jin.
He was really well-behaved.
“Old man, I’ll go tell my friends.”
“Yes, yes, go ahead.”
Li Zhou eagerly shook off her hand. He hadn’t changed his clothes in almost half a year, and this girl still liked to cling to him like before.
Xu Qian quickly got into the passenger seat.
Xu Lu, his face a picture of relief, said, “Sister…”
“Xu Lu, I’m going to stay at the base for a while. You can’t come in with me. I’ll leave the RV here. You can go out and play by yourself, and come back to the car to rest when you’re tired.”
Xu Lu opened his mouth, finally managing to speak.
“Sister, when… will you come out?”
Xu Qian paused for a moment before saying, “I’ll come back to cook for you at noon and in the evening, okay?”
The old man was here, and there were many children inside, so this was the only way.
Xu Lu lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the floor, and softly agreed.
Xu Qian stroked his brown hair, not caring if he understood or not, and patiently explained:
“I met an old teacher of mine, and I want to spend more time with him.”
For the first time, Xu Qian saw understanding in his eyes.
He didn’t say anything else. He got out of the car and ran off into the distance, off to who knows where.
Xu Qian called out to him, “You know the way back, right?”
Xu Lu waved his hand behind him, his figure growing smaller and smaller.
Ji Li Yang quietly sidled up to Xu Qian and asked, “Isn’t your brother coming to stay?”
Xu Qian shook her head. “He likes to be by himself.”
Ji Li Yang said, “Oh.”
“Come in. We don’t have much, but it’s enough to fill your stomach. You can rest assured and stay here.”
Xu Qian was truly unceremonious and directly agreed.
She figured she would be staying at this Li Yang Base for a long time.
The old man was getting on in years, and she couldn’t take him with her. He was suited to living a slow life in a place without so much intrigue.
She wanted to use the limited time she had to show filial piety, both for herself and for her sister.
The door to the greenhouse was open. Looking inside, the ground was neatly covered with planks of wood. There were quilts and pillows, indicating that people usually slept here.
Many children and elderly people were peeking at them from inside.
There wasn't even a proper bed.