Gou Dan seemed to understand Xu An’s words, blinking its eyes as if trying to squeeze out a few drops of sad tears to make its mother feel ashamed.
But clearly, in this family, there was only the mother psychologizing the puppy; this dynamic of the puppy psychologizing the mother simply wouldn't work.
“Are you going to eat it or not? If not, I’m taking it back!”
A wise person knows when to avoid a confrontation. A piece of jerky was better than nothing. The adaptable Gou Dan, acting aggrieved, took a dried meat strip and returned to its little bed, not forgetting to glare at its mother for her “wicked deeds”!
However, its gaze was ruthlessly ignored.
Xu An dried her hair and returned to the bedroom, reflecting on her mother’s account of her own experiences.
The middle-aged woman who had previously asked her about forming a team was indeed targeting her and her daughter.
Upon discovering Xu An’s absence and seeing only Xu Yan as a solitary woman, she started making unreasonable demands.
It began with offering small favors, but it escalated, eventually leading to her pushing all her work responsibilities onto Xu Yan.
Xu Yan, not wanting trouble, was not a pushover. Furthermore, in the past year of the apocalypse, she had diligently trained her physical fitness alongside her daughter.
When the woman saw Xu Yan becoming more assertive, she resorted to feigning injury, claiming Xu Yan had hit her.
It was only when He Ci appeared that a temporary mediation was arranged. Although the woman continued to provoke Xu Yan afterward, she had significantly toned down her behavior.
However, what surprised Xu An was that her mother, after the incident, had actually orchestrated the woman's expulsion from the mining team. Not only that, but she had also disposed of the woman without a trace.
Xu An questioned Xu Yan carefully, and only after ensuring no evidence was left behind did she feel at ease.
If the roots are not removed, the grass will grow again with the spring breeze. They couldn’t guarantee this woman wouldn’t retaliate in the future; it was better to resolve the issue completely.
“Heh, when that woman’s husband learned of his wife’s disappearance, he didn’t seem sad at all. Instead, he burst into laughter in front of everyone. I heard their daughter’s son went scavenging and hasn’t returned yet.”
Xu An merely smiled faintly upon hearing this. The woman’s husband had likely harbored resentment towards her for a long time.
However, Xu Yan’s transformation brought her joy. From now on, even if they acted separately, she wouldn’t have to worry about her mother encountering trouble.
With this thought, Xu An decided to give her mother a laser gun.
She hadn’t returned the laser gun that Qin Chuan had given her. She figured that as someone from the military, Qin Chuan wouldn't be short of such items; she could always trade with him if needed.
The laser gun Qin Chuan had given her had a longer range and was more powerful than the one she had bought, clearly an improved version.
Xu An decided to be a bit shameless and keep it for herself.
With more trump cards in hand, Xu Yan would also put her more at ease.
“When you have time, you should thank He Ci properly.”
Although she had clearly refused him last time, He Ci had still helped her mother out of a tight spot, so she couldn't just ignore it.
With these thoughts, Xu An drifted off to sleep. Sometime later, Gou Dan nudged the door open, quietly slipped in, and lay down by Xu An’s bed, falling asleep alongside her.
The next morning.
Xu An opened her eyes from a hazy sleep, awakened by hunger.
The aroma of shrimp wontons and meat buns wafted into her nostrils, making her stomach rumble with hunger.
As soon as she got out of bed, she felt a furry sensation under her feet. Looking down, she saw Gou Dan. Fortunately, she hadn’t stepped on it.
“Gou Dan.”
Just awakened, Gou Dan wagged its tail and nuzzled Xu An’s hands with its head.
Xu An smiled and got up to wash, then took Gou Dan to the living room.
Breakfast was laid out on the coffee table. Xu Yan, having tidied her clothes, looked as if she was about to go out.
“Mom, are you going out?”
“Yes, someone invited me to cook at their place today. By the way, take some fresh fruits and vegetables from your space. Once I’m done cooking, we can sell them.”
Xu An nodded, reminded her mother to be careful, and didn’t ask further.
Although they were not short of trading currency, she was genuinely happy that her mother had found something she enjoyed doing.
After all, her mother was only in her early forties, so it was normal for her not to be able to sit still. It was due to the escape that she hadn't had the conditions before. Now that they were stable, finding something to do wasn't a bad thing.
The breakfast prepared by Xu Yan was very generous: a bowl of wontons, a plate of xiaolongbao, and four crystal shrimp dumplings.
Under Gou Dan’s expectant gaze, Xu An added two cans of wet food to Gou Dan’s kibble.
Since Xu An had been going down to the lower levels, Gou Dan had gained weight over the past half-month, but it hadn't eaten canned food much.
Xu An ruffled Gou Dan’s head, indicating that it could start eating.
After breakfast, Xu An first went into her space to harvest all the recently ripened crops, wash them, and put them in the refrigerator.
Then, she planted new seeds. Xu An discovered that with the presence of the red butterfly, the fruits and vegetables in her space seemed to be growing even faster.
Before she could finish planting all the seedlings, the ones planted earlier had already sprouted again.
The red butterfly, meanwhile, continuously circled the space, its red scales seeming to pollinate as they sprinkled onto the soil.
It was three hours later when she finished her tasks.
After exiting her space, Xu An looked at Gou Dan on a whim.
“Now that there’s a pasture, can I take Gou Dan in?”
She acted on her impulse, a little excited, and led the bewildered Gou Dan, first giving it a heads-up.
“Gou Dan, Mom will take you somewhere in a moment. Don’t be scared.”
Gou Dan understood Xu An’s words, pressing its head close to Xu An’s pants, its tail wagging wildly.
The next second, Xu An led Gou Dan to the pasture area of her space, and her first action was to look down at Gou Dan.
“As expected! Gou Dan can come in!”
This way, she wouldn’t have to board Gou Dan out anymore. When she went down to the lower levels, she could bring Gou Dan with her.
Although the young lady who looked after Gou Dan before was very kind, Xu An always felt a bit uneasy. Her own dog was safer by her side.
Seeing the pasture before it, Gou Dan acted as if it were set free, constantly chasing the fluttering butterfly.
This startled the little butterfly, which quickly flew high up.
“No! Gou Dan, you can’t bully Little Red!”
Night Demon Butterfly: “???” When did it get a name?
Xu An: It got one just now.
Gou Dan, looking wronged, nuzzled Xu An’s hand, as if asserting ownership, and acted provocatively towards the startled little butterfly.
Little Red… glanced speechlessly at the silly dog, flew back to a branch, and chose to ignore the silly dog.
Xu An found the interaction between the dog and the butterfly inexplicably amusing.
“When Mom isn’t here, you need to get along with Little Red, understand? Don’t bully Little Red!”
“Awooo, awooo~” Gou Dan trotted happily behind her, as if saying it understood.
Xu An patted Gou Dan’s fluffy head with satisfaction, then let Gou Dan continue to play in the space before coming out herself.
Just then, Xu Yan also returned from work. Not seeing Gou Dan, she asked, “Hey, where’s Gou Dan?”
“Mom, Gou Dan can be brought into the space now. We won’t have to worry about boarding it anymore.”
Xu Yan was also delighted, “Really? That’s great! Now we don’t have to worry about Gou Dan. Otherwise, leaving Gou Dan alone on the lighthouse always made me a bit uneasy.”
Xu An nodded in agreement.
“By the way, Mom, I’m going to the dark alley tomorrow.”