ushernet Chapter 51: And then there was nothing
Chapter 51: And then there was nothing
Chapter 51: And then there was nothing
Eating a full meal and then running just a bit would already make his side hurt, so Xu Qing didn’t run far. After running a short distance and surveying his surroundings, he slowed down to a walk.
“Under no circumstances should you use this move to crash into someone.”
Too brutal. If you charged straight at someone with this, they’d either die or end up severely injured.
...It’s about the same as being hit by a rampaging bull.
Xu Qing glanced at Jiang He with a strange expression. Jiang He, still looking harmless as a penguin, had her hands tucked into her sleeves and her hat pulled down, nodding innocently.
“What if I meet someone stronger than me?”
After a moment of silence, Jiang He couldn’t help but ask.
“You’re unlikely to encounter that... They’re probably professional Muay Thai fighters or something.”
Xu Qing recalled videos he’d seen of Muay Thai practitioners kicking wooden posts or trees—it looked tough, but behind the scenes, they were probably wincing in pain, wanting to rub their bruised legs, right?
At least they weren’t as calm as Jiang He, who could start and finish without breaking a sweat, face unflushed and breath steady, as if nothing had happened.
“Alright, let’s go back and play some games.”
Staying a homebody seemed like a better option. Otherwise, arguments in the future would be exhausting for him.@@@@
Jiang He didn’t say anything, but after walking a couple of steps behind him, she finally spoke, “Uh... Can you let go now?”
“Huh? Oh.”
Xu Qing casually released her hand and shoved his back into his pocket.
Back home, Jiang He dove headfirst into her computer, diligently working through her daily tasks—she was juggling five accounts, running errands in teahouses and such, fully committed to repaying her debt to Xu Qing one day. Afterward, she planned to save some money to buy land and farm.
At her current pace, though, inflation would probably outstrip her earnings. Xu Qing, having seen through her plan, wasn’t worried at all.
Money was such a delightful thing—just a few bucks could keep her quietly seated at her computer for hours.
“What does ‘qingyuan’ mean?” Jiang He asked after finishing her dailies and starting her own character’s dungeon run.
“Qingyuan? It’s... Wait, what qingyuan?”
“This person mentioned it.” Jiang He pointed to the chat box on the computer screen.
Xu Qing, lounging lazily on the couch in the “Ge You” pose, sprang up and leaned over to check the screen. His nose nearly flared in anger—he hadn’t even made a move, and someone was already eyeing her?
“Tell him to scram.”
“...”
“Alright, as long as you see these two lights. When the green one lights up, it’s fully charged.”
As he spoke, he pulled two cartons of milk from the box next to the fridge and placed them on the heater. “Those oranges and bananas—you can warm them up before eating so they don’t upset your stomach.”
As Jiang He stayed longer, the once messy bachelor pad slowly changed. There were more fruits and snacks, the kitchen got used, Winter Melon’s litter box was changed more frequently, and items were organized. Most importantly, the atmosphere was different from when he lived alone.
“Where does electricity come from?” Jiang He, still examining the heating pad, pondered when she might be able to pay off her debt.
“Power stations.”
“Power stations?”
“It’s a bit complicated. Electricity is probably one of the greatest inventions of this era—one of them, anyway. There’s a power station miles away, and it sends power to us through these wires.”
Using it felt normal, but explaining it to Jiang He made Xu Qing feel amazed himself. “If I hadn’t grown up around this, I’d think it was a miracle too—one wire connecting thousands of homes.”
“That’s impressive.”
Jiang He marveled at the explanation. Running water was already fascinating to her; things like the internet and power lines were even more advanced and harder to grasp.
“You’ll find there are many more impressive things to come. There’s VR now. Who knows, maybe in another 50 or 60 years, there’ll be another technological explosion, and we’ll get to experience gaming helmets.”
“What are those?”
“For playing.” Xu Qing’s explanation was simple. “Now that we’re not short on food or clothes, everything is about entertainment and enjoyment. By the way, it’s time for you to cook.”
“Oh.” Jiang He checked the time, put down the heating pad, and went into the kitchen.
She wasn’t too interested in playing. Being well-fed and well-clothed was Xu Qing’s reality; she was still drowning in debt.
Coming to this era from the Kaiyuan period, getting to eat and be warm while in debt was already a blessing—Jiang He comforted herself with this thought as she tied on an apron and started rummaging through the fridge for ingredients.
One day, she’d make enough to buy a big house, buy electricity, buy a fridge, buy a computer, and then...
And then what?
“What’s wrong?” Xu Qing saw her standing there dazed with vegetables in her hands.
“...Nothing.”
Jiang He pursed her lips, feeling a sudden hollowness in her chest.
And then... nothing.
She’d live here alone for decades, and then she’d die.
Probably something like that.