Chapter 259
Opening her eyes, Li Xia found herself back in the post-apocalyptic world. The zombies had been completely eradicated, and humanity was rebuilding their homes as technology continued to advance. Li Xia felt a bit dazed, unsure if she had truly gone to ancient times or if it had all been just a dream.
"Xia Xia, what are you daydreaming about? Come back and eat dinner," called Li Xia's mother, Xu Changying.
"Coming!" Li Xia stood up, brushed the dirt off her bottom, and walked towards the house. Xu Changying's appearance was nearly identical to Xu Xinyue's. Li Xia felt completely at ease calling her "mom," and was actually quite happy about it. It was nice.
With the zombies eliminated, the global human population had dropped to less than 100 million. There was plenty of space, and each person was allotted a large area for living and farming. Of course, some people didn't want to be farmers and preferred to work regular jobs.
Li Xia's parents, having lived through the apocalypse, no longer wanted to live in crowded environments. They were given a large plot of land and brought Li Xia and her brother Li Shuang to cultivate the soil and grow crops.
They ordered machinery from a factory to help them farm the land and plant corn. This corn was a new mutant variety developed by experts, with rapid growth and excellent taste.
Today's lunch consisted of corn pancakes and corn porridge, accompanied by a small side dish.
Li Shuang took a bite of the corn pancake and grumbled, "Corn pancakes every day, I'm turning into corn myself."
"What's wrong with corn pancakes?" Xu Changying said as she took a bite of her own pancake, still finding it delicious.
"Even the tastiest food gets boring if you eat it every day," Li Shuang said, stuffing a large chopstick-full of side dish into his mouth.
"Not even food can shut your mouth," Li Shan glared at Li Shuang.
"If you don't like what I make, you can cook next time," Xu Changying said as she took a sip of corn porridge and swallowed her bite of corn pancake. To be honest, she was getting a bit tired of corn pancakes every day too. But during the apocalypse, they were constantly fighting for survival, leaving her no time to learn other recipes. Apart from corn pancakes, she didn't know how to make anything else.
Letting Li Shuang cook was out of the question. He only knew how to eat, not cook. Thinking about this, she looked at Li Xia, who was quietly eating her pancake without a word. She gave Li Xia a gentle kick under the table.
"Mom, why don't I give it a try?" Li Xia thought that this time she probably wouldn't blow up the kitchen.
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"Are you sure you can do it?" Li Xia had never cooked before.
"We'll find out if we try," Li Xia couldn't guarantee anything.
"Alright then, you can try making dinner tonight," Xu Changying thought about how they would be harvesting corn in a few days. Everyone in the family would be busy, so if Li Xia could cook, it would be helpful to have her prepare meals.
Li Xia went out to buy ingredients with great enthusiasm. She had received instruction from several excellent cooks and wanted to prepare a few delicious dishes for her family to try.
However, the ideal is often far from reality. As a result, the Li family's dinner that night consisted of cold corn pancakes eaten dry.
There was no other option. Not only had Li Xia blown up the pot, but she had also managed to burn down the entire kitchen. Xu Changying couldn't even boil water for tea.
Looking at Li Xia's ash-covered face and her expression of utter despair, Xu Changying kicked Li Shuang under the table, signaling him to say something.
"Cold corn pancakes are delicious too," Li Shuang said with a forced laugh. He truly hadn't expected his sister to be so... intense.
"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry," Li Xia apologized sincerely. She hadn't intended for things to turn out this way.
"I never liked that kitchen anyway. I was just about to tell your father we should tear it down. You blowing it up actually saved us the trouble," Xu Changying said, nudging Li Shan.
"Your mother's right. It's a good opportunity to get a new kitchen," Li Shan agreed.
Li Shuang looked at the two of them in disbelief. When he damaged something in the house, he'd get a beating from both parents. But when his sister blew up the kitchen, they comforted her. It was so unfair.
Li Shuang's thoughts were clearly written on his face, making Xu Changying feel a bit helpless. When Li Shuang damaged things, it was intentional. Li Xia, on the other hand, was trying to help the family. Their intentions were different, so naturally, the results were different too.
With the kitchen destroyed, Li Shan invited his friend Lu Youshan to help. Lu Youshan and his wife Guan Zhen were both involved in scientific research. They were on vacation and came both to help Li Shan and to have a change of scenery.
Li Xia was stunned when she saw the couple's son. He looked exactly like a younger version of Lu XuanNing.
Lu XuanNing had been here for over three years and had become familiar with this world. When he saw Li Xia, he felt a surge of happiness.
Lu XuanNing knew about Li Xia's superpower and her background. Coming to this era, he couldn't deny feeling anxious. But looking at the bracelet that had come with him, he believed he would meet Li Xia again.
Lu XuanNing had investigated the key members of the apocalyptic battle that determined the fate of humanity. He had met a girl with the same name as Li Xia but with slightly different looks. It was because of this wind system genius ability user's self-sacrifice that held back the Zombie King, allowing humanity to achieve victory in the great battle.
Lu XuanNing knew that person was Li Xia. If she had gone to ancient times, she should be able to return.
When he came to the Li family with his parents and saw Li Xia for the first time, he knew she had returned.
In a secluded spot, Lu XuanNing couldn't help but embrace Li Xia. "We can be together again," he said. This time, he wasn't a marquis who needed to protect the country. He could stay by her side and live the comfortable life she wanted.
"You figured it all out," Li Xia looked up at Lu XuanNing.
Lu XuanNing lowered his head and lightly kissed Li Xia's lips. "At first, I didn't realize, but when I saw the records of that crucial battle between humans and zombies in the apocalypse chronicles, I knew it had to be my Xia Xia."
"Were you afraid?" Li Xia asked, carefully studying Lu XuanNing's face.
"I was afraid you wouldn't come back, afraid you wouldn't be by my side, afraid you wouldn't want me," Lu XuanNing held Li Xia tightly.
"I..." Before Li Xia could finish her sentence, they heard the sound of a water basin falling to the ground. The two turned to see Xu Changying and Guan Zhen standing not far away, their mouths agape as they stared at the couple.
Seeing that the two were still embracing, Xu Changying stepped forward and shouted, "Let go!"
She pulled Li Xia away. This girl was hugging someone the first time they met. It was unacceptable.
Guan Zhen apologized to Xu Changying with an embarrassed expression. "It's all my Xuanning's fault. Please don't be angry, Changying."
"Mom, I'm grown up now. It's normal to date," Li Xia didn't think there was anything wrong and smiled at Lu XuanNing.
Lu XuanNing naturally returned the smile. Guan Zhen stepped on his foot, as this boy had no sense of reading the room. Couldn't he see that his future mother-in-law was about to explode with anger?
Xu Changying also realized her reaction was a bit extreme. "Xia Xia, you're still young. If you want to date, wait until you're at least 20."
"Aunt Xu, don't worry. I'll wait for Xia Xia," Lu XuanNing promised Xu Changying.
When the men found out, they didn't say much. Li Shuang was a bit unhappy that his sister had been pursued so quickly. He took Lu XuanNing aside for a sparring match.
Lu XuanNing didn't have a superpower, but he hadn't forgotten any of his martial arts skills from his previous life. Li Shuang was his future brother-in-law, so he had to go easy on him. He took two punches to the face, using his internal energy to dissipate Li Shuang's force. His face was bruised, but not seriously.
Li Xia knew Lu XuanNing's capabilities, so she wasn't worried about him. However, seeing the injuries on Lu XuanNing's face still made her heart ache. Such a handsome face shouldn't be marred. Li Xia glared at Li Shuang and took Lu XuanNing's hand to apply medicine.
Lu XuanNing followed Li Xia like a dutiful wife, repeatedly insisting that he wasn't in pain.
His demeanor infuriated Li Shuang, who stomped his foot in frustration. He was the one who was more seriously injured! Lu XuanNing had deliberately targeted areas that weren't visible. His hits were painful too. Li Shuang mentally labeled Lu XuanNing as "cunning." He wouldn't agree to let him marry his sister.
After applying medicine to Lu XuanNing's face, Li Xia picked up the first aid kit, preparing to leave.
"Where are you going?" Lu XuanNing held onto Li Xia's hand.
"To bring medicine to my brother," She wasn't fooled; she knew Li Shuang was the one who was hurt the most.
Lu XuanNing tightened his grip on Li Xia's hand. "I don't want to be apart from you." They had been separated for too long; he didn't want to be away from Li Xia for even a moment.
"We won't be apart," Li Xia squeezed Lu XuanNing's hand, calming his anxious heart. She stood up and accompanied Li Xia to Li Shuang's room. Li Shuang was still angry and grunted twice when he saw Lu XuanNing, ignoring him.
Lu XuanNing asked Li Xia to leave first, then applied medicine to Li Shuang himself, quietly apologizing. Seeing Lu XuanNing's attitude, Li Shuang's anger subsided, but he challenged him to another match. He had been careless this time but was determined to beat Lu XuanNing next time.
Unfortunately, he never managed to win, not even at Li Xia's wedding when Li Shuang insisted on fighting Lu XuanNing one last time. The eager groom defeated him in three moves, leaving Li Shuang in utter disbelief. He finally realized that Lu XuanNing had been going easy on him all along. By the time he wanted to confront Lu XuanNing about it, it was too late.
After their marriage, Lu XuanNing fulfilled the promise he had once made but not completed, traveling the world with Li Xia to see all its wonders. They recorded the customs and cultures of various places. In their later years, the couple returned to their hometown to settle down and compiled their travel records into a published travelogue.
The story ends here.