Chapter 250: Stand Up
“Brother, you really don’t care?”
Zhuang Mingwu nagged for a while then questioned.
Zhuang Mingxu looked up calmly. “Control with what? My ruined legs? The Zhuang family’s illegitimate son can roam in front of me. What right do I have to control anyone?”
“Besides, Mingwu, you’re not a kid anymore. Go ask Grandpa—does he have the face to make others consider the Zhuang family? If Xiao Yi didn’t take this chance to step on the Zhuang family, you should be grateful.”
Zhuang Mingxu directly exposed the surface-level harmony. Zhuang Mingwu stammered for a long time but couldn’t say a word.
Looking at his naïve older cousin, Zhuang Mingxu sighed, “Is it for your upgrade?”
“…Yeah,” Zhuang Mingwu sat dejectedly. “I absorbed too many zombie crystal cores before, so the upgrade definitely failed.”
“Brother, those who failed exploded into meat paste. I’m scared,” Zhuang Mingwu looked at Zhuang Mingxu helplessly.
In their youth, the family had a responsible eldest son and didn’t need the second to be outstanding. Zhuang Mingwu hadn’t been deliberately trained. When he came of age recklessly, Zhuang Mingwen got into trouble and was physically ruined, and Zhuang Mingxu retired from service. The family needed him to hold things up.
An adult now, Zhuang Mingwu couldn’t bear the dark pressures of his position, calling late at night, crying and questioning why.
He couldn’t shoulder the family burden soaked in blood that had turned black but had to hold on tightly.
Zhuang Mingxu reached out and patted Zhuang Mingwu’s head. “How much jade stone can the family provide?”
“I raised it to 3500kg, but my dad stopped me,” Zhuang Mingwu said.
“Then 3500kg. There’s also a plant-type crystal core in the team; I’ll help you reallocate it,” Zhuang Mingxu said. Upon hearing this, Zhuang Mingwu’s eyes instantly brightened. “But—”
“Mingwu, whether the family is willing to give it to you is something you have to handle yourself.”
“If they can provide it, I’ll help negotiate. If they can’t, then don’t say a word. In my current state, I have no say at home, let alone in the team. Don’t put me in a difficult position.”
Zhuang Mingwu nodded like a little puppy. “Brother, I’ll go back and talk to Dad right now.”
He hurriedly left the room, never once asking about his brother’s leg.
*
After Liu Ma left, Lu Weiyi went upstairs to find Xu Yi.
With Xu Yi’s ability, Zhuang Mingxu’s injury would no longer be a problem.
“Time to eat,” came a knock, and Xu Yi came to open the door, looking like he hadn’t slept well.
Li Zhuang leaned against the windowsill, wiping his tricornered knife, a smirk at the corner of his lips.
“You act like a pervert,” Lu Weiyi said disdainfully.
“If I didn’t, how could I be worthy of our team?” Li Zhuang stood and followed behind Xu Yi downstairs.
“Zhuang Mingxu had surgery last night. I need you to treat him first,” Lu Weiyi said plainly.
Xu Yi nodded.
Worried that this scheming fellow might cause trouble at such a critical time, Lu Weiyi glanced at the breakfast laid out on the dining table in the hall.
“Do you like tofu pudding?”
Following his gaze, Xu Yi nodded. Then a bowl on the table suddenly disappeared.
Rubbing his eyes and looking around, Xu Yi saw Lu Weiyi calmly holding a steaming bowl nearby. The fragrant aroma poured out strongly at such close range.
Lu Weiyi reached out, and the bowl vanished again, reappearing on the dining table far away, where several people holding spoons were grumbling about whether people could eat in peace.
Xu Yi didn’t understand what that meant and turned to Lu Weiyi, who calmly asked, “Tell me, is it possible that a person’s brain suddenly gets moved somewhere else, and their death is completely silent?”
Behind him, Li Zhuang burst out laughing, and Xu Yi’s face instantly turned pale.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I won’t target you anymore, won’t take revenge, won’t go against you. Is it fun for you to do this every day?” Xu Yi was so angry his eyes turned red. He used to be a bad guy but had many lackeys around him. He had rarely been suppressed directly, and it always involved Lu Weiyi. “Meeting you is the worst curse in eight generations. If you can’t do it, just kill me.”
“No, you’re still useful,” Lu Weiyi said as he led him toward Zhuang Mingxu’s bedroom. “He just had surgery last night.”
Lifting the blanket revealed Zhuang Mingxu’s leg, heavily bandaged. Lu Weiyi looked at Xu Yi and gave a final warning, “Xu Yi, don’t do anything you’ll regret. You haven’t yet enjoyed the good days without the Xu family. You don’t want to experience the consequences.”
Xu Yi glared at Lu Weiyi fiercely, then turned to Zhuang Mingxu’s knee, letting his ability flow continuously.
Zhuang Mingxu nodded at the cautious Lu Weiyi.
More than ten minutes later, Xu Yi collapsed onto the floor, exhausted. “It’s all healed.” He looked up at Lu Weiyi. “When are you giving me back my arm?”
“When you come back to the base with me,” Lu Weiyi replied.
He used scissors to cut away the bandages from the knee, revealing the intact knee beneath. He gently touched it. “How’s it feel?”
Zhuang Mingxu twisted his body, letting his lower half dangle off the bed, trying to bend it. The formerly stiff part was now smooth.
He opened his mouth, murmured for a long time, pursed his lips, and put his foot on the ground.
Gradually putting weight on it, he stood up.
Tears welled in Zhuang Mingxu’s eyes as he pulled Lu Weiyi into a hug, his voice hoarse and choking, “I stood up.”
“I stood up.”
He thought he’d be confined to a wheelchair for life, but now he stood.
Outside, the group waiting at the door applauded and congratulated him.
“Thank you, everyone.” After standing for a while, Zhuang Mingxu sat back down.
Lu Weiyi brought breakfast to eat with him, discussing whether to go back to the hospital immediately for a checkup or later.
“Go directly. I’m eager to start rehab,” Zhuang Mingxu said excitedly.
*
After the meal, Uncle Zhou sent a few people to help. Some accompanied Xu Sa to sell seafood, others went with Zhou Nan to find relatives, while he personally took Zhuang Mingxu to the hospital.
“Ning Yuan, don’t forget Qin Jin. Have someone inquire about him too,” Zhuang Mingxu reminded before leaving.
Qin Jin was a comrade of Zhuang Mingxu. The three of them retired together and started a business. Before the apocalypse, Qin Jin went missing during a business trip. His city was destroyed, and the closest the Capital base was the most likely place to find news.
“Don’t worry, I’ve already told them,” Ning Yuan patted Zhuang Mingxu’s shoulder. “Focus on your checkup.”
Zhuang Mingxu nodded, finally at ease to leave.
Just after discharge early in the morning, now returning, Uncle Zhou thought there was a problem with the surgery. Zhuang Mingxu said nothing, so he didn’t ask further.
They found Zhuang Mingxu’s chief surgeon. Upon seeing them, the doctor also thought something was wrong until Lu Weiyi rolled up his pants to reveal the intact knee. “Is the repair complete?”
Uncle Zhou paused for a moment, his gaze lingering on them thoughtfully.
“Yes,” Zhuang Mingxu smiled. “Please check it and arrange rehab. I haven’t walked for a year.”
“All right,” Dr. Zhang nodded calmly, taking out a set of tools from a cabinet and began tapping on Zhuang Mingxu’s leg.
Half an hour later, Dr. Zhang stood and smiled slightly. “It seems your healer ability user is very professional. Congratulations, you’re fully healed. Now you can start rehab.”
It seemed Dean had really studied seriously.
Lu Weiyi decided to reward him once they returned.
On the way back, Lu Weiyi felt completely relaxed. The heavy matter weighing on his heart was resolved, as if most of life’s troubles had been solved.
They went back to the room and closed the door. The two of them sat on the bed. Zhuang Mingxu kept rotating his knee, like a beloved toy he couldn’t put down. Beside him, Lu Weiyi smiled slightly, his eyes full of happiness.
“Feeling happy?” Zhuang Mingxu asked with a smile.
“Aren’t you?” Lu Weiyi teased.
“Happy,” Zhuang Mingxu couldn’t help but laugh. Thinking back on the past year, he pulled Lu Weiyi close and hugged him. “Thank you for your hard work.”
“It’s worth it.” With results, all the hardship is worth it. The worst thing is hopelessness.
*
At the base market, Xu Sa, Gu Qingji, and Gu Qingyue parked their truck, which was loaded with a freezer, in the busy marketplace.
Gu Qingji and Gu Qingyue set up the signs they had prepared on a makeshift table. Xu Sa held a big megaphone and switched it on.
“Come one, come all, don’t miss out! People from north and south, come take a look! Fresh seafood! Various mutated seafood! Taste it, see it for yourself!”
“Crabs as big as washbasins!”
“Mantis shrimps with long arms!”
“Giant squid with ten legs!”
“Blackfish, bass, flounder!”
“Clams, oysters, large scallops!”
Xu Sa worked as if he were three people, never repeating himself, making the two Gu brothers behind him seem like mere props, not to mention the two younger brothers who came to help.
Since the apocalypse, zombies roam everywhere; without some strength, you can’t even leave the base, let alone do logistics business. Fresh seafood was especially rare.
Xu Sa had checked the base situation before setting prices, ranging from 5 to 15 crystal cores, which seemed expensive but reasonable given the rarity.
The Capital, once a place where every brick was thrown by the powerful and wealthy, now still had plenty of rich people. They might not all be the strongest ability users, but those who stood firm definitely had abundant supplies or crystal cores.
In no time, a crowd gathered around. Gu Qingji and Gu Qingyue each stood in front of two freezers filled with freshly caught seafood frozen immediately without seawater. The two younger brothers helped weigh and pack continuously, with Xu Sa replenishing supplies several times.
Busy making money, busy counting crystal cores, none of them noticed the person staring at Xu Sa with surprise before quickly disappearing around the corner.
Meanwhile, at the Zhuang family home, a different scene was unfolding.
Zhuang Mingwu had spent the whole morning trying to get Zhuang Chengye to exchange jade for crystal cores, but Chengye wouldn’t budge, not because he refused, but because he didn’t have that much.
When Zhuang Mingwu finally lost his temper and left, a sickly Zhuang Mingwen pointed at Zhuang Chengli and the elder Zhuang downstairs, implying who was the real key figure.
Between improving his own strength and making things difficult for Zhuang Mingxu, Zhuang Mingwu didn’t hesitate to choose the former.
