Chapter 525: Chapter 525: The Ugly Daughter-in-Law Finally Meets the In-Laws
For the Base Commander, today is the happiest day in over twenty years.
It’s also the most lively day.
Since the child went missing and his wife passed away, he hadn’t celebrated any festivals. Even New Year’s felt just like any other day to him.
Today is quite an ordinary day—not a holiday at all. The outside world is still terrible, the apocalypse hasn’t ended, and the zombies are still howling.
Yet he cherishes this day tremendously, more than any holiday he’s spent before.
A group of people had a barbecue, eating from sunset until the stars filled the sky.
They even had dinner along the way.
After eating, the two elders, Wang and Liu, returned to the green garbage truck, their snores echoing loudly.
The elders slept so soundly. It wasn’t just in the Safety Base where they could rest so easily; even outside, they’d just close the car door and sleep peacefully.
They had such strong nerves, completely unconcerned about the possibility of a sudden zombie attack.
At worst, they’d howl and jump around, completely unafraid!
After eating, Wang and Liu went back, but the Base Commander didn’t leave.
The Base Commander efficiently helped to clean up, even mopping the floor in the bus until it was spotless. When Leng Yebai wasn’t looking, he quickly darted upstairs to tidy up Leng Yebai’s bedding.
He folded it very neatly.
This was the considerate care of an old father.
At the end, when everyone else had stopped, the Base Commander was still busy. He even brought a basin of water and a cloth from the kitchen.
Preparing to clean the surface of the bus.
Bai Zhengxuan was a Water Ability User, so he usually handled all the cleaning at home.
Cleaning the bus’s surface with a cloth seemed unnecessary, but the Base Commander clearly didn’t feel his actions were superfluous, as he seriously prepared to wipe down the bus.
"It’s too late; you should go back,"
Leng Yebai stood behind the Base Commander without expression, a hint of helplessness on his cool face.
Suddenly having a father, Leng Yebai really didn’t know how to get along.
His feelings towards the Base Commander were complicated; he did harbor some resentment for losing him as a child, yet there was still a bit of excitement.
At the very least, he wasn’t abandoned.
"I’m not sleepy; I can do a bit more,"
The Base Commander paused, then picked up the cloth with a serious face, starting to wipe the bus surface earnestly, his eyes sneaking a glance at Leng Yebai.
"You don’t need to wipe that. You’re not tired, but everyone else is. It’s too late," Leng Yebai paused and added, "Tomorrow... come back then!"
This was the first time Leng Yebai had actively invited the Base Commander to come over.
"Oh... "
The Base Commander paused but didn’t stop the wiping movements, cleaning the bus continuously.
Showing no intention of leaving.
"Is there something else?" Leng Yebai asked.
"No, nothing really."
The Base Commander’s fingers tightened slightly around the cloth.
"If not, then I’m leaving."
Leng Yebai turned and walked away.
Just as Leng Yebai was about to board the bus, the Base Commander’s voice sounded from behind him.
"Can I take you to see your mother?"
The Base Commander didn’t look at Leng Yebai, his hands repetitively wiping the same spot.
Leng Yebai paused, didn’t speak, and continued towards the bus.
The Base Commander suddenly seemed very deflated, his shoulders slumped, weakly rubbing the same spot.
From start to now, he had been wiping the same area.
In the end, his son still couldn’t cross that emotional barrier. Honestly, none of them had moved past it.
The Base Commander let out a deep sigh, looking at the stars above.
He wondered if his wife sees their son has been found.
If she knew, she would surely be happy!
"When are we going? Why are you still cleaning the bus?"
Leng Yebai’s voice suddenly sounded behind the Base Commander.
The Base Commander quickly turned around, seeing Leng Yebai standing alongside Bai Xiqin.
"You, you..."
The Base Commander couldn’t quite grasp what was happening for a moment.
"Are we going or not? If not, forget it."
Leng Yebai’s mouth curved slightly, and he hooked his finger around Bai Xiqin’s.
The future daughter-in-law had to meet the in-laws eventually.
Of course, Xiao Niu was so beautiful, naturally unafraid of meeting the in-laws!
He thought, if he were really visiting his mother, he ought to bring Xiao Niu along. Finding such a wonderful fiancé, he must let her see.
"We’re going, going, right now!" the Base Commander nodded continuously, a smile quickly spreading across his face.
Bringing the daughter-in-law would be even better. He believed Hua would be very pleased to see such a lovely, adorable daughter-in-law.
The Base Commander cheerfully led the way, thinking about how fortunate his son was to find such an obedient daughter-in-law!
The Yunhua Safety Base was formerly the Base Commander’s estate. Even after becoming a safety base, it was still specifically enclosed by Earth Ability Users as his private area.
There was only a small gate.
The private courtyard’s entrance was just behind the main base building, only allowing one person through.
After Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai followed the Base Commander through the tiny entrance, their vision suddenly opened up.
In front of them was a small flowerbed where wild plants were growing abundantly, making it impossible to distinguish between flowers and newly sprouted weeds.
A dense touch of green was dotted on the cement-covered yard, the cement floor decorating the luxurious villa’s courtyard, appearing somewhat out of place.
Many wealthy people preferred to turn their yard into a lawn, while here, only the small flowerbed had green plants, with all other areas tightly covered in cement.
This cement was laid later and seemed somewhat incongruous with the luxurious villa.
"Your mother was afraid of snakes and rodents, so we paved the ground with cement,"
The Base Commander fondly looked at the cement surface, dazed for a moment.
The three continued walking inside.
A villa, appearing incredibly luxurious from the outside, stood before them.
Even after over twenty years of weathering, the villa still left Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai in awe.
Bai Xiqin’s father was a lawyer, and most family members had stable jobs, but they weren’t from extremely wealthy families. It was their first time seeing a villa like a castle.
Leng Yebai later bought a big house through his own efforts, but compared to this castle, it was still far short.
He grew up in an orphanage and was very poor.
Their first reaction upon seeing this castle-like villa was—"This guy is really rich!"
For a moment, Leng Yebai considered calling him Dad.
He didn’t care whether he had money, but his wife needed the dowry.
He didn’t mind his reputation if it meant they could get the money.
After all, he couldn’t let pride stand in the way of that!
The Base Commander hadn’t noticed their expressions of rural astonishment, as he pulled out a key from his pocket to unlock the long-unopened grand door.
There was no dust on the door, indicating someone regularly cleaned there.
The heavy door was studded with colorful gems, and Bai Xiqin even saw a diamond the size of a pigeon’s egg.
Reflecting the moonlight, it nearly blinded Bai Xiqin!
This was the power of money!
