166 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Five-year-old Cai Cai wielding a knife was something Chen Wan hadn't anticipated. Nonetheless, she reacted swiftly. In just an instant, she had lifted the little boy, disarmed him, and tossed him far away. He landed hard on the ground and began crying loudly. Chen Wan glanced at the child, her expression indifferent. "If there's another time, I'll throw you straight into the snow outside." She waited for the Omegas and Betas to finish moving supplies to the warehouse opposite before she and Jiang Yan Xin returned to the RV. After all that just happened, Chen Wan figured these people should have learned their lesson by now. Once back, Chen Wan started up the RV, absorbing all the vehicles in the underground parking lot and all the car gasoline into their RV. She pulled out large gasoline barrels they found at the supermarket and distributed some to Qi Jing and her group, as their minibus consumed a lot of fuel with the heater on. The next few days passed relatively peacefully. No one at the warehouse dared to cause trouble again, and Qi Jing's health was gradually recovering. Each day was colder than the last. That morning, Chen Wan had breakfast and, alongside Qin Ke, went to the rooftop for their routine check of the outside. The two women carried flashlights as they climbed slowly upstairs. The windows in the mall let in hardly any light, casting the entire building into darkness, the only illumination being their flashlights. When they reached the fifth floor, the open window they'd intentionally left was now frozen shut by snow. Some of the snow had turned to ice, and its depth threatened to bury the building. Chen Wan peered through the gaps but couldn't discern the true depth of the snow. "The snow’s too thick. If it keeps up, we'll end up in an icy world," Chen Wan's heart pounded. This danger felt different from encountering zombies or enemies—now nature itself was the foe. Qin Ke, similarly concerned, tried to comfort her, "The climate's been changing so rapidly, possibly related to the apocalypse. Maybe soon it’ll start to thaw. For now, we can only wait." Chen Wan nodded, recognizing the risk of leaving the mall. Going out would be suicide; if they wanted to move elsewhere, they'd have to find a way through the sewer system—blindly digging a passage could lead to disaster, crushed by the tons of snow above. Digging through wasn't an option either, as their supplies were still sufficient. Only two vehicles remained in the basement, making it feel especially empty. After spending a bit of time outside, Chen Wan and Qin Ke returned to the RV, which was notably warmer compared to outside—like the difference between winter and summer. Cai Cai, seeing Chen Wan back, crawled out from among the dogs and, with a few quick steps, jumped into Chen Wan’s arms, asking for a hug. Chen Wan picked him up, playfully pinching his little chubby hand, which prompted a shiver in her arms. "Am I really that cold?" She chuckled. "Cold, but it's comfy with Mommy," Cai Cai replied contently, snuggling against her like a cushion. Chen Wan chuckled, bouncing the little guy in her arms as she and Qin Ke played with him. Meanwhile, Jiang Yan Xin and Jiang Wan Ning were upstairs in the greenhouse, watering the vegetables and fruits. Not knowing how many months they'd be confined there until seeing the sun again, the greenhouse’s produce was vital. However, Jiang Yan Xin couldn’t help feeling that whenever she and her sister watered the plants, their growth was slower than when Jiang Zhao Yuan did it. On his turns, the plants seemed to flourish more quickly. In the evening, Ye Lan used onions from the greenhouse to make scallion pancakes for their group and sent some over to Qi Jing’s group as well. Qi Jing was astonished to see the scallions. Unable to hold back, she asked, "How did you manage to get vegetables?" "Oh, that's part of our abilities. You've been looking healthier these days. Eat more and, in a few more days, you should replenish the blood you've lost," Chen Wan cheerfully explained. The RV had too many secrets she didn’t plan to share with outsiders, so she attributed it to their powers—it was a convenient explanation with the myriad of abilities in the post-apocalyptic world. And Qi Jing wasn’t the type to pry, so she let it go with a simple question. Qi Jing, Li Xiao Xiao, and Kang Wan enjoyed their pancakes, which were leagues better than the food they had been eating in the warehouse. After delivering food to Qi Jing’s group, Chen Wan returned to the RV. With everyone idle at night, the only entertainment was playing with Cai Cai. The little guy moved back and forth between his mom and aunts, his chubby hands and legs being squeezed in delight as they played, his giggles filling the air. Qin Ke teased Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin, "So, when are you planning to have another baby? Yang Yang isn’t enough for all of us to play with." Chen Wan shook her head with a smile. "Not possible right now. We’ll wait until things settle down—and Yang Yang is enough. Isn’t our little one adorable?" Cai Cai shook his little head, looking at his mommies with wide eyes, and boldly proclaimed, "I want a little sister to play with~" Chen Wan laughed, ruffling Cai Cai’s hair, and soothed him, "Wanting a sister doesn't mean she'll come from us. Once things settle, you can meet other aunties' little sisters, okay?" Satisfied at the thought of future playmates, Cai Cai nodded, "Okay~" Chen Wan brushed off the conversation as mere banter with Cai Cai, later tucking him into his little bed in the RV to sleep. Time had taught Cai Cai to be accustomed to his own small bed near the larger one. As he lay down for the night, he adorably waved his small hands, bidding his mother and mom goodnight. "Goodnight, sweetheart," Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin both replied. With Cai Cai settled, Jiang Yan Xin cuddled up to Chen Wan, reflecting on their earlier conversation. She hooked her arm around Chen Wan's neck and asked, "Really don’t want another baby?" Chen Wan leaned in to kiss the corner of Jiang Yan Xin's lips and whispered gently, "Let's not. Having a baby is hard work, and the conditions aren't right. We have Yang Yang and that's enough for now." Jiang Yan Xin giggled, scratching Chen Wan’s chin softly. "Alright, we’ll see later. I know you don’t want me to go through that again. Want a reward?" Chen Wan perked up, "What kind of reward?" Jiang Yan Xin's playfulness was evident as she leaned in to kiss Chen Wan softly on the lips. With such a gesture, Chen Wan quickly reciprocated, pressing Jiang Yan Xin underneath her as they kissed. Cai Cai, who had dozed off but couldn’t really sleep, woke, sat up in his little bed to find his mommies seemingly entangled in a kiss. His eyes widened, and with a giggle, he playfully covered his eyes with his hands before peering through his fingers, giggling, "Mommy, Mama, you’re kissing!" The sudden voice broke their focus, jolting Chen Wan and turning Jiang Yan Xin as red as a tomato, who quickly buried herself under the covers, too shy to meet Cai Cai's gaze. With a sigh, Chen Wan turned to the mischievous little rascal peeking through his small fingers, trying to hush him, "Weren’t you about to sleep, sweetheart? Why are you still awake?" "I’m not sleepy, were you two kissing just now?" Cai Cai asked with curiosity. Before Chen Wan could respond, she felt a sharp pinch on her side, a silent rebuke from Jiang Yan Xin. Scrambling for an explanation, she quickly fibbed, "No, sweetheart, your mama had something in her eye, and I was helping her with it. Not kissing." Cai Cai scratched his head, puzzled but not convinced. They were in an RV—where would sand come from? Noticing Cai Cai's lingering doubts, Chen Wan quickly changed the subject, "Are you thirsty? I recall we have mango juice in the storage space. Would you like some?" At the mention of juice, Cai Cai's previous thoughts vanished. He nodded enthusiastically, "I want some!" Chen Wan chuckled softly, well aware of how easily Cai Cai could be distracted. Mention snacks or drinks, and he'd forget everything else. She quickly fetched the mango juice, opened it, and handed it to Cai Cai, gently reminding him, "Once you’re done, how about I take you to brush your teeth?" Cai Cai joyfully drank the juice, nodding energetically. After he finished, Chen Wan helped him brush his teeth before tucking him back into his small bed. Once Cai Cai was settled, she climbed back into the big bed to console Jiang Yan Xin. "Darling? Don't bury yourself under the covers. Yang Yang has already forgotten, don't be shy," Chen Wan teased, gently extracting Jiang Yan Xin from the covers, wrapping her arms around her from behind, and softly inquiring, "Sweetheart, our little foodie is all satisfied now, how about we pick up where we left off?" Jiang Yan Xin, her ears turning crimson, nudged Chen Wan away, muttering with her back turned, "Who wants to continue? Yang Yang saw us—so embarrassing. You can just dream about it." Seeing she was being ignored, Chen Wan cast a doleful glance at the little rascal in the small bed. After finishing his mango juice, Cai Cai was delightfully asleep, his little chest rising and falling peacefully. Meanwhile, Chen Wan, her gaze wistful, was wide awake and longing for Jiang Yan Xin's attention once more.