NOVEL WEB Chapter 5
After hanging up the phone, Liu Jin’an was still immersed in the nervousness and excitement from the call. Before, it would have been hard for him to believe that he would be excited to talk to a man.
It was strange—he had never met Duan Haiping, and the plot of the novel had not even unfolded yet. They were still strangers, living in different parts of the world.
Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had known Duan Haiping for a long time, long enough to guess how the other person was feeling at that moment.
He must be frowning, wondering how his size had been leaked.
A rare, sincere smile flickered on Liu Jin’an’s face, but it was fleeting. He still had much to do. Indulging in such thoughts wouldn’t help him survive the cruel apocalypse that was drawing closer.
His second call was to Hu Jianye.
Liu Jin’an didn’t have many friends. His childhood had been marked by abuse from his adoptive parents, with clothes stained beyond cleaning and a body that always smelled bad.
But Hu Jianye had been the only one willing to be friends with him.
The little Hu Jianye had taken Liu Jin’an home when he was still just a child and proudly introduced him to his parents as his friend. It was one of the few warm moments in Liu Jin’an’s childhood.
Hu Jianye’s father, Hu Deyi, was a butcher, and his mother, Zhang Wenqian, often helped others sew clothes to support the family.
In the barren countryside, Hu Jianye’s family had been relatively well-off.
Every time Hu Jianye brought Liu Jin’an home, Zhang Wenqian would cook hot meals for him, then carefully wash the dirt from between his little nails. The few pieces of pork belly in the bowl represented the unspoken tenderness of Hu Deyi, who was typically taciturn.
There was no mention of them in the novel, so Liu Jin’an didn’t know if they had died early in the apocalypse or if they had survived but never encountered the protagonist group.
Now, with the knowledge from the Book of Superpowers and the knowledge of the coming apocalypse, Liu Jin’an couldn’t let the three of them just disappear.
When the call connected, he immediately gave a firm command: “Old Hu, tell uncle and aunt to gather all their belongings and meet me at Longcheng Airport.”
Hu Jianye’s voice quickly responded, “An’an, what happened to you? Are you joking with me?”
Liu Jin’an replied, “I’m not in the mood for jokes. Are my uncle and aunt around? Let me speak with them.”
He couldn’t directly tell the Hu family about the apocalypse. Even if they knew, their assets wouldn’t be enough to change anything. They could only prepare some food and water for what was coming.
Hu Jianye handed the phone to his father. The sound of a butcher’s knife clashing with a chopping board filled the background.
“Boy An, do you have something to say? Uncle is listening,” Hu Deyi’s rough voice came through.
Liu Jin’an didn’t intend to tell him the truth, so he continued his lie: “Uncle, you know how much the Gu family takes care of me. They found a buyer for your pigs. The price has been negotiated—20,000 yuan per 100 kilograms. Any extra kilogram adds another two hundred yuan.”
Hu Deyi was so shocked that he almost dropped the knife. “Boy An, what are you talking about? Who is this buyer you found?”
“Don’t worry about it. The buyer has a lot of money, and he only wants high-quality pork,” Liu Jin’an reassured. “We just have to go to Yuncheng, meet the buyer, and sign a contract.”
Hu Deyi, relieved, said eagerly, “Then I’ll go!”
Liu Jin’an tempted further, “It’s rare for you to travel. Can Jianye and Aunt come with us?”
Hu Deyi paused, seeming to consult with his son and wife before laughing heartily. “Then we’ll all go!”
Liu Jin’an estimated the time. “My family said there are many pork merchants looking to cooperate with that buyer. We need to leave for Yuncheng immediately. It’ll take you about two hours by car from the village. Let’s take a taxi to the airport and aim for the twelve o’clock flight.”
Liu Jin’an frowned slightly at the phone, hearing Hu Deyi’s anxious voice. “In such a hurry?”
“There’s no time to prepare anything,” Hu Deyi continued, sounding a bit frazzled.
Liu Jin’an reassured him, “You don’t need to prepare anything—just bring your ID card, bank card, and any important items.”
He couldn’t help but reflect on how honest the Hu family was. Even though his explanation was full of holes, they still believed him without question. He continued, “Don’t worry, Uncle, I’ll leave first!”
After hanging up, Liu Jin’an headed back to the mobile phone store and asked the salesperson for guidance on registering for WeChat, buying airplane tickets, and other related tasks. The first friend he made on WeChat was the patient saleswoman who helped him.
Once everything was set, he took a taxi to the airport, transferred 10,000 yuan to the young lady, and asked her to stock up on more food and water for the coming days. He believed in treating kind people with kindness.
He then added Hu Jianye’s WeChat and asked for ID photos of the family of three. After sending the airport location, Hu Jianye remembered to video call him.
“I told him it couldn’t be a scam, but my dad still didn’t believe it. He insisted on video calling you,” Hu Jianye said with a chuckle.
Liu Jin’an could hear Hu Deyi proudly grumbling in the background, “You brat, you obviously didn’t believe him. Why do you bite me back?”
“Okay, okay, you two, stop arguing,” Zhang Wenqian’s voice intervened with a smile. “An’an, please wait for us at the airport. We’ve packed and are about to leave.”
The screen was small and square, showing the three of them in the frame. But the warmth that radiated from the family was something Liu Jin’an could only hope to achieve. He envied them but didn’t feel any resentment. Instead, he felt a desire for that kind of connection—something he’d never truly experienced.
After all the things he had been through, he was left with nothing but envy. The people he had cared about deeply in the past had abandoned him, leaving him with nothing but scars. And now, even though he had withdrawn from the idea of familial ties, there were still people chasing after him.
Just as he was lost in thought, he heard a familiar voice: “Xiao An, you really are here!” It was Mrs. Gu, Jiang Shulan.
Then came the righteous condemnation of Gu Letian: “Brother Jin’an, how could you leave without saying goodbye? Do you know how worried your mother is about you? She didn’t even eat breakfast, and she almost fainted just now! Even if you hate me, you can’t make mother worry like that!”