The next day, I was told to rest at ho. I told both of them that I was completely fine, but they didn’t trust .
Even when I removed the bandages and revealed the healed scar on my chest, they still made stay ho.
I was stuck tutoring my younger sister as they all went to work... What is there to learn about, you may ask?
Writing, reading, math, and science.
My dad wasn’t going to let my younger sister grow up illiterate. He had been making tutor her on my free ti ever since the outbreak started.
"Hey, Bro, can you just do this for ?" My sister pleaded as she dropped her pencil in frustration.
"Keep dreaming. I’m going to tell Dad and Mom if you ask about it one more ti," I responded in a grumpy tone.
"Okay, okay. Geez. I was just asking..."
As my younger sister picked up the pencil once again, my mind was still fixated on the booklet’s last ssage.
Although Jieqiong had already reassured that the draft wasn’t as ’mandatory’ as it had shown to be, I was still a little nervous.
What if I do get drafted? What will I do? Am I really going to be sent to the front line to die for soone else?
For a second, I thought of just never going to the draft office. But her words from last night struck .
---
"Mom and Dad, I miss you two so much!" I happily said out loud as the three of us slowly separated.
"We miss you, too," Mom replied.
"I told you he was going to live... Are you feeling better now?" Dad asked.
I nodded as the four of us entered the house, only to be t by a sudden force jumping into my arms.
"Welco back, brother!" My younger sister excitedly yelled out.
I quickly patted her on the head, putting her back down as I examined the inside of the house.
It was a very simple shack—a living room with a table with two benches, and a single mattress in the corner.
There was only enough space to walk in a circle, with only a small light bulb hanging from the ceiling as the light source.
"Surprised, aren’t you?" My dad asked, noticing the change on my face.
"A little... Is this what we really live in now?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Yep. Just this little shack. A lot of people wish to be like us down in those tents, so I can’t really complain."
As I slowly nodded in agreent, Mom quickly ran over to the only other room in the house, which was a storage unit combined with a water faucet.
"You must be hungry. Here, you need this for energy."
An entire can of beans was put into my hand, with three other cans of beans and peas lying on the shelf.
"Thank you, Mom."
"Make sure you eat it clean. These tal cans can be recycled for half the price of another can." Dad reminded.
I nodded in agreent as I popped the lid open before Mom handed a spoon for to eat with.
Eating the food, I suddenly got a little uncomfortable as they all stood in front of , watching eat.
"You guys can sit down. You don’t have to stand up like this."
My young sister quickly hopped onto the mattress, with Mom and Dad sitting down on the bench, leaving only one space left as Jieqiong sat down next to .
"How is it?" Jieqiong asked.
"It’s okay. A little bit bland... You want so?"
"I’m good. I already ate food earlier at work."
After finishing the entire can, Dad quickly took the empty can over as Mom took the spoon to be washed.
"Jieqiong, am I going to be drafted?" I suddenly asked.
"Drafted? When did you get that information from?" Jieqiong questioned, her face looking a little surprised.
"The booklet that the doctor gave ."
I tried to hand the booklet over, but Jieqiong pushed it back into my hands.
"Don’t worry. You won’t be drafted. The chances of it happening are minuscule. Just go to the draft office after you’re fully healed."
Seeing my face still looking a little nervous, she added another line.
"Trust , my co-workers told this. All three of my co-workers’ brothers are buff as hell, and they didn’t get drafted."
"Can I just not go?"
"Of course not. Your parent was your guarantor. That’s why they were willing to help us when you were unconscious."
"Who’s they?"
"The military!" My sister answered this ti, her face filled with admiration.
"What’s my parent doing to be worth as a guarantor?" I curiously asked again.
"Your dad knows how to build a wall. That’s enough of a reason for them to save you." Jiqiong answered.
Looking over to Dad, he nodded before sitting back down on the bench.
"They hired to be a foreman for the inner wall. Not that tall ass wall in the front you’re thinking of."
"Thank you, Dad." I bowed down in gratitude.
"Don’t thank . Thank Jieqiong for finding a job at the job center. Or else none of us would have enough food at ho."
"Please don’t say that. You guys are the ones who saved . I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for your help."
Before Dad could say sothing back, Mom interrupted by handing all three of them a can of beans.
"Stop arguing back and forth. We still have to sleep early for work tomorrow."
As the three of them popped up the lid and began eating with their spoon, I instantly noticed Mom sitting there with nothing to eat.
"Mom, did I eat your portion?"
"I already ate lunch earlier. Don’t worry about , okay?"
"Honey, just have so of mine." Dad offered as he tried to spoon-feed so of the beans to Mom.
"You need it more. I’m fine. Really. I’m still full right now——"
Before Mom could finish talking, her stomach growling instantly made her face turn red as she tried to look away.
"Mom, I’m full. I can’t eat all of this." My younger sister said as she handed her half of the beans over to her.
"Thank you, sweetie."
---
"Brother! Hello? You there?"
As my younger sister waved her hand right before my face, I finally snapped back to the mont as she pointed towards one of the problems.
"Sorry, you said sothing?"
"I don’t know how to do this problem." My younger sister complained.
"Okay... Rember how this formula can be used to figure out the dinsion of a triangle..."
After a short explanation, she went back to work as my mind resud what had happened last night.
---
"I almost forgot to tell you, you might need to live in Jieqiong’s place in the future since there’s no extra mattress here," Dad murmured, putting down his bean.
Hearing her having her own place to live on top of her already having what seems to be a good job just shocked even more.
All of that occurred within just three days, while I was unconscious in the hospital. It just made feel she had changed a lot.
"Jieqiong, you don’t mind having him sleep at your place, right?" My Mom asked as she gave a wink.
"Of course not..."
Jieqiong shyly looked down, her face blushing red like a fully ripened apple. Her shyness was still unchanged when it ca to romance.
"Well, looks like it’s ti for you two to head out. See you guys tomorrow morning."
As both Dad and Mom shoved us out of the shack in a hurry, the two of us stood still on the street in silence.
The cold breeze blew over our faces as she slowly took her first step, which I quickly followed as she took another step.
With more and more steps, we soon reached her place after a few turns around the block.
It was the sa kind of shack as everyone else nearby—barely any difference from the outside besides a small window next to the door.
"This is my place... There’s nothing much to see inside."
As she opened the door and stepped inside, I could instantly see a mattress and a water tap.
There was no table, no benches, no storage room as I stepped foot inside. She closes the door before sitting down on top of the drawer.
"There’s nothing much to do here." Jieqiong quietly whispered as she still looked too nervous to make eye contact.
"That’s fine... Ahem, you don’t have to listen to my Mom and dad’s request if you feel uncomfortable. I can just sleep on the concrete here——"
"No, no. W-We can sleep together on the mattress..."
She shyly looked down at the floor for a second, then spoke up again.
"I just need to change my clothes."
I froze for a second. My brain had completely misunderstood why she was so nervous. It wasn’t because of us having to sleep together on a single mattress.
I instantly hopped out of the shack, closing the door behind , and patiently waited outside.
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