Chapter 110: Another Kind of Happiness
Zhuang Wan nodded in agreement and added:
“There’s also a chance that Su Zhengqing felt humiliated when Lan Lingling left him for a better life in Taoyang. To a man like him, that would be an unbearable insult to his dignity. A useless man can only find his sense of self-worth by taking revenge on women.”
Su Tao waved her hand dismissively. “Enough. The more I hear, the more disgusted I feel. I can’t believe I share the same bloodline with someone like that… Keep an eye out for any news about Wu Feichi. Also, check in on Lan Lingling regularly—she’s still one of our tenants, after all.”
The next morning, news arrived from the hospital—Lan Lingling had woken up.
But Su Tao had to pick up Gu Mingchi’s grandfather, so she asked Zhuang Wan to drive to the hospital to check on the situation.
The old man was in great spirits. When he got out of the car, he refused the nurse’s help, supporting himself with his cane instead.
As he took in the sight of Taoyang, he adjusted his reading glasses and said something that left Su Tao completely stunned, “This nursing home looks pretty good. But why are there young men and women living here?”
The nurse beside him quickly covered up with a well-practiced lie: “These young people are just checking out the place for their parents. Who knows? You might make a few new friends soon.”
As she spoke, the nurse took a box out of the car and handed it to Su Tao.
“Boss Su, this is from Boss Gu.”
Su Tao instantly knew it contained crystal cores. She couldn’t hide the smile on her face.
“Got it. Come with me—the room is ready.”
The old man talked nonstop as they walked. One moment, he claimed he had been here before and owned a villa with a dozen servants. The next, he said he had met Su Tao before, asking how old she was and if she knew his son-in-law. He even wondered if she had met his eldest grandson, whom he hadn’t seen in years.
“That unfilial brat,” he muttered, “he’s just a little beast.”
The nurse, unfazed, whispered to Su Tao, “He still thinks it’s before the apocalypse. The Gu family was a wealthy business clan back then, living in luxurious villas with beautiful surroundings. Seeing Taoyang must have made him think he was home.”
“He doesn’t even recognize Boss Gu. He’s convinced that his grandson is still studying far away, unwilling to return home. He’s cursed him plenty of times right to Boss Gu’s face.”
Just as she finished speaking, the old man muttered another “little bastard.”
Su Tao grinned all the way to his room.
Once inside, Old Master Gu seemed quite pleased. The nurse, clearly familiar with his habits, immediately moved a chair to the window.
The old man settled into a comfortable position and, to everyone’s surprise, began to sing, “In that distant little mountain village, oh, little mountain village, my dear mother, her hair is already white…”
He sang it over and over.
Meanwhile, the nurse went upstairs and downstairs, greeting neighbors and handing out small gifts, reassuring them that the elderly man always stopped singing by nightfall and wouldn’t disturb their sleep.
Even after Su Tao finished her work, had dinner, and stood downstairs, she could still hear his singing.
Zhuang Wan, who had just returned from the hospital, overheard it too and sighed in concern.
“Doesn’t he get thirsty? Won’t his voice give out? Sigh… Old people really are like children. When my son was little and had just learned to talk, he would babble and sing nonstop. Life really is a cycle, huh?”
Just before 7 p.m., as darkness fell, the singing finally stopped.
All the tenants of Building Two let out a collective sigh of relief.
He could sing all he wanted during the day—just as long as he didn’t do it at night.
At that moment, Su Tao’s phone rang. It was Gu Mingchi.
“Boss Su, did you receive the crystal cores?”
Su Tao had already asked Lin Fangzhi to put them away. “Yes, I did. Your grandfather should be asleep by now—he’s adjusting quite well.”
Gu Mingchi’s voice carried a rare trace of amusement.
“He probably thinks he’s home. Ever since he fell ill, he’s been convinced that I kidnapped him and forced him to suffer in the Eastern District.”
Su Tao asked, “So he doesn’t recognize you at all? And he genuinely believes you’re his captor?”
“More or less.”
Su Tao fell silent for a moment before saying, “Doesn’t that make you sad? If it were me, and a close relative of mine not only failed to recognize me but also hated me, I don’t think I could handle it.”
Gu Mingchi replied without hesitation, “No. At least in his memory, the apocalypse never happened. All the suffering, bloodshed, and death—it has nothing to do with him. That’s enough for me.”
Su Tao was momentarily stunned. Then, after thinking it over, she realized—he was right.
Perhaps, in a way, this was another form of happiness.
Just as she hung up, Zhuang Wan came looking for her, recounting everything that had happened with Lan Lingling that day:
“When I got there, she was hysterical, trying to take her own life. It took several nurses and police officers to restrain her. After calming down, she confirmed it—Su Zhengqing was behind it. Along with him, there were four other men, strangers to her. Five of them in total…”
Zhuang Wan’s voice trembled with fury.
“She also said that Wu Feichi was kidnapped by Su Zhengqing’s group. They beat him for nearly an hour. It’s very likely that he’s dead, his body dumped somewhere.”
She paused, then added, “And… Lan Lingling asked me to deliver a message to you. Su Zhengqing and his gang harbor extreme hatred towards Taoyang. They see it as a symbol of everything they’ve been denied. They’ve even made threats—saying they’ll burn Taoyang to the ground. In the apocalypse, no one should have it easy.”
Su Tao’s expression was so dark it could drip water. “If they have the guts, they can come. Just don’t let me catch them, or I’ll make sure they’re the ones who won’t have it easy.”
Zhuang Wan also found it ridiculous. “Either way, we should stay prepared. I’ll ask Auntie Qi to keep an eye on anyone coming and going.”
That night, Su Tao went to a defense supply store and bought 20 smoke detectors, installing one on each floor of the cafeteria.
Fortunately, earlier in the afternoon, Zhuang Wan had helped the new tenants complete their check-ins, bringing in a total income of 280,000 Federation Coins.
After deducting the cost of the smoke detectors and adding her previous savings, she now had a total of 300,000 Federation Coins.
With money in hand, she felt more generous—she added two elevators to Building One.
The building had already reached seven floors. If she didn’t install elevators, the tenants would be exhausted from climbing the stairs.
After the elevators were installed, she opened up five single rooms and six double rooms, planning to rent them out next month.
She decided to keep the remaining 200,000+ untouched—she couldn’t spend all her money every time she had some. She needed to save for future upgrades.
Besides, the people from Leopard Path had arrived at Shou’an, and she still needed to pay for half a ton of fuel.
Although the fuel price at the refueling station wasn’t high, Lei Xing needed a large amount—half a ton would cost her 100,000 Federation Coins.
Another hefty expense…
Before going to bed, Su Tao checked the surveillance monitors. There were no suspicious individuals, nor any clueless zombies wandering around.
She was a little disappointed. If a few Blood Scythes showed up, she could take them down and collect more crystal cores.
She had no idea when she would finally reach her goal of ten crystal cores.
At that moment, Black Sesame jumped onto her pillow, curled up beside her, and locked eyes with her.
Su Tao thought it wanted to share its vision with her again, but the next second, her vision shifted—almost like a 3D map unfolding before her.
It was her room!
Lying on her bed, she could clearly “see” the water droplets on the bathroom sink, the dust under the living room sofa, and even the three cans of cat food hidden under her bed—White Sesame’s secret stash.
No wonder she had noticed a few missing cans when feeding the cats last time—her little thief had dragged them under the bed.
The sensation was incredible. It felt as if… as long as Black Sesame had patrolled an area, she could repeatedly “inspect” it.
What kind of ability was this?
It was like being a spy—entering an enemy’s secret base, doing a patrol, and instantly obtaining a detailed map.
