Chapter 351: A Beautiful Dream
This time, it was Su Tao’s turn to be stunned. “You made these guns?”
Granny Yu took the gun from her hand, weighed it, and nodded.
“That’s right. I made these for the Chu family a long time ago… You could call them energy crystal guns, but their energy consumption is ridiculously high. One energy crystal can only fire a single shot. Back then, energy crystal-bearing Blood Scythe zombies were extremely rare, and energy crystals were nearly impossible to find, so these guns became useless.”
“You actually managed to get these from the Chu family? I underestimated you. The Chu family would rather let them gather dust in a warehouse than let them out into the world.”
Su Tao said, “You might not believe this, but I picked these up for free. I don’t have the skills to steal weapons from the Chu family’s warehouse.”
Only Tan Yong, now dead, knew how he had obtained these guns. He probably hid them to avoid being discovered by the Chu family, especially given the high energy cost.
Granny Yu lifted her gaze to Su Tao. “You sure are lucky. You coaxed an old woman like me here, then stumbled upon a stash of guns. It just so happens I can improve them. They won’t be as sleek as the official energy crystal guns from Changjing, but their performance won’t be lacking.”
Su Tao’s face lit up with a smile. “Granny, you’re amazing! With you here, Taoyang has a powerful weapon. Honestly, I’m the one who’s getting the better deal.”
Granny Yu snorted. “Hmph, don’t flatter me. I’m helping Taoyang for my own sake. I have a blood feud with the Chu family. When Taoyang’s armed forces are strong enough, you’ll need to help me get revenge.”
“Of course, of course! Whatever you say. Later, I’ll have Zhuang Wan take you to the Taoli Building to pick a room for your workshop. If it’s not big enough, I’ll combine two rooms for you. You can even use the extra meeting rooms if you want.”
Granny Yu gestured to the gun.
“I’ll take this one first. Once I’ve worked out an improvement plan, have the rest of the guns sent to me. Be careful not to let anyone steal them. The Chu family spent a fortune making these guns—the raw materials alone are unimaginably expensive.”
“If someone swipes them, you’ll have to empty your coffers just to afford the replacement materials.”
Su Tao immediately became serious and promised to handle the guns with care.
With the weapon issue temporarily resolved, Su Tao rushed to the West District of Dongyang to participate in a construction planning meeting.
Since the old commander had ordered that the plans had to be approved by her, the engineers wouldn’t dare draw a single line without her say-so.
By the time the meeting ended, it was past midnight. Su Tao was exhausted, barely able to keep her eyes open.
The thought of attending similar meetings every day for a month left her feeling utterly drained.
District Chief Xie drove her back to Taoyang. Seeing her yawn repeatedly in the passenger seat, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.
His own daughter, who wasn’t much younger than Su Tao, only had schoolwork to worry about. Since Taoyang took over the educational system, the school environment had improved drastically—almost like living in comfort with no worries.
Meanwhile, Su Tao had to shuttle between locations, managing affairs for thousands of people.
As he drove, a child’s cry caught his attention. He looked out the window and saw a little girl, no older than four or five.
When Su Tao saw the child’s face, she froze.
It was Tangdou—Jiang Jinwei’s daughter.
Her drowsiness vanished instantly. Why was Tangdou alone, crying on the street this late at night?
District Chief Xie, ever observant, said, “Boss Su, do you know her? Is she lost? Should I stop and pick her up? It’s dangerous out here at this hour.”
As soon as the car stopped, Tangdou spotted Su Tao and ran over, pounding on the window while sobbing:
“Bad woman! Bad woman! It’s all your fault! Waaaah—”
Su Tao’s face turned cold. She rolled down the window, grabbed Tangdou’s hand, and pushed her away.
Tangdou fell to the ground, crying harder but still glaring at Su Tao, repeating, “Bad woman! Heartless!”
In that moment, Su Tao saw Jiang Jinwei’s shadow in Tangdou and felt a sharp pang of sadness.
“Heartless”—Jiang Jinwei’s favorite accusation.
If Su Tao ate a little extra, she was “heartless” for not being mindful of the family’s struggles.
If she left one dish unwashed, she was “heartless” for being lazy.
When she refused to enlist in Jiang Jinwei’s place, she was the worst kind of heartless.
“Drive,” Su Tao ordered coolly.
District Chief Xie cursed himself for getting involved. This child was clearly connected to Su Tao’s complicated family matters—best to steer clear.
He stepped on the gas and sped away.
Not long after, a drunken Su Jianming found Tangdou.
The moment he saw her, he raised his hand to strike.
The brat dared to run away and threaten to tattle to her mother? He would beat the disobedience out of her—then Jiang Jinwei would have no choice but to stay under his thumb.
Jiang Jinwei was doing well for herself. Even after being dumped, she got a hefty breakup settlement and a house in Xindu.
Why should he settle for living in Dongyang when he could move to her spacious new home in Xindu?
The sound of slaps and a child’s wails echoed through the dark street. But the nearby tenants, though they heard, chose to mind their own business.
Meanwhile, Su Tao was too tired to dwell on the incident. She barely had the energy to crawl into bed before falling asleep.
Late that night, Shi Zijin let out a soft sigh.
He could only exist at night—during the day, he had to possess others to move freely. Otherwise, he was trapped in his broken body.
He longed to speak with Su Tao, but she had been so exhausted these past nights.
He couldn’t bring himself to wake her.
Lying beside her, he alternated between staring at the ceiling and studying her delicate features.
At some point, he started laughing softly—helplessly enchanted by the quiet intimacy of the moment.
For the first time, he was sharing a bed with her, in the stillness of the night.
A bliss so surreal, it felt like a dream.
