Cave Refuge-Chapter 332 - 300 The Awkward Atmosphere Between Mother and Child_2

However, it should be noted that Mrs. Thompson is a child of the 70s. Her generation has experienced several unspeakable events in China, with both good and bad accompanying their growth, making their life experiences exceptionally rich.

It’s precisely because they have gone through certain events that they, and the previous generation, tend to speak ambiguously and never take a clear stance. As a result, they naturally learned to deduce the underlying messages from others’ words.

Just like when Zachary said so much, but after Mrs. Thompson simplified it, the message that came across was: one could go to Magic City, but it would cost a great deal, and even upon arriving there, it’s not certain that the cousin could be found. Therefore, Zachary did not recommend going there to look for the cousin right now.

After understanding Zachary’s thoughts, Mrs. Thompson became somewhat silent. Although she’s not obsessed with helping her younger brother, the two families had a good relationship before the disaster, and considering that the cousin is the only male of the Clarke family’s generation, she couldn’t help but be concerned about him from many perspectives.

Seeing Mrs. Thompson’s gloomy expression, Zachary, to cheer her up, immediately took out a box of strawberries from his backpack (Storage space).

Every time Zachary returned to camp or prepared to meet someone, he always carried a large backpack. This backpack was like Schrödinger’s backpack: until it was opened, nobody knew what Zachary would pull out from it.

Mrs. Thompson looked at the large box of fresh strawberries that Zachary handed over, and the sullen expression on her face instantly vanished as she began to scold him, "What are you thinking, buying such expensive stuff at a time like this? If you have a little money, shouldn’t you save some of it? You and Walker Violet don’t have children yet. What will you do if you run out of money when you have kids?

It’s not like before the disaster when your dad and I could collect pension every month. Now, although we have food and drink in the camp, aren’t we still dependent on you? Even though the two of us..."

Hearing his mother’s endless nagging, Zachary immediately cut in, "Mom, I’m earning money with this too. You know that. I’m trading stuff just like Madeline, right? 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

This is one of the items I trade. As you know, we can’t sell strawberries for cheap now. The quantity I got this time is a bit large, so it’s okay for us to eat some. It would be ridiculous if I sold these and never even tasted them myself."

Hearing Zachary’s explanation, Mrs. Thompson still thought it was a waste, but since her son said so, she refrained from saying more.

In reality, despite some complaining, Mrs. Thompson was very pleased with the gift her son brought. After all, fresh strawberries, especially the large ones in the box Zachary gave, were hard to come by now.

No matter how her son had obtained them, Mrs. Thompson knew that what Zachary had said about having a large quantity was just to reassure her. In these times, strawberries were so valuable that ordinary survivors probably hadn’t seen fresh fruit since the disaster, or might not even have heard that fresh fruit still existed.

That Zachary not only acquired fresh fruit but also shared it with her was the reason for the deep joy in Mrs. Thompson’s heart.

However, as Mrs. Thompson revelled in her delight, she casually asked Zachary a question that made the previously pleasant atmosphere turn somewhat awkward.

"Zachary, did you visit your grandfather while you were back in Pengcheng? How are your grandfather and uncle getting on these days?"

What could Zachary say in response to Mrs. Thompson’s query? That he hadn’t found the camp where his grandfather was, or that when he went to Pengcheng, he hadn’t even considered this matter?

Seeing that Zachary remained silent, Mrs. Thompson interpreted this as his answer.

Just as the mood was slipping back into silence, they heard a knock on the car door from outside.

This knock was like the sound of salvation for Zachary; he immediately went over to the door, opened it, and saw Robinson William standing outside.

Before Robinson William could speak, Dong Tianyu turned to Mrs. Thompson and said, "Mom, Robinson has something important to discuss with me. It’s inconvenient to talk about it in the car, so we’ll find a quiet place to talk. You should rest in the car."

Without waiting for a response from either Mrs. Thompson or Robinson, he grabbed Robinson and quickly left through the car door, leaving the camp. They randomly chose an exposed tree root on the ground and sat down.

Casually offering Robinson a cigarette, Robinson looked at the cigarette pack in Dong Tianyu’s hand and said with some surprise, "Wow, you’ve downgraded. Why did you start smoking Daqianmen?"

Hearing Robinson say that, Dong Tianyu gave him an annoyed look and replied, "What do you mean ’downgraded’? Nowadays, as long as the cigarettes have filters, there’s no such thing as downgrading."

Dong Tianyu wasn’t wrong; in Pengcheng, almost all boxed cigarettes with filters were produced before the catastrophe, and their availability has become increasingly scarce.

Perhaps it was intentional, but the survivors in Pengcheng actually found tobacco leaves (?).

After processing, these tobacco leaves don’t taste much different from the cigarettes made before the disaster. Due to the damage to the industrial system, the production of filtered cigarettes has largely halted. Now, the survivors in Pengcheng mostly make do by wrapping the tobacco in any available paper to create makeshift cigarettes to satisfy their cravings.

That’s why Dong Tianyu said that smoking filtered cigarettes now doesn’t mean a drop in class.

"So tell me, what is it that you came to me for?"

At Dong Tianyu’s question, Robinson didn’t beat around the bush and spoke directly, "You know about Pengcheng’s efforts to establish the waterway, right? I was actually wondering if we should consider moving back to Pengcheng.

Although we’ve managed to settle down here, after all, the conditions in Pengcheng are much better. So, after hearing that news, quite a few people in the camp are thinking about moving back, and the number isn’t small. I’d like to hear your opinion on this."

In response to Robinson’s question, Dong Tianyu calmly said, "You’re asking me about this kind of thing? The old man in our family is the one who makes the decisions for the camp. What we say doesn’t count, so why bother with all that worry? Just follow orders and be good."

Hearing such an indifferent comment from Dong Tianyu, Robinson felt somewhat helpless. He stared intently into Dong Tianyu’s eyes and asked again, "I don’t care about the rest, and I can’t manage it either. I just want to know what you think."

Seeing Robinson so earnest, Dong Tianyu knew he was probably anxious and stopped joking around. His expression turned very serious as he said, "What I think doesn’t really matter, but what I’m about to say next is very important."

After saying this, Dong Tianyu pulled out from somewhere on him a bottle of Coke, and what surprised Robinson was that this Coke was even chilled; when Dong Tianyu held it in his hand, frost formed on the plastic bottle.

Just as Dong Tianyu had opened the bottle, Robinson snatched the Coke from his hand and said with a bit of pride, "Cut the chatter and just tell me. After you’re done, I’ll give you the Coke back."

Hearing Robinson say this, Dong Tianyu looked at him with a strange expression, then pulled out another chilled Coke from his backpack. He opened the bottle, took a big sip, and then said to Robinson, "If you want to drink, just drink. There’s no need to snatch. That Coke was actually meant for you."

Hearing Dong Tianyu say this, Robinson’s face turned a bit red. It was a good thing no one was around; otherwise, Robinson would’ve definitely died of embarrassment on the spot.

Fortunately, Dong Tianyu didn’t continue to tease him. Seeing Robinson grinding his teeth, Dong Tianyu feared Robinson might explode with rage, so he quickly changed the subject, saying: ...