After Zhang Shuai went home, he complained to his older brother about Si Beichen's dismissive attitude toward him.
Zhang Qiang was angry after hearing about it too.
He reassured Zhang Shuai, "Don't worry. He won't be acting so high and mighty much longer. Don't forget, there aren't just two of us now, or even four."
At the mention of this, Zhang Shuai truly admired his brother's decisiveness.
That night, seven people had broken into their home to rob them. How could the two of them, even with his sister-in-law, possibly fight off seven grown men?
His brother had immediately offered to share all their supplies equally with them and take them along to gather supplies.
In the end, not only had they kept a small portion of their food, but they had also reached an agreement with the other seven to work together as a team.
So from now on, there would be nine of them whenever they went out to gather supplies.
Although dividing things equally this way meant fewer supplies for each person, they had become stronger.
"Then when are we going after him, Brother?"
"Give it some time. The nine of us need to go out on a few runs together first and build some teamwork."
"All right."
Jiang Ci had no idea that the Zhang brothers and the other seven were planning to stir up trouble together.
Even if she had known, she would not have cared. It had nothing to do with her.
But she did have a small concern of her own now.
Wu Ya had brought Jiang Chengrong over to visit her.
That should have been a happy occasion.
But Wu Ya was actually pregnant!
That, too, should have been something to celebrate.
But they were in the middle of extreme heat...
There was no telling how much more extreme weather lay ahead.
Even the adults had no idea how long they could hold on. Staying alive had already become difficult.
How much harder would it be with a little baby who needed meticulous care?
Wu Ya had only just discovered she was pregnant. Unable to decide what to do, she and Jiang Chengrong had come to discuss it with Jiang Ci.
Jiang Chengrong did not want to keep the baby. It was not because he did not love Wu Ya, much less because he did not love the baby, and certainly not because he was unwilling to take responsibility.
It was precisely because he loved Wu Ya so much that he was terrified. He was afraid something might happen to her because of the baby.
They were still young. They could have another child later, when conditions allowed.
Even before the extreme heat, childbirth had been very risky, let alone now, with temperatures reaching 58 degrees Celsius. Apart from the government hospitals, which were overflowing with patients and short on medical staff, every other hospital had long since closed.
Medicine was not only terribly expensive but also in extremely short supply.
Pregnant women were physically vulnerable. With food scarce and nutrition inadequate, there was no telling whether the baby could develop healthily.
Even if they were lucky and the baby developed healthily in the womb for a full ten months, what would happen after the birth?
How could they ensure the child received adequate nutrition afterward? It was not impossible for the child to die young.
The pain then would only be greater than aborting the baby now.
Deep down, Jiang Ci did not support Wu Ya having this baby. If it were her, she would choose an abortion.
No, no, that hypothetical doesn't hold up at all. I would never let myself get pregnant at a time like this!
Now there was also the difficult choice between killing one's own child and giving birth only to let the child struggle to survive.
But she also knew that Wu Ya and Jiang Chengrong surely had not intended to get pregnant. Once an accident happened, however, they could not control it.
Although she hoped Wu Ya would abort the baby, she would not say so.
No matter how close she and Wu Ya were, she could not actually make the choice for her.
She would not offer even the slightest suggestion.
If she suggested that Wu Ya keep the baby, and something later happened to Wu Ya because of the child, or both she and the child suffered terribly afterward, would Wu Ya blame her, believing her advice had led to her life turning out that way?
Or if she suggested that Wu Ya abort the baby, and Wu Ya regretted it later, would she blame her advice for costing her her own child?
Their friendship would certainly come to an end then.
Although Wu Ya and Jiang Chengrong had come to discuss what they should do, all she could really do was quietly stay by Wu Ya's side and respect whatever decision she made.
When Wu Ya needed her, she could offer whatever help was within her power.
Beyond that, there was nothing she could do.
After all, this was a child conceived by Wu Ya and the person she loved most. It was only natural that she could not think rationally.
Although Si Jianhua and Wen Qianyue were their elders, neither was foolish. They would not speak carelessly and create trouble for their daughter.
After greeting the visitors, the two returned to their room.
Si Beichen was a man of few words to begin with, and he barely knew Wu Ya or Jiang Chengrong. Now, he sat in a corner with even less of a presence, fiddling with his new toy-an old language-learning cassette player Jiang Ci had thrown away.
Who knew what obscure corner Si Beichen had dug it out of.
Jiang Ci made her stance very clear:
"Xiao Ya, you and Jiang Chengrong are both adults. You're fully capable of taking responsibility for every choice you make."
"I have no right to decide for you. Ultimately, the choice is still yours."
"There are two of you in this. Remember to discuss everything, exchange your opinions and thoughts, listen carefully to what the other person truly feels, and then ask yourself what you truly feel."
"For every choice, you need to imagine every possible outcome. Assume the worst, then ask yourself whether you could accept it if that happened, and how you would deal with it."
"Think it through carefully and make sure you absolutely won't regret it. Once the two of you have talked it over and reached an agreement, I'll respect and support you, whatever your final choice is."
"Xiao Ya, I'll say it again. Whatever you decide, I'll respect and support your choice. There's just one thing: whatever decision you make, make sure you won't regret it later."
"If you need any help, as long as it's something I can do, just ask. Don't stand on ceremony with me."
"You're my best friend. I'll always want you to be happy!"
Jiang Ci had not offered a single concrete suggestion, analyzed any of the effects of the current natural disasters, or mentioned the cruelty of society now or how difficult human survival had become.
She had only said what she could say and told Wu Ya how to think through the problem rationally.
Wu Ya was deeply moved and cried her eyes out. She felt proud to have such a good best friend as Jiang Ci.
Neither she nor Jiang Chengrong was a fool, nor were they blind to the current situation. But being directly involved, they had been thrown into complete turmoil by this sudden development.
After listening to Jiang Ci, she felt calmer and more emotionally steady. She did not know whether Jiang Ci's composed, unflappable presence had rubbed off on her.
In any case, she felt much more open-minded now. She believed she would soon be able to make a firm choice she would not regret.
Once Wu Ya had cried enough, she wiped away her tears and smiled.
"All right, Xiao Ci. I know what to do now. Thank you, sweetheart."
She smiled and turned toward Jiang Chengrong beside her. "We've been out for quite a while. Shall we go home?"
Seeing that Wu Ya was doing better, Jiang Chengrong breathed a sigh of relief too.
He immediately stood up to say goodbye to Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci asked them to stay a little longer. Wu Ya hugged her for a while, then shook her head. "I'll come see you again in a few days. We'll head home for now."
Jiang Ci did not insist. She knew that the next time Wu Ya came to see her, she would have made her final decision.