Sure, that's what they said, but she knew there was no way it was those people that Lao Shi was going to pick up. After all, picking up the whole family of her Paternal Eldest Aunt, then taking another route to get her Paternal Second Aunt's family would be a massive undertaking. That trip alone would take a day and a half; maybe it would even take more.
And what about those who didn't even have transportation? Were they supposed to walk here through the drifts? It was over a hundred kilometers in this freezing snow. She wondered how long a journey like that would actually take.
Jing Shu shook her head as she popped another piece of crunchy, homemade popcorn into her mouth. "Guess I really should have added more cocoa powder," she muttered to herself.
The moment she opened the door, a wave of a foul, heavy stench hit her square in the face. Standing outside in the cold was a group of people dressed in thin, patched-up cotton coats. Their clothes were crudely sewn together with mismatched thread. Some of the faces looked vaguely familiar to her, but she didn't recognize a single one of them. A few weak flashlight beams cut through the dim, freezing winter air.
A single popcorn kernel slipped from her frozen lips and hit the hard ground. Before it could even bounce, someone bent down with startling speed and snatched it up. The ragged group began whispering urgently among themselves.
"Are you sure this is the in-laws' house? Look at that villa, it's so fancy." An old woman in a mismatched coat stared greedily at the large house, her flashlight trembling slightly in her hand.
"It must be. My wife said her mother's side is living pretty good these days," another man said as he looked around.
Jing Shu frowned and glanced at the security guard from the community who was standing nearby with a flashlight. So he was the one who had brought them here to the door. The community was usually very strict about outsiders, and plenty of desperate people tried sneaking into this place. The guard noticed her face darken at the sight. He immediately jumped in to shoo the group off.
"Alright, move along, move along. I knew it; you lot don't look like you have relatives living here. Look at you. Not one of you looks like you belong in a villa."
A skinny young man and a bulky middle-aged man pushed their way through the crowd to the front.
"Wait, wait, it's a misunderstanding! Jing Shu, it's me, Li Yun! Grandma, Grandpa, it's me! Please, let's in!" His voice was hoarse and weak as he shouted.
"I'm your Paternal Second Uncle," the middle-aged man added quickly. His eyes went wide when he saw her. He hadn't seen his niece in years, and now, she looked even prettier than before. In this frozen apocalypse, she was clean and holding a snack in her hand. She was clearly living comfortably.
He thought of how miserable his own family was, eating dirt and bugs just to survive. No wonder, he thought bitterly to himself. He had heard long ago from Jing Zhao that her younger brother's family was doing better and better after the apocalypse. Those two old bastards must have handed everything over to their precious son.
Jing Shu studied them more closely in the dim light. So this was Li Yun, her Paternal Second Aunt's son? And that man was her Paternal Second Uncle, Li Zhuang? No wonder she hadn't recognized them at first glance. They were both so thin it was scary. She almost didn't believe it was really them standing there.
She remembered how she had once sworn she would recognize him even if he had turned to ashes, after all those years he had mocked and bullied her. Guess "turning to ashes" wasn't a vow to take lightly. He had only lost a bit of weight, and she had already failed. Clicking her tongue, she pointed at the seven or eight people standing behind them. "And who are they supposed to be? What are you all doing here? Where is my Paternal Second Aunt? She didn't come?" So what is the point of this visit if she is not here?
When the group realized this really was the grandparents' home, their expressions changed. They didn't look at the villa as outsiders anymore; they looked at it like it's already theirs. Li Zhuang was still lost in shock, so Li Yun braced himself against the cold and spoke.
"This is my grandma and grandpa. That's my Paternal Eldest Uncle's family, and that's my Paternal Youngest Aunt's family. We all came to—"
An old woman rushed forward from the back of the group and cut him off.
"Oh, look at that, such a pretty girl! You must be Jing Zhao's niece, right? Don't be shy; we're all family here. Your Paternal Second Aunt invited us to spend New Year together. We wouldn't have walked all this way for nothing, would we? It's tough, sure, but it's worth it to catch up with family. Come on now, let's in first so we can eat something warm. We're exhausted! Da Zhuang, hurry up! You're back at your mother-in-law's house, aren't you? What are you waiting for?"
She started herding the group toward the door of the villa like they already lived there. Li Zhuang finally snapped out of it and laughed. "Right, right, your grandparents' house is like our own. Don't be shy, everyone. Come on, let's go in and eat something hot. You have no idea; before we came, my mother-in-law said we would get to eat all the white rice we wanted for New Year. White rice! Do you know how rare that is now? My mother-in-law's family is something else, huh? I sure married well."
Jing Shu quietly closed the door in front of them and smiled sweetly. Her gaze swept over the group, looking calm and sharp.
"Hold on. Let's get one thing straight first. Li Yun, Paternal Second Uncle, I remember we said this very clearly before. We only invited your family of three. My Paternal Second Aunt didn't come, so why are there so many of you here? What is your plan? Eat, drink, and freeload?"
Li Yun shivered in the freezing cold, and a small child started crying somewhere in the ragged crowd. His father rubbed his hands together awkwardly.
"Now, now, Jing Shu, let's in first to warm up and get a bite to eat. You can't treat guests like this. The kid has been suffering the whole way here. We can talk inside. Besides, your Paternal Second Aunt and Paternal Eldest Aunt are right behind us on the road. They will be here soon. You can ask them yourself."
She dragged a chair to the doorway and sat down, munching on her popcorn one piece at a time. The child's crying grew louder in the silence, mixed with the sound of someone nearby swallowing hard. The security guard wisely stepped closer to her. His radio was flashing yellow as he got ready to call for backup at the first sign of trouble.
"Oh, no rush then," she said casually. "We will wait until they get here."
Li Zhuang's face darkened at her response. "What is this nonsense? We're all family, especially now in the apocalypse. We should stick together. Didn't we say you would come pick us up? To save you some gas, we walked here ourselves. Three, four days on foot! And now you're blocking the door and won't even let your uncle inside? What is wrong with you? At least let Li Yun in to warm up. Don't tell me you can stand to see your own cousin covered in sores?"
She certainly could.
Jing Shu didn't even blink at the accusation. In fact, she was calmly harvesting potatoes inside her Cube Space at the very same time. Her cold indifference made the man scowl. He couldn't hit her, of course.
"Da Zhuang, call out the in-laws," the old woman urged from the crowd. "Why waste time talking to a kid? We have got important things to discuss with her grandparents."
"Exactly," muttered the younger aunt. "It isn't even her house. She is not the one in charge. Who does she think she is, blocking us from coming in? No manners at all."