Reborn with Nothing but My Farm and Vengeance in the Apocalypse novel Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Snobbish Relatives

"Grandma, Aunt Grace, what’s wrong?" Melody Summers asked, puzzled.

"Your second uncle just called. He said he wants to come over for a visit," Grandma replied with a sigh.

Even though it was her son coming to see her, there wasn’t a trace of happiness on Grandma’s face.

Melody Summers’s heart sank. She didn’t like this second uncle either.

Grandma had five children in total—three sons and two daughters—but only her eldest son, Colin Summers, and eldest daughter, Winnie Summers, lived with her. The other three children rarely visited after getting married, so Melody Summers didn’t feel much of a connection to her other uncles and aunts.

In her past life, after the mudslide on Mount Anworth and the accidental deaths of Grandma and the others, these three uncles and aunts hadn’t even come to the funeral. When Melody Summers called them, they all made excuses, saying they were too busy and had no time to return to Anworth Village.

This particular second uncle had married the daughter of a deputy bureau chief in the city. He was the most well-off of the five siblings, but when he learned of Grandma’s death, he had only transferred five hundred yuan to Melody Summers. He left a message telling her and her cousin, Ian Summers, to arrange the funeral, and said nothing more.

"Let them come, then," Melody Summers said flatly. "It’s just one meal."

No matter what, her second uncle was still Grandma’s son. Melody was afraid her grandma would feel bad if she turned them away. If they wanted to come, Melody could provide them with a meal, but that was all.

Grandma thought for a moment, sighed, and nodded. "Alright, I’ll call him back."

*

Around nine in the morning, Caleb Summers arrived at The Metropolis Residences with his wife, Mindy Walsh, and their daughter, Nina Walsh.

They came by car. In these times, with gas and diesel prices soaring, ordinary people could no longer afford to drive. But Caleb Summers worked within the "system." His department had a government-allocated gasoline quota for public vehicles, and he would always secretly siphon off a little to use for his own private car.

"This must be the suburbs," Nina Walsh said, sticking her head out the window and curiously sizing up the surroundings.

"Of course it is. All the way out in the sticks. Hmph. Buying a villa in the suburbs... they’re just pretending to be rich when they’re not," Mindy Walsh said scornfully.

Just as the car was about to enter The Metropolis Residences, a security guard at the gate stopped them. "You’re not residents," the guard told the three of them. "This vehicle isn’t registered in the community’s database, so you can’t drive in."

In the past few days, numerous robberies had occurred in the surrounding neighborhoods. There were even criminal gangs who would drive straight into a complex, slam on the gas, and ram their way into supermarkets to rob them.

After hearing the news, residents of The Metropolis Residences were on edge. The property management security was on high alert, strictly prohibiting all outside vehicles from entering.

With no other choice, Caleb Summers had to park the car on the side of the road. The three of them then walked into The Metropolis Residences.

Caleb Summers carried a gift: some crackers, two bags of dried noodles, a box of mung bean cakes, and the complimentary fruit from his work unit—two apples.

Before the apocalypse, this wouldn’t have been considered much of a gift. It might even have seemed a bit shabby. But in these apocalyptic times, with rations limiting every purchase, this was practically a lavish present. Besides, what ordinary person could even get their hands on apples anymore?

If he didn’t have a favor to ask this time, Caleb Summers never would have parted with this food.

The villa area was a considerable distance from the main gate. Residents of the villas usually used the complex’s back entrance, but Caleb Summers’s family didn’t know this. They had entered through the main gate, which meant they had to walk past the apartment blocks in the front to reach the villas.

The three of them complained about the heat the entire way. Even at nine in the morning, the sun was already scorching. Caleb Summers’s back was completely soaked with sweat, and Mindy Walsh’s makeup was running. She and Nina Walsh held up parasols, but the sun beating down on their calves still made them ache.

As the three of them were passing an apartment block, a figure suddenly darted out from the entrance, snatched the bag from Caleb Summers’s hand, and took off running!

In his panicked escape, he wasn’t watching where he was going and knocked Mindy Walsh over.

"AH!" Mindy Walsh shrieked in surprise. The ground, baked hot by the sun, was scorching, and she scrambled desperately to get back on her feet.

While clumsily helping his wife up, Caleb Summers shouted, "Thief! Catch the thief!"

The patrolling property security guards heard the commotion and immediately reported it to the complex’s emergency response office.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify