Chapter 201: Chapter 201: Sever Ties
A few weeks before.
Returning from the nameless base, various possibilities flashed in Annie’s mind. Reaching the doorstep of the house, a cold sensation washed over her.
Annier’s eyes drifted to the older woman sitting on the sofa, filing her nails. This was the same woman who, in the future, would be cold-blooded enough to threaten her daughter with MMS.
Ironic as it may seem... Annie never once doubted Ivy’s words.
When a criminal commits too many crimes, predicting their future isn’t difficult.
"Oh? Annie? How did the interview go? Did you get selected? By the way, can you cook? My waist is aching." Listening to her mother’s pretentious words, a bitterness welled up in her heart.
’This heartless woman...’
"Also, we need to cut corners for your brother’s medicine."
Exasperated, Annie’s voice shot up a few octaves. "What? As far as I remember, I had paid more than enough to cover his medical expenses. Why do we need to cut corners?"
"I spurgled it on a diamond. Do you know the pink diamond I was eyeing before the apocalypse? After bargaining, I bought it just for 10 kg of rice!" Her mother’s eyes was filled with joy, yet all Annie experienced was deep betrayal.
From dusk until dawn, she worked like an ox, putting her life in danger, unaware whether she would have the fortune to live until tomorrow.
While her mother sold her hard work for a mere stone, she also neglected her brother’s medical condition.
"Mother... did you even donate your kidney to my brother?" Suspicion and doubt welled up in Annie’s heart.
A selfish and greedy woman like Annie’s mother could never act like a kind mother.
"Annie! Don’t cross your limits! How can you dismiss my contribution from that time? What a sin! I sacrificed so much... and in the end... what I received were doubts and suspicions. Wu! Wu!"Annie’s mother’s loud sobbing voice echoed, attracting the attention of passersby.
Some even showed pity and sighed.
"Hey, I know her. She is a single parent. Raised her kids all by herself. Now she is old... the kids have started to view her like an enemy! What a tough life."
"Annie... is truly... I thought this woman was admirable and had rare honesty possessed by few, but now... I doubt my judgement."
"Damn! Even I was deceived. Hey Annie, be a responsible person!"
These passersby weren’t standing near Annie’s door in the first place.
They were only attracted by the sound of the arguments, and since the door of the rented room was open, all of them had trained their ears to hear the entire argument.
These people mainly consisted of wives, sisters, or some elderly people, and since they didn’t have any work in the apocalypse and no entertainment, they chased gossip like a dog chasing fresh meat.
Annie chuckled coldly, her sharp eyes surveying each of their faces. "Oh? Then why don’t all of you take responsibility? Go ahead and be generous. Take in my mother, and I will personally kneel in front of your house for 2 days."
In an instant, the atmosphere stilled; no one dared to move; their feet seemed to have stayed rooted to the ground.
"What? Cat got its tongue?" The increasing silence forced Annie to sneer.
"Bunch of hypocrites. All you do is gossip. Even the apocalypse can’t satisfy your gossipy nature? If you all have the strength to gossip and blackmail others using public morals, just try it on zombies. Perhaps two to three zombies might get persuaded to stop eating or infecting humans."
Others: Too brutal.
One by one, all of them dispersed.
What to say? Annie’s firing power was too strong!
Seeing the crowd leaving, Annie’s mother stopped crying and leaned on the sofa. The transition of her emotions from crying to calm was so swift that even Annie admired her mother.
"I am taking a loan to hire healers for my brother." Annie’s words were laced with calm and steadiness. She left no room for questions.
"How much?" Annie’s mother inquired indifferently; she believed she wouldn’t be responsible for repaying the loan, allowing Annie to pursue her own interests.
As long as the loan amount wasn’t big and she wasn’t the guarantor, Annie’s mother could accept everything.
"200 kg of rice per month. My current salary should cover up the entire expense, though I might have to take a loan of 100 kg of rice every month. As long as my brother is cured, nothing matters."
Annie’s mother felt a buzz in her mind, and then she shrieked, "What is happening? 200 kg of rice? So expensive? And you will be loaned 30 kg of rice per month? Then what will you hand over to me? What about my food?"
"Of course you will stay with me. I will cook all your meals personally. At first, we might struggle, but then we will get used to it. And if by chance I won’t be able to pay off the loan, you can still help me out." The assurity in Annie’s voice hardly moved Annie’s mother.
Instead, she glared at Annie as if she were looking at her mortal enemy. "You... are you doing it to piss me off, right?"
"No, Mother." Annie shook her head, her eyes softened, showing a rare trace of tenderness. "Why would I lie to you? Once my little brother is cured in five years, we can work hard for five more years, and then all the loans will be paid off! It’s just 10 years of struggle."
"I don’t want to!" The anger in Annie’s mother’s eyes couldn’t be even more apparent. "I mean... I think your brother is fine! There is no need to hire a healer..."
"Mother!" Annie cast a displeased look. "You shouldn’t say those words. Just do as I say. It’s not like you can cut off the relationship between us!"
Annie’s mother’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Her? Adjusting? Dream on!
However, Annie’s last sentence sparked her intelligence, causing her mouth to move faster than her brain could keep up.
"Then let the sever tie!"