MGASC -Chapter 88 Missing His Wife—He Can’t Wait to Fly Home

On one side, his heart was already flying home. On the other, after several days of hard work, Zhang Qiao and Yingzi finally got the trademark registration sorted out.

Amazing. From this day forward, Zhang’s Pickled Fish would become the starting point of her new life.

That evening, Zhang Qiao rested in the courtyard to enjoy the cool air, one hand gently stroking her increasingly prominent belly.

“Baby, do you like the name Zhang’s Pickled Fish? Let’s treat it as Mommy’s birth gift to you, okay?

“See? Even in this not-so-developed old era, Mommy can still live well by relying on herself. In the future, you have to be like Mommy too—independent, confident, rich, beautiful, and strong! We must have our own thoughts. Don’t fall into love-brain syndrome, don’t let men PUA you. In short, whatever you want to do in the future, Mommy will support you all the way.”

These days, Zhang Qiao interacted with the baby in her belly every single day.

She believed that as long as she kept talking tirelessly, the baby would definitely hear her.

She gently patted her belly, one tap after another. Suddenly, something stirred in her lower abdomen—like a tiny fish lightly swimming past.

Zhang Qiao froze, her starry eyes shimmering as she carefully felt it.

Could this be… the legendary fetal movement?

Wuwuwu… the baby responded!

She really understood what Mommy was saying. For the first time, Zhang Qiao felt the presence of this little life so vividly.

She was ecstatic.

“Be good, baby. Swim again.”

“Come on, come on—Mommy loves you!”

“Wuwuwu, she moved again! Such a good baby, Mommy’s precious little treasure!”

She talked to herself in the courtyard, while three little heads poked out from the window, staring at the scene in amazement.

Lin Ran: “What’s wrong with Auntie Qiao? Has she gone crazy?”

Lin Xun: “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Lin Ran: “Then why is she talking to herself?”

Lin Jin: “I know! She must be talking in her sleep—talking to Dad in her dream!”

Lin Xun and Lin Ran turned to look at this idiot at the same time.

The one talking nonsense is obviously you.

…

“My daughter… my daughter… have you seen my daughter, Yanzi? Did she go to your place today?”

On the street, Wang Yan’s mother—now completely mad—ran around asking everyone she met if they’d seen her daughter. In just a few days, her hair had turned completely white. Her face was gaunt, her clothes tattered, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

It was already dark. Running into such a ghost-like madwoman at night, people all avoided her.

Just then, Li Dong, who had just come back drunk, was stopped by Wang Yan’s mother.

Li Dong was Wang Zhi’s friend. Though Wang Yan’s mother was mentally unstable, she still recognized her son’s friend.

“Dongzi, have you seen my Wang Yan? Did she go to your place to play?”

Li Dong looked her up and down—the filthy old woman before him.

Wang Zhi had told him that ever since his mother went mad, she ran outside every day. He and his father were busy trying to make a living and couldn’t look after her, so they just let her do whatever.

A daughter had died—of course the Wang family was heartbroken. But dead was dead. Wang Zhi and his father couldn’t understand how his mother could go crazy to this extent.

Li Dong knew Wang Zhi’s attitude toward his mother. A trace of viciousness flashed across his face.

“Auntie, you’re asking about Wang Yan? Didn’t she die? Shot to death. You saw it with your own eyes that day, didn’t you?”

“You said… what?” Wang Yan’s mother trembled, staggering back several steps.

“I said your Yanzi is dead—killed by Lin Tianyue and that little bitch Zhang Qiao! She could’ve gotten out, but Lin Tianyue and Zhang Qiao played dirty and got her sentenced to death. Don’t you remember? Tsk tsk… she died miserably, Auntie. If I were you, I’d never let that family off!”

“Yanzi… is dead?” Her cloudy eyes filled with grief as she trembled. “She’s dead… killed by Lin Tianyue and Zhang Qiao…”

“That’s right! Yanzi liked Lin Tianyue so much—what a heartless man! In the end, wasn’t it all his wife’s instigation? That Zhang Qiao—she’s the worst kind of trash!”

Li Dong knew someone had joined Zhang Qiao’s shop, and his own newly opened pickled fish business had lost all its customers these past few days.

Since that little woman wanted to go against him, he didn’t mind giving her a big ‘gift’.

The old woman was already crazy. Whatever she did, who would ever suspect him?

“Auntie, I really feel angry on your behalf! Such a good girl, killed by them. If I were you, I’d drag their whole family down with me! Make them all atone for Yanzi together!”

“Yanzi is dead… they must atone for Yanzi! Yanzi is dead—ahhh, my poor daughter!”

Her shrill cries echoed through the entire street at night. Worse still, she staggered and rushed deeper into the darkness.

Sometimes, it’s not scary when there are no bad things—what’s scary is when there are no good people.

…

In the middle of the night, Zhang Qiao was sleeping soundly when she suddenly felt her throat burning fiercely, as if a knife were cutting into it.

She turned over, but the burning sensation only grew stronger.

Then came a violent fit of coughing.

She coughed herself awake—and only then realized that the room was already filled with thick smoke!

Outside the door came crackling sounds, like firewood burning. Through the glass in the doors and windows, she could see flames leaping over a meter high.

Like a blazing beast, ready to swallow the entire house whole.

Fire!!!

Still half-asleep, coughing violently, Zhang Qiao thought she was dreaming. She pinched herself hard—only when she felt pain did she realize the fire was real.

In the middle of the night, the house was actually on fire!

By now, the room was thick with smoke, and the electrical wires had long since burned through.

Looking out the window, the courtyard was also ablaze—most likely the firewood piled there had caught fire!

Holy shit!

Having never experienced anything like this, Zhang Qiao’s heart sank rapidly.

Was this really the fate of a cannon-fodder character written in the book? No matter how hard she struggled, was she still doomed to die young?

Was she, Zhang Qiao, destined to die in this sudden fire?

No—no way!

The instinct to survive is innate. Zhang Qiao immediately jumped out of bed, shoved on her shoes, grabbed the cotton T-shirt by her bedside, tore it into several pieces, and soaked them thoroughly with the cold water from her cup.

Thankfully, she had the habit of keeping a cup of water by her bed every night. A wet cotton cloth over her nose and mouth could effectively filter smoke and reduce damage to her respiratory tract.

After all, in fires, people often suffocate before they burn.

Covering her nose and mouth with the wet cloth and putting on her shoes, Zhang Qiao rushed to the door and tried to pull it open—but the door had already warped from the heat and wouldn’t budge at all.

She tried with all her strength several times, but failed. Left with no choice, she turned and ran to the window instead.

Thank heavens—one of the windows was open.

But to prevent theft, steel bars had been installed on the inside. Even though Zhang Qiao’s head was small enough, the spacing—less than twenty centimeters—still made it impossible for her to squeeze through.

Ahhhhhh! She really wanted to curse Lin Tianyue’s ancestors for eighteen generations.

Why did you install anti-theft bars on the windows?! You’re going to get your wife and kids killed!

Thinking of the three children in the other room, Zhang Qiao completely broke down.

“Lin Ran! Lin Jin! Lin Xun! Wake up—there’s a fire!”

She slammed on the door with all her strength, shaking the mountains, pounding so hard the entire house trembled. She didn’t know how long she hit it. She was even terrified that the three children had already suffocated from the smoke.

Only when her hands were completely numb did movement finally come from the other room.

There was movement—but clearly, their situation was the same as hers.

The three kids were trapped in the other room too. The door wouldn’t open at all.