My Apocalypse System Arrives 10 Years Early

"You can handle it yourself." When it came to Jiang Cai’Er’s studies, Li Xiang was completely out of his depth. As someone with a mere bachelor’s degree, how could he possibly presume to advise a young research prodigy who held so many master’s and doctorate titles?

The only area where he could still help her soar was in her Cultivation!

However, since it wasn’t advisable to practice Cultivation or advance in rank during pregnancy, Jiang Cai’Er was still at Tier Sixteen. She would remain at this Realm until after the child was born.

Making a breakthrough during pregnancy posed a risk to the baby.

...

The temperature rose day by day until even air conditioning was becoming ineffective. Li Xiang led the villagers into the Shelter, which was much cooler inside. The animals also took refuge in the Shelter.

Thanks to Zhao Xueqing, who came by every few days to tend to them, the plants in Li Xiang’s backyard—the vegetable garden, the flowers, the persimmon and peach trees, the gourds, the wintersweet, and the chili plants—not only stubbornly survived the intense heat but actually flourished, their growth becoming even more verdant and delightful.

The persimmon and chili plants, in particular, were heavy with fruit. Meanwhile, everyone else’s plants had long since withered in the heat, no matter if they were watered morning and night or covered with sunshades.

This miraculous sight left everyone clicking their tongues in amazement.

The village elders, while not highly educated, were wise with age. They had long figured out that Li Xiang wasn’t an ordinary person, and neither were those young women with him. They naturally gossiped about it in private, but they all shared an unspoken understanding and never brought it up openly.

Many who had been working in other cities also rushed back home.

With plenty to eat and drink and no need to work, the elders were delighted to be reunited with their children. The Shelter was as bustling and lively as if it were the New Year.

Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui also came to Li Family Village every day. The employees might be on holiday, but as high-level executives, they couldn’t afford to take a break.

Of course, they had made sure their own families were well taken care of. All three were now the pillars of their respective households, their status at home rock-solid.

Although Jiang Cai’Er had returned visibly pregnant, San Niu had their ways. They kept Jiang Cai’Er in high spirits, showered her with attentive care, and gifted her lots of baby clothes and jewelry. The four of them got along harmoniously.

Yao Yao had once said that if Li Xiang could help her reach Saint Tier, she would be willing to care for Jiang Cai’Er during her postpartum confinement. Li Xiang had assumed she was joking, but now, he was beginning to think San Niu was serious.

’They haven’t even reached Saint Tier, and they’ve already started taking care of her.’

In truth, the three women—Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui—had started from humble beginnings. They cherished this kind of opportunity and were adept at seizing it. Yao Yao and Zhao Xueqing were incredibly shrewd, with a thousand schemes in their minds at any given moment. Lei Xiaohui was slightly less so, but she still had hundreds of her own. Despite this, all three were, at heart, kind and good-natured.

Li Xiang actually quite liked girls like them. ’A cunning mind isn’t necessarily a bad thing,’ he thought. ’It’s a form of capability.’ It was just like with Wang Xifeng from the classic novel; many families really needed a capable manager like her to run the household.

Luo Feifei, however, was a different story. She had achieved fame at a young age, her career hitting its peak right from the start. By fourteen or fifteen, she was already one of the country’s A-list actresses. Every show or movie she starred in became a massive hit, making her a sure-fire guarantee of high ratings and box-office success. She used to be even wealthier than Li Xiang. On top of all that, her Cultivation Talent was exceptional; she was confident she could reach Saint Tier all on her own.

Even if Li Xiang didn’t provide her with Spiritual Medicine, she could still soar to new heights once the Apocalypse arrived and Extraordinary Particles flooded the world. It was only natural, therefore, that she had a proud and lofty disposition.

With the great flood imminent, Li Xiang went to Luo Feifei’s villa in Suzhou a few times to see her, but she refused to meet with him. Mrs. Luo, on the other hand, warmly welcomed him for tea on several occasions, always serving the finest Biluochun.

Li Xiang didn’t feel it was right to stay for too long, so he would leave some expensive gifts and depart.

The gifts were for Mrs. Luo. ’How could I show up empty-handed?’

Mrs. Luo would sigh every time she watched Li Xiang leave. Their family owned a lot of real estate, including more than one villa, yet Luo Feifei had deliberately chosen this particular one for her secluded Cultivation.

That was because it was the only address Li Xiang knew.

’This girl... She can’t let him go, but she refuses to see him. And she’s even worried he won’t be able to find her. She’s such a handful...’

What Li Xiang didn’t know, however, was that with every visit, a little more of Luo Feifei’s anger melted away.

...

"Amidst rolling smoke and wind, we sing of heroes, the green mountains all around lean in to listen, lean in to listen! Thunder on a sunny day beats the golden drums, the surging sea waves form a chorus... A bolt of lightning rips open the long sky, rips open the sky! If the earth gives way, I’ll hold it back alone! If the heavens fall, I’ll prop them up with a single hand! My two feet wade through raging fire, my whole body is draped in a shimmering rainbow..."

The villagers were getting bored staying in the Shelter all day, so at Yao Yao’s suggestion, Li Xiang organized a revolutionary song concert.

Villagers took turns performing, either singing solos or as a choir, and the atmosphere immediately became electric.

Then, Li Jinyu, Li Yucheng, Jiang Jianguo, and other opera enthusiasts put on a Sichuan Opera performance, playing instruments and singing with great delight. The children also ran and played in the spacious Shelter, playing hide-and-seek everywhere, their happy laughter echoing constantly.

The animals had also taken refuge inside. With them patrolling the entire Shelter, there was no need to worry about any snakes, insects, rats, or other pests.

To conclude, Li Xiang recited a poem written by Jiang Cai’Er. It was modeled after the Instructor’s "To the Tune of Yi Qin E: Lou Mountain Pass." After hearing it, the villagers of Li Family Village erupted in applause and cheers!

"Yi Qin E" is a tune title, a set metrical pattern for classical poetry, derived from a line by the poet Li Bai: "The Qin maiden’s dream is broken by the moon over the Qin tower."

Li Xiang explained that most of the Instructor’s poems, especially the classic ones, were written during times of great hardship. What was most admirable, he said, was that no matter how difficult the circumstances or how immense the pressure, the Instructor always maintained a sense of poetry and artistry.