Song Jia rubbed her eyes as she woke up, reflexively reaching out for the glass of water on her bedside table. The moment she opened her eyes, she instantly met the gaze of Ye Minzhe's golden statue.
Song Jia, "..."
Just as she was about to go back to sleep, she heard a loud noise coming from the living room. It sounded as if a group of people were arguing, not bothering to lower their voices at all.
Song Jia frowned and changed her nightdress into casual clothes. Grabbing the pistol Ye Minzhe had given her before he left, she went down the stairs.
The ones who had been arguing were Sheng Li and Ding Xiuxiu. A group of unfamiliar people stood behind Sheng Li, surrounded by a few guards.
Song Jia wrapped her cardigan tightly around her body, the gun safely hidden in her pocket.
She surveyed the situation before asking, "What's going on?"
Sheng Li breathed a sigh of relief. "Jia!"
She approached her and gestured to the unfamiliar group of people. "They're my family, they came here from Xi'an. The city was badly hit by the pandemic, so I told them to come here. They can stay here, right? I'm sure your father won't mind."
A tall woman that seemed to be Sheng Li's mother stepped forward, holding out her hand. Song Jia reluctantly shook it.
"You're the young miss of the Ye family? It seems that you and my Xiao Li are very close, this proves my daughter has good taste in making friends. Is your father home? We've been business partners for a long time, I'm sure he'll understand our situation."
Mrs. Sheng glanced coldly at Ding Xiuxiu. "However, it seems that some people have no sympathy for those in need. Yelling at your elders, how is that proper? Your parents should raise you better, young miss."
Ding Xiuxiu's eyes were red. "Don't bring my parents into this! And who do you think you are? Do you even know who my father is? Sheng Li, you've already been sheltered here by Uncle Ye, but you're shameless enough to bring other people here. Uncle Ye isn't running a charity home!"
At these words, Sheng Li flushed. "Of course, we aren't going to stay here for free. We'll pay Uncle Ye!"
Ding Xiuxiu was so angry that she could only laugh. "Pay? Is money still important? The supplies here have been traded and bartered by Uncle Ye, also calling in special favors from those on the top so that we would have enough supplies to last us for three years. Is Uncle Ye short in money? Do you think he would want the spare change that your family would give him?"
Mrs. Sheng suddenly strode towards Ding Xiuxiu, her heels clacking on the floor. Just as she raised her hand to slap Ding Xiuxiu, Gong Qiye caught her wrist.
He looked coldly at Mrs. Sheng, while Mr. Sheng also came forward to support his wife.
Song Jia rubbed her aching temples. She focused her attention on Sheng Li.
"When did your family arrive here? And why didn't you inform us beforehand?"
"They arrived just this evening from a helicopter. It was an emergency, so I didn't have the time to inform you."
"Have you checked them? Are you sure none of the members in your family had been bitten?"
Sheng Li shook her head. "They're all fine."
"Let the family doctor give them a second look, just to be sure. And I can't make a decision on my own, you and your family would have to wait for...my father's decision for that. Whether your family stays or leaves would be up to him. For now, your family can stay temporarily in a separate guest house."
Just as Song Jia solved the problem, another one came. A guard that was on patrol burst into the mansion, his face pale and sweaty.
"Young miss!"
Since both father and son were gone, Ye Jia, as the 'illegitimate child,' was now the temporary master of the house. Song Jia looked at the guard.
"What is it?"
"There's a rally going outside the estate, it's people from the neighborhood wanting to go in. They heard that a zombie horde was coming and that we have weapons and food supplies. Some of them had started climbing the walls. Young miss, what do we do? We can't shoot at innocent civilians."
Another guard hurried forward and knelt down before her, touching his head to the ground. "Young miss, I beg you, please let my family in! They're just outside the gates, both my children are only four and six years old. Begging young miss to please help me!"
Someone taking the initiative was a scary thing. Once somebody took the first step, others would follow. Seeing that there was somebody who was courageous enough to voice out his inner worries, those who were working inside the mansion went forward and knelt down as well.
The servants who pleaded weren't few. Considering that each of them had families, most likely a couple of children too, the number of people they would have to shelter would definitely exceed a two-digit number. Song Jia pursed her lips.
"Ye Jia!" Ding Xiuxiu exclaimed. "You can't be thinking of letting them all in, right? At this rate, our food supplies would only be able to last us a month!"
"As I've said before, the only one who can make a decision about this matter is my father. All of you would need to wait for him to come back."
Seeing the servants' expressions become filled with disappointment, Song Jia continued, "However, I will do my best to persuade him. The Ye estate is very large, so it'll be easy to fit everyone. The Ye estate could also be used as the first base to quarantine survivors. We could set up a triage area to screen out those who are infected or otherwise susceptible for disease, and I also need some food supplies coming from each of your families. I'm sure each of you have stored canned goods and rice in your houses."
To run a place as large as the Ye estate, it needed servants. Ding Xiuxiu's worries were correct, however, Song Jia also needed to reassure them so that they won't stage a coup d'état [1]. Although she requested for them to wait for Ye Minzhe's father to make the decision, she also gave them hope.
Only a fool would underestimate a person with nothing to lose. Once Song Jia stomps out all of their hope for salvation, they would surely strike back. As the old proverb warned, corner a dog in a dead-end street and it will turn back and bite you.
"Tell this to the people rallying outside as well. The Ye family had already sent people to fight against the zombie horde, so they don't need to worry that they would be in danger. Once they had returned, we'll conduct a screening checkpoint to all of those who want to be sheltered here. They need to bring at least two weeks' worth of food to be allowed entry, and all the capable men in their families would need to volunteer as a patrol guard."
[1] violent overthrow of an existing governing authority by a small group
A/N:
Merry Christmas, everybody! Sorry if I was a bit late in updating | 冫､)ｼﾞｰ
(#^^#)ゞ Hope all of you had a great holiday!