Four pots of water were still not enough; there was barely any water left after washing her hair.
Her body was dirty and needed to be washed, but Jiang Miaomiao was preparing to rinse herself with cold water when Lu Qiming knocked on the door.
“What’s up? I haven’t finished washing yet,” she said, holding her wet hair up.
Lu Qiming replied, “I’m adding more water for you.”
She wrapped herself in a bath towel and opened the door. He had his eyes closed, delivering another bucket of hot water and then closed the door, asking, “I’m going to cook now. What do you want to eat?”
Jiang Miaomiao had already planned the menu while they were at the supermarket. “Stir-fried bean sprouts with ham and stewed dried bamboo shoots with preserved meat.”
Lu Qiming nodded and went downstairs.
Jiang Miaomiao mixed the cold water into the bucket. She felt a little guilty that he came back and didn’t even have time to wipe his face before providing her with hot water and cooking. It made her feel like she should treat him better. Finding someone who would stick with you during difficult times was not easy.
With this new bucket of water, she took a comfortable bath, even washing her fingernails clean. She felt refreshed and changed into a new set of clothes. Her whole body felt alive again. Using a towel to dry her hair, she went downstairs. As she opened the door, the unique salty fragrance of preserved meat filled the air.
She took a deep breath and went downstairs. She saw Lu Qiming standing by the stove, gazing at the pot. She said, “Let me do it; you go take a shower.”
Lu Qiming turned around and saw her still dripping hair. “Your hair isn’t dry yet.”
“We don’t have electricity, so I can’t use a hairdryer. This is the best I can do for now. Let it air dry.”
He thought for a moment, then moved the pot away from the fire and said, “Come over here.”
Jiang Miaomiao asked, “What’s going on?”
“I’ll use the fire to dry your hair.”
“What are you joking about? What if it catches fire?”
“I’m a master at barbecue. I can control the heat.”
He seemed confident, and she was feeling uncomfortable with her wet hair, so she hesitated and moved her head closer to him, warning, “If you burn my hair, I won’t spare you.”
“Don’t worry.”
Lu Qiming held her long hair with both hands and placed it about thirty centimeters from the flames, enough to feel the heat but not enough to burn it. He skillfully roasted her hair back and forth.
Jiang Miaomiao smelled the gas and watched the flickering flames, feeling like the fire might touch her head in the next moment.
Lu Qiming said, “There’s steam coming from your head.”
She exclaimed, “Let go, let go! I knew it would burn!”
He couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s just water vapor, silly.”
Blushing, she pinched him hard on his narrow waist.
Lu Qiming winced from the pain but didn’t let go. He looked at her shiny black hair and said in a teasing tone, “It’s troublesome to have long hair at times like this. Why not shave it bald?”
“My hair is on my head. It’s none of your business.”
“I’m worried that all your nutrition is being absorbed by your hair, leaving your brain malnourished.”
After a moment, Jiang Miaomiao realized that he was insulting her and pushed him away.
“Get lost, I don’t want you to roast it.”
As her hair fell, it was instantly singed by the fire.
Lu Qiming acted quickly, catching the hair and pinching her earlobe.
“Don’t move, I won’t say anything.”
True to his word, he kept quiet and focused on drying her hair with the fire.
After more than ten minutes, her hair was dry. Lu Qiming went upstairs to take a shower, and Jiang Miaomiao moved the pot back to continue cooking the soup. From time to time, she smelled her hair and felt like it had a scent of burnt feathers.
Not long after, all the dishes were ready.
One plate of stir-fried bean sprouts with ham, one plate of sautéed black wood ear mushrooms, and a bowl of preserved meat and seaweed soup.
There was also a jar of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce they had brought back from the supermarket.
It was a sumptuous feast!
Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t wait for Lu Qiming to finish his shower and began eating directly with her chopsticks.
But as soon as she took a bite, she heard someone complaining on the stairs.
“How dare you not wait for me? I worked so hard for so long.”
Jiang Miaomiao looked up and forgot to chew.
Lu Qiming had cleaned himself up, revealing his originally wheat-colored skin. His hair hadn’t been trimmed for a while, growing over his eyes. He had combed it back, leaving a few strands stubbornly hanging in front of his forehead.
He wore a simple white short-sleeved T-shirt without any patterns. Below, he had black pajama shorts, and he paired them with slippers.
This was the dressing style that lecherous old men on the streets loved to wear during the summer, but on him, it looked elegant and slender, giving off a bamboo-like aura.
Where did that lecherous guy in his flower-patterned underwear go?
Now he looks like a bigger star than a little celebrity.
Lu Qiming seemed completely unaware of this. He casually strolled to the table with his hands in his pockets, grabbed a slice of ham, and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing for a moment, he frowned.
“It’s still a bit salty. I should soak it in water before frying next time… What are you looking at?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Jiang Miaomiao averted her gaze, lowered her head, and continued eating. Halfway through the meal, she couldn’t help but ask, “What did you do before, actually?”
Lu Qiming kept eating his food and casually said, “I was a chef.”
“But you’re not skilled at cooking.”
“Uh… a bank robber.”
“Which bank robber doesn’t even have a gun?”
He raised his eyes, “Why are you suddenly interested in this? Even if I were a death row inmate before, it doesn’t matter now.”
For example, Jin Ban Tui; he must have been a wealthy man before, driving a Mercedes to pick up internet celebrities.
Now, he was trapped in the utility room, serving as a blood bag for them.
Jiang Miaomiao said, “I’m just worried…”
Good-looking, strong physique, merciless when eating people, and never hesitates when taking lives. When he wants to coax someone, he’s as sweet as honey, and when he’s angry, he can make someone fly to the heavens.
This kind of alluring little demon would be most favored by wealthy women.
“Are you really not a kept little white face?”
Lu Qiming: “…”
She felt like she had hit the nail on the head.
“It doesn’t matter; I won’t mock you. We’re all trying to make money, no need to be embarrassed…”
Lu Qiming picked up his chopsticks and knocked her head hard. “Nonsense, just eat your meal!”
Jiang Miaomiao covered her head, tears streaming down from the pain.
“You’re obviously feeling guilty!”
Lu Qiming sneered, “If I were really in that line of work, I would have already devoured you completely.”
The thought of it actually scared Jiang Miaomiao a little. She pulled her collar closer, warily eyeing him.
He sighed, shaking his head, too lazy to bother with her, and picked up his chopsticks to eat.
She quickly followed suit and picked up her chopsticks. They ate competitively, one bite after another, and finished nearly four servings of food in no time.
After they were full, they lay on the sofa, not wanting to move at all.
Jiang Miaomiao kicked his thigh. “Go wash the dishes.”
Lu Qiming snorted, “Too full, can’t move.”
“You won’t be full after washing the dishes.”
“Why don’t you go?”
They pushed back and forth for half an hour, and neither of them budged an inch.
Jiang Miaomiao burped and glanced at the cart full of things next to them, curious about what they had brought back today. She covered her heavy stomach and went to check it out.
A down comforter, several sets of clothes and pants.
A dozen pairs of men’s underwear, a dozen pairs of women’s underwear.
Two 500ml bottles of shampoo, one bottle of shower gel. Over twenty small loaves of bread, five bottles of milk.
A large bunch of sausages, a whole ham, five pieces of salted fish, four pieces of preserved meat, and two packs of duck.
A large handful of seaweed, three packs of nori, two packs of black wood ear mushrooms, and one pack of shiitake mushrooms.
One board with six salted duck eggs and one with eight century eggs.
Four bottles of chili sauce, seven or eight packs of pickled mustard greens.
And these small packets are…
The flashlight was not charged, so the light was a bit dim. Jiang Miaomiao carefully looked at what she held, and Lu Qiming said, “They are seeds.”
“Seeds?”
“Yes, look, lettuce seeds, cucumber seeds, tomato seeds, radish seeds, I took them all.”
She felt embarrassed. “Are you planning to plant them?”
“Why not?”
These are not bean sprouts that can be eaten in a few days; it will take at least a few months.
Whether they’ll still be alive by then is hard to say.
But if they keep avoiding the zombies’ bites and live in this villa, growing vegetables to eat and getting meat and rice from the supermarket, they might be able to survive with food and drink. It doesn’t sound too bad.
There’s a Chinese bayberry tree in the neighboring yard; when summer comes, they can also eat bayberries.
Thinking about it, Jiang Miaomiao’s mouth watered.
Lu Qiming leaned over to take a look, “Why are you licking your lips while staring at my underwear?”
She lowered her head and quickly let go, feeling utterly disgusted.
“Take your stuff and leave.”
Lu Qiming shrugged as he packed his things and said, “Tomorrow, I’ll go to the supermarket and get some stuff, so you won’t have to go.”
“Why?” Jiang Miaomiao asked.
“You’re too slow to react, and I have to waste energy taking care of you.”
Jiang Miaomiao wanted to refute, but after what happened today, she didn’t have the confidence to do so. She coldly replied, “Do whatever you want.”
Lu Qiming carried the bedding and clothes upstairs. When he reached the last step, he suddenly turned around.
“I believe we can survive the upcoming zombie tide and continue to live.”
His tone was much heavier than usual, without any hint of joking, as if they were about to face a great difficulty.
Jiang Miaomiao had no concept of the so-called zombie tide, but she was infected by his seriousness and responded with a nod.
He smiled, walked into the bedroom, and closed the door to sleep.
After putting away the things, Jiang Miaomiao also returned to her room. Perhaps because she was too excited about the trip to the supermarket, she couldn’t fall asleep no matter how she tossed and turned. She stayed awake with her eyes open until midnight, then went downstairs and took out several packs of seeds.
It was spring now, a perfect time for planting.
No matter how long they could survive, each seed successfully grown would count.
She found a small basin and lined it with tissues. She evenly sprinkled the seeds on the tissues, then covered them with another layer of tissues. She poured warm water slowly until all the tissues were soaked but not dripping, then stopped.
She placed the basin by the warm stove and went to check the bean sprouts she had planted earlier.
Because she couldn’t bear to finish them all at once, some of the bean sprouts had already grown leaves and were no longer suitable for eating.
She picked all the tender parts, ready to stir-fry them with preserved meat tomorrow. She thought about getting some fresh soil as well.
This time, she needed more, just in case the vegetable seeds sprouted, they would need soil to grow.
After working for a while, Jiang Miaomiao returned to her bed and closed her eyes. There was a faintly different feeling.
Since the zombie outbreak, she had been living day by day, but for the first time, she felt a bit of longing for the future.
She hoped to live longer and eat the vegetables she had grown herself.
Because she slept too late, she woke up around noon the next day.
Jiang Miaomiao washed up and went downstairs, finding the living room empty.
“Lu Qiming.”
She called out, but no one responded. She opened the pot cover on the stove and found ham-fried rice and seaweed soup inside.
Lu Qiming probably had already set off for the supermarket.
She ate alone, without his noisy complaints, and suddenly felt a bit bored.
What to do in the afternoon? She didn’t want to practice calligraphy again.
After washing the dishes, she brought out the basin of seeds and checked on them.
There was no change in the seeds; she wasn’t sure if they were going to work.
She sighed and put the seeds back, but she noticed several large bags in the cabinet.
When she pulled them out and looked, they were the flour she had hoarded before.
The villa had an oven, and she bought the flour to make bread herself. Little did she know that the generator wouldn’t work, so it had remained unused until now.
Now that they had bean sprouts and preserved meat, why not make some dumplings?
Jiang Miaomiao looked at the snowy white flour, feeling an urge to do something.
But there was one problem.
She didn’t know how to make dumplings…
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