Liu Qiming thought that after waiting for half an hour, Jiang Miaomiao would give up and come back to ask for his help again. Then, he could use this opportunity to negotiate some conditions in exchange for his assistance.
For instance, she could wash the dishes in the future.
She could do his laundry.
She couldn’t tease him anymore, calling him a pretty boy.
However, things didn’t go as he expected. He waited for the whole morning, but Jiang Miaomiao never came out.
Later, the sounds of digging and hammering stopped as well. Unable to resist his curiosity, he went down to check and found a small white figure sitting motionless in a corner of the dark basement, resembling a ghost.
Liu Qiming coughed twice and walked towards the shelves, pretending to take some food. As he passed by her, he deliberately asked, “Still haven’t dug up the soil?”
Jiang Miaomiao was irritated every time this matter was mentioned. The city was in the south, and the humidity was strong in the spring. The villa’s owner had put a thick layer of moisture-proof material on the basement floor, making it impossible for her to dig a hole no matter how hard she tried.
Thinking of digging the soil from here, it would take forever.
She sighed and covered her forehead with her hand.
Liu Qiming opened a pack of Oreo cookies and ate, leaving his mouth black like he had been eating coal.
“I can help you dig up the soil in the yard, as long as you agree to a few conditions,” he said.
Jiang Miaomiao got up and walked away, her expression indifferent.
“Thank you, but no need.”
Surprisingly, he followed her.
“Aren’t you planning to plant vegetables?”
She thought to herself, what was the point of struggling? Even if she managed to grow some vegetables, what good would it do? When Liu Qiming left and the stored food was gone, she wouldn’t dare to go to the supermarket alone. It would be a dead end.
Since that was the case, she might as well relax and enjoy her remaining days.
The two words “struggle” and “effort” had never had anything to do with her since birth.
With this in mind, Jiang Miaomiao washed her hands and lay on the chair, flipping through the supermarket promotion booklet.
It was something she had brought back from the supermarket before. The booklet contained many products, although many of them were no longer available. Nevertheless, it was satisfying to look through them.
Oranges for three yuan per kilogram? So cheap, she should have eaten three to five kilograms of them overnight.
Pineapples for ten yuan for three? It was practically a free giveaway. How did she not notice it before?
Eggs for seventy cents each… Waaah, she hadn’t eaten poached eggs in a long time.
To satisfy her craving, Jiang Miaomiao took out several packs of chewing gum.
Even though she couldn’t have oranges or pineapples, she could still have orange-flavored and pineapple-flavored chewing gum.
Liu Qiming came out later, sealing the gaps in his bedroom. After more than an hour, he came out to make lunch and saw her leisurely flipping through the booklet, chewing gum and occasionally blowing big bubbles.
He washed rice and cooked, noticing the germinated seeds and asked, “Aren’t you really planning to plant them? They’ve all sprouted, such a waste.”
“It’s a waste, so what? There are so many goods on the street that nobody cares about, so a few seeds don’t make a difference.”
“If you plant them, you’ll have fresh vegetables to eat.”
“Between it and me, who knows whose life will be longer? Why bother depending on those unreliable things.”
Liu Qiming nodded, “Alright, I won’t throw them away.”
Jiang Miaomiao’s flipping of the booklet paused for a moment as she held back her heartache.
“Go ahead and throw them.”
With a loud bang, the seeds, along with the wet tissues, were tossed into the trash bin.
Liu Qiming continued to cut vegetables and cook. His movements became more and more skilled, and soon he prepared two dishes.
After finishing their meal, he took a short break and sat on the windowsill, cracking open a pack of sunflower seeds flavored with walnut.
Inspired by yesterday’s failed attempt at making dumplings, Jiang Miaomiao’s fighting spirit was ignited, and she was determined to taste the delicious food she made herself before she died.
Since dumplings were too challenging, she carefully considered and decided to make pancakes.
It was simple. She had seen others do it before. Just add water and salt to the flour, and add any desired ingredients like chives, eggs, etc. Pour the batter into the pan once it’s hot.
Since there were no chives or eggs at hand, and all the bean sprouts were gone, she soaked a handful of black fungus, cut it into strips, and mixed it with shredded ham into the flour before adding water to stir.
The water level was a key point, and she couldn’t be careless.
With utmost concentration, Jiang Miaomiao carefully poured the water.
Liu Qiming, still munching on the sunflower seeds, sneered, “Don’t waste your effort. You’re just not cut out for this.”
Annoyed by his words, she turned around and shouted, “Shut up! Stop munching, are you a hamster?”
Liu Qiming looked wronged, clutching the sunflower seeds, and went back to his room to continue eating.
With peace restored around her, Jiang Miaomiao turned the flour into a batter, heated the pan, lightly brushed it with oil, and poured in the batter.
As soon as the batter touched the hot oil, it sizzled and bubbled. The edge visibly solidified.
Afraid of burning it, she hurriedly flipped the pancake but didn’t time it right, causing the batter to break into pieces, turning into a half-cooked, sticky mess.
Jiang Miaomiao tasted a bite, frowned, and grabbed the spatula.
One more try!
While Liu Qiming napped in his room, he was awakened by the fragrance and curiously came downstairs.
Jiang Miaomiao sat at the dining table, in front of her was a white porcelain plate filled with pancakes of varying sizes. She looked at him proudly.
Pretending to know nothing, he asked, “Did you make something? Pancakes? They look good.”
“Of course! Someone said I’m not cut out for this, and I want to prove him wrong. This kind of thing is effortless for me.”
“Really?” Liu Qiming glanced at the trash bin, which was filled with the remaining batter and ingredients, shrugged, reached out, and took a pancake to eat.
Jiang Miaomiao tapped his fingers with chopsticks, “Who told you to take it? This is mine.”
He winced and pulled his hand back, his face contorting in pain.
“We have this kind of relationship, why divide between you and me?”
“Of course we have to divide. After all, you didn’t even want to help me dig some soil earlier. What kind of relationship is that?”
Liu Qiming knew she was mocking him and said awkwardly, “I said I’d help you dig later, but you refused.”
“You didn’t want to do it in the first place. Why should I bother then?”
Jiang Miaomiao picked up the plate, turned it around in front of him, letting him smell but not eat, then went upstairs to enjoy her meal in solitude.
Liu Qiming looked at the remaining flour and ingredients and thought of making some as well to show her what true culinary skill was.
But the window gaps still hadn’t been completely sealed, so getting things done was a priority.
It took nearly three days to fill all the gaps in the entire villa. Unless they deliberately opened a window, not a single breeze would seep through. Similarly, the odors inside couldn’t escape, turning it into a secluded little world.
Looking at the darkened house, Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t help but say to him, “Before you leave, you have to restore everything to its original state, you know? I’m not a bat, my mood will be much worse without sunlight for too long. The world is already in an apocalypse, and if I get depression or something, there’s simply no way to live.”
Liu Qiming couldn’t help shaking his head. “If it weren’t for me, you definitely wouldn’t survive until the next day when the zombie tide comes.”
She rolled her eyes, “If it weren’t for you, I still wouldn’t have finished eating all my stuff by now.”
Neither of them could outtalk the other, so they gave each other the middle finger and found activities to pass the time.
They were completely trapped inside the villa, so they could only engage in indoor activities.
Liu Qiming started kneading dough as well, not sure what he was going to make.
Jiang Miaomiao didn’t expect him to share with her. She took a flashlight and walked around, deciding to check on Jin Banti.
Jin Banti was in a miserable state. When it turned into a zombie, half of its butt was bitten off. Over the past few days, they had been drawing its blood, leaving it weak and emaciated.
In gratitude for its previous help, Jiang Miaomiao chopped up some bacon and threw it to Jin Banti.
If it was willing to eat something else to survive, she might consider keeping it as a pet.
However, Jin Banti was not appreciative. It sniffed at the bacon and disdainfully turned its face away.
“You don’t even eat such delicious food. It serves you right to be hungry.”
Jiang Miaomiao scolded it, prepared to leave, but suddenly heard a strange howl in the distance.
Jin Banti also became agitated, wriggling its body frantically.
What’s going on? Today isn’t the night of the full moon, is it?
She didn’t have the guts to stay and fight Jin Banti alone, so she quickly retreated, locking the door and subconsciously moving closer to Liu Qiming.
Liu Qiming was initially kneading dough in the kitchen, but he stopped when he heard the noise. His hands covered in dough, he stood against the wall, with his ears pressed against it as if listening for something.
Jiang Miaomiao walked over and asked, “Did you also hear the noise just now?”
He covered her mouth with his hand, smearing the fresh dough all over her.
“Shh, don’t make a sound.”
In times of emergency, it’s not the right moment for an argument. Jiang Miaomiao obediently kept quiet and pressed her ear against the wall.
Scratch, scratch, scratch…
It seemed like something was crawling on the wall, making a slight rubbing sound.
Next to them was a window sealed tightly with plastic wrap and paint.
She wanted to go to the other side and listen, but as soon as she took two steps forward, there was a loud bang, and glass shattered.
A blood-drenched hand suddenly reached in from the window, grabbing her shoulder.
Jiang Miaomiao had to use all her strength to suppress the urge to scream, her face turning pale in fear.
The hand was strong, pulling her outside, and the zombie’s howls were getting closer to her ears.
She clung tightly to the window frame, imagining what might happen next, tears streaming down her face.
Liu Qiming acted swiftly and rushed to get a kitchen knife, chopping at the hand gripping Jiang Miaomiao’s shoulder.
Human bones were tough, and the first strike didn’t sever the hand. He swung the knife again, this time slicing through the radius bone.
The bloody hand released its grip and fell to the floor. The nerves hadn’t completely died, and it twitched and crawled out about half a meter.
Outside the window, the zombies roared wildly, pounding on the windows like ferocious beasts.
The glass shattered and landed on Jiang Miaomiao’s neck, and blood immediately flowed, staining her white dress.
She didn’t have time to wipe off the blood and immediately ran.
The strength of the zombie was astonishing. In the next second, it broke through the window and lunged in, its bloodshot eyes fixed on her with a bloodthirsty gleam.
Liu Qiming grabbed the chair she usually sat on and pressed the four legs against the window, effectively pinning down the zombie’s head.
The intact hand wildly clawed at him, leaving bloody handprints all over his body.
He struggled to hold back the zombie, then turned to shout at Jiang Miaomiao, “Bring the hot oil from the stove!”
Jiang Miaomiao was too frightened, feeling dizzy in her head, and couldn’t hear him clearly.
“What?”
“Oil!”
She looked toward the stove, where Liu Qiming had prepared hot oil for frying oil cakes. The pot was already smoking.
She hurriedly brought the oil over, and as blood dripped into the hot oil, it sizzled and seemed to splatter, landing on her arm. But she couldn’t feel the pain anymore.
Back at the window, Jiang Miaomiao hesitated to act.
“What should I do?”
Should she pour the oil? Liu Qiming was there too, and he might get burned.
Liu Qiming yelled firmly, “Follow my orders, three… two… one, pour!”
As the word “pour” left his mouth, he pulled back the chair, blocking himself, and with his long legs, he was several meters away in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Miaomiao mustered all her strength and poured the oil forward, then threw away the pot and ran.
The hot oil drenched the zombie from head to toe. Its rotten skin sizzled, sounding like pigskin thrown into a frying pan, emitting a charred fragrance.
Liu Qiming had run to the side of the stove, grabbing a plastic bottle used for rolling dough and ignited it with the gas stove, throwing it over.
With a loud bang, flames soared.
The zombie screeched wildly in the flames, still trying to rush in.
Liu Qiming grabbed a mop and stabbed it forcefully in the chest, pushing it out of the window and landing in the grassy yard.
It writhed and howled on the ground, and other zombies became restless, looking in their direction.
Liu Qiming lifted a wooden dining table and used it to block the hole in the window.
“Hammer and nails!”
Jiang Miaomiao handed them to him and helped support the table.
He hammered vigorously until the window was finally sealed again.
Turning back to look at Jiang Miaomiao, he wanted to tell her to stop and rest, but saw that she was covered in blood, looking like she had lost her soul.
“Where are you injured?” Liu Qiming asked anxiously.
She tugged at the corners of her mouth, swaying and throwing herself into his arms, hugging his waist as she burst into tears.
“Scared me to death… sob…”
Leave a Reply