The next day, the two of them went to the yard and dug up several large buckets of soil, preparing to plant all the seeds they had brought back.
Jiang Miaomiao’s planting skills were limited to sprouting mung beans, and she had only a vague understanding of other types of planting.
Lu Qiming was even less knowledgeable; he was completely experimenting as he went along.
According to what they knew, the seeds had to be planted in the soil, while the narcissus bulbs needed to be soaked in water.
Jiang Miaomiao filled a basin with water and tossed all the garlic-like narcissus bulbs into it. She placed the basin in a shaded and cool spot and couldn’t help but worry as she asked, “What if we amateurs mess this up? What if they don’t grow properly?”
The seeds were precious, and she would be heartbroken if anything happened to them.
Lu Qiming sounded relaxed. “If they don’t grow, we can just get more at the flower and bird market. There are plenty there.”
Her curiosity was piqued when he mentioned the flower and bird market. “What exactly is the flower and bird market? Besides flowers, are there also birds?”
Lu Qiming thought for a moment. “If you’re interested, why don’t you come with me another day? Then you can see it for yourself.”
Having never been to such a place before, Jiang Miaomiao felt genuinely interested after his suggestion.
Two days later, they had finished all the tasks at home, and with nothing else to do, Jiang Miaomiao urged Lu Qiming to take her to the flower and bird market.
They both put on their protective suits and prepared to go out when suddenly the new addition to their home appeared and insisted on going with them.
It was too small and had no means of self-protection. If it got scared and attracted zombies, what would they do? They couldn’t put their safety at risk just to save it.
Jiang Miaomiao fetched a piece of ham sausage from the kitchen, peeled it, and tried to lure the little dog to stay with delicious food.
Jiang Rou Rou was indeed attracted and ate the sausage happily.
But when they took a step to sneak away, it immediately lifted its head, abandoning the sausage, and followed them, wagging its tail.
It seemed that they didn’t pick up a dog, but rather a clingy little puppy that followed wherever they went.
Jiang Miaomiao helplessly watched the dog holding onto her calf and thought of another idea.
Should they trick it and lock it in a room upstairs?
While she was contemplating, Lu Qiming, who was standing beside her, suddenly said, “Why don’t we take it with us?”
She turned around in surprise. “Really?”
“Yes, it’s also a member of the family, so of course, we should take it along.”
Saying that, he bent down, picked up Jiang Rou Rou, and held it in his palm.
He had big hands, making it look like an adult holding a child’s toy, which exuded a sense of warmth and cuteness.
Jiang Miaomiao was increasingly fond of him. While closing the door, she said, “I used to think you were selfish and cold-hearted, but I didn’t expect you to be quite kind.”
Lu Qiming didn’t hear her comment. He went to the window, slipped his hand through the gap of the security bars, opened the window, and then stuffed Jiang Rou Rou inside.
The latter fell to the living room floor and let out a mournful cry.
He closed the window and patted his hands with satisfaction. “You stay put.”
Being annoying at home was one thing, but wanting to bother them outside? Dream on.
Jiang Miaomiao: “…”
Lu Qiming propped his bicycle, took a long stride, and stepped on the pedal confidently, raising his chin slightly. “Get on.”
She walked over, sat down, and embraced his waist, unable to help but say, “You’re getting more and more likable.”
“Really shameless, even tricking the dog.”
“Then why are you sitting in the car of such a shameless person?”
“I only have one car, what can I do?”
“You can run alongside.”
Jiang Miaomiao looked at the back of his head, wanting to beat him up, and a few minutes later, she suddenly shouted, “Stop the car!”
Lu Qiming stood on one foot, surprised, and asked, “Are you really planning to run? I don’t mind.”
She wasn’t going to run at all; she wasn’t a horse.
But the reason he was so arrogant was that he knew she could only be carried by him, right?
Jiang Miaomiao pushed him away and snatched the handlebars. “Get in the back.”
Lu Qiming was taken aback. “Are you serious? You want to carry me?”
With her slender legs like bamboo shoots, could she even pedal the footrest?
Jiang Miaomiao raised her eyebrows. “What’s the matter? Do you look down on me?”
“No, no, please go ahead.”
He made way for her and retreated to the back seat, unable to hide the thick smile on his face.
Seeing him like this, Jiang Miaomiao felt even more determined to show off. She stabilized the bicycle, exerted force with both feet, and pushed down hard.
The bicycle swayed but didn’t move forward.
Lu Qiming shook his head and sighed. “Oh, it’s not working…”
“Are you a pig? You’re so heavy.”
“Yet you said I was shameless. I never insulted you when I carried you.”
Jiang Miaomiao stopped talking, pushed harder on the footrest, and finally lifted her butt off the triangular seat, putting all her weight into it, just barely making the bike move.
The distance that used to seem negligible now felt incredibly distant, surrounded by lush greenery and beautiful scenery, but she had no time to appreciate it.
She imagined herself as Xiangzi the camel, possessing abundant energy and superb riding skills, able to reach their destination quickly.
But in reality, she struggled for a while and couldn’t even ride out of the community.
Lu Qiming was sitting contentedly in the back, his big hands hugging her slender waist, his feet pressing against the metal outside the tires, and his knees bent out to the sides, looking like a human-sized grasshopper.
“Look, another zombie just passed us.”
“…” Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t bear his mockery, clenched her teeth, and pushed down forcefully… only to tire herself out and slump over the bike.
Lu Qiming pretended to knead her shoulders. “Take it easy, take it slow. The flower and bird market is a few kilometers from here. If we walk, it’ll take half a day, but with you on the bike, it’s still enough for the day.”
Oh God, please make this guy shut up!
Jiang Miaomiao screamed inwardly.
Seeing her genuinely frustrated, Lu Qiming stopped joking and earnestly encouraged her. “Riding a bike is all about technique, not brute force. Especially at the beginning, try to ride faster and gain some momentum, and it’ll become easier later.”
She didn’t understand. “How do I gain momentum?”
“Let me teach you, come on, hold the handlebars properly…”
Lu Qiming gently guided her step by step, and she followed his instructions. In the end, she actually started to move the bike.
Although the speed was still not fast, only slightly faster than walking, she finally managed to ride smoothly out of the community, feeling much more effortless than before.
Bathed in the gentle morning sunlight after 8 o’clock, Jiang Miaomiao’s lips curved into a smile, and her voice sounded more pleasant.
“Lu Qiming, I think you’re actually quite a good person, just sometimes…”
The corner of her eye swept across the glass doors of the roadside shops, and suddenly, Jiang Miaomiao fell silent.
Lu Qiming waited for a while, but there was no continuation. He asked, “What’s wrong sometimes?”
She looked at her reflection in the glass, not sure whether to be angry or amused.
Lu Qiming had long legs and could easily touch the ground. With every step she pedaled, he walked alongside.
She had been riding for about ten minutes, which meant… he had been walking like this for ten minutes?
Wasn’t he tired?
Lu Qiming didn’t notice that she had figured it out and continued to walk, propelling the bicycle forward with his long legs.
After a while, he also saw his reflection in the glass door and met her gaze. His body trembled, and he quickly pulled his legs back.
Jiang Miaomiao stopped and gave up her seat.
“I won’t ride anymore, you do it.”
He thought she was angry and carefully praised her, “I think you ride very well.”
She smiled bitterly, moved to the back seat, hugged his waist, and leaned her face against his broad and warm back through the protective suit.
“I want to get there faster.”
Lu Qiming didn’t know if she believed him or not, but he took the bicycle and continued to ride.
He was more than twice as fast as her, and the wind blew on her face as she rode, even through the protective suit, making her feel cool.
With her mind at ease, Jiang Miaomiao could now appreciate the beauty of the desolate city. The green belts were lush and vibrant, untended but thriving.
She spotted a peach tree that she had coveted for a long time. She stared at it for a while and pinched the muscles on Lu Qiming’s waist.
“Stop, stop, stop.”
Lu Qiming stopped the bike. Seeing her jump down and stand under the tree on tiptoes, she plucked a green and white peach.
“Is it ripe?” He looked at her excited expression with suspicion.
“Just take a bite, and you’ll know.”
Jiang Miaomiao took out a tissue from her chainsaw mini-bag, wiped off the prickly fuzz outside the peach, stole a glance around, and, seeing no zombies within ten meters, pulled her mask down a little and quickly took a bite before putting it back on.
Lu Qiming looked at her expectantly.
The peach was small and hard, with an extremely sour taste.
Jiang Miaomiao’s face wrinkled from the sourness, but after swallowing, she couldn’t help but laugh happily.
The refreshing taste of the fruit, she hadn’t experienced it for a long time.
Bananas, oranges, pineapples… these things that used to be easily accessible were now difficult to obtain, and she could only find traces of them in fruit-flavored candies.
“How is it?” Lu Qiming asked.
“It’s pretty good. Want me to pick one for you to taste?”
He shook his head and looked at her hand.
Jiang Miaomiao understood what he meant and handed him the peach.
He took off his mask, planning to take a bite where she hadn’t, but when he saw the small and neat teeth marks on the peach flesh, he didn’t know which nerve misfired, and he bit where her teeth marks were.
Jiang Miaomiao widened her eyes, and her face instantly turned red.
Lu Qiming’s heartbeat quickened too. Brazenly, he chewed for a few seconds.
“It’s not ripe yet.”
“Yeah, let them grow a little longer.”
The bitten peach was as hot as a branding iron. She quickly threw it away and sat back on the bike without daring to speak along the way.
Arriving at the flower and bird market, the scene was different from what she had imagined.
She thought it would be like a vegetable market, with many stalls in one large shed, and goods displayed on the stalls for people to choose from.
In reality, it was a narrow street with shops on both sides, and at the corner was a large sign that read “So-and-so Flower and Bird Market.”
Normally, this place would have been bustling with activity, but now it was no different from other places—there was not a living soul in sight.
Broken flower pots were scattered on the ground, and the common pets like turtles, rabbits, and guinea pigs had not escaped the clutches of the zombies. Half-eaten carcasses could be seen everywhere.
Birds were relatively lucky, hanging high up, out of reach for the zombies.
However, due to no one feeding them for a long time, they had starved to death, and the stench emanating from their cages was unbearable.
Several zombies squatted inside a shop about four or five meters away from them, eating something with black blood all over their mouths. Because they smelled the scent of their own kind, they paid no attention to Lu Qiming and Jiang Miaomiao.
The scene was desolate and cruel, but Jiang Miaomiao still felt it was worth coming here.
Just to her left was a flower shop, and several pots of roses were blooming beautifully.
This was a sight that couldn’t be seen in the villa.
“So beautiful,” she exclaimed.
She walked over for a closer look and touched the delicate petals with her gloved hand, wishing she could take them home right away.
Lu Qiming suggested, “Why not pick a few you like and put them in the cart to take home?”
“Can we? But we already have flowers.”
Although they were still bare branches now, without any leaves.
Lu Qiming said, “No one cares about them here, they will eventually die sooner or later. It’s better to take them home and appreciate them for a few more days.”
“That makes sense.”
She picked up the best-looking pot of roses and walked toward the bicycle.
The flower pot itself was heavy, filled with soil, and the leaves added to its weight. Jiang Miaomiao struggled to carry it.
Lu Qiming took it from her and said, “You choose, and I’ll carry them. It’ll be faster this way.”
She felt a little embarrassed, but it was indeed the most efficient way, so she thanked him and turned to pick flowers.
It was early summer, and many flowers were in full bloom.
They picked two pots of roses, two pots of dahlias, one pot of peonies, and a basin of water lilies.
Lu Qiming went back and forth many times. When he was ready to pick up the last pot, he saw Jiang Miaomiao standing under a pot of white spider plants, and a zombie was staggering toward her.
He wanted to call her to move away, but he was afraid that raising his voice would attract more zombies. So, he quickened his pace to help.
Just as he was about to reach her, Jiang Miaomiao turned her head and saw the zombie approaching, her little face instantly paled, and she covered her mouth in fear.
The zombie recognized her as prey and rushed even more fervently.
She picked up her mini chainsaw from her shoulder bag, closed her eyes, and started wildly stabbing at the zombie.
The zombie was caught off guard and was chopped in half at the waist, falling to the ground and twitching uncontrollably.
Jiang Miaomiao was oblivious, still wielding the chainsaw desperately until Lu Qiming grabbed her hand, and his familiar voice sounded in her ears.
“It’s okay.”
Only then did she stop, her heart still pounding as she opened her eyes and saw the zombie split into two right in front of her. She turned and threw herself into Lu Qiming’s arms, crying.
“That zombie was so scary, sob…”
“You’re scarier. You look so delicate, but you’re fiercer than a serial killer.”
“You’re the killer!”
She punched him, but his joking made her relax a bit.
“It’s hot, and we’re sweating a lot. They are more likely to detect us. Let’s go quickly.”
Lu Qiming escorted her outside. Suddenly, the upper body of the zombie jumped up and bit his arm.
Jiang Miaomiao was caught off guard, standing there in shock.
He cursed under his breath and pulled out a fruit knife from somewhere, prying open the zombie’s mouth, and quickly killed it.
The zombie fell silent, and the ground was covered in blood stains.
His arm had a big bite, and the fresh red blood flowed from the torn part of the protective suit.
Zombies in the distance sniffed the smell and raised their heads, looking around.
Jiang Miaomiao looked at his wound, too shocked to form a complete sentence.
“Your hand… you…”
He quickly tore off a piece of plastic sheet and wrapped it around his wrist, hastily saying, “It’s too dangerous outside, we’ll talk about it when we get back.”
Lu Qiming walked quickly ahead, and Jiang Miaomiao followed him in a daze.
After a few steps, she suddenly snapped back to reality and ran to the bicycle, using the chainsaw to cut the rope that connected the small cart.
He was puzzled, “Aren’t you taking these flowers?”
“They’re too heavy, it’s more important to get back.”
With a wound on him, if the zombies smell blood, they both will be torn apart.
Lu Qiming looked at her with a complicated expression and mounted the bicycle.
Jiang Miaomiao quickly climbed onto the rear seat, hugging his waist, telling him they could go.
His hand was seriously injured and painful, unable to grip the handlebar firmly. After riding a few meters, he swerved and hit a shop nearby.
Jiang Miaomiao quickly jumped off the bicycle, steadied the front, and said quickly, “I’ll sit in front.”
“But you can’t pedal.”
“I know, that’s why you’re going to pedal.”
Perhaps the pain from the wound affected his thinking, Lu Qiming was stunned for a few seconds before understanding what she meant and moved to the rear seat.
Jiang Miaomiao gripped the handlebars and kept the right direction.
Lu Qiming’s long legs came in handy, and he could still reach the foot pedals while sitting in the back seat.
Both of them put forth their utmost effort and rushed home at high speed.
The smell of blood spread in the air, and many zombies followed them on the bicycle, chasing after them.
Faster!
Faster!
She didn’t want to be bitten to death!
Jiang Miaomiao’s eyes were red with anxiety, wishing she could jump off and carry the bicycle and run.
The number of zombies kept increasing, hundreds and thousands of them, densely packed, getting closer and closer to them.
Finally, just before the zombies could catch up with them, they rushed into the villa, not even pausing to catch their breath, quickly closing the doors and windows, not daring to leave any gaps.
The zombies roamed outside the house, eager to get in.
Lu Qiming sat on the sofa, his skin turning pale due to excessive blood loss.
Jiang Miaomiao fetched the first-aid kit, unzipped his protective suit, and poured alcohol onto his wound.
Lu Qiming trembled in pain, covered in cold sweat, but he didn’t cry out. He stared into her eyes and asked, “Are you afraid that I’ll get infected?”
She kept tending to his wound without stopping.
“Yes, I’m afraid.”
“What are you going to do? Kick me out if I show symptoms?”
“Let’s wait until symptoms appear… Where’s the medicine?”
She was in such a hurry that she couldn’t find any anti-inflammatory medicine.
Lu Qiming held her hand and said in a low voice, “I won’t get infected, don’t be afraid.”
She rolled her eyes at him.
“Just because you say you won’t get infected means you won’t? Are you God? What a joke.”
He smiled bitterly, unable to explain, and just said, “Let’s hope for the best.”
“I really won’t have any problems.”
She didn’t have time to pay attention to him, raised the first-aid kit and poured it down, searching among a pile of commonly used medicines for what she wanted and applied it to his wound.
This medicine was even more stimulating than alcohol, and Lu Qiming sucked in a cold breath in pain.
When he finally regained his senses, he found Jiang Miaomiao holding a fruit knife towards his wrist.
He quickly pulled away.
“What are you trying to do?”
“The meat on your wound came into contact with the zombie’s teeth. It needs to be cut off.”
She didn’t know how to prevent infection, and the original text didn’t mention it either. But she remembered someone mentioning on a forum that if bitten by a snake, one should quickly cut off the flesh at the wound to prevent the venom from spreading, which could reduce the probability of being poisoned.
Wouldn’t the principle be similar for zombies?
Lu Qiming shook his head like a rattle drum.
“No cutting!”
“If you get infected, what do we do? Compared to your life, what’s a piece of flesh?”
“If I’m really infected, cutting the flesh won’t help.”
Jiang Miaomiao stopped and thought seriously.
“You’re right. After being bitten for so long, the virus must have spread in your body. We must…”
Her gaze shifted and fell on his shoulder.
“Chop off your arm, and I’ll go get the chainsaw.”
She ran back to the door and picked up her small chainsaw, turned it on, and prepared to chop off his arm.
Lu Qiming held his injured hand and quickly moved to hide behind the sofa.
“Even if you don’t believe that I won’t get infected, at least observe for two days before doing anything. If you cut my arm now and I survive but become disabled, will you take care of me?”
Jiang Miaomiao stood in place, unable to understand.
“Why do you keep saying you won’t get infected?”
“… It’s my intuition.”
“…”
“Even if I’m really infected, I will leave here on my own before I lose consciousness and won’t harm you.”
Lu Qiming vowed solemnly.
But what she worried about wasn’t that he would bite her, but…
Forget it.
Jiang Miaomiao put down the chainsaw and searched through the pile of medicines.
“Let’s apply more medicine.”
Even a prick from a nail could lead to tetanus infection, not to mention the foul-smelling mouth of a zombie.
Lu Qiming watched her cautiously, guarding against her trying to pick up the chainsaw and chop off her own hand again.
He didn’t have such worries before, but after witnessing her cutting a zombie into two halves, it was hard to say.
After a while, seeing that she had indeed given up that idea, he finally relaxed and sat on the sofa.
“Woof woof!”
Jiang Rourou was pacing under the window, restless.
Jiang Miaomiao cleaned his wound, bandaged it, and, due to her lack of skill, it ended up looking like a pig’s elbow.
But neither of them cared so much. Once it was bandaged, they walked to the window to look outside.
The zombies were still there, a few months without seeing any living beings, they suddenly smelled the blood and were unwilling to leave.
The security window provided some protection, but its safety was limited.
After all, it was just ordinary stainless steel, and if they attacked with all their strength, it would hold up for at most three minutes.
Jiang Miaomiao brought disinfectant and carefully sprayed all the cracks in the doors and windows, sealing them with plastic wrap. She would rather suffocate in the house than be discovered by the zombies.
It was foreseeable that for at least a week, they wouldn’t be able to leave the house normally.
Lu Qiming returned to the sofa and felt quite guilty.
“It’s my fault for being too careless. If only I hadn’t been bitten.”
She turned her head to look at him for a while, then sprayed the area where he had been sitting with disinfectant.
Lu Qiming moved away.
“What are you doing?”
“You need to be isolated.”
Jiang Miaomiao said, “Go back to your room, and don’t come out for at least half a month.”
Lu Qiming was speechless. “I really haven’t been infected.”
“Whether you have or not, we can only determine after the isolation period.”
She showed an unprecedented calm and determination, ushering him upstairs and locking him in his small room, with the key in her pocket.
Lu Qiming sat on the bed, feeling helpless, and knocked on the door.
“At least bring the computer in.”
Otherwise, being locked up for half a month, he would go crazy.
Jiang Miaomiao silently brought the computer to him and closed the door again. She put on gloves, picked up the disinfectant, and disinfected the entire villa.
The zombies outside were making too much noise, his wound hurt, and he wasn’t enjoying using the computer.
After a while, Lu Qiming lay down on the bed to sleep. In his sleep, he heard a buzzing sound. He opened his eyes to find the source of the sound and discovered it was the door.
“What are you doing?”
Jiang Miaomiao didn’t say anything and used the chainsaw to cut the door.
Before long, the solid wood door had a hole the size of a laptop.
Lu Qiming crouched behind the hole and looked outside. A small basin was pushed in.
Inside were a bowl of noodles, a box of milk, and a few packets of detoxification medicine.
Jiang Miaomiao said, “Until the isolation is over, this door won’t open.”
Lu Qiming asked, “… then what do I do if I need to use the bathroom?”
This was indeed a problem. His room didn’t even have a window, so urinating out the window wasn’t feasible.
She had to come up with a foolproof plan.
With the chainsaw in hand, Jiang Miaomiao went downstairs to figure it out, while Lu Qiming sat on the floor in his room, looking at the hole in the door and the bowl of noodles, feeling like he was in a dream.
Did he really get bitten?
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