Lu Qiming was very insistent, so Jiang Miaomiao had no choice but to go back to the room, hugging the dog.
But sleeping was impossible. If Lu Qiming died, she wouldn’t be able to survive alone.
Instead of continuing to be afraid, she might as well fight to the death!
She gathered everything that could be useful – a kitchen knife, rope, bedsheet, a lighter, and a bucket of cooking oil.
If there was truly no hope, she would set the house on fire.
Freeing herself and also freeing the souls of those walking dead.
Jiang Miaomiao sat on the bed, hugging the pile of things. She listened intently to the noise from next door, ready to rush over and help at the slightest sign of trouble.
However, after more than half an hour, all she could hear were the footsteps of the zombies, but no sounds of a fight.
It was so quiet that people didn’t dare to breathe heavily.
Could it be that the zombies couldn’t open the door to come out?
She had to go and check.
Jiang Miaomiao got off the bed, holding a bucket of oil in one hand and a knife in the other, with Jiang Rou Rou cowering behind her, frightened.
But when she touched the doorknob, preparing to open the door, she found that the door was locked!
“Lu Qiming? Lu Qiming?”
She didn’t dare to speak too loudly and whispered in the darkness.
There was no response from the other side, apparently, he had no intention of explaining anything to her.
What was the point of locking her up? He knew she wouldn’t run away, so he deliberately kept her inside and couldn’t get out?
That meant he was facing the zombies inside all alone?!
“Lu Qiming, open the door!”
Jiang Miaomiao clung to the door, her voice becoming pleading.
Lu Qiming still didn’t answer. After a few minutes, banging sounds came from next door, loud and piercing, completely drowning out Jiang Miaomiao’s voice.
Bang bang bang, the zombies knocked dozens of times on the door. In the end, there was a loud noise, and Jiang Miaomiao clearly heard Lu Qiming’s muffled groan.
Jiang Miaomiao became restless like an ant on a hot pot, spinning around in the room, unable to stop.
She tried to pry open the door lock, holding the knife and prying for a long time, but she couldn’t open it and ended up cutting her own hand.
She thought of crawling out through the window, but when she pulled back the curtains and looked outside, the yard was filled with the heads of zombies.
She quickly closed it again, but unfortunately, the noise from next door never stopped. She could almost imagine how the zombies were tearing Lu Qiming apart mouthful by mouthful.
Why was he so foolish…
Jiang Miaomiao looked at the cooking oil and the lighter, holding them in her hands.
She opened the lid of the cooking oil and poured it on the floor. Just as she was about to ignite it, the door was suddenly knocked.
Lu Qiming was panting, whispering, “Don’t come out, I’m not dead.”
She was overjoyed and ran to the door, asking, “How are you? Quickly open the door and let me help!”
Lu Qiming didn’t speak again, and there were banging and clanging sounds outside the door, the zombies’ cries making people’s scalp tingle.
Jiang Miaomiao dared not light the fire. If Lu Qiming was still alive and she accidentally burned him to death, wouldn’t that be causing harm to him?
But she couldn’t get out either. Looking at the doorknob, she clenched her teeth and continued to pry.
The villa had a solid wooden door with the strongest lock. She didn’t know the technique and couldn’t pry it open after trying for so long.
She changed her mind and picked up a stool to hit it.
The noise outside was too loud, and no zombie noticed her.
Jiang Miaomiao was almost crying from frustration.
Why did they have to install such a sturdy door? The people outside couldn’t come in, but she couldn’t get out either!
What happened to Lu Qiming? She was so anxious!
The stool wasn’t working well. She thought of changing to another tool when she lifted her foot and found the sole of her shoe was slippery.
She squatted down to inspect, and a strong bloody smell rushed over.
Jiang Miaomiao reached out and touched a puddle of warm blood seeping in from under the door.
Zombie blood didn’t have warmth, and the smell wasn’t this fresh. Therefore, this blood could only be…
Her heart clenched into a knot, the pain making it hard to breathe, as she looked at the door and said, “Lu Qiming, please open the door…”
She would rather die with him than live alone, facing the cruel situation.
She was scared.
The fighting suddenly stopped, and was replaced by footsteps.
The first set of footsteps was brisk and powerful, Lu Qiming’s. Behind them was a disorderly and dragging sound, the zombies.
The chaotic footsteps spread from outside the door to the adjacent window. It seemed like something jumped down and landed with a muffled thud.
Jiang Miaomiao rushed to the window to look outside. Silver moonlight covered the ground, like frost, and a slender figure stood up from the ground. Behind him, the zombies jumped down one by one, like dumplings.
Outside the yard, countless zombies were gathering towards this direction.
Their numbers far exceeded her imagination. She had no idea that after the zombie tide receded, there were still so many zombies left in the city, enough to make her scalp tingle.
The figure looked at her, lips moving soundlessly. Then he ran into the dark without looking back, and countless zombies followed him, like a swarm of locusts.
It covered the sky and earth, impossible to exterminate, bringing a profound sense of despair.
Jiang Miaomiao stood in front of the window, her throat choked with tears.
After a while, she turned around and continued to smash the door lock.
All the zombies had followed Lu Qiming, and only she and the dog were left in the villa.
She wanted to go out, seal all the damaged doors and windows, and wash away the bloodstains.
It was now 2 a.m., and there were sixteen hours left until the next night.
She decided to wait for Lu Qiming for sixteen hours.
If he hadn’t returned after nightfall, she would no longer wait.
Jiang Rou Rou was scared enough to stick close behind her.
Jiang Miaomiao turned around and touched its big head, her eyes filled with tears.
“If I take you with me, would you hate me?”
It couldn’t understand and desperately snuggled into her arms, wanting to stay forever in that safe embrace.
The sky gradually brightened, and everything in the villa became clear.
The door of the adjacent room was completely broken, and the corridor was a sight of devastation, with bloodstains and marks all over the walls, a horrifying sight.
Jiang Miaomiao found an electric drill and hammer she had never used before, used scrap material from a security window and broken boards, dismantled a table, and blocked all the doors and windows there while the zombies hadn’t returned.
After finishing all this, it was already late in the morning. Jiang Miaomiao went downstairs, carefully looked out the window, and saw the zombies returning one after another. They seemed unchanged from yesterday.
“It’s time for lunch.”
She said to herself and ran to the kitchen to wash rice and cook.
Lu Qiming liked to eat vegetables, so she specially stir-fried all the vegetables she had grown. After cooking, she also took out the snacks she had confiscated from his room and placed them on the dining table.
Jiang Rou Rou smelled the delicious food and wagged its tail at her.
She fed it a few bites, but she didn’t touch the food herself. She sat at the table and looked at the front door, waiting for the person in her heart to come back.
Time passed by every minute, and she looked at her watch countless times. The corner of her eye caught sight of his pair of shoes on the shoe rack. She walked over and squatted down.
His shoes were big, size 45, longer than her forearm, looking like two boats.
These shoes seemed to have been found in a supermarket, sports style, he picked them at a glance and took two pairs directly.
Before this, he wore slippers he found at the neighbor’s house. The homeowner had small feet, so when he walked, his heels would touch the ground, which had been the subject of many jokes by her.
Jiang Miaomiao recalled that scene and couldn’t help but laugh again, holding his shoes and reluctant to put them down.
Knock, knock, knock.
The front door was knocked, and she reflexively stood up, hugging the shoes as she went to open the door.
Outside the door was a tall figure, covered in mud, with only two eyes visible.
He seemed exhausted, leaning against the doorframe, not pleased to see her opening the door so quickly.
“Aren’t you afraid it’s a zombie?”
Jiang Miaomiao was stunned for a moment and stammered, “Z-z-zombies don’t knock on doors…”
He chuckled softly, a voice as mellow as a cello.
It was only then that Jiang Miaomiao realized and exclaimed in shock, “You’re back?!”
He managed to escape even though he was chased by so many zombies?
“Let’s talk inside.”
He glanced at the zombies outside and walked in on his own.
Jiang Miaomiao locked the door, hurriedly followed him, and before she could ask anything, he collapsed heavily onto her, leaning on her shoulder and howling twice.
“I’m injured, it hurts.”
Jiang Miaomiao had no intention to ask anything else and nervously said, “Where are you injured? Is it serious?”
Lu Qiming pointed at his leg, but it was covered in mud, making it impossible to see clearly.
She struggled to lift this heavy body like a small mountain and led him to the bathroom, turning on the shower to rinse away the mud.
The water washed away the mud, gradually revealing the wounds.
Originally, when she heard him speak with plenty of breath, she thought he was just pretending to be pitiful, but now, on careful inspection, the severity completely exceeded her imagination.
There was a wound on his right leg that ran from his calf to the middle of his thigh, with a width of two fingers, with flesh and skin protruding.
There was a seven to eight centimeter long cut across his abdomen, and from the marks at the edge, it looked like it was scraped out by something with hard nails.
His shoulder seemed to have been hit by something, with a large area turning purple. She pressed it lightly, and he immediately winced in pain.
In addition, there were many scattered small wounds, which couldn’t be counted at all.
The mud absorbed the blood, effectively stopping the bleeding.
But looking at the flesh that had turned a pale color from soaking, she couldn’t imagine how he managed to walk back alone.
If it were her, she was afraid she would have died from the pain on the spot.
Jiang Miaomiao hugged him and used the shower to rinse away the mud on his face. Because she was too upset, her voice changed tone.
“Lu Qiming, what about your clothes?”
He looked at her wet eyes and smiled weakly.
“I don’t know, they might have been lost somewhere.”
“How did you escape?”
“They kept chasing me. I ran to the outskirts until I was exhausted. I saw a mud pit and jumped into it, hiding until dawn before coming out.”
“Why didn’t you open the door last night? Didn’t you hear me talking?”
“What’s the point of opening the door? To give you a chance to die with them?”
He pinched her face mockingly, but his strength was as weak as a fly scratching an itch. He let go of her with a sigh.
“Ah, I’m so hungry.”
Jiang Miaomiao held back her tears and quickened her pace.
“Let’s bathe first, then we’ll have dinner. I’ve prepared everything.”
“Yeah, I want to eat vegetables…”
Lu Qiming’s voice gradually became softer, and his eyes closed. Jiang Miaomiao was scared and quickly slapped his ear and pinched his acupoint, afraid that he might fall asleep and never wake up again.
He was speechless and laughed helplessly.
“I’m too tired, let me sleep for a while, don’t hit me, okay?”
“You’re not allowed to die.”
“I won’t… won’t…”
He murmured two sentences and fell asleep again.
Jiang Miaomiao didn’t dare to disturb him anymore. After cleaning off the mud, she applied medicine to his wounds. The wounds were so large that they needed stitches. There was a sewing kit she had brought back from the supermarket in the warehouse, but she didn’t have the courage to do the job of sewing up flesh with her bare hands.
Lu Qiming didn’t wake up, should she wait for him to wake up to discuss whether or not to stitch the wounds? For now, she would apply the medicine.
The powder was sprinkled on the wounds, and she could imagine how painful it must be, but he only hummed twice without waking up.
After bandaging him up, she shook him gently and called in his ear, “Wake up, it’s time to eat.”
He didn’t move at all. If it weren’t for the regular breathing, he would have looked like a corpse.
Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t wake him up and didn’t want to disturb him. She wiped the tiles next to him and brought a blanket, covering him with it.
She hadn’t eaten anything today until now, feeling very hungry, but she didn’t want to leave Lu Qiming. So she sat on the side, hugging her knees and sitting less than ten centimeters away from him.
The horrifying scene from last night was still fresh in her memory, and she didn’t know when it would happen again.
Maybe today, or maybe tomorrow.
But no matter what, they survived. She touched Lu Qiming’s pale face, feeling the coolness, which made her feel relieved.
Jiang RouRou ran over as well and curled up between them.
The two of them, along with the dog, huddled in this small bathroom, closing the door and finally getting a moment to breathe.
Lu Qiming slept until the sun was setting.
Jiang Miaomiao watched as the light in the room gradually dimmed, worried that zombies might break in at night, making it impossible for them to even die a satisfying death. Just then, his eyelashes trembled twice, and he opened his eyes.
She was pleasantly surprised. “You’re awake? How do you feel?”
Lu Qiming stretched his leg and sucked in a breath of cool air. “It hurts.”
“Then don’t move. Let me bring the food over and feed you.”
After saying that, Jiang Miaomiao quickly ran downstairs, carrying all the dishes in a basin and placing them on the bathroom floor. She held a bowl and asked him, “What do you want to eat?”
He looked at the large plate of greens that almost spilled out and asked, “Did you pick all the vegetables?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s too much for one meal, such a waste.”
They had worked so hard to grow them.
Jiang Miaomiao grumbled, “If you don’t eat now, you might not have a chance to eat later. That’s what I call wasting.”
He didn’t hear clearly, “What?”
She shook her head and took the initiative to pick up a large chopstick of greens and fed it into his mouth, saying, “Eat more. Vegetables are precious these days, and you can’t even buy them with money.”
He joked, “I’m injured like this, and you’re feeding me grass? I want meat.”
“There’s no meat. If you really want to eat, I can only cut my own thigh.”
“Who said that?” He glanced at Jiang RouRou with raised eyebrows. “Aren’t there ready-made ones here? After being treated so well for so long, it’s time to show some devotion.”
“Go to hell.”
She cursed and saw there was still some pork jerky in the pile of snacks. She opened it and fed all of it into his mouth, ignoring the drool that dripped to the ground from Jiang RouRou’s mouth.
After feeding him another bowl of rice and most of the snacks, Jiang Miaomiao clapped her hands.
“The best things in the house are all in your belly. You must stay alive, no dying allowed, got it?”
“What if I die on you?”
She glared at him, and he smiled while clutching his shoulder and groaning in pain.
“It hurts so much, do we have any anesthesia?”
Where would they find anesthesia in a drugstore? There seemed to be a few boxes of painkillers.
Jiang Miaomiao ran downstairs and fetched them for him. She fed him two pills and looked at his wounds, feeling her heart pounding with fear.
The flesh was exposed, how would it ever heal?
And the weather was hot, making it prone to infection.
Lu Qiming looked at her, then at the sky, and suddenly said, “Get me a needle.”
She was stunned, “What are you going to do?”
“Stitch up the wounds.”
“We don’t have anesthesia. It’s going to be very painful.”
Lu Qiming shrugged, “I know, but someone threatened me not to die. What can I do? I’ll bear the pain.”
Seeing him still joking at a time like this, Jiang Miaomiao felt even more distressed.
She thought for a moment and came up with an idea.
“There are a few bottles of cooking Baijiu in the warehouse. Why don’t you get yourself drunk first, and I’ll stitch you up while you’re drunk?”
He gave a bitter smile, “Forget it, I’m afraid you’ll take advantage of me while I’m unconscious.”
“Who would take advantage of you?”
“You! Last night, you threw yourself at me and couldn’t be pushed away. If the zombies hadn’t arrived in time, my purity would have been defiled by you.”
Lu Qiming’s words angered Jiang Miaomiao to the point of almost fainting. She stood up and said, “Fine, you stitch yourself up. I hope the pain kills you!”
She brought the needle and thread kit, alcohol, and a lighter. Lu Qiming heated the needle with the flame, and then dipped the thread into the alcohol to disinfect it. After applying some ibuprofen ointment on the wound, he began the procedure.
Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t bear to look and closed her eyes, her face wrinkling like a bun.
When the cotton thread passed through the flesh, there was a slight sound of pulling, making her feel the pain as well.
Ibuprofen had limited effect on pain relief, and Lu Qiming had overestimated his pain tolerance. After sewing a few stitches, he was covered in sweat and couldn’t continue.
“Miaomiao.”
Jiang Miaomiao opened her eyes and asked with a trembling voice, “What’s wrong?”
“Help me out.”
“I, I dare not…”
“I’ll cheer you on, hurry up.”
The needle was still inside his flesh and couldn’t be left unattended.
Jiang Miaomiao hesitantly reached out and took the needle, her hand trembling like that of a Parkinson’s patient.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Treat it as sewing pork. What’s there to be afraid of…”
She comforted herself in her heart, but when her fingers pinched his flesh and prepared to insert the needle, warm blood flowed onto her hand, sending a chilling feeling from her tailbone to her brain. She quickly pulled back her hand and cried, “Wuwu, I really can’t do it…”
Lu Qiming sighed and hugged her, kissing her on the cheek.
“Miaomiao, please help me. I’m in a lot of pain.”
Feeling a little dizzy from the kiss, she looked at the terrifying wound on his leg, gritted her teeth, and began to stitch it up.
The cotton thread was used up in a large roll, and Lu Qiming’s leg wound was finally closed. It looked crooked and twisted, like a large centipede.
After overcoming her initial fear, Jiang Miaomiao’s movements became more skilled. She was about to start sewing up the wound on his abdomen.
He hurriedly said, “Wait, let me catch my breath.”
He was in so much pain, it was unbearable. This suffering was truly beyond human endurance.
Jiang Miaomiao looked at his weak complexion and thought of something. She ran to fetch it and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it up and handing it to him.
“Here.”
Lu Qiming lowered his gaze and saw that it was a cigarette.
With his stomach wounded, his hand wasn’t convenient to move.
He smoked the cigarette with her help, and the smoke filled the bathroom, causing her to cough twice.
Lu Qiming stopped, “That’s enough, no more smoking.”
“It’s okay, keep smoking, you need it.”
Jiang Miaomiao refused to let go, so he had no choice but to finish the entire cigarette.
The stitching work continued, and the two lost track of time. They didn’t know how long it took, but when they finished stitching, the light had dimmed, and Jiang Miaomiao had to almost lean over him to complete the task.
Lu Qiming felt as if he had escaped a disaster, lying on the ground feeling weak. His body felt cold, and blood slowly flowed from his heart, bringing warmth to his limbs.
Jiang Miaomiao tidied up the things and said, “It’s getting dark.”
Both of them sank in their hearts.
If they were to experience something like last night again, they wouldn’t make it through.
Lu Qiming looked around the bathroom and touched the nearby door.
“This place is not bad. Let’s sleep here tonight.”
Jiang Miaomiao didn’t have the strength to carry him upstairs, so she brought a pillow and blanket, laying them beside him.
She couldn’t just sleep like this. She piled a bunch of things behind the door, locked it, and then used tape to seal the only small window in the bathroom. She sprayed disinfectant around, feeling slightly more at ease.
The window was small, so the zombies shouldn’t be able to crawl in.
There was a gap under the door, so they wouldn’t be suffocated.
As long as the zombies didn’t find them inside and forcefully break in, it should be safer than yesterday.
She lay in the bed, hugging the warm body of Jiang Rou Rou, and heard Lu Qiming coughing beside her.
“Are you still in pain?”
He rubbed his nose, “Much better.”
“From now on, no matter what happens, don’t lock me behind the door, okay?”
She was really frightened.
Lu Qiming fell silent for a few seconds and then nodded.
Jiang Miaomiao sighed, reaching out to hug him, carefully avoiding those dreadful wounds.
The two wounded beasts warmed each other in the darkness.
Outside the window, the sounds of zombies could be heard again. Jiang Miaomiao was so exhausted that she didn’t have the energy to be afraid and fell asleep drowsily.
In her dream, it seemed like someone was kissing her gently, making her feel very comfortable.
In the early morning, a faint light shone into the bathroom.
Lu Qiming pinched her ear for a while and covered her nose for a while.
“Piggy, wake up.”
Jiang Miaomiao opened her eyes, stared at him blankly for a while, and then suddenly reacted.
“We’re still alive?!”
Lu Qiming smiled.
“Yes, we’re still alive. So, we need to keep eating. Let’s cook.”
She hugged the blanket, rolled over, and stretched a long lazy yawn that seemed like it lasted a century. Her whole body stretched comfortably.
“I’m so tired.”
She didn’t want to move at all.
Lu Qiming looked pitiful.
“I’m hungry.”
“Go find something to eat by yourself.”
“I’m all injured like this, and you don’t take care of me at all. So heartless.”
Jiang Miaomiao finally remembered about his injuries and quickly got up.
“What do you want for breakfast?”
“Steamed buns, soy milk, youtiao, and jianbing guozi.”
“…Stop talking nonsense.”
“Noodles then.”
Jiang Miaomiao wiped her face quickly, went downstairs, and started making breakfast.
From the bathroom, there were continuous calls from Lu Qiming.
“Miaomiao, I want to brush my teeth.”
“Miaomiao, I want to smoke.”
“Miaomiao, I need to use the restroom.”
The familiar Mr. Lu was back. She finally confirmed that he was temporarily not dead and in high spirits.
Jiang Miaomiao envied Lu Qiming’s tenacious vitality. During the meal, she couldn’t help but hold his hand and carefully examine it, touching and smelling it, almost licking it.
Lu Qiming frowned, “I know you want to taste me, but is it necessary to be so eager?”
“Stop being conceited. I’m just curious how your body can be so resilient, surviving such severe injuries.”
“Who am I?” He smirked.
“Lu Qiming.”
“Yes, I am Lu Qiming. Can Lu Qiming die so easily? You underestimate me.”
Jiang Miaomiao rolled her eyes, put down his hand, and continued to feed him noodles.
“Your injuries will take a long time to heal. I doubt we have enough antibiotics.”
“As long as we have enough food.”
They didn’t have enough food either. All the vegetables were cooked, and it might last them for only three or four meals. The remaining ham sausages and pickled vegetables couldn’t last long.
They still had white rice, flour, noodles, and a few packs of instant noodles.
In a couple of days, they might have to eat plain rice.
Lu Qiming looked at the noodles in his bowl and suddenly said, “Don’t we still have sugar and honey?”
She nodded, “Yes, we do, but we can’t just eat them as a dish. Do you want to eat white rice mixed with sugar? I’d rather use soy sauce.”
“We have sugar and flour. Why don’t you make some steamed buns? It’s better than eating plain rice.”
True, she could make steamed buns!
There was still half a bucket of oil in the kitchen. After making the buns, she could pan-fry them, and they would be delicious.
Jiang Miaomiao felt excited for a while but soon realized a serious problem – she had never made steamed buns before.
How do you make the dough rise?
She went upstairs to find her Kindle, which she hadn’t used in a long time, and tried to search for a recipe.
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