Nie Ran’s change in demeanour was faster than the weather in March. In the blink of an eye, he went from a fierce swordsman ready to battle to a trembling and pitiful figure hiding behind her, refusing to take the lead no matter what.
Ning Xin had no choice but to tightly wrap the cloth strips around and around, holding onto the somewhat withered plant. She played a game of “eagle catching chicks” with the zombies on the way.
The zombies were the eagles, she was the mother hen, and Nie Ran, who was more than a head taller than her, was the chick.
Every time the zombies charged towards them, she would use the plant to fend them off.
The effect was quite good; as soon as the zombies caught a whiff of the scent, they backed off as if they had smelled poison, too afraid to come near.
With this trick, the two of them managed to safely walk for several hundred meters.
Standing in front of a forest, Ning Xin recalled the directions the old lady had told her and continued forward.
After more than half an hour, they indeed came across a village.
The village was not big, with about ten scattered households, all brick and tile houses.
Outside the houses were wells, cattle pens, and chicken coops, but unfortunately, they were all empty, with not a living creature in sight, only zombies wandering around.
They entered the first house, where the main hall contained several rudimentary wooden pieces of furniture covered in thick dust, indicating it hadn’t been inhabited for at least half a year.
“You go to the bedroom, I’ll go to the kitchen. Let’s split up,” she said, about to move forward, but was stopped by someone pulling the hem of her clothes, unable to move.
Turning around, she saw Nie Ran, holding the knife, looking at her with a pitiful expression.
“Sister, I’m scared.”
Ning Xin: “…”
Along the way, looking at those corpses he killed, who should be afraid of whom?
Nie Ran firmly held on, she had to say: “Then let’s go to the kitchen together, hurry up, don’t waste time.”
The other party was obedient, immediately releasing his hand and following her into the kitchen. The faint excitement in his steps resembled that of a child going out to play with adults.
Ning Xin was completely speechless towards him, thinking that the task at hand was important, so she let him be and focused on searching the kitchen.
The kitchen wasn’t large, with half of the space occupied by a stove. The remaining space contained a cupboard, a basin rack, and a shaky old wooden table.
Both the basin rack and the table were empty, with a glance revealing no food. Only the cupboard was worth searching.
Ning Xin reached out to the cupboard door, thinking about the person behind her, and said to him, “You don’t just stand there, go check inside the stove, there might be something hidden.”
“Sister, I…”
“The kitchen isn’t even as big as a palm, and besides, if you’re scared, I’ll beat you up.”
Nie Ran widened his eyes in surprise, tears swirling in his eyes. But ultimately, he surrendered to her dominance and went to search the stove honestly.
Ning Xin then withdrew her gaze and opened the cupboard.
A cloud of accumulated dust floated out, causing her to cough.
The sound attracted enemies, two corpses shuffled into the kitchen.
She picked up a plant, about to scold them, when she saw Nie Ran squatting in front of the stove, holding a knife in one hand, and with a slanting swing.
A flash of gold passed, the corpse fell, its head rolling into the iron pot.
Ning Xin looked on admiringly, wanting to praise him, but he suddenly dropped the knife, patting the liquid splattered on him, and exclaimed disgust in his mouth.
…Forget it, let’s just find some food.
The dust had settled, and the cupboard was piled with many things.
She opened her backpack and stuffed everything she could use inside.
Oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, red sugar, white sugar, and a bag of what seemed to be beans.
Without paying much attention to the details, she stuffed everything into the bag.
“Did you find anything?” she asked.
Nie Ran’s face was smeared with dust as he looked at the things in his hand and muttered, “There is one thing, but I don’t recognize it.”
She hurried over and saw him holding an irregularly shaped object, wrapped in ash from the stove.
Ning Xin blew away the outer layer of dust, vigorously wiped it with her sleeve, revealing a small piece of its original color.
She stared at it for a while, then clapped her hands in delight.
“It’s cured meat!”
Surely it was!
Back in the orphanage, Uncle Chef used to dry cured meat every year, and she often helped.
Nie Ran still didn’t recognize it, and asked blankly, “Can we eat it?”
She looked at him with a foolish expression. “What do you think? Hurry up and put it in, then see if there’s anything else inside.”
Nie Ran cheered up at her words, put the cured meat in place, and used both hands to reach into the stove, his entire head disappearing inside.
But his shoulders were too wide, so he couldn’t reach the deeper parts.
Ning Xin had to step in herself, pulling him out and stuffing the backpack into his arms.
“I’ll do it. You keep an eye on the corpses, don’t let them in,” she said, half of her already inside.
Nie Ran was quite worried, but afraid of making her angry, he didn’t dare to stop her, only keeping a close watch on her to prevent accidents.
Ning Xin turned over all the ashes inside, getting covered in black soot like a coal miner.
Unfortunately, there was only a piece of cured meat buried inside, nothing else.
No matter, she wasn’t greedy, having meat to eat was good enough.
Besides, there were still so many houses left.
The two of them searched the other rooms, but found nothing, so they went straight to the next house.
The village was small, so the search was quick, and they soon finished searching all the houses.
They had quite a fruitful harvest.
Two pieces of cured meat, half a bag of dried mustard greens, half a bag of dried shredded radish, three salted fish, and a bag of rice.
There were also oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and various other items, too many to fit in their backpacks. They took a bedsheet from one household and tied it into a large sack to barely contain everything.
What delighted Ning Xin the most was the bag of beans she first found in the cupboard. They were soybeans, looking quite intact and untouched by pests.
Beans were easy to cultivate, requiring only water to sprout, and she had plenty of water.
With luck, they might be able to sustain themselves for quite some time with these beans alone.
With their loot filling two large bags, Ning Xin carried one while Nie Ran carried the other.
They had more water than they needed, having only consumed half a bottle. Nie Ran carried it on his shoulder along with an empty hand holding a knife.
Ning Xin lifted the plant, which was nearly squashed by her, leading the way ahead, safely returning to the asylum.
The moment they entered, a warm sensation flowed through her body, making her feel as if she had entered heaven.
“Hurry, help me start a fire.”
After so many days of hunger, they deserved a good meal.
They threw the things in the living room, with one starting the fire and the other cutting vegetables.
Although they had a variety of ingredients, neither of them had the patience to cook properly; they just wanted to cook quickly and eat.
So Ning Xin opted for the simplest method, slicing the cured meat, adding a handful of dried shredded radish and dried mustard greens into the porridge to cook together.
In just twenty minutes, the pot emitted a tantalizing aroma.
Nie Ran eagerly brought two bowls and was about to start eating when Ning Xin suddenly remembered something and reached out to stop him.
“Wait!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Go upstairs and bring Grandma down.”
The location was given by the old lady herself; she was a major contributor, and they couldn’t just eat without her.
Nie Ran seemed reluctant, so Ning Xin had to drag him upstairs to knock on the old lady’s door, informing her of the good news about finding food and inviting her downstairs to eat.
To their surprise, the old lady wasn’t very excited; she just said calmly, “Bring me some up here.”
Ning Xin brought up a large bowl, but the old lady didn’t take it, asking her to leave it on the bedside cabinet.
She couldn’t help but admire her demeanour.
Both hungry for several days, she was willing to eat wall paint to stave off hunger, yet the old lady, weaker than herself, acted as if nothing was wrong.
“We found quite a bit of food this time. At least we won’t go hungry for a week,” Ning Xin said.
The old lady nodded with a smile. “That’s good.”
“Shall we go downstairs first?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
The old lady glanced at Nie Ran, who had been silent by the door the whole time, with a meaningful look.
Nie Ran couldn’t understand her gaze, so he scratched his head in confusion and followed Ning Xin downstairs.
They sat at the table in silence, each holding a bowl and pouring food into their mouths.
Ning Xin stopped eating until she was half full, then she stopped, patting her stomach contentedly.
“Ah, that was delicious.”
How come she never realized before that cured meat porridge could be so fragrant?
The porridge was smooth and thick, infused with the savoury flavour of the cured meat, so delicious that she felt like swallowing her tongue.
Nie Ran also stopped and pushed an empty bowl towards her, saying shyly,
“I want another bowl.”
“…If you want more, serve yourself. This isn’t a palace; don’t act like a prince around me.”
He had to get up himself to get more porridge. Seeing that her bowl was also half-empty, he refilled it for her as well.
His politeness made Ning Xin feel a bit embarrassed. She cleared her throat and said,
“If you can eat more, go ahead. From now on, we’ll only make one meal a day. If you’re hungry, that’s your problem.”
Food was limited and couldn’t satisfy three meals a day.
Eating one meal and going hungry for two might be uncomfortable, but they could still survive.
But what difference would it make to live another week?
She wondered if there was a chance to return to her original world.
Ning Xin pondered with her chin propped up for a long time, feeling that hope was slim. She sighed, finished her porridge, and pondered about the bag of beans.
Nie Ran finished eating. He should have gone upstairs to rest, but instead, he lingered behind her.
Ning Xin found him annoying and asked, “Got nothing to do? Then go wash the dishes.”
Nie Ran obediently went to wash the dishes. Just as he arrived at the well, there was a loud crash, and the bowl shattered on the ground.
Ning Xin: “…”
Nie Ran hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry, I’ll clean it up right away.”
He bent down to pick up the pieces, but one of them cut his finger, causing him to retract his hand in pain.
Ning Xin was utterly surprised.
She thought she had brought back a capable and competent helper, but it turned out he was as delicate as a porcelain doll.
Oh well…
“Forget it, forget it. Stop causing trouble here. Go upstairs,” she said.
“But…”
“But…”
Nie Ran approached again, looking hesitant.
“But what?”
“You promised to help me bathe when we got back.”
His cheeks turned red as he lowered his head.
Ning Xin was speechless. She opened her mouth, organized her thoughts in her mind, and then said,
“You’re a grown man. Are you really asking me to help you bathe?”
Nie Ran stared with teary eyes, tears slowly welling up.
Ning Xin had to be more tactful. “If you want to bathe, let’s do it another day. I’m busy today.”
But he still refused, tears swirling in his eyes as if he had suffered a great betrayal.
She felt utterly defeated, pressing her forehead and asking, “Do you really want me to help?”
Nie Ran nodded.
“Fine.”
If he insisted, then let it be. Looking at his physique, who knew who would actually benefit from this.
Nie Ran immediately wiped away his tears and happily went to get clothes.
Ning Xin collected the beans and went to the well to fetch water, her face flushing at the thought of the scene she would witness later.
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