“Alright, since we are going to be lazy, let’s be lazy together.”
Jiang Miaomiao decided not to go out either. After casually freshening up, she held her computer and started watching movies. She grabbed a few packs of biscuits to have as both breakfast and snacks.
A few hours later, Liu Qiming came out to use the restroom and stopped by her side.
“What are you watching?”
“Resident Evil.”
“Wanna watch it together?”
She shrugged, indicating that she didn’t mind.
Liu Qiming sat down next to her, naturally picking up the half-eaten pack of biscuits and started munching.
As they watched, they also made comments.
“These zombies are too ugly.”
“Jin Ban-Tui is cuter than them.”
“Ah! The female lead is so cool! I want to marry her!”
They watched six movies together, and by the end, their eyes were barely staying open.
Jiang Miaomiao’s stomach kept growling. She turned her head and was about to ask Liu Qiming to go and cook, but she saw him leaning on her shoulder, already asleep. His cheeks looked thinner than usual due to his recent illness, making his features more distinct and three-dimensional.
She closed the computer quietly and gently supported his head against the wall, intending to cook by herself.
But suddenly, he reached out his long arm, wrapped it around her waist, and pulled her back, resting his head on her again.
Jiang Miaomiao tried to free herself but couldn’t. She had no choice but to let him embrace her and closed her eyes to sleep as well.
When she woke up, it was already daytime.
He was not by her side, and she could smell the aroma of ham sausage fried rice coming from downstairs.
She got up to go downstairs, but as she reached the stairs, Liu Qiming came running up with two plates in his hands and said when he saw her:
“Go back, let’s eat in the room.”
“But…”
Without saying anything, he put the plates in her hands and pushed her back into the room.
He opened the computer and eagerly asked, “Do you have more movies? Bring them all out.”
Seeing his enthusiasm, she didn’t want to dampen his spirits, so she opened the folder and found the entire series of “Final Destination.” They sat in the room and started another marathon of movies.
Liu Qiming had prepared in advance and cooked six portions of fried rice at once. If they got hungry during the movie, they could just reheat the rice and continue watching without leaving the computer.
Jiang Miaomiao’s stamina couldn’t compare to his. The combination of fried rice and movies made her mentally exhausted, so in the afternoon, she couldn’t resist moving a bit farther away, closing her eyes, and blocking her ears, giving herself some time to rest.
Liu Qiming was still full of energy.
“Don’t wash the car… Don’t wash the car… Ha! I told you not to wash the car!”
She was completely puzzled by his behavior and couldn’t understand, asking, “Didn’t you watch these movies before?”
They were such classics, so well-known, and he didn’t look like someone who came from the middle of nowhere. Why was he so excited?
Liu Qiming sneered, “This is called being loyal.”
“What?”
“I love good movies and can watch them a hundred times without getting tired. I never grow bored of them.”
Jiang Miaomiao didn’t believe it, “Then tell me, who dies next?”
“…The supporting actress?”
“Hmph, you clearly haven’t watched them.”
She glared at him, crawled over to his side, and grabbed his neck to interrogate him, “Tell me, what did you do before?”
Liu Qiming played along, “I was a duck.”
“Nonsense! Tell the truth.”
“The truth is…”
He smirked and kissed her nose.
Jiang Miaomiao was shocked, covering her nose and moving backward.
Seeing that it worked, he leaned over again, intending to kiss her once more.
“Shut up! You…”
In her panic, she accidentally pressed a key on the keyboard, and a folder popped up. Liu Qiming stared at the documents for a while, then tilted his head and asked, “What is Civilization VI?”
“No…”
Jiang Miaomiao wailed in despair, reaching to block the screen, but it was already too late.
Liu Qiming double-clicked the icon and opened the game. By the time his fingers left the mouse, it was already the early morning of the next day.
Jiang Miaomiao was a light sleeper, and the sound of the mouse clicking woke her up. She rubbed her eyes and asked, “Aren’t you done playing?”
He took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of white smoke.
“The desire to conquer empires never dies. Let’s go again.”
Liu Qiming continued, holding the cigarette, and immersed himself in the game.
Jiang Miaomiao’s eyes darkened, realizing that she had completely lost control over the computer.
Having three consecutive meals of fried rice made her stomach uncomfortable. She got up to go to the restroom.
As she passed by Liu Qiming, she purposely kicked him, but he didn’t react at all, as if she had kicked a stone.
Shaking her head, Jiang Miaomiao walked out of the room and noticed that the window in the hallway was open.
Did Liu Qiming open it for ventilation?
It was so dangerous! What if a zombie climbed in?
She was too lazy to scold him. She closed the window herself and went into the bathroom.
Halfway through, someone knocked on the door.
Jiang Miaomiao was sitting on the toilet and said irritably, “Continue playing. If you have games to play, why bother going to the bathroom? Just pee in your pants.”
The person outside didn’t say anything and continued knocking on the door, seeming a little anxious.
She put on her pants and went to open the door, ready to mock him.
But when she opened the door, instead of seeing Liu Qiming’s pale face, she saw a severely decayed face.
The weather was hot, and there were maggots crawling in the decaying flesh, wriggling under the grayish skin, emitting a strong stench that made her eyes water.
The zombie smelled the fresh scent of a living person and lunged at her with its foul-smelling mouth wide open.
Jiang Miaomiao screamed frantically and struggled to close the door.
“Aaah!” Her screams echoed inside.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The zombie outside was banging on the door.
Inside the small room, Liu Qiming, immersed in the game, moved his ears and looked up at the door.
“Miaomiao, what’s wrong?”
He asked loudly.
Jiang Miaomiao didn’t answer, still screaming.
Liu Qiming’s heart sank, and he grabbed his computer and walked out.
The zombie couldn’t get in through the door, so it smelled him and turned around to pounce at him.
He kicked it in the air, making it retreat several steps and fall to the ground.
The zombie staggered, trying to get up, but his fist had already landed on its head.
Left punch, right punch, and finally, he used the notebook computer to hit it.
He beat it like a dead fish, lying on the ground twitching.
Liu Qiming breathed a sigh of relief and knocked on the door.
Jiang Miaomiao was still screaming, her voice hoarse.
“Miaomiao, it’s me, open the door.”
He patiently reassured her, “Don’t be afraid, I’ve knocked down the zombie. Come out.”
The familiar voice calmed Jiang Miaomiao a bit. She cautiously opened the door and saw that it was indeed safe outside. She threw herself into his arms and cried.
“Wuwu…”
Liu Qiming apologetically stroked her hair. “I’m sorry, I should have come out earlier.”
Still feeling frightened, Jiang Miaomiao looked at the shadow on the ground and asked, “Is it dead?”
Zombies shouldn’t have the concept of “death” because they are reanimated after people die.
However, to reassure her, Liu Qiming kicked the zombie a few times to show her.
“Don’t worry, it won’t bite you anymore.”
“Can you throw it away?”
She thought of the scene she saw when she opened the door earlier, and it terrified her.
Liu Qiming nodded, opened the window, picked up the zombie, and threw it outside before quickly closing the window.
They went downstairs, and he asked her to sit down while he went to boil water. When he handed her the cup, he noticed her fingers were as cold as ice.
“Are you still scared?” Liu Qiming’s eyes were apologetic. “I’ll go find security bars tomorrow to make sure this kind of thing doesn’t happen again.”
Holding the cup, Jiang Miaomiao felt conflicted. The zombie wasn’t something he had let in, so he didn’t need to apologize. She was so scared just now that she didn’t have the energy to comfort him.
Liu Qiming looked at her pale face and suddenly hugged her, gently caressing her frail back.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here. We’ll be fine.”
At times like this, the warmth of someone from the same species was undoubtedly the greatest comfort.
Jiang Miaomiao hugged his sturdy body, leaning on his shoulder, softly sobbing.
After crying for a while, she remembered something important, raised her head to wipe her eyes, and asked, “How did you defeat the zombie? It was so strong and not afraid of pain.”
Liu Qiming was stunned. “Uh… I had a weapon.”
“What weapon?”
He picked up something from the floor near the bathroom door. It was his laptop computer with its battery smashed, the screen shattered, and some yellowish white substance on the casing—probably zombie brain matter.
Jiang Miaomiao: “…”
He scratched his head. “I’m sorry, I was in a hurry and just grabbed it.”
“Give me back my computer!”
“Let’s talk nicely, don’t resort to violence.”
“Give me back my computer!”
“I saved your life.”
“You damn bastard, give me back my computer!”
She had hundreds of movies and over a hundred offline games on her precious laptop, one of a kind, and now it was ruined!
Jiang Miaomiao cried as if her heart was torn apart. She wished she could call the zombie back and go with it.
Seeing her strong reaction, Liu Qiming felt guilty and tried to comfort her, saying, “Don’t cry, we can find another computer.”
The city was huge, with multiple electronics markets and countless computer stores. They wouldn’t have trouble finding a new computer to use.
As long as they dared to go out, the whole city was their resource reserve.
Jiang Miaomiao lamented, “You don’t understand! There’s no internet now. What’s the use of finding a computer? Where can I download new games?”
Liu Qiming said, “It’s unfair for you to scold me like this. It wasn’t intentional. Did you want me to leisurely look for weapons and let the zombie bite you to death?”
She couldn’t argue and couldn’t help feeling sad.
The more she thought about it, the more upset she felt. She went upstairs to be alone.
Liu Qiming followed her, but as he was about to enter the room, the door slammed shut, narrowly avoiding hitting his nose.
Hearing his footsteps receding, Jiang Miaomiao relaxed and walked over to lie down on the mattress.
Her mind was in chaos, not only because of the loss of her precious laptop but also due to other reasons.
When Liu Qiming wasn’t around, she was calm and composed, eating, sleeping, practicing calligraphy, and painting, as peaceful as still water, not even a sneeze disrupted her tranquility.
But now?
She cried because of him, she laughed because of him. She almost got bitten because of him, and she was saved because of him.
She had lost herself, she had lost herself completely!
At nine in the morning, Liu Qiming knocked on the door again.
Jiang Miaomiao thought he was calling her to eat and was about to say she didn’t need it when he suddenly said, “I found a new computer.”
So fast?
Full of curiosity, she opened the door, and he handed her a laptop.
It was a 15.6-inch notebook, thick and heavy, like a big black brick.
“I tried it, it can boot up, and it has a lot of offline games. Take a look and see if you like it.”
Excitedly, Jiang Miaomiao booted up the laptop, and sure enough, the screen was full of icons for offline games, and they were all quite large.
Tetris, Minesweeper, Tank Battle, Plants vs. Zombies, Match-3…
There were also many videos saved in the D drive, with peculiar names: Complete Collection of Square Dancing, Introduction to Chinese Chess, Introduction to Go, Tai Chi Tutorial…
She couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “Where did you pick up this senior’s phone?”
The storage in the laptop was completely not to her liking, but it was better than nothing.
After all, in the apocalypse, it was very difficult to have a computer filled with games and movies.
When the zombie outbreak occurred, whenever people had a chance to escape, they would definitely take money, jewelry, computers, and phones with them.
To find such a computer was already quite rare.
Jiang Miaomiao calmed down, accepted the laptop, and they made peace with each other.
Thinking that Liu Qiming had saved her once again, she voluntarily cooked a meal for him and handed him the bowl, saying, “Thank you for saving me in time.”
Liu Qiming felt a little embarrassed and held the bowl, saying, “It was just a small effort.”
The atmosphere became harmonious again, and after the meal, they sat down together for a meeting.
The main content of this meeting was to establish a mandatory daily schedule.
No one could afford to be lazy anymore. The cost of being lazy was the risk of zombies sneaking in.
If they worked hard and installed the security windows in the next two days, such incidents would never happen again.
Led by Liu Qiming and assisted by Jiang Miaomiao, they drafted a preliminary daily schedule.
6:30 – Wake up and wash up.
7:00 – Cook and have breakfast.
7:30 – Get ready to go out.
8:00 – Go out and work.
11:30 – Return home, cook lunch, and have lunch.
12:00 – Noon break.
13:00 – Go out and work.
16:00 – Return home, prepare dinner, and have dinner.
17:00 – Take a shower.
18:00 – Exercise for one hour.
19:00 – Summarize the day’s work, discuss, and arrange tasks for the next day.
20:00 – Entertainment for two hours.
22:00 – Go to sleep.
They also set out the tasks that must be completed in the next month.
1. Install security windows on all windows and reinforce the doors.
2. Install surveillance cameras and alarms.
3. Gather protective clothing, masks, and self-defense weapons.
4. Increase the storage of supplies.
5. Improve the living environment and increase the happiness index.
6. To be added.
Looking at so many tasks, Jiang Miaomiao felt overwhelmed, especially with the first one.
“Do we really have to wake up so early in the morning? Getting up at 6:30, even before the zombie outbreak, I’ve never been so hardworking. Can’t we change it a bit?” She complained.
Since they didn’t have to go to work, it seemed inhumane to wake up so early.
Liu Qiming asked, “What time do you want to change it to?”
“I want…” Of course, she wanted to sleep until she naturally woke up, but she felt embarrassed to say it.
After waiting for a while and seeing her staying silent, Liu Qiming suggested, “How about this? You wake up at 7:00, half an hour later than me. I’ll make breakfast, but at 8:00, we must leave together. Also, since I’ll handle breakfast, you’ll be in charge of dinner.”
Either way, she could sleep half an hour more in the morning.
Jiang Miaomiao nodded in agreement.
Liu Qiming checked the time on her wrist, “Let’s make the best of the opportunity. Since we are not going out today, let’s exercise to prepare for tomorrow’s work.”
She looked apprehensive, “How do we exercise?”
“Let’s start with 200 sit-ups.”
“…”
Don’t stop her, let her die!
Liu Qiming was very determined. When he said he would exercise, he exercised without touching his phone or laptop.
He did 200 sit-ups in one go and followed it with 100 push-ups. Finally, as there was no dumbbell, he held Jiang Miaomiao in his hands and raised and lowered her, exercising his biceps.
Jiang Miaomiao was terrified and screamed, also worried about his injured wrist.
“Aren’t your hands injured? Is it okay to do such intense exercise?”
Liu Qiming didn’t say anything and answered her with action – he lifted her even higher.
After a frightening ten minutes, Jiang Miaomiao’s feet finally touched the ground again. She wiped off the cold sweat and tried to slip away.
But Liu Qiming, who was drinking water, caught her by the shoulder.
“It’s your turn.”
“I-I have a stomachache… Let’s do it another day.”
He was unmoved and pressed her down on the ground, hugging her legs.
Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t break free, so she reluctantly started doing sit-ups.
One, two, three… Oh no, help…
In the end, she couldn’t complete that arduous task. After doing around thirty, she refused to move and lay on the ground, pretending to be exhausted.
Seeing her exhausted state, Liu Qiming generously let her off and told her to try again tomorrow.
Jiang Miaomiao felt like she had escaped death and quickly found something to eat to replenish her energy.
Taking advantage of the fact that they didn’t have to start working today, they played with their phones until the evening.
The next morning, Liu Qiming got up promptly at 6:30, washed up, and prepared breakfast.
At 7:00, he woke up Jiang Miaomiao, and they had breakfast. By 8:00, they were ready to leave.
“I’m going to look for security windows outside the neighborhood. You continue searching nearby,” Liu Qiming said, about to leave.
Jiang Miaomiao quickly grabbed his arm. “I’ll go with you.”
“Splitting up will be more efficient,” he replied.
“But it’s dangerous outside the neighborhood, and security windows are heavy. You’ll need a helper. I can assist you,” she said.
Liu Qiming squinted his eyes, his gaze sharp, as if seeing through her excuse.
“Are you scared? You don’t dare to act alone? If you’re scared, just say it. I’ll take care of you.”
Jiang Miaomiao denied immediately, “Of course not!”
“Then why do you want to come with me?”
“I told you, I want to help you so you won’t work too hard.”
Liu Qiming shrugged and handed her a cart. “Alright then, let’s go together.”
She felt secretly happy and pushed the cart, following him.
Along the way, they saw many cars.
Some were parked on the roadside, some in the garage, covered in a layer of dust and fallen leaves, with wild grass growing beneath the wheels.
People who could afford to live in lakeside villas were either rich or wealthy, so all the vehicles were luxury cars that Jiang Miaomiao had never dared to imagine before.
She had checked the navigation, and the nearest residential area was three bus stops away. It would be great if they could drive there. Unfortunately, driving would make too much noise, attracting zombies. Walking slowly was safer.
The two of them were prepared for a long journey as they walked into the morning sun.
But not long after they left the neighborhood, they saw a custom security window store on the roadside.
The store’s door was wide open, maintaining the chaotic scene from the day of the zombie outbreak. Many materials were scattered on the shelves, piled up haphazardly.
Liu Qiming came up with a new idea on the spot.
New windows would be better than old ones. The ready-made materials were right in front of them, so why bother disassembling second-hand ones from other people’s houses?
He pushed the cart towards the store, and Jiang Miaomiao could tell his intention. She asked with concern, “Are you sure you can make complete security windows? Have you done it before?”
For disassembling second-hand windows, they only needed to find suitable ones and bring them home, then use a few screws to install them.
Using raw materials is different; aluminum alloy is in individual pieces, and working with it requires measuring, cutting, grinding, and assembling before installation. The difficulty is several times higher than the former method. People who specialize in this work need to be apprentices for several years to get the hang of it.
Liu Qiming sounded relaxed. “Haven’t you heard of ‘never eaten pork but seen pigs run’? These few pipes are not that difficult. Come, lend a hand and help me pick the materials.”
Confident in his abilities, Jiang Miaomiao was happy to walk less and assisted him in selecting the materials.
The store had various types of materials: aluminum alloy, stainless steel, colored steel, steel-plastic composites, and wrought iron. They didn’t have specific requirements for the price or appearance, just that they needed them to be sturdy enough to withstand the zombies.
Liu Qiming picked out one piece of each material and bent them with his knees to test their strength. After testing all of them, he decided to use stainless steel.
The two of them found all the stainless steel pipes in the store and piled them onto the cart as much as they could.
The small cart that used to carry potato chips and tissues in the supermarket was now being used as a makeshift cargo carrier, and its frame was bent from the weight.
They filled both carts with steel pipes, and Liu Qiming continued to search for fittings.
Screws, electric drill, hammer, wrench, welding machine, electric saw, tape measure… A bunch of tools.
It took a tremendous amount of effort to bring the materials back home.
Jiang Miaomiao was so tired that she couldn’t stand steadily. As soon as she entered the house, she sat down on the floor and didn’t move.
Liu Qiming, full of energy, closed the door and got to work. He measured the window’s dimensions with a tape measure and then squatted in the living room, picking up the electric saw to cut the steel pipes.
Jiang Miaomiao was completely clueless about this kind of work and couldn’t lend a hand at all.
Thinking that it was already lunchtime, she volunteered to cook.
The living room was too noisy, with dust flying around when the pipes were cut. She moved the induction cooker and kitchenware to a small room at the back, closed the door, and started cooking.
Half an hour later, the meal was ready.
Jiang Miaomiao walked into the living room, but Liu Qiming was nowhere to be seen. There was a mess of materials on the floor.
There was a buzzing sound from the window area, so she walked over and saw him sitting on the ladder outside the window, holding the welding machine and welding the steel pipes together.
Several of them were already welded, neatly arranged, looking quite impressive.
She nodded in appreciation, “Not bad, it’s a waste for this talent not to be used in a prison…”
Before she could finish her sentence, her face changed drastically as she pointed behind him and said, “Be careful! There’s a zombie!”
Liu Qiming turned around and saw a zombie walking towards the bottom of the ladder, probably attracted by the sound of the electric drill.
He tossed the steel pipe in his hand and dropped it down. The pipe pierced through the zombie’s foot, nailing it to the ground, unable to take another step.
Jiang Miaomiao said, “…Cruel!”
“When it bites me, you’ll know what real cruelty is.”
He patted his pants and jumped down the stairs, walking into the villa and closing the door.
“Do we have food to eat? I’m starving.”
Jiang Miaomiao pretended to be clueless, “Nope.”
“Liar, I can smell the delicious aroma.”
He pinched her nose playfully, took off his gloves, and washed his hands.
Jiang Miaomiao brought out the food, feeling inexplicably that this kind of life was quite enjoyable.
With someone doing the hard labor, she only needed to cook and play games to live a comfortable life. Occasionally, she could scold him to vent her frustrations, which was much more interesting than living alone before.
After finishing their meal and resting for an hour, Liu Qiming continued to work.
Jiang Miaomiao helped by handing him tools and also kept an eye out for any approaching zombies.
During the process, they ran out of materials and had to make another trip to get almost everything they needed.
Two days later, all the windows of the house were covered with a layer of stainless steel mesh, making them look solid and secure.
They did a test by removing the steel pipe from the zombie’s foot and had Jiang Miaomiao shout from behind the security window.
The zombie saw her and attempted to bite her but struggled for half an hour without being able to get inside. In the end, it limped away in frustration.
Liu Qiming was pleased with the result. “How’s my craftsmanship?”
Jiang Miaomiao gave him a thumbs up. “Not bad, with this skill, you can make a living even without being a duck.”
He looked at the mess in the living room. “There’s still plenty of materials left; it would be a waste to throw them away. Why don’t we use them to make something?”
With such sturdy materials, what could they create to make the most of them?
They were lacking in almost everything now, not even having a simple stool.
They were torn between ideas while looking at the house, which resembled a bare-bones building.
“Let’s make armor out of it,” Jiang Miaomiao suggested. “A full-body one, just like a person, covering us from head to toe. Even if the zombies discover us, they won’t be able to bite us through the armor. How about that?”
Liu Qiming understood her at a glance. “Do you know how heavy such an armor would be?”
“Heavy?”
“At least thirty to forty pounds. Zombies won’t be able to bite you, but you won’t be able to run either. You’ll be stuck inside the armor waiting to starve to death.”
She rarely came up with any survival ideas on her own, and the first time she did, she was met with such disdain from him. It hurt her pride a bit.
“Fine, forget it then. Hmph!”
She went to play games.
Jiang Miaomiao went upstairs to play Minesweeper, while Liu Qiming stayed downstairs working alone.
After an unknown amount of time passed, he called her upstairs, saying he had something interesting to show her.
Curious, she followed him downstairs and saw an iron frame added to the living room.
The iron frame wasn’t very tall, just a bit higher than her waist, but it was quite wide, about two to three meters long. It had many small compartments, resembling a shelf, but what could they use such a short shelf for?
As a shoe cabinet? They only had four pairs of shoes in total.
Seeing Jiang Miaomiao’s puzzled expression, Liu Qiming took the initiative to explain.
“This is a pot rack.”
“A pot rack?”
He placed an induction cooker on one compartment and a frying pan on another.
The plates, bowls, chopsticks, and other utensils were neatly arranged in a basin, and the cutting board, kitchen knife, and spatula also found their designated places. The chaotic pile of kitchenware suddenly became organized and systematic.
“From now on, we won’t need to squat on the floor to cook. These past few days, my neck almost got cervical spondylosis,” Liu Qiming said.
“You are quite thoughtful,” Jiang Miaomiao looked at him with surprise in her eyes.
She didn’t expect this from him.
Liu Qiming smiled, “Can I go play games now? Remember, I handle breakfast, and you handle dinner.”
She sighed, “Go ahead… Oh, wait, could you pick some bean sprouts for me first?”
There were still plenty of bean sprouts growing lush in the container in one of the rooms, a sea of green, with thriving bean sprouts all over the floor, eagerly awaiting their attention.
Liu Qiming picked a pot and frowned while looking at the extended leaves.
“They’ve grown so big already; we won’t be able to finish them. We should transplant them into the soil.”
Jiang Miaomiao had the same thought, but implementation was difficult.
“There’s a yard outside; we can plant them there. However, it’s covered in weeds, so before planting the beans, we’ll have to clear the area first. After that, it’ll take time to plant and then water and fertilize. How much time will that take? How many zombies will pass by while we’re doing that? It’s too dangerous.”
Risking their lives just for a few beans? No way.
Liu Qiming also considered these problems and thought for a while. Suddenly, he ran outside and brought back a bunch of unused stainless steel pipes.
Jiang Miaomiao was puzzled, “What are you planning to do?”
“Planting outside is too risky. Why not plant them inside the house?”
He gestured with the steel pipes, “This room faces south, has large windows, and plenty of sunlight. We can set up an indoor planting rack. We only need to bring soil from outside, and all the other steps can be done indoors. Judging by the area here, we can not only grow beans but also cabbage, radishes, tomatoes, and anything else.”
Jiang Miaomiao became excited, “Really? That’s great! I love cucumbers!”
Crisp and juicy, and she could even use them as face masks.
She had wanted to take care of her rough face for a while now.
Liu Qiming rolled up his sleeves, not planning to rest.
“I’ll start measuring the dimensions now, you go and cook.”
“No problem!”
With great enthusiasm, Jiang Miaomiao went to cook, holding the bean sprouts.
It had to be said that with the pot rack, cooking became much more convenient. No more squatting on the floor, getting the eyes smoked by oil fumes.
Jiang Miaomiao finished cooking and proactively served the food to Liu Qiming.
As Liu Qiming’s welding skills became more proficient, the next day, the prototype of the planting rack was ready.
There were three racks of the same size, each four meters long and two meters wide, with three layers in the middle, spaced about one meter apart.
He went to the anti-theft window shop and brought back many stainless steel sheets, which he welded into large iron boxes, one meter wide and thirty centimeters high, filled with soil.
The soil seemed dry and lacked nutrients.
Liu Qiming gathered all the weeds and fallen leaves in the yard, set them on fire, and burnt some wood ashes, which he evenly sprinkled into the soil. He then fetched water from the lake to irrigate the soil.
Finally, they selected robust bean sprouts and moved them into the iron boxes.
Jiang Miaomiao had also been working hard all along. When she planted the last one, she was so tired that she couldn’t even stand straight.
Liu Qiming used a basin to water the plants and gently touched the tender green leaves.
“In a few months, we’ll have fresh mung beans and beansprouts to eat.”
Yes, in the past, she used to sit alone in her room, thinking about how to die without suffering when the zombies attacked.
And now, a bright future lay ahead of her.
She wasn’t as resilient and powerful as the female protagonist in the original story. She loved to eat and was lazy, afraid of dying yet greedy for life. Nevertheless, she was able to have a small piece of her own world in this terrifying apocalypse.
“Thank you,” Jiang Miaomiao lifted her head and sincerely thanked Liu Qiming.
He chuckled and leaned in, tapping his cheek with his index finger.
She was confused, “What are you doing?”
“I’ve worked hard for so many days, and my fingers have blisters. I need a reward.”
“A reward?”
“Are you really naive, or are you pretending to be?”
She suddenly understood and hooked her finger, “Close your eyes.”
“No.”
“Close them, or I’ll be shy.”
Liu Qiming reluctantly closed his eyes. Little did he know that instead of soft lips, he felt a bite of white teeth against his face.
Jiang Miaomiao ruthlessly left a few deep bite marks on his face and made a funny face at him as he looked astonished.
“Were you trying to be naughty? Go eat shit, huhuhuhu!”
After saying that, she turned and ran, leaving Liu Qiming standing there, covering his face, feeling both amused and helpless.
With the bean sprouts and the anti-theft windows settled, the next thing was to install an alarm system.
The last time the zombies sneaked in, if they had installed an alarm system, they wouldn’t have been so passive.
Jiang Miaomiao initially thought that since the houses here were so nice, the residents would have installed alarm systems. However, after searching around, they either didn’t have one or had the high-end, smart ones that required internet connection, which they didn’t have.
They had no choice but to set aside a whole day. They left at eight in the morning to search for a specialized electronic store that sold alarm systems outside the community.
The weather was getting hotter, and the morning sun was intense and glaring.
In order to be more convenient when bathing, Jiang Miaomiao wore long sleeves and pants, a mask, and a hat to prevent zombie blood from touching her skin as much as possible.
The result of being fully equipped like this was that she was almost heat-stroked and felt dizzy from the scorching sun.
Seeing her discomfort, Liu Qiming found a parasol in a discarded bicycle basket and had her use it for shade.
A few zombies dragging their rotten feet with bones exposed passed by them, their murky dead fish eyes glanced around.
The two of them immediately held their breaths, slowed down their pace, and staggered as they imitated the zombies’ movements.
The zombies shifted their gaze away and continued wandering the deserted streets.
A breeze blew, and plastic bags flew everywhere.
Jiang Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief and inconspicuously moved closer to Liu Qiming.
He was tall and had a lot of flesh. In case a zombie attacked, he could act as a meat shield for a long time.
Both sides of the street were lined with shops, bustling with activity in the pre-apocalyptic era.
People strolling, going to work, heading to school, having meals—everything was so crowded that it was hard to squeeze through the store entrances.
But now, only fallen leaves drifted in front of the store entrances, and inside, most of the places were a mess.
As Jiang Miaomiao passed by one store entrance, she stopped and didn’t move.
Liu Qiming looked at the sign — “Red Chili Hotpot Restaurant.”
She really wanted to eat hotpot. If there was no hotpot, then barbecue, grilled fish, or spicy hot pot would also do. She felt so pitiful…
Tears welled up and streamed from the corners of her mouth. She stubbornly wiped them away and continued walking forward.
Liu Qiming couldn’t help but chuckle, an unusual sight of not teasing her and silently following behind.
The specialized alarm system store wasn’t easy to find, and they walked several streets without finding their target.
With no internet on their phones, the navigation map only showed relatively large landmark buildings, and the more detailed information couldn’t be loaded.
Seeing that the morning was coming to an end, Jiang Miaomiao’s stomach began to protest. She hesitated whether to suggest going back first.
“There’s a Digital City.”
Liu Qiming suddenly spoke.
She looked up, and not far ahead, there was indeed a Digital City—a five-story building, quite large, towering like a small mountain beside an intersection.
There should be alarm systems inside. If they couldn’t find any here, they would be even less likely to find them elsewhere.
But the doors and windows were all dark and eerie, giving off a creepy vibe.
It had been over two months since the citizens evacuated. Who knew if there would be zombies treating it as their hideout, coming out only during the night?
They walked in, worried that they might be walking into a trap.
Liu Qiming noticed her expression and held her hand.
“Don’t be afraid, we’ll just grab what we need and leave.”
“Do we really have to go in?”
Her heart was beating fast.
Liu Qiming thought for a moment, “How about… you wait outside for me?”
There were more zombies outside, and the closest one was less than ten meters away from her.
Jiang Miaomiao shivered and shook her head vigorously, holding onto his hand tightly.
Liu Qiming smiled and held her hand, leading her inside.
She was unusually obedient, not daring to look around, behaving like a little baby stepping outside for the first time.
The moment they stepped through the entrance of the Digital City, a cold wind blew from the inside, making Jiang Miaomiao feel numb from head to toe, and images of zombies covered in maggots crawling all over their faces appeared in her mind.
Liu Qiming stopped and changed his hand-holding position, completely enclosing her hand with his large palm, whispering softly, “Follow me, it’ll be fine.”
Since they had come this far, there was no turning back.
She swallowed a mouthful of saliva and took each step with trepidation.
They moved between the shops, and the first floor was filled with computer shops, with no alarm systems available. So they went up to the second floor using the stairs.
The second floor had fewer windows, and the lighting was dimmer, with shadows all around, as if something could jump out at any moment.
Suddenly, Liu Qiming stopped in his tracks and stared straight ahead.
She looked in the same direction, but couldn’t see anything, and her hair stood on end.
“What’s wrong?”
“Not good!”
She tensed up, preparing for a quick escape.
“Are there zombies?”
“No, it’s cockroaches.”
“…” Jiang Miaomiao was speechless, but she couldn’t resist giving him a hard punch, “You scared me to death, idiot!”
Liu Qiming grinned, “It looks like it’s safe in here. Don’t be so jumpy.”
With his little prank, Jiang Miaomiao did relax quite a bit and began to check the merchandise around her.
Smartphones, power banks, tablet computers… and what’s this?
She picked up a stack of items and held them up to the light.
Liu Qiming leaned in, surprised.
“So many game discs? We’ll have games to play again in the future.”
Jiang Miaomiao had only played downloadable games and had never tried using game discs before. She shook one and asked, “Do you know how to install these?”
“Yeah.”
“Do they require an internet connection?”
“I don’t remember. We’ll try them when we get back.”
He found a plastic bag and filled it with dozens of game discs, continuing to search for the alarm system.
Their efforts paid off, and they finally found what they were looking for in a corner. They took all the boxes of alarms in the store’s inventory and happily headed back home.
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