After searching for a long time, Jiang Miaomiao finally found a tutorial on making steamed buns. The name intrigued her – “Zero Failure Lazy Buns.”
Zero failure and lazy, exactly what she needed.
Excitedly, Jiang Miaomiao started reading it, but as soon as she finished reading the line about preparing the ingredients, her enthusiasm withered away like a frost-bitten eggplant.
Ingredients: 500g flour, 50g sugar, 5g yeast, 15g baking powder.
She had flour and sugar, but where would she find yeast and baking powder?
Every time they went to the supermarket, they only picked up useful things, not these miscellaneous items.
With a glimmer of hope, Jiang Miaomiao searched the warehouse, but she was disappointed. She couldn’t find anything.
Does it mean she can’t make steamed buns without yeast?
She decided to give it a try and followed the steps in the tutorial, skipping the fermentation step. She completed the rest of the process step by step.
There was no steamer or steaming rack in the villa, so she used two chopsticks as a substitute, placing a plate on top with neatly cut small buns.
Half an hour later, steam rose from the electromagnetic stove.
With great expectations, Jiang Miaomiao opened the lid and frowned.
The buns were indeed white and looked quite decent, but they were different from what she remembered.
She remembered that when the buns were put in, they were small, and when they came out, they had at least doubled in size. They were soft and fluffy to touch. However, her buns looked the same when they came out as they did when she put them in, with no significant change after steaming.
Lu Qiming, with his keen nose, smelled the aroma from upstairs and asked, “Are the buns ready? Let me taste them.”
Jiang Miaomiao took two out and brought them to him, feeding them to him.
He took a bite, chewed, and frowned.
She asked, “How is it?”
“Haven’t you eaten them yet?”
“I consider you the hero, so of course, the best thing should go to you first.”
Lu Qiming rolled his eyes. “I think you want to use me as a test subject for poison.”
Her intention was exposed, and she smiled embarrassedly. “What’s the taste like? I spent a long time making them, and there’s a pile of unsteamed ones on the table.”
“Have you ever had gnocchi?”
“Yeah.”
“This is just a big version of gnocchi. You can eat it, but it’s sticky and blocks the throat.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t help but taste it too, and her expression immediately changed.
What buns were these? They were terribly unappetizing.
Not being soft was one thing, but the taste was also terrible.
After so much effort, she ended up with this kind of thing, and they still had no proper meal for the next few days.
She felt extremely frustrated and leaned against the wall, holding the bun and not wanting to move.
Life was too hard, sob, sob.
Lu Qiming was initially disgusted, but when he saw her appearance, he reached out to take the bun.
“What are you doing?”
“Eating. The taste is a bit strange, but it suits my appetite.”
“Really?”
She looked at him skeptically, but he just kept eating bite after bite, seeming to truly enjoy the taste.
Since Lu Qiming was being polite, she felt embarrassed and quickly snatched it back, saying, “Let me process it.”
“How are you going to process it?”
“Put some oil and fry them,” he suggested.
She wasn’t confident that she could make them taste better, but the buns had hit rock bottom, so they couldn’t get any worse.
Lu Qiming nodded, “Alright, I’ll wait for you.”
Jiang Miaomiao didn’t want to disappoint him, so she mustered up her spirits and went downstairs to continue her work.
Lu Qiming was still lying on the floor in the bathroom, unable to move due to the pain from his wounds.
He wanted to smoke, but the cigarette box and lighter were placed far away, and he couldn’t reach them no matter how hard he tried.
Jiang Rou passed by him.
He called out, “Stupid dog, come here.”
The dog gave him a disdainful look, turned its butt towards him, and sat down, scratching itself.
Lu Qiming was infuriated, but he had no choice but to do it himself. He stretched his arm forward, pulling on his wound, which made him gasp in pain.
Jiang Miaomiao heard the noise and ran upstairs. She looked at him and asked, “What are you doing? You shouldn’t move like that. Your wounds haven’t healed yet. Do you want to die?”
“I want to smoke…”
He weakly said, without much confidence.
“If you wanted to smoke, you should have told me.”
She helped him get the cigarette box and lighter, lit one, and put it in his mouth. Then she thought of an idea and brought all the cigarettes and lighters from the villa to his side, even putting a bowl as an ashtray for him, so he could smoke anytime he wanted.
After doing all this, Jiang Miaomiao went back to the kitchen.
Lu Qiming smoked and glanced at Jiang Rou, feeling happy about how Jiang Miaomiao cared for him. She might talk tough, but she couldn’t help worrying about him, always chattering like a little wife.
He smoked three cigarettes idly and then fell asleep.
When he woke up, he smelled a delightful aroma. He opened his eyes and found Jiang Miaomiao sitting beside him, feeding Jiang Rou something.
He wasn’t sure what it was, but it sounded crisp, as he could hear the crunching sound from Jiang Rou’s teeth.
When Lu Qiming moved slightly, she immediately turned her head, her face beaming with a smile.
“Are you awake? Try it quickly.”
Before he could answer, she shoved a hard piece of something into his mouth.
Lu Qiming frowned and carefully took a bite.
With a crisp sound, a burst of fragrant oil filled his mouth, making him feel amazed. It had been months since he had eaten anything with oil.
Observing his expression, Jiang Miaomiao asked, “How is it? Does it taste good?”
Lu Qiming took out the half-eaten piece from his mouth and looked at it, asking, “Is this the same thing from before?”
“Yeah, I cut them into small pieces and fried them in oil until they turned crispy. Then I poured some honey over them after taking them out of the pan. The taste is not bad, right? Hehe.”
Lu Qiming couldn’t help but take another bite.
It was sweet and fragrant, with a high caloric content, giving him a full sense of happiness.
Seeing that he liked it, Jiang Miaomiao brought the plate over and placed it between the two of them.
In the afternoon, she didn’t do anything else but steam and fry buns, and now she had made several large plates.
The three of them used this as their dinner, and they also made some instant milk tea. After a hearty meal, they lay comfortably on the bed.
With a full belly and satiated, their mood improved.
With a better mood, they felt that life wasn’t that hard to endure.
They lay quietly, and Jiang Rou sneezed. Jiang Miaomiao scratched its belly with her toes, and it squirmed softly.
The light began to dim again, and the night was approaching.
Jiang Miaomiao got up, fetched a basin of hot water, and helped Lu Qiming clean his body. She also went to the adjacent room to wash briefly, preparing for the night.
She sprayed disinfectant, wiping away their living scent.
She turned off all the electronic devices with light and sound, locked the doors, blocked them, and sealed the windows.
After finishing everything, she hid under the covers, hugged Lu Qiming, closed her eyes, and tried not to think about what was happening outside.
The terrifying cries of the zombies pierced through the walls, making it impossible for them to sleep peacefully.
In the middle of the night, Lu Qiming developed a high fever, and his body trembled violently.
She fed him fever-reducing medicine, used her body warmth to comfort him, and held him tightly.
He was burning up, his consciousness unclear, mumbling something with his face buried in her chest, and his breath felt scorching hot.
She held on, not letting go, until he finally quieted down.
Jiang Miaomiao heaved a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel, and soon fell asleep herself.
At six o’clock in the morning, the sunlight returned to the earth.
Lu Qiming opened his eyes, looked at the ceiling, and licked his lips a couple of times. He felt refreshed and clear-headed.
His legs still couldn’t move, but that didn’t stop him from being conceited.
He was only wearing a pair of large underpants. He walked gracefully past Jiang Miaomiao and Jiang Rou, like a proud rooster, to the washbasin.
The mirror reflected his face, which he hadn’t properly taken care of in days. His complexion was pale, with a scruffy beard, making him look like a vagrant.
He brushed his teeth, picked up his precious possession, and scraped away at his chin.
Jiang Miaomiao was awakened by a buzzing sound. She thought there were bees in the room, but when she opened her eyes, she saw Lu Qiming persistently shaving his beard.
She exclaimed, “How can you stand up?”
Lu Qiming propped himself up on the washbasin, looking at his reflection in the mirror, and said, “If I don’t get up, I don’t know what you’ll do to my face.”
She defended herself, “Where did I mess up your face? I’ve taken care of you as diligently as I could.”
“Really?” He gestured towards the basin in the corner, “The towel in there is what you used to wipe my face last night, right? If I remember correctly, you’ve been using it to wipe the table before.”
Jiang Miaomiao blushed, “It was too dark at the time, and I couldn’t see clearly. It wasn’t intentional.”
Lu Qiming didn’t argue with her. For one, his wounds hurt too much to talk.
Secondly… she had been doing a lot of work alone yesterday and was busy to the point of being overwhelmed. She probably just didn’t have time for that.
Jiang Miaomiao had never suffered such severe injuries before, and she always felt that if she was careless, he might die.
In order to ensure the survival of her only companion, she helped him back to bed as soon as he finished shaving, and instructed, “Until your injuries are completely healed, you mustn’t move around.”
If his intestines leaked out from the wound, what could she do? She couldn’t just stuff them back in with her bare hands.
Lu Qiming acted as if nothing was wrong and even managed to joke, “If the zombies come, will you rush over to fight them?”
Jiang Miaomiao shook her head, “I won’t fight. I’m not like you, all tough and fearless. If I rush in, I’ll just get myself killed.”
“Good self-awareness.”
“If the zombies really come in, I’ll set this house on fire and die with them!”
Lu Qiming shuddered, “Sis, take it easy. Don’t let the zombies bite me, but you end up burning me to death. That would be too unjust.”
Jiang Miaomiao rolled her eyes at him and then crawled under him.
He was taken aback and quickly covered his underpants.
“What are you doing?”
She was even more speechless.
“What else can I do? I want to check your injuries.”
“Oh, go ahead.”
He generously stretched out his leg, and Jiang Miaomiao saw the wound from his ankle to his thigh.
It was a truly good leg, long and well-defined.
However, the wound was large, and the cotton thread used for sutures had been soaked in deep red blood, resembling an ugly centipede crawling on his foot.
She pursed her lips and asked softly, “Does it hurt?”
Lu Qiming pitifully nodded.
… Fool.
She muttered to herself and stood up weakly. “I’ll go make breakfast.”
With such severe injuries, he needed to supplement his nutrition to help the wounds heal.
Jiang Miaomiao gathered all the edible items in the house and placed them on the table, racking her brains to make a meal that could be eaten.
Even a clever woman finds it difficult to cook without rice, let alone someone like her who had little experience in cooking.
Jiang Miaomiao sliced a few sausages and looked up at the window, sighing deeply.
The windows were covered with paper, so she couldn’t see the outside view, but she could imagine it.
There were houses a few hundred meters away, and they could reach a convenience store within ten minutes by bike.
If they went a little further, they could go to a supermarket.
They had already searched several supermarkets within a few miles. The delicious food had long been brought back home to eat, but the remaining items were still better than the scarce supplies at home. At least they could still get by.
By the way, were the peaches by the roadside ripe now?
She really wanted to go out!!!
Jiang Miaomiao walked to the door, feeling an impulse to rush out regardless and bring back a few boxes of food.
She quietly opened the door slightly, and two zombies happened to come into the yard.
Their walking speed was much faster than before, like wild beasts foraging in the forest, waiting for prey to appear.
She gave up the idea of going out, locked the door, and honestly returned to fry the steamed buns.
Having eaten the honey-flavored ones too much, she used her imagination to make some salted ones, which Lu Qiming also liked.
The two of them finished the stock, surviving on steamed buns with various flavors for a week, and soon the flour bag was also empty.
All the snacks were completely gone, and they were left with only rice and instant noodles.
Did that mean they would only have white porridge and plain boiled noodles next?
Just thinking about it made her lose her appetite.
During lunch, Lu Qiming suddenly said, “My wounds are almost healed.”
Jiang Miaomiao asked in surprise, “Really?”
He propped himself up against the wall, took a couple of limping steps, and said, “See, even without a crutch, I can still walk.”
“…Come on, with your speed, just lie down quietly and don’t make a fuss. Otherwise, if you fall, I’ll have to go help you up.”
Lu Qiming’s expression became unusually serious.
“It’s not like before. The zombies are getting stronger and stronger. If we don’t hurry, we won’t even have a chance.”
Jiang Miaomiao was puzzled, “We still have a chance?”
“Do you remember the World Trade Center building on the way to the supermarket?”
“Yeah.”
“I went inside and saw that there’s a vault on the ground floor. It’s very solid, made of bulletproof materials, and can completely withstand zombie attacks. During the turmoil, someone must have gone there to take things, and the door is open. We can stay there and hide for a while. It’s much safer than here.”
“But what about food? We can’t go in and out freely with zombies outside, right?”
Lu Qiming had already planned for this.
“There’s a fire escape outside the vault that goes directly to the 20th floor, where there’s a Sam’s Club supermarket. There’s plenty of food in there, and we can at least eat for half a year.”
Jiang Miaomiao felt relieved upon hearing this, but she soon realized a problem.
“Most likely, the building is full of zombies, and we won’t be able to move in and out freely, right?”
Lu Qiming nodded.
“Of course, but no matter what, it’s much better than sitting here waiting to die, right?”
“Sure, it’s strong, but…”
She bit her lip, unsure if she should tell the truth.
She didn’t want to go outside. Going out might get them food, but it could also lead to death. Staying in the villa at least meant they were still alive for now.
Even if they managed to reach the vault safely, would life inside the vault be better than now?
All the furniture, appliances, curtains, and kitchenware in the house were painstakingly moved back by them. They had turned an empty house into a decent home. She couldn’t bear to leave this place.
In the vault, how would they use electricity? How would they use the bathroom? How would they cook and drink water?
There were so many problems.
But she couldn’t drag Lu Qiming down either. He had barely survived and surely wanted to keep on living.
After thinking for a while, Jiang Miaomiao said, “Your injuries are too severe. Let’s rest for two more days, and then we’ll leave, okay?”
Lu Qiming saw through her immediately.
“You don’t want to leave, do you?”
She lowered her head and didn’t speak.
He hobbled over and hugged her.
“I know you’re scared, and I am too, but we can’t give up while we’re still alive. Let’s work together, and don’t forget about your silly dog. Who knows, maybe the three of us can really break through the encirclement and survive. If it doesn’t work out, I have a knife on me. I’ll give all three of us a quick and painless end.”
Jiang Miaomiao looked up. “But you have to find your friends.”
He smiled softly and ruffled her hair, which hadn’t been washed for days.
“You are my friend. As long as you’re with me, who else do I need to find?”
A surge of emotion rushed through Jiang Miaomiao’s body, beating her heart lightly and heavily, making her unable to resist hugging him back firmly and saying resolutely, “Okay, tomorrow, we’ll leave together.”
The two separated and began to prepare to move before it got dark.
They had limited strength and couldn’t carry too many things, so they could only take what was essential.
Phones, Kindles, fully charged, were their spiritual sustenance.
The computer was too heavy, so they left it behind. They couldn’t move the appliances and furniture at all, so they had to abandon them.
Lu Qiming’s cigarettes had to be taken; they were his lifeline.
There was no need to bring the pots and pans; they couldn’t take the blankets.
Medicine was precious, and the unfinished bread slices would come in handy later.
Clothes were unnecessary, but underwear was a must.
As for shampoo and shower gel… even if they survived, they might not have the opportunity to use them.
Thinking that she was about to live the kind of difficult life she had never wanted, Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
Lu Qiming hopped down the stairs on one leg and handed her a small cardboard box.
“Here, your precious things.”
She opened it and found sanitary pads, face cream, diamond jewelry, and a USB flash drive containing adult videos.
“Uh… we don’t need these, right?”
“Take them,” Lu Qiming said. “It’s not like we have much anyway.”
She nodded and found two plastic bags to pack all the items.
This was all they had left.
As night approached, they ate some soy sauce mixed with rice and hid in the bathroom early, spending a sleepless night filled with anxiety.
They chose to set off at noon when the sunlight was the strongest. At that time, there were fewer zombies outside, and their chances of survival were higher.
However, that wasn’t enough. Lu Qiming found a towel and took out a knife, preparing to cut his hand.
Jiang Miaomiao hurriedly stopped him.
“What are you doing?”
“Bleed a little to attract the zombies. This way, they won’t all swarm us as soon as we step outside.”
“But you’re already injured like this… Let me cut mine instead!”
She bravely extended her hand and placed it before his knife.
Lu Qiming was surprised, “Aren’t you afraid of pain?”
Of course, she was afraid. Even cutting vegetables and accidentally cutting her hand made her cry out in pain. How could she not be afraid of directly cutting her hand to bleed?
But Lu Qiming was already so severely injured; it wouldn’t make sense to take his blood. She had to contribute something.
“Come on!” Jiang Miaomiao gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.
Lu Qiming really didn’t have the energy. He gently made a cut on her delicate hand.
Fresh blood dripped onto the towel, spreading and staining it bright red.
Jiang Miaomiao trembled with pain, and Lu Qiming touched her head before heading to the rooftop with the towel.
“Let me do it. Your foot is not convenient.”
She quickly dealt with the wound and snatched the towel to go to the rooftop.
There was a small skylight on the rooftop, and she could see the solar panels once she climbed out.
Worried about being discovered by zombies, she only poked her head out.
However, she suddenly felt something was wrong.
Where did the zombies go?
The neighborhood was empty. Apart from the bones that had been gnawed clean earlier, there wasn’t a single zombie in sight!
She hurriedly went downstairs to tell Lu Qiming.
Upon hearing her words, he couldn’t comprehend it either. Hopping on one foot, he followed her to the rooftop. The two of them peered around for a while, searching everywhere they could see, and finally confirmed that there really were no zombies.
“My goodness, where did they go?” Jiang Miaomiao muttered.
While it should have been a good thing, the situation was too abnormal, making her even more anxious.
Lu Qiming squinted his eyes as he looked into the distance, his gaze sharp.
“Could it be that there are other people in the city, so they all gathered there?”
“It’s possible…”
While she was still thinking about the zombies, he suddenly patted her hand.
“Don’t think about it. Let’s move quickly; it’ll be hard to leave once they come back.”
“We have to leave?”
“Otherwise, we’ll stay here and starve?”
“… Okay.”
Jiang Miaomiao threw the blood-stained towel outside and helped Lu Qiming up. Carrying the two bags, she put on protective gear and carried the chainsaw on her back. She also leashed the dog and set off for the World Trade Center.
Since Lu Qiming’s foot was injured, he couldn’t ride a bike, and she couldn’t carry him, so the two of them had to abandon the bicycles and walk.
There was not a single trace of zombies on the road, which was both eerie and terrifying. They had a constant feeling that a huge danger was waiting for them up ahead.
The slow pace of the two humans and one dog meant that they took nearly an hour to cover a short distance. Finally, they arrived at the World Trade Center.
This building had more than 80 floors and was a well-known landmark in the city.
Now, it had been abandoned for half a year. Weeds grew on the empty ground outside the entrance, and many windows were shattered and darkened in the wind and rain, presenting a desolate scene.
The two entered through the main entrance, staying alert for any potential zombie attacks while wandering through the vast building, searching for the vault that Lu Qiming had mentioned.
“Rou Rou, stay close.”
Jiang Rou Rou liked to sniff around, but Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t carry it as she was supporting Lu Qiming. So, she tugged on the leash, urging it to keep up. Her voice echoed in the lobby.
“We’re here,” Lu Qiming pointed ahead.
Jiang Miaomiao looked up. There was a fire exit about ten meters away.
The door was open, swaying in the wind, making them feel uneasy.
Inside, it was pitch black and narrow.
In case a zombie rushed out, they would have no way to escape.
Jiang Miaomiao pinched her thigh and stepped forward, bracing herself.
Suddenly, Lu Qiming stopped and looked outside.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“It’s raining.”
Raindrops fell to the ground, leaving dark little dots.
The dry city quickly became moist, and the sky turned gloomy.
Jiang Miaomiao’s first reaction was that it was raining, and their solar panels wouldn’t charge, so they needed to conserve electricity. But then she realized they didn’t need to go back home anymore.
This place was their new home.
The two went down to the basement and found the vault. During the whole process, they still didn’t encounter any zombies.
Lu Qiming used a flashlight to find the vault door. The lock was visibly damaged, probably broken during the zombie outbreak when someone took advantage of the chaos.
They tiptoed in, using the flashlight to reveal the inside.
The vault wasn’t large, about twenty square meters, like a small room.
All four sides were metal walls, looking incredibly secure.
There was a narrow ventilation opening on the ceiling, and shelves lined the floor.
The banknotes on the shelves had long been taken away, and a few pink bills scattered on the ground.
Lu Qiming closed the door and used the shelves to block it, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
“Let’s rest for a while.”
They both sat on the ground. Lu Qiming’s wound was hurting badly due to the long walk, and he took out a cigarette to smoke.
Jiang Miaomiao recalled the silence throughout the journey and found it unbelievable.
“Do you think they might evolve intelligence and set up an ambush to hide from us?”
“With so many zombies, they would be hiding to ambush two people weighing less than three hundred kilograms combined? Don’t think about it. Whatever needs to happen will happen; we can’t do anything about it,” Lu Qiming comforted her.
She thought about it and realized he was right. Dismissing those miscellaneous thoughts from her mind, she used the flashlight to inspect the environment inside the vault.
Jiang Rou Rou stood in the corner and lifted its hind leg to urinate on the wall.
She wanted to scold it for peeing inside, but then she realized that it had no other choice. Going outside was too dangerous.
It was her first time in a vault, and she felt a bit excited.
Jiang Miaomiao focused on looking around, hoping to find some treasure like gold bars and fulfill her dream of getting rich before her death.
Unfortunately, after going around once, there was nothing to be found.
Feeling tired, she returned to Lu Qiming’s side and leaned on his shoulder.
Lu Qiming put out the cigarette and whispered, “Rest for the night. Tomorrow, we’ll check the situation. If there are still no zombies, we’ll go upstairs to get some food.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Miaomiao opened the bag containing the bread slices and shared it with them.
After finishing their meal, they closed their eyes to rest. During this time, Lu Qiming also found a corner to urinate.
Jiang Miaomiao began to miss the life in the villa – water, electricity, toilets, pots and pans, beds, and blankets. How comfortable and cozy that life was.
There’s nothing here.
Why do her good days never last?
Sigh.
In the middle of the night, Jiang Miaomiao inexplicably felt a cool sensation on her buttocks and woke up.
She reached out and touched, finding her palm wet.
Did she wet her pants? It couldn’t be.
She turned on the flashlight and carefully examined the situation, only to be startled. She shook Lu Qiming vigorously.
“Wake up! Wake up! Why is this room leaking?”
It was almost ankle-deep in water!
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