The island has an area of sixteen square kilometers, and it only takes a few hours to walk around it from the south to the north.
The island is surrounded by the sea on all sides, and there is a small mountain on the west side.
One side of the mountain is farmland used for planting potatoes and tomatoes, while the other side has a small freshwater lake, next to which is the residential area of the indigenous people.
There are about a hundred houses clustered together, forming a small village with streets in the middle.
On both sides of the streets, there are facilities such as hospitals, schools, restaurants, bars, shops, hotels, churches, and museums, making the village complete and functional.
The inhabitants were all sent here by the British government in the last century, so the architecture retains a strong English countryside style.
Most of the houses are built with logs and bricks, simple, natural, and blending with the environment.
The furniture in the houses is made of simple and elegant walnut wood, adorned with floral, striped, and Scottish patterns, giving them a lively and charming look.
This island was originally very beautiful, with so many beautiful buildings, making it a perfect place for leisure and vacation before the apocalypse.
Unfortunately, Jiang Miaomiao arrived at the wrong time, and the peaceful atmosphere of the island was shattered by the virus.
The white walls of the hospital, the walnut wood tables in the restaurant, and the checkered cloth in the shops were all splattered with blood, which had turned black over time, terrifying and glaring.
Fortunately, it took them half a day to complete the patrol of the island and found no survivors.
Apart from them, there was no one else on the island, not even any living creatures.
Because the previously domesticated cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, as well as the island’s wild animals and insects, had all been found and devoured by the horde of zombies that couldn’t leave the island.
The beautiful island, bathed in sunshine with picturesque scenery, was now covered in blood, devoid of living people, and the dock was piled with severed limbs and arms, making it a perfect location for shooting horror movies.
The more Jiang Miaomiao thought about it, the more she felt creeped out, getting goosebumps all over her body.
Lu Qiming put down his gun, found several buckets of cooking oil from the restaurant’s kitchen, and walked towards the shore.
Jiang Miaomiao also carried a bucket and followed him.
Upon arrival, Lu Qiming splashed the oil on the broken bodies as evenly as possible, then took out a lighter.
She asked, “Are you going to burn them?”
“The decaying bodies are prone to bacterial infections and epidemics. Burning them is safer and prevents air and water pollution.”
“Alright, go ahead and burn them.”
Jiang Miaomiao didn’t want to watch or go back to the eerie streets, so she moved a little to the side, holding the dog and stood at a distance.
Lu Qiming lit the bodies, and with the help of cooking oil and sea breeze, the flames soared high, crackling and burning.
The air was filled with the smell of burnt protein, covering the original stench.
If she didn’t think about what those things were, it actually smelled quite good, like roasted meat.
With her back to the flames, Jiang Miaomiao looked towards the houses ahead, thinking about where to live.
Building a house from scratch would be too troublesome, but with so many houses, how should she choose?
The fire burned for three to four hours before extinguishing, leaving the shore dark.
Lu Qiming didn’t care, as the rising tide would naturally wash it away.
He walked behind Jiang Miaomiao, who was still struggling with the housing situation, and she didn’t notice his arrival.
Looking at her distressed little face, he suddenly wanted to scare her a little, so he imitated the appearance of a zombie, growling and lunging towards her back.
Jiang Miaomiao was indeed frightened, and her scream pierced through the sky. She immediately raised the dog and smashed it at him, using Jiang Rourou’s chubby butt to completely overpower him, a nearly six feet tall giant.
“Woof, woof!”
Jiang Rourou recognized his smell first and barked loudly.
She finally realized who he was, panting heavily.
“How come it’s you? I thought…”
Lu Qiming couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “I wanted to scare you, but ended up scaring myself instead.”
Even the zombies would be afraid of you, so vicious.
She suddenly understood and crossed her arms, saying, “Oh, I see. You wanted to scare me, serves you right! Rourou, go and give him a couple of bites.”
Of course, Jiang Rourou didn’t bite anyone. She stood between the two wagging her tail, eager to go to their new home.
After a busy day, the sun was setting, and the golden-red evening glow colored the sky and the sea, even the air had a tinge of red.
They were like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, with no one else, only each other.
Lu Qiming rubbed his sore nose from being hit, and hooked his arm around her shoulder.
“Let’s go, let’s go home!”
The two of them, along with the dog, walked towards the houses and started choosing.
The houses had a similar structure, small two-story buildings with two or three bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and bathroom, everything they needed.
After looking at many houses, Jiang Miaomiao finally chose one located next to the restaurant.
The reason was simple—the carpet in that house looked beautiful, embroidered with pink flowers, stepping on it felt like walking in a rose garden.
Moreover, there were relatively fewer bloodstains, so it seemed cleaner.
It was already late, and the island’s power system was damaged, so there was no electricity.
So, for now, they didn’t do anything else, just had some military rations to fill their stomachs, casually freshened up, and prepared to sleep.
This house had three bedrooms—one downstairs and two upstairs.
Standing at the wooden stairs, Jiang Miaomiao asked, “How are we going to sleep?”
Lu Qiming looked puzzled, “How to sleep?”
“Yes, should we sleep in one room, or like before, each in a separate room? Although I’m a little scared in this new place, if you want to sleep on your own, it’s okay with me too.”
Lu Qiming thought for a moment, then without saying a word, he lifted her onto his shoulder and headed straight for the master bedroom upstairs.
Jiang Rourou followed behind, ready to enter the room.
The door closed right in front of its nose, keeping it outside.
It stood there all alone, wagging its tail, but soon heard laughter from inside the room. Its eyes filled with longing as it scratched at the door with its paw.
Unfortunately, the door remained closed, and after standing there for a while, it got bored and turned around to find a corner to curl up in.
Inside the room, Jiang Miaomiao struggled to crawl out from under Lu Qiming’s body.
“Move aside, you’re so heavy, you’re crushing me.”
He asked, “Are you still talking about sleeping separately?”
“Didn’t you insist on sleeping in separate rooms before? Only you could bring it up, but I couldn’t?”
Lu Qiming sounded confident, “That was before, now it’s different.”
“What’s the difference?”
“The difference is…”
He leaned closer to her, smiling brightly, his eyes shining.
“I can’t live without you now.”
Jiang Miaomiao’s cheeks turned hot, and she pushed him away, sitting up.
“I’ll check on Rourou, it’s afraid to sleep alone, we should let it come in.”
“Come back.”
Lu Qiming extended his long arm and pulled her back to where she was, holding her dominantly.
“No, you’re not going, I’m also afraid to sleep alone. If you leave, I’ll cry.”
“You cry? If you have the guts, then cry.”
Almost fifty years old, and he’s still acting like a child, shameless!
He really covered his face and cried, rolling all over the bed, his long legs even kicked the pillow away.
“Wuwuwu, Miaomiao loves the dog but not me, I’m so sad, wuwuwu…”
After rolling a circle, Lu Qiming returned to her side, resting his chin on her chest and blinked his eyes, saying:
“You have to comfort me, or else I won’t get up.”
“…”
“I won’t eat, drink, or sleep.”
“…”
“If you don’t speak, I’ll pluck all the hair off that dog and turn it into a bald donkey.”
Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t stand it anymore, “Honestly, did they inject you with tuberculosis?”
“Tuberculosis?”
“Causing you to have meningitis.”
Turning him into a fool.
Lu Qiming stared at her with a puffed-up look, just like a pufferfish.
She chuckled and messed up his hair, then her right hand reached down to his waist.
Lu Qiming defensively held his pants up.
“What are you doing?”
“If you won’t let me go out and I can’t sleep, then let’s do something else.”
He was completely recovered, both of them were well-fed, well-rested, and in a safe environment, making it the perfect time for some intimate moments.
Jiang Miaomiao thought it was only natural, but Lu Qiming shook his head.
“No, we can’t.”
She looked concerned, “Is it really gone down there?”
What to do? Where did it go? How do you find it and put it back?
Lu Qiming raised his hand and thumped his own head.
“You really hope I become a eunuch?”
“You haven’t lost it?”
“Of course not!”
“Then why won’t you…”
He said seriously, “I’m afraid of infecting you.”
Jiang Miaomiao thought about it and realized there might be a possibility.
In the original text, there were indeed a few cases of humans getting infected by coming into contact with zombie saliva, but the number was very small, almost negligible.
As for infection through sexual contact, it shouldn’t be possible. After all, with the appearance of zombies, except for necrophiliacs, normal people wouldn’t dare to do anything with them.
However, Lu Qiming’s current state is just being suppressed by the vaccine, and he is still in an infected state, equivalent to a zombie.
If they have close contact, it’s possible that he might actually infect her.
Though he still has some vaccines on hand, there are only nine doses in total, which is not enough even for Lu Qiming alone, let alone adding her to the equation. It would be even more troublesome.
After all their efforts to escape, they still can’t do anything. Sigh.
Thinking about this, she couldn’t help but sigh.
Lu Qiming kissed her cheek, saying, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” She pulled back her hand and hugged him quietly. “Let’s go to sleep.”
They had been busy all day, and there were many things to do tomorrow.
Lu Qiming’s body was struggling with the two drugs, consuming a lot of energy. Upon hearing her words, he closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.
Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t fall asleep, so after he fell asleep, she quietly opened the door and brought Jiang Rourou inside as well.
The chubby dog curled up under the bed, finally feeling at ease.
Jiang Miaomiao lay on the bed, one foot resting on Lu Qiming and the other on the dog, as if she were an empress with a king on each side, feeling happy and satisfied.
The night on the island was very quiet, with only the sound of waves crashing against the rocks.
The first night quickly passed.
In the morning, sunlight streamed in from the window, passing through the floral lace curtains and falling on Jiang Miaomiao’s face.
She opened her eyes and stared at the unfamiliar room for a moment before remembering that they had left the icy shelter and come to a safe little island.
Phew, that’s nice.
Jiang Miaomiao took a deep breath, stretched out a big yawn, and hugged the pillow, wanting to sleep a bit more.
The person beside her was also awake and crawled over to kiss her on the nose.
She waved her hand weakly, “Don’t mess around, it’s dirty, I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I do.”
“Is that so?”
The next moment, Lu Qiming blew air on her nose.
Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t help but feel defeated. She covered her face with the pillow, and her voice came from underneath.
“If you have so much energy, go for a run, run ten or eight laps and then come back, don’t bother me, okay?”
She was wearing a big T-shirt she had randomly picked from the wardrobe last night, not wearing pants.
When she raised her hand, the shirt rose along with it, revealing her fair legs and slim waist.
The underwear was light pink pure cotton with a lace border, looking very cute.
Lu Qiming pinched her waist and made a disgusted expression.
“You’re really skinny.”
Clearly, everyone ate about the same amount, but they didn’t gain any weight. Who knows where it was all going?
Jiang Miaomiao pulled her shirt back down and hummed, “Pervert.”
“This is considered being a pervert? Come on, feel it.”
Lu Qiming grabbed her hand and slid it into his clothes.
Her fingertips touched his smooth and healthy skin, and his muscles were elastic and fascinating to touch.
Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t help but move the pillow away and opened her eyes to look at him.
He smiled faintly, took off his shirt, and revealed his nearly perfect physique to her. He lifted his chin and said boldly:
“Feel free to be a pervert with me.”
So arrogant, he thought she wouldn’t dare?
If she couldn’t have it, then she’d touch it enough.
Jiang Miaomiao pounced on him like a fierce tiger and pressed him down on the bed. As she was about to get frisky, they heard a panting sound from above.
Both of them looked up in confusion, and they saw Jiang Rourou sitting at the edge of the bed, watching them. The dog’s mouth curved into a brilliant smile, and its white fur glowed in the sunlight.
Lu Qiming rolled his eyes.
Jiang Miaomiao let go of him and ran over to pamper her beloved dog.
“Rourou, you’re awake. Good morning.”
Jiang Rourou licked her face, and she didn’t mind at all. She laughed heartily.
Lu Qiming compared his treatment with Jiang Rourou’s and felt extremely aggrieved. He dutifully put on his clothes and went downstairs.
The island originally had a tap water system that filtered water from the lake and supplied it to the houses.
But the system was damaged, and the taps were dry.
So Lu Qiming took two buckets and went to the lake to fetch water.
Many pieces of furniture in the house were covered in dust, so he found some rags and a mop to start cleaning.
After over an hour, he had finished cleaning the living room and kitchen and was ready to wipe the stairs.
Jiang Miaomiao came down yawning and saw him staring blankly.
“You’ve started working? I thought you went for a run for real. Why didn’t you call me?”
Lu Qiming said, “Who would call a pig to work.”
“…Go to hell, give me a cloth.”
He shook his head.
“If you have nothing to do, just make breakfast. I’ll be done soon.”
“Fine.”
Jiang Miaomiao patted the dog’s head. “Rourou, let’s cook.”
Together, they ran to the kitchen, and Lu Qiming watched her happily from behind, feeling warm inside.
The kitchen was equipped with a stove and pots, and the fuel for the stove came from the gas distributed uniformly on the island.
Since the gas pipes were buried underground, they were still functional, and the stove ignited with ease.
There were many condiments in the cabinets, such as olive oil, black pepper, salt, etc., all with long shelf lives, so they were still good to use.
Jiang Miaomiao rummaged through the cabinets and found several bags of flour and a sack of potatoes.
The potatoes had all sprouted, and their leaves were bigger than spinach. They couldn’t be eaten.
She decided to keep them and plant them in the yard when she had time to focus on dealing with the flour.
So far, the only type of dough she was somewhat skilled at making was pancakes. In half an hour, she made seven or eight plain pancakes and paired them with the curry sauce from the military rations, giving the breakfast an Indian flavor.
After having a full meal, both of them held a cup of beverage and discussed the tasks they needed to do.
Having moved to several new homes in a row, they had become quite adept at these tasks and quickly set their goals.
First, they needed to collect supplies.
Although the entire island belonged to them now, having the food right in front of them would be more reassuring. They decided to gather all the edible and usable items and store them together.
If any category was insufficient, they would have to figure out a way to supplement it.
Secondly, they needed to filter drinking water.
The underground water from the freshwater lake did not circulate and mainly came from rainwater accumulation, so there might be bacteria and microorganisms in it.
Without a doctor nearby, drinking contaminated water could lead to diarrhea or infection and potentially be life-threatening.
Finally, they wanted to enjoy life.
With such beautiful scenery around them, not taking the time to appreciate it would be a waste.
After finishing their drinks, they set off with high spirits.
Their first target was the warehouse set up by the island’s government.
Based on the information Lu Qiming had heard during his previous travels, a supply ship arrived at the island every two weeks, bringing food that the island lacked, such as beef, milk, rice, and fruits.
The warehouse was always fully stocked and had someone to manage it. However, the person in charge had turned into a zombie, and their ashes were scattered into the sea. The warehouse’s large door was locked, and the key was nowhere to be found.
Lu Qiming brought an axe and swung it fiercely at the large lock on the door. However, apart from sparks flying and his hand going numb, it had no effect.
Jiang Miaomiao circled around the warehouse and found a ventilation opening, so she called him over.
Together, they pried open the iron bars on the ventilation opening and crawled in with joint effort. They were nearly suffocated by the toxic gas generated by the rotting food inside.
The air choked them, and Lu Qiming took off his shirt and tore it in half to use it as a mask.
Narrowing their eyes, they searched inside. From piles of dried food debris, they found a dozen boxes of drinks, dozens of bags of rice, along with many rolls of paper, towels, clothes, blankets, and other daily necessities imported from outside the island.
Since the main door couldn’t be opened and the ventilation opening was small, they dismantled the boxes and bags, sending everything out bit by bit.
After sending about a third of the supplies outside, they estimated it would be enough for some time. They quickly escaped and sat on the ground, breathing in fresh air.
Jiang Miaomiao touched the nearby supplies, her heart filled with joy.
After resting for a few minutes, Lu Qiming found a handcart and transported the items they collected to the new home they selected yesterday, stacking them in unused rooms.
They continued their work, and the next stop was the hospital.
Countless previous injuries had taught them the value of medication, especially common drugs for cold, fever, and inflammation. They wished they could carry them around all the time.
With the small population on the island, the hospital was also small, equivalent to a rural clinic.
It had only two floors, four patient rooms, four offices, a row of intravenous drip units, and a very small storage room.
After the zombie outbreak, islanders probably instinctively ran to the hospital for help from doctors, making it the place with the most tragic scenes. The walls were covered with large areas of black bloodstains, resembling a postmodern art painting.
They headed straight to the storage room. Lu Qiming kicked open the locked door, revealing many medicines on the shelves.
As Jiang Miaomiao started to take out the medicines from the bags, she was bewildered when she saw that the names on the medicine boxes were all in English, and many words were unfamiliar to her.
She struggled to understand the Level 4 English.
Lu Qiming, who had worked abroad for many years, proudly puffed out his chest.
“Give me a hand here, little illiterate.”
She retorted, “And you call yourself a physical education major?”
“What’s wrong with being a physical education major? You don’t know how difficult it was to get into college decades ago. Those who could pass the entrance exams were exceptional.”
“Tch, you’re just bragging.”
Jiang Miaomiao said her piece but obediently followed his instructions, putting the needed medicines into the bag.
She caught sight of a box on the nearby shelf that seemed familiar and picked it up, shaking it lightly.
“What’s this?”
Lu Qiming glanced over, then quickly looked away, speaking in a rapid pace.
Jiang Miaomiao didn’t catch it, “What?”
He cleared his throat awkwardly and repeated his words.
“Emergency contraceptive pills.”
“Really?”
As she had irregular menstrual periods, she had heard that such pills could regulate the menstrual cycle, so she decided to give them a try. She threw several boxes into the bag. Lu Qiming suddenly widened his eyes but was too embarrassed to ask, so he pretended not to have seen anything.
They took hundreds of boxes of various medicines, along with bags filled with alcohol, disinfectant cotton, gauze, and more.
Returning home, they passed by the entrance of a church and curiously went inside to take a look.
In the spacious hall, a painting of Jesus hung on the wall with ten rows of seats in front of it. The predominantly white architecture gave a feeling of sanctity.
Jiang Miaomiao turned her face to ask, “Do you believe in gods?”
Lu Qiming shook his head.
“Why not?”
“If there were gods, how could they allow their believers to die one by one?”
He finished speaking and asked with a lowered head, “Do you believe?”
She smiled and said, “I don’t believe in gods, but I believe in fate.”
It was fate that brought them together.
Before meeting him, she was just an ordinary young person. But after meeting him, her whole world lit up, becoming meaningful and full of purpose.
“Let’s go, time to make lunch.”
Jiang Miaomiao held Lu Qiming’s hand and walked through the empty streets, returning to their beautiful new home.
With rice on hand, they could cook rice.
Lu Qiming went to the cultivated area and dug up a few potatoes and tomatoes, cut them into pieces, and cooked them with the rice.
An hour later, a pot of delicious vegetable rice was ready.
The rice was dyed red from the tomatoes, adorned with green parsley leaves, making it look quite appealing.
The taste of the potatoes was also delicious, and Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t wait to scoop a spoonful into her mouth, giving a satisfied thumbs-up.
“So delicious!”
“Really?”
“Yeah! Don’t you think it looks just like seafood rice you’d find in a restaurant? It’s a pity we don’t have any seafood.”
Lu Qiming asked, “What are you trying to imply?”
She smiled shyly, “We are by the sea now, and the people on this island relied on seafood for a living, so you see…”
Lu Qiming replied without expression, “All those ashes have been scattered into the sea.”
“It’s fine, the sea is so vast, and such a small amount won’t poison anyone.”
“The fish in the sea eat the zombies’ remains. You might end up eating a finger bone from inside a fish’s belly.”
“…”
“Some smaller fish use the zombies’ remains as their nests and swim around in their intestines.”
“…”
“Lobsters love to eat animal corpses. When they encounter zombies, they probably swim over for a feast. Are you sure you want to eat such seafood?”
Lu Qiming’s description made Jiang Miaomiao feel like throwing up. Her face turned pale, and she surrendered.
“Alright, alright, I’ll just stick to eating potatoes.”
Lu Qiming couldn’t help but chuckle, “But I think we can still try some shellfish. They mainly eat seaweed and microorganisms. How about we go check the reefs this afternoon?”
Shellfish! Jiang Miaomiao loved oysters, scallops, and clams.
Today, they found a few packs of vermicelli in the warehouse, so they might be able to make steamed vermicelli with scallops for dinner.
They hastened their eating pace, and after finishing the pot of rice stew, they rummaged through the house to find fishing baskets, rubber shoes, and water buckets, then headed to the nearby coastline.
As they had burned the bodies near the pier yesterday, they deliberately chose another direction far from that area.
The shoreline was filled with huge dark-colored reefs covered in moss, looking furry.
As for the shellfish, a quick glance showed that there wasn’t a single one in sight.
Jiang Miaomiao had never lived by the sea before, so she was a bit skeptical.
“Are you sure there are shellfish in this place? Don’t we need to go underwater to catch them?”
Lu Qiming threw the rubber shoes to her and walked barefoot towards the reefs.
“Just wait and see.”
Seeing this, Jiang Miaomiao quickly changed her shoes and ran over.
From behind came the panting sound, and when she turned her head, she saw Jiang Rou Rou following them.
“Rou Rou, go back, don’t come over.”
The waves here were strong, and it was foolish for her dog to come here. If a big wave took it away, she wouldn’t have anywhere to cry.
However, Jiang Rou Rou refused to go back, persistently running over, and its paws stepped into the water.
Jiang Miaomiao was about to go and pick it up, but she saw it dive into the water and start swimming, expertly paddling with a doggy paddle better than she could.
…Okay, it has this skill too, almost forgot about its hidden talents.
Feeling relieved, Jiang Miaomiao walked towards Lu Qiming, who was already squatting on a massive reef, looking for shellfish.
“Hey, is this one?”
She caught sight of a round, dark object, picked it up, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a small stone. She disappointedly tossed it back into the water.
“Are you stupid? The shells are attached to the stones. How can you expect to find them on the ground?”
Lu Qiming turned around and openly mocked her.
She sneered, “Don’t laugh at me. Have you found anything after searching for so long? You’re just as clueless as I am.”
“Why the rush? I’ll find one soon.”
Lu Qiming continued searching, not leaving any crevice unexamined. Soon enough, he did find one and held it up, shaking it in his hand.
“Guess what this is.”
Jiang Miaomiao went over to take a look but slipped on her feet, tumbling over and hitting her tailbone on the stone, which made her tear up from the pain.
Lu Qiming hurriedly came over to help her up.
“Are you okay?”
She took off her rubber shoes and threw them far away.
“These shoes are terrible! They’re not slip-resistant at all.”
“Did you get injured? Shall we go back and apply some medicine?”
She shook her head, her attention still on what he had in his hand.
“What did you find? Let me see.”
Lu Qiming handed her a dark object that, at first glance, looked like a stone. However, upon closer inspection, she noticed a seam in the middle and an uneven surface.
Based on Jiang Miaomiao’s years of experience with barbecue, she judged that it was an oyster.
Lu Qiming found a piece of stone and smashed it hard against the oyster.
The hard shell cracked open, revealing the succulent and tender meat inside.
Oh, it was indeed an oyster!
One oyster was not enough. She wanted to find more.
Jiang Miaomiao stood up like she was injected with chicken blood, climbed the reef barefoot, determined to scour this place clean of shellfish.
However, the shellfish seemed to have a grudge against her. Despite searching for a long time and turning her feet green with algae, she found nothing.
Lu Qiming found another one and proudly showed it to her.
“Do you think I resemble a great father?”
“Father?”
“Earning money with my own hands, bringing back food, feeding my silly daughter who can’t take care of herself, and also feeding my greedy dog.”
“Stop being so full of yourself. Who knows who’s feeding whom?”
Jiang Miaomiao rallied her spirits and continued her search.
Suddenly, a wet and dripping black nose nudged her hand, and Jiang Rou Rou’s fur was completely soaked. It opened its mouth, dropping a small scallop.
“Lu Qiming, look! Rou Rou found it!”
She excitedly held it up, but he glanced at it and showed disdain.
“It’s so small. Can it even fill a tooth gap?”
Jiang Rou Rou turned its head and dipped into the water. After a while, it came back, holding a large oyster almost the size of a palm.
“Lu Qiming, look at this! It’s so amazing!”
Lu Qiming looked at the small crab in his hand, feeling a bit defeated. He threw it back into the water and continued searching.
Jiang Rou Rou showed its true abilities and brought back several items. Oysters, scallops, conch, and even a large lobster.
The lobster was fierce and had even injured its own mouth trying to snap at something.
It put the lobster in front of Jiang Miaomiao, grinning widely.
“Ah, my good Rou Rou…”
Jiang Miaomiao was moved and happy, hugging it and patting its head.
“You don’t need to search anymore, go and play. We’ll handle the rest.”
It wagged its tail and ran to the beach to dig holes and play.
Jiang Miaomiao carried the almost full water bucket and approached Lu Qiming. She glanced at his pitiful harvest, bumped his shoulder, and teased him.
“A great father? If your daughter only relies on you for food, she might starve to death.”
How could Lu Qiming bear such humiliation?
He stood up and said, “Just wait and see.”
Then he jumped into the water and swam away with agility.
Jiang Miaomiao shrugged and continued to search for shells.
Time passed quickly, and in the evening, everyone returned from work. Jiang Miaomiao filled both buckets, while Lu Qiming was covered in grains of sand and salt.
Back at the house, he took a towel and went to the lake to wash.
Jiang Miaomiao rinsed her feet with water and walked around the kitchen in flip-flops that belonged to the former owner (size 46), preparing dinner.
There were too many shellfish to finish in one meal.
She picked out some and kept the rest in the buckets.
Dinner consisted of three dishes: Black pepper vermicelli steamed with scallops, tomato and conch soup, and pan-fried lobster.
She had never made these dishes before, but due to the freshness of the ingredients and simple preparation, they surprisingly turned out delicious.
She took out beautiful plates from the cabinet and served the dishes on the table.
Jiang Miaomiao uncovered another pot, and the rice inside was perfectly cooked.
“Rou Rou, Lu Qiming, it’s time to eat.”
She called several times, but no one answered. She went to the second-floor window and looked towards the lake.
Under the beautiful sunset, her man and dog were slowly making their way home, strolling on the lush green lawn.
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