After storing all the food in various storage boxes, Lin Yuan stretched his limbs after placing the last can.
Finally done, so tired. I should check on Wu Tian.
He poked his head out the window. The sun was about to set.
He had given Wu Tian a walkie-talkie when they first got them. This model was USB rechargeable, with a battery and charging cradle. He saw it plugged into the cradle, nearly fully charged.
The manual also stated that the walkie-talkie could standby for fifteen days, and with his solar power bank, it would last a very long time.
He turned on the walkie-talkie and called Wu Tian.
"Calling Old Wu, calling Old Wu, respond if you receive."
"Done. Is the meat ready? And what about that replica gun, how much power does it have?"
"The meat is all cut and marinating in the basin. I used 12 packets of salt. It's so wasteful of salt, thankfully there are only three of us. Those guns don't have much power, but the craftsmanship is pretty good. The water beads don't really feel like anything when they hit you. However, we can use a few of the guns to practice shooting stances and stability. We can even practice accuracy to some extent, but it won't be very effective, as there's no recoil."
As long as it's useful, Lin Yuan didn't really want these finely crafted guns to become mere toys. After all, boys were naturally interested in firearms, and in 20 days, there would be official airdropped weapons, which should include real guns.
As long as it's useful, Lin Yuan didn't really want these finely crafted guns to become mere toys. After all, boys were naturally interested in firearms, and in 20 days, there would be official airdropped weapons, which should include real guns.
He then remembered Wu Tian had a barbecue grill, so he said,
"That's great! Starting tomorrow, we can practice on the rooftop in the morning and evening. Are you finished with your work? How about we go to the rooftop to grill fish?"
"Oh yeah, I still have two of the fish you gave me. I'll be right there. I've finished my tasks. Just wait for me on the rooftop of our building."
Receiving his reply, Lin Yuan, carrying the cat and the radio, and with a watermelon in hand, went upstairs.
He only brought his kitchen knife as a weapon, and he had cleaned it before the water supply was cut off. Weapons needed maintenance, but he unfortunately didn't have a scabbard. He'd have to make a leather one when he had time tomorrow.
Looking at the dark stairwell, he still felt a little uneasy, fearing that a zombie might sneak up on him without him knowing. He really needed to find a way to block it, or at least build a door instead of leaving it open.
Upon reaching the rooftop, he put down his weapon and immediately rushed to check on the drying meat.
He held back the cat, which kept poking its head out, and touched the hung jerky. The surface was quite dry, but this kind of jerky wouldn't last long. He needed to dry it for a few more days.
Lin Yuan didn't plan to take the meat back tonight; it was too difficult to transport, and the air at home wasn't as circulating as on the rooftop. As for it being eaten by birds or getting dew on it, that was beyond his control. If it came to that, he could only say it was fate.
While Lin Yuan was checking the meat, Wu Tian had already come up with Wu Mengyao. She had also come to terms with it. With the apocalypse, keeping Wu Mengyao locked up at home wasn't feasible. So, she brought her out, letting her experience things firsthand and accumulate experience.
The walkie-talkie clipped to his chest suddenly crackled to life.
"Lin Yuan, we've arrived. Come quickly and help."
He turned around and saw Wu Tian waving from the rooftop opposite. Without further delay, he scooped up the cat, which was trying to climb up to eat the meat, and headed over.
Only the cat shed tears of despair, with delicious food so close yet unattainable.
"Why did you bring a watermelon too? Can we finish it tonight?" Lin Yuan asked, looking at the watermelon placed beside Wu Tian's feet.
"We can finish it. How much do we eat now? Two fish and two watermelons are easily managed."
Indeed, they could eat a lot right now. "Alright then, I'll start the fire."
He grabbed a small stool, sat down, and began to arrange the charcoal. If he had solid fuel tablets, it wouldn't be this much trouble; he could just light the tablets and toss in the charcoal.
Beside him, Wu Tian was still preparing the fish. The fish, already scored with criss-cross cuts, were placed in foil packets along with a pile of seasonings, easily perishable vegetables like green peppers and bok choy, and finally, the soul-stirring kimchi placed inside the fish's cavity. Not a drop of water was added before they were placed on the fire to roast.
As the aroma of the grilled fish gradually spread, and listening to the roars of zombies from below and outside, both of them moved their stools closer.
At this moment, the setting sun was slowly descending, painting half the sky with a breathtaking red.
"If there were no zombies, no all of this, I might have met you in the neighborhood, exclaimed something like, 'Damn, a beauty,' and then we'd go our separate ways. Instead of now, where we fight zombies in the building during the day, and I even killed someone, then sit together at night grilling fish on the rooftop," Lin Yuan spoke first, his voice trembling slightly, his hands rubbing together as if he were cold.
Wu Tian chuckled upon hearing this, then fell silent, gazing at the sunset, her eyes filled with the colors of the evening sky.
"Yes, if there were no zombies, everything should have been fine. My mother wouldn't have been bitten by a zombie protecting me and my sister, and then pushed off the building by my own hand. I should have been exploring the Gobi Desert, the snowy mountains, or sheer cliffs, not almost causing my sister's death again, and now watching the sunset in this helpless state."
No one spoke. A sound of sobbing erupted nearby. Lin Yuan, whose eyes had been welling up, quickly held back his tears and looked at Wu Tian.
"Why are you crying? Don't cry. Did I say something wrong? If you cry so loudly, you'll attract the zombies! How will you survive with me if you cry like this?" Lin Yuan was terrible at comforting crying girls and felt flustered.
Fortunately, hearing that it might attract zombies, Wu Tian's crying suddenly subsided, only whimpers remaining. She quickly wiped her tears away.
"Lin Yuan, you jerk! Do you even know how to comfort someone? Why are your eyes red? You're a grown man, and you're crying! How are you going to have my back in life-and-death situations like this?"
Tsk, this woman was starting to throw a tantrum!
"Hey, what are you saying? It's like I've ever backed down! What's wrong with men crying? Does painting my gun pink mean I can't kill people? Haven't you heard, the pinker the color, the more killing..." What are you looking at?
Lin Yuan, who was about to argue with Wu Tian, suddenly realized something was wrong. Wu Tian was staring blankly behind him, not listening to anything he was saying.
Following Wu Tian's gaze, he saw Wu Mengyao holding the Siamese cat and gnawing on the jerky. Her expression of enjoyment was something that couldn't be learned without years of experience as a cat master.
A surge of anger instantly welled up in his chest. He wanted to shout but was afraid of attracting zombies with the noise, so he suppressed it and stomped over to grab the cat, which was still happily munching on the jerky.
"Meow! (I'm not done eating!)"
After a period of chaos, things finally calmed down. The cat was ruthlessly subdued, but its gluttonous nature couldn't be changed. It was held on his lap and spanked, still chewing on jerky.
Meanwhile, Wu Tian was educating Wu Mengyao by pointing at her head. Lin Yuan eventually stepped in to save the day.
The little girl, wearing a mask, hid in a corner, drawing circles by herself.
"Wuu wuu wuu, I only took the cat because it was pulling my clothes. I thought it wanted to play with me. And my sister also had meat. I was thinking of compensating Lin Yuan gege later. I wasn't wasting food, wuu wuu~"
"You're still talking!" Wu Tian made a move to hit her. Lin Yuan quickly stopped her, not noticing that the girl's forehead was already red from her pointing. He turned to Wu Mengyao and said,
"Sister Mengyao, it's not that Lin Yuan gege doesn't want to give the cat anything to eat, but this jerky is meant to be preserved as food. We need to eat the food that spoils easily first, then we can eat this jerky, understand? And it's not like before. We don't eat whatever the cat eats. It's not good if in the end, we become thin and the cat becomes fat. Our own survival is the most important thing, understand?"
Although the little girl was more mature than her peers, she still had a girlish heart. Having not experienced much, she wanted to play with the cute cat. Although she also thought about compensating Lin Yuan with her own jerky, it was ultimately not a good thing in the apocalypse.
What children lack is proper education. Making mistakes is not scary; what's scary is not correcting them. Therefore, the most important thing in education is to let children know what is right and what is wrong.
Fortunately, Wu Mengyao was quite sensible. She moved her small stool closer, and the cat also jumped from Wu Tian's arms to hers.
Lin Yuan looked at Wu Tian. Wu Tian waved her hand, "It's fine. I brought the spray and a lint roller. We'll clean it up later."
Wu Mengyao, with her big eyes wide open, looked at Lin Yuan. "Lin Yuan gege, I'm actually not a disobedient bad child. I just wanted to play with the cat. I didn't expect it to want to eat the meat. If you're still angry, how about I give my sister to you instead?!"
Wu Tian: !!!
Lin Yuan: ...
Big sister, I seriously suspect you have ulterior motives. Come, let's go to the police station. Confess and be lenient; resist and be severely punished.
"Alright, alright, look at you. Your sister doesn't know how to find a man! Hurry up and eat your fish!"
Lin Yuan also gave a dry chuckle and chimed in, "Ah, yes, yes, yes. The fish is ready too. Let's eat, let's eat."