Chapter 57

"This... this... where did this rice come from? And where did the wild boar go?" Cheng Zhiyu's father stammered in shock.

Cheng Zhiyu suddenly remembered he had forgotten to explain: "I have a storage space that keeps things fresh. Leaving rice outside makes it spoil faster, so I freed up the space to store the pork."

"Storage space?" Cheng Zhiyu's father came to his senses, recalling that such an ability indeed existed—he had heard about it before.

His expression instantly turned serious. "Zhi Yu, don't tell anyone about this, understand? It could be dangerous if bad people find out."

Cheng Zhiyu found it amusing how his father was lecturing him like a child, but he still responded earnestly, "I understand."

Seeing that his son had taken it seriously, Cheng Zhiyu's father breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the way, do you need to free up more space in your storage? Is it full?" Tian's mother caught the key point.

Cheng Zhiyu nodded. "Yes, my space isn’t very big—only 40 cubic meters—and it’s full."

At this, Cheng Zhiyu could only hope the next plant would mature quickly so his storage space could expand.

40 cubic meters?! And that’s not big? That’s equivalent to a small warehouse.

And it’s completely full?

Cheng Zhiyu smiled. "Most of it is food, so there’s no need for you and Dad to skimp anymore."

Cheng Zhiyu's father and mother felt a mix of emotions. They gritted their teeth, and made the cuts larger. With food and drink available, it would be foolish to keep starving themselves just to save.

Tian Qiao asked Tian's mother where his father was, saying he would go find him. Tian's mother stayed behind to help with cooking. With nearly 100 kilograms of meat, even just cutting it was a task.

Fortunately, there were helpers. Tian Manman used a kitchen knife, cutting the meat into chunks as effortlessly as cutting tofu.

Then he moved on to slicing it into thinner pieces.

Sun Yu could cook too and silently worked alongside Cheng Zhiyan to prepare the ingredients.

Seeing her brother return, Cheng Zhiyan felt much more relaxed and became chatty again, chattering to Sun Yu. "Sis, you’re my brother’s friend, right?"

Sun Yu frowned slightly. She disliked men, but still replied, "Yeah, something like that."

"Ah, then my brother must have ran into a lot of danger on his way back, right?" Cheng Zhiyan sighed. "How could it be safe out there?"

Sun Yu didn’t know what to say and simply replied, "He made it back safe."

"True." Cheng Zhiyan smiled again, brightly. "My brother is amazing! It’s a good thing he has friends like you all!"

Sun Yu wasn't sure they were friends. She hadn’t known Cheng Zhiyu and the others for long, and besides... she was planning to leave. Yet, she felt uncertain, unsure of where to go.

Cheng Zhiyan didn’t notice her change in mood. She cleared her throat, and asked Sun Yu, "So, um... are my brother and Cheng Mo really good friends?"

Sun Yu didn’t quite understand what she meant but thought for a moment and nodded. "Well, they’re always together every day."

Cheng Zhiyan: "!"

The gift from Cheng Mo had given her suddenly felt a little awkward. Should she have accepted it? Maybe she should ask her brother about it later.

Cheng Zhiyu didn't know what his sister was thinking. He was busy working, with Cheng Mo helping him out.

Zhou Min saw this and tactfully went to help Tian Manman with cutting the meat.

The wild boar needed to be marinated properly since, unlike domestic pigs, it hadn’t been castrated and had a gamy smell.

The meat of mutant beasts wasn’t as tender as that of ordinary animals either, so it required careful preparation.

They decided to make two dishes: one would be sliced meat soup, marinated with starch, cooking oil, and various seasonings to make it tender and smooth.

The other would be pork and vermicelli stew. Cheng Zhiyu still had plenty of vermicelli in his storage.

The pork stew would need to simmer for a long time to become soft and tender.

Meanwhile, Tian Qiao went to find his father. Having grown up here, he knew exactly where to go based on his mother’s rough directions.

At that moment, Tian's father was fixing a roof. The homeowner was a Superhuman, and their roof was leaking. Though he could have fixed it himself, he found it troublesome and figured it wouldn’t cost many contribution points to hire someone.

Tian's father and another worker were sweating heavily as they repaired the roof, too hot to talk. But the Superhuman living there wasn’t even willing to provide water, as it was now a precious resource.

"Ugh, working ourselves to the bone, and we barely earn any points. It’s not even enough to cover what we expend," the coworker complained.

Tian's father replied hoarsely, "It can't be helped..."

The coworker sighed. "After today, I’m not doing this anymore."

He smiled. "My daughter found a Superhuman boyfriend."

Tian's father, now worried about having to work alone, knew the job wasn’t worth the effort. But if someone had a chance at a better life, he couldn’t stand in their way.

The coworker, watching Tian's father work silently, felt sorry for him. "When will this kind of life ever end for you?"

Even though there was a Superhuman in the family—Cheng Zhiyan—she wasn’t his biological daughter, so it wasn’t the same.

Tian's father sensed the pity in the other man’s tone and felt bitter. Life was too hard in this damned apocalypse.

"My future son-in-law said he could find me easier work, something that doesn’t require suffering like this," the coworker said, pulling out half a bottle of water and taking a careful sip. His throat instantly felt better.

It wasn’t that he was complaining, but the weather was bizarre—probably over 40 degrees Celsius. Fortunately, since the apocalypse began, regular people's bodies had improved, or else they might have died from heatstroke.

Even if it wouldn’t kill them now, it was still far from comfortable.

After taking a sip, he carefully screwed the cap back on and tucked the bottle into his clothes. He asked Tian's father, "Didn’t you bring any water?"

Tian's father shook his head. "I’ll drink when I get back."

He was used to being frugal and avoided drinking water unless absolutely necessary. Besides, the work would be finished soon.

The coworker took another sip but didn’t feel much better. He didn’t drink any more, saving it for when he was truly parched. The two fell silent and continued working.

Just then, a voice called out from afar: "Dad!"

Tian's father froze, muttering, "That voice... it sounds just like my son."

The coworker laughed. "Missing your son so much you’re hearing things?"

Tian's father shook his head. He really must be hallucinating.

Then he heard someone call again: "Dad, why aren’t you answering? I’ve called you several times!"

Tian's father looked down and saw his son standing in the yard. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming. In his excitement, he almost fell off the roof. "Xiao Qiao! Son! Is it really you?"

The coworker was astonished. Wasn’t Old Tian’s son in City A? He actually made it back?

"Dad, don't get so worked up," Tian Qiao said, startled, quickly climbing onto the roof.

Seeing it was truly his son, Tian’s father’s eyes filled with tears: "It really is you! Your mom talks about you every day. She’d be overjoyed if she knew you were back!"

"Aw, why are you crying?" Tian Qiao scratched his head. "I just came from home and already saw Mom."

Tian’s father wiped his tears, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Tian Qiao said, "Let’s go back. There’s food at home—let’s go eat."

Tian’s father glanced at his fellow laborer, who waved him off: "Go on, go on. There’s not much left to do anyway. Your son’s back after so long—enjoy your reunion."

Tian Qiao quickly smiled and said, "Thanks, Uncle."

The fellow laborer waved back, inwardly amazed by Tian Qiao’s demeanor and guessing he must be a Superhuman. Just moments ago, he had felt sorry for Old Tian, but now his Superhuman son had returned.

He shook his head, thinking Old Tian probably wouldn’t be doing this kind of work anymore.

On the way home, Tian’s father still felt dazed, as if he were dreaming. One moment he’d been feeling bitter, and the next, his son had returned—it really did feel like a dream.

When they arrived home, the sensation intensified. As soon as they entered the yard, the rich aroma of cooking meat filled the air. Tian’s father couldn’t help but swallow hard—it smelled incredible. How long had it been since he’d smelled something like that? His dry throat felt less parched just from the saliva it produced.

Noticing how thirsty his father was, Tian Qiao quickly brought him a large cup of water.

"This…" Tian’s father hesitated, thinking water was too precious to drink so freely.

Tian Qiao understood his concern and said, "There’s plenty of water. Blackie has Water Power. Mom and the others just took baths."

To convince him, he even led his father inside—almost every water container was filled to the brim.

Convinced, Tian’s father took a big gulp and immediately felt better. He kept drinking until the cup was empty.

Tian Qiao watched, heart aching, and asked if he wanted more.

Tian’s father waved him off: "No more."

Though still thirsty, drinking any more would make his stomach uncomfortably full.

"Uncle Tian," Cheng Zhiyu approached. The meat was stewing in the kitchen, and there was nothing else to do.

Cheng Mo followed closely behind like a shadow.

Tian’s father broke into a happy smile: "Zhiyu, you’re back too? That’s wonderful, just wonderful!"

With the stew unattended, everyone had time to relax. Cheng Zhiyu paused, then pulled a watermelon from his spatial inventory. After Tian Qiao chilled it, they all shared it.

Grown in system space, the watermelon had an exceptionally thin rind and vibrant red, juicy flesh—it looked delicious.

Cheng’s father and the others took a bite, and the fresh, sweet flavor burst in their mouths, prompting them to take larger bites instinctively.

While they simply found it incredibly tasty, Cheng Zhiyan, as a Superhuman, could sense the dense energy within—it was clearly no ordinary watermelon.

She ate quietly without comment.

One watermelon wasn’t enough for so many people. Cheng Zhiyu brought out another, but Cheng’s mother hesitated, feeling they should save it.

Even before the apocalypse, they were frugal; afterward, thrift became second nature.

Cheng Zhiyu said, "Mom, I have plenty of watermelons in my space. Think of it as clearing some room."

Zhou Min added, "We eat watermelon every day."

The watermelons Cheng Zhiyu planted beside Little Yellow regenerated endlessly—one picked, another sprouted. There truly were endless supplies in his space.

"This…" Cheng’s mother hesitated. The apocalypse had deepened her caution—she always feared a day would come with nothing to eat.

After all, in the apocalypse, nothing could grow. As farmers, losing their livelihood had been devastating.

Then Cheng Zhiyu pulled out several items from his space to show her: "Ah, I forgot I had these. I’ll deal with them later."

The yard nearly overflowed, and Cheng’s mother couldn’t help but laugh: "Alright, alright, I believe you. No need to bring out any more."

Cheng’s father and the others were equally stunned—there was so much.

Cheng Zhiyu put everything away and said seriously, "I just want you to know—we’re back now. You don’t have to live as hard as before."

Tian Qiao agreed: "Yeah, what was the point of us rushing back if you’re still struggling?"

Cheng’s mother and the others felt their noses sting again. They secretly wiped their tears and smiled: "Okay, no more scrimping. Let’s eat!"

"But we can’t waste anything."

That was one rule they kept—no matter how much they had, they couldn’t bear to waste. They’d seen how hard others in the village suffered and couldn’t bring themselves to squander food.

Cheng Zhiyu smiled: "I know. Waste is a crime."

They cut another watermelon and finished it completely, leaving nothing behind.

As they chatted, listening to Cheng Zhiyu and the others recount their experiences, the yard filled with laughter and lively conversation.

Zhou Min joked: "The best decision I ever made was deciding to follow Brother Cheng. With him, I’ll never have to suffer hunger again."

Carried away, he tried to hug Cheng Zhiyu.

But Cheng Mo blocked him, his handsome face stern: "Talk if you want, but keep your hands to yourself. And what do you mean 'followed' Zhiyu? Did you fail language class?"

Zhou Min: "..." I didn’t mean it like that—you’re the one with a dirty mind!

He rolled his eyes secretly, then grinned at Cheng Mo: "You’re right, Blackie, haha."

Tian Qiao watched, amused, slapping his knee in laughter.

Tian Manman didn’t fully understand, but noted that Cheng Mo seemed to dislike others touching Cheng Zhiyu. Hmm… he made a mental note.

Sun Yu watched from the side. She had stayed somewhat apart, but now a faint smile curved her lips.

Cheng Zhiyu was exasperated and glared at Cheng Mo: "Stop picking on him."

Cheng Mo acted innocent, throwing his arms around Cheng Zhiyu and nuzzling him like an affectionate dog: "How am I picking on anyone?"

With his parents and elders watching, Cheng Zhiyu flushed, his expression stiff. He didn’t know whether to push Cheng Mo away or not.

Really, couldn’t Cheng Mo show more restraint in front of his parents?

Cheng’s mother and the others froze momentarily, exchanged glances, but remained silent.

Cheng Zhiyu shot Cheng Mo a sharp look and pinched his thigh hard.

Cheng Mo: With his thick skin, he barely felt it.

Fortunately, it was time to eat. The gamey taste of the boar meat was well masked by the seasonings, and the meat was stewed until tender and flavorful, falling off the bone with a single bite.

Cheng Zhiyan exclaimed: "It's delicious! I haven't had such a tasty meal in a long time!"

Zhou Min gave a thumbs-up; the meat was stewed by Cheng's mother: "Auntie, your cooking is amazing! By the way, are you still looking for a son?"

Cheng's mother was taken aback. It was just a meal—was it really that serious?

Cheng Zhiyu was speechless: "I'm still her biological son, you know."

Zhou Min, thick-skinned as ever, chuckled: "Well, do you need a younger brother then?"

Cheng Zhiyu and Cheng Mo said in unison: "No."

Zhou Min: "Alright, another day choked by their affection."

"Delicious," Tian Manman suddenly said, then lowered his head to take another bite of meat.

"Haha..." The others couldn't help but laugh: "Eat slowly, there are bones—don't choke."

Tian Manman: "Mhmm!"

He was truly a foodie in every sense of the word. Back then, these people had all been willing to follow him because of food.

Cheng Zhiyu glanced at Cheng Mo, who was also eating quickly, though his table manners remained elegant—after all, he had a model's face.

About 50 kilograms of meat were eventually polished off.

Although Cheng's parents were ordinary people, their appetites had grown significantly since the apocalypse. As for Cheng Zhiyu and the other Superhumans, it went without saying.

Cheng Zhiyan, though she looked thin, ate a large bowlful. In the past, she only ate small portions, clearly never having had her fill.

Cheng's mother affectionately patted her daughter's head. Cheng Zhiyan looked over, puzzled, and her mother smiled: "It's nothing."

"Oh," Cheng Zhiyan didn't press further, instead calling out to Cheng Zhiyu: "Brother, come here, come here. I want to ask you something."

Cheng Zhiyu, his hand held by Cheng Mo, remained where he was and asked: "What is it?"

"Come here already," Cheng Zhiyan urged.

"So mysterious," Cheng Zhiyu sighed helplessly, asking Cheng Mo to let go, and went over to Cheng Zhiyan.

Cheng Zhiyan pulled him into a corner, took out a box that she had with her, opened it, and showed it to her brother: "Brother, look—Mo gave this to me. It's too valuable. I don't know if I should accept it."

Cheng Zhiyan puffed her cheeks, looking troubled.

Cheng Zhiyu was stunned. He knew Cheng Mo had given his sister a meeting gift and found it odd at the time—friends didn’t need to give meeting gifts to siblings, right? But his relationship with Cheng Mo wasn’t something that could be explained simply as friendship, so he had let Cheng Zhiyan accept it.

However, he didn’t know what was inside the box. Now, seeing it, he realized what Cheng Mo had been doing when he went out earlier.

In such a short time, he had killed so many Level 3 zombies.

Cheng Zhiyu smiled. Cheng Zhiyan, familiar with his expressions, flinched—her brother looked scary.

Cheng Zhiyu said with a smile: "Since he gave it to you, just keep it."

Cheng Zhiyan shrunk further: "Okay, okay!"

Cheng Zhiyu turned to leave. His sister stood there scratching her head, thinking... she felt like she might have accidentally gotten Mo in trouble.

"Zhi Yu, I want to share a room with you," Cheng Mo said quietly, pulling Cheng Zhiyu aside to whisper in his ear as he approached.

At that moment, Cheng's mother was arranging rooms for them.

Zhou Min and Tian Manman were going to stay with Tian Qiao and the others, while Cheng Zhiyu's house still had enough vacant rooms.

The layout of the house was such that upon entering, there was a covered open space where vehicles were usually parked and crops stored during busy farming seasons. Beyond that was the courtyard, where the family used to grow vegetables, though now the land was dry and barren, the once lush green vegetable patch long since withered.

Beyond the courtyard was the room belonging to Cheng's parents, followed by the bathroom and kitchen.

Next was the living room, with Cheng Zhiyan's room beside it. Cheng Zhiyu's room was behind the living room, with one vacant room next to his.

However, the Cheng family had a second floor with one storage room and two other vacant rooms.

Cheng Mo said: "I'll just stay with Zhi Yu. No need to trouble yourself arranging a separate room for me."

Cheng Zhiyu smiled: "Since there are vacant rooms, why crowd together? Hmm... you can stay upstairs. The vacant room downstairs can be for Sun Yu. Mom, what do you think of my arrangement?"

Cheng's mother nodded, finding it acceptable: "Sounds good. I'll go get the bedding to air them out—they're all new ones made before. Haha... back when we had cotton, we made new quilts that haven’t been used yet."

As she spoke, she pulled Cheng's father along to busy themselves airing the quilts in the courtyard.

Sun Yu didn’t say much to them and went to find Cheng Zhiyan.

Cheng Mo was unhappy: "I want to stay with you."

Cheng Zhiyu: "It’s not like there aren’t vacant rooms at home."

Cheng Mo: "I want to stay with you. What does it matter if there are vacant rooms? Even if there were eight or ten vacant rooms, I’d still want to stay with you."

Cheng Zhiyu looked at him: "Let’s not talk about rooms for now."

Under his gaze, Cheng Mo felt inexplicably nervous: "Wh-what is it?"

Cheng Zhiyu: "What was the gift you gave Yan Yan?"

Cheng Mo: "Zombie cores."

Cheng Zhiyu said sternly: "So you went to kill zombies alone? What if you encountered a more powerful zombie?"

Cheng Mo grabbed Cheng Zhiyu's hand, his eyes shining: "Zhi Yu, are you worried about me?"

Cheng Zhiyu nearly lost his composure, pulling his hand back forcefully: "Speak properly!"

Cheng Mo coughed lightly and explained seriously: "Even if I encountered a Level 5, it wouldn’t be able to do anything to me."

Seeing that Cheng Mo wasn’t taking it seriously, Cheng Zhiyu grew angry. The apocalypse was full of dangers—what if something unexpected happened...

Maybe he was worrying too much, but he was genuinely concerned about Cheng Mo.

Cheng Zhiyu said angrily: "Think it over on your own!"

That night, Cheng Mo stayed alone in a vacant room—upstairs, no less. To get to Cheng Zhiyu's room, he’d have to go downstairs and cross through the living room.

Such a long distance...

He couldn’t sleep. He simply couldn’t sleep.

Cheng Mo was bummed out. If he had known earlier, he would have just owned up to it when Zhi Yu scolded him.

After tossing and turning for what felt like forever, Cheng Mo got up, glanced at the pitch-dark outside, and decided... to sneak off to Cheng Zhiyu's room.

Hmm... Is Zhi Yu asleep by now?

He slipped out of his room silently, went downstairs, crossed the living room, and arrived at Cheng Zhiyu's door, turning the handle.

However... it didn't open.

Cheng Zhiyu had actually locked the door! How annoying is that!

But even if the door was locked, was that going to stop him?

A moment later, Cheng Mo slipped into Cheng Zhiyu's room. Just as he thought Cheng Zhiyu was already asleep, the other's voice sounded in the darkness: "Cheng Mo."

Cheng Mo: "..."

He cleared his throat: "Just checking on you. Why aren't you asleep so late?"

Cheng Zhiyu let out a dry laugh: "Well, you've seen me. Go back to your room."

"Not going." Cheng Mo doubled down, clinging to Cheng Zhiyu and being clingy: "It's so dark, I'm pretty spooked."

The village had long had the power out, and the nights were indeed pitch black.

Cheng Zhiyu was at a loss for words. He struggled briefly but couldn't break free, so he gave up: "Don't you care about saving face?"

Cheng Mo: What’s dignity got to do with it? Can it let him hold Zhi Yu and sleep?

He jumped at the chance to apologize: "Zhi Yu, I was wrong. I won't do such dangerous things in the future."

Hearing this, Cheng Zhiyu didn't know what to say. His attitude softened: "You really understand you were wrong."

Cheng Mo quickly added: "Yes, if I do something so dangerous again, Zhi Yu won't let me hold him."

Cheng Zhiyu's face flushed. What was this? He was talking about something serious, and Cheng Mo made it sound like some kind of joke.

Cheng Mo took Cheng Zhiyu's hand and placed it on top of his own head.

Cheng Zhiyu: "?"

This texture... why did it feel so much like... fluffy ears twitching in his palm.

Cheng Zhiyu: "!"

Damn it, why was there no light? He could only feel it—he really wanted to see.

By the moonlight outside the window, Cheng Zhiyu tried hard to see clearly but could only make out a silhouette. His heart raced. The thought of Cheng Mo with fluffy ears on his head felt just too much to imagine.

He wracked his brain, wondering where in the house there might be a flashlight so he could see what Cheng Mo looked like right now!

Just as he was thinking this, something wet and soft brushed against the corner of his lips. Instantly, Cheng Zhiyu's whole face burned.