"Why aren't you two eating? My wife is a great cook. You'll know once you try it. It's better than what you buy outside." Hu Qiang stood up and pretended to serve rice to Xu Yi and Lu Sheng.
Just as Lu Sheng was about to speak, Xu Yi gently pressed down on her hand, which was hidden under the table.
Xu Yi took off his glasses and tucked them into his shirt pocket. "Excuse me, we are Hui people and cannot eat pork."
Lu Sheng: "..."
She never expected that Teacher Xu would use such an outrageous reason.
Hu Qiang and Qin Xiaoyue were clearly taken aback for a moment, and it took them several seconds to put on smiles again. "You should have said so earlier, I would have made another dish."
"No need, thank you. We just finished eating and came over." Lu Sheng coldly declined Qin Xiaoyue's offer.
These two people were so warm and hospitable that she had to be wary.
In the early stages of the apocalypse, such hospitality could be understood as a personality trait. But now it's been two years since the apocalypse, and the Holy Mother has been dead for generations. Who would be so overly hospitable to someone they've just met?
Seeing Lu Sheng's resolute attitude, Hu Qiang changed his approach tactfully, "Although the zombies outside have been mostly cleared out, M City is so big that it's not necessarily safe. Why don't you wait for these three brothers to rest for a bit, and then we can go together?"
The three little Lingfeng kids, who were eating with grease dripping from their mouths, nodded repeatedly, "Yeah, which base are you from? We'll take you two back later."
Having said all that, any further refusal would be too obvious.
Lu Sheng nodded. "I just saw some pretty flowers outside. Can we pick some and take them home?"
"Sure, take whatever you like."
After making up a random excuse, Xu Yi and Lu Sheng walked out the door one after the other.
"They're both lying."
As soon as they stepped outside, Xu Yi’s deliberately lowered voice came from behind Lu Sheng.
“There were three cigarette butts that had been soaked in water in the trash can just now, but Qin Xiaoyue is pregnant, and the supermarket is usually in a poorly ventilated area, so those cigarette butts probably didn’t belong to Hu Qiang,” Lu Sheng said to Xu Yi in a low voice, glancing at the people inside through the glass.
Judging from Hu Qiang's attitude towards Qin Xiaoyue, he seems to love her very much, so he probably wouldn't do something like smoking at home while his wife is pregnant.
Xu Yi nodded. "That brand is considered a low-quality cigarette. It doesn't taste good but it's strong. It's usually smoked by heavy smokers or people who can't afford it. But I've looked at Hu Qiang's fingers, and there are no signs of him smoking all the time. This cigarette butt definitely isn't his."
Hu Qiang said that Lu Sheng and Xu Yi were the first living people they had seen after the apocalypse, but there were still cigarette butts in the room that hadn't been cleaned up yet.
There are also two disposable paper cups on top of the trash can. If it's just the couple, no one would use paper cups to drink water.
Hu Qiang was clearly lying.
There must have been other survivors who entered this supermarket before Lu Sheng and Xu Yi.
"Teacher Xu," Lu Sheng called softly to Xu Yi, "Is the meat in the pot... really pork?"
Xu Yi's narrow eyes widened for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on his face. "It's pork."
The two exchanged a glance and, still wary of Hu Qiang and his wife, returned to the supermarket.
The three little ones from Lingfeng Base had eaten and drunk their fill and were sprawled on the sofa, their eyelids heavy and looking sleepy.
“It’s easy to feel sleepy after eating a full meal. Why don’t you take a nap here? There are plenty of rooms.” Qin Xiaoyue stood up and pointed to two rooms on the inside. “Each of you two groups can have a room. You can leave after you’ve woken up.”
"Thank you, brothers and sisters. We will definitely report to the base commander when we get back to the base, and you will be given priority in resettlement in the future."
The three people from Lingfeng Base stood up groggily and followed the direction Qin Xiaoyue pointed into the room.
Lu Sheng and Xu Yi wanted to know what the couple was up to, so they simply went along with Qin Xiaoyue's wishes.
The room was very clean, and you could tell it was regularly cleaned. However, because the room was a bit small, there was only an old-fashioned wooden bed in it.
The two felt a little awkward after entering the room and sat on the edge of the bed.
Soon, the sound of snoring could be heard from just across the wall, clearly indicating that the three little ones in the next room were already asleep.
Xu Yi gestured to the wall hanging on the wall, and Lu Sheng glanced at it and indeed saw a red dot flash by.
"There's a camera." Xu Yi silently conveyed the information to Lu Sheng with his lips.
Lu Sheng frowned slightly, used his mental power to temporarily disable the cameras in the room, and at the same time made his body invisible before quietly pushing open the door and leaving.
"Are those two asleep?" Qin Xiaoyue's deliberately lowered voice came from the room on the other side of the living room.
"They didn't sleep, but they were both resting against the wall, so they should be fine." Hu Qiang's voice was clearly tired, a stark contrast to his warm and hospitable tone at lunch.
Lu Sheng quietly approached along the wall and found that the two of them were huddled in a warehouse-like room next to the bathroom.
Faint rustling sounds could still be heard coming from the room.
"Hungry...so hungry...Mom..."
A child's innocent voice suddenly came from the room, startling Lu Sheng and sending chills down his spine.
The voice sounded like a child's, or perhaps some kind of animal; it was whimpering and hoarse, sounding incredibly eerie.
"Tingting, be good. Daddy and Mommy have already caught the food for you. We need to eat clean food. Daddy will wash the food for you in a little while before you eat it, okay?" Qin Xiaoyue's voice was a little nervous, and even had a hint of flattery.
Do they have other children? But why didn't they let the children out to eat with them earlier?
Lu Sheng pressed himself against the door and carefully pushed it open a crack.
Du Qiang and Qin Xiaoyue, busy comforting their child, were completely unaware that someone was behind them and were still quietly coaxing their precious baby in the room.
Lu Sheng only realized when he got closer that the two of them were actually in the bathroom!
The spacious bathtub was crammed with a viscous substance whose shape was indistinguishable; only faint facial features and a round head could be vaguely discerned on the lump.
"Baby, don't cry, don't cry. Don't wake those people up. Daddy will take care of it for you soon." Qin Xiaoyue carefully approached the bathtub and gently touched the monster's cheek with her hand.
"Mom, how many months pregnant are you? Am I about to have a little brother?" The monster was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly uttered a wooden question.
Qin Xiaoyue froze for a moment, then a look of horror appeared on her face, and she subconsciously took a few steps back, "Tingting..."
"Mom, if I have a little brother, will you and Dad still love me?" the monster persisted.
"Of course... of course." Qin Xiaoyue's answer was somewhat hesitant.
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