Chapter 57 It Burned Up (Bonus Chapter) Family Shocked
"W-w-w-how did this rice appear? And where did the wild boar go?" Father Cheng was so shocked that he couldn't speak coherently.
Cheng Zhiyu then realized he had forgotten to explain: "I have a space that can keep things fresh. Rice won't spoil easily if it's left outside. I'll use the space to store pork."
"Space?" Cheng's father finally came to his senses and remembered that such a superpower did exist; he had heard of it before.
His expression instantly turned serious: "Zhiyu, don't tell anyone about this, understand? It could be dangerous if we run into bad guys."
Cheng Zhiyu found it amusing to see his father giving him instructions as if he were a child, but he still earnestly agreed: "I know."
When Mr. Cheng saw that his father had taken his words to heart, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"By the way, you need to make some more space in your room, it's all full of stuff?" Mother Tian noticed something important.
Cheng Zhiyu nodded: "Yeah, my space isn't big, only 40 cubic meters, and it's already full of stuff."
In response, Cheng Zhiyu only hoped that the next plant would mature quickly so that the storage space could be expanded.
40 cubic meters?! That's not big? That's equivalent to a small warehouse.
Moreover, it was filled with...?
Cheng Zhiyu smiled and said, "Most of the food inside is food, so Mom and Dad don't need to be frugal."
Mr. and Mrs. Cheng were filled with mixed feelings. They gritted their teeth and cut the meat into larger pieces. With food and drink available, it would be foolish to starve themselves and continue to cut back on food.
Tian Qiao asked his mother where his father was, as he was going to look for him. As for his mother, she stayed behind to help with the cooking; there were nearly two hundred pounds of meat, and just cutting it would be quite a task.
Fortunately, someone helped. Tian Manman took the cleaver and cut the meat into chunks as quickly as she would tofu.
Then slice the meat.
Sun Yu can also cook, and silently followed Cheng Zhiyan to cut vegetables.
When Cheng Zhiyan saw her brother return, she felt much more relaxed and became a chatterbox again, eagerly talking to Sun Yu: "Sister, you're my brother's friend, right?"
Sun Yu frowned slightly. She disliked men, but... she still said, "Well, sort of."
"Sigh, my brother must have encountered a lot of danger on his way back, right?" Cheng Zhiyan sighed. "How could it not be dangerous outside?"
Sun Yu didn't know what to say, only saying, "You're back safely."
"That's true." Cheng Zhiyan smiled again, full of energy, and said, "My brother is awesome! It's good that he has friends like you!"
Sun Yu wasn't sure if she could be considered a friend. She hadn't known Cheng Zhiyu and the others for very long, and... she was planning to leave, but she was also a little lost and didn't know where to go.
Cheng Zhiyan didn't notice her change in mood. She coughed lightly and asked Sun Yu, "Um... are my brother and Brother Mo very close?"
Sun Yu didn't understand what she meant. After recalling for a moment, he nodded: "Yes, they are inseparable every day."
Cheng Zhiyan: "!"
Cheng Mo's gift suddenly felt a bit awkward; should she accept it or not? Maybe she should ask her brother later.
Cheng Zhiyu had no idea what his sister was thinking. He was busy with his own things, and Cheng Mo followed him around helping out.
Seeing the two of them like this, Zhou Min wisely went to Tian Manman's side to help cut the meat.
Wild boar needs to be properly marinated, since it's not like domestic pigs that have been stir-fried, which can result in a slightly gamey smell.
The meat of exotic beasts is not as tender as that of ordinary animals, so it needs to be handled properly.
They decided to split the meat in two and make boiled sliced pork. The meat was marinated with starch, cooking oil, and various seasonings, which would make the meat much more tender.
Another one is making pork stew with vermicelli; Cheng Zhiyu still has quite a few vermicelli in his space.
Pork will become more tender if stewed for a longer time.
On the other side, Tian Qiao went to find his father. He grew up here and his mother could tell him the location as soon as she mentioned it.
At this moment, Tian Fu was repairing the roof of the house. The family was a superhuman, and their roof was leaking. He could actually fix it himself, but he thought it was too much trouble and since it wouldn't cost many contribution points anyway, he might as well ask someone else to do it.
Father Tian and another man were sweating profusely as they repaired the roof. They were so hot they couldn't speak, but the person testing their abilities wouldn't even provide water, since water was precious these days.
"Sigh, I'm working myself to the bone, but I don't earn many contribution points. I don't even use as many as I do," a coworker complained.
The father's voice was hoarse: "There's nothing I can do..."
The coworker sighed and said, "After I finish today, I don't plan to work anymore."
He smiled and said, "My daughter found a boyfriend with superpowers."
The father was worried about having to do the work all by himself, but the effort and reward were disproportionate. He couldn't stop others from having a better life.
The coworkers watched Tian's father work silently and felt sorry for him: "When will this ever end?"
Although there is a superhuman in the family, Cheng Zhiyan, she is not his daughter. After all, they are not blood relatives, so it's different.
The farmer sensed the sympathy in the other person's voice and felt bitter inside. Life was too hard; this damned end of the world.
"My son-in-law said he could introduce me to some easy work, so I wouldn't have to suffer like this." The coworker took out half a bottle of water, carefully took a sip, and his throat instantly felt much better.
It's not that he's complaining, but the weather is really weird right now. It's probably over 40 degrees Celsius. Fortunately, after the apocalypse, the physical fitness of ordinary people has improved, otherwise they might die from the heat.
Even if it's not unbearably hot now, it's not exactly comfortable either.
He took a sip of water, carefully screwed the cap back on the cup, tucked it into his pocket, and asked the farmer, "Didn't you bring any water?"
The farmer shook his head: "Go back and drink."
He's used to being frugal and thrifty, so he avoids drinking if he can, since the work will be finished soon anyway.
The coworker took a sip of water but didn't feel much better. He didn't drink any more, only taking a small sip when he was extremely thirsty. The two stopped talking and continued working in silence.
Just then, a voice came from afar: "Dad!"
The farmer paused, then muttered, "That voice... it sounds so much like my son's?"
His coworkers joked, "Are you missing your son? You're even hallucinating."
The farmer shook his head; he was truly hallucinating.
Then he heard someone shout, "Dad, why didn't you respond after I called you several times?"
When the father looked down and saw his son standing in the yard, he thought he was dreaming for a moment. Overwhelmed with excitement, he almost fell off the roof: "Xiao Qiao! Son! Is it really you?"
The workers were surprised. Wasn't Old Tian's son in City A? How come he's actually back?
"Dad, don't get agitated." Tian Qiao was startled and quickly went up to the roof.
Upon recognizing his son, Mr. Tian's eyes instantly welled up with tears: "It really is you! Your mother talks about you every day. She would be so happy to know you're back!"
"Oh dear, why are you crying?" Tian Qiao scratched her head. "I just came from home and I've already met my mom."
The father wiped away his tears, feeling quite embarrassed.
Tian Qiao: "Let's go back. The family has cooked dinner. Let's go home and eat."
Father Tian glanced at his coworker, who waved his hand and said, "Go back, go back. There's not much left. Your son has finally come back, so let's have a proper reunion."
Tian Qiao quickly smiled and said, "Thanks, Uncle."
The coworker waved his hand, secretly marveling at Tian Qiao's demeanor. He thought to himself that the other party was probably a superhuman. He had just felt sorry for Old Tian, but then the superhuman's son came back.
He shook his head, thinking that Old Tian probably wouldn't be doing this job anymore.
On the way home with Tian Qiao, Tian's father was still in a daze, feeling like he was dreaming. He had just been feeling bitter, but when he turned around, his son was back. It was just like a dream.
When they got home, they felt like they were dreaming. As soon as they entered the yard, they could smell the rich aroma of meat. Tian's father couldn't help but swallow. It smelled so good. How long had it been since he had smelled this aroma? His dry throat seemed to feel less dry because of the saliva he produced.
Seeing that his father's mouth was dry from thirst, Tian Qiao quickly made him a large glass of water to drink.
"This..." Father Tian hesitated, feeling that the water was too precious, and there was so much of it that he couldn't bring himself to drink it.
Tian Qiao noticed his concerns and said, "There's plenty of water. Brother Hei has water-based abilities. My mom and the others just took a shower."
Fearing his father wouldn't believe him, he even dragged the other man into the house to see for himself. Almost every container that could hold water was completely full of water.
The farmer believed him now, took a big gulp of water, and immediately felt much better. He continued drinking until the cup was empty.
Tian Qiao felt a pang of sympathy seeing this and asked if he wanted to drink more.
The farmer waved his hand: "I won't drink anymore."
Although I haven't recovered yet and still feel thirsty, I feel bloated if I drink any more.
"Uncle Tian." Cheng Zhiyu walked over. The meat was stewing in the kitchen, so there was nothing he needed to help with.
Cheng Mo followed him around like a big tail.
Father Tian smiled happily: "Zhiyu is back too? That's wonderful, that's wonderful!"
With the meat stewing in the kitchen and no one needing to watch over it, everyone had some free time. Cheng Zhiyu thought for a moment, then took out a watermelon from his spatial storage and had Tian Qiao chill it before everyone ate it together.
The watermelons grown in the system space have exceptionally thin rinds and bright red flesh; they look delicious.
Cheng's father and the others took a bite, and the refreshing and sweet taste of watermelon burst in their mouths. They unconsciously took another big bite.
They just thought it tasted really good, but Cheng Zhiyan, as a superhuman, could feel the energy inside the watermelon, which was clearly not an ordinary watermelon.
Cheng Zhiyan ate her watermelon without saying a word.
There were quite a few people, and one watermelon wasn't enough, so Cheng Zhiyu took another watermelon. When Cheng's mother saw this, she didn't want to eat it anymore, thinking that they should save some food.
Before the apocalypse, they were already quite frugal, and after the apocalypse, the first thing they learned was to save money.
Cheng Zhiyu said, "Mom, I have a lot of watermelons in my space, so consider it as freeing up some space for me."
Zhou Min can attest to this: "We eat watermelon every day."
The watermelons that Cheng Zhiyu planted next to Xiao Huang could grow indefinitely. As soon as one was picked, another would grow. There were indeed many watermelons in the space.
"This..." Cheng's mother hesitated. Having experienced the apocalypse, her sense of crisis was even stronger, and she was always afraid that one day there would be nothing to eat.
After all, it's the end of the world, and nothing can be grown anymore. As farmers, they've lost their very means of survival, which is a huge blow to them.
Then, Cheng Zhiyu took out the items from his spatial storage and showed them to her: "Hey, I forgot I had this in my spatial storage. I'll deal with it later."
Seeing that the yard was almost full, Cheng's mother was both amused and exasperated, and quickly said, "Alright, alright, Mom believes you, don't take any more out."
Cheng's father and the others were also shocked; there were just too many of these things.
Cheng Zhiyu put his things away and then said seriously, "I want to tell you that we are back, and you don't need to live as hard as before."
Tian Qiao agreed, "Yes, that's why we rushed back. If you guys are still suffering, then we've come back for nothing."
Cheng's mother and the others felt a lump in their throats again. They secretly wiped away their tears and said with a smile, "Okay, no more saving money, let's eat!"
"But we can't waste it."
This is the last stand. No matter how much food there is, it cannot be wasted. They see how hard the others in the village are working and cannot bear to waste food.
Cheng Zhiyu smiled and said, "I know, wasting is a crime."
We cut another watermelon and ate it all up, leaving nothing to waste.
As they talked, listening to Cheng Zhiyu and his companions recount their experiences along the way, the courtyard was filled with laughter and joy.
Zhou Min joked, "The best decision I ever made in my life was to shamelessly follow Brother Cheng. Waaah, with Brother Cheng, I'm no longer pitifully hungry."
As she spoke, overcome with emotion, she wanted to hug Cheng Zhiyu.
As a result, Cheng Mo blocked her way, his handsome face cold: "Just talk, why are you getting physical? Also, what do you mean by 'following' Zhi Yu? Did you fail Chinese before?"
Zhou Min: "..." I clearly didn't mean anything by it. You're the one with prejudice, okay?
He secretly rolled his eyes, then gave Cheng Mo a smile: "Brother Hei is right, haha."
Tian Qiao watched the commotion from the sidelines, slapping her thigh with delight.
Tian Manman was confused, only knowing that Cheng Mo seemed to dislike people touching Cheng Zhiyu, hmm... he silently made a note of it.
Sun Yu watched from the side. She seemed to have never really joined in, but now a very faint smile appeared on her lips.
Cheng Zhiyu was speechless and looked at Cheng Mo: "Don't bully people."
Cheng Mo looked innocent and hugged Cheng Zhiyu tightly, rubbing against him like a big dog: "Where did I bully anyone?"
When Cheng Zhiyu saw that his parents and elders were watching, he felt a blush creep up his face and his expression froze. He didn't know whether to push Cheng Mo away or not.
Honestly, can't Cheng Mo be a little more careful in front of his parents?
Cheng's mother and the others froze for a moment, hesitated, and ultimately said nothing.
Cheng Zhiyu secretly glared at Cheng Mo and pinched his thigh.
Cheng Mo: Thick-skinned and tough, I don't feel anything.
Fortunately, it was time to eat. The gamey smell of the wild boar was well masked by the seasonings, and the meat was stewed until tender and flavorful, falling off the bone instantly with one bite.
Cheng Zhiyan: It's delicious! She hasn't had such a delicious meal in a long time!
Zhou Min gave a thumbs up. The meat was stewed by Cheng's mother: "Auntie, your cooking is so delicious. By the way, do you need a son?"
Cheng's mother was taken aback. It was just a meal, surely it couldn't be that serious?
Cheng Zhiyu was speechless: "My own son is still here."
Zhou Min, with his thick skin, chuckled and said, "So, do you need a younger brother?"
Cheng Zhiyu and Cheng Mo said in unison, "We don't lack anything."
Zhou Min: Okay, another day of being choked by PDA.
"Delicious," Tian Manman suddenly said, then lowered her head and took a bite of meat.
"Haha..." They couldn't help but laugh: "Eat slowly, there are bones, don't choke."
Tian Manman: "Mmm!"
He's a true foodie. Back then, these people were willing to follow him because of his food.
Cheng Zhiyu looked at Cheng Mo, who was also eating very quickly, but his eating manners were still quite good, after all, he had a model-like face.
They ate all of the 100-plus pounds of meat.
Although Cheng's mother and the others were ordinary people, their appetites had increased considerably after the apocalypse. As for those with superpowers like Cheng Zhiyu, it goes without saying.
Cheng Zhiyan looked thin, but she ate a whole bowlful. She used to only eat a small bowl, so she was obviously never full.
Cheng's mother patted her daughter's head tenderly, and the latter looked at her with confusion. She smiled and said, "It's nothing."
"Oh." Cheng Zhiyan didn't ask any more questions, but called out to Cheng Zhiyu, "Brother, come here, I have something to ask you."
Cheng Zhiyu, his hand still held by Cheng Mo, stood there and asked, "What is it?"
"Hey, come here." Cheng Zhiyan urged.
"So mysterious." Cheng Zhiyu sighed helplessly and told Cheng Mo to let him go so he could go find Cheng Zhiyan.
Cheng Zhiyan pulled him to a corner, took out a box she always carried with her, opened it and showed it to her brother: "Brother, look, this is from Brother Mo. It's so valuable, I don't know if I should accept it."
Cheng Zhiyan puffed out her cheeks, looking troubled.
Cheng Zhiyu was taken aback. He knew that Cheng Mo had given his sister a gift when they met, and he had thought it was strange at the time. Did a friend need to give his sister a gift when they met?
However, his relationship with Cheng Mo was not something that could be explained simply as friends, so he still let Cheng Zhiyan accept it.
However, he didn't know what was in the box. Only now that he saw it did he realize what Cheng Mo had been doing when he went out.
So many level 3 zombies were killed in such a short time.
Cheng Zhiyu smiled, but Cheng Zhiyan, who knew him well, shrank back. Her brother's expression was terrifying.
Cheng Zhiyu smiled and said, "Since he gave it to you, you should keep it."
Cheng Zhiyan shrank her head and cried out, "Aww!"
Cheng Zhiyu turned and left, while his sister stood there scratching her head, feeling like she had somehow messed up Mo Ge's situation.
"Zhiyu, I want to share a room with you." Cheng Mo secretly pulled Cheng Zhiyu aside and whispered in his ear when he saw him coming over.
Right now, Cheng's mother is arranging rooms for them.
Zhou Min and Tian Manman moved to Tian Qiao's place, but Cheng Zhiyu's family still had enough empty rooms.
The house is laid out like this: upon entering, there is an open space with a roof, where cars are usually parked, and grain is stored during the busy farming season. Then there is the yard, where the family used to grow some vegetables, but now the land is dry and barren, and the once lush vegetable patch in the yard has long been abandoned.
Further back in the courtyard was the house where Mr. and Mrs. Cheng lived, followed by the bathroom and kitchen.
Next is the living room. The house next to the living room is where Cheng Zhiyan lives. Cheng Zhiyu's house is behind the living room, and there is an empty room next to him.
However, the Cheng family's house has a second floor, with one storage room and two other empty rooms.
Cheng Mo said, "I'll stay with Zhiyu, so there's no need to bother arranging my room."
Cheng Zhiyu smiled: "Since there are empty rooms, why squeeze in together? Hmm... you can stay upstairs, and Sun Yu can stay in the empty room downstairs. Mom, what do you think of my arrangement?"
Cheng's mother nodded, thinking there was no problem: "It's fine. I'll go get the bedding to air it out. It's all new ones that were made before, haha... We used cotton to make these new quilts, and we haven't even used them yet."
As she spoke, she pulled Cheng's father to the yard to air out the quilts.
Sun Yu didn't say much to them and went to find Cheng Zhiyan.
Cheng Mo was unhappy: "I want to live with you."
Cheng Zhiyu: "It's not like there aren't any empty rooms at home."
Cheng Mo: "What does it matter whether there are empty rooms in the house or not? Even if there are ten or eight empty rooms, I still want to live with you."
Cheng Zhiyu looked at him: "Let's not talk about the room for now."
Cheng Mo felt a chill run down his spine when he saw that look: "Wh...what's wrong?"
Cheng Zhiyu: "What gift did you give Yan Yan?"
Cheng Mo: "Zombie crystal cores."
Cheng Zhiyu's face was stern: "So you went to kill zombies all by yourself? I'm asking you, what if you encountered even more powerful zombies?"
Cheng Mo grabbed Cheng Zhiyu's hand and looked at him with bright eyes: "Zhiyu, are you worried about me?"
Cheng Zhiyu almost lost his composure and forcefully pulled his hand back: "Speak properly!"
Cheng Mo coughed lightly and said to him, "Even if I encounter a level 5 opponent, they can't do anything to me."
Cheng Zhiyu got angry when he saw that Cheng Zhiyu didn't take it to heart at all. There were too many dangers in the apocalypse. What if something unexpected happened...
Perhaps he was being a bit of an overreacter, but he was genuinely worried about Cheng Mo.
Cheng Zhiyu said angrily, "You think about it carefully by yourself!"
That night, Cheng Mo stayed alone in an empty room, which was upstairs. To get to Cheng Zhiyu's room, he had to go downstairs and then through the living room.
It's such a long distance...
I can't sleep, I just can't sleep.
Cheng Mo was very upset. He should have admitted his mistake when Zhi Yu said that.
After tossing and turning countless times, Cheng Mo got up, glanced at the dark window, and decided... to sneak into Cheng Zhiyu's room.
Hmm... Zhiyu should be asleep by now, right?
He quietly left the room, went downstairs, crossed the living room, and arrived at Cheng Zhiyu's door, grabbing the doorknob and pressing it down.
However... it didn't open.
Cheng Zhiyu actually locked the door from the inside! How awful!
But even if he locked the door, did that mean he had no other choice?
A moment later, Cheng Mo quietly entered Cheng Zhiyu's room. Just when he thought Cheng Zhiyu was asleep, the other person's voice rang out in the darkness: "Cheng Mo."
Cheng Mo: "..."
He coughed lightly: "I came to check on you. Why aren't you asleep so late?"
Cheng Zhiyu chuckled: "Now that you've seen it, go back to your room."
"I'm not going." Cheng Mo went all out, clinging to Cheng Zhiyu and acting spoiled: "It's so dark, I'm so scared."
The village had been without power for a long time, and it was indeed pitch black at night.
Cheng Zhiyu was speechless. He struggled for a moment but couldn't break free, so he simply gave up: "Don't you have any pride?"
Cheng Mo: What does face matter? Can I let him sleep with Zhiyu in his arms?
He quickly admitted his mistake: "Zhiyu, I was wrong. I won't do such dangerous things again."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhiyu was at a loss for words, and his attitude softened: "You really know you were wrong."
Cheng Mo hurriedly said, "I know, if I do anything so dangerous again, Zhiyu won't let me hug you anymore."
Cheng Zhiyu's face flushed. What was that? He was talking about something very serious, but Cheng Mo made it sound like nothing at all.
Cheng Mo grabbed Cheng Zhiyu's hand and touched the top of his head.
Cheng Zhiyu: "?"
This touch feels so much like… a furry ear twitched in my palm.
Cheng Zhiyu: "!"
Damn it, why are there no lights? I can only touch them. I really want to see them!
Cheng Zhiyu tried to see clearly by the moonlight outside the window, but could only make out an outline. His heart fluttered. Just imagining Cheng Mo with his fluffy ears was too much.
He thought carefully, wondering where in the house he could find a flashlight so he could see what the other person looked like!
Just then, something wet and soft touched the corner of his mouth, and instantly, Cheng Zhiyu felt a surge of heat.
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