Chapter 31 Where is the treehouse taking them?
The two were genuinely surprised that the shadowy figure would cry after they said they were leaving.
After all, they were friends who had known each other for a while, so Tian Qiao racked her brains to coax her: "Why are you crying? We're not leaving tomorrow, we can stay for a few more days."
The shadowy figure's wailing grew even louder.
Cheng Zhiyu glanced at him helplessly, not knowing what to say. Over the past few days, he could sense that the shadowy figure probably had little contact with people, which had fostered a particularly sincere personality. It was normal for him to be sad.
He was also a little sad... but they had to part ways eventually.
The shadowy figure cried, picked up the chopsticks again, wiped them haphazardly, and continued to eat the food in the bowl while crying.
He especially loves eating lotus root sandwiches, which consist of two slices of lotus root sandwiched between minced meat and coated with a layer of flour. They're fried until golden brown and crispy, and the crispness of the lotus root, the aroma of the meat, and the smoky flavor of the flour complement each other perfectly.
The shadowy figure probably thought it would never taste such delicious food again, so it wolfed down its food.
Cheng Zhiyu advised him, "Eat slowly, there's still plenty left."
The shadowy figure ate while uncontrollably sobbing.
Seriously, her foodie nature remains unchanged.
After finishing the meal, the dark figure silently left, his back looking particularly desolate.
Watching him leave, Tian Qiao felt a little down and became sentimental: "Chengzi, why do we have to part ways in life?"
Cheng Zhiyu looked at him. He had thought the other person would make a chicken soup, but instead, the other person said, "Hurry up and wash the dishes."
Tian Qiao: "..."
He complained, "You're not sentimental at all!"
Cheng Zhiyu shrugged. Looking at the huge pile of unfinished work, he really couldn't feel sentimental.
As Tian Qiao washed the dishes, she sighed, "You mean... can't he just come with us?"
Cheng Zhiyu shook his head, telling him not to think about it: "We've only known him for a few days?"
"What are you saying? Can feelings be judged by time?" Tian Qiao strongly disagreed.
Cheng Zhiyu said, "If he were an ordinary person, it would be best if he were willing to come with us, but given his situation... he would inevitably have to come into contact with people after going out, which would be too difficult for him."
When he said "ordinary people," he didn't mean those with superpowers, but rather those who could communicate normally with the outside world.
The shadowy figure clearly couldn't do that.
Upon hearing this, Tian Qiao was speechless and had to admit that Cheng Zhiyu was right.
Cheng Zhiyu glanced at Xiao Hei lying to the side and smiled: "But it depends on the situation."
Tian Qiao: "?"
“If it’s Xiao Hei, he has to come with me whether he wants to or not.” Cheng Zhiyu picked up Xiao Hei and kissed him. “If he doesn’t come with me, I’ll kidnap him.”
Tian Qiao: "..." I'm truly impressed.
He said to Xiao Hei, "Look at this, look at this! Chengzi doesn't respect your opinion at all. Brother Hei, slap him!"
Xiao Hei flicked its tail, but didn't lash out at Cheng Zhiyu; instead, its tail gently grazed Cheng Zhiyu's wrist.
Cheng Zhiyu: "Hehe."
Tian Qiao: "..." I actually think that Blackie is pretty pathetic too.
If it weren't for the fact that they're different species, I would have thought they were dating.
Xiao Hei looked at Cheng Zhiyu's smiling eyes. The other party was really something, kidnapping him... but for some reason he was in a good mood.
In the following days, Cheng Zhiyu and the others were busy making final preparations before leaving. The shadowy figure had not appeared since leaving that day.
Tian Qiao sighed, "Hey, you could at least have come over to say goodbye."
This is the apocalypse; if we separate, it will be difficult to see each other again.
Cheng Zhiyu was also somewhat saddened, but he could only accept it. Everyone makes different choices, and perhaps for the shadowy figure, this separation was the best way.
——
Early that morning, Cheng Zhiyu received a long-awaited system notification: [Congratulations, host! Xiao Qiang has reached Level 1 maturity. The reward has been issued. Please check it yourself.]
Cheng Zhiyu suddenly opened his eyes, told Xiao Hei, and entered the system space.
As soon as he entered, he noticed that Xiao Qiang was different. It used to be small, but now it had grown quite a bit taller, reaching Cheng Zhiyu's waist, and looked like a beautiful little sapling.
To be honest, compared to Xiao Er and the others, Xiao Qiang looks very ordinary, and you can't tell what kind of plant the others are at all.
But Cheng Zhiyu certainly didn't think the other party was an ordinary plant, so he clicked on Xiaoqiang's information to check it out.
Plant name: Xiaoqiang
Current status: Level 1 Mature
Skill: Shelter]
When Cheng Zhiyu saw the skills section, he raised his eyebrows slightly, and then his heart beat a little fast. Was it not what he thought?
As it turned out, it was just as he thought. At this moment, the system prompted: "[Host, would you like to view this?]"
Cheng Zhiyu: "Yes."
Then, he left the system space. The system prompted: [Please select an open area with no obstructions within 5 meters of the host.]
Cheng Zhiyu was excited and immediately walked outside.
Seeing this, Xiao Hei immediately followed.
Tian Qiao noticed their commotion: "Orange, Blackie, why are you two running so fast? Hey! Wait for me!"
Tian Qiao quickly followed.
Cheng Zhiyu found an open space to stop and told Tian Qiao to stand further away.
Tian Qiao was completely confused, but she still obediently moved aside.
System prompt: [Place it?]
Cheng Zhiyu: "Yes."
Then they saw something amazing: a huge tree had appeared in the open space in front of them. The tree was so lush and leafy that it blocked out the sun. Upon closer inspection, they even saw that it had a door and windows.
Cheng Zhiyu was overjoyed; he never expected that Xiaoqiang would turn into a treehouse!
Tian Qiao's mouth dropped open in astonishment, wide enough to fit an egg: "My God, am I dreaming?"
Cheng Zhiyu smiled and said, "The chances of us having the same dream are quite small."
Tian Qiao snapped out of her daze and swallowed hard. "Then... let's go in and take a look."
Cheng Zhiyu carried Xiao Hei and walked over to open the door of the treehouse. Surprisingly, the inside was not cramped. The walls were made of wood and had a warm color scheme.
Aside from that, there's nothing else; it's probably a bare-bones apartment.
Even so, they were very happy. Having Xiaoqiang was like having a house with them, which gave them a sense of security.
Although there was nothing in the house, they could easily furnish it themselves.
Cheng Zhiyu even asked the system if he could shrink down along with Xiaoqiang and plant them in the system space after adding furniture to Xiaoqiang's treehouse.
The answer was yes.
The treehouse has two floors. The lower floor has a bedroom and a living room, and there is another room upstairs.
Tian Qiao was particularly excited: "I've never lived in a treehouse before, and now I want to live in one."
Cheng Zhiyu chuckled: "There's nothing in the house, are you going to sleep on the floor?"
Tian Qiao chuckled: "I'd be willing to sleep on the floor too."
A treehouse! How novel! Who didn't dream of having a treehouse when they were a child?
Cheng Zhiyu shook his head as he watched. Little Black jumped down from his shoulder and, with its short legs, wandered around inside the treehouse, seemingly familiarizing itself with its new territory.
He didn't pay any attention and let Xiao Hei do as he pleased.
The first floor also has a ground floor, like a single piece of wooden flooring, which feels more solid to step on than a wooden floor.
The first-floor bedroom has a large window that lets in plenty of sunlight, making the room very bright. Because it's inside a tree, the walls have a slight curve.
The living room was also slightly larger than the bedroom on the first floor. Cheng Zhiyu figured it could fit a dining table and a sofa.
It's obviously not as big as a normal house, but it's not bad, considering that Xiaoqiang's treehouse can be taken away anytime, anywhere.
Moreover, according to Cheng Zhiyu's experience, Xiaoqiang is currently in the first-level mature state, which means it can still be upgraded, but it is unknown whether the upgrade will be in the size or something else.
Besides the bedroom, there is also a small storage room on the second floor. Although it is not big, it can still hold some things.
Cheng Zhiyu and the others were increasingly satisfied with what they saw: "Great! From now on, we can put some things here instead of in the storage space."
For example, when it comes to pickling sauerkraut, Cheng Zhiyu remembered that the sauerkraut he had pickled before should be ready to eat, so let's have sauerkraut buns for breakfast.
Turning my head, I found that Tian Qiao had already lain down, lying directly on the floor, not even bothered by the hardness.
Cheng Zhiyu's lips twitched. After seeing that Xiao Hei was clean, he also lay down on the ground, his lips twitching: "You guys really are..."
Xiao Hei had never slept in a tree before, let alone Xiao Qiang, who was a living tree. He unconsciously lay down, but when he saw Cheng Zhiyu's gaze, he immediately pretended to be calm and stood up, shaking his fur: "I was a little tired from walking just now."
Cheng Zhiyu: "..." Do you think I'd believe that?
However, even if you don't believe it, you can't expose it; let's save face for his little dog.
Tian Qiao, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind lying on the floor at all. She was spread-eagled, her limbs flailing about on the floor: "I feel cooler here than inside. Chengzi, do you want to sleep upstairs or downstairs?"
Cheng Zhiyu glanced at him: "I'll sleep downstairs."
Tian Qiao: "Great! Then I'll sleep upstairs. Can I sleep in the treehouse tonight?"
Cheng Zhiyu glanced at the empty treehouse and pressed his temples: "Whatever you want."
Tian Qiao: "Hehe."
Turning his head, Cheng Zhiyu saw Xiao Hei looking at him too. He asked helplessly, "You want to sleep in the treehouse too?"
Xiao Hei wanted to sleep, but was too embarrassed to say, "It's okay if I don't sleep."
Cheng Zhiyu picked him up and said, "I want to sleep too. Stay with me."
Little Black flicked its tail, in a good mood: "Okay."
"Alright, since we're sleeping here tonight and can watch to our hearts' content, we should get down to business," Cheng Zhiyu said.
Tian Qiao: "What important matter is it?"
Cheng Zhiyu: "Let's eat breakfast."
After leaving the treehouse, Tian Qiao watched Cheng Zhiyu put Xiao Qiang away with reluctance. If he hadn't just slept on the floor for a while, he would have thought he was dreaming.
Reluctantly, she said, "Orange, remember to water Xiaoqiang more so that it can grow strong and healthy."
Cheng Zhiyu's lips twitched. Water it more? Won't that kill it?
The little black paw gently patted Cheng Zhiyu's cheek, the touch was a little warm: "What are we having for breakfast?"
Cheng Zhiyu: "Eat steamed buns, sauerkraut steamed buns."
With pickled cabbage, you can make many delicious dishes that you've never tried before.
When he heard there was no meat, the little black boy's head drooped.
Cheng Zhiyu smiled and rubbed his head: "It's delicious. How about I make you some meatball soup too?"
Xiao Hei twitched its ears and gently rubbed against Cheng Zhiyu, but immediately stopped, acting awkwardly and affectionately.
Cheng Zhiyu gave him a quick kiss and then went to make breakfast, completely satisfied.
Xiao Hei: "..."
He stopped watching Cheng Zhiyu cook and went to supervise Tian Qiao's work.
Tian Qiao: "..."
Cheng Zhiyu first kneaded the dough, added the yeast powder he had found earlier to make it rise. He covered the bowl and placed it in a warm place, estimating that it would rise in no time.
During this time, he prepared the filling for the buns. He took out the sauerkraut, rinsed it briefly, and then squeezed out the water. He couldn't squeeze it too dry, otherwise the sauerkraut buns he made would be dry and not tasty.
Just adding pickled cabbage won't do. You need to add some glass noodles, chopped garlic, and some chili powder, then pour hot oil over it, and finally add various other seasonings.
After preparing the vegetables, I started chopping the meat filling. Once the meat filling was chopped, I set it aside. When the dough had risen enough, I started making steamed buns.
During this time, Tian Qiao came in and offered to help wrap them. She picked one up with great enthusiasm, but ended up wrapping it terribly.
Cheng Zhiyu comforted him, "You did a good job on your first attempt."
Tian Qiao felt greatly relieved, thinking that she could still handle the bagging.
Then Cheng Zhiyu said, "I won't eat the buns you made."
Xiao Hei: "I won't eat either."
Although Tian Qiao couldn't hear Xiao Hei speaking, she understood what it meant: "..."
He was extremely sad; they had just been praising him.
Cheng Zhiyu said that despite the praise, he really didn't want to eat Tian Qiao's steamed buns. It wasn't a matter of whether they were ugly or not, but the skin was too thick and there was only a tiny bit of vegetables stuffed inside. He knew they wouldn't taste good without even tasting them.
Tian Qiao pouted: "If no one else is eating, I'll eat."
But he stopped making them, afraid that he would only be able to eat what he made himself.
Oh well, let him go back to work.
This time, Xiao Hei didn't follow him; instead, he stayed by Cheng Zhiyu's side and watched.
Cheng Zhiyu wrapped the buns and placed them in the steamer. Xiao Hei then used his water-based supernatural ability to place the steamer on the pot and then put the lid on.
Cheng Zhiyu smiled and praised him, "Xiao Hei is really great!"
The little black tail swung even more happily, completely unaware of how pathetic it was.
The steamed buns were steaming in the pot. Cheng Zhiyu took the chopped meat filling, seasoned it, shaped it into small meatballs, and threw them into the soup to make ginger meatball soup.
The ginger meatball soup looks light, but it tastes quite good. When it's served, sprinkle some cilantro on top, and it looks very appetizing.
Luckily, they all eat cilantro, so there's no need to make a dish without cilantro.
It was almost time for Baozi to finish eating. Cheng Zhiyu glanced at the time and said, "Time to eat."
During the meal, Tian Qiao tried to ignore the ugly steamed buns he had made, but Cheng Zhiyu had already placed the buns he had made in front of him.
Tian Qiao tried to resist: "...Can I not eat it?"
Xiao Hei took a bite of the steaming hot bun. The aroma of pickled cabbage, vermicelli, and dough filled his mouth. He squinted, and when he heard Tian Qiao's words, he opened his half-round eyes and looked at Tian Qiao with a deep gaze.
Cheng Zhiyu: "No, we shouldn't waste food."
They all grew up in the countryside and know how difficult it is to turn wheat into flour. Even when they have enough to eat and drink, they take food very seriously. Moreover, now that it's the end of the world, they have seen how hard it is for ordinary people to survive, so they can't afford to waste it.
Upon hearing this, Tian Qiao could only take a bite of the steamed bun he had made. Good heavens, she hadn't even tasted the filling yet. Fortunately, Cheng Zhiyu's dough had risen very well, and the freshly cooked dough was fragrant. Even without any vegetables, it wasn't unpalatable.
Tian Qiao quickly ate the steamed buns she had made and sighed, "Actually, they're not bad, they're quite delicious."
After saying that, he couldn't wait to grab a big steamed bun and start eating. After one bite, he realized that the steamed bun he had just made was really bad. Unlike Cheng Zhiyu's, which had a thin skin and a lot of filling, it was so delicious that one bite would make him feel dizzy.
After another sip of the meatball soup, I felt completely refreshed.
They steamed three baskets of buns in total. These baskets weren't the small ones from the city; they were the large ones used with rural earthen stoves, the same size as the steamers in bun shops. Each basket could steam about ten large buns. Before they knew it, the three of them had finished two baskets.
Cheng Zhiyu put the remaining steamed bun into the storage space, so that it would look as fresh as if it had just come out of the pot when he took it out.
The meatball soup was all drunk up, with Xiao Hei drinking the most; he seemed to particularly enjoy it.
After finishing his meal, Cheng Zhiyu went to the system space. He hadn't claimed his reward yet, and he was a little hungry, so he wasn't in a hurry to do so.
He rubbed his hands together, looking somewhat expectant, and muttered, "System, could the space in the system space be a little bigger?"
Each upgrade only makes him a little bit bigger, so he has to be very frugal when planting vegetables.
The system ignored him.
Helpless, Cheng Zhiyu could only check the rewards.
As usual, it was an unidentified plant. Cheng Zhiyu planted it immediately, but did not dare to fertilize it right away. Newly planted plants need to be left to recover for a few days before fertilization.
This plant seems easier to grow than the cockroach; after he watered it, its life status increased from 5% to 6%.
Cheng Zhiyu breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he thought the plants would become more difficult to grow as time went on, but it seems that wasn't the case.
However, this plant looks strange. Usually, plants start with two leaves, at most differing only in color.
This one is a bit different; it's just one stem, and it's a bit curled up. I wonder what it will look like when it grows up.
However, based on its appearance, Cheng Zhiyu quickly gave it a name: "Little Curly, how about we call you Little Curly?"
Xiao Juan didn't answer, but her life status increased by 1%, which was quite considerate.
Cheng Zhiyu was very happy; it seemed he had chosen a good name.
system:【……】
Next, he received two other rewards. One was a system space upgrade. Cheng Zhiyu thought it was just an upgrade from 4*4 to 5*5, and comforted himself that the area actually increased more each time.
This time, somewhat unexpectedly, the land in the system space was directly upgraded to 7*7.
Cheng Zhiyu's eyes widened slightly, somewhat surprised: "System, how come you've upgraded so much this time?"
The system replied in a very aloof tone: [Rewards for Xiao Er and Xiao Tie's level-ups.]
"I see," Cheng Zhiyu nodded, then narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute, didn't Xiao Er and Xiao Tie already level up?"
system:【……】
"Playing dead again, huh?" Seeing that he couldn't get any results, Cheng Zhiyu had no choice but to give up. It seemed he would have to question the system more in the future, or he would be fooled by it.
Then there was the upgrade in storage space, from 5 cubic meters to 10 cubic meters!
This time it's been expanded many times over, 10 cubic meters! That's almost the size of a small warehouse. It looks like we can bring more supplies this time.
Cheng Zhiyu was in a good mood as he looked at all the plants in the system space. The plants like Xiao Er hadn't changed much, but the ordinary plants were changing every day.
The cucumbers and tomatoes have already produced seeds, small ones, but I reckon they'll be ready to eat soon.
Because they were planted next to Xiao Er, both of them were red when they first sprouted.
The potatoes are hidden underground, so they're not visible. As for the watermelons, they've already started to flower.
After reading through them one by one and watering them, Cheng Zhiyu left the system space and told Xiao Hei and Tian Qiao the great news.
After hearing this, Tian Qiao wished she could bring everything she could.
Cheng Zhiyu pondered, "We can make a small generator then. It can fit in the space, or we can put it in Xiaoqiang's storage room."
Now that they have a treehouse, they really need a generator, which they can take with them anytime, anywhere.
There are generators that are extremely loud, but there are also silent ones. They will definitely look for the latter, otherwise, when they use the generator, it will be as if they want to tell the zombies or other people that they are here.
"And furniture, let's go to the furniture store and take a look. We definitely need a bed." Tian Qiao was still thinking about this.
Cheng Zhiyu nodded: "Let's look for the furniture displayed in the furniture store; it won't contain formaldehyde."
Although it's not new, it's not that important either.
After discussing it, they decided to set off the next day, still at night, because it was too sunny during the day to go out.
Actually, Tian Qiao, who is a superpowered individual, and Cheng Zhiyu, who has practiced mental techniques, could withstand the temperature, but it was still really unbearable.
Autumn is coming soon, I wonder if it will cool down.
Speaking of leaving, Tian Qiao muttered about the shadowy figure again: "He really isn't coming anymore. He used to come every time we ate together."
Cheng Zhiyu didn't say anything. It was the other party's choice, and he couldn't criticize it. He had originally planned to make some food that would keep longer for the other party, but the shadowy figure hadn't come, so he couldn't give it to him.
They both tacitly stopped talking about it, and that night they both stayed in the treehouse. Although it was a bit hard without a bed, it was fine to sleep there occasionally.
Moreover, they were pleasantly surprised to find that the treehouse was a little warmer than usual at night.
They closed their eyes to sleep, but in the middle of the night they suddenly heard a sobbing sound. If the sound hadn't been so familiar, it would have been really creepy.
Tian Qiao came downstairs and saw that Cheng Zhiyu was already up. They both knew that the shadowy figure had arrived and wanted to go out to see what was going on.
Upon exiting the treehouse, they saw a dark figure crouching in the yard where they had previously lived, crying bitterly.
Cheng Zhiyu understood why he was crying, walked over and gently patted the other's shoulder: "We haven't left yet."
The shadowy figure was so frightened that it almost jumped out, but when it saw that it was them, it barely stopped and wiped its face. Although its expression was not clear, it could be felt that the other party was very surprised.
Tian Qiao yawned: "Brother, it's the middle of the night, and your crying is really creepy."
The shadowy figure seemed a little embarrassed, lowering its head, then, as if remembering something, quickly pointed in the direction outside.
Tian Qiao was confused and scratched her head, asking, "Huh? What do you mean? What's going on outside?"
The shadowy figure pointed anxiously and opened his mouth, saying, "Go, go... come with me..."
The two understood that he wanted them to come with him.
They just didn't know where the other party was going to take them.
The shadowy figure continued to repeat persistently, "Go...go..."
So, the other party came over in the middle of the night to take them somewhere? But they didn't know where they were going.
Cheng Zhiyu looked at Xiao Hei, who flicked its tail: "Go take a look."
Cheng Zhiyu thought so too. He didn't think the shadowy figure would harm them; on the contrary, he was quite curious.
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