Chapter 24
Travel? He actually had little interest in it.
Scenery? To him, it was not that appealing either.
Fu Jingqiu had agreed to travel with Jiang Qingyu partly because the other man had saved him. Money alone did not seem enough to repay that.
The rest was because of Jiang Qingyu’s safety.
When one was away from home, caution alone could not block out every danger. Just like what had happened last night—he did not go looking for trouble, but trouble had come knocking on its own.
Jiang Qingyu had said it himself: he was practically powerless. If someone with bad intentions targeted him, he probably would not even be able to outrun them, let alone truly fight back.
It was precisely because Fu Jingqiu was worried about this that he was willing to stay and protect his safety.
It was not that he had been coerced by gratitude. In truth, Fu Jingqiu was simply holding a go-with-the-flow mindset.
Stopping was fine. Moving forward did not matter either.
For the time being, there was nothing he especially wanted to do, so anything was fine.
Thinking about it now, this casual mindset of his seemed somewhat too arrogant.
At least to Jiang Qingyu, he was not a random stranger found anywhere, nor some casual travel companion to pair up with for fun.
He…
Jiang Qingyu waved his hand in front of his eyes. “What are you spacing out for? You’ve been holding that bowl and staring at me for ages. What’s going on?”
“…” Fu Jingqiu put down his bowl. “Sorry. I got distracted just now.”
The sentimental part was over. Time to eat first.
Fu Jingqiu seemed to have some procedures to handle, as though he needed to transfer his household registration or something like that. Jiang Qingyu did not ask too much. In any case, no one knew whether these things would still be useful after the apocalypse.
But at least it was a signal of greater distance. Who knew whether his family would use his identity to do something bad in the early stages of the apocalypse?
One had to admit, after the space was bound to him, it was far too convenient. There were so many people at the morning market that even if he carried large and small bags, no one deliberately paid attention.
There were no surveillance cameras here. He only had to turn into a blind spot or an alley and directly put the things into the space. No one would notice.
When he had come shopping with Fu Jingqiu, he had still felt somewhat restricted. Now, he could freely add orders and buy wildly without holding back. Moving things from his left hand to his right, they directly entered the space. He only needed to carry his phone.
Picking up the goods went very smoothly. Jiang Qingyu also conveniently strolled around the market again and added quite a lot of fresh fruit.
The lady boss was enthusiastic and even gave him a bunch of washed, fresh-looking sapphire black grapes. Jiang Qingyu tasted a few. They were fresh, crisp, and sweet. When he made homemade candied hawthorn skewers later, they would definitely be delicious.
He wanted to make candied hawthorn skewers into yoga pants too!
Eating the sweet, refreshing grapes, Jiang Qingyu now had someone to share things with. He immediately took out his phone and sent Fu Jingqiu a WeChat message asking what he was doing, along with a photo of the beautiful grapes in his hand.
Fu Jingqiu replied very quickly: “There are still some procedures I haven’t finished. Are those sapphire grapes?”
Jiang Qingyu smiled and replied with a voice message, telling him not to rush, then answering yes and saying that he had bought a lot, and they would eat them as after-dinner fruit tonight.
After sending the message, he took the little electric scooter out of the space, rode it around the nearby area, checked whether there was anything else he could buy, and conveniently made another round of purchases.
But speaking of identity procedures, it was inevitable that he would think of Fu Jingqiu’s family.
After picking up the vegetarian pan-fried buns, Jiang Qingyu went to meet Fu Jingqiu. They got into the vehicle and discussed the next destination.
Fu Jingqiu was indeed a rather old-fashioned person. Jiang Qingyu did not know where he had found a map, but he very seriously spread it out flat on the table and asked for Jiang Qingyu’s opinion.
Jiang Qingyu thought anything was fine. In any case, the final destination of this stretch of road was Altay. He planned to stay there until spring arrived before setting off again.
As for the route and how much time it would take, there was no need to be so strict. It did not matter even if they changed it temporarily.
Two days ago, he had already secretly and subtly told Fu Jingqiu that his vehicle had been modified in advance and that many of its devices were very advanced. For example, on the upcoming journey crossing the Five Lakes and then going to Badain Jaran, the RV could still travel there. Its performance was good enough.
There were also things like the electronic lock that had recorded both of their fingerprints, the interior expandable cabin roof lift, the multimedia equipment, and so on.
Taking the opportunity while they discussed the route, Jiang Qingyu also mentioned autonomous driving to Fu Jingqiu.
Previously, because he had been alone and did not want to invite unnecessary trouble, he had used the holographic projection method to maintain a normal appearance and avoid being targeted.
But now, the situation had changed somewhat.
First, the system’s holographic projection technology was not an effect that any device currently on the market could produce. He was an ordinary person and did not have the ability to possess such a thing.
Fu Jingqiu might be a little straightforward, but that did not mean his mind could not turn. If Jiang Qingyu truly let him see that almost perfectly lifelike effect with his own eyes, he would definitely become suspicious.
Second, now that Fu Jingqiu was there to hold the fort, Jiang Qingyu was not afraid of people coming to pick trouble. Although autonomous driving had not been fully popularized, many people were still using it, so it was not especially strange.
Bringing it up with Fu Jingqiu now was reasonable. After all, he was not yet very familiar with the RV, so it was in a state where things could be added at any time. Jiang Qingyu had to seize the chance and “report” all the functions he might use in the future to Fu Jingqiu.
As they chatted, Jiang Qingyu’s gaze touched the document bag Fu Jingqiu had placed at the edge of the table, and his mind drifted for a moment.
“Um, do you think there’s any chance we might run into your mother and your younger brother?”
Fu Jingqiu’s motion of turning the map paused slightly. He raised his eyes to look at Jiang Qingyu.
Jiang Qingyu naturally knew this topic was a bit awkward. But this situation was indeed possible, wasn’t it?
“It’s possible,” Fu Jingqiu said. “But don’t worry. No matter what happens, I won’t go back with them again.”
Mm… Why did that sound a little like the obedient darling of a family being abducted by a delinquent youth?
Jiang Qingyu scratched his cheek. “What I mean is, if they discussed the route with you before, should we avoid it?”
“It’s fine,” Fu Jingqiu said. “If we meet them, I’ll make things clear. If we don’t meet them, then after they return and find out that the house has been sold, that they can’t withdraw money from my bank account, and that they can’t report me missing, they should know I’m still alive.”
He smiled at Jiang Qingyu. “Now that I’m following you and wandering wherever home may be, how could they find me?”
Brother, the way you said that is a little ambiguous. It sounds even stranger.
And also, you—do you not usually look in the mirror? With such a traditionally handsome, upright face, saying things like following or not following is just too much.
People in our circle never talk. Instead, they… no, wait.
Jiang Qingyu forcefully shook the short-drama plot out of his head, coughed twice, cleared his throat, and said, “Mm, right. You’re right.”
He patted his chest and said solemnly, “Don’t worry. If your family comes to catch you, I’ll definitely protect you.”
No.
That was even more ambiguous!! Was there something wrong with his brain?
Fu Jingqiu could not help smiling. He reached out and patted Jiang Qingyu’s fluffy head once. The latter shrank his neck in bewilderment and hugged the little cat in his arms tightly.
Meimei was squeezed by him until she let out a soft meow. Her hind legs kicked hard, pushing him away before she ran off.
A harmonious atmosphere was a good thing for a team.
Although Jiang Qingyu felt the atmosphere was strange, he still did not deliberately investigate it too deeply. Thinking too much made his head hurt. It was better to pack up and get on the road. If everything went smoothly, they could arrive at Haizi Camp before nightfall and spend the night there.
Oh, right. Before leaving, Jiang Qingyu openly drove to buy some reserve water and placed it in the storage compartment beneath the vehicle.
When it came to water, as long as there was room to store it, no amount was too much.
Once the vehicle set off, Jiang Qingyu secretly praised himself again for having great foresight. With autonomous driving turned on, why would he need to sit miserably in the front and drive?
Besides, once the partition door was closed, he could be even more unrestrained. Even if he brought out the holographic projection again, Fu Jingqiu would not notice.
After passing through the sign reading “Dream Desert Highway,” neither of them mentioned stopping there. Fu Jingqiu borrowed Jiang Qingyu’s computer to handle online banking and seemed to be doing some online shopping too.
The desire to shop could influence people. For the past two days, Jiang Qingyu had talked every day about needing to buy things, making Fu Jingqiu also develop the urge to purchase more supplies.
Jiang Qingyu, meanwhile, dug out the drone, carefully read the instruction manual, and adjusted the app and equipment. He had not had time to play around with it after buying it, so he was cramming at the last minute, but it did not take too much effort.
Fu Jingqiu’s suggestion was still not to directly drive the RV into the desert. Besides, with a drone, the scenery they could see might be better than standing by the lake.
After all, those popular photos online were almost all taken from aerial angles. Resting at the camp and taking Meimei for a walk would be fine too.
Hehe, perhaps they could even eat watermelon at the desert camp tonight.
The RV drove steadily, and everything was safe. Jiang Qingyu went to the refrigerator to look for ingredients, secretly adding more things inside. In any case, Fu Jingqiu had not opened the refrigerator and did not know what was in it, so whatever Jiang Qingyu took out would be reasonable.
They had bought mushrooms today, so it was just right to make three-delicacy soup. Considering Fu Jingqiu’s large appetite, Jiang Qingyu generously cracked several eggs together into one super fried egg, pan-fried both sides until golden, then added bone broth and brought it to a boil.
Seafood mushrooms, ham, firm tofu, peeled jumbo shrimp, and a handful of crisp, tender baby greens sprinkled in just before it left the pot. The soup was milky white, and the flavor was incredibly fresh.
Pickled cabbage stir-fried with beef was simple and delicious. The beef was sliced thin and marinated in advance, then stir-fried with scallion sections and garlic slices. A little bird’s eye chili was added, making it satisfying with rice.
Last time, Fu Jingqiu had said he liked eating shrimp, so Jiang Qingyu made another dish of salted egg yolk giant freshwater prawns.
The prawns were processed by Fu Jingqiu himself, the person who loved eating them. He removed the veins, cut off the whiskers and legs, then coated them in a thin layer of starch and pan-fried them once so they could be coated with egg yolk later.
The salted egg yolks were crushed and stir-fried until sandy, with a little breadcrumb added. Each prawn was evenly coated in salted egg yolk. Just holding the wok, Jiang Qingyu could not help drooling.
Because the aroma was too powerful, before plating the dish, he ended up holding the pan and chopsticks and letting each of them taste one.
Jiang Qingyu’s eyes sparkled brightly. “How is it? It’s good, right?”
In the past, when Fu Jingqiu ate shrimp, it was mostly boiled. His mother knew how to make braised prawns in oil, and he also liked them, but his younger brother did not. So this dish was always absent from the dining table.
If he cooked for himself, because his cooking skills were not particularly excellent, even if it was just boiled shrimp, his mother would nag and say it was troublesome.
She had made even the most complicated cuisines for his younger brother. But when boiled shrimp was served, and she did not even need to peel them herself, she still felt there was no need simply because his younger brother did not like them.
How could it ever be like this—inviting him to participate in preparing the ingredients, cooking everything methodically, then smiling beside the pan as he picked up a shrimp for him to taste?
The family warmth Fu Jingqiu had never experienced before was actually something he felt from a person he had only known for a few days, someone several years younger than him.
