Chapter 39
Actually, last night, when Jiang Qingyu carried the puppy into the medical cabin, he had already thought of how to brush Fu Jingqiu off.
So in the face of Fu Jingqiu’s confusion and surprise, Jiang Qingyu kept his little face tense and played dumb. “Really? Why? Could it be that you touched it wrong last night?”
Fu Jingqiu furrowed his brows. “I wouldn’t have touched it wrong. When I checked last night, this area was very obvious. No matter what, it should have taken some time to recover.”
Jiang Qingyu also pretended to be confused while secretly observing Fu Jingqiu’s expression. Then, just as Fu Jingqiu seemed to think of something, he spoke at exactly the right time. “Actually, I have an idea.”
Fu Jingqiu came back to himself slightly. “Go ahead.”
Jiang Qingyu analyzed in a convincing manner, “I saw people online analyzing that the reason zombies appeared is because of some kind of virus. Let’s put aside whether that’s true or not for now. If we follow this line of thought, then it’s not only humans who might be infected by the virus. Animals could be infected too, right?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “That should be… right?”
Jiang Qingyu clapped his hands. “Exactly! Zombies can still move freely after death. Maybe this virus also has a certain healing effect? It’s just that in humans, it becomes a side effect, while in dogs, it instead lets their injuries heal rapidly?”
Fu Jingqiu was already stunned from listening.
Although it sounded a little far-fetched, if he thought about it carefully, it did seem to have a certain logic.
After all, the videos he had seen online could not be fake. The fact that zombies could still move and attack after death was precisely the most terrifying thing about them.
But thinking about it from the opposite direction, just as Jiang Qingyu said, this situation was also a kind of, a kind of… uh, something similar to maintaining bodily function?
So that was why this puppy had still managed to cling to life on such a rainy night, struggling to find their vehicle for shelter from the wind and rain, and still had the strength to make sounds and ask them for help.
Jiang Qingyu secretly observed Fu Jingqiu’s expression. Seeing him think for a long time, as if considering how possible the hypothesis he had proposed was, Jiang Qingyu felt relieved but also a little guilty.
In truth, he had seen this from Resident Evil. It was all complete nonsense.
Otherwise, there really was no way to explain how the puppy’s broken leg had recovered completely overnight.
And it had not simply been set. It was completely healed. There was still a difference between the two.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, he secretly slipped into the kitchen and prepared to make something to eat. He would first feed the two adults, one cat, and one dog, then see how to arrange entering the county town.
Putting aside whether they would buy things or not, Jiang Qingyu still had some packages sent here.
The zombie outbreak had erupted in densely populated big cities, but express delivery was still being transferred, scanned, and updated in an orderly manner all the way until it reached its destination.
It was honestly rather magical.
To keep Fu Jingqiu from continuing to dig himself into a dead end, Jiang Qingyu arranged a task for him. Since it was not convenient to bathe the puppy right now, Fu Jingqiu could wipe him down first, then change the little blanket in his nest so he could sleep more comfortably.
In addition, there was also housework to do. Busyness could be used to shift his attention.
Fu Jingqiu’s practical style made him instinctively begin following Jiang Qingyu’s arrangements.
Housework sounded easy, but actually doing it involved many trivial details. On top of that, they now had an extra puppy, so there were inevitably more things to do.
Seeing that he was no longer dwelling on it, Jiang Qingyu secretly let out a breath of relief. Through the space, he sent food into the refrigerator, then took it out naturally and began cooking.
These past few days, they had not really had many chances to eat breakfast. The time they woke up was too awkward. After washing up and preparing a meal, by the time it was done, it just happened to be lunchtime.
Sometimes, with Fu Jingqiu helping and moving faster, it could only count as brunch.
In any case, Jiang Qingyu had already told Fu Jingqiu in advance that if he woke up early and needed breakfast, he did not have to wait. He could just look in the refrigerator and find something to eat himself.
On the upper shelves of the frozen side of the refrigerator, Jiang Qingyu had neatly placed some buns, steamed twisted rolls, and other wheat-based foods. They were packed in preservation boxes with labels stuck on them, clear at a glance.
Fu Jingqiu only needed to steam them over water. There was no technical difficulty involved. It was especially convenient and tasty.
There were also some finished scallion pancakes, pan-fried dumplings, and the like. As long as he did not mess up the heat, he could heat them up and eat them himself. If he wanted to add eggs or side dishes, that was fine too. Self-service.
In addition, there were all kinds of dumplings, wontons, and egg noodles, all stored just as neatly. There were many types of fillings and flavors, a dazzling variety.
As for drinks, whether soy milk, milk, soup, snow fungus soup, or millet porridge, there were finished glass jars of them. They could be drunk after heating.
Jiang Qingyu deliberately packed the refrigerator full. First, it gave Fu Jingqiu a sense of security and showed that they still had many things to eat. Second, unless Fu Jingqiu deliberately remembered everything inside, whatever Jiang Qingyu took out would not be strange.
Judging from the current situation—hehe, plan successful.
Today, he made preserved plum spare ribs, baby cabbage braised with shrimp balls, baked egg with minced meat and cheese, and garlic giant freshwater prawns.
Yes, they were eating Fu Jingqiu’s favorite shrimp again.
The reason was simple: seafood had to be eaten quickly, right?
The preserved plum spare ribs were sweet, sour, and delicious, especially addictive to eat. The method was also simple. It was just a home-cooked dish. If he craved it, he would make it once. There was nothing special about it.
The baby cabbage braised with shrimp balls was also a lazy person’s dish. Baby cabbage and seafood mushrooms lined the bottom, along with tofu and glass noodles. A full pot of shrimp balls was placed on top, followed by a layer of non-spicy garlic sauce. With a little seasoning and water, it only needed to be braised briefly. Simple and fresh.
After rinsing it once in water, both Meimei and the puppy could eat it.
Oh, and another thing. While they were preparing the ingredients, hundreds of possible nicknames flowed through both their minds, and in the end, one name remained: Tangyuan.
From now on, this puppy would be called Tangyuan (glutinous rice balls or sweet rice balls).
From his face, neck, and chest all the way down to a large patch on his lower belly, the fur was white and felt very soft. His back was black, and the color ratio was very appropriate. He counted as a very beautiful puppy. Just thinking about it, one could guess how agile and imposing he would be after he grew up and his fur fully fluffed out.
Puppy Parent Lesson One: Jiang Qingyu and Fu Jingqiu discussed it and agreed that they would absolutely never use clicking sounds like “tsk tsk tsk” to call Tangyuan. At home, they would only call his name.
First, this could deepen the puppy’s impression of his name. Second, it was also to eliminate all possible sudden situations in the future. They absolutely would not let a stranger call him away with a few “tsk tsk tsk” sounds. They had to make Tangyuan completely immune to that kind of sound.
Fu Jingqiu deeply agreed and cooperated very well.
Today, both Meimei and Tangyuan had shrimp to eat. Oh, Fu Jingqiu too.
Besides that, Meimei also ate shrimp meat and baby cabbage that had been rinsed in water. She was truly very well-behaved and not picky about food. Jiang Qingyu tried his best to control the amount so her dietary ratio would not become unbalanced.
Judging from Meimei’s current condition, there were no problems at all.
As for Tangyuan, what he ate was a little more mixed.
Jiang Qingyu did not know which foods puppies could not eat or needed to eat. When he was cooking, he had originally wanted to use his free time to search online, but later he threw the task to Fu Jingqiu, telling him to look it up and then tell him.
They really were two flustered parents.
But there was something worth celebrating: Tangyuan was not picky either. He ate whatever there was. They had also raised an immortal puppy.
The only thing was that they failed to hold back for a moment, and he seemed to have eaten a little too much. His little belly was round, and his mobility was clearly not as nimble as in the morning. When he walked, he stumbled a little.
Jiang Qingyu suddenly thought of that famous description for little cats: chicken wing stuffed with rice.
Though this was not a little orange cat, his stuffed little appearance was truly not far off.
After lunch, Jiang Qingyu began secretly updating Fu Jingqiu’s map again, telling him to throw all the trash into the biodegradable recycling box.
Back when everything was normal, Jiang Qingyu did not care where he threw things away. These past few days, with continuous heavy rain, Fu Jingqiu had been the one rushing to do this job.
Now it was just right. Jiang Qingyu could use the term he had made up after discussing it with the system and throw it at Fu Jingqiu, using it to counterbalance the news that Tangyuan’s leg had suddenly healed. That way, Fu Jingqiu would not suspect him.
The RV started up again and passed through the ancient city of Loulan in the rain. The heavy rain washed over everything, and muddy water gathered in puddles. Who knew how many days it had been raining here?
Everyone’s attention was probably on zombies now. Perhaps very few people had noticed that the inexplicable heavy rain was also a disaster.
This place was originally not open to visitors and was not accessible. However, the museum could be visited.
But now there was no one selling tickets, and Jiang Qingyu and Fu Jingqiu were not in the mood to go in and tour the place either. They only looked at it from afar through the vehicle window, then continued forward.
Their destination this time was the county town. Up to now, they still had not found any information online about zombies appearing in the nearby county towns.
There were, however, a few tourists who had happened to be trapped here by the heavy rain and had posted a few Weibo messages secretly expressing relief. Jiang Qingyu had only seen them while searching keywords.
From their statuses, he could tell that order here should still be normal.
Fu Jingqiu’s thoughts were about the same as his, but whether they could buy supplies was another matter.
At this point, Jiang Qingyu no longer really wanted to stockpile food. After all, his inventory was very abundant, and there was no need to compete with locals or tourists for supplies.
So he discussed it with Fu Jingqiu. If the situation in the county town was still as usual, then they would split up. Jiang Qingyu would drive to buy things, while Fu Jingqiu would take Tangyuan for a physical examination, vaccination, and buy things a dog could use, such as medicine, leashes, little clothes, and a dog bed.
He struck first, telling Fu Jingqiu not to worry too much about him. Special circumstances called for special arrangements. They could not be too slow and clingy, with one accompanying the other everywhere.
In addition, Jiang Qingyu was the chef. The person in charge of the wok knew best what needed to be bought. If Fu Jingqiu went, they would still have to call back and forth to discuss things, which would be inconvenient.
At times like this, his brain was especially nimble. And since Fu Jingqiu had been stuffed with far too much information by him today, in the end, he agreed to Jiang Qingyu’s arrangement.
Fu Jingqiu prepared a small bag for Jiang Qingyu. Inside were pepper spray, an electric baton, and a sharpened straight knife.
It was Jiang Qingyu’s first time coming into contact with this kind of thing, so he inevitably found it a little novel. He took it out and weighed it in his hand, not expecting that the feel would be unexpectedly suitable. Drawing the knife was also convenient. There were not that many flashy designs; the lines were simple and smooth. When he tested the edge slightly, the sharpness was astonishing.
With a solemn face, Fu Jingqiu hung the little bag around his neck. “Every item is in its corresponding place. You must remember that. No matter what situation you encounter, run to the vehicle first. Don’t confront the other party head-on.”
Jiang Qingyu asked, “Then what if I can’t outrun them?”
Fu Jingqiu patted the little bag. “These things will come in handy. Remember, don’t be soft-hearted, and don’t let your legs go weak. Be decisive.”
“Any method is fine. Open and upright or despicable—it doesn’t matter. No matter what, ensure your own safety first.”
He looked directly into Jiang Qingyu’s eyes. “Even if it goes against your own morals, it’s all right.”
