Chapter 51
If Jiang Qingyu had to describe it, he would say it was actually a very warm and gentle night.
Fu Jingqiu’s embrace was warm, and very comfortable to sleep in.
He didn’t do anything that crossed the line, but he also didn’t let go and retreat back to a safe distance. It was almost like the way someone would hold a child while coaxing them to sleep, occasionally patting Jiang Qingyu lightly on the back.
Half-asleep already, and with Fu Jingqiu’s muscles relaxed and soft, Jiang Qingyu rested his cheek against his chest. Before he knew it, he had closed his eyes, completely letting go of all tension and leaning against him with peace of mind.
At some point, he vaguely felt himself being held and repositioned, then tucked into the soft blankets he liked.
The instant he was about to be released, Jiang Qingyu instinctively grabbed onto the fabric over Fu Jingqiu’s shoulder without opening his eyes.
Fu Jingqiu paused for a moment. Then, with one long arm, he pulled him back into his embrace.
Jiang Qingyu was truly exhausted. The day had been full of ups and downs for him. Now that everything was resolved and there was nothing weighing on his mind, falling asleep came naturally.
He only felt himself being adjusted a couple more times before the fluffy down comforter was draped over him. It was soft and warm, and beside him was an incredibly pleasant heat source. Less than two minutes later, he was asleep.
The wind howled mournfully outside, roaring through the entire night. It wasn’t until close to dawn that it finally weakened a little, and the whole world quieted down.
The RV stood silently beneath the dark blue sky. The snow-covered buildings around it acted as barriers against the wind. Jiang Qingyu slept on the inner side of the bed, and no matter how much he tossed and turned, someone was always there protecting his side. Occasionally, during a fleeting second or two of awareness, he realized how safe his surroundings felt before immediately falling asleep again.
This time, he slept until he woke naturally again.
Still with his eyes closed, Jiang Qingyu habitually wanted to stretch lazily beneath the blankets, twisting around a little to wake up his body.
But the moment he stretched out an arm, he smacked into something with a dull thud. It sounded pretty solid, yet his own hand didn’t hurt much.
Jiang Qingyu instantly woke up halfway and hurriedly turned his head to look. What entered his sight was Fu Jingqiu’s clear-eyed face calmly looking back at him.
“Morning.”
Morning? How was this early?
At this hour, wasn’t Fu Jingqiu usually already done with a mountain of tasks? He certainly didn’t look like someone who had just woken up.
Jiang Qingyu sensed his own position and realized that half his body was pressed against Fu Jingqiu. Last night they had still used separate blankets, but now there was no barrier between them at all. Parts of their bodies overlapped, an arm wrapped around his waist, their warmth leaning into each other.
This kind of intimacy was a first for him. Jiang Qingyu’s freshly awakened nerves reacted sluggishly. He only felt that it was comfortable. Thinking about the freezing world outside, the two of them huddled together like this felt incredibly warm.
So he slowly shifted and turned toward Fu Jingqiu, practically draping his entire upper body over him.
Fu Jingqiu naturally wrapped an arm around his back.
Jiang Qingyu’s head rubbed against Fu Jingqiu’s chin, soft and fluffy to the touch. He had just washed his hair last night, and right now it felt exceptionally nice.
Fu Jingqiu smoothed the hair at the back of his head a couple times, fingers slipping into the soft strands as he slowly kneaded them.
Jiang Qingyu’s voice was muffled. “Why aren’t you getting up? Even if you can’t go for a morning run, shouldn’t you still be working out?”
Fu Jingqiu replied, “Already did.”
Not only had he exercised, he had also fed the cats and dogs, played with Meimei for a while, done some basic training with Tangyuan, tossed both of their pajamas into the washer and dryer, and even taken a shower before finally returning to bed.
After hearing everything he had already accomplished that morning, a question mark slowly appeared over Jiang Qingyu’s head.
Could someone really do that much in one morning?
And if he had already gotten up, why crawl back into bed?
“You got sleepy again?” Jiang Qingyu asked.
The hand around his waist slowly rubbed against him. It tickled slightly, and Jiang Qingyu instinctively tried to dodge away, only for Fu Jingqiu to tighten his hold first. Trying to escape only pushed him further into Fu Jingqiu’s arms.
Fu Jingqiu said, “No. I just thought it’d be better if I was beside you when you woke up.”
“?” Jiang Qingyu blinked. “Did you read that online?”
Fu Jingqiu: “…Mm.”
Jiang Qingyu buried his face against his chest and laughed quietly for a while. “I already said you don’t need to copy everything so literally.”
At least for now, every step Fu Jingqiu had taken was already more than qualified.
After hearing that, Fu Jingqiu paused subtly before saying, “It’s because I wanted to do it.”
As their relationship progressed, he found himself thinking more and more about it.
Working never interfered with Fu Jingqiu’s ability to think things through.
In some aspects, he was very self-aware. For example, his survival instinct back in the desert existed only because he didn’t want his mother and younger brother’s schemes against him to succeed.
But beyond that, he had never thought about what he wanted to do or how he wanted to live.
Then Jiang Qingyu appeared and gave meaning to his survival. What started as companionship turned into partnership, into the role of protecting him and keeping him safe.
The things Jiang Qingyu did might simply be because he wanted to eat well, have fun, and enjoy life properly while carrying on for the sake of the family members he had lost.
But everything Fu Jingqiu did was only because Jiang Qingyu wanted to do it.
Call him selfish or manipulative if you wanted, but in this relationship, the one who truly couldn’t live without the other was actually Fu Jingqiu.
His strong will and powerful physique meant he could survive even without Jiang Qingyu. To him, this apocalypse was merely an extreme wilderness survival adventure.
But that was only if he wanted to keep living.
Whether this desire to bind himself tightly to Jiang Qingyu counted as love, Fu Jingqiu didn’t know.
But he wanted to be close to him.
Even if it was only quietly holding each other like this.
So after finishing everything, Fu Jingqiu had climbed back into bed beside Jiang Qingyu. Now he could openly and rightfully hold him, watching Jiang Qingyu lazily roll over and rest his head against his shoulder.
After hearing those words, Jiang Qingyu felt something stir faintly in his heart, as though a foxtail grass had lightly brushed the tip of it. It was itchy, impossible to suppress.
Pretending to act casual, he patted Fu Jingqiu’s chest, though the motion was far from proper.
“So how do you feel now?”
Fu Jingqiu asked, “About what?”
Jiang Qingyu propped a hand against his chest and lifted himself slightly, looking up at him from below. From that angle, his features appeared magnified, making his eyes look especially round and dark—an angle that made people desperately want to pinch his cheeks.
Jiang Qingyu said, “Didn’t you say you wanted to try? So how does it feel now? What we’re doing already goes beyond the safe distance of ordinary friends. Can you accept it?”
Fu Jingqiu held Jiang Qingyu and adjusted him slightly higher in his arms before calmly replying with playful seriousness, “Thank you for your concern. So far, adaptation has been excellent.”
Then, as though he instinctively understood the move, he patted Jiang Qingyu’s butt.
“Alright. Stop lazing in bed and get up.”
Jiang Qingyu: ?
Covering his butt, he was lifted upright by Fu Jingqiu. A coat was draped over his shoulders. Fu Jingqiu’s efficiency when climbing out of bed was honestly admirable. In the blink of an eye, he had folded the blankets neatly into tofu-block squares at the foot of the bed and arranged the pillows and Meimei’s half-open cat bed with smooth, practiced motions, leaving Jiang Qingyu sitting in the middle of the bed looking utterly lost.
Wait, was this still my bed?
Just then, a burst of noise came from outside. It sounded like a pretty big commotion. Fu Jingqiu glanced at him and said, “I’ll go take a look.”
Jiang Qingyu hurriedly got out of bed to put on his shoes. “I’m coming too.”
Although they said they were going to check things out, neither of them actually got out of the vehicle. One after the other, they entered the driver’s cabin and pulled open the electric curtain. Outside the checkpoint stood several zombies that had appeared from who knew where. The people at the station, bundled in down jackets and military coats, were preparing water to throw at the zombies.
Jiang Qingyu frowned. “At this close range, pouring water isn’t useful unless you instantly freeze them. If the zombies move any faster, they could bite someone before freezing.”
As he spoke, several more people rushed out from the checkpoint carrying large bundles of rope. Shivering in the cold, they hurriedly tied loops, preparing to trap the zombies first.
To be fair, this temperature really limited movement. The wind wasn’t as outrageous as last night anymore, but it still cut painfully against the skin.
Seeing Jiang Qingyu frowning as if worried, Fu Jingqiu suddenly asked, “Do you want me to help them?”
Jiang Qingyu froze slightly and turned to look at him. Meeting Fu Jingqiu’s serious expression and remembering his background, he guessed the man probably didn’t want to stand by and do nothing.
“Are you confident?”
Fu Jingqiu thought, As expected, he wants to help.
He nodded. “It’s not difficult.”
At the same time, he headed into the living area, rapidly dressing and gearing up while pulling out his “combat bag.”
These movements were etched into his bones. In barely any time at all, Fu Jingqiu was fully prepared, standing at the entrance and staring closely at Jiang Qingyu as if waiting for his command.
Jiang Qingyu found the scene a little strange, but still nodded at him.
“Be careful.”
“Alright.”
Fu Jingqiu pulled down his face covering. Beneath his thick brows, his eyes sharpened into a clear combat stance. He swiftly exited the RV and strode toward the zombies.
Meanwhile, Jiang Qingyu started the vehicle and drove it forward slightly, planning to provide support.
Actually, his first thought had been to simply ram the zombies with the RV, but he was worried about accidentally hitting the checkpoint staff. He had still been hesitating about how to help when Fu Jingqiu volunteered to handle it himself.
Which was fine. It could count as practice in advance.
Right now, the zombie outbreak was only being slowed because of the extreme cold. Once the next natural disaster arrived, who knew what things would look like.
If conditions allowed, Jiang Qingyu wanted to train alongside Fu Jingqiu too.
This had nothing to do with exercise. It was purely about increasing survival skills. There were only benefits and no downsides. No matter what, having those skills was better than not having them.
But professionals really were different.
The moment Fu Jingqiu stepped onto the battlefield, he grabbed the thick hemp rope from one of the workers, looped it around his hands a few times, and directly tossed it over the zombies’ heads.
His aim was unbelievably accurate. Almost every throw landed perfectly. With a powerful yank of his wrist, he tied several zombies together in one bundle. The creatures snarled and roared at him, looking genuinely terrifying.
Fu Jingqiu turned to the stunned workers and ordered, “Now pour the water.”
Freezing zombies actually required some technique.
For ordinary humans in temperatures below negative seventy degrees Celsius, exposed skin would frostbite within fifteen to twenty minutes outdoors.
But zombies were different. Chopping, stabbing, or slashing them only slowed them down. Since they no longer had vital signs, frostbite itself did no damage to them. The blood inside their bodies had already congealed into something jelly-like. For some reason, experiments had shown it simply couldn’t freeze further.
So the best method was to capture them first and restrict their movement before using water and containers to freeze them completely into ice sculptures.
As for whether they would regain mobility once thawed… nobody knew yet.
No one had tested it before.
The checkpoint staff quickly reacted. One young man ran the fastest, grimacing as the icy wind sliced across his face while he fetched supplies. Working together, they finally managed to freeze the three zombies solid.
With the danger resolved, everyone thanked Fu Jingqiu repeatedly.
Among the checkpoint staff, Jiang Qingyu noticed an older man bundled in a security uniform beneath a military coat. His wrinkled skin and thin frame made him look like a frail little old man, and Jiang Qingyu couldn’t help feeling a pang in his chest.
Fu Jingqiu waved dismissively and pointed toward the RV. Jiang Qingyu was briefly confused. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but soon the old man emerged from the checkpoint carrying a sack of things, insisting on giving it to Fu Jingqiu.
Naturally, Fu Jingqiu refused, but the man stubbornly insisted, even strategically blocking him before carrying the bag over to knock on the driver’s side window.
After hesitating briefly and seeing the old man’s expression, Jiang Qingyu couldn’t bear it and rolled the window down.
The moment the window lowered a crack, the old man stuffed the bag inside.
Jiang Qingyu: “……”
Inside was a sack of taro, a melon, several bottles of milk beer, and a small tub of yogurt.
It wasn’t much, but it was all food. It wasn’t as though anyone lacked a bite to eat, but this was a special time. What Fu Jingqiu had done was only a small favor, yet they insisted on repaying them with supplies.
Jiang Qingyu had grown up with his grandparents. In truth, many people treated the elderly poorly, especially in certain “high-end” places, as though older people had already been cast out of society and no longer belonged in spaces crowded with young people.
Because of thoughts like these, whenever even scammers clung to him trying to tell his fortune, Jiang Qingyu would refuse politely rather than harshly. It always made him feel a little sad.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he put on his coat and shoes, slung on his own “combat bag” like Fu Jingqiu, and then dug out a large woven sack from his storage space, stuffing it with supplies.
The outdoor cold was no joke. It was freezing beyond belief.
Even wrapped in layers upon layers, he still felt terribly cold and instinctively stamped his feet.
The old man pointed at the RV and said through his mask, “Get back in quickly! It’s cold!”
Snow crunched beneath their feet. Without sunlight, the accumulated snow refused to melt. Fu Jingqiu walked over and steadied Jiang Qingyu by the arm.
“Why did you come down?”
Half joking, Jiang Qingyu replied, “We can’t take even a needle or thread from the masses.”
He shook the bag in his hand.
“But I accepted their things. Since that’s the case, we should return the favor.”
Seeing that the two young men didn’t seem eager to leave immediately, the old man invited them into the checkpoint station to warm themselves by the fire before going.
Fu Jingqiu exchanged a glance with Jiang Qingyu without speaking, clearly asking for his opinion.
“Let’s go,” Jiang Qingyu said.
Even assuming the worst, the few people here together wouldn’t be enough to handle Fu Jingqiu. Jiang Qingyu himself might not be useful in a fight, but at least he could run fast.
These people only had ropes and water, while Fu Jingqiu and Jiang Qingyu were fully equipped. Jiang Qingyu even had pepper spray hidden in both pockets.
Besides, the younger man’s inner cotton jacket looked like a police uniform, so such concerns probably weren’t necessary anyway.
The old man led them into the reception room. It was warm inside. A small raised stove sat in the middle of the room, and the sweet smell of roasting sweet potatoes filled the air. Conditions didn’t seem bad at all.
“Thank you, thank you!” the old man laughed warmly. “This is our first time seeing zombies here. Xiao Xu said people online freeze zombies with water, but you can see how inexperienced we are. Just now we were already thinking that if it didn’t work, we’d have to go at them with kitchen knives.”
The young man called Xiao Xu was rubbing his hands by the fire. He looked under thirty and resembled the old man quite a bit, both with cheerful smiling faces. He invited them to eat roasted sweet potatoes while saying:
“I told my dad we should just chop their heads off, but he refused. Said if we froze them, we could still return them to their families.”
“Big brother, seriously, thanks. If it weren’t for you, today would’ve been a real struggle. People say zombies can’t bite through thick winter clothes, but there’s still risk.” Xiao Xu gave Fu Jingqiu a thumbs-up. “You handled it cleanly. You’ve trained before, right?”
Fu Jingqiu nodded. “A little. What you did today was still too dangerous.”
Quietly, Jiang Qingyu placed the woven sack he had brought into a corner, where it blended perfectly into the environment unnoticed. Everyone gathered around the little stove chatting and laughing. The atmosphere was genuinely pleasant.
During their travels, they had passed through many places. At the worst moments, people had even discussed robbing others. Maybe because few outsiders had come through this checkpoint recently, everyone here was relaxed and cheerful instead of tense.
The anxiety hanging in Jiang Qingyu’s heart finally settled completely. Sitting beside Fu Jingqiu, he chatted with them and learned that they were police officers and staff stationed at the checkpoint. Xiao Xu admitted that he had noticed the RV when it arrived last night. At the time, he had wondered who would still be driving an RV around in weather like this. They hadn’t seen vehicles in days—not even freight trucks.
Burning his fingers on the sweet potato and tossing it between hands, Xiao Xu laughed.
“When the whiteout started last night, we were worried you’d keep driving. We couldn’t get out, but we were already thinking about using the broadcast system to warn you. Good thing you stopped, otherwise we really would’ve tried to come out and stop you.”
“Thank you,” Jiang Qingyu said, warming his hands around the sweet potato. “Have many people passed through recently?”
“Before the temperature drop, yes,” Xiao Xu answered. “But these last few days? Not a single car. Forget other people—even half the vehicles in our parking lot are frozen solid and won’t start. You guys must keep your RV heated twenty-four hours a day, right?”
Fu Jingqiu glanced at Jiang Qingyu, who scratched his head awkwardly.
“Uh… yeah.”
“That burns a lot of fuel,” Xiao Xu clicked his tongue. “But there’s no helping it. If the vehicle freezes up, that’s even worse. You two traveling for fun?”
Fu Jingqiu nodded. “Yes.”
“What bad luck,” Xiao Xu sighed. “At home it’d still be manageable, but out here in the frozen wilderness? Once you run out of fuel and electricity, the RV turns into nothing but a giant metal box.”
In his eyes, an RV definitely couldn’t compare to a house. At least here they had a stove for warming hands and roasting sweet potatoes, and they could light fires outside in the yard. What could you even do in a tiny RV?
Chewing on sweet potato, Xiao Xu thought for a moment before suggesting:
“How about staying here for a while? The checkpoint’s spacious enough. You can find a room and make do. Better than staying in the RV all the time.”
Just then, Xu Dad came in carrying a thermos and a bag of disposable paper cups.
“Young men! Have some hot milk tea to warm yourselves up!”
As he poured the tea, he chimed in with his son’s suggestion.
“Exactly. If you keep heading forward, you’ll still be stuck on the road. A few days ago, temperatures around minus thirty or forty were still manageable, but today it’s dropping below seventy. Most places are probably closed already. Better to stay here a while and leave once it warms up.”
Their kindness was genuine. Jiang Qingyu naturally understood that.
Perhaps in their eyes, this was only an unusually severe cold wave. Though it had risen to the level of a natural disaster, once spring came everything would get better.
As for the zombies, wasn’t the infection rate already slowing down? As long as no new zombies appeared, a vaccine would eventually be developed, and everything would return to normal.
In that kind of situation, helping each other out and sheltering two young men for a while wasn’t a big deal.
Fu Jingqiu remained silent, lowering his head to sip his milk tea.
For some reason, lying to other people in front of Fu Jingqiu felt strange.
Embarrassed, Jiang Qingyu explained, “Actually, we’re heading to Yecheng to find a friend. We’ve already calculated our fuel and electricity usage, so even if we get delayed another couple days on the road, we’ll still be fine.”
Once Xu Dad heard that they weren’t stranded tourists and actually had friends to rely on, he stopped insisting they stay and instead urged them to remain for lunch before leaving.
They were simply too hospitable. Jiang Qingyu almost felt overwhelmed by it. After all, he hadn’t really done anything. Fu Jingqiu had helped, yes, but still…
In Jiang Qingyu’s understanding, it didn’t seem like enough to warrant this level of gratitude.
But to Xiao Xu and the others, it was the most natural thing in the world. They said the checkpoint often invited travelers to meals. It wasn’t some luxurious feast—just ordinary homemade food.
Here, people seemed to believe strongly in “fate.” It wasn’t easy for strangers to meet and cross paths. Maybe this would be their only interaction in life, so naturally everyone should enjoy themselves and leave satisfied.
Jiang Qingyu declined again and again, but the checkpoint staff were far too enthusiastic. After round after round of persuasion, he finally couldn’t refuse and stayed for a simple meal.
Originally, the woven sack he brought had contained rice, flour, and a basket of eggs.
Now that they were eating someone else’s food, he felt he had to add more.
So he secretly rummaged through his storage space again. After confirming there were no more woven sacks, he found another bag inside the checkpoint, pretending he needed it for something while secretly stuffing more supplies into it.
Whether they needed it or not, it was still a gesture of goodwill.
Lunch included fragrant pilaf. After learning Jiang Qingyu didn’t eat lamb, they even prepared a separate small pot of beef version for him, equally delicious.
There were thin-skinned dumplings stuffed with chives, eggs, and glass noodles, homemade and beautifully pinched into curved shapes.
There was also braised beef, cold mixed green peppers with tomatoes and onions, century egg tofu, and meatball soup.
The portions were huge—enough for an entire table of people to eat together. Alongside milk tea and yogurt, Xiao Xu even brought out an enormous bottle of cola from storage, practically treating Jiang Qingyu like a child and asking whether he wanted cantaloupe too.
The atmosphere felt just like visiting relatives during Lunar New Year—exactly as Jiang Qingyu’s classmates had once described, or like scenes shown on television.
In the past, Jiang Qingyu had always spent New Year’s Eve alone with his grandparents. The atmosphere had been warm, yes, but even though the old couple never said it aloud, he could tell they wanted all their children and grandchildren home together for a lively family gathering.
He had never experienced that personally, so he couldn’t really imagine the feeling.
Sure, lots of people made things lively, but also noisy. Usually, eating with just two or three people while chatting felt perfectly nice.
Or gatherings with classmates where everyone ate buffet-style on their own—he had attended those too.
But this feeling was different.
He couldn’t explain exactly what made it different, but sitting among these people made him feel like a child again. Everyone was cheerful, and their care and hospitality were perfectly balanced.
Even though they had only met a few hours ago, it felt as though they had lived together for a long time.
The feeling was strange and wonderful, dissolving most of Jiang Qingyu’s guardedness until he could simply sit beside Fu Jingqiu and wholeheartedly enjoy the meal.
Knowing the people here ate lots of meat and naan, Jiang Qingyu secretly stuffed another woven sack with two prepared fresh lamb carcasses and several bags of flour hidden behind them.
Though honestly, this region already had abundant produce, fruits, beef, and lamb. Jiang Qingyu genuinely didn’t know what else to give them. In the end, he simply exchanged some cash through the system and added it in with the supplies.
The meal ended noisily and warmly, followed by fruit and desserts afterward. They were treated like honored guests.
And that still wasn’t all. Before they left, Old Xu and Xiao Xu stuffed another bag full of naan into their hands.
There were walnut naan, sesame naan, onion naan, and rose jam naan. While handing them over, they introduced each kind one by one, telling them to try everything, practically just short of saying, “Come visit again sometime.”
Before leaving, while Fu Jingqiu was surrounded by several people talking, Jiang Qingyu quickly tugged Xiao Xu aside and lowered his voice.
“This situation is going to last a long time. Buy more supplies and stock up.”
Xiao Xu froze slightly, but Jiang Qingyu had already turned away, carrying the bag of naan toward Fu Jingqiu. Sensing Xiao Xu’s gaze, he turned back and winked, mouthing silently:
“Trust me.”
The moment he finished speaking, a hand pressed down on his head and forcibly turned him back around.
Fu Jingqiu, wearing his hat and face mask so that only his eyes were visible, looked at him calmly.
“What were you saying?”
