Chapter 69
Seeing Fu Jingqiu look at him expressionlessly, Jiang Qingyu shamelessly launched a spoiled attack. “Please, please, I really, really want to play this.”
Fu Jingqiu was silent for a few seconds before saying with difficulty, “But I don’t know how to play these.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “I don’t really know either. We can learn together.”
Fu Jingqiu said, “Can’t this be played solo?”
Jiang Qingyu said, “It’s a two-player game. Two-player!” He patted Fu Jingqiu’s chest muscles. “If one person could play it, why would it still be called a two-player game?”
After being tough, he immediately softened, deliberately blinking a few times at Fu Jingqiu. “I want to play with you.” After saying that, he added, “My roommates all played it with their partners.”
Fu Jingqiu: “……”
Ten minutes later, Fu Jingqiu sat with Jiang Qingyu on the sofa bed. He still sat ramrod straight, while Jiang Qingyu was crookedly sprawled among a pile of throw pillows, holding a controller and teaching Fu Jingqiu some basic operations.
Fu Jingqiu was not stupid. He had simply rarely come into contact with online games like this. After all, that meant spending large amounts of time and energy.
Besides, he had never had playmates or friends to play with either.
After practicing a little, Jiang Qingyu saw that he was already familiar with most of the controls and excitedly opened It Takes Two, entering the first level.
It had to be said, what people online said before did make some sense: if couples played this game well, their relationship would become even better, but if their cooperation was poor, it might instead cause the relationship to collapse.
It was only the first level, yet there were already many little designs that tested tacit understanding. The two of them had to work together to complete them. If even a small mistake happened, they would have to start over. Once that happened too many times, frustration was unavoidable.
But the little fish who had such a bad temper in Honor of Kings was extremely patient here. They would even first smooth out the whole process, then practice it, and only finally attempt the real thing.
After all, first of all, he was playing games with his boyfriend. Second of all, if Fu Jingqiu lost interest in games, who would Jiang Qingyu play all those two-player games with in the future?
Besides It Takes Two, there was also Split Fiction!!
Fu Jingqiu also found a trace of enjoyment in this kind of game that required strong coordination. He was even a little more immersed than Jiang Qingyu, clearing level after level, fighting bosses, passing chapters, switching maps, with surprisingly high focus.
In the end, Jiang Qingyu was the first to admit defeat. Holding the controller, he fell headfirst into the sofa bed and said weakly, “No more… I really can’t play anymore…”
Fu Jingqiu put the controller aside and let out a long breath, looking as if he still wanted more. Seeing Jiang Qingyu collapsed beside him, he picked him up and placed him on his lap, then pressed two fingers together against his temples and gently massaged him.
Mm, very comfortable.
He had played until he was drowsy and dizzy. By comparison, Fu Jingqiu’s concentration was truly higher than an ordinary person’s. After playing for so long, he still had not been affected. He really was… a good seedling for gaming.
Just kidding.
Jiang Qingyu calmly and confidently closed his eyes to rest for a while. Fu Jingqiu controlled his strength very well. While relaxing him, he would not make Jiang Qingyu feel that the pressure was too heavy. Just as Jiang Qingyu almost fell asleep in Fu Jingqiu’s arms like this, he suddenly remembered that the RV had automatic driving, but Duan Yu and the others had to drive themselves.
After driving for so long, fatigue and eye strain were inevitable. But since they had agreed to follow them, they could not just stop halfway.
That sister looked like someone very tough and persistent. She would probably keep holding on.
Thinking of this, Jiang Qingyu caught Fu Jingqiu’s wrist. “All right, let’s find a place to park. We’ll tidy up and make some dinner, then rest for the night.”
“We don’t get tired since we’re not driving, but the siblings probably can’t manage it.”
“Okay,” Fu Jingqiu said. “I was too focused just now and forgot too.”
Jiang Qingyu grinned. “How was it? Fun, right?”
Fu Jingqiu was very honest and nodded. “Very interesting.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “Then do you want to play with me often in the future?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “It’s fine to relax once in a while. You can’t keep thinking about it.”
Then who was the one who still looked unsatisfied after playing for so long just now?
Jiang Qingyu snorted with laughter. Seeing through him but not exposing him, he went to the driver’s cabin and checked the electronic map. After a few more kilometers, there would be a small service area where they could park.
It was just that they had gone to the other party’s vehicle earlier, looked around, and chatted for a while, but had not even added each other on WeChat. Otherwise, he could have directly sent them a message saying they were going to stop soon.
But this was easy too. When the time came, they could honk and slow down gradually. Duan Yu should understand what they meant.
Jiang Qingyu exaggeratedly stretched in the living room, almost wishing he could bend his body into a bow. He tensed his muscles and went through the whole set of movements Fu Jingqiu had taught him before. When he moved his shoulders and neck afterward, he clearly felt much more comfortable.
After moving around, Jiang Qingyu clapped his hands energetically. “Tonight, let’s have a home-style oden!”
First, he took out two plump white radishes from his space, peeled them, cut off the tops, then trimmed the edges so they would not easily fall apart while cooking. He sliced them into thick pieces and set them aside. Then he cooked them together with shiitake mushrooms scored with decorative cuts in beef bone broth to make the soup base. He also made a seasoning pouch with gauze, adding sea shrimp, kombu, and bonito flakes to make the flavor even fresher.
As for ingredients, of course there had to be shrimp. The ones he had bought before were all huge. After peeling them, he diced some and blended the rest into shrimp paste. He added some fish roe, cornstarch, an appropriate amount of white pepper, and three egg whites, stirred everything evenly, then beat it until springy. That way, it would taste crisp and bouncy.
Jiang Qingyu handled the earlier work, while Fu Jingqiu used strength for the latter part. He was truly meticulous, and he did it beautifully.
Once the texture was about right, they put the shrimp paste into a piping bag. They would eat some today and freeze the rest in the fridge for next time.
Today, the shrimp paste could be used for three ingredients. Since Fu Jingqiu loved eating shrimp, and Jiang Qingyu liked it quite a lot too, he did not find it boring.
They were button mushroom fish roe shrimp paste, bamboo fungus fish roe shrimp paste, and fried tofu stuffed with fish roe shrimp paste. It directly gave Fu Jingqiu, this shrimp-brained person, great satisfaction.
After the ingredients were prepared, they were all skewered. Then Jiang Qingyu took out the ingredients he had stockpiled earlier: sticky mochi-yaki, chikuwa rolls, fish roe lucky bags, black bean tofu, various meatballs, fish cakes, and so on.
He did not care for konjac knots, and after asking Fu Jingqiu, it seemed he did not like them that much either, so they passed. Since Jiang Qingyu did not like broccoli, that too was thrown to the ends of the earth. He washed some baby napa cabbage and bamboo shoots to cook instead.
Afraid Fu Jingqiu’s appetite would not be satisfied, Jiang Qingyu also prepared two plates of tender beef chuck flap. They could ladle some soup and blanch it inside, a bit like hotpot, and it would be delicious too.
They both participated in preparing the ingredients. After the vehicle stopped, the vehicle next door also had its lights on and began preparing dinner. The scene looked quite warm.
Once the pot boiled, they began eating. There were also two packs of udon and instant noodles. If that really did not work, they could switch to hand-pulled noodles. They had to eat some staple food, after all. The weather was cold now, and they needed enough calories to resist the cold.
The oden was warm to eat, and the soup was delicious too. Many vegetables they usually did not eat much had flavor after being cooked, especially the bamboo fungus shrimp paste. It was an exaggeratedly long piece, stuffed full of filling. After the bamboo fungus cooked, the texture was crisp, and it was extremely satisfying to eat.
The black bean tofu was cooked until it was just slightly split. It needed no dipping sauce at all; the original flavor was enough. It really was different from ordinary tofu, and both of them liked it a lot.
This meal thoroughly satisfied the shrimp lover. By the time they were blanching beef at the end, Jiang Qingyu was almost too full to eat anymore, yet Fu Jingqiu could still eat another bowl of hand-pulled noodles without changing expression. Only then was dinner declared over.
While Fu Jingqiu was cleaning up in the kitchen, he could still hear Jiang Qingyu interacting with Tangyuan outside. Recently, Jiang Qingyu had seen many pet bloggers online posting “lateral-thinking puzzle” videos, which made it easier to communicate with dogs.
Jiang Qingyu enthusiastically called over the well-fed Tangyuan, crouched cross-legged in front of it, and began round after round of “yes” or “no” communication.
Tangyuan was not even one year old yet and was still a small puppy, but its cleverness had already surpassed every dog Jiang Qingyu had ever seen.
Of course, he had not really interacted with many dogs before.
But as long as the question was not too complicated, Tangyuan seemed to understand it. Jiang Qingyu had only demonstrated once, and it could already place its paw on the hand representing the answer. Its pair of wet eyes stared at Jiang Qingyu, and it even tilted its head to act cute, unbearably adorable.
By comparison, Meimei was not very cooperative. Jiang Qingyu wanted to communicate with her, but Meimei simply lay down on her butt, or else slipped over to the cat tree and pretended to lock herself in the nest, revealing only a pair of eyes staring at him.
At times like this, Jiang Qingyu was like a child. One moment, he played with this one; the next, he tugged that one into making trouble. The RV was never quiet. The energetic little fish splashed around wildly until Fu Jingqiu finished cleaning everything. Only then did he seem to have played enough, collapsing on the sofa in a starfish pose.
Fu Jingqiu wiped his hands and came over to pick him up. “Tired?”
Jiang Qingyu obediently lay across his knees, his cheek squeezed until a little bit of flesh puffed out. “I’m okay.”
Fu Jingqiu patted his back. “Good. Then continue gaming?”
Jiang Qingyu lifted his face in confusion. ?
Are you Fu Jingqiu?
Fu Jingqiu lowered his eyes to look at him. “Can’t play anymore?”
Jiang Qingyu said, “…I just didn’t expect you to be this enthusiastic.”
Fu Jingqiu was silent for a moment before saying, “One should finish what one starts.”
Keep pretending!
Jiang Qingyu sprawled backward like a grand old master into the pile of pillows, one leg raised. “Sure. You set it up. I’ll just wait to enter the game and play.”
Fu Jingqiu answered okay and really went to find the remote and controllers. Jiang Qingyu watched his back while hugging a pillow and laughing, thinking that this was how it should be. One should not be too strict with oneself. Occasional relaxation and entertainment were very necessary.
Even experienced streamers with excellent tacit understanding took more than ten hours to finish this game, let alone the two of them playing for the first time. They had to watch the story, waste time on the road, get stuck and restart, explore the mini-games on the map, find Easter eggs, and so on. Naturally, it would take plenty of time.
Later, somehow, the two of them actually fell asleep leaning against each other on the sofa bed. When they woke up, their game characters were still standing quietly on the screen. Looking at the time, it was still late at night. They woke each other, washed up, changed clothes, ignored everything else, got under the blanket, kissed each other, and immediately their eyelids stuck together. Holding one another, they instantly entered dreamland.
After playing so late, Jiang Qingyu inevitably slept until the sun was high. Fu Jingqiu’s biological clock, however, woke him on time. After holding Jiang Qingyu in a daze for a while, he still gently tucked him back into the blanket. Watching the drowsy Jiang Qingyu turn over and continue sleeping, he bent down to kiss the back of his head, then got up, dressed, and made human food, cat food, and dog food.
This service area was not large. Perhaps it had already been evacuated during the first zombie outbreak, because there was no one inside. After several rounds of heavy snow, the snow at the front entrance was almost half a person deep.
Fu Jingqiu took Tangyuan down for a walk. When the people in the neighboring RV saw that he had brought a puppy, they were so surprised that they ran down to chat with him. It was that fellow Duan Cheng again. The first thing he said was, “This border collie is raised so beautifully!”
Its limbs were strong, its facial markings standard, its fur smooth, black, and glossy. Wearing its little clothes, it stood beside Fu Jingqiu with its head high and chest out, truly looking spirited. Those who did not know might even think it was a police dog.
Fu Jingqiu nodded at him. “Thank you.” He said, “You’re up so early.”
“Ah, I slept early,” Duan Cheng said. “Um, I want to go into the service area and look around. Do you want to go?”
Fu Jingqiu looked him over. “You’re going in just like that?”
Duan Cheng said, “Yeah. What else?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “What if there are still zombies inside?”
Duan Cheng said, “There shouldn’t be…”
Fu Jingqiu said, “The snow is this heavy. Even if there were traces, they would’ve disappeared long ago. It’s possible that zombies are near some door or corner and simply haven’t sensed our presence yet.”
Duan Cheng said blankly, “Ah. Then fine, I won’t go.”
Fu Jingqiu said helplessly, “Do you have anything for self-defense in the vehicle? If you do, take it down and bring it in.”
“Oh, oh, oh!” Duan Cheng sniffed hard and turned to run back to the vehicle. When he got out again, Duan Yu was behind him, and each of them held a golf club.
Seeing this, Fu Jingqiu suddenly thought of their shelved golf practice. Life inside the vehicle during the extreme cold sounded rather boring, but Jiang Qingyu always found things to pass the time and often pulled him along. Every day felt very fulfilling, though some things had not been further studied.
However, this was also quite good.
Duan Yu greeted him and, by the way, made up for the self-introduction they had missed yesterday. After they chatted a little, the way they addressed each other was also settled.
Duan Cheng said, “I want to go in and get a couple packs of instant noodles and sausages. My sister bought too few of one flavor, and we finished it ages ago. I kind of miss it.”
Fu Jingqiu said, “All right. Then let’s go in together and take a look.”
He could not let these young siblings go in like that. If there really were zombies, they might not be able to handle them.
In truth, a service area had nothing more than those things: local specialties, instant noodles, and the like. The snack stalls had long since closed. They had probably left in a hurry, because behind the counter, baskets still held fried chicken legs, various braised foods, zongzi, eggs, and other foods.
It was just a pity that after being left for so long, even refrying them probably would not make them edible.
There were two small supermarkets, a row of food stalls, and the rest was a rest area. On the tables were instant noodles that had been eaten but not cleared away in time. The indoor temperature was not much better than outside.
Duan Cheng tried turning on the lights, but they did not turn on. Water and power were both cut off.
That was normal too.
He went into the small supermarket to look for the instant noodle flavor he wanted. Fu Jingqiu held a straight knife and vigilantly observed their surroundings.
Although the people here had evacuated in a hurry, they had still taken away a lot of food and water. Items on the shelves were scattered all over the floor. Snacks like sunflower seeds and preserved plums had been stepped on several times and kicked into corners. The whole service area was empty. Duan Yu looked around and sighed somewhat. “I wonder how long days like this will continue.”
Fu Jingqiu did not answer.
Because Jiang Qingyu had “spoiled” things for him. This was not something that would end in one or two months, or half a year, or a year. Even Jiang Qingyu himself did not know how long it would last. Clearly, humanity still had a hard battle ahead, and it would continue for a very long time.
Duan Yu said to herself, “There was heavy rain before, and now it’s extreme cold. Next time…”
She pressed her lips together and fell silent too, her brows full of worry. Unlike her younger brother, who was carefree and hunting for treasure in the supermarket.
Fu Jingqiu suddenly asked, “Can your family’s factory over there still operate right now?”
Duan Yu was slightly startled, not knowing what he meant, but still answered truthfully. “It’s okay. We have a cotton factory in Aksu, and there’s also a small oil station in Xinhe County. The two places aren’t far apart. Both are useful now. But as you know, outdoor operations are difficult at a time like this.”
Fu Jingqiu said, “You have property there, right?”
Duan Yu said, “We do.”
Fu Jingqiu said, “Then try to stay here. Observe the situation first. After the extreme cold passes, if…” He paused and did not spell it out too clearly. “We’ll see then. Right now, staying here is much better than going back to the city.”
Duan Yu naturally knew this. The more vast and sparsely populated a place was, the more suitable it was for hiding from disasters after the apocalypse.
It was just that life would walk a completely different path from now on, and it was inevitable to feel a little emotional.
Duan Cheng still found the flavor of instant noodles he wanted. This younger brother of hers simply was not very bright. The family business was not entrusted to him, nor was he allowed to invest. Every day, he only had to eat, drink, and have fun. Even now, he still had time to care whether the instant noodles they had stocked suited his taste.
But he was not too greedy either. He only took two or three packs, thinking that if someone passed by here later, they could still take the remaining things to eat. These instant foods had not been affected much and were convenient to eat. For them, it might not be much, but for others, it could be life-saving.
He had many shortcomings, but this one point was what satisfied Duan Yu most.
They happened to take this chance to add each other on WeChat, so they could contact one another through their phones. Fu Jingqiu asked about their situation. After eating something, they could continue on their way.
At this moment, Jiang Qingyu was still deep in a beautiful dream.
He did not notice at all when the vehicle restarted and set out. Nestled in the warm blankets, he slept soundly until almost noon, finally coming out with a fluffy head while yawning. The moment he saw Fu Jingqiu, he collapsed onto him. “We were way too indulgent last night.”
And yet the game still was not finished.
Fu Jingqiu reached back and touched his face. “Next time, set a time. Once it’s about time, turn off the game and sleep immediately.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “That won’t happen. When you’re really into a game, who cares about that?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “I can.”
Aiya, sometimes it was only fun if you were a little indulgent!
Jiang Qingyu ignored him and quietly closed his eyes to rest for a moment. Only then did he straighten up, as if waking from sleepwalking. “What are we eating today?”
Next time, they would still play.
Tonight, they would continue.
The child was rebellious.
The next evening, the group finally arrived at their destination. Jiang Qingyu added the siblings on WeChat. Duan Cheng kept harassing him when he had nothing to do, asking whether he played games, and also sent photos of the factory. Two years ago, he and his sister had come back to have fun too. They even went to the apple orchard to pick apples and gave them to Apple, standing under the trees and taking cheerful photos.
Jiang Qingyu finally loosened his stance and said they would go play for two days.
Duan Yu had contacted the factory in advance and told them roughly when they would arrive. Someone had been specially left behind to watch for them. Jiang Qingyu originally thought it would be the kind of factory he had seen in the countryside before. Unexpectedly, this one was very decent. Whether decoration or equipment, everything looked formal and proper. The gold sign at the entrance shone under the lights, looking very imposing.
At a time like this, it was not good to keep staying in the vehicle. When five or six people came over to welcome them, Jiang Qingyu consciously put on his coat with Fu Jingqiu, preparing to get out. He was still in the mood to joke. “Tell me, if they’re tricking us and planning to catch turtles in a jar to murder us for money, then we’ll be unlucky. Can we escape?”
Fu Jingqiu calmly put on his equipment bag and glanced at the middle-aged people under the streetlights holding flashlights. He said calmly, “It’s fine. I can beat them.”
Jiang Qingyu also put on his bag. “We still have to have some defensive awareness.”
The moment he got out of the vehicle, the wind blowing toward him almost flipped his hat off. Jiang Qingyu took two steps back and happened to bump into Fu Jingqiu’s chest. The other man wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him behind him. “Hide a bit.”
Jiang Qingyu poked his head out from behind him. “If I hold your waist and walk over like this, they’ll definitely think it’s weird, right?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “It’s nothing. If you want to hold, then hold.”
No way. How could he do that when meeting them for the first time?
As soon as the two sides met, the others repeatedly called for them to go inside first and not talk outside, since it was freezing. In any case, the vehicle was parked right beside the residential building, very close. They just had to lower their heads and rush in.
Jiang Qingyu was crowded into the middle and hurriedly followed them while running. Fu Jingqiu still had one hand on his shoulder. This scene made him unconsciously want to laugh. For some reason, it felt very familiar and affectionate, instantly removing most of the sense of distance.
Then they entered the house. It was a three-story western-style building, brightly lit inside. The entrance led into a sunken living room, surrounded by a ring of sofas. The fully turned-on heating instantly enveloped them. An auntie came over to get slippers for them, then helped take their coats, smiling very warmly. “Dinner is all ready. We were just waiting for you to arrive before starting!”
Duan Yu helped introduce her. “This is my uncle and aunt.”
Oh, oh. Relatives were watching over the place here. Normal, normal. It was even better that relatives were at home.
Wait. Hm?
Jiang Qingyu moved closer to Duan Cheng and whispered, “Then why didn’t you ask your uncle to bring you fuel at the time?”
Duan Yu answered for him. “We didn’t tell them our route or about the refueling matter. After all, we didn’t expect that gas station to already be abandoned. Otherwise, even if no one was there, we could have forced some fuel out. After the incident happened, we contacted them immediately, but the distance from here to that gas station isn’t short. The cars and transport vehicles they usually drive aren’t convenient to take over there. Also, because there hadn’t been a need before, they didn’t keep the vehicles warmed around the clock, so they had frozen and broken down too. They still had to be repaired.”
So that was how it was.
Duan Yu said, “I took it too much for granted. I only told them to wait for us to come over. I didn’t expect to encounter that situation.”
Her aunt came over and hugged her. “It’s all right. It’s good that you’re back now.” After saying that, she turned toward Jiang Qingyu and Fu Jingqiu. “We really have to thank you. If you hadn’t extended a helping hand, they probably wouldn’t have made it back. It’s so dangerous outside now, so just stay here with Auntie. Don’t go out. Wait until the temperature rises, all right?”
She referred to herself as “Auntie” even with Jiang Qingyu. Together with her naturally warm face and smile, Jiang Qingyu immediately felt warmth in his heart. He did not say he would only stay for two days, instead smiling shyly and thanking her, saying he had not done much and that it was only a small favor.
The uncle said, “All right, everyone, stop being modest here. Hurry, hurry, come sit in the dining room. We’ll eat and talk. You must all be hungry, children? Hurry, hurry!”
Everyone spoke over one another, urging them inside. It was still the same surrounded formation as before, placing the siblings and the two of them in the middle. The atmosphere was very warm.
Jiang Qingyu unconsciously smiled and was pulled toward the dining room. Fu Jingqiu walked beside him, also lowering his head to look at him.
Jiang Qingyu whispered, “Doesn’t this feel even more like New Year?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “New Year at home? I’m not very sure.”
He seemed touched too. “But this is pretty good.”
In the team, every New Year’s Eve had been lively, but that had been among peers. Being treated as a junior like this was his first time.
He had felt it slightly before at the checkpoint, but this time, with multiple elders present, that sense of déjà vu became even stronger.
Two large round tables were set up in the dining room. Today, one table was used. Cold dishes were already placed on the lazy Susan, and the sounds of spatulas striking woks came from the kitchen, especially lively. Auntie rushed in anxiously and shouted, “They’re back, they’re back! Hurry, hurry, bring everything over. Dinner’s starting right away!”
