CH 16

Jiang Miaomiao didn't know what was going through his mind when he said this. She only knew that after she heard it, her nose felt like someone had poured a few drops of lemon juice into it and the sour feeling rushed up instantly.

Fortunately, the basement was dark, and neither of them could see the other.

She hummed sullenly and stopped talking.

Lu Qiming remained sitting against the wall.

A day later, when Jiang Miaomiao was half asleep, she suddenly heard a crashing sound and hurriedly grabbed a flashlight to shine at the door.

The bathtub was being slammed into constantly and looked shaky.

Were the zombies coming in?

She subconsciously looked at Lu Qiming. He was also awake and had a serious face, holding a hammer and nails as well as wooden boards and walking towards the bathtub.

The zombies crashed outside, and he reinforced it inside. Several times, sharp claws reached in through the cracks and grabbed the hem of his shirt.

Jiang Miaomiao was far away and scared to death but his face remained unchanged. He used up all the planks then carried the bucket over and stacked it behind the bathtub

When she saw that, she also went to help, and the two of them worked together to block the bathtub with buckets, and the sound of the crash was finally reduced.

Lu Qiming patted her shoulder.

"Okay, you go back to sleep."

Jiang Miaomiao: …Who can sleep here? She wasn't deaf.

"What about you?" She asked.

Lu Qiming bent his knees and sat down, his back leaning against the bucket.

"I'm here to keep watch. If the zombies come in. I can at least hold them back"

He was over there holding off zombies, and she was over here sleeping in peace?

Jiang Miaomiao's conscience didn't agree, so she hugged the quilted pillow and laid down beside him.

The zombies were still crashing, but she was somehow at peace and even felt happy enough to say:

"You lost. I told you the zombie tide could not end so quickly."

Lu Qiming snickered, "Already bragging? Who lost and who won is still uncertain."

"I definitely won. You won’t shed a tear until seeing the coffin." *

T/N: 不见棺材不落泪 (idiom): refuse to be convinced until one is faced with grim reality

He shrugged, "Then wait and see"

The flashlight lasted for a long time, flickered twice, then exhausted the last trace of power and went out.

From that day on, the only light they could enjoy was the light from the diesel stove fire while cooking.

The time of Lu Qiming's bet soon arrived. The tide of zombies didn't end, and the attacks only became stronger and stronger.

Jiang Miaomiao felt several times that they would crash through the bathtub and rush in. But, in the end, they remained safe and alive.

She asked Lu Qiming to fulfill her promise when they got out, and the latter readily agreed, even asking her what kind of jewelry she liked.

Jiang Miaomiao was not picky. She liked any kind of jewelry.

Diamonds, rubies and sapphires, pearls, and brilliant gold.

Before, she could only look at them enviously when she passed by the window while shopping, but now she has a chance to own them if she survived.

She had to live, at least see those beautiful treasures before she died.

However, the more you wantef to live, the more difficulties you encounter.

Following the demise of the flashlight, their food and diesel fuel also bottomed out and a hot meal became a luxury. Several times, dinner was a packet of cold biscuits.

Jiang Miaomiao's already slim waist was so thin that she could feel the bones. She was so dizzy with hunger that her thinking became increasingly sluggish.

When she thought she would really die of starvation in this basement, one day, Lu Qiming woke her up and whispered in her ear.

"There's no movement outside, I'll go out and take a look."

She reflexively grabbed him, her voice as weak as a mosquito humming.

He listened for a long time before he could hear what she was saying—must come back.

Lu Qiming tightened his grip on her thin hand. "I'll be back, don't worry."

He moved the bucket, removed the boards and nails, and pushed open the bathtub.

The sunlight poured down like a waterfall, and the fresh air rushed in.

Jiang Miaomiao squinted, only to see a tall figure in the dazzling white light.

He walked out and blocked the door, so darkness descended on the basement again.

She closed her eyes, with the temperature of the sunlight lingered on her fingertips.

Lu Qiming did not return for a long time. Jiang Miaomiao slept too long and got a headache. She supported her body and got up to take a cup and pour water.

The bucket was too heavy. She didn't have strength in her hands and couldn't see clearly. When she lifted it, she smashed it on the ground, splashing water everywhere, making the quilt wet.

Jiang Miaomiao sat on the floor, touching the wet quilt and wanting to cry.

She is really only suitable for eating and waiting for death, and struggling to survive in the last days was simply her dog’s life. *

T/N: 狗命 (metaphor): meaning fate or pathetic life

In the midst of her despair, there was movement outside the door.

Jiang Miaomiao's hair suddenly stood up.

Were zombies coming again? Now that Lu Qiming was not here, what should she do alone?

She soon realized she didn't have to think about it, because she was so hungry that she couldn't even walk at the moment, so it was a waste of time to think about it.

The bathtub was pushed away and she got under the covers to hold her head, but she heard a familiar voice.

"Are you awake?"

It was Lu Qiming!

Jiang Miaomiao poked her head out in surprise and he saw a person and a lamp walking in the dark.

Lu Qiming moved the bathtub back to its original position. He came to her side in the dark and handed her a bag.

"Eat. I got it from the supermarket."

Jiang Miaomiao was not polite. She opened the bag and ate it, only to find chocolate in her mouth.

He also took self-heating rice, and while she was furiously stuffing chocolate, he went to add water to make rice.

When Jiang Miaomiao was tired of eating chocolate, the fragrant shredded fish and pork rice was handed to her.

Chocolate replenished calories and rice replenished carbohydrates. After eating two things, she regained her strength. She clutched her belly and leaned against the wall, sighing comfortably.

Lu Qiming handed over a glass of water, "Have a sip of water."

She took a sip. The cool, refreshing water washed away the grease in her mouth. It felt great.

"Thank you. Have you eaten?" She put down the glass of water and remembered afterwards.

Lu Qiming said, "I ate earlier."

"That's good, I thought I had eaten it all myself."

He teasingly asked, "What if I'm still hungry?"

She thought nervously, "There's no way. I can't spit it out for you to eat."

Lu Qiming curled his lips in disgust and brought the topic back to business.

"I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear?"

Considering her tolerance, Jiang Miaomiao decisively chose the good news.

"The zombie tide has gone. The remaining zombies outside are about a third of what they were before. It will be much safer to live in the city in the future."

She listened to the secret joy and asked, "What about the bad?"

Lu Qiming said, "The villa is so badly damaged that there is no way to live in it anymore. Either you continue living in the basement or find another place."

Jiang Miaomiao's good mood instantly dropped to the bottom.

She didn't want to live in the basement anymore. There were no windows and no bathroom. It was like living in jail.

But where could she find a suitable and safe temporary place?

Lu Qiming continued, "I'll go to the supermarket to get some food, and then I'm leaving."

There was a thud in her heart.

"Go?"

"Well, didn't I tell you earlier? When the wave of zombies passes, I'm going to find my friend."

She lowered her head in despair, "Yes… you said so… then when do you plan to leave?"

"I'm going to the supermarket now. What do you need? I'll bring it back for you."

Jiang Miaomiao had a whole lot of needs, but her mind was very chaotic and she couldn't think at the moment

Lu Qiming waited for a few minutes, and when he saw that she didn't say anything, he got up and said.

"I'll see to it myself. Let's go."

He moved away from the bathtub, went out, and returned the door.

Jiang Miaomiao walked to the door, wondering whether to go out too.

The fact that Lu Qiming can come and go as he pleased meant that it wasn't that dangerous outside, right?

However, the horrific appearance of the zombies was still fresh in her mind and she was reluctant to take any chances.

Not long after, Lu Qiming returned, pushing a cart full of food.

"These should be enough for you to eat for about a week. I also took some daily necessities. If there's nothing wrong, I'm leaving."

Jiang Miaomiao laid under the covers, her back to him, and mumbled dully.

He looked at her small back and asked, "Don't you want to say goodbye?"

"I don't think I'll see you again."

Lu Qiming smiled, "It seems so, but we've known each other for so long. We should say goodbye."

Jiang Miaomiao buried her head, curled up in the bed motionless. She appeared to have fallen asleep.

He took a deep breath, turned around, and walked away quickly.

The sound of footsteps faded away. The bathtub was moved back into place and the familiar darkness surrounded her.

Jiang Miaomiao sucked in her nose and told herself in her heart that it was okay.

She was originally alone. He was just passing by and accompanied her for a while.

Now she was just returning to her previous life. No big deal.

She climbed up, touched the cart, and took a bag of something from it.

It looked like chips or biscuits.

Whatever, she unwrapped it and stuffed it into her mouth. She chewed for a while before she vaguely felt it was dry pasta.

The noodles were so dry that she could not swallow because of choking.

Jiang Miaomiao poured herself a glass of water and in a trance, she heard someone ask with a smile - have you heard the story of the chicken claw?

She turned her head but there was nothing but darkness and darkness.

The zombie was gone. He was gone. Everything was silent.

If you have food and water, you will be able to survive.

She pulled herself together and gave herself a good routine: sleep at most ten hours a day and eat at least three meals. Although you can't go out, you can trot around the basement in circles to build up your strength.

Observe for a few more days. If it is really safe outside, she will find a new place and move.

However making a plan was easy, doing it was hard.

The next day she had lunch and should have been trotting, but instead, she sat on the covers and didn't want to move.

Intermittent frustration came over her.

What's the point of exercising? What was the point of moving?

In this environment, she is living in torture. It is better to eat and die.

Jiang Miaomiao arched under the bed and wanted to lie down. She suddenly touched a small paper box next to the pillow. She took it and smelled it. There was a faint fragrance of tobacco. It was the cigarette case that Lu Qiming emptied.

She suddenly felt bad, holding the box and crying silently, tears wetting the pillow.

Dang Dang

The bathtub suddenly rang lightly, which seemed exceptionally clear in the darkness.

Jiang Miaomiao hastily dried her tears, dropped the cigarette box, and sat up, looking vigilantly in the direction of the door.

Was there a zombie coming in?

Was it better for her to close her eyes and wait for death, or to struggle a little?

Jiang Miaomiao habitually wanted to choose the former. Lu Qiming's voice echoed in his ears - I want you to think about how to solve it when you encounter danger, rather than die immediately.

Don't die right away… 

She pursed her lips, picked up the hammer on the ground, and held her breath.

With a thud, the bathtub was knocked open. Intense light rushed in, stinging her eyes.