Since that day, Fang Chang would sneakily observe the situation next door from time to time, but the windows were tightly covered, and he couldn't see anything.
He wanted to check if the residents of that house had all died, but seeing the zombies shambling around, he instinctively became timid and didn't want to go out.
Ji Rourou had asked him several times, and he had fobbed her off by saying they shouldn't alert the enemy and should wait and see. How could she believe his nonsense? The word "coward" was practically written on his face.
However, both of them were saving face for each other, so things remained peaceful.
Just as Fang Chang thought that woman was bound to die and he would reap the benefits, he saw her again.
Only this time, there were two of them.
Fang Chang's calculations had gone awry.
Those eyes, like poisoned daggers, stared intently at Xu An's back. If looks could kill,
Xu An would probably have died 10,008,611 times over.
If there was anything to be thankful for, it was that the formidable-looking dog they had seen before did not appear this time.
Thinking that the other party only had two women, Fang Chang's heart began to stir again.
...
Perhaps it was because Fang Chang's hiding spot was too well-concealed, or perhaps Xu An was too stunned by her mother's actions.
She didn't notice at all that they were being watched.
However, this did not stop her from being curious about the glowing mushroom she had just dug up.
After returning home, Xu An greeted her mother, ordered the dishes for the day, and then disappeared from view.
Standing in her spatial realm, Xu An first went to the shelves to find a piece of durian pizza before heading to the branch of the tree.
She sat on the ground, eating the pizza and observing the branch. Except for the leaves having grown a little taller, there were no other changes.
But she knew that the glowing mushroom was definitely related to this strange tree.
Otherwise, the dense fog wouldn't have dissipated so quickly.
"Hey, hello? Miss Tree? Can you hear me?"
Xu An, like an idiot, called out to a tree for a long time.
Of course, no one responded.
But she always had a strange feeling that the thing in front of her was definitely more than just a tree.
However, she couldn't figure anything out for now. She then thought of the glowing mushroom again.
"If I keep feeding this branch those glowing mushrooms, will I be able to find out what this tree is for?"
Isn't that how it's always written in novels? Kill zombies, collect crystal cores, and then upgrade your abilities to fight monsters.
However, Xu An had tried it at the very beginning. Those damned zombies' heads contained nothing but yellow brain matter.
It had disgusted her to death!
Seeking with all her might for a pair of eyes that had never seen zombie brain matter.
Finally, after finishing a slice of pizza, Xu An pushed herself up with her hands, brushing off the non-existent dust from her clothes.
She turned and left the spatial realm, not forgetting to take two cups of mango sago with her.
However, at the moment she turned, she did not see that the branch, which had been motionless like a specimen, had trembled its leaves slightly.
As if... trying to ward off some scent...
When she came out, Xu Yan was busy de-veining shrimp. Perhaps she hadn't had enough, as the small knife she used for de-veining was dancing rapidly.
"Nannan, cut the squid and peel some ginger and garlic."
Xu An got up, took the seasonings from the refrigerator, and started busy herself.
They were preparing to make stir-fried shrimp in oil, pork ribs with preserved plums, steamed pork belly with preserved vegetables, and bok choy with oyster sauce.
Finally, they would make a pot of clam and seafood soup.
It was to celebrate Xu Yan's "opening."
Goudan ran over, drawn by the smell, and rested his head on Xu An's leg. Ever since Xu An entered the house, Goudan had been whining.
He looked like a wronged little wife.
"Alright, alright, it's not like I didn't take you out. You're already a mature little dog, right? You can't cling to Mama like this anymore."
"As a little man [who had been neutered], even though you're not whole, you're still a little man, right? Little men don't act so clingy and fawn over their mothers, do they?"
Xu An lectured him earnestly for ten minutes, but Goudan didn't listen to a word. He acted as if he was about to die of grievance, lying on her leg with watery eyes, looking at Xu An.
As if to accuse her of her misdeeds.
In the end, Xu An couldn't stand it and surrendered first.
Finally, by offering two apples and half a lamb hind leg, she reached a goal of continuing to coexist harmoniously and friendly with Goudan, which was a "reward."
Goudan, carrying the lamb hind leg in his mouth, lay down under the table and began to "crunch... crunch..."
"Manliness? Does that stuff taste as good as lamb?"
Goudan was extremely disdainful. He was used to his mother's psychological manipulation.
As long as I'm thick-skinned enough, no one can manipulate me, not even my own mother!
Xu An rinsed the peeled ginger and garlic and handed them to her mother. Standing beside her, she watched her mother expertly toss ingredients in the wok with the spatula.
Xu Yan originally intended to nag a few words, telling Xu An to learn to cook too, but as the words reached her lips, she suddenly remembered that it was the apocalypse.
Even if she learned to cook, there probably wouldn't be many opportunities to cook, so she gave up.
After all, instead of expecting Xu An to learn how to cook, she might as well put more food into her spatial realm herself.
It wouldn't be a waste of food either.
In a short while, Xu Yan had finished cooking four dishes and one soup. Xu An set out the bowls and chopsticks and went to serve the rice.
Xu Yan also took off her apron and placed the dishes on the table one by one.
The aroma of the food wafted through the air. If one didn't mention that it was the apocalypse, it would be a life fit for immortals.
Under the thick, heavy curtains, two worlds were divided. Some people ran so fast that they lost their shoes while fleeing from zombies.
Others, however, were safely enjoying delicious food at home.
This world was inherently unfair. Those with resources were born in Rome.
Xu An naturally didn't have so much sympathy to indulge in such reflections. She was currently engaged in a battle with the prawns, wishing she had eight hands.
It was Xu Yan who couldn't bear to watch and took the initiative to peel shrimp for Xu An. At the same time, she wondered, her daughter had always learned everything very quickly since childhood, but cooking and peeling shrimp, she just couldn't learn no matter what.
She had always suspected her daughter had been acting all along...
Unfortunately, she had no proof.
Xu An ate her meal with great pleasure and satisfaction. After the meal, she took out the radio and tuned it to the military broadcast channel.
[...static... Please rest assured, citizens... Please believe... Weekly... supplies will be delivered...]
The content of the broadcast was still the same as a month ago, the one about delivering supplies. It was probably being played on a loop across all channels.
Xu An frowned. She hadn't received any of the information she wanted.
"Still no news about a shelter?" Xu Yan came over with a cut piece of cantaloupe.
"No."
Xu Yan was a little curious and asked, "Before, didn't you know any news about official shelters?"
Logically speaking, Xu An had survived for ten years in her previous life, and there was still no news about official shelters?