When Chen Ye heard this voice, he knew someone was starting to stir up trouble.
It was the apocalypse, yet there were still people trying to play the gender card to make a fuss.
Chen Ye sat up in the cargo bed of his motorcycle tricycle and looked in the direction of the voice.
A slightly plump woman stood there. She had a round face, small eyes and a pointed chin.
Because of her loud declaration, everyone’s attention was drawn to her. Chen Ye was no exception.
When the woman’s gaze swept over Chen Ye, she threw him a disdainful eye-roll.
Chen Ye rubbed his nose.
This woman must be sick in the head.
He lit a cigarette and blew smoke rings, ready to enjoy the show.
Anyway, I’m not the captain. Let’s see how Chu Che handles this.
Chu Che probably had not expected someone to pull this sort of thing at a time like this.
He looked at the woman with amusement and smiled. “Then what do you think would be fair?”
The woman’s eyes shifted. “It’s the apocalypse. This is when we need you men. Yet you have women cooking while the men sit back and enjoy it. What kind of captain are you?”
Perhaps it was because Chu Che always maintained the image of a nice guy. Or perhaps this woman had just arrived in this new environment and wanted to quickly establish herself by attracting everyone’s attention.
Whatever her motives, the eyes of many women in the convoy lit up.
Several of the women who had just joined the convoy quietly edged closer to her.
The women doing the cooking, however, glared at her as though she were taking away their livelihood. Yet something seemed to stop them from speaking up.
Chu Che glanced at Nana beside him.
Nana rolled her eyes and walked away, holding her longsword against her chest.
Chu Che smiled gently and said, “Since that’s the case, Sister Zhao, you and the other ladies can rest first. Uncle Abao, find some men to come cook!”
Uncle Abao nodded, turned, and walked into the crowd of survivors to start selecting people.
Soon, the woman who had stepped forward to champion justice realized something was wrong.
The women who had lost their work because of her did not look grateful. Instead, they glared at her with hatred.
And after Uncle Abao received the order, many men rushed over, raising their hands and shouting, “Uncle Abao, pick me, pick me! I used to be a cook!”
The woman didn’t quite understand.
She was clearly fighting for the interests of her own group. Why did their looks towards her seem so unfriendly?
At least some of the others were still looking at her kindly.
Her reasoning was simple: in an unfamiliar place, the quickest way to establish authority and gather a following was to speak for a group’s interests.
The aroma of food filled the entire camp.
The refugees from Lucheng stared at the food with ravenous eyes.
Once, they would hardly have spared plain porridge and pickles a glance. Now it seemed the finest meal in the world.
Even those who had been with the convoy before the newcomers arrived were swallowing hungrily.
After all, many people in the convoy didn’t have many supplies left. If they didn’t find a supply point soon, they would probably all starve to death before long.
Chen Ye blew a smoke ring, his interest stirring.
The real show was about to start.
Sure enough, after the meal was finished, all the men who had helped cook received some payment from the captain.
Each received only a small piece of bread, but the others watched enviously.
The woman who had spoken up earlier watched these men happily receive their bread, and she was completely stunned.
Slap!
A slap rang out in the quiet night.
“Bitch, if it weren’t for you, that bread would be mine! I haven’t eaten for a day, all because of you!”
A middle-aged woman with permed hair slapped the stunned woman hard across the face.
“Hit her! If it weren’t for this bitch, Captain Chu wouldn’t have given the opportunity to others. Beat her to death!”
Before the woman could react, another middle-aged woman grabbed her by the hair.
“You… Aah! I was trying to help you!”
“For our own good? You bitch…”
Chen Ye lay back in his cargo bed and looked up at the stars, faint firelight falling across his face.
The Blood Moon hung nearby, but he had no desire even to look at it.
He had figured it out.
Despite Chu Che usually being quiet and unassuming, Chen Ye hadn’t expected him to be so calculating. Chu Che had probably noticed long ago that some people in the convoy had run out of supplies, so he had given those specific women a work opportunity to keep them fed.
Then this woman had appeared out of nowhere.
Chu Che had simply taken the opportunity to teach the woman a lesson.
There was more to this captain than met the eye.
The woman’s screams continued nearby.
It was the apocalypse, and some people still hadn’t adjusted their mindset.
They really deserved it!
Chen Ye settled comfortably in the cargo bed. Sleeping here was much better than sleeping on the ground.
The convoy continued on. According to Chu Che, they would reach Longevity Village in another two days. He had chosen it carefully as a place to resupply. This chapter was taken from novelping dot com without permission.
After daybreak, he prepared breakfast.
Chen Ye took out his Portable Gas Stove, lit a small flame, and poured half a bottle of mineral water into the pot.
He added a cup of rice, put the lid on and waited for it to cook.
Using the Heavy Machete he got from Nana, he sliced a few pieces of cured meat, threw them into the pot, added a bit of oil, and tossed in some wild vegetables he had picked from the roadside a few days ago.
Soon he had a dish of cured meat stir-fried with wild greens.
He was not much of a cook, but a meal like this was a rare treat under the circumstances.
The newly joined survivors looked towards Chen Ye, sniffing frantically.
Their meal today was still only plain congee and pickled vegetables.
Their food could not compare with his.
Chen Ye couldn’t be bothered with these people. When the rice was almost done, he directly poured the stir-fried cured meat and vegetables over the rice and started eating.
Finally, someone couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Young man, could you share a bit of your food with my grandson? He hasn’t eaten meat in a long time.”
“He’s just a child. Malnutrition isn’t good for his health!”
Chen Ye looked up and saw an old woman holding a child’s hand, looking at him pitifully.
The child was already reaching for his food.
Before Chen Ye could say anything, the child had already grabbed onto Chen Ye’s rice bowl, trying hard to snatch it away.
The expression on Chen Ye’s face instantly darkened.
He had seen brats before, but never one this annoying.
I haven’t agreed to give you any, and you’re already grabbing for it yourself.
The bowl did not budge in Chen Ye’s hand.
The old woman, however, acted as if she didn’t see the theft attempt, looking at Chen Ye with an ingratiating smile.
“Give it to me!”
“I want some!”
The brat shrieked so loudly that Chen Ye frowned.
He had little patience with children at the best of times, and even less with brats like this.
Before, surveillance cameras on every street had made him hold back.
But now…
Chen Ye had many ways to make a brat shut up!