Storing grain in advance was only to ensure they wouldn’t have to scramble for food in the early stages; at the very least, it would improve their survival rate before they awakened their superpowers. In his previous life, Lin Po’s ability had appeared relatively late, and it was a low-offense Earth-type ability. To stay alive back then, he had spent every day living in constant fear.
Although he didn’t yet know how his parents or Yun Zhuan would fare, if everyone remained uninfected, his parents could at least reduce the number of times they went outside. Meanwhile, he and Yun Zhuan would be the main force: one was a man who had honed his combat instincts in the apocalypse and remained formidable even without an active ability, and the other was a young man in his prime. In a head-on clash with zombies, they would certainly be much more effective than two people in their fifties.
As long as his parents could hold down the fort and minimize their excursions, everyone’s chances of survival would increase.
This was something Lin Po had planned long ago. As for Yun Zhuan, he wouldn’t simply shelter him; Yun Zhuan would never accept that kind of protection anyway. By bringing him out of that hellish campus, Lin Po had already fulfilled his initial goal.
Men usually shower quickly. To avoid making Yun Zhuan feel awkward, Lin Po chatted briefly with them before taking his clothes to the bathroom.
While showering, Lin Po felt the amber necklace around his neck begin to glow with a faint warmth. With a thought, he entered his space to check. He discovered that all the crops in the space had matured. When he had last entered, many of the crops were still in their growth phase; he hadn’t expected them to ripen so quickly.
He had previously verified that time in the space was not stagnant. Now it seemed the flow of time was many times faster than the outside world, at least regarding the cultivation of crops.
However, Lin Po didn’t harvest them yet. Since time in the space was moving, fruit would rot faster once picked; keeping them on the vine would allow them to last a bit longer. Furthermore, he was currently in the middle of a shower and couldn’t afford to spend too much time inside the space.
Once he finished cleaning up and stepped out, he found Yun Zhuan sitting on the living room sofa, with his mother chatting away with him. His entire family seemed to be “face-connoisseurs”; whenever they saw a good-looking boy or girl, his parents couldn’t help but talk a bit more.
Lin Po stood there for a moment until Yun Zhuan noticed him and waved, saying, “Lin Po, come sit for a while.”
Wang Yurong said, “This child said he wasn’t sleepy, so I had him keep me company for a bit. Your father went to the mill to buy rice. I’ll go make you two something to eat; you stay here and talk to your friend.”
In rural areas, mills still existed. Besides grinding flour, they could also hull grain. Many people who farmed their own land would sell most of their grain to the grain station, but they would take the remainder to the mill for processing to keep for personal consumption.
The grain the family had brought back was already hidden. To make it look like they had rice to eat, they still needed to buy some. Lin Chuansen preferred fresh rice over pre-packaged bags, which was why he had headed to the mill.
After Wang Yurong went to the kitchen, Lin Po spoke up: “We’ll go to the ancient temple tomorrow. Let’s not go today, alright?”
Yun Zhuan nodded and said, “Yeah, it’s already afternoon. We wouldn’t see much if we went now anyway.”
Yun Zhuan hesitated for a moment before he couldn’t help but ask, “Even though this is your family’s private business, I still want to ask: have you run into some kind of trouble?”
Lin Po’s heart jumped, but he maintained a calm expression. “Why do you ask?”
Yun Zhuan said, “I can feel that you all look a bit worried. I grew up watching people’s expressions, so I’m particularly sensitive to this. But we are friends. If you have any problems, you can tell me. If there’s anything I can do to help, I will.”
Yun Zhuan’s expression was incredibly sincere. Lin Po suddenly felt a sense of fulfillment. Even if Yun Zhuan hadn’t given him a definitive romantic answer, as a friend, he truly treated Lin Po as a close confidant.
Lin Po said, “It’s just about the family supermarket. Chain supermarkets are so big now that it’s hard for small shops like ours to make money.”
His words were half-true. It was indeed difficult, but since their shop had been established for a long time and had a relatively good location, the situation wasn’t actually that bad.
Understanding the supposed reason, Yun Zhuan comforted him: “Doing physical retail is difficult right now. Small supermarkets can adjust their product structure. You can’t afford to pile up inventory—not only does it take up warehouse space, but it also ties up your capital. It’s better to focus on selling daily necessities.”
What Yun Zhuan said was indeed a valid solution. Lin Po joked, “I didn’t expect a student of ancient culture like you to know so much about business.”
Yun Zhuan smiled and said, “Actually, I study ancient culture because I like it, but given my family circumstances, I need a job that can make money. So, I took business as a minor.”
Although Yun Zhuan’s grandparents were no longer around, they had left behind some external debts. Furthermore, Yun Zhuan’s college tuition was covered by student loans, and his scholarships were used for living expenses. The money he saved from part-time jobs was all used to pay off those old debts, and even now, the accounts weren’t fully cleared.
Yun Zhuan had never spoken about these things before; today was the first time he had mentioned them to Lin Po.
Lin Po fell silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but take Yun Zhuan’s hand and whisper, “I will stay by your side.”
Yun Zhuan felt as if his heart had been brushed by a butterfly’s wings, leaving behind a wave of soft, tingling warmth. It was only today that he had heard the words “stay by your side” from someone’s mouth. On this long, dark road where he couldn’t see the light, someone was finally willing to stand beside him.
He hadn’t thought about falling in love before. Whether it was someone of the opposite sex or the same sex confessing to him, he found it burdensome. For him, he didn’t even know where his own future was; he simply couldn’t take on the burden of another person’s future.
But that night, when Lin Po said those words to him, it was the first time he didn’t think that way. Instead, he began to consider what love actually was.
Perhaps the door in his heart labeled “Love” had already begun to quietly open.
Wang Yurong quickly finished cooking two bowls of noodles. When she brought them to the living room on a tray, she saw her son and his friend holding hands. She froze for a moment, then smiled and said, “You two really have a good relationship, holding hands like little girls.”
Yun Zhuan was startled and tried to pull his hand back, but Lin Po didn’t let go. Instead, he gripped it naturally and said, “I was just testing my hand strength against his.”
Yun Zhuan couldn’t help but glance at him. Did Lin Po always lie without even breaking a sweat?
Lin Po felt quite helpless. He felt like he was lying every day now. His former character of honesty had vanished, and he could now tell a lie without blushing at all.
Wang Yurong said, “You’re still just kids. Come over and eat. I didn’t make anything special, just some noodles with meat sauce.”
The meat sauce had been brought over by a close friend in the village. The ingredients were very substantial, and one could clearly taste the chunks of meat. Lin Po used his chopsticks to mix the sauce and said while eating, “Mom, why don’t you make some pickles?”
Wang Yurong blinked, understanding Lin Po’s meaning. “Alright, I’ll start making them tomorrow. It just so happens they brought over a lot of vegetables. I wonder if I still have my touch for making pickles.”
Yun Zhuan said, “I know how to make pickles. Auntie, I can help you.”
Wang Yurong immediately waved her hand and said, “You two go out and play tomorrow. You don’t need to worry about this.”
Lin Po also added, “My mom is just being modest. The pickles she makes are delicious. We’d only be in the way if we tried to help.”
Yun Zhuan couldn’t help but glare at him, thinking that he was only trying to help, yet he was being rejected like this.
After they finished eating, Wang Yurong sent them upstairs to hang out, telling Lin Po to take out his childhood photos to show Yun Zhuan.
Lin Po felt very helpless. That photo album was essentially his “black history,” and now it was going to be exposed to the person he liked.
Yun Zhuan, however, seemed very expectant. He said, “I really want to see what you looked like as a child. You’re handsome now, so you must have been very cute back then.”
How could Lin Po refuse Yun Zhuan’s request? Naturally, he opened his bedroom door and invited the guest inside.
The decoration of Lin Po’s room was also very simple, but it had a lot more character. Although Lin Po rarely returned after starting college, the room was full of things—from the posters pasted on the walls to the stacks of books on the desk. His life before college was all contained within this space.
Lin Po found the photo album in a drawer. He actually didn’t have many photos because his family’s circumstances had been very ordinary when he was young. However, they would still go to take a photo once a year; this was Wang Yurong’s requirement, serving as a witness to his growth.
When he went to the photo studio as a child, regardless of whether he was a boy or a girl, his cheeks would be brushed red with rouge, and a red cinnabar dot would be placed between his eyebrows. If the studio provided costumes, he would be dressed in all sorts of strange outfits and posed in various bizarre ways.
Back then, he was young and ignorant, so he cooperated fully and even thought he looked quite beautiful. Looking at it now, it was pure “black history.”
Yun Zhuan, on the other hand, watched with great joy, even managing to praise such photos: “As expected, you were very cute as a child. You looked so round then; you’re a bit too thin now.”
Lin Po replied helplessly, “If I were still as round as I was then, I wouldn’t exactly be called ‘cute’ anymore.”
Being chubby and round was only considered cute on a small child.
Yun Zhuan patted his head and said, “You look good no matter when.”
Such words are effective whether said to a boy or a girl, and even more so when coming from the mouth of someone one likes. Lin Po’s face instantly turned red.
Yun Zhuan suddenly said, “Do you want to see what I looked like as a child?”
Lin Po was stunned. He rarely took the initiative to bring up Yun Zhuan’s childhood, precisely because he didn’t want Yun Zhuan to feel forced to talk about those things just to match him. But now that he had offered, Lin Po naturally wanted to see.
“Though my parents divorced early, they did take me to have a photo taken when I was small. It’s probably the only photo of the three of us together. If it weren’t for that photo, I probably wouldn’t even remember what they looked like anymore.”