Not only did Lu Chen step forward himself, but he also brought out the two fish he had caught.
“So impressive.” Ling Jiujiu was stunned.
Lu Chen was somewhat dazzled by the little one’s puppy-dog eyes.
“Weren’t you leaving?” Lu Chen asked him.
Ling Jiujiu thought he was being told to leave and, clutching his clothes, pitifully said:
“I can catch fish for you to eat, and I can help you chase away those clumsy zombies. Can you please not drive me away?”
Even though the bad guy was moody and unpredictable, at least he wouldn’t just blow his head off without a word.
People outside wouldn’t even discuss it with him.
Lu Chen found it both amusing and exasperating.
Judging by the little one’s pitiful appearance, he must have gone fishing specifically to prove his worth.
Clearly, he himself was the one staying here temporarily, so why did it seem like the little one was the poor kid who had been picked up?
He couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle Ling Jiujiu’s little head.
This little one was really so well-behaved, both cute and pitiful.
Ling Jiujiu had rolled around in the mud pit and gotten covered in dirt, and Lu Chen had also gotten some mud splattered on him.
The human and the zombie went to the river to take a bath and also washed their clothes clean.
The clothes were too wet to wear directly, but fortunately, the little wooden cabin wasn’t far away, and there was no one else nearby. So, the human and the zombie simply walked back stark naked.
While washing the clothes, Lu Chen also casually caught five fish and brought them back to the cabin.
Now, they had food for the next few days.
Ling Jiujiu, eager to demonstrate his value, took the initiative to carry two fish to the kitchen to prepare them.
After some work, Ling Jiujiu came out carrying two fish that had been gutted and cleaned.
“I threw away all the dirty parts. They’re ready to eat now.”
Lu Chen looked at the boy’s expectant eyes, then at the plate of raw fish.
“…”
Wild fish like these had a high probability of carrying bacteria and parasites, and unless it was a special circumstance, it wasn’t recommended to eat them raw.
Seeing that Lu Chen looked somewhat troubled and didn’t seem very willing to eat, Ling Jiujiu tilted his head and thought for a moment, suddenly realizing something.
“Wait a moment.”
With that, Ling Jiujiu hurried off to the kitchen and returned holding a small white jar.
He unscrewed the jar, sprinkled some fine granules onto the fish, and then pushed it toward Lu Chen.
“Adding this makes it taste a little better. Now you can eat it.”
Lu Chen tasted one of the white granules—it was sugar…
Under normal circumstances, Lu Chen wouldn’t have refused the boy’s kindness and expectant gaze.
But right now, his physical condition wasn’t very good. He could burn up and fall unconscious at any moment, and he couldn’t afford to get sick from eating something bad.
“I usually eat cooked meat,” Lu Chen said honestly.
Hearing this, Ling Jiujiu was taken aback.
Cooked meat—he had heard Lu Chen mention it yesterday. It was meat that changed color after being roasted over fire and tasted like tree roots.
But he didn’t know how to start a fire.
Naturally, Lu Chen didn’t expect a zombie who ate raw meat to know how to roast meat either.
He got up, went to the kitchen to fetch a pile of firewood and matches, and headed outside.
Curious and eager to learn, Ling Jiujiu immediately followed when he saw this.
Ling Jiujiu was a curious little thing, and Lu Chen didn’t mind the noise, patiently teaching him step by step.
“Matches are used to start a fire. Stones can block the wind and concentrate heat. These branches can keep the fire from going out…”
Ling Jiujiu watched as the fire was started, then looked at Lu Chen’s long, slender hands, his eyes lighting up.
“Do your hands have magic?”
Ling Jiujiu thought his hands were incredibly magical and held them carefully, examining them closely.
The boy’s hand was icy cold, his fingers pale and soft, with neat, rounded nails like mutton-fat jade.
Lu Chen’s arm stiffened slightly, but he did not pull his hand back.
He coughed and explained, “It’s not magic, just basic common sense.”
Ling Jiujiu held his hand for a while, gradually feeling a slight warmth.
After letting go, he rubbed his own hands together, as if hoping to generate fire that way.
But no fire appeared, and Ling Jiujiu felt a bit disappointed.
Seeing his actions, Lu Chen couldn’t help but smile.
“Hold this for me.”
He handed the stick with the roasting fish to Ling Jiujiu and got up to fetch some seasonings from the kitchen.
When he returned, he found Ling Jiujiu’s hand nearly hovering over the fire.
He quickly pulled Ling Jiujiu’s hand away and, seeing the red blisters on it, frowned tightly.
“Why are you so careless?”
Lu Chen hurriedly led his hand to soak in cold water.
There was no burn ointment in the small cabin, but applying some soybean paste could offer slight relief.
Ling Jiujiu didn’t feel any pain, but seeing Lu Chen’s apparent anger, he thought he had done something wrong and obediently let him tend to his hand.
After applying a thin layer of soybean paste, Lu Chen finally released his hand.
Noticing the boy’s timid expression, Lu Chen pinched the bridge of his nose and asked helplessly, “Don’t you feel any pain?”
Ling Jiujiu shook his head. “No, it doesn’t hurt.”
Lu Chen couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
This was strange. Yesterday, when he touched the boy’s stomach with his hand, the boy clearly felt it was very hot.
The temperature of fire was much hotter than his hand.
Lu Chen looked at his own hand and tentatively placed it against the boy’s cheek.
Ling Jiujiu tilted his head. “?”
“Is it hot?” Lu Chen asked.
Ling Jiujiu leaned his face closer to Lu Chen’s hand, carefully sensing for a moment, then shook his head.
“Not hot, just a little warm.”
The little one could sense his body temperature, but the perceived temperature varied each time, which Lu Chen found very odd.
Ling Jiujiu hadn’t changed between yesterday and today. Could it be because of his own body?
Lu Chen stared at his hand, lost in thought.
Ling Jiujiu tilted his head and sat beside him, spacing out.
After a while, Ling Jiujiu sniffed with his small nose. “There seems to be a strange smell.”
Lu Chen smelled it too.
“Oh no!”
He had forgotten about the roasting fish.
Lu Chen rushed outside to remove the fish from the fire.
Fortunately, only the head was burnt, and the body was still barely edible.
A human and a zombie sat at the table eating fish together, the atmosphere surprisingly harmonious.
After finishing the fish, Ling Jiujiu very conscientiously picked up the plate to wash it in the kitchen.
“Your hand is injured; it shouldn’t get wet.”
Lu Chen took the plate from his hands and headed to the kitchen.
Ling Jiujiu followed behind him, feeling somewhat at a loss.
If he did nothing, he was afraid he might be driven out again.
Lu Chen was washing the plate when he turned around and nearly bumped into him.
“What are you doing here? Go play somewhere else.”
Lu Chen ruffled his little head and nudged him out of the kitchen.
Ling Jiujiu puffed out his cheeks and walked away, feeling a bit dejected.
He wasn’t given any chance to prove himself at all.
With nothing to do, Ling Jiujiu gazed at the sky in the yard as usual.
Just then, he noticed a white shadow darting swiftly through the woods.
Judging by its size and color… it was a rabbit!
Ling Jiujiu’s eyes lit up, and he dashed toward the woods.
A few minutes later, Ling Jiujiu ran back in a panic, calling out for Lu Chen as she ran.
“Lu Chen, help! Save me!”