Cheng Qian returned quickly, just as he had promised, within an hour.
When he got back to the fast-food restaurant, the group meals had just been packed up, and the manager was counting them together with Ke Bei.
One hundred boxed meals was no small number. As Cheng Qian had requested, the restaurant provided five large foam containers, and the staff used carts to help deliver them to the parking lot.
Cheng Qian’s vehicle was a seven-seat business van. Because he usually needed to transport parts and repair tools for work, he had removed the last row of seats, freeing up space in the back for storage.
“I’ll get in first,” Ke Bei said as they reached the van.
Cheng Qian nodded and took their exhausted son from her arms.
After climbing into the back seat, Ke Bei saw that the plastic fuel cans that had been placed there earlier were now all filled to the brim. In addition, there were two large plastic bags packed with various common medicines.
Even through the packaging, she couldn’t clearly see everything inside, but at a glance she could spot anti-diarrheal medicine, heatstroke remedies, anti-inflammatory drugs, hemostatic medicine, as well as fever reducers, painkillers, anti-swelling medicine, essentially all the usual necessities one could think of.
Since people were still outside, she didn’t have time to inspect them closely. With a wave of her hand, she stored everything into her space, then turned to take their son from her husband.
Understanding her look, Cheng Qian opened the rear door and saw that the previously packed space was now completely empty.
He lowered his head and let out a quiet chuckle, then helped the staff load the five large foam containers into the van.
Once the car drove out of the parking lot, Ke Bei couldn’t help but remark, “I didn’t expect you’d be able to fill up all the fuel cans.”
Ordinarily, gas stations wouldn’t allow individuals to purchase that much fuel at once.
“I organized a civilian rescue team. Sometimes my teammates and I travel across the country to take part in disaster relief and emergency rescues. Quite a few people around here know about it, so when it comes to small conveniences, they’re usually willing to help.”
So that was the reason.
This was something Ke Bei hadn’t known in her previous life.
“Where are we going now?” she asked.
“Let’s go buy more food first.”
As he spoke, Cheng Qian turned to Ke Bei. “Food won’t spoil in your space, right?”
“No.”
Ke Bei answered without hesitation. “Time inside the space is frozen. Not only does food not spoil, it doesn’t even get cold. Whatever you put in comes out exactly the same.”
So, when it came to food, the more the better.
“That’s perfect.” Cheng Qian nodded in satisfaction.
He was clearly very familiar with the area.
Instead of taking the main road, he turned directly into a narrow alley and stopped in front of an old-looking storefront.
“Old Yang!” He parked by the roadside and called out toward the shop with easy familiarity.
“Coming!” a voice answered quickly from inside.
Soon, a heavyset middle-aged man in his forties came out, accompanied by a young man in a sleeveless shirt. Together they carried a large stainless-steel barrel.
Behind them followed two others, one holding a huge soup pot, the other carrying a bamboo basket nearly as tall as himself.
Before they even reached the van, Ke Bei caught the rich aroma of meat in the air.
Even though she had just eaten her fill, she still couldn’t help swallowing.
Her reaction clearly pleased Cheng Qian. He had just gotten out of the car and hadn’t even closed the door yet.
He turned back toward her and lifted his chin proudly. “Old Yang’s roujiamo and mutton soup are the best in the city. You won’t find better anywhere else.”
“That’s right, otherwise you wouldn’t have thought of us,” Old Yang chimed in as he approached, picking up the conversation before Cheng Qian could finish.
“Heading somewhere again, in such a rush? And you need this much stuff? Where’s the disaster this time? Is it serious? I didn’t see you mention anything in the group chat.
I brought you all the stock I had in the shop. I’m not opening tonight. Are you leaving right away? If you’re not in a hurry, I can stew another pot of meat this afternoon and deliver it to your place.”
It was clear that Old Yang and Cheng Qian were close. He casually nodded at Ke Bei, set the soup barrel on the ground, then stepped up to Cheng Qian and asked with concern,
“No need. This should be enough for now.” Cheng Qian patted him on the shoulder.
After a brief hesitation, he added, “I’m going to the capital this time to handle some personal matters. I probably won’t be back for quite a while.
You can close up. Don’t set up your stall for the next few days.
And also… keep an eye on the news. Pay attention to government announcements. Don’t wander around unless you have to. And tell the guys in the group chat to stock up on food at home.”
When he heard that Cheng Qian was heading to the capital, and telling him not to go out, Old Yang’s smile slowly faded.
He clearly had a stomach full of questions, but seeing Cheng Qian’s serious expression, he seemed to understand without words and didn’t press further. Instead, he nodded solemnly.
After loading everything into the vehicle, Cheng Qian drove out of the alley.
Through the rearview mirror, Ke Bei saw Old Yang already directing his people to pack up the tables and chairs outside, preparing to close for the day.
Noticing her confusion, Cheng Qian explained, “Old Yang’s a member of our disaster relief team. Whenever there’s an emergency, he goes out on missions with us. We’ve worked together for years.”
After leaving the mutton soup shop and driving through two intersections, Cheng Qian stopped again in front of a rice noodle shop.
This time, they loaded not only a large basket of semi-prepared rice noodles and a barrel of chicken broth, but also several big bags of ingredients for [1]Crossing-the-Bridge rice noodles is a famous dish from Yunnan province in southwestern China, especially associated with the city of Kunming. The name comes from a traditional story about a scholar … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1771303_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1771303_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });Crossing-the-Bridge rice noodles.
Sliced meat, pork liver, leafy greens, mushrooms, tofu skin, squid rolls, luncheon meat… all pre-processed, in a wide variety.
Ke Bei was stunned. She knew Cheng Qian must have practically emptied the shop again.
But that wasn’t the most surprising part. After putting everything into the vehicle, one of the helpers ran back inside.
When he came out again, he was carrying two large tanks of liquefied gas and a double-burner gas stove.
This… had he bought even their equipment as well?
Before Ke Bei could ask, the rice noodle shop owner, a brisk, capable-looking woman, walked over to the vehicle and said to Cheng Qian with a smile,
“You should’ve done this earlier! I’ve always said, if you can cook for yourselves, it’s better to cook your own meals. It’s cleaner and more comfortable. Even just boiling some soup is better than eating nothing but dry rations.
But, are you even allowed to carry gas tanks on the road? You’d better be careful when you use them. Safety first.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t be using them on the road. I’m getting them for someone else,” Cheng Qian brushed the concern aside with a few casual words.
It was obvious that he was also familiar with this shop owner. After checking the goods and paying, he gave the same reminders, told her to pay attention to the news over the next few days and to avoid going out unless necessary, before finally driving off again.
Once the car started moving, Ke Bei stored everything in her space, and the back seat quickly became empty again.
Cheng Qian watched it all through the rearview mirror. Even though he had seen it several times already, he still couldn’t hide his look of amazement.
“Where are we going now?” Ke Bei asked after putting everything away.
“I ordered a hundred steamed buns. We’ll pick those up first, then head to the supermarket.”
After saying that, Cheng Qian paused and asked, “You’re from Su City, right? Do you want to buy some rice too?”
Ke Bei nodded. “Give me the home address. I’ll order some things to be delivered there. We can have them send it later.”
Since they still had time, she didn’t want to shortchange herself. If she didn’t stock up now on the things she liked to eat, there might never be another chance.
Cheng Qian handed over the small bag beside the driver’s seat. “Use my phone to order. The address is saved in the app. And save your number in it too.”
Ke Bei took his phone. It was still the same one he had always used, so she unlocked it effortlessly and began navigating through it with practiced ease.
The way she moved made Cheng Qian glance at her again.
“There’s a wallet in the bag. Take out the bank card. We’ll use my card to pay at the supermarket later,” he added.
“No need.” Ke Bei was scanning a code to add a WeChat contact and refused without hesitation.
After finishing, she looked up and noticed Cheng Qian seemed slightly displeased.
Only then did she explain, “I have money. A lot of it. I didn’t get the chance to use it in my last life. If I don’t use it in this life, that would be too much of a waste.”
Ke Bei was an only child. Her parents, not wanting to become a burden to her in the future, had started planning early for their retirement.
Unfortunately, fate was not kind. During a trip, they were involved in a plane crash, and from that moment on, they were forever separated from their daughter.
Their careful planning had indeed made a difference. Aside from the nearly one million yuan they left in savings, the various insurance payouts alone amounted to almost two million.
And since she had studied design, she had been able to support herself early on by taking freelance design commissions.
In her previous life, the apocalypse had arrived so suddenly that until the very end, all that money still sat untouched in Ke Bei’s bank account. She never had the chance to use it.
Money that isn’t used is like worthless paper.
Ke Bei also knew very clearly that the chances to use it in the future would only decrease. So at this moment, she was eager to spend it all, how could she possibly bother to touch Cheng Qian’s card?
After hearing her explanation, Cheng Qian fell silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but let out a small, amused laugh. He even chuckled softly.
“What are you laughing at?” Ke Bei turned her head.
“Nothing. I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have ended up marrying someone like you.”
It was something Cheng Qian could never have imagined, even in his wildest dreams.
Ke Bei paused her movements and glanced at him sideways. “Huh… somehow that doesn’t sound like a compliment?”
“It is, a compliment, and the truth.”
Cheng Qian smiled, rubbing his nose, a hint of embarrassment on his face. “Right now it still feels like a dream. How did I suddenly end up with a wife and a son? It’s like a pie fell from the sky and just landed on me.”
As he spoke, his eyes met those of his son sitting on Ke Bei’s lap, big and bright like little grapes.
Seeing that rare, lively gaze melted Cheng Qian’s entire heart.
He quickly added, “Two of them, two precious little treasures fell from the sky: first Mom, and then Xiao Tian. Boom! Both just landed on me.”
Then he reached over to ruffle his son’s hair and laughed heartily.
Xiao Tian didn’t really understand what his dad was talking about.
But seeing him so happy, he laughed along, his little laugh clear and bright.
Listening to the laughter filling the car, Ke Bei suddenly felt a sting in her nose.
This was the scene she knew best, the one that had haunted her dreams!
Back when Xiao Tian hadn’t drunk that bowl of mushroom soup and his abilities hadn’t manifested, the three of them had been this happy every single day.
“Stop talking nonsense,” she scolded lightly, though the corners of her lips couldn’t help but lift.
“Hey, say something serious,”
Cheng Qian turned his head and glanced at Ke Bei. “Use some of the money for me.”
“Here you go.”
Without a second thought, Ke Bei took a bank card from the space and slipped it straight into Cheng Qian’s wallet. “There should be two million on this card. I’ll send you the password via WeChat.”
Cheng Qian didn’t expect her to be so straightforward. He froze for a moment, then couldn’t help but shake his head with a laugh, sighing, “You trust me that much? Not even asking what I want the money for?”
Ke Bei looked up, her expression a mix of surprise and resolve. “If I can’t trust you, who else can I trust? If we didn’t even have this little bit of trust, would we have come back from eight years in the future to find you?”
References[+]