Yuan Tao marveled at how quickly the authorities had acted. It had only been a few days!
When they reached the city, she noticed police officers patrolling the large shopping malls and supermarkets, keeping order. They entered a large supermarket and discovered that purchase limits were in place.
They bought only one five-kilogram bag of rice and some fresh beef. Everything else was Yuan Tao’s favorite snacks, enough to fill their shopping cart.
An older woman waiting in line beside them glanced at the snacks and muttered, “Young people have no idea how to run a household. What the hell good are all those snacks? They won’t fill you up, and they’ve got no nutrition.”
Yuan Tao ignored her. Some older people simply liked to grumble about how the younger generation lived, without meaning any real harm. Whatever the woman said, it wouldn’t affect her.
The older man accompanying her gently tugged her sleeve, signaling for her to stop, then gave Yuan Tao and Zhou Yunxi an apologetic smile.
Neither of them took it to heart. They waited their turn and paid for their purchases.
Afterward, Yuan Tao suggested hot pot. She had been craving it, and once the apocalypse arrived, they would no longer be able to enjoy the atmosphere of eating it at a restaurant.
When they finished and drove home, they spotted a luxury car parked outside the villa. A handsome man with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and an upright bearing was leaning against it.
As their car came to a stop, Gu Yan walked over and tapped on the driver’s window.
Zhou Yunxi lowered it, his face expressionless.
“What are you doing here?”
Gu Yan first greeted Yuan Tao, who was watching him curiously from the passenger seat, then turned to Zhou Yunxi in annoyance.
“If I didn’t come over, you’d forget I existed.”
Ignoring the irritation in Zhou Yunxi’s eyes, he opened the door and climbed into the car.
“Where are your servants? I’ve been ringing the doorbell forever, and nobody’s come to let me in.”
Zhou Yunxi ignored him, opened the villa gates remotely, and drove straight into the garage.
Yuan Tao studied Gu Yan with interest. He looked a little like Gu Nan. Searching through the original owner’s memories, she recalled that he was Gu Nan’s older brother, Gu Yan. The original Yuan Tao had met him while visiting the Gu family.
He seems to know Yunxi-ge pretty well.
Noticing her intent gaze, Gu Yan gave her a carefree smile.
“Yuan Tao-meimei, don’t recognize me? Hasn’t Gu Nan mentioned me? Then again, I suppose he’d be too embarrassed to bring me up. I’m Gu Yan. I’m nothing like Gu Nan, so don’t go lumping us together.”
His words reminded Yuan Tao of the Gu family gossip Zhou Yunxi had told her.
He must be the son from their father’s first marriage.
“I remember you,” she replied with a smile. “We met at the Gu family’s house.”
“Gu Yan-ge, do you and Yunxi-ge know each other well?” she asked.
“We used to serve in the same unit.”
That explained it.
Once they entered the house, Gu Yan followed Zhou Yunxi into the study. Guessing they had something to discuss, Yuan Tao went back to her room rather than disturb them.
Gu Yan lounged on the study sofa as soon as he entered and remarked to Zhou Yunxi, who stood by the desk, “Yuan Tao-meimei just gets prettier as she grows up.”
Zhou Yunxi frowned and kicked him.
“She’s not your little sister.”
“Stingy.”
“How’s the matter I asked you to handle coming along?”
Gu Yan finally dropped his flippant manner and began reporting to Zhou Yunxi, his expression serious.
Meanwhile, Yuan Tao had returned to her room, picked out a change of clothes, and gone into the bathroom for a shower, emerging fresh and fragrant.
Hot pot was delicious, but the smell was strong. After a meal, it clung to her from head to toe, and she couldn’t stand it.
As she came out of the bathroom, she reflected that she had been so busy stockpiling and training lately that she hadn’t had time to properly explore the space. The apocalypse would arrive tomorrow. She ought to take the opportunity to enjoy herself now, since she would have even less time afterward.
With a thought, she entered the space.
The moment Xiao Jiu saw her appear, it leaped into her arms and whined affectionately.
“Taozi, you haven’t come to play with me in so long! I’ve missed you.”
Yuan Tao slowly stroked the fur along its back, deliberately teasing it.
“Don’t I come in every day to spar with the wooden dummies?”
“That’s not the same!” Xiao Jiu protested with a little whine.
“All right, I know you missed me.” Amused, she soothed it. “I’ll spend some time exploring the space with you today. Show me the fields.”
Xiao Jiu happily led her over and pointed to a vast stretch of crops.
“Look, Taozi! I planted a huge area with grain, just like you asked. There’s corn, rice, wheat, and sorghum. I’ve already harvested one crop. These were only just planted.”
Yuan Tao looked at the lush green seedlings.
“You’ve already had a harvest? That was fast!”
“Of course! Time passes differently in the fields than it does outside.”
Yuan Tao immediately started to leave.
Are you kidding? If time passes faster here, won’t I get older just standing around?
Noticing her movement, Xiao Jiu hurried to reassure her.
“Don’t worry, Taozi. The different flow of time only affects plants here, not people. It works the same way in the animal enclosure.”
Reassured, Yuan Tao remained in the field.
What a thoughtful feature!
She picked a bright red tomato from the vegetable patch beside her, wiped it carelessly on her clothes, and took a bite. Sweet, tart, and bursting with juice, it was the best tomato she had ever eaten.
Munching on it, she followed Xiao Jiu to the animal enclosure.
The animals she had brought into the space had begun breeding, and their numbers had more than tripled. The chickens, ducks, and geese had multiplied especially quickly, laying eggs all over the grass and along the little river.
Yuan Tao fetched a basket and enjoyed collecting eggs with Xiao Jiu. Whenever she found a particularly enormous goose egg, she couldn’t resist showing it off.
After a while, she grew bored, and they moved on. Before leaving, she reminded Xiao Jiu to keep the animal population under control. They couldn’t be allowed to keep multiplying unchecked. Their numbers should stay within a set limit, with the excess slaughtered and stored in the warehouse.
The two of them headed up into the mountains. Among the plants already growing there, Xiao Jiu had planted many fruit trees. Some had already blossomed, their flowers a gorgeous profusion of colors.
Yuan Tao couldn’t resist having Xiao Jiu take plenty of photos of her.
After coming down the mountain, they reached the sea. She took off her shoes and stepped onto the soft sand.
The water before her was clear and deep blue. A salty breeze swept over it, stirring up waves. She could sense plenty of fish swimming freely beneath the surface.
With a thought, she brought over a lounge chair and a table, setting out a freshly opened coconut and an assortment of exquisite pastries.
Yuan Tao reclined in the chair, cradling the coconut and taking little sips of its water, with the occasional bite of pastry. Xiao Jiu lay lazily in her lap. Together, they gazed out at the sea, basking in the sunshine as the sea breeze washed over them.