At half past seven that evening, the two of them hurried back to the villa and joined everyone else in sampling the dishes.
Cheng Yaoyao ordered the signature dishes from several nearby restaurants with the best reputations. Authentic old-style guobaorou came from a Northeastern restaurant, Huangshan stinky mandarin fish from an Anhui cuisine restaurant, along with Hong Kong-style fish maw chicken, Peking duck, Hunan-style red-braised pork, Sichuan twice-cooked pork…
The dishes filled an entire table. After everyone finished eating, they placed orders based on how much of each dish remained. Anything that had barely been touched did not need to be stocked. Dishes that had been completely eaten were ordered in quantities ranging from three or five hundred portions to as many as a thousand.
Luo Jiu told everyone to get a good rest. They would get up early the next day and continue sampling breakfast foods.
They had agreed to go to bed early, but on the first night after their rebirth, it seemed that no one could sleep soundly.
In the group chat named “Apocalypse 101,” a few new messages popped up from time to time. Everyone chatted on and off, with concern about the apocalypse hidden between the lines.
Zhong Jialing: “Are you all used to sleeping in your rooms? If you’re cold, there are quilts and electric blankets in the cabinets. Sigh, I wonder whether there’ll be extreme cold weather after the apocalypse.”
Cheng Yaoyao: “It isn’t cold—it’s actually hot. Summer is almost here, and I was just worrying about whether we might encounter extreme heat. I ordered an ice maker and some heat-protection equipment, and updated the shared spreadsheet.”
Feng Qi: “Natural disasters are things for later. We should focus on the zombies first. We died too early in our previous lives and didn’t even get to experience any natural disasters. If we get to experience them this time, we’ll have come out ahead.”
Luo Jiu organized lists of various medicines and ordered more than two thousand kinds. She was busy until half past three in the morning. Several times, when she opened the shared spreadsheet, it showed that it had been updated.
At one in the morning, Zhong Jialing ordered one hundred sable fur coats, one hundred sable fur hats, and two hundred pairs of gloves. She also ordered five hundred thick Xinjiang cotton quilts and two hundred extreme-cold-resistant down jackets.
At two in the morning, Cheng Yaoyao ordered hot pot ingredients, barbecue seasonings, marinades, and various baking supplies. There were countless kinds of chili sauce, pickles, condensed milk, salad dressing, and more. She ordered rice dumplings and mooncakes in assorted flavors as well. It seemed they had already prepared to celebrate traditional festivals in the apocalypse for the next several decades.
At three in the morning, Feng Qi ordered one hundred high-carbon-steel long knives. In accordance with the relevant authorities’ regulations, all the knives sold on the market had no edges. So she immediately placed another order for five blade-sharpening machines.
The group went on buying like mad, day and night, for three days. Finally, dawn broke.
By the fourth day, all the goods they had ordered had basically arrived, and the space was already ninety percent full.
The cardboard boxes from unpacking the deliveries filled an entire room. Feng Qi was about to throw them away when Luo Jiu said, “Keep them. They should come in handy.”
So they kept them. In any case, the villa was already packed with things everywhere, so one or two more items hardly made a difference.
Over the past few days, Sun Feng'e had not had a moment of rest, pickling sour cabbage, making cured meats, curing salted eggs, and so on. She had originally been at an age when people slept less, but ever since she came here, she had been busy from morning till night and slept deeply every night. She went to bed at six or seven in the evening and did not wake up until dawn began to break.
Today, the workers arrived and installed top-grade security windows throughout the first floor, second floor, and basement light wells.
Every window within ten meters of ground level that could potentially be breached by zombies had been reinforced. Inverted spikes and thorns were installed on the three-meter-high courtyard walls, and an electric fence was added as well. Whether human or zombie, as long as it was something alive or half-alive, anyone who wanted to enter this courtyard would have to lose a layer of skin at the very least.
The four women stood on the large balcony on the third floor and looked down, their sense of security overflowing.
Feng Qi said, “I spent half the night sharpening knives yesterday. I finished dozens of them, and the wooden stakes we bought have arrived too. Starting tomorrow, you’re all going to practice knife techniques with me.”
“Sure,” Luo Jiu said with a smile. “Our Women’s Broadsword Team will definitely hack out a path to survival in the apocalypse.”
Zhong Jialing still felt somewhat regretful. “If only we could buy some powerful weapons. If we had guns and cannons, we wouldn’t be afraid no matter how many zombies came. Just thinking about fighting zombies at close range still gives me goosebumps.”
Luo Jiu patted her shoulder. “Don’t be so pessimistic. We’re practicing close combat so we’ll be prepared for anything. We have such a sturdy fortress. Maybe we won’t ever have to go that far.”
“I hope so.” Cheng Yaoyao clasped her hands together and devoutly bowed toward all four directions.
“By the way, have we bought everything we should? From here on, we just need to check for anything we might have missed, right?”
Luo Jiu said, “There’s still a batch of seeds arriving tomorrow. Then we’ll basically have everything. Since there isn’t much space left, we haven’t stocked up on many things without restraint. Once the space upgrades, we’ll see whether we get another chance to go out and take things for free.”
Zhong Jialing suddenly remembered something. “Then let’s stock up on more food. The food street is lively at this hour, and we won’t have a chance to visit it again in the future. Let’s go one last time.”
Luo Jiu thought about it. Everyone had been working themselves to the bone these past few days, and the strings in their minds were pulled rather tight. They were all in such high spirits today, and Grandma was asleep too, so going out to relax for a while would be a good idea.
The four women drove off as soon as they had decided to go. Beidu Night Market was the largest night market in the city, with every kind of snack imaginable.
There were pocket potatoes fried until they looked like sunny-side-up eggs, extra-long crispy fries tossed with sour and spicy houttuynia, cheese pancakes that burst with filling at the first bite, and unbeatable starch sausages…
The famous double-skinned milk pudding, freshly fried little youtiao inserted into large bowls of ice cream, flaky durian pastries filled with huge chunks of durian flesh, stinky tofu, grilled cold noodles, fried yogurt, and all kinds of barbecue and deep-fried food stalls.
The four women walked from one end to the other and sampled nearly everything. They placed orders for all the delicious items and had them delivered the next day to 88 Fengshan Road.
At the end, Feng Qi bought a serving of hot-and-sour rice noodles, while Zhong Jialing still had a serving of stinky tofu in her hands. The four women stood beside a trash can, taking one bite after another until they finished all the food.
Feng Qi said, “The hot-and-sour rice noodles from that place aren’t as good as the ones we stocked up on. They’re missing something.”
Cheng Yaoyao said, “The stinky tofu is all right, but we’ve already stocked up on it. This kind is optional.”
Luo Jiu looked around. Beside the end of the night market was a small barbecue shop. Supposedly, its flavor was very authentic, and all its skewers were marinated in a secret seasoning, giving them an especially rich taste. They had already stocked up on plenty of raw meat skewers, but if these tasted good, they could stock up on some more.
“Let’s sit in that shop for a while and try the skewers. Then we’ll head home.”
The four women entered the small shop and found an empty table. Before long, several more groups of customers arrived, and the smell of alcohol and tobacco grew stronger.
Cheng Yaoyao had a somewhat sensitive nose. “I’m feeling a little uncomfortable. Let’s go.”
Their skewers happened to be ready, so Luo Jiu had the owner pack them up. They would take them home to eat.
The four women stood up and put on their coats to pay the bill when a middle-aged man suddenly walked over with a grin, carrying a wineglass.
“Misses, I’ve been watching you for quite a while. Why are you leaving without eating anything? Big Brother will pay your bill. Come, come, sit at our table for a while. Don’t rush off.”
As he spoke, he reached out to grab Zhong Jialing’s arm. Zhong Jialing flung his hand away.
“What are you doing?”
Feng Qi stepped in front of her, her face darkening as her hand unconsciously clenched into a fist.
Fearing that Feng Qi might act rashly and create trouble for them, Luo Jiu hurriedly tried to ease the situation. “We’ll pay for ourselves. We have something urgent to attend to, so we won’t stay. Please move aside.”
The man was clearly displeased. He patted his fat, protruding belly and planted himself there, his tone turning hostile.
“Then add me on WeChat. Otherwise, you’re disrespecting Big Brother.”
As he spoke, another companion came over with a phone in hand. “Come, come, I’ll scan your codes. When you’re free, Big Brother will drive you out to have some fun. You girls don’t look very old—still students, right? Such fair, clean faces, such soft, delicate skin.”
As he spoke, he reached out toward Cheng Yaoyao’s face. Luo Jiu could not bear it any longer. With a sharp smack, she knocked his filthy hand away and gritted her teeth.
“Get lost. Stay away from my friend.”
The man did not get angry. Instead, he laughed disdainfully.
“Your friend? You’re their leader, huh? You’re the one protecting all of them? Is it because he touched her instead of you that you’re unhappy?”
Luo Jiu’s gaze was as sharp as a blade.
“Shut your filthy mouth! Don’t you people have mirrors at home? Take a look at yourselves! You’re already getting on in years, yet you still have the nerve to flirt with young girls. You think younger girls are easier to fool, don’t you? Who would want your paltry money? With those ugly, doglike faces, you still want to get handsy? Get lost! If you don’t move aside, we’re calling the police!”
The two men immediately lost their composure, enraged by humiliation.
“Call the police? Today, I’m damn well going to see how sharp that mouth of yours really is.”
He grabbed Luo Jiu by the shoulder and raised his hand to strike her. Feng Qi reacted with lightning speed, snatched up a beer bottle from the neighboring table, and smashed it against his head.
Bang! Glass fragments and blood sprayed through the air together.