Chapter 37

It felt as if they had skipped directly from summer to winter. The sky suddenly became overcast, and the temperature plummeted.

As the two of them finished packing up and drove back to their community, snowflakes began to fall more densely, with the thick and low-hanging clouds brewing something ominous.

By the time they returned to the community and began unloading, the wind had started howling, bringing with it a biting cold that swept through every corner.

Tiny snowflakes slowly began to drift down from the sky. The streets, trees, and buildings were quickly covered with a thin layer of snow, making the entire world seem like it had been painted silver-white.

In the lifeless streets, zombies, oblivious to the cold and covered in snow, wandered aimlessly, emitting hungry growls. The city, devoid of any living humans, appeared even more eerie and desolate.

In a hurry, Guan Yuanfeng and Zhou Yun unloaded everything and stored it in the villa’s basement. Zhou Yun ran off first to cover the beehives with blankets, then closed the windows, leaving a small gap for the bees to return. He poured some honey into the hive and placed an electric heater in the room. He also tended to the rabbits they had separated into the third moon creek section, focusing on keeping them warm.

After that, he went up to the 30th-floor rooftop, found a down jacket to wear, and then headed to the rooftop terrace.

The two of them busied themselves with adding thick cotton curtains and blankets over the poultry and livestock pens, and turned on heaters to prevent the sudden drop in temperature from making the animals sick. Without time to prepare food, Guan Yuanfeng quickly poured some dog food for Comet.

The sudden snowfall disrupted Zhou Yun’s routine of stockpiling and harvesting vegetables. There were still quite a few sweet potatoes, potatoes, and pumpkins in the rooftop garden that hadn’t been harvested. Zhou Yun hurriedly grabbed a hoe and began digging up all the vegetables.

Guan Yuanfeng: “…”

He said, “Actually, it’s fine if we don’t harvest them. Everything that needed to be harvested has been. We can cover them with some straw to protect them from the snow.”

Zhou Yun replied, “These mutant pumpkins are treasures. Besides, once the ground freezes, it will be hard to dig them up. We can feed the pigs and rabbits with the harvested vegetables.”

He had been reluctant to dig them up for so long, wanting them to grow a bit bigger and keep the seeds. But now that it was snowing, if they froze, they wouldn’t taste as good.

Guan Yuanfeng: “…”

He also grabbed a hoe and came to help. The two of them dug out the roots, sweet potatoes, and regular potatoes from the field, tossing them into baskets.

Zhou Yun picked up a potato, noticing that it was bigger than usual, and wondered, “I remember the variety I bought wasn’t supposed to be this large.”

He had chosen a variety that was small, round, and starchy, perfect for baking with a rich aroma, a late-maturing type with a long growth cycle and drought resistance, with a delicate texture comparable to an expensive variety.

Why did they all grow so large? He hadn’t used any chemical fertilizers.

As he examined the potato closely, Guan Yuanfeng suddenly yanked him back forcefully, and a hoe struck the ground in front of him.

Startled, Zhou Yun saw a hideous dark brown creature, resembling a snake, cut in half by Guan Yuanfeng’s hoe, writhing in the soil.

Its thick body was moist and slick, glistening with a dark red sheen, covered in tiny ring-like patterns, with the front ring being pale white. It had a well-developed mouth, and tiny bristles lined its sides.

After being cut, it quickly burrowed into the soil, leaving only the rear half wriggling, with a pointed, dark tail that was both tough and elastic.

Guan Yuanfeng said, “I don’t know what this creature is. Step back.”

Zhou Yun hesitated and then said, “This looks like… an earthworm…”

Guan Yuanfeng was speechless.

Are there earthworms this thick?

Guan Yuanfeng examined it closely and finally recognized it too, “Is it… mutated?”

Zhou Yun said, “I bought a pound of earthworms in the summer and put them in the soil…” These were premium mountain earthworms, known for their toughness and vitality. The seller had assured him they were genuine wild mountain earthworms, perfect for fishing bait, soil improvement, or even drying for medicinal use.

Now it seemed… the seller’s goods were indeed genuine wild mountain earthworms…

He laughed, “We should cherish it. Looks like my potatoes grew this big thanks to it.”

Mutated earthworms, what a treasure! These mutated earthworms were incredibly resilient, able to live even when cut in half! One became two, two became four—he would have countless mutated earthworms! Perfect for farming!

He quickly fetched a planting box filled with decayed leaf soil prepared for cultivating red mushrooms. Happily, he said to Guan Yuanfeng, “Good thing we turned the soil. Otherwise, with the snow and falling temperatures, the ground would freeze, and these mutated earthworms might not survive.”

“This soil was originally prepared for cultivating red mushrooms. Earthworms feed on decayed matter and require soft, moist soil. This way, we can raise earthworms and mushrooms together. By next spring, we might have many mutated earthworms.”

“If we can cultivate enough, we could even try using them for medicinal purposes. You’ve heard of earth dragon, right? Clinically, it’s effective in dissolving blood clots.” Earthworm enzymes have a special affinity for blood clots, can prevent coagulation, and benefit blood vessels.

“If these are mutated earthworms, their medicinal effects could be significantly enhanced. We can look forward to that.” Traditional medicine believes earth dragons can clear heat, calm spasms, ease asthma, improve circulation, and treat cardiovascular diseases and tuberculosis.

Zhou Yun couldn’t help but look forward, “If we can raise more, we could even try using them for fishing mutant fish… You know winter fishing requires live bait, right? With mutated earthworms, we might catch better mutant fish.”

He talked excitedly as he carefully dug out the two halves of the mutated earthworm, placing them in the red mushroom planting box, letting them burrow into the soft soil, and then moving the box to the greenhouse.

Guan Yuanfeng listened quietly. He was used to Zhou Yun’s jumping thoughts.

Zhou Yun easily got absorbed in his own thoughts, making wild connections, yet he would patiently explain all these details, sharing his joy and excitement.

Guan Yuanfeng felt that if it were someone else, Zhou Yun wouldn’t waste time talking about these things.

Zhou Yun’s gaze always held a smile and kindness.

It seemed like they had known each other for a long time, not just since this summer as strangers.

After they finished harvesting all the vegetables from the rooftop garden, it was completely dark, the temperature plummeted, and the outdoor thermometer showed minus fifteen degrees, with the wind and snow growing fiercer.

From the rooftop, Guan Yuanfeng saw the distant wind and snow raging like an angry beast, blurring the distant mountains and rivers.

Is this the end times? Guan Yuanfeng couldn’t help but think. If ordinary people suddenly faced such a temperature drop, with scarce food outside and zombies, how would they survive?

Zhou Yun checked the wind power equipment and other installations on the rooftop, making sure everything was secure. Seeing Guan Yuanfeng still standing on the rooftop looking into the distance, he called, “Come down, the wind is too strong, and it’s late. Let’s have hotpot.”

Guan Yuanfeng turned and agreed, following him downstairs, looking at Zhou Yun’s energetic figure with a complex expression.

At this time, the food Zhou Yun had stockpiled, including the pigs, sheep, and rabbits he raised, provided a great sense of security.

Also, the heating supplies, gasoline, diesel, and coal he had collected in the city were evidently very useful.

In such weather, going outside was impossible unless one faced the raging wind and snow, the subzero temperatures, unaffected zombies, and blocked roads. Even for superhumans, it was very difficult. Moreover, superhumans needed more food.

Without enough warm clothing, food, and energy sources like electricity, gasoline, and coal, the consequences would be dire.

They also had to take care of the comet.

Danlin City was completely deserted. In those distant, unknown survivor bases, hopefully, more people could endure and survive.

He hoped this harsh cold and snowy weather would pass soon.

Feeling somewhat heavy-hearted, Guan Yuanfeng noted that the wind turbine ensured electricity, and the heating was on, making the house warm and cozy.

Zhou Yun set up an electric stove on the dining table, fetched a pot, added water, and started preparing a hotpot broth with freshly caught mutant fish and the lamb that had been thawed in water since the morning.

Guan Yuanfeng picked out the cabbage and pea shoots from the vegetables he had just collected, washed them, and then peeled and sliced several potatoes.

As he sliced, he watched Zhou Yun retrieve a bag of fish balls, a bag of duck intestines, a bag of tripe, and a bag of sweet potato noodles from the freezer. He recalled seeing Zhou Yun make those sweet potato noodles from scratch, using sweet potatoes they had harvested. Zhou Yun then closed the freezer and took out dried ingredients from the cupboard, such as dried tofu skin, wood ear mushrooms, tofu sheets, dried daylilies, and shiitake mushrooms.

Despite having taken out so many items, Zhou Yun lamented, “It’s a pity the red mushrooms haven’t been cultivated successfully before the snow fell; otherwise, we could have used them in the hotpot.”

He seemed to remember something suddenly and looked at Guan Yuanfeng, his eyes shining with excitement and desire. Guan Yuanfeng tensed up, “What is it?”

Zhou Yun said, “Do you know the saying, ‘When it thunders in the sky, mushrooms grow on the ground’? Scientific research has proven that lightning indeed promotes the growth of fungi. If you could somehow generate some lightning over the red mushrooms…” He fell into deep thought, “We should try that sometime.”

Such an experimental spirit.

Guan Yuanfeng: “…”

The rich, milky lamb broth in the hotpot started to boil, bubbling up with fish eye-like bubbles. The thick aroma of the meat blended with the fresh fragrance of the hotpot broth, filling the room with a delicious scent.

While Guan Yuanfeng was still slicing the duck intestines, Zhou Yun turned on the TV, randomly selecting a food documentary to watch. Then he slid half a plate of thinly sliced mutant fish into the pot, followed by a small plate of tofu.

The tender and juicy mutant fish was quite elastic and had just been freshly caught today. As soon as it changed color slightly, Zhou Yun picked up the pink, petal-like fish slices with his chopsticks, dipped them in soy sauce, vinegar, and mustard, and promptly put them in his mouth. His eyes squinted in satisfaction, and his whole face beamed with delight.

Guan Yuanfeng wasn’t very hungry, but seeing Zhou Yun enjoying the fish so much, he couldn’t help but think the fish must be really good. He served a bowl of lamb broth to Zhou Yun, “Have some soup to warm up first. Once we put the potatoes in, the taste will change.”

The large pieces of lamb, cooked until tender, and the whole bowl of hot soup warmed them up completely.

The sweetness of the potatoes and the elasticity of the sweet potato noodles were delicious and soft.

The duck intestines had to be quickly blanched and then immediately taken out, eaten with sesame oil, vinegar, and small chili peppers for a fresh and crisp taste.

Those who liked the fresh and numbing flavor of Sichuan pepper could dip their food in Sichuan pepper oil longer. Zhou Yun had made the Sichuan pepper oil by frying green Sichuan pepper, and Guan Yuanfeng quite liked it.

The fresh cabbage and pea shoots were perfectly blanched, absorbing the savory flavor of the soup.

Outside, the wind howled more fiercely, roaring like a wild beast in the endless night. The sharp wind whistled and ravaged everything, carrying an aura of destruction and cold desolation.

However, inside the dining room, just a window away, the light was soft and warm. The heating was on, and because of the hotpot, they were even feeling a bit hot. Zhou Yun’s face was already flushed, and Guan Yuanfeng had taken off his down jacket.

The broth in the hotpot bubbled contentedly, and the rising steam carried the scent of food, looking especially tempting under the light. The rich aroma of the lamb broth filled the whole house, bringing warmth and comfort.

The dog, having just finished its lamb leg and fish broth, sat obediently by the table, wagging its tail. Unfortunately, its large size made its attempt at a cute and pleasing posture more endearing and clumsy.

The TV was on, and the male narrator’s deep voice was describing the process and flavors of various local delicacies.

It was like every peaceful evening at home they had experienced before.

Guan Yuanfeng suddenly recalled his previous imaginings of a warm family, and this scene was exactly like that. Yet, it was ironically happening in a post-apocalyptic world.

After finishing their meal and cleaning up, it was quite late. The electric water heater couldn’t support two bathrooms being used simultaneously, and after the snowfall, the rooftop rainwater filtration tank might freeze or suddenly stop supplying water. Guan Yuanfeng let Zhou Yun shower first while he cleaned up the dining table and washed the dishes.

Zhou Yun, being a water ability user, wasn’t worried about a water shortage. After finishing his shower, he changed into thick winter fleece pajamas, tossed his dirty clothes into the washing machine, filled it with water using his ability, and reminded Guan Yuanfeng, “I’ve already aired out the winter bedding we brought back from the department store. It’s in your wardrobe, so take it out and use it. Don’t catch a cold. If you don’t want to use the heater, it’s best to use an electric blanket. The winter clothes are also in there.”

Guan Yuanfeng nodded. He wasn’t afraid of the cold, so he grabbed his usual summer pajamas and went to shower. After washing, he threw his clothes into the washing machine, pressed the wash button, and saw that the dog was already asleep in its kennel. Zhou Yun had also closed his bedroom door, indicating he was asleep, so he returned to his room and opened the wardrobe to take out the bedding.

A faint smell of mugwort greeted him.

He was at a loss for words.

He knew Zhou Yun had a bit of an obsession with organization, but he hadn’t expected it to this extent.

The wardrobe was neatly organized with all the winter clothing, from light down jackets to thick wool coats, each hung neatly on hangers, arranged from long to short and from dark to light colors in perfect order.

The top shelf of the wardrobe was stacked with winter bedding, neatly packed in zippered dust covers, with labels clearly stating “duck down autumn quilt,” “goose down winter quilt,” “wool mattress,” “silk summer quilt,” “electric blanket,” and “air conditioning blanket.”

Thermal underwear was also neatly folded in the wardrobe drawers, with separate drawers for socks and underwear, each labeled. Every item was folded precisely, and even the undergarments had their tags removed, washed, dried, and neatly folded by Zhou Yun.

The entire wardrobe was like a small world where every item had its designated place, orderly and meticulous, reflecting Zhou Yun’s innate sense of rigorous organization, and it even showed a kind of endearing control that wasn’t annoying but rather a bit cute.

He was completely stunned. Because of the hot weather before, he only wore a few pieces of clothing from his suitcase, never opening this large wardrobe. He subconsciously believed that it still contained Zhou Yun’s belongings and didn’t want to rummage through it.

Being tall allowed him to easily take out the bedding from the top shelf and spread it on the bed. The clean scent of mugwort filled the air. Although they had been fishing by the reservoir these days, Zhou Yun must have taken the time to wash and sun-dry them while gathering supplies during his zombie hunts.

Guan Yuanfeng finished laying the wool mattress and fitted the bedsheets. Not being used to electric blankets, he only took two down comforters, which were light, soft, and smelled of sunshine. Despite the howling wind outside, he felt as if he were in the warm afternoon sun and quickly fell asleep.

—–

The next morning, he woke up at eight o’clock. Pulling back the blackout curtains, he saw the weather outside. It should have been bright by now, but it was still gloomy. The snowstorm hadn’t stopped.

He put on a down jacket and opened the balcony door, letting in the icy wind immediately.

Stepping onto the balcony, he looked out to see a vast expanse of white. The snowflakes swirled madly in the wind, like countless ghosts wandering in the air, carrying a strange and mysterious aura.

The cold seemed to seep from the depths of the earth, wrapping itself in ice and snow, piercing through his bones.

It looked like the blizzard wouldn’t stop anytime soon. In the past, this would have been the time to organize a snow disaster relief effort and relocate affected people.

But now, the world was empty, leaving them alone and forgotten.

After a short while, Guan Yuanfeng felt the cold penetrate him. Knowing he couldn’t afford to get sick and trouble Zhou Yun, he returned to his room, closed the doors and windows, and went to the living room after washing up.

Zhou Yun was in the kitchen, still wearing that dark blue fleece loungewear with a beige apron over it, his usual calm and reserved demeanor suddenly appearing very homely.

He was focused on weighing ingredients with a kitchen scale, several containers nearby, and holding a bag of sugar. After checking the reading, he added some more and looked up as Guan Yuanfeng approached, asking, “What are you doing? Can I help?”

Zhou Yun smiled and showed him the sugar in his hand, “Since we can’t go out, I thought we’d try making pumpkin bread with the pumpkins we got yesterday.”

He then pointed to a bread machine nearby, “This is your bread machine, the latest fully automatic model. I’ve been wanting to try it out for a while now; it’s quite expensive.”

Guan Yuanfeng glanced at the bread machine, “Do we need to make any other dishes? Maybe some porridge?”

Zhou Yun shook his head, “You go exercise. I’ve already made beef mushroom soup, and we have rice. I know you are very disciplined; since your legs recovered, you spend a lot of time in the gym, running ten kilometers at a time. By the way, the attic is cold, and it’s not good for archery. Luckily, we gathered some targets earlier, so we can use the gym on the twenty-eighth floor instead.”

“Alright, I’ll feed the pigs first,” said Guan Yuanfeng.

Zhou Yun laughed, “Sure, dress warmly; it’s cold on the rooftop. I’ve put an energy-saving stove in your attic and cooked some potatoes and vegetables we dug up yesterday. Fresh vegetables are scarce now, so you can add them to the pig feed.”

“By the way… I think we should slaughter a pig for the New Year,” Zhou Yun suggested, looking at Guan Yuanfeng with enthusiasm.

The two of them, along with their dog, ate a lot of meat due to their abilities, and they couldn’t eat fish all the time. They had consumed most of the frozen pork and beef over the past six months, leaving only some preserved sausages and cured meats.

With the New Year approaching and the pigs being fat enough, it made sense to slaughter one to save on grains.

Guan Yuanfeng was momentarily taken aback… New Year…

He suddenly realized this would be his first New Year since returning home, although his family was no longer there. Surprisingly, he had someone to celebrate it with, planning to slaughter a pig together.

He looked at the new bread machine.

Coming from a farming family, they used to slaughter pigs every New Year. After joining the army, he rarely went home for the holidays due to work. Later, after being injured and retiring, his parents sighed heavily, telling him his brother was getting married. The future sister-in-law was a city girl, pampered, and had never done housework. The in-laws were initially proud of his military achievements and medals, but his injury made him seem like a lifelong burden. The family feared the in-laws might call off the engagement, so they suggested he live in the same neighborhood but not at home to avoid any complications.

Still recovering from his injuries, he agreed reluctantly, feeling abandoned and preparing for a lonely, burdensome future.

He never imagined standing strong again, gaining powerful abilities, and having someone to share New Year plans with.

Watching Zhou Yun methodically mash steamed pumpkin and mix it with measured flour, yeast, sugar, and salt, he moved with a calm and orderly grace.

Zhou Yun seemed to notice his gaze, looked up, smiled, and Guan Yuanfeng snapped out of his thoughts, realizing he’d been mesmerized by Zhou Yun’s smooth and pleasant bread-making process.

He turned his head, picked up a bucket, and went up to the rooftop. Sure enough, he saw that Zhou Yun had moved the energy-saving stove to the attic near the pig and rabbit pens, connected the exhaust pipe outside, put coal inside, and was cooking a large pot of potatoes, cabbage, and other pig feed.

This way, the energy-saving stove could also keep the livestock warm and save on heating costs.

Guan Yuanfeng fed the livestock, saw that fresh grass, vegetable leaves, and carrots had been placed in the rabbit and sheep troughs, and noticed that the manure from the night before had been swept into the enclosed composting bin. He knew Zhou Yun had been here early in the morning.

He was diligent and responsible, always full of energy, never slacking off. Always optimistic and emotionally stable. Having someone like this as a family member is truly a blessing.

Guan Yuanfeng went to the attic, ran five kilometers to warm up, and then smelled the aroma of bread permeating the room, a unique scent of sweet pumpkin and wheat.

He went downstairs and saw the bread had been taken out and placed on the dining table. The bread was perfectly shaped, brushed with honey, baked to a golden color, and sprinkled with sesame seeds, emitting an enticing fragrance.

Zhou Yun took a bread knife, cut the bread open, revealing its cloud-like softness inside, with a pumpkin cream filling. It looked both delicious and tempting.

Zhou Yun was very satisfied. He pinched off a piece of bread, showing the white, soft, and elastic strands to Guan Yuanfeng proudly: “Look at the strands, it’s very successful. Praise technology; even manual baking might not be this perfect. This fully automatic bread maker is worth the price.”

Guan Yuanfeng: “……”

Zhou Yun handed him a piece of bread: “Have breakfast. It’s still snowing heavily. After eating, I’ll go downstairs to check on the villa.”

Guan Yuanfeng said, “We covered the plastic film yesterday; there shouldn’t be any big problems, right?”

Zhou Yun drank a sip of milk, put a fried egg in his mouth: “It’s snowing, and we have nothing else to do.”

Guan Yuanfeng looked at him thoughtfully: “Why don’t we clean up the gym on the 28th floor, and I’ll make a training plan for you?”

Zhou Yun was stunned: “Huh?”

Guan Yuanfeng saw his shocked expression and couldn’t help but laugh: “I mentioned before that I wanted to teach you shooting. Actually, close combat, climbing, running, these are all very useful. Especially now when things aren’t peaceful. You’re in good physical condition but lack some techniques. Training will increase your survival chances. Since there’s nothing to do in winter, why not let me teach you?”

He added: “I have a lot of experience training soldiers. I can tailor a training plan to your physical condition. Don’t worry, you’ll definitely improve.”

Zhou Yun: “……”

He struggled to swallow a bite of bread: “After killing the pig, we need to make bacon and sausages… there are sweet potatoes to cut and make into dried sweet potatoes. The winter melon we harvested, I want to make it into candied winter melon. The herbs in the medicinal garden seem to have mutated, I want to do some experiments… and I still need to practice calligraphy and read every day…” He looked at Guan Yuanfeng with a smile in his eyes, his voice gradually lowering: “Actually, I’m not that free…”

He just wanted to comfortably play games and read leisurely at home… Instructor, I don’t want military training…

Guan Yuanfeng looked at him and smiled: “I’ll do it with you; it won’t be very hard. In the apocalypse, physical fitness and combat skills are crucial. Running one second faster is one second more of survival.”

Guan Yuanfeng didn’t smile often, but in front of Zhou Yun, he was exceptionally gentle and relaxed.

Zhou Yun found it hard to refuse under Guan Yuanfeng’s gaze and finally mumbled: “Okay…”