Chapter 15: Volume One and Two: Chapter 15: Come On, Open Wide~

The novel had said it would take a year to master an ability, but Fuling had learned after just one fight?

Linglan stared at her with wide eyes. Fuling scratched her cheek.

“I thought that if I couldn’t use my ability, I’d lose you again. So… I managed to activate it.”

She shrank back a little and gave Linglan a bashful smile.

“Hehe… I can still remember that feeling. It was like a flutter in my heart.”

You’re so cute, baby.

Two days after leaving home, they finally returned to their little nest.

Unfortunately, they hadn’t found any explosives this time. They would have to think of another way to lure the zombie horde off the overpass.

But first~

They had to celebrate their victory!

Four years into the apocalypse, most of the remaining food had spoiled. Under those conditions, the food and seasonings they could scavenge in the city center were usually either high-sugar, high-osmotic foods like honey, where microbes couldn’t survive, or foods like ham protected by an outer casing.

Now, Fuling had only salt and a small cup of honey for seasoning. She relied on the rooftop garden to grow peppers and vegetables.

If there were vegetables, they ate them. If not, they went out scavenging. If they found nothing, they went hungry until the crops were ready. They never touched their emergency rations unless they had no other choice.

But that miserable life was in the past!

Their trip to the museum had been a great success. They had pickled cucumbers, canned sauces, two large jars of honey, and sugar cubes for side dishes. For their main meals, they had seven single-day military ration packs.

There wasn’t a huge amount, but all of it could be stored for a long time.

Whenever she felt low, a little tasty food could do wonders to relieve the stress.

“Huh, these are different from the military rations I remember. I thought they’d have a meal number printed on them or something.”

Fuling opened a packet and curiously poked at the curry chicken fried rice inside.

That had been true of military rations made before 2021, but the feedback soldiers gave during combat-ration training had led manufacturers to change a lot of things.

Getting rid of the meal numbers and labeling the packets by flavor had been one of Linglan’s favorite improvements.

Linglan rummaged through the packaging, picking out the chili-oil enoki mushrooms, a common military snack, and the can of extra-rich braised pork.

Fuling usually ate very lightly. If she suddenly ate something that oily, she might be stuck seeing it again tomorrow.

Fuling had just started opening two disposable meal pouches when Linglan caught her little hand.

Linglan shook her head, put one pouch back into the packaging, and pushed the other toward Fuling.

She had no sense of taste. Eating would be a waste.

As a Mutant, she could absorb energy from anything containing spores. There was no need to steal food from little Fuling.

“Mm.”

Fuling gazed at Linglan with pleading eyes. Clutching the curry chicken fried rice in both hands, she murmured, “I… I can’t eat all this by myself.”

She poked the packet again. “It’s already open, so we should eat together.”

What a powerful attack. How am I supposed to resist that?

Linglan’s heart softened at once. After hesitating for a moment, she picked up a pen.

Have some. I’m not hungry.

“Hehe~”

Fuling jumped up and pattered off to the bathroom to fetch some water.

A single-day field ration contained:

Four packets of lemon tea mix, four chocolate bars, two sticks of gum, two packets of enoki mushrooms in chili oil, one packet of fish cakes, one packet of crispy radish chips, two energy bars, one can of braised pork, one packet of rice with Sichuan-style shredded pork, one packet of curry chicken fried rice, and one packet of beef fried noodles.

There was also a small box of Sichuan chili sauce, two packets of pickled mustard greens, one serving of tomato-and-egg soup, one packet of alcohol wipes, eight solid-fuel tablets, and a box of water-purification tablets.

“This is such a feast! We can make this last half a month.”

The spread made Fuling’s eyes swim. She clasped her hands together, beaming.

“Which one should we eat first?” She tapped her finger against the three main dishes, then suddenly relaxed and flopped onto the table, turning her face toward Linglan.

A sweet smile bloomed across her face. She curled up lazily.

“Just looking at it makes me feel full~”

That made sense. The trip to the museum had been terrifying. It was only natural that she was ready for a nap now.

You’re right, Linglan thought with a smile as she selected the shredded pork rice, fish cakes, pickled greens, tomato-and-egg soup, and chocolate.

“Are we eating all this in one meal? Can we finish it?”

Fuling sprang upright, suddenly delighted.

We can.

Linglan nodded.

“Yay!”

This was starting to feel less like a celebration and more like taking care of a child.

Fuling poured hot water into a pouch up to the marked line, then emptied it into the heating bag. The ration pack came with two self-heating pads. She tried to sneak one away for later, but Linglan swatted her hand before she could get away with it.

People who’ve gone hungry always want to save things for later. But the two of us are an unbeatable team now! When are we ever going to run out of supplies?

“Gurgle, gurgle~”

Fuling lay across the table, staring as steam billowed out of the pouch. Curious, she poked it, then immediately snatched her hand back when it burned her.

While the main dishes heated, Linglan got to work on the soup. Once she tore the top off, its packet could be used as a container. She poured water into it, then tucked it into the heating bag alongside the main dishes.

Warm steam hissed out of the opening, drifting upward and gathering in a cloud.

Fuling’s bright eyes followed the steam as it rose and dispersed. She opened her mouth and blew at the cloud. Watching it scatter, she broke into a silly grin.

When Linglan was done, they were both leaning over the table in the same pose, one on either side, one tall and one small.

Outside the window, the sun sank. A breath of wind passed—and then it began to rain.

“Wow~ Good thing we got home first~~”

Fuling turned toward the window, watching scattered raindrops appear on the glass. They grew denser and denser until they became a roaring downpour.

Linglan’s heavy coat settled over Fuling’s shoulders. The two of them looked at each other and quietly leaned closer.

The living room was calm and cozy. The stopwatch they had scavenged reached 17:47. The food in the heating bag was ready.

Scissors snipped open the meal pouch. Its delicious aroma rose with the steam, irresistible.

Under the force of gravity, a fragrant lump of rice flattened in midair. Each grain separated and was exposed to the air, cooling quickly.

It was like something out of a dream. The fried rice drifted neatly into a disposable tray, cool enough to eat.

“Ling’s ability is so convenient~”

Fuling took the spoon from the pouch, scooped up a generous bite, and held it out to Linglan with a bright smile.

“You must be hungry after using your ability, right?”

Mm-hm.

Linglan was just about to use her ability to float the food into her mouth when Fuling instantly pouted.

Seeing that, Linglan opened her mouth and took the spoonful.

Fuling’s eyes curved into a smile. Linglan’s did, too.

This is so nice. Even on such a miserable, rainy day, we can still enjoy life in peace.

“Wow, it’s real fish cake! We’ll split it in half~”

“Whoo↑”