Chapter 67: The New Apocalypse, Want Some Milk Tea?

Chapter 67: New End Times, Fancy Some Milk Tea?

"Since when did novels get an alarm feature?"

Sheng Qingquan was puzzled, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it. He opened the book and began to read.

Not only Sheng Qingquan, but the staff, surprised, also put down their chopsticks. Well, their routines were way healthier than Sheng Qingquan's, so while someone was still in bed, they had almost finished their breakfast.

"Tsk, it kicks off by criticizing modern eating habits. Either they don't eat, or they binge eat. Like the legendary glutton, they devour everything."

"Hmm..."

Although he didn't understand why the novel started with this, Sheng Qingquan couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt.

He couldn't help thinking about his recent indulgent lifestyle.

Especially last night, well past midnight. He wasn't even hungry, but he still went downstairs for some tasty barbecue.

Grilled squid, duck gizzards, beef, mushrooms, leeks...

Sheng Qingquan couldn't help but swallow. Even though he'd just eaten last night, thinking about it now made him crave it again.

Realizing that he was reminiscing and even couldn't help but think about when he would have time to eat it again in the next few days, Sheng Qingquan reluctantly defended himself.

"How can enjoying good food be called binge eating?"

"People are born with mouths to enjoy good food. Otherwise, what's the point of living?"

"Barbecue isn't a real meal, so it's only right to eat it outside meal times."

"For young folks like me, having multiple stomachs for food is normal. One stomach for meals, one for snacks, and one for midnight snacks. If they're separate, how can it be binge eating? Plus, young people burn a lot of energy. Skip a midnight snack, and you'll wake up hungry..."

Thinking this way, Sheng Qingquan regained his confidence. He continued reading the novel.

"Eating a lot is bad enough, but having a heavy palate too? Eating too much sugar, spice, and salt. Blaming modern folks for being ruined, with no future. Especially the obsession with sugar, always clutching milk tea. Wondering if modern folks are made of milk tea."

"And milk tea shops are everywhere on the streets, greatly facilitating modern people to get sugar anytime, anywhere."

"Ah, this..."

Sheng Qingquan's gaze drifted, looking left and right, just not daring to look at the trash can by the bed.

In the trash can lay two empty milk tea cups.

Not medium or large cups. But king-sized buckets.

This was what he ordered for delivery after coming back from the barbecue last night, feeling a bit thirsty. He sat on the bed playing games while gulping it down.

"Two king-sized buckets aren't really a big deal. One bucket is only 1 liter, so together it's just a mere 2 liters."

"Isn't there scientific research saying that a person needs to consume 2 liters of water a day to meet the body's needs? This is just right, not exceeding the limit."

Thinking this way, Sheng Qingquan completely ignored the fact that this was just some random information he saw online, without any verification.

Whether it's real science or not is still a question.

Besides, the 2 liters they mentioned include the water intake from regular meals and soup, plus drinks, drinking water, and all other water-containing foods. All the water combined should not exceed 2 liters.

Sheng Qingquan's excuses made the staff both amused and exasperated.

If it weren't for the fact that Sheng Qingquan hadn't taken a break in a long time, and the occasional indulgence, which might have some minor harm to the body, is very beneficial for mental health, someone would have already tried to gently talk him out of it.

Especially since the staff members who had supper with him last night were well aware that Sheng Qingquan did more than just order bubble tea delivery when he got home last night. It's normal to buy bubble tea after eating barbecue because your mouth gets thirsty.

"He didn't skimp on drinks when he was eating barbecue last night," a staff member said helplessly.

He personally saw the other person drinking two cans of herbal tea and a bottle of cola along with the skewers. "I don't know how he could still drink so much bubble tea after getting home."

"Besides, I've taken genetic supplements! And I've eaten Wildflower Honey that's good for the body. Strictly speaking, I'm no longer even human."

Sheng Qingquan, who has always firmly believed that he is a native of Tianlan Star, decisively removed himself from the human registry at this moment.

"I regularly check my health with a therapeutic device, and everything's fine. It shows that eating a lot and having a heavy taste doesn't affect me and hasn't formed a burden at all."

"So no matter what others say, I can keep living this way."

Sheng Qingquan happily decided that after solving this matter, he would go eat some unhealthy junk food again. He wants to eat barbecue, but it's been a while since he's had spicy hot pot. Not to mention snail noodles, which are also worth trying.

Sheng Qingquan's mind was buzzing with thoughts of delicious food. After mentally listing out the next foods he wanted to eat, his eyes landed on the novel, and he suddenly snapped out of it.

"Let's get to the important stuff first!"

"It's still a critique of people's eating habits. Skip it. No need to read through all that."

Sheng Qingquan skimmed through it quickly.

"Wait, what's this?"

Suddenly, his eyes landed on a familiar name, and Sheng Qingquan quickly paused to take a closer look.

"Tang Jinyuan?"

"Why is it always either kids or old folks as the main characters lately?"

The last two times, it was children, and although Sheng Qingquan didn't like seeing that, now that there are no kids, it's back to the elderly.

"Mr. Tang is almost eighty this year, and he still has to go through this kind of ordeal. It's just as bad as the previous protagonist being a three-year-old."

"Have you been picking on the weak lately? Always going after the easy targets!"

Although he knew it should be a coincidence, Sheng Qingquan couldn't help but think about it.

The novel silently endured this baseless accusation.

Sheng Qingquan didn't dwell on it for too long.

"Another new name appeared—Tang Haocheng. Is this Mr. Tang's youngest grandson?"

Sheng Qingquan thought uncertainly. Since Tang Haocheng doesn't live here often, he didn't pay special attention when collecting information before. He only knew the name.

"It's indeed him!"

"Tang Haocheng just graduated this year, and since the job he found is nearby, he moved here. After getting his salary, except for the first month's salary which he used to buy gifts for his family, recently he has been spending most of his monthly salary on food."

"Not only does he eat it himself, but he also buys it for the elderly. On one hand, it's filial piety; on the other, it's to have an accomplice to avoid getting scolded by his parents."

"He doesn't buy health supplements, but rather takes the elderly out to eat and drink after work. They have regular meals, but they also frequently indulge in milk tea and fried chicken."

"I was wondering why this suddenly came up."

Sheng Qingquan suddenly got it.

"This is starting to provide examples."

As the example being cited, Tang Jinyuan, who lives on the third floor, remained calm when he heard his name mentioned.

At his age, he's come to terms with things.

Besides, it's better to talk about him than the other kids in the building. Their lives are just starting, and if something bad were to happen, it would be a real shame. They're children who haven't had the chance to fully see and enjoy the world.

He's different; he's lived a life free from disasters and is close to a natural death.

It's just a question of when he'll die.

He's eaten well, drunk well, and has no big regrets. Dying would mean reuniting with his tough old lady. You could call it a happy death.

Until his little grandson's name came up in the conversation.

Tang Jinyuan's face changed. He didn't want the kid to move in but couldn't talk him out of it.

Besides, the little grandson is family, even if he hasn't lived here much before. If something happened, it wouldn't matter if he lived here or not. It would be tough to avoid.

Like the girl in the building who studies agriculture, she's mostly at school and only comes back now and then, but she still got caught.

Even though he thought this way, hearing it firsthand still made the old man's heart skip a beat, and he couldn't help worrying.

The rest of the Tang family looked worried too, but Tang Haocheng, after waking up, didn't feel a thing. He even felt like messaging his boss to ask for time off.

After asking for time off and seeing his family still worried, Tang Haocheng put his phone down: "What's the big deal? It's not like this is the first time someone's predicted the apocalypse. It's been a long time, and every now and then a prophecy book comes out, but nothing's ever really happened. This time will be no different."

"Even if you don't trust the neighbor, do you not trust the country?!" Knowing that his family trusts this the most, Tang Haocheng decisively used this to provoke them.

Of course, they trust the country, but when it concerns their loved ones, they can't help but worry.

"Pfft, Grandpa Tang secretly gave his grandson some money. Little Tang thought it was because his grandfather felt sorry for him just starting out in society, with a low salary, and wanted to subsidize him. He absolutely refused to accept it."

"After all, it's not easy for the elderly to save money. Especially since Old Tang is from the countryside and doesn't have a pension. Although his children give him living expenses every month, could he really take the elderly's savings?"

"No, no, absolutely not."

"'Even if I were to rely on my parents, I would rely on my own parents.' That's the original line in the story. That's exactly what Little Tang thought at the time."

"In the end, the old man awkwardly pulled his grandson into a corner and stuffed some money into his hand. It wasn't to subsidize the child; actually, he wanted to eat fried chicken and mashed potatoes and drink red bean milk tea. But he didn't know how to order on his phone, so he asked his grandson to buy it for him."

"'Don't worry, Grandpa prepared extra money. Buy some for yourself too.' Seeing the old man's expression that he wouldn't shortchange him, Tang Haocheng, realizing he had misunderstood, accepted the money with mixed feelings."

"My stomach hurts, I'm dying of laughter!"

Sheng Qingquan rolled around on the bed laughing.

Hearing the words 'stomach ache,' the staff thought he had overeaten and was now suffering the consequences. They were about to rush over, but upon hearing the latter part, they sat back down in their chairs, speechless.

Meanwhile, in the Tang household, the others looked at the old man and the young man with serious expressions.

Da Tang gave Xiao Tang a look that clearly said, "You just wait," indicating that he would be taught a lesson later.

Old Tang saw this look and immediately protested, "Who are you glaring at? With the eldest not around, he's the only grandson I have who truly cares for me. Are you trying to make him distant from me?"

"Is this how a father should act, always looking for opportunities to stir up trouble between grandfather and grandson?"

"Dad!" Da Tang sighed helplessly, "You're at an age where you should be eating light. We barely use any seasoning when cooking at home, let alone eating rich or heavily seasoned food. And you always used to say that takeout isn't good and that we shouldn't eat it too often. Why are you paying for it now?"

"I thought this was just an online meme, but I didn't expect it to happen in real life!"

"But then again, normal meals can't compare to the taste of junk food. Human nature is to love junk food!"

"Even after eating fancy meals, one might crave street food for a change. Besides, even if there were imperial chef restaurants now, ordinary families couldn't afford to eat there every meal."

"At the old man's age, as the ancients said, 'At seventy, one can do as one pleases without overstepping the bounds.' The old man is almost eighty, so what's wrong with letting loose a bit?"

"As long as he can eat, he should eat and have fun, enjoying whatever food or activities he desires. At this age, not being able to eat or having no appetite is what's really concerning."

"Did you hear that?!" Tang Jinyuan, who had been at a loss for words earlier, now gained confidence and looked triumphantly at his lecturing son.

Da Tang had no choice but to keep quiet. After all, he had a point. When an old person loses their appetite, it's the worst sign.

Because once many elderly stop wanting to eat, it's a sign they're nearing the end.

At least our old man still has a good appetite. He even has the energy to match wits with me.

All things considered, that's a good thing.

["See how humans have no restraint when it comes to their appetites? The young can't stop eating, and even the elderly find it hard to resist."]

Seeing this, Sheng Qingquan was puzzled. Why did someone suddenly appear saying this?

Looking further down.

It wasn't just one person who appeared.

"Two figures appeared, one big and one small. Or rather, they weren't exactly human. The text says, 'A large and a small figure appeared.' The bigger figure said to the smaller one."

["You shouldn't learn from them! You need to have restraint in your diet."]

"Damn it, damn it, if you want to teach your kid, why bring Tianlan Star into this?"

"What, you have to do this to make sure your kid learns a lesson?"

"Who does that?"

Sheng Qingquan, reading the words on the page, exploded in anger.

"What's wrong with us liking to eat? If it's unhealthy, it's our own bodies that suffer. What right do you have to turn humans into fish, shrimp, eggs, and giant sugar cubes?!"