Chapter 22: Serving Water

Chapter 22: Serving Water

They had no food to offer guests, but there was plenty of cool, thirst-quenching mountain spring water.

"Mother, I'll pour some water for the uncles and aunties," Lin Shu said, not lowering her voice. A man overheard and good-naturedly teased, "Dashan, you’re truly blessed. After losing one daughter, the heavens have given you an even better one."

Lin Shu carried over several freshly filled bowls of mountain spring water and handed one to the uncle. "Uncle, that’s not quite right. What do you mean by 'better'? Sister Yao and I each have our own merits. No matter which of us cares for my parents, they are blessed."

The man took the bowl, scratched his head, and smiled. "Yes, yes, you’re right, Shu girl."

"You’ve all been working hard for so long. Have a drink of mountain spring water to refresh yourselves. Another day, I’ll pan-fry some tea and invite you all to enjoy it." Lin Shu distributed the water, saving the last bowl for Zhou Ye.

He was the one mainly handling the task of butchering the pig, one hand gripping the cleaver, the other covered in blood and grime. Knowing it was inconvenient for him, Lin Shu brought the bowl directly to his lips. Since he was tall, she had to raise her arm high. "Brother A Ye, have some water. Look, you’re sweating."

With the bowl right at his mouth, Zhou Ye couldn’t refuse. He bent down slightly to accommodate her, took the rim with his lips, and drank the entire bowl in a few large gulps.

He glanced at Lin Shu, his lips moving as if he wanted to say thanks, but the word never came out. Lin Shu’s eyes curved into a smile. "No need to thank me, Brother A Ye."

The villagers glanced at the two of them standing together—one mighty and robust with dark skin, the other petite and delicate, fair as jade—creating a striking contrast.

Before, when Lin Yao and Zhou Ye stood together, they seemed perfectly matched, yet something felt missing, as if they were more like siblings. Now, with Lin Yao replaced by Lin Shu, the two might not seem well-matched at first glance, but the more you looked, the more pleasing the picture became.

"Zhou Ye is so lucky!" someone joked.

Others chimed in agreement.

Zhou Ye frowned, knowing the villagers had misunderstood. He wanted to explain that he only saw Lin Shu as a younger sister but didn’t know how to say it.

Lin Shu pretended not to understand. Having Zhou Ye as a shield wasn’t bad—it would keep the well-meaning matchmaking aunts and grannies from trying to set her up with someone and disturbing her peace.

During her time in the apocalypse, there were periods when life was extremely hard, and people kept urging her to find a powerful individual for protection, always claiming it was for her own good. Lin Shu had had enough.

If she were to find a man, it would have to be someone she genuinely liked, not to depend on him or for an easier life.

"Brother A Ye, thank you for your hard work. Please continue," Lin Shu said with a smile to the uncles before walking away with the empty bowl.

Zhou Ye licked his lips, moistened by the spring water, and returned to cutting the meat.

With the innards dealt with, the rest was simpler. He halved the carcass—half for the family, half for the villagers who had helped.

Of course, it wasn’t free, but while pork usually had to be bought with money elsewhere, in their village, it could be exchanged for food like rice or coarse grain. Besides, Zhou Ye had said the day before that they could trade for anything they were short on, not just food.

The villagers had already brought rice and other goods to trade for pork.

Some brought oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and coarse tea.

Grandpa Gao’s family were bamboo craftsmen, so Elder Gao brought bamboo back baskets and other bamboo tools.

The village chief’s family was saving their pig for New Year’s but still craved fresh meat, so they brought fine rice to trade.

Some even traded the wooden basins they’d brought directly for meat.

Zhou Ye left the trading to Lin Dashan and went to wash his hands with mountain spring water behind the house. He then wrapped up the heart, lungs, liver, and other offal, along with two racks of ribs, four trotters, and the marrow bones, placing them all in a back basket. He covered them with a thick layer of straw to prevent crushing, then tied up the live wild rabbits and pheasants he’d brought back the day before and added them. The basket was nearly full.

He kept a small portion of the half side of pork, since whole sides sold better. The remaining whole side of wild boar was placed on top of the basket as a base.

Without lingering, Zhou Ye hoisted the load onto his back and set off.

Seeing this, Lin Shu quickly fetched the flatbreads He Guixiang had prepared earlier, discreetly hiding them in her sleeve. She hurried after him and reminded him in a low voice, "Brother A Ye, you forgot the provisions."

Zhou Ye paused, turned to look at her, took the flatbreads from her hand, and tucked them into his chest.

When she didn’t leave, he asked, "Was there something else?"

Lin Shu said regretfully, "I wanted to go to town with you to have a look, but I walk too slowly and might delay your business. Next time, if you’re not too busy, could I go to town with you?"

Zhou Ye grunted noncommittally, though he thought to himself: But last night you clearly said you had something to do.

"I got up too late today and didn’t have time to make you anything. When you get back from town, I’ll make you something delicious."

After a moment of silence, Zhou Ye asked proactively, "Is there anything you want me to buy?"

Lin Shu shook her head, then smiled and said, "Next time I go to town with you, if I see something I like, will you buy it for me?"

Zhou Ye said, "If it’s not expensive."

Lin Shu’s smile faltered slightly.

Big Brother, you’re so practical—it’s oddly reassuring.

Without further delay, Zhou Ye strode off. The heavily laden back basket and half a wild boar looked weighty, but his back remained straight, and he soon disappeared into the distance.

Lin Shu watched his retreating figure for a while, her gaze lingering on the muscles flexing in his arms with each swing.

His physique was exactly to her taste, his features rugged and resolute, and his character stood up to scrutiny. If she wanted to fall in love, someone like Zhou Ye would fit the bill perfectly.

But his heart already belonged to the female lead, likely as a cherished "white moonlight."

No matter how good the current partner might be, they could never compare to the allure of a white moonlight. When she fell in love, it was to make herself happy—she couldn’t tolerate even a hint of grievance. This was the most important point, and Zhou Ye simply didn’t meet it.

If only Zhou Ye had no feelings for the female lead, and the villagers of Sweetwater Village all assumed she would marry him someday, she might have let a relationship develop naturally.

Thinking back, in her previous life, she’d been too busy killing zombies and scrounging for food to even consider romance. She’d died still single, and couldn’t help feeling a twinge of regret.

Survival was difficult in the apocalypse; order had collapsed, and morals had decayed. People lived by the principle of seizing pleasure in the moment. If a woman’s boyfriend died, she’d quickly attach herself to another man. If a sister died, the younger sister would openly be with her brother-in-law. Some men kept a harem of women around them. After a narrow escape from a zombie attack, it wasn’t uncommon to see a man dragging a woman into the woods, or even the more brazen ones doing it right in a vehicle...

Lin Shu despised those dark times of collapsed order, but she didn’t despise the idea of love. She’d also seen couples who depended on each other for life and death, dying together in a zombie horde. She’d seen pairs where one had awakened abilities and the other hadn’t, yet they stayed together regardless.

In her past life, her rival, trying to drag her down, constantly praised the benefits of having a man in front of her, spouting plenty of crude talk. Some of it had stuck with Lin Shu, leaving her curious about matters between men and women.

Shaking off these thoughts, Lin Shu returned to the courtyard where her father was still happily distributing pork.

Wild boar was priced higher than domestic pork on the market, but Lin Dashan traded it at domestic pork prices. Each cut usually had an extra two or three liang (ounces), which Lin Dashan didn’t count. Since all the villagers had helped out today, he gave away the extra weight for free. This was the main reason villagers preferred trading for pork within the village. Buying meat in town meant every ounce was accounted for, with no room for bargaining.

Once the pork was all distributed, some remained, which they kept for themselves.

"Wife, let’s have something simple for breakfast. Save the pork for dinner to eat with Zhou Ye," Lin Dashan said to He Guixiang.

He Guixiang agreed and went to prepare breakfast.

The villagers who had helped in the courtyard gradually left, all smiles. Especially the two women who had handled the large and small intestines and other offal—they’d come empty-handed but left with plenty of pork intestines. Though smelly, these parts were rich and oily, and they were free!

After everyone had left, Lin Dashan glanced at Lin Dashui, who was hesitating and hadn’t left. "Third Brother, you’re not here to trade for pork, so why are you still hanging around? Hoping I’ll invite you to breakfast?"

Lin Dashui kept his head down and didn’t speak.

"Come inside with me," Lin Dashan said with a snort, leading him into the inner room.

A quarter of an hour later, the two brothers came out again, both with reddened eyes, and Lin Dashui’s eyes were still wet.

Lin Xiaopu whispered to Lin Shu, "A-Jie, I saw Third Uncle wiping away tears."

Lin Shu gestured to her, "Shh, adults care about saving face, don’t say it out loud."

Lin Xiaopu stuck her tongue out, then asked in a hushed, mischievous tone, "A-Jie, do you like Brother Zhou Ye?"

"Cough, cough—!!" Lin Shu choked on her own saliva.

What in the world made Xiao Pu think she liked Zhou Ye?

Lin Xiaopu whispered, "The way A-Jie looks at Brother Zhou Ye is just like the way I look at pork."

Lin Shu snorted with laughter, "Pfft! So you’re saying Brother Zhou Ye is like pork to me? If I ate a living person, I’d be a monster!"

Lin Xiaopu pouted, "Okay, maybe I didn’t phrase it right, but it’s still very similar. A-Jie smiles especially beautifully when talking to Brother Zhou Ye, and sometimes you sneak glances at his arms."

Lin Shu shot back, "Don’t I smile just as nicely when talking to you, Dad and Mom?"

Lin Xiaopu shook her head, "It’s nice too, but it’s just different."

"What’s wrong with me looking at his arms? I just think they’re solid and powerful, and I’m looking at them with appreciation."

In the apocalypse, everyone likes this kind of muscle, regardless of gender, and she was no exception.

Lin Xiaopu questioned, "Dad’s arms are solid too, why don’t you look at his?"

Lin Shu: …

She finally understood why Zhou Ye kept his secrets so well, yet Xiao Pu could still notice.

Such a little smarty-pants—what could possibly be hidden from her?

Lin Shu was about to explain that she just liked Zhou Ye’s type, not him personally, and that smiling at him was only because she had an agenda, counting on him to do work for her. They’d only known each other for a few days—how could there be talk of liking or not liking? It wasn’t love at first sight.

But then Lin Xiaopu suddenly added with a sly grin, "I also noticed that Brother Zhou Ye likes you too."

Lin Shu was stunned.

Huh? What nonsense?

Zhou Ye likes who? Who likes her?

Author’s note: