Chapter 66

Chapter 66

When they got back to their apartment, they found several sheets of red paper, along with ink and brushes, placed at their doorstep.

Huo Changfeng took them inside to look them over. "These are for writing Spring Festival couplets."

These must have been given out to every household, as some families had already pasted couplets on their doors when they came upstairs. As the base manager, Ren Yan's attention to such small details showed he was a thorough and capable manager.

...

On Lunar New Year's Eve, Bai Tu prepared to write the couplets. He had practiced calligraphy with Shen Qichi for a while in the underworld, so writing a pair of couplets was no problem for him. But what should he write? He looked at Huo Changfeng.

Huo Changfeng gave a light cough, avoiding his gaze.

To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing. He wasn't well-read. After graduating from vocational high school, he worked odd jobs for a few years before enlisting. The training was brutal; missions were nerve-wracking, and on nights without assignments, he'd collapse into bed as soon as he got back. Apart from the mandatory books requiring post-reading ideological reports, he simply had no spare time for other reading. As for books read before high school, he remembered even less.

Partly because of this, Huo Changfeng didn't want to expose his lack of book learning in front of Bai Tu, so he simply said, "You decide."

Bai Tu thought for a moment, then picked up the brush and wrote:

*May we long remain thus,*

*With nature's cycle ever new each year.*

Huo Changfeng read it silently, then got some tape to paste the couplets on their door.

Just as he was pasting the second one, Lei Ou came out of the stairwell carrying two baskets of vegetables. Living right across the hall, he walked over when he saw Huo Changfeng and read the verse. "Captain Huo, your calligraphy is quite good. If it's not too much trouble, could you write a pair for me too?"

Huo Changfeng put away the tape. "Bai Tu wrote them."

Lei Ou handed him one of the vegetable baskets. "Freshly harvested from the institute's gardens. Everyone got some; I grabbed yours while I was at it." He glanced inside. "Then could Bai Tu write one for me?"

"What would you like written?" Bai Tu walked out holding a freshly written 'fu' character for 'fortune'.

Huo Changfeng placed the vegetable basket on the floor and took the character from Bai Tu, tearing off a piece of tape to stick it on the door.

Lei Ou watched him and said, "Next year is the Year of the Ox. How about: 'Ox's Might Turns Heaven and Earth, Fortune and Prosperity Bring Constant Luck,' with the horizontal scroll reading 'Great Luck and Great Profit'? Plus two 'fu' characters, is that okay?"

He went and got some red paper from his place, and Bai Tu wrote them on the spot.

They invited Lei Ou inside. Huo Changfeng took the vegetables to the kitchen and poured him a glass of warm water.

Even though he'd lived across the hall for nearly six months, this was Lei Ou's first time entering their apartment. Curious, he sat on the sofa and began looking around.

The room wasn't large, but with few possessions, it didn't feel cramped. Everything was in its proper place, and the entire space was exceptionally tidy. After a brief glance around, Lei Ou averted his eyes, not wanting to pry. While drinking his water, he suddenly noticed a piece of stiff, glossy paper on the table.

Taking a closer look, wasn't that Huo Changfeng and Bai Tu on it?

The bathroom and kitchen doors were open, leaving only one wooden door closed. The apartment layout was identical to Lei Ou's—one bedroom and one living room—so the two clearly shared a room.

Lei Ou didn't think much of it. Housing was scarce in the apocalypse, and besides, brothers sharing a room wasn't unusual. He just felt a sudden pang of envy and sadness. All his relatives had perished in the disaster. Although his name was Lei Ou, he was ultimately not Ultraman—possessing no superpowers to fight monsters. He had only survived because he was a researcher.

The apocalypse was full of solitary individuals like him, lacking the means to protect themselves. People like Huo Changfeng and Bai Tu were rare.

Bai Tu wrote quickly, but the ink quality was poor and dried slowly, so he spread each red sheet out to let the ink dry.

"Is this a photo of you two?"

It should count as a photo, right?

Lei Ou asked, "Where was it taken?"

His eyes lit up, clearly wanting one too. Huo Changfeng went into the bedroom and brought out the camera. "Want one?"

Lei Ou hadn't expected them to even have a camera, and a brand-new one at that. Who thought about such things nowadays? But he agreed quickly, even borrowing the bathroom to fix himself up a bit, ensuring his hair and clothes were neat, before letting Huo Changfeng take his picture.

In the photo, he held the still-damp couplets, grinning widely, his smile bright and cheerful.

Huo Changfeng said, "We'll get it printed for you one of these days."

Lei Ou readily agreed, thanked them, and left with his couplets.

Huo Changfeng hadn't turned off the camera. Bai Tu was nearby clearing the table. The red paper was thin, and some ink had bled through onto the surface. He wiped it diligently with a damp cloth. On impulse, Huo Changfeng raised the camera, snapping a picture of him.

The shutter clicked audibly. Bai Tu paused, looked up, and met Huo Changfeng's smiling eyes, which held a rare, boyish glint. Bai Tu's heart skipped a beat.

Before he could figure out why, Huo Changfeng set the camera down and went into the kitchen to sort through the basket of vegetables.

So, Bai Tu lowered his head and continued wiping the table. After cleaning it, he went in to help with the cooking.

Huo Changfeng's cooking was often bland and unappetizing; Bai Tu didn't particularly enjoy it.

That evening, the two cooked a pot of noodles with extra vegetables and meat as their New Year's Eve dinner. After eating and cleaning the kitchen, night had fully fallen. There wasn't much entertainment at night. Although Huo Changfeng had found a box of books to keep at home, neither of them enjoyed reading, so they sat gathering dust in a corner.

Tonight, for some reason, Huo Changfeng felt inspired. He picked a book from the box and sat on the sofa to read. Bai Tu initially sat beside him, reading along. Whenever Huo Changfeng glanced at him, asking silently if he had finished the page, Bai Tu would nod. After a few pages, Huo Changfeng roughly gauged his reading speed and stopped asking, turning the pages at timed intervals.

But Bai Tu hadn't absorbed a single word. The tiny print made him drowsy, especially since Huo Changfeng had chosen an essay collection. After half an hour, Bai Tu couldn't take it anymore. He moved a chair to the window to look at the stars.

Behind him, Huo Changfeng silently closed the book, once again confirming that the path of a cultured scholar wasn't for him. He took off his jacket and sweater and began exercising in the open space of the living room.

Bai Tu glanced back, his heart feeling light and full, as if stuffed with clouds.

Indoor exercise options were limited. After an hour of working out, Huo Changfeng hadn't even broken a sweat. He drank a glass of water and, still radiating warmth, brought a chair to sit beside Bai Tu.

Bai Tu didn't turn his head but shifted his chair closer until it touched Huo Changfeng's. After a while, he leaned sideways, resting against Huo Changfeng's arm.

Huo Changfeng tilted his head and saw Bai Tu's serene sleeping face reflected in the windowpane, framed by a sky full of starlight.

He felt like laughing. Was he some kind of human sedative? Whenever he was alone with Bai Tu like this, Bai Tu would inevitably fall asleep before long, leaving no opportunity for conversation or anything else.

He teased himself inwardly, but his hands obediently picked Bai Tu up and carried him to the bedroom, removing his outer clothes, shoes, and socks before tucking him in.

After showering and returning to the bedroom, Bai Tu was sleeping soundly. Huo Changfeng watched him for a moment, then suddenly flicked his finger as if to tap Bai Tu's forehead. It looked forceful, but his fingertip didn't even touch a strand of Bai Tu's hair.

*You sleep soundly every night, don't you?*

He didn't voice the words, afraid of waking Bai Tu, and resignedly lay down on the other side of the bed.

Bai Tu seemed to have a one-way magnet attached to them. With his eyes closed, he snuggled over, his face against Huo Changfeng's shoulder, his arm around his waist, and one leg lifted, clinging to him like a koala to a tree.

Huo Changfeng let out a long sigh, but ultimately raised his arm to hold him close.

...

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the institute resumed work. Huo Changfeng led the team to the final collection site, repeatedly urging Bai Tu to stay close to him before departure.

Bai Tu nodded. "I know."

Huo Changfeng adjusted Bai Tu's wind-blown collar, then called for the others to board the vehicles. Including them, the team had six members, with Lei Ou among them. Besides Lei Ou, the other three were researchers with superpowers, considered top talents at the institute. The base provided them with two modified pickup trucks. The tires were reinforced and thickened, and the chassis was higher than standard vehicles, making them very suitable for off-road travel.

The three of them headed out in a single vehicle. To save their energy, there wasn’t much conversation along the way.

“It’ll be a while before we get there. Try to get some rest.” Another researcher in the car was setting up a new sample database, configuring it for automatic input mode to avoid wasting unnecessary time once they entered the mountains. Huo Changfeng lowered his voice, not wanting to disturb him.

Bai Tu shook his head, clutching the bulging black bag tightly in his arms, his eyes fixed ahead without a hint of sleepiness.

Huo Changfeng didn’t push him to sleep. Instead, he reached over and pressed a button on the car stereo.

A soothing melody flowed out—a simple, ancient folk tune.

The researcher in the back seat looked up in surprise. This wasn’t the first time he’d worked with Huo Changfeng, and Huo had never been one to listen to music while driving.

He glanced at the display and realized a CD was playing. He couldn’t help but ask, “Where did you get the CD?”

These days, while cars generally come equipped with CD players, few people actually use CDs, especially after the apocalypse.

“There’re plenty in the mall,” Huo Changfeng replied.

There was only one large shopping mall near the base, which the researcher had visited before the apocalypse. Inside, there was a nostalgia shop specializing in old-fashioned record players, tapes, and CDs. After the apocalypse, the mall wasn’t included within the base’s walls and became a dangerous place. Only someone like Huo Changfeng would be reckless enough to go there so often.

That morning, he had even heard Lei Ou mention that Huo Changfeng had gotten his hands on the latest model of a camera to tinker with at home.

But Huo Changfeng wasn’t the type to think about entertainment during missions. Strictly speaking, he was very serious when carrying out tasks, never relaxing or seeking enjoyment, even while traveling. So why was he listening to music this time, breaking with habit?

Just as the researcher was wondering, he heard Huo Changfeng say, “Don’t worry. Just treat it like a spring outing.”

A few seconds later, Bai Tu responded softly, “Mm, I’m not worried.”

Oh.

The researcher returned his gaze to his computer, his face blank. So it was to comfort his little brother.

Several hours later, a continuous mountain range appeared before everyone’s eyes.

Bai Tu hugged his backpack tighter, lowering his gaze before his breathing grew difficult, not daring to look again like an ostrich burying its head.

Huo Changfeng drove straight in, stopping only when the vehicle could go no further. He picked up the walkie-talkie and said, “Put on your face coverings, tighten your sleeves and pant legs before getting out. Pair up in groups of two, keep within three meters of each other, watch each other’s backs. No matter what you see, do not act alone. Call for help immediately if you encounter danger—don’t try to tough it out. Understood?”

“Understood.”

The six of them packed their gear and got out of the vehicle. Over the next few days, they would venture deep into the seemingly endless forest ahead.