Chapter 26

Lin Tantan’s eyes lit up; her appreciation for Bai Cheng’s thoughtfulness deepened.
There really were a lot of clothes and shoes. It was still winter, and sweaters and outer coats take up space, just a few items filled more than half the sofa.
She ran her hands over them and had little sense for material quality. Ever since she’d started working at the hospital she’d been used to the best of everything; compared with top-tier goods three hundred years from now, these weren’t in the same class, so she didn’t fuss, if they looked nice, that was enough.
“I’m very happy with them, Grandma Xu. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you like them. I washed all the undergarments and dried them in the dryer, so they’re ready to wear.” Grandma Xu added that she was only one-handed now and suggested that if she needed help she should say so, it was a thinly veiled offer to loan the housekeeper. The housekeeper herself seemed willing.
She was a woman from out of town, steady and capable, with no other family. She’d been living off the Xu household and was better off than those who’d come from the university town, at least for now she didn’t have to worry about food or lodging or share a room with strangers. Naturally, she was happy to take on the job of helping look after Lin Tantan.
But Lin Tantan didn’t want another person constantly at her side. After thinking it over, she asked the housekeeper to come by each day to clean the apartment and do some chores.
Then she thought of something: “Grandma Xu, do you know how to cut hair?”
Ten minutes later the housekeeper led a young man, not yet thirty and plainly ordinary in appearance, to 302. When they met he smiled a little awkwardly at Lin Tantan and said, “Hello, Miss Lin. My name’s Wang. I used to run a barber shop in the town beside the university city. I heard you were looking for someone to cut your hair?”
With Grandma Xu’s help Lin Tantan had already washed her hair. She told him how she wanted it and he immediately took out his tools, snipping and clipping away.
She’d been tempted to shave her head into a buzz cut for ease, but Grandma Xu stopped her, saying that wouldn’t suit a girl. In the end her shoulder-length hair was thinned and cut into a choppy short style that just brushed her ears, neat and fresh, with a soft, fuzzy look in the sunlight.
The barber was skilled and didn’t ask for much. Seeing cookies on the living-room table, he said two packs would do.
Bai Cheng had filled Lin Tantan’s place with biscuits, milk, fruit, and candies, all sorts of snacks. He hadn’t left any staples, knowing she shouldn’t be cooking for herself yet and expecting she'd eat with them.
Lin Tantan generously gave the barber two packs of cookies, a few small buns, and two apples, sent him off in high spirits, and handed some food to Grandma Xu and the housekeeper as thanks. Then she set about washing up.
The power had gone out last night, but the water heater had been running beforehand, so the water was still hot. By the time she finished scrubbing and brushed her teeth until they gleamed, only cold water remained.
She happily pulled on her new clothes, rolled around on the sofa for a moment, and finally felt alive again.
Knock, knock, knock. She padded to the door in her cotton slippers and opened it to find Ye Xiao standing there, also newly changed into a neat outfit, he’d clearly freshened himself up as well. Lin Tantan couldn’t help laughing. She’d been a little ashamed of her own scruffiness before, but looking at Ye Xiao she realized he was the same, was she trying to be like her idol?
Ye Xiao raised an eyebrow. He didn’t know what she was laughing at, but seeing her smiling face lifted his spirits. His gaze paused on her new haircut. “Got a haircut?”
“Mm. It’s easier this way.” Lin Tantan touched her hair; it still felt light and a little unfamiliar.
“Looks great,” Ye Xiao complimented. “Ready? Come and eat.”
She realized it was nearly noon, pulled on her jacket, and cheerfully followed him.
As soon as she stepped into 301 it felt lively, so many people that the large living room somehow felt packed. The kitchen kept sending delicious smells into the hall and made her mouth water. She couldn’t help asking, “Who’s such a good cook?”
She’d tried Ye Xiao’s cooking before; even with her fan goggles on, she couldn’t in good conscience call it delicious.
“It’s Bai Cheng,” someone said, “and a chef we rescued from a sauerkraut-fish restaurant in the mall. He’s excellent at sauerkraut fish and does the other dishes pretty well too.”
When they saw Lin Tantan arrive, everyone in the living room stood to welcome her. Bai Cheng came out of the kitchen carrying a plate and smiled, “Tantan’s here, sit down, we’ll eat in a minute.”
Lin Tantan felt a little overwhelmed with the attention. She murmured to Ye Xiao, “It feels like going to someone’s house for New Year.”
The New Year three hundred years later was lively too. With Lin Tantan’s standing and abilities, plenty of people wanted to invite her; sometimes she couldn’t refuse, and when she visited a host’s house they were just as warm.
She was rather surprised, though, that this group of soldier-brothers would make such a ruckus at a time like this.
They showed her to the sofa. A row of laptops was arranged on the coffee table; Jiang Xiaotian kept glancing from one screen to another. She leaned over to look as well. "They’re the surrounding surveillance feeds," she said.
"Right, if any zombies show up we’ll know straight away. But at midday there aren’t usually any." Jiang Xiaotian crunched on a chip and pushed a packet toward Lin Tantan. "Want some? This flavor’s really good."
Lin Tantan smiled, opened it and tried one; it was indeed tasty. Ye Xiao shot Jiang Xiaotian a cool look, and Jiang quickly protested, "I’m only eating this one packet."
Mei Baisheng nearby teased him, "How many packets have you eaten?" He explained to Lin Tantan, "He loves snacks, can’t control his mouth, shoves all sorts of junk in. Eats too much and then won’t eat proper meals. Over time he wrecked his stomach; he’s been in the hospital several times."
No wonder the coffee table was piled with snacks; she’d thought those things didn’t quite suit these men.
But then: "Meimei, why are you wearing a mask?"
Mei Baisheng tugged at the mask on his face; his expression soured.
Now it was Jiang Xiaotian’s turn to mock him. "Tantan, didn’t you notice? This guy’s breath is awful now, you can smell it three meters away. I heard it’s because his digestive system hasn’t recovered."
Lin Tantan looked at Mei Baisheng, not entirely sure. "Maybe? Didn’t his body produce some waste? Bad breath would be normal. And in the next few days his bowel movements might also..."
"Don’t say it!" Mei Baisheng looked utterly defeated.
He grabbed a tablet from the coffee table and hunched over to play, but his hands were still like claws, not very nimble, so he played awkwardly.
Lin Tantan laughed and said, "Do you want to recover sooner? Come here, I’ll give you another adjustment."
Mei Baisheng immediately dropped the tablet and eagerly came over.
Ye Xiao asked Lin Tantan, "Wouldn’t that be too tiring for you?"
"It’s fine, it’ll only take a moment."
Lin Tantan took Mei Baisheng’s hand; a faint green glow flared in her palm. The light swept through his body in a quick circuit, not even two minutes, and he felt much better. The stiff joints loosened considerably, and his stomach gurgled twice, the sound of his intestines moving.
Everyone had been watching with curiosity when Lin Tantan’s expression suddenly changed. "Don’t stay here, get outside!"
But she was a beat too late. The next moment a huge noise rang out and an indescribable odor spread through the living room.
Everyone: "!"
Ye Xiao reacted fastest, pulling Lin Tantan out onto the balcony; the others scattered and smartly shut the kitchen door. The next moment a gust of wind shot from Ye Xiao’s hand, swept through the living room and out the window.
Mei Baisheng, still basking in the relief of having expelled the gas, realized everyone had fled. They stood at a distance, grinding their teeth and staring. He gave an awkward laugh, "Uh, couldn’t hold it in, haha." He clutched his stomach and dashed into the bathroom.
Soon the bathroom echoed with the pattering sounds anyone with an upset stomach would recognize.
Everyone: "..."
Lin Tantan almost burst out laughing but held it in, feigning indifference, after all, she was partly responsible for starting it.
After jokes and light talk, it was finally time to eat. At the table Ye Xiao and the others raised their cups and solemnly thanked Lin Tantan again for saving Mei Baisheng, which made her a little embarrassed. These people could be awfully earnest when they wanted to be, she finally understood why such a lavish meal had been prepared.
With thanks done, they turned to future plans. Today was the fifth; from what they’d heard, the army should arrive in about ten days.
"Meimei’s case was an accident, not something anyone did on purpose. If anyone’s to blame it’s Cai Chengliang, not the ordinary people of Yang City. Since we have the ability, we should save more people and do more for the people here. What do you think?" Ye Xiao said to his teammates.
No one objected. Mei Baisheng chuckled, "Boss is right. If I want revenge, it’ll be against Cai Chengliang. That bastard’s been messed up by Lao Bai and can’t get back up, nothing to do with anyone else."
Having just attended to a major personal matter in the bathroom, he now felt relaxed and buoyant; his pale, sallow face was all smiles.
If someone they rescued harbored a grudge against Mei Baisheng and tried to kill him, they’d be disheartened. They’re soldiers, not saints; they can’t keep rescuing people only to be repaid with hatred. They wouldn’t throw themselves into danger endlessly, especially without orders from above, if they were following orders, they would have already set off north.
But Cai Chengliang was different. He wasn’t even from Yang City and had held a grudge from the start, convinced they’d all slighted him. He was the sort to call everyone ungrateful and heartless over something so warped at the root.
"We’ll discuss it later and decide our next steps," Ye Xiao said.
Bai Cheng spoke up, "I don’t think we need to go out rescuing people place by place. There are nearly five thousand people here now, and managing them and keeping this place absolutely secure won’t be easy. Better to publicize the location, let Yang City’s survivors know about it and come here themselves. If they come and submit to our management, we’ll guarantee their safety until the army arrives."
He looked at Ye Xiao, "What we need to worry about most now is supplies. Yesterday we got some from the mall, but there isn’t much food. A few thousand people will quickly eat it up; in a matter of days it’ll be gone, and once food runs short they’ll start to riot."
Everyone nodded in agreement with Bai Cheng.
Lin Tantan glanced at Ye Xiao, then at Bai Cheng, feeling a surge of emotion. The gossip and the unofficial histories matched up, Ye Xiao was more upright, more conscious of his duty as a soldier of the people, deeply responsible.
Bai Cheng, however, was more complicated. Compared with rescuing others, he cared more about his own interests, or rather, the interests of his whole team.
From those few words it was clear Bai Cheng favored concentrating energy on managing the survivors they already had, offering benefits to secure obedience, and later training and dividing them as needed.
He also held a crucial principle: he didn’t want to manage or protect everyone. If someone didn’t have the ability to come here on their own or the courage to face this dangerous world, he’d leave them be. He wasn’t the sort to go knocking on doors saying, “Hey, we came to save you, come out!”, he simply wouldn’t do that.
As for Lin Tantan herself, she preferred Bai Cheng’s approach, not that Ye Xiao was lacking. Ye Xiao gave his companions a strong sense of security; people found him reliable and were willing to trust and obey him. But Bai Cheng was better at safeguarding his own people’s interests.
Without Bai Cheng, Ye Xiao might win battles but struggle to hold power, internal affairs could unravel. And without Ye Xiao’s strong, unconditional force backing him, Bai Cheng’s plans might never come to fruition. They needed each other; they complemented one another.
That might also explain how the Zhengyang base in their past life became the top base.
Lin Tantan sighed inwardly, then her eyes suddenly brightened. Biting the end of her chopsticks, her inner shipping fangirl surfaced, she thumped her chest and cried out, “Ahhhh, could anything be more perfect? It’s a match made in heaven!”
Ye Xiao looked at Bai Cheng and quickly understood his meaning. He sighed inwardly, Bai Cheng didn’t want everyone to suffer, but did that mean he was willing to lead his brothers on dangerous adventures?
Mei Baisheng’s case, though unrelated to ordinary people, had reminded him: he absolutely could not agree to sacrifice the brothers who had shared life and death for strangers.
He said, “That sounds good. Let’s do it your way.”
Oh my, such a tone, so doting! Lin Tantan hurriedly ate a mouthful of pickled fish to hide a face she couldn’t quite control, giggling inwardly.
Bai Cheng smiled at Ye Xiao’s words and added, “We also need to put some capable people forward.” He looked at Lin Tantan with a smile. “Those dozen or so students you promoted, Tantan, those are capable hands.”
Startled to be singled out, Lin Tantan blinked and swallowed the fish in her mouth. “You mean Jiang Zhongyi and the others?”
“Yes. They respect you and have been asking when you’d return.” They even called you “Sister Lin”, their tone showed genuine admiration.
Lin Tantan laughed. “Where are they? I’ll go see them in a bit.”
“Not just them, those thirteen fever patients miss you too.”
Only then did Lin Tantan remember. “How are they doing?”
“Pretty well. A few have already awakened powers; the rest haven’t yet, but their condition is good.”