Chapter 79: Who’s the Delicate One?

Chapter Seventy-Nine

The lunch left Mei completely satisfied. Although her own serving was barbecued pork on rice, she didn't just eat that—she tasted Mo Chen's braised fish, Ye Jingxuan's braised ribs, some sizzling beef from An Ziyou's lunchbox, and even sampled the kung pao chicken from Lin Shaojie's portion. Of course, she was generous enough to share her own barbecued pork with each of them so they could taste something different too.

"The thing I miss most about leaving the Ye family is Old Yu!" Mei sighed as she cradled a small bowl of hot chicken soup, sipping and reminiscing.

"What you really miss is Old Yu's cooking, isn't it?" Mo Chen teased, exposing the true meaning behind her words.

Instead of getting annoyed, Mei replied boldly, "So what if I miss his cooking? None of you can cook as well as Old Yu. In the future, I must find a housekeeper who can cook like him!"

This made everyone burst into laughter. Who chooses a housekeeper based on cooking skills? That's how you pick a chef, not a housekeeper!

"Once this mission is over, just tell Old Yu what you want to eat when we get back. There's no need to go through all that trouble," Ye Jingxuan said with a smile, ruffling Mei's hair.

"That's not the same," Mei shook her head in objection. "Old Yu can't come on missions with us, and we can't always stay at the Ye family home."

Ye Jingxuan was about to suggest that Old Yu could simply prepare extra meals in advance to store in their space, so they'd have good food whenever they wanted. But before he could say a word, Situ Qing, who had been quiet until then, suddenly spoke up, "So spoiled! Have you forgotten what the world is like now? Every bite comes at the cost of your life. You should be grateful for what you have instead of being picky. Don't you see how many people can't even fill their bellies?"

Her words immediately wiped the smiles from everyone’s faces. The cheerful mood vanished as they all looked at Situ Qing with displeasure. Who did she think she was, acting so self-righteous in front of them?

Mei looked at her, both surprised and confused, and asked, "I didn't eat your family's food. What does it have to do with you what I eat? And if others can't get enough to eat, how is that my fault?"

"You! You have no empathy at all! You think you’re some kind of princess, always expecting a crowd to serve you. You complain about boredom, complain about the food, so why don’t you just stay home and not come out?" Situ Qing became even more indignant when Mei showed no sign of remorse.

Mei was speechless. Was this woman deranged?

Whether she wanted to be waited on was none of her business. It's not like she was asking her to do it!

Just as she was about to respond, Xiao Keran, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly chimed in, "Qingqing is right, Mei. You shouldn't always trouble others—it's not good! You should learn to appreciate things, or else people will grow tired of you."

Xiao Keran’s tone was full of forced concern, as if she was only thinking of Mei’s own good.

Mei opened her mouth to retort, but in the end, she gave up. Instead, she turned to Mo Chen, feeling frustrated. "Am I troubling you? Do I ever ask anyone to wait on me?"

Mo Chen grinned, his gaze full of indulgence. He pinched her nose lightly and said, "Ignore them. They're just jealous of you. I enjoy looking after you."

"Good girl, you can cause as much trouble as you want—I'll always have your back," Ye Jingxuan said, patting her head with gentle indulgence.

An Ziyou added, "Mei, you're the cutest. We all love looking after you. How could we ever find you troublesome? Don't listen to others—just be happy yourself."

Lin Shaojie and Qu Wenyuan both offered her a few words of comfort, which finally lifted her spirits.

Situ Qing and Xiao Keran, on the other hand, looked decidedly unhappy. After An Ziyou spoke, Xiao Keran turned away and buried her face in Xiao Kefeng's chest, and he quickly tried to soothe her in a low voice.

Situ Qing, meanwhile, glared at Mei with eyes full of jealousy and unwillingness. She simply couldn't understand—what was so special about this little girl that made everyone spoil her so?

Watching the two of them bristle at the others’ words, Mei could only think how alike they were—no wonder they were friends.

But who was the man standing next to Situ Qing? Why did he always look at her so strangely? Mei met his eyes for a moment. Though he was good-looking, his thoughts seemed deep and unreadable, so she quickly looked away.

At nine in the evening, the convoy finally reached the edge of the mountains. From here, they would have to leave the vehicles behind and proceed on foot.

No matter how urgent the mission, Ling Feng would never let everyone trek into the mountains at night. The paths were treacherous, and since the apocalypse, many creatures had become nocturnal—going in at night would be too dangerous.

So, they set up camp at the foot of the mountain to rest for the night, planning to continue at first light.

Finally free from the confines of the car, Mei’s first act was to stretch her stiff limbs after a day of sitting.

"Little girl, aren't you cold, wearing so little?" came a familiar voice from behind. Mei turned to see Yang Hao grinning, his white teeth flashing. "Big Brother Yang! Long time no see! I didn't expect you to be on this mission too. Did you go to Longsheng?"

"No, I've been around Changyang all this time, leading my men, living off tasks killing zombies and the military’s subsidies. This time, I was ordered to cooperate with Major Ling Feng for this mission, so I came back," Yang Hao shook his head, summarizing what had happened since they parted.

"So that’s how it is! The military actually gives you subsidies? I thought all they did was take things from you," Mei said. She remembered back in Yuehua, once Yang Hao became head of the base, the military was always calling for updates on supplies and demanding handovers. She’d thought the higher-ups only saw the lower-ranked soldiers as resource gatherers.

At least they weren't discarded once they'd been used up!

"The military isn’t as dark as you imagine. At least General Ling Zhi wouldn’t leave us little soldiers to fend for ourselves," Yang Hao laughed, finding her view overly pessimistic.

"That's good to hear! By the way, is Major Ling Feng really that impressive? He doesn’t look older than you, yet he outranks you. Why is that?"

"Rank is about merit, not age. Major Ling Feng rose so fast because he’s brilliant. Not for his fists, but for his mind—resourceful and cunning, that's how people describe him. They say every operation he’s planned has succeeded." Yang Hao hadn’t spent much time with Ling Feng, and most of what he knew was hearsay.

Before he finished, Ling Feng’s voice came from behind, "Lieutenant Yang, you flatter me! You're the truly remarkable one—brave and clever. If not for the apocalypse, you'd probably be a major too by now. Miss Mei, if you have any questions, you can ask me directly."

Was that a warning not to gossip behind his back? Mei arched an eyebrow at the thought.

Clusters of people gathered around several campfires. Mei, relieved that she no longer had to see the faces of the Situ or Xiao siblings, felt a weight lift. She truly didn’t understand those two—why did they insist on staring at men who refused to give them the time of day, then glare at her as if it were her fault?

Honestly, it wasn't her fault that Mo Chen and An Ziyou ignored them—so why the hostile looks?

After a day of travel and a cold lunch, everyone opted for a hot, freshly cooked meal that night.

Mei and her friends’ dinner was once again the envy of all.

An Ziyou cooked as usual: rich, fragrant chicken broth, paired with perfectly chewy noodles, topped with fresh greens, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and, of course, plenty of meat. As soon as the pot was opened, the aroma wafted over the camp, drawing envious glances from all around.

As an old acquaintance, Yang Hao didn’t wait for an invitation. The moment the noodles were ready, he wandered over with his bowl and helped himself, utterly shameless.

But the others were used to his thick skin—after a couple disdainful looks, they ignored him.

No one else was so lucky. They could only watch hungrily as Mei and her friends slurped noodles and sipped soup, making do with their own instant noodles and dry rations.

Many present couldn’t help but wonder: Was the Ye family really in decline? It sure didn’t look that way! In the apocalypse, who but the truly capable could eat so lavishly?

Both the Liu and Wang families claimed to be rich in resources, but even they probably couldn’t eat such extravagant noodles now.

Were they putting on a show? Or was their life really this comfortable?

Mercenary teams from the Changyang base began reevaluating both the Ye family and Mei’s group.

"Hurry up and eat!"

Just as everyone else was distractedly eating, Mei spoke up, then began to eat faster herself. Mo Chen and the others, though unsure why, immediately followed suit—no more chatting, just quick bites.

As soon as dinner was finished, Mei grabbed her bow and stood up, eyes fixed on the distant night sky.

"What’s wrong? Is something approaching?" Ling Feng instantly asked, alert.

Mei didn’t answer. She drew an arrow from her quiver, nocked it, and aimed into the darkness overhead.

Everyone followed her gaze but saw nothing but blackness. Some, out of caution and trust in Mei’s serious expression, put away their food and readied themselves for trouble. Others, skeptical that such a young girl could be so capable, kept eating and chatting by the fire.

Mei did not aim for long. Her fingers loosened, the arrow shot into the night.

A quiet sound followed. Ling Feng gave a signal, and one of his ten soldiers ran in the arrow’s direction. He quickly returned, carrying something.

"Mutant bat!" Ling Feng said grimly after a glance.

Wishing everyone good health and a joyful Winter Solstice!