Some People Still Didn't Know Their Place

The moment Chen Ye heard that voice, he knew someone was stirring up trouble.

It was the apocalypse, yet someone was still playing the gender card over something like this.

Chen Ye sat up in the cargo bed of his three-wheeled motorcycle and looked toward the voice.

A slightly plump woman stood there, with a round face, small eyes, and a pointed chin.

Her remark seemed to have drawn everyone's attention.

Chen Ye was no exception.

When the woman's gaze swept over Chen Ye, she rolled her eyes at him too.

Chen Ye rubbed his nose.

Was there something wrong with this woman?

Chen Ye lit a cigarette and blew smoke rings, looking ready to enjoy the show.

I'm not the captain anyway. Let's see how Chu Che handles this.

Chu Che probably hadn't expected anyone to pull this kind of stunt at a time like this either.

Chu Che looked at the woman in amusement and asked with a smile, "Then what would you consider fair?"

The woman's eyes darted around before she declared, "It's the apocalypse now. This is when we need you men most! Making women cook while the men sit back and enjoy the food-what kind of captain are you?"

Perhaps it was because Chu Che always came across as such a nice guy.

Or perhaps, having just arrived in this unfamiliar environment, the woman wanted to draw everyone's attention as quickly as possible.

Whatever her motives, the eyes of quite a few women in the convoy lit up.

This was especially true of the women who had just joined. Several quietly edged closer to her.

The women doing the cooking, on the other hand, all glared at her, as though she had stolen their livelihoods.

Yet something else seemed to keep them from speaking up.

Chu Che glanced at Nana beside him.

Nana rolled her eyes, then turned and left with her longsword in her arms.

Chu Che smiled gently. "In that case, Zhao, you and the others can take a break. Uncle Abao, find a few men to do the cooking!"

Uncle Abao nodded, then walked into the crowd of survivors to pick people.

The woman who had stepped forward to protest soon realized something was wrong.

The women who had lost their work because of her weren't grateful. Instead, they stared at her with venomous hatred.

Once Uncle Abao received his orders, a crowd of men rushed over, raising their hands and shouting, "Uncle Abao, pick me! Pick me! I used to be a cook!"

The woman didn't quite understand.

She was clearly fighting for the interests of her own group.

Why did their gazes seem so unfriendly?

Fortunately, some people were still looking at her warmly.

Her thinking was simple: in an unfamiliar environment, the fastest way to establish her authority and gather followers was to represent the interests of a particular group.

The food was soon ready.

Its aroma spread throughout the camp.

The survivors who had just escaped Deer City were so hungry their eyes practically glowed.

In the past, they probably wouldn't have spared plain rice porridge and pickled vegetables a glance.

Now, though, a bowl of porridge and pickles was the finest delicacy in the world.

Even the convoy's original survivors were swallowing their saliva.

After all, many people in the convoy were running low on supplies.

Unless they found somewhere to replenish them soon, everyone would starve before long.

Chen Ye blew a smoke ring, his interest piqued.

The real show is about to start.

Sure enough, once the meal was over-

All the men who had helped received a little payment from the captain.

It was only a small piece of bread, but it still made everyone envious.

The woman who had spoken up earlier froze as she watched the men happily collect their bread.

Smack!

A slap rang out in the quiet night.

"You bitch! If it weren't for you, that bread would've been mine! I haven't eaten all day, and it's all your fault!"

A middle-aged woman with permed curls slapped the stunned woman hard across the face.

"Serves her right! If it weren't for this bitch, Captain Chu wouldn't have given our chance to someone else! Beat her to death!"

Before the woman could react, another middle-aged woman grabbed her by the hair.

"You... ahh! I was only trying to help you!"

"Help us? You bitch..."

Chen Ye rolled over and lay back down in his vehicle, gazing at the star-filled sky as the faint firelight illuminated his face.

A blood moon hung nearby, but Chen Ye had no intention of even turning his gaze toward it.

Chen Ye had figured out what was going on.

Chu Che might usually have been quiet and unassuming, but he hadn't expected the man to have tricks like this up his sleeve.

Chu Che had probably noticed long ago that some people in the convoy had run out of supplies.

So he had given those women a chance to work.

Then this woman had suddenly popped up.

Chu Che had simply gone along with her demands, using the opportunity to teach the woman playing the gender card a lesson.

It seemed this captain was no ordinary man either.

The woman's screams rang in his ears.

The apocalypse was already here, yet some people still hadn't adjusted their mindsets.

Serves her right!

Chen Ye lay comfortably in the cargo bed.

Sleeping there was much more comfortable than sleeping on the ground.

The convoy continued onward.

According to Chu Che, they would reach Longevity Village in another two days.

It was a resupply destination Chu Che had carefully selected.

After dawn broke-

Chen Ye took out his portable gas stove and lit a small flame, then poured half a bottle of water into a pot.

He added a cup of rice, covered the pot, and waited for it to cook.

Using the machete he had traded for with Nana, he sliced off a few pieces of cured pork and tossed them into a pan, then added a little oil and some wild greens he had gathered by the roadside a few days earlier.

And so, even in these conditions, a serving of cured pork stir-fried with wild greens slowly took shape.

Chen Ye's cooking skills were nothing special, but having a meal like this under these circumstances was already a rare luxury.

The newly joined survivors looked Chen Ye's way, sniffing furiously.

Their food for the day was still just plain porridge and pickled vegetables.

Compared with Chen Ye's meal, the difference was like heaven and earth.

Chen Ye couldn't be bothered with them. Once the rice was nearly ready, he tipped the stir-fried greens and cured pork straight into it and began eating.

At last, someone couldn't hold back any longer.

"Young man, could you spare a little of your food for my grandson? He hasn't had meat in a long time."

"He's still little. Malnutrition would be bad for his health!"

Chen Ye looked up and saw an old woman holding a child's hand, gazing at him pitifully.

The child, however, was already reaching out without any hesitation.

Before Chen Ye could say anything, the child had grabbed his bowl and was tugging hard, trying to snatch it away.

Chen Ye's expression darkened instantly.

He had seen bratty children before, but never one this obnoxious.

I haven't even agreed to give you any, and you're already trying to snatch it.

The bowl didn't budge in Chen Ye's hand.

The old woman acted as though she hadn't noticed, smiling ingratiatingly at Chen Ye.

"Give it to me!"

"I want it!"

The brat's shrill screams rang in Chen Ye's ears, making him frown deeply.

He had little patience for children to begin with.

He had even less for brats like this one.

Before, with surveillance cameras everywhere, Chen Ye had still had to exercise restraint.

But now...

Chen Ye had plenty of ways to shut a brat up!