A new home

Zhang Yi agreed, took out a key and gave it to her, then handed the remaining one to Nan Shao. "Keep this."

Nan Shao had been about to refuse, but suddenly remembered Zhang Yi's skills. He had no need for a key at all, so Nan Shao accepted it. "Teach me to pick locks when you have time."

Zhang Yi paused, then chuckled. "Sure." Knowing how to pick locks would certainly be useful when most houses stood unoccupied.

Without further delay, they went to the trading market and spent one Corpse Crystal to rent a pedal tricycle, then rode it back to the shantytown, stopping right in front of their shack.

The woven sack serving as the shack's door was pinned halfway to one side, exposing the cramped space inside.

"...I heard a shout and hurriedly kicked Greasy Rat away. When I turned around, I saw his brother-in-law swinging a watermelon knife this long at me..." Meat Tower Chen's hearty voice came from inside the shack.

"Oh!" That was Zhang Ruiyang's nervous little gasp.

"Don't be scared. Your Uncle Fatty's tough..." Meat Tower reassured the little fellow.

Zhang Yi and Nan Shao both laughed despite themselves, the tension of the entire day easing at that moment. They lifted the woven sack a little farther and ducked inside one after the other.

"Daddy!" Zhang Ruiyang, who had been sitting cross-legged beside Meat Tower Chen, immediately scrambled up and rushed over when he saw them.

Nan Shao could not help feeling envious at the sight. With a little fellow like this welcoming him so enthusiastically every day, any hardship really would be worth it.

Zhang Yi bent down to catch his son and kissed his little cheek. "Yangyang, wait outside for Daddy. We're moving."

Zhang Ruiyang blinked his big eyes, looking as though he wanted to ask something, but in the end he obediently nodded and said, "Okay." Then he crawled into the hole to fetch the Ultraman he had hidden there, along with a bowl for water, two apples, half a packet of biscuits, a small half-piece of bran cake...

Watching him carry out his odds and ends like a little mouse, Nan Shao suddenly had the urge to pull the little fellow into his arms and give him a thorough squeeze.

"Brother Yi, where are we going?" Meat Tower Chen asked the question the child had wanted to ask but hadn't. The little fellow, who had already gone outside with his arms full, abruptly poked his head back in, his bright eyes fixed on Zhang Yi, brimming with anticipation.

"You'll know when we get there." Zhang Yi could not suppress a smile and deliberately kept him guessing. Then he and Nan Shao supported Meat Tower Chen between them, carried him out of the shack, and settled him in the tricycle's cargo bed.

They gathered everything useful, fetched Li Muran's belongings as well, and loaded it all onto the tricycle. Zhang Yi picked up Zhang Ruiyang and followed behind the tricycle with Nan Shao toward their rented home.

"Daddy, where are we moving to?" After squirming this way and that in Zhang Yi's arms for a while, the little fellow finally could not resist asking.

Zhang Yi glanced at the various gazes directed their way, then held a finger upright against his lips and shushed him. The little fellow's eyes instantly widened, and he hastily covered his mouth with a little hand, nodding as though he understood, utterly unaware that the daddy he trusted most was teasing him. Nan Shao, walking beside them, could not stand watching any longer and reached out. "Brother Yi, your leg hurts. Let me carry Yangyang." He had followed Meat Tower Chen in calling him that, not because of age, but out of heartfelt respect. Though they had only spent two days together, Zhang Yi's abilities and way of handling things had already won his full approval. He knew he still could not bring himself to bow his head before people he would not even have spared a glance in the past. Knowing when to yield and when to stand tall-in that respect, Zhang Yi was far stronger than he was.

Zhang Yi had not expected Nan Shao to address him that way and was briefly taken aback, but since he was probably older, he accepted it readily enough. He was just about to say he was fine when Zhang Ruiyang, hearing that his leg hurt, immediately stretched out his little hands and twisted toward Nan Shao. Nan Shao leaned over to take him. Left with no choice, Zhang Yi let go.

Nan Shao took the child and whispered a few words into his ear. The little boy's eyes instantly lit up. "Really?"

Nan Shao nodded firmly and immediately received a big kiss on his left cheek. But before he could feel pleased with himself, the little fellow twisted around and leaned over, wrapped his arms around Zhang Yi's neck, and gave him a kiss too. Then he covered his mouth with both little hands and secretly giggled to himself. Zhang Yi's eyes curved into a smile as well.

Nan Shao clicked his tongue. They really are father and son. Even their smiles are the same.

Chapter 21: A new home

By the time they reached the rented home, Li Muran had already tidied everything inside. Apart from not having been scrubbed with water, it looked reasonably presentable. The town had its own small hydroelectric plant, built right beside the river, so buildings like this still had running water. It was untreated water, however, mainly used for flushing toilets. Of course, no one would interfere if people wanted to use it for anything else. Electricity was rationed, with one hour supplied each morning and evening. Water and electricity were charged separately.

As soon as they entered, Zhang Ruiyang ran gleefully all over the place, leaving no corner unexplored and even inspecting the courtyard. Every so often, he let out little cries of wonder, his voice full of happiness. His favorite place was the courtyard out back. It was spacious and had an old-fashioned rattan chair with three legs. He crawled beneath the chair where its missing leg should have been and called into the house for Daddy, then Handsome Uncle, Uncle Fatty, and Auntie, but only managed to summon one person.

Inside, Li Muran had already begun treating Meat Tower Chen's wounds, with Zhang Yi helping beside her. Seeing that there was nothing he could do to help and hearing Yangyang calling, Nan Shao went outside. When he saw the little fellow hiding under the rattan chair, winking at him and giggling away, he could not help pressing a hand to his forehead. Pretending he had seen nothing, he raised his head and surveyed the backyard.

The backyard covered a little over twenty square meters. Half was paved with concrete, while the other half lay bare, exposing grayish-brown soil cracked dry by the sun. Withered plants lay slumped across it, crumbling at the lightest step. They had probably been planted by the previous owner. Apart from the broken rattan chair, the yard held assorted junk such as ruined mops and brooms worn almost beyond use. The yard adjoined the foot of the mountain, with a small gate that was currently locked from the inside. The mountainside had probably once been covered in shrubs, but now everything was withered and dead, without a trace of green. When he looked farther up, he saw something surprising: three skybridges, each about two meters wide, connected the rooftops to the mountainside, leading straight to halfway up the mountain. He did not know whether they had been there since the buildings were first constructed or had only been built after the apocalypse. No wonder those people all wanted to live higher up. There was actually an escape route like this.