Qin Huai returned home, and naturally, the tasks of planting, watering, and cleaning up after the chickens all fell to him. Although Mu Nan had developed a psychological dependence on him, and despite the increasingly severe conditions outside, it was still much more comforting compared to the time he spent alone at home.
Even though the gap between them hadn't completely disappeared, Qin Huai could clearly feel that Nan Nan was actively trying to approach him. However, this approach was more about planning for the future. Seeing the things Nan Nan had bought and the plans he had made, Qin Huai knew that every plan Nan Nan made included him. Yet, when it came to his life alone over the years, Nan Nan didn't mention a word.
Thinking back to when Nan Nan was a child, he used to share everything with him, and if he felt wronged, he would complain incessantly until Qin Huai had to comfort him for a long time to make him happy again. But now, Nan Nan said nothing about the hardships he had faced over the years. Qin Huai understood that completely breaking the ice wasn't something that could be achieved quickly; although he was somewhat anxious, he knew it couldn't be rushed.
Qin Huai had been back for almost two days, and the epidemic outside had reached its peak. Every day, watching the various news reports online, Mu Nan felt a bit scared. "Luckily, you came back early and are in good health. Otherwise, if you had been stuck on the road, you would have had no way to seek help."
Qin Huai managed to return thanks to sheer willpower. Although he exercised every day, it was just general fitness training. Without relying on willpower, he wouldn't have had the stamina to ride a bicycle for several days. After returning home and resting for a night, he found himself so sore over the next two days that he could barely move, even needing to lean against the wall to go to the bathroom.
Fortunately, Mu Nan had prepared plenty of supplies, including a lot of soothing patches. He applied them daily to Qin Huai's arms and legs and used a massager to help him. Looking at Qin Huai covered in patches, Mu Nan sighed, "It seems I need to focus more on physical fitness; otherwise, if something happens and we need to escape, I won't be able to run."
Qin Huai agreed that physical fitness couldn't be neglected. Seeing the future scenarios Nan Nan had dreamed about, he realized that even with the space, they might not need to worry too much about food, but poor physical condition could be a significant drawback. He said, "Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you sanda (a form of Chinese martial arts). You gave up after just a few days when you were young. Given how difficult things might get in the future, learning some self-defense skills wouldn't hurt."
Qin Huai had practiced sanda as a child, and Nan Nan had insisted on learning it too because of him. Unfortunately, Nan Nan lacked the perseverance and gave up before even mastering the basics, opting instead to join a painting class. Qin Huai had studied for a long time and, even after going abroad, would occasionally practice, so he hadn't forgotten the techniques and moves.
At first, Qin Huai hadn't planned to teach him. Nan Nan was someone who lacked perseverance and couldn't endure hardship. But now, seeing that he persisted in running for an hour every day, Qin Huai began to reconsider. Especially if things got more chaotic in the future, relying solely on the space wouldn't ensure their safety. By teaching Nan Nan some life-saving skills, Qin Huai would feel more at ease in case of emergencies.
Their routine life at home gradually settled into a pattern: running in the morning, practicing sanda in the evening, cooking in the afternoon, and Mu Nan preparing food according to online tutorials, storing prepared ingredients in the space. Being together every day, they slowly rekindled a sense of their childhood days. Although Mu Nan rarely spoke about his life, Qin Huai made an effort to share his experiences from abroad over the years.
When his father had insisted on taking him away, it was because he had been diagnosed with oligospermia. Although oligospermia didn't eliminate all chances of fertility like azoospermia did, it greatly reduced the likelihood. Therefore, having a son as old as Qin Huai meant the man was determined to take him away, whether by force or consent. What Qin Huai didn't tell Mu Nan was that he had initially agreed to go with the man because he had used Mu Nan as leverage against him. The adult world was indeed that dirty, using any means to achieve its goals.
In the first few years, his life had been relatively good. Since the man had no other children, he dedicated his efforts to cultivating Qin Huai. Having been separated from Mu Nan, resisting was futile; it was better to make himself strong enough so that no one could control his life in the future.
However, he hadn't expected that the man would have another child later on. Although it was a test-tube baby, it was successful. The man brought back a child with resentment towards him and another blank slate to shape as he pleased. It was clear which child would be favored. Thus, Qin Huai, who hadn't even finished college, was abandoned.
Mu Nan was shocked to learn that Qin Huai's life abroad had been like this. Angrily and sympathetically, he asked, "What happened next? Why didn't you come back when he didn't want you anymore?"
Qin Huai smiled at him and explained, "At that time, I didn't have the money to come back. The flight ticket cost twenty thousand, and you had just entered college, studying art, which is expensive. I could only provide a little financial support, but if I couldn't be there for you, I wanted to at least ensure you were well-fed and cared for. But I never mentioned this; if I had come back then, it would have been quite embarrassing. You were crying and shouting about cutting ties with me and saying that man was no good, telling me not to regret leaving."
Mu Nan glared at him, "You knew I didn't mean it that way! I..."
Qin Huai hugged him tightly and ruffled his hair, "I know. I had my studies to finish and a new studio I was working on with friends. I wanted to achieve something too. Why should I just follow him because he wanted me? If he didn't want me, I wouldn't just return."
Mu Nan fell silent, thinking to himself how fortunate it was that he hadn't told Qin Huai about his rebirth. If Qin Huai knew that he hadn't come back to look for him until his death in the previous life, he would have been immensely guilty and distressed. Although Mu Nan still had doubts—since Qin Huai had been back for six months, why didn't he come to find him in the previous life? The apocalypse didn't come suddenly, and communication and transportation weren't abruptly cut off. There was a period of order before the chaos. Unfortunately, this question would remain unresolved in this lifetime.
While they were talking, Qin Huai heard cries and wailing from downstairs. He took a telescope and looked out from the balcony. The dense fog in the city had begun to dissipate. Even from the seventeenth floor, the streetlights below allowed him to see some outlines. In the half-month since his return, this was already the seventh funeral vehicle.
After some medical observation, it was found that the disease was not highly contagious, and the infectious activity of the dead was almost nil. Therefore, there was no need for special medical personnel to handle the transportation of deceased individuals. However, for the living, mourning their loved ones while fearing infection was a daily ordeal, leading to wails of despair almost every day.
In the past half-month, Qin Huai had repeatedly felt relieved. He was glad that his high school class leader had contacted him, informing him that Nan Nan was looking for him. He was also grateful to see that his account, from which he had been sending money to Nan Nan, was empty, as he had been very worried and decided to return. Otherwise, if Nan Nan were alone in this situation with no way to contact him, he would be terribly frightened.
An incident occurred in Nan Nan's residential community involving a man who, after days of wandering and failing to even enter a hospital, became desperate. He ran out of his house, grabbed a bunch of stones, and smashed the windows of more than ten low-floor apartments. Two of those apartments had recently born babies.
Later, a resident from above threw flower pots at the man, which finally stopped his rampage.
When the incident happened, the community was thrown into chaos. Although community workers had protective suits, they didn't dare go outside, fearing that the man would tear their suits and expose them to the fog.
At the time, Nan Nan was at home making steamed buns. The sudden commotion downstairs startled him. Since everyone had been staying indoors, the community had been eerily quiet. The sudden outbreak caused a stir throughout the community.
Using a telescope, Nan Nan could see the man smashing windows in the building opposite. Their old community had many aging buildings; many people's homes were still the same as when they first moved in. Some windows hadn't been replaced since the houses were built decades ago, with single-layer windows that shattered easily. Many residents, their windows broken, were frantic and wished they could go outside with knives, but without any protective gear and without even wearing masks, they could only be dragged by their families into other sealed rooms.
Eventually, the man was hit by a flower pot and fell to the ground. Once it was confirmed that he was no longer moving or posing a threat, community personnel came out to drag him away.
After the incident, Mu Nan remembered that in his previous life, he had stayed home, and although the outside world had become terrifying with death and disease everywhere, the government was still maintaining order. With a full supply of food in his space, he had no need to go outside, so his sense of crisis was not deep. He recalled that the man, who had gone mad, likely died in the end. However, there was a family with a very young child who had inhaled some of the outside air because their window was broken.
The child, being too young and lacking immunity, developed a high fever that night and unfortunately passed away. The child's father, driven to despair, attacked the community management office with a knife. At the time, the community staff, despite wearing protective suits, were too terrified to intervene, fearing exposure to the fog. If they had acted sooner, the child might have survived. In his rage, the man took his anger out on the staff.
Recalling the events of his previous life, Mu Nan couldn't help but say, "It's a good thing we live on a higher floor."
Qin Huai glanced at the windows Mu Nan had replaced earlier and said, "Even if we were on a lower floor, the new windows you installed couldn't be shattered by stones. And if they did break, we could always move to the other side."
Outside, things slowly quieted down, but the chat group was in chaos. Mu Nan didn't check the group; even if he did, it wouldn't change anything. The broken windows couldn't be restored, and the child who might now be infected couldn't be saved.
He continued making steamed buns, which kept his mind from wandering. At first, his buns were either uneven lumps or poorly shaped and unattractive. But now he was gaining experience, making perfectly round buns that, after steaming, were placed directly into storage. When needed, they still looked fresh.
Qin Huai remarked from the side, "You've been making buns for a few days. Let's make some baozi tomorrow. Even if we have to flee in the future, having something with a bit of grease will be better."
He thought for a moment and added, "Make the baozi in the shape of buns."
Mu Nan looked up at Qin Huai and said, "When we get to the point of eating tree bark and grass due to food shortages, whether it's buns or baozi won't matter." Though he said this, Mu Nan still followed Qin Huai's suggestion and changed the shape of the baozi. "Let's take out some spare ribs; you can make sweet and sour ribs tomorrow."
Qin Huai smiled and agreed.
In the middle of the night, a mournful wail echoed throughout the entire community, reaching even the seventeenth floor where Mu Nan lived. Despite having upgraded to thicker double-layer soundproof windows, the sound jolted him awake.
Mu Nan instinctively reached for his phone, but Qin Huai, who had also woken up, restrained him and covered his ears. "Go back to sleep. Don't look."
Mu Nan didn't resist, knowing full well what the cry meant. Everything was repeating from his previous life, and the child had still passed away.
The next morning, as Mu Nan woke up, he saw Qin Huai sitting beside the bed, leaning against the headboard and looking at his phone. Qin Huai ruffled Mu Nan's messy hair and put his phone down. "What would you like for breakfast? Toast or egg noodles?"
Mu Nan replied, "Toast. We still have some bacon left from yesterday."
Qin Huai agreed and went to prepare breakfast. As Mu Nan swiped through his phone and opened the group chat, Qin Huai spoke up, "Last night, one of the windows that got smashed belonged to a family with a newborn. The child didn't make it."
Mu Nan's hand paused on his phone as he glanced at Qin Huai, letting out a subdued "Oh." Qin Huai sighed silently and turned to the kitchen. In a world filled with death every day, they needed to adapt quickly.