Yu Zibai studied finance, and Jian Chu was his junior, so they were in the same department. However, neither of them knew civil engineering, nor did they have skills like Qin Huai in software development. The skills they learned in school were not very helpful in the current world, so they had to join others in reconstruction and brick-moving.
Wu Zheng, on the other hand, had never attended university. He studied machine tools at a technical college many years ago but did not find a related job right away. He first worked in insurance, then moved to sales, eventually becoming a sales manager. Unfortunately, a global haze led him to lose his job. Like Jian Chu, he then did delivery work for a while. With no specialized skills to support him, he had to resort to manual labor.
Wu Zheng's younger brother was even more unfortunate. He studied music and knew a bit about video editing. Before graduating from university, he made money by editing small videos. Now he regretted not having studied civil engineering, saying that if he had known it would come to this, he would have chosen a different path. Although he wanted to join his brother in working outside, Wu Zheng didn't allow it. He had him stay home for now, waiting until they had a better understanding of the situation. Besides, they had a dog. Even though Niu Niu was smart, dogs had a natural tendency to guard their homes. If no one was around and there was any noise outside, the barking would be like an invitation for people to come in and feast. Wu Zheng asked Song Jia to train Niu Niu to be quiet at home, so he stayed home for the time being. They didn't need the points urgently, so having someone stay at home wasn't an issue.
There were two work shifts outside now due to the physically demanding nature of the job. Even though it was nighttime, the temperature was still high. Although many people had adapted to the current temperatures, physical labor was still challenging for some. Therefore, the work hours were divided into morning and night shifts: the morning shift from 8:30 PM to 2:30 AM and the night shift from 12:30 AM to 6:30 AM. Both shifts had the same duration, offering 3 points plus one meal. It was up to individuals to choose between the morning or night shift.
Wu Zheng and the others worked together and chose the same shift. Song Jia was about to pick them up as their shift was ending, and he needed to take Niu Niu out for some fresh air and to relieve itself. Just as he picked them up and was heading back, Niu Niu suddenly dashed out like an arrow. Then, from behind a partially collapsed house in the distance, there was a sharp yelp, which quickly ceased. When they chased after it, they found that Niu Niu had killed a llama. At the time, it was still twitching, but it had already died by the time they carried it back.
Seeing what they had brought back, Mu Nan couldn't help but ask, "Can we eat this? Aren't llamas pets?" Eating someone's pet was like eating dog meat, wasn't it?
Jian Chu replied, "In these times, almost anything can be a pet. Some people even keep pigs. If it's edible, just eat it. Llamas were originally brought in for consumption, and they taste good. Somehow, they've become pets for many people. But really, llamas are no different from pigs, cows, or sheep, so don't feel guilty about it."
Mu Nan was puzzled, "How did a llama end up here? If someone was keeping it as a pet, it's amazing it survived this long." Even pet dogs had almost been wiped out. During their previous trips to the commercial area, they hadn't seen a single dog. A llama, being so large and less agile than a dog, would likely have been noticed and captured if someone saw it.
Jian Chu shook his head, "It's probably not someone's pet. Most people here are either students or from urban villages, and pet llamas aren't common. I remember there's a zoo nearby, a semi-wild one, which has a herd of llamas. This one must have escaped from the zoo."
Jian Chu's explanation reminded Mu Nan that he was aware of that zoo. Their department had once organized a social event there, but he wasn't interested in the event and stayed home to work on his drafts. If this llama was indeed from the zoo, Mu Nan asked, "If llamas have escaped, what about lions and tigers? If they haven't ended up in their mouths, they'll end up in ours. Seems like they're destined to be on the menu."
The group looked at each other. Song Jia, crouching and holding Niu Niu's head tightly, said, "Could it be?"
Yu Zibai said, "We should be careful. If we encounter such animals, we might end up as their food. Animals that aren't domesticated can become feral due to hunger. We should discuss this with the soldiers. Their focus is on reconstruction now, so they might not be aware of this issue. We'd better raise it before it causes serious problems."
Everyone nodded in agreement, acknowledging the need to report this. If lions and tigers really had escaped, they were not something they could handle on their own, they would have to rely on the armed soldiers. For now, they needed to deal with the llama. Jian Chu said, "It's already dead, so we can't just leave it lying around. But does anyone know how to handle it?"
Mu Nan shook his head. "It's not just about how to kill it."
Jian Chu turned to him. "Then what's the issue?"
Mu Nan explained, "If lions and tigers escape, the smell of blood will attract them the most. So where do we kill this llama? What do we do with the blood and innards? Do we have enough water to clean up the blood? And most importantly, we don't have a bone-cutting knife."
He had a bone-cutting knife in his space, but it was not available outside. The tools they found in the ruins were not suitable for cutting bones, and they weren't sure how tough llama bones would be.
Song Jia poked the llama's fur and asked, "So we can't eat it? It's been a long time since we had meat."
Yu Zibai suggested, "Let's take it to Building 1." Building 1 was the first row house where the soldiers were stationed. It was said that later on, they would clear the house to build an office on the empty land in the neighborhood. For now, they were still in Building 1, and any issues could be addressed there directly.
Hearing this, Song Jia hesitated, "Handing it over? If we do that, can we get some meat in return?"
Mu Nan said, "That's possible, but we don't have to turn it all in. Since this llama, though skinny, should weigh over 100 pounds, we can have them help us process and slaughter it. We'll bring a clean container and take some meat back with us. The rest can be exchanged for points. It's less hassle and we'll have something to eat."
Jian Chu agreed with this approach but was concerned that since Niu Niu had killed the llama, Wu Zheng might think they were taking advantage. He said, "The points from the exchange should be all yours. Without Niu Niu, we might not have discovered the llama. We'll just eat a little of the meat and forgo the points."
Mu Nan nodded, "I have a lot of seasonings. I'll set up a place for seasoning at my house. Later, I'll bring over the tricycle, cover it up, and turn on the air conditioning on the second floor. We can eat at my place after you're done. My brother and Xu Ming should be back soon."
Jian Chu laughed, "They'll be in for a treat when they come back."
Wu Zheng didn't argue about the arrangement. The points from turning in the llama wouldn't be much, so they planned to get a bit more meat back and divide it among themselves. Any leftovers would be distributed among the families. Since they currently had no power, they might need to borrow a refrigerator from a neighbor.
With tasks assigned, everyone got busy. Jian Chu remarked, "It's a good thing I didn't eat the staple food I brought back earlier. Otherwise, I wouldn't have room for the meat."
Mu Nan warned, "Eating a lot of meat after not having it for a while can cause stomach issues."
Jian Chu patted his belly, "No worries, I can digest steel!"
Mu Nan returned home, turned on the air conditioning on the second floor, and set up some folding stools he had found in the ruins. He arranged the table, which was a damaged but usable coffee table found later in a furniture store, along with an electric panel, induction cooker, pot, and baking tray. There were plenty of seasonings, as Jian Chu knew they had a lot. Although no one had checked his bag to see exactly how many, he had various grilling and marinating sauces, and he also prepared some frozen corn and canned fruit from the refrigerator. Since they were eating someone else's meat, he wanted to make sure they contributed something extra.
Mu Nan decided to pour a large amount of his homemade iced milk tea into a stainless steel basin. Since milk tea powder packs last longer, it was not unusual to use them now. He thought exchanging milk tea for meat was very sincere, especially since he hadn't killed or brought the llama back. He wanted to make sure the person who provided the meat felt a little more comfortable.
By the time his brother came back from work, the people who had taken the llama to Building 1 hadn't returned yet. Qin Huai saw Mu Nan sitting in the small living room on the second floor, playing with his phone. Small stools were arranged, and cooking utensils were all set up. He couldn't help but ask, "What's going on? A party?"
Mu Nan quickly ran over and handed Qin Huai a pack of wet wipes, asking, "How was your first day of work? Was it hard? Were the colleagues easy to get along with?"
Qin Huai replied, "It wasn't hard or tiring. I was in the air-conditioned room doing my old job, typing on the computer, which was very easy. The colleagues were great. Don't worry, everything went smoothly. What are you preparing for?"
Mu Nan quickly explained the situation with the llama. "We're planning to eat the meat. I've also prepared some milk tea. Is it okay to take out the milk tea now? It's not that unusual since we have the powder packs."
Qin Huai shook his head. "It's fine. If you want milk tea, just use it. They provided tea bags today, but unfortunately, we don't drink much tea. However, I did bring some tea bags back. I'll make you milk tea later."
As Qin Huai went upstairs to put away his things, Mu Nan followed closely behind, detailing his day's activities, including the effort it took to clean up all the pots on the third floor. He then returned to the topic of the llama. "Since the llamas are out, I think the lions and tigers won't be far behind. It's dangerous given how far you have to travel for work."
Qin Huai reassured him, "Don't worry. I'll be going with others starting tomorrow. There are a few programmers living in the apartment building nearby, so it will be safer to have company. There are also plans to clear the roads in a few days and set up public buses. Not everyone has a bike, and walking is too far for those without one."
Hearing this, Mu Nan felt relieved but still advised, "Be extra careful. Now that the zoo is gone, the animals inside are probably starving."
Qin Huai didn't take a shower but wiped off the sweat and changed into a dry tank top. Since there was air conditioning at home, he didn't need to go out again; he could shower after dinner. As he was about to head downstairs, he accidentally bumped into Mu Nan, who had been closely following him.
Mu Nan, holding his sore nose, stepped back. Qin Huai amusedly moved his hand away, saying, "Let me see if your nose is crooked. You keep bumping into things and still haven't learned. Your nose isn't high you must have bumped it a lot as a kid."
Mu Nan touched his nose bridge. "It's clearly very high."
Qin Huai placed a hand on the back of Mu Nan's head and guided him downstairs, noticing that Mu Nan was still rubbing his nose. He said, "Don't rub it red yourself and then blame me."
Mu Nan glared at him. "How can I not blame you? Why didn't you give any warning when you turned around?"
Qin Huai laughed. "Maybe you should install a receiver on yourself. I could tap you on the shoulder lightly when I'm turning, and a little speaker could announce, 'Brother Nan please turn, please be aware.' How about that?"
Mu Nan jumped onto Qin Huai's back and playfully grabbed his hair. "Don't be so demeaning."
As they reached the second floor, they heard noises from the yard. Mu Nan hurried to the balcony and saw that Wu Zheng and Yu Zibai had returned with the tricycle. He ran downstairs to open the door for them, with Qin Huai following. They had brought back a large basin full of meat, and it was quite heavy. Qin Huai took the basin, Yu Zibai parked the tricycle, and Wu Zheng went to call Song Jia and Jian Chu. Only Xu Ming was missing.
When they all arrived on the second floor, Jian Chu was fine since he had just come from home, which also had air conditioning. Song Jia, however, hadn't experienced such coolness in a long time and even Niu Niu immediately found the coolest spot to lie down.
Jian Chu told Song Jia, "Electricity will be restored soon. Work has already started on the wiring today."
Song Jia sighed in relief. "It would be great to have electricity. Although I'm getting used to the heat, having air conditioning is still better."
Yu Zibai and Qin Huai started cleaning the meat they brought back. After a quick rinse, they began slicing it. The meat they brought back included various cuts some fatty, some lean, and some with a mix of fat and lean. There were no bones, just pure meat with a little bit of internal organs.
Jian Chu supervised from the side and remarked, "It's a pity you didn't bring back any llama ribs. We have an oven at home. If only you had brought some ribs. Did you mention the zoo situation to them?"
Yu Zibai replied, "Yes, they were informed. They'll be cautious. Cleaning the llama was tough it took a lot of effort just to get the meat off. We spent quite some time skinning and bleeding it. We decided to take what we could and handle the rest later. At least we have some meat, and the ribs might be available later."
Jian Chu turned to Wu Zheng, "How many points did you get for the remaining meat?"
Wu Zheng said, "Not calculated yet, but it's recorded. With the bones and some leftover meat, there's quite a bit, over several dozen pounds. We only brought back around twenty pounds. If we can't finish it, we'll freeze some for each family. Since I don't have power at home, we can freeze it here for now."
Mu Nan said, "No problem."
The first piece of meat sizzled in the pan, and the aroma was mouth-watering. The spiciness made it even more delicious. It had been so long since they had enjoyed such fresh meat, and the experience felt like it erased all their previous hardships.
When Xu Ming came back, he saw Mu Nan waving at him from the second floor as soon as he entered the yard. "Hurry up, you're the last one!"
Xu Ming, thinking something was urgent, went into Mu Nan's house without even returning home. As soon as he entered, the rich smell of barbecue hit him, and his expression turned to one of surprise.
Mu Nan smiled and said, "Niu Niu hunted a llama, and we've just started eating."
After bringing Xu Ming upstairs, Mu Nan fetched the milk tea from the kitchen. Upon seeing it, Song Jia and Jian Chu went wild, exclaiming, "You still have milk tea!"
Mu Nan poured a cup for everyone using disposable cups. "This is from the milk tea packs we bought earlier. There aren't many left, and each time we drink, it's one less." However, since his brother didn't like sweet things, he only had a little, leaving the rest for them.
Xu Ming looked at Niu Niu, who was being fed meat by Song Jia, and couldn't help but comment, "What a good dog, too bad it's not a female."
Song Jia laughed and said, "Even if it were a female, finding a male to mate with would be impossible. And even if we found another female, it wouldn't help since Niu Niu has already been neutered."
Xu Ming sighed, "Let Niu Niu eat more meat today. Make sure to cook the lean meat a bit and avoid fatty parts to prevent gastrointestinal issues."
After eating and drinking to their fill, everyone felt so satisfied that they just sat on the floor, not wanting to move. It felt like a feast.
There was still quite a bit of meat left. Even if each person ate a pound, there would still be over ten pounds remaining. They divided it into four portions. Jian Chu's group took theirs home since they had a freezer, while Wu Zheng's portion was left with Mu Nan. They could simply call across the window when they wanted some.
During the meat distribution, Song Jia asked, "Should we give some to our neighbors?"
Jian Chu raised an eyebrow at him. "Anyone you like?"
Song Jia rolled his eyes. "Not really. I was just thinking about being neighborly."
Mu Nan added, "People might misunderstand your intentions. It's not that women are overly sensitive, but living among a group of men might make them a bit more cautious. If you give them meat for no reason, they might think you have ulterior motives."
Song Jia immediately abandoned the idea. After eating and drinking to their satisfaction, he started feeling drowsy. Seeing that everyone was nearly done and full, Xu Ming said, "Let's wrap it up. Get some rest we have work tomorrow. But be careful when you're working. With the llama around, other animals might not be far behind."
Wu Zheng and the others nodded in agreement, deciding they needed to have a serious talk with Song Jia when they got back. They would suggest that in the future, they should avoid bringing dogs out if possible, as having animals around could easily attract large predators. Despite Niu Niu being quite useful at times, the dangers it brought were significant.
Jian Chu helped Mu Nan tidy up. Apart from the pot, everything else was disposable, so they packed it up and threw it away. Once the place was cleaned up, everyone went their separate ways.
Qin Huai locked the door and went directly to the third floor. Mu Nan, seeing that the seeds had soaked for the right amount of time, didn't want to leave anything for tomorrow. Since he hadn't showered yet, he decided to start planting the seeds. Qin Huai was ready to help, but Mu Nan waved him off. "Go take a shower. You've been out all day. Shower and go to bed quickly. I'll take care of planting it's quick work."
Qin Huai, not wanting to intrude, went to shower. After his shower, he saw the projector on the bed that hadn't been set up yet. After reading the instructions, he installed it. By the time Mu Nan had finished with the seeds and came inside, Qin Huai was already lying on the bed with his computer, watching a movie projected onto the wall. The screen was large and clear. Mu Nan quickly jumped into the bathroom for a shower and flopped onto the bed afterward.
Qin Huai used a towel to dry Mu Nan's hair. His hair had grown a bit longer, but he wasn't planning to cut it. Winter was coming, and he wanted to keep some warmth on his head.
Mu Nan sat on the bed, fiddling with the new projector. He had never used one before, and it felt like a private cinema. He chose a complex time-travel movie and snuggled up next to Qin Huai to watch it. Meanwhile, he was thinking about the upcoming snow. "It's going to snow soon. How should we remind them to prepare for winter? It's still so hot now, and suddenly reminding them might be awkward."
Qin Huai tilted his head to look at the head resting on his shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry. There are always signs for everything. We already know the result, we just need to pay attention to the signs and find a way to give reminders without revealing too much."
Mu Nan placed his legs under the blanket against Qin Huai's legs. Qin Huai was warm in winter and cool in summer, so it felt comfortable to be close to him.
Qin Huai looked down at him and placed his leg over Mu Nan's. Mu Nan immediately started resisting, trying to reverse the situation. They began wrestling with their legs, which soon escalated to a tug-of-war with their hands. Mu Nan laughed so hard that he could hardly resist when Qin Huai had him pinned on the bed. "Your competitiveness is unbearable! You need to learn to respect your elders and show some humility. This constant need to be dominant is not good!"
Qin Huai looked down at him with amusement. Every time he lost, Mu Nan would complain about his competitive nature. As Mu Nan started to recount his various competitive offenses, Qin Huai leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Hmm, I'll make sure to be more respectful of the younger ones in the future."
After saying that, Qin Huai lay back on the bed. Mur Nan couldn't help but glance at him and touched his forehead. Although it wasn't the first time Qin Huai had kissed his forehead, the recent kiss felt oddly different, and he couldn't help but look at Qin Huai again.
Qin Huai turned his face away. "Watch your movie, don't worry about me."
Mu Nan huffed, turned away from Qin Huai, and couldn't resist touching the spot where he was kissed again. Was his brother just used to being affectionate since childhood, or was there something more? Even close friends don't usually show such physical affection, especially between men. Mu Nan's suspicious gaze glanced back, but Qin Huai was completely absorbed in the movie, looking perfectly normal. Mu Nan was left puzzled, wondering if his brother's actions had any deeper meaning or if it was just a habitual gesture.