Chapter 145 No one can get something for nothing
"It smells so good..." Ji Mu and Zhang Yuan came out of the tent.
Everyone was busy before, and Ji Mu often tried to help out, such as chopping firewood or skewering meat. But Zhang Yuan was an exception. Every day, he would try to stay in the tent and avoid all possible labor.
However, whenever He Liang's barbecue is about to be finished, or breakfast or lunch is about to be finished at some point, Zhang Yuanalways appears at the first opportunity.
"Heh heh, how about it? Your brother He Liangwas quite famous in the barbecue world back in the day." He Liang smiled and handed a skewer to Ji Mu, then gave one to Xu Nanwei. "A child's privilege."
"Uncle Zhang, do you want some? How about I share with you?" Ji Mu was about to dig in when he saw Zhang Yuan looking at him with longing eyes... at the meat skewers in his hand.
Ji Mu glanced at the meat skewers in his hand and smiled helplessly. He really wanted to eat them too, but he couldn't ignore Zhang Yuan.
Although everyone tacitly agreed to take Zhang Yuan along on the journey these past few days, they didn't provide him with food and drink. While everyone else had food and drink, Zhang Yuan had to find his own food and water.
However, Zhang Yuan was also shrewd. He knew that Ji Mu was kind and easy to manipulate, so he would retreat into his tent during his rest time. When it was time to rest, Ji Mu would naturally share some of his own rations with him.
As usual, Ji Mu handed the meat skewers in his hand to Zhang Yuan and said, "Uncle Zhang, let's eat together."
Zhang Yuan took the meat skewers with a satisfied smile on his face, as if he had obtained some rare treasure.
Just as he was about to take a bite, He Liangcoldly snatched the skewer from his hand and shoved it back into Ji Mu's hand.
"You have the nerve to take things meant for children? No one here gets a free meal if they don't work. I suppose you weren't just eating and drinking for free when you were with Ni Chongyang?"
He Liang's words were like a heavy hammer blow, slamming into Zhang Yuan's face.
His smug smile froze, and his expression turned ugly.
He glared at He Liang, then looked at Ji Mu with a pleading look in his eyes.
But there was a hint of ferocity in his eyes, like a hungry wolf wagging its tail and begging for food; if you don't give it food, it will treat you as food.
Ji Mu was also stunned. These days, he not only had to provide food for Ji Feng, but also share food with Zhang Yuan, even though Yu Miaomiao and Lu An would share most of the responsibility of taking care of his brother.
Even so, with one person working and two people sharing the food, the energy expenditure was high and the food intake was low, and he himself was never really full. He knew that He Liang's action was to help him out of a predicament.
He looked at the meat skewers in his hand, then at Zhang Yuan, and hesitated for a moment.
Zhang Yuan once said that he used to be a doctor, but after being injured, his hands became uncontrollable and always trembled, making it impossible for him to do delicate work. That's why he ended up working for Ni Chongyang to make a living.
It's clear that sending him out to find food or hunt would be mostly futile.
"Brother Liang, how about…" Ji Mu was still defeated by his own kindness and tried to smooth things over, but He Liang interrupted him before he could say anything.
"No, that's the rule. We're a temporary team now, so everyone in the team has to contribute to the team in order to share the results."
He slacks off all day, doing nothing. Why should he eat our food? If he wants to eat, he has to find his own food or do some other work in exchange for it.
As He Liang spoke, he handed Ji Mu and Xu Nanwei each a skewer of meat. " Ji Mu, no one in this world is entitled to receive kindness from others for nothing. You don't owe him anything. We've already repaid him for saving you by taking him in. Are you planning to support him for the rest of your life? You can't and shouldn't do that."
Zhang Yuan's expression turned even uglier after hearing He Liang's words.
He glared at He Liang, then turned and walked reluctantly toward the ruins. It seemed he would have to fend for himself for dinner. He grumbled under his breath, but a new plan was brewing in his mind.
"You treat me like this? I'll send out your locations tonight and make sure none of you survive. Then all your supplies will be mine."
He thought that as long as he could grab enough supplies in the chaos and then take the opportunity to escape, he would be able to find a safe place again and live the life he wanted.
Then he tried to contact Weapon Factory by implanting an earpiece.
"This thing has been having no signal lately, is it out of power..." he wondered as he tried to connect. Ever since he arrived at Yu Miaomiao'splace, he had been unable to contact Weapon Factory.
But now he was quite far from the RV campground and could hear some sounds intermittently.
"Damn it... Could Zhang Yuan have run away? There's been no signal lately..."
Finally, Zhang Yuan heard Scarface's voice. It seemed that the problem wasn't with the communication equipment, but rather that Yu Miaomiao's RV might have some kind of signal jamming enabled, which was why he had been unable to contact her.
"Damn it, if we can't get in touch with him, let's just get rid of him."
"Hey, hey, hey... no, Scarface, I finally managed to get a chance to contact you after hiding for so long..."
Upon hearing Zhang Yuan's voice, the person on the other end was also startled, "I haven't been able to contact you for the past few days, what have you been up to? Send me your location now."
"Okay, okay. Brother, I'll be here to meet you when the time comes."
Xu Nanwei chewed contentedly, then mumbled, "So...delicious, Brother He Liang, your cooking is truly amazing."
He Liang smiled smugly, then looked at Xu Nanwei and asked, " Weiwei, would you like another skewer? I have plenty here."
Xu Nanwei shook her head and smiled, saying, "No need, Brother He Liang, I'm already full. Besides, eating too much barbecue isn't good; it'll make me fat."
He Liang laughed and said, "You little girl, where are you fat? Besides, it doesn't matter if you're a little chubby, health is the most important thing."
At this moment, Ji Mu, who had been quietly eating meat skewers and watching them,suddenly interjected, "Yeah, Weiwei, you're not fat at all. I think you look just right, very cute."
Xu Nanwei blushed slightly. She glanced at Ji Mu, then turned her head away and whispered, "Oh, don't worry about it, I'm full anyway."
In the sky, the sun seemed never to set, its scorching rays relentlessly baking the earth.
However, life must go on.
In this era of frequent apocalypses, everyone has learned to find hope and joy in hardship, and to find strength in despair.
They learned to cherish every moment of peace and beauty, and to support each other and move forward together in times of difficulty.
Food was the only warmth and hope they could find in this apocalyptic Polar Day, at least that's what Yu Miaomiao thought.
Eat well, no matter what.
This is probably the DNA ingrained in every Chinese person.
The fragrant barbecue is not only a delicious treat to satisfy the taste buds, but also a reflection of their love for life and their hopes for the future.
"Everyone, hurry up and eat. After we finish eating, we need to discuss our next plan."
Ji Mu invited everyone to sit down, and everyone's face was filled with a rare sense of ease and joy.