translator: transcendentwings
Translator’s note: I’ve decided to make a big change. I am replacing the shortened version of their class name 武生1班 from Fight for Survival Class 1 to Wusheng Class 1 from this moment on and will be changing previous chapters shortly. I hope this doesn’t bring any confusion to you all.
Zombies may not need to eat, but the students of Wusheng Class 1 still have to offer sacrifices to please their stomachs. If this battle of attrition really took three to five years, then it was estimated that the content of the battle of “how we’ll fight this time” would account for less than 10% while the rest would be “where shall we eat this time.”
Time passed quickly during this rare serious discussion and it was noon in the blink of an eye. The winter sun was as gentle as a lover’s eyes as the snow and frost blanketing the ground began to melt silently under such a gaze. But this was destined to be a painstaking process because the light that contained a touch of warmth was too tender, as if it was reluctant to melt any snowflake. Thus it desperately suppressed the heat it generated in order to let this silver-encased world adorned in white persist a little longer and linger on.
“Isn’t it time for us to turn on the flame and cook?” Li Jingyu’s stomach had been growling for a long time already. Seeing that no one brought it up, he could only tentatively propose it and at the same time, he implicitly expressed his protest against eating vacuum-sealed sweet glutinous chestnut kernels or wafers, “We won’t still be eating snacks for lunch would we?”
“We’re still munching on snacks?!” In contrast to Li Jingyu, Qiao Siqi was much more free and unrestrained. He said whatever he wanted and expressed his wishes bluntly, “Now I am so greedy for meat that I bite my tongue every time I munch, if it goes on like this, I will easily accidentally bite my tongue and commit suicide!”
Zhou Yilu also wanted to eat meat, but he vehemently disagreed with John’s complaint: “You’re greedy for meat? Were all of those shredded squid and beef jerky eaten by a dog?”
Qiao Siqi almost couldn’t maintain his composure and took a long time before he mumbled in a low voice: “You ate it too.”
Zhou Yilu was too lazy to even roll his eyes: “Yes, thank you for awarding me a couple of strands.”
Lin Dilei couldn’t bear it any longer and stood up, shaking out her arms and legs, she tied her hair with the hair tie on her wrist: “What do you guys want to eat, big sis I will make it for you!”
Li Jingyu: “Rice!”
Luo Geng: “Steamed bun!”
John: “Meat!”
Qi Yan: “We have to have some vegetables as well for a balanced meal.”
Wang Qinyuan: “Then let’s add a soup.”
Zhou Yilu: “Isn’t there an oven over there? In fact, it would be nice to have some exotic dishes such as baked rice or lasagna.”
“. . .” Lin Dilei lowered her head, took a few deep breaths in a row and when she raised her face again as she commented very gently with a smile, “You guys spoke too quickly just now, I didn’t catch it all, may you repeat it again?”
Wusheng Class 1 collectively swallowed and in that instant, seven souls reached an unprecedented tacit understanding—
“As long as it’s filling.”
The large stove in the kitchen on the first floor was a singular connected range with more than a dozen burners on it. A giant wok sat on each burner, so big that the cooking spatula was about the same size as a regular metal shovel. A mountain of food occupying an entire plate would come out of it with each use.
There were also two independent small rooms in the spacious first floor kitchen which were situated to both sides of the kitchen. One was a warehouse for storing rice, noodles, grains, and oils and the other was a separate gas room seven or eight meters away from the last stove. Through the glass, one could see four portable gas tanks inside. Apparently this was the source of fuel for those dozen or so large stoves. The size of the gas tanks was much larger than that of ordinary household liquefied gas tanks and looked a little strange at first glance, but were of the same style as the large stove and large woks.
When they aimed for the canteen, everyone was worried that if the canteen used the same kind of gas pipes that the city uniformly utilized to supply gas, then now with the heating stopped, the gas and natural gas or whatever probably wouldn’t be any different. It wasn’t until they ran here and discovered the gas tanks that they could become temporarily relieved.
However, the problems that would crop up were more serious—the gas tanks had a fixed capacity and the fuel would need to be completely replaced if it ran out, but under the current situation, there would be no one to come and replace it, so what should they do when they had to cook later? In the early stages, they may be able to find leftover gas tanks from the second and third floors and of course, it would be another headache if they had to fight over it with the Class 2 students. However, even if they were able to obtain it, it will certainly be used up one day, then what will happen then? It was unrealistic to have a fire that would never go out like the Olympic flame and the burnable things that could be used as fuel in the entire canteen could be counted on one hand, the bread platters, the rolling pins, over. All that’s left after that would be the non-burnable pots and pans and a metal counter with its accompanying plastic chairs.
Since there was no way to solve it for the time being, then they should just focus on the things before them ba.
Lin Dilei walked into the room with the gas tanks and peered at the canisters of gas carefully. In the end she patted them one by one, as if she were coaxing a child: “I hope you guys can hold out for a few more days.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
As the only precious fruit-like existence among the men remaining in the kitchen, Zhou Yilu naturally wanted to act as the kitchen porter. He followed her into the room with the gas tanks and watched Lin Dilei make such a wish upon the canister of gas. He simply stepped forward and hugged the canister and shook it twice vigorously.
Ktf ildelv lcrlvf wjvf j rbecv lc aecf klat atf gtsatw bo Itbe Tlie’r gfueijg rtjxlcu wbalbcr.
Coafg j wbwfca, Itbe Tlie olcjiis gfaegcfv atf ijra mjclrafg ab lar bglulcji qijmf jcv jccbecmfv atf gfreiar bo tlr jqqgjlrji: “Kkb tjnf jybea tjio gfwjlclcu, jcbatfg akb tjnf j ilaaif ifrr atjc atja, jcv bcf tjr ja wbra j atlgv ifoa bnfg.”
In fact, Lin Dilei has never used a portable gas tank before. At home, she had only used the gas provided by the city’s gas lines and after she came to the university, she only used electric stoves to secretly cook, so she asked for advice earnestly at this moment: “How long will it last?”
“The canisters that my family used in the past, if I remember correctly, were 15 kg ba,” Zhou Yilu’s family have stopped using these portable gas tanks in recent years and could only try to conjecture based on his vague recollections, “If we cook normally then it would only be about a month and a half.” As he spoke he observed the canisters before him carefully, on each of them 50kg was labeled in plain sight so after approximating it briefly, Zhou Yilu had a rough estimate in mind, “Right now there is roughly 0.5* 2+0.33* 2 or about 1.66 of the large tanks left, while the large tank is about 3.33x the small one, so 1.16* 3.33* 1.5 is about 8. . . Okay, well, I’m not going to calculate the decimals place any further, so let’s just say eight months.”
“Eight months? You’re sure?”
“Theoretically ba.” Zhou Yilu didn’t dare to state any absolutes in case the classmates were aiming for about a year when in reality it was only four months. If the fire of the stove were to extinguish with a pu before that, then the flame of his life would probably also be snuffed out along with it.
Even if it was only a hypothetical, it could still stir them up to the extent of implanting false hopes. Lin Dilei was practically humming a little tune in joy as she lit the stove fire under Zhou Yilu’s guidance. . .
Hong!
The instant the huge flame was ignited, if it wasn’t for the fact that Lin Dilei hid quickly enough, the few strands of hair that had slipped forward past her face would have been scorched.
“Your, was the fire at your house also so fierce. . .”
“Uh. . .”
“I’m giving you one more chance.”
“There’s definitely no problem persisting for two months based on this ignition rate da!”
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you that acting cute when a woman is angry is suicidal?”
“. . .”
The stoves in the canteen were different from household ones, they were specially designed and the firepower was simply outrageous. Zhou Yilu attempted to adjust the hydraulic valve in the room with the gas tanks for a long time and ended the mission in complete failure. If the setting was adjusted too low, then the flame would immediately be extinguished and when they finally stabilized the flame with difficulty at a level that was similar to the one used to cook dishes at home, but before they could rejoice, they found that such a flame wasn’t enough to heat the large wok up to a suitable temperature and the ingredients placed inside of it wouldn’t cook even after a long time. If they insisted on using such a small flame, although the gas consumption per a unit of time was reduced, but when the dishes were finally fully cooked, the total time of gas consumption was also extended, resulting in a large gas consumption regardless.
If they had to choose between stir-frying it rapidly on high heat or cooking it slowly on low heat, Zhou Yilu would rather save time and act quickly—considering as such, he stopped acting conflicted and decisively turned the flame on high.
Yet this made Lin Dilei suffer.
The dish was cooked in a mess of hurried movements which made her miss the small stove on the second floor very much during the whole process because there, she could cook the bean sprout soup calmly, while she had to stir-fry at four times the speed here otherwise the food would become burnt.
Here, Lin Dilei was brandishing the metal spatula in full swing under the high heat, and over there, Zhou Yilu was competing with the rice steamer. He had studied it for a long time before he finally laid down the rice and soaked it in water before he slid the steamer plate inside. With the heart to at least just try it out, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and pressed the start button in trepidation.
The six companions observed the whole process from a distance and were full of emotion at this time—
Qiao Siqi: “The two of them seem more nervous now than when they were battling it out with the zombies. . .”
Li Jingyu: “They’re investing too much into it.”
Luo Geng: “And they’re even sweating, such a cold day, and the two of them are sweating.”
Qiao Siqi: “The way you guys are describing it, makes it sound as if they’re doing something shameful.”
Wang Qingyuan: “Only you are thinking that way!”
Song Fei, Qi Yan: “Uh. . .”
“I’m sorry, it’s me who isn’t fitting in well.” Wang-tongxue, the only one who hadn’t obtained his driver’s license, decided to go off to the side and calm down in solitude.
Half-raw rice, cabbage that was stir-fried until it melted in your mouth, fortunately there were plenty of pieces of meat which saved this disastrous lunch. Wusheng Class 1 also didn’t care about the question of whether it was too pitiful for eight people to dine on one dish, after all, it was a plentiful, copious plateful and the long-lost taste of home-cooked food it brought made them devour it all ravenously.
At first, some people still took the time to say a few words, muttering with their cheeks full as they commented on the food or just chatted casually. However after that, no one continued to speak.
A strange emotion was gradually revived along with the warmth in their stomachs.
If this was in the past, no one would find such an ordinary meal strange, but after eating instant noodles, Eight Treasures Porridge, and snacks continuously for days on end, after experiencing all kinds of thrills and hardships, to be able to sit down and eat such a feast as such a meal again made it hard for them to do it with a peaceful heart—It turned out that the most intimate things in the world were those that you had never cared about but were extremely familiar with, such as the grass and trees in your hometown, the nagging of your parents, and the daily smoke rising from the stove at home.
A teardrop plopped into the food, Lin Dilei cupped her bowl, lowered her head, and blinked her eyes hard, suppressing the subsequent tears that still wanted to fall.
No one found out.
Because the male classmates weren’t doing all that much better, those who were homesick thought of their home, those who were missing their mom thought of their mom, it’s just that boys shouldn’t cry so easily.
Song Fei sniffled. After taking the last bite of his food, he felt that the atmosphere was a little depressed. Casting a look around, he had an epiphany and quietly got up.
“What are you doing with the spatula?” Qiao Siqi, who hadn’t finished eating, saw Song Fei go to an unused giant wok and take out the spatula for stir-frying from it with sharp eyes.
“Nothing, just continue eating.” Song Fei perfunctorily brushed his words off and approached a window.
Qiao Siqi shrugged his shoulders, ignored him, and continued to eat.
The other companions also glanced at Song Fei briefly, but since the latter habitually didn’t operate via normal means, his comrades just let him do what he wanted.
Except for Qi Yan.
As soon as Song Fei sought out the spatula, Qi Yan already knew what he that he was up to no good, thus was vigilant from start to finish.
Song Fei didn’t know and was still under the assumption that Qi Yan was also completely unaware. After confirming that there still weren’t any zombies outside, he secretly opened the window, and reached out with the giant spatula that was no different from a metal shovel, gently shoveling a neither too thick nor thin layer of snow from the ground that had yet to melt. After he finished, he gingerly retracted the spatula and laid it flat on the floor. Closing the window, he squatted down to gather the snow that sat on the spatula, forming a medium sized mass of snow in the palm of his hand.
He was fully prepared, and was only missing an unfortunate target.
Revealing a mischievous wicked smile, Song Fei turned around and was about to return to the group when he met the eyes Qi Yan narrowed dangerously.
Song Fei made a face, and hastily made a “Shh, keep quiet” gesture.
A trace of suspicion flashed in Qi Yan’s eyes, but he didn’t expose him.
Song Fei crept behind Wang Qingyuan, who was still eating, hooked his index finger on the back of his collar, and sent the snowball in his other hand straight at his neck with lightning speed.
When Wang Qingyuan finally realized something was wrong, the chilly mass of snow had already rolled into the depths of his clothes, bringing the unwanted refreshing chill of ice wherever it touched.
Wang Qingyuan was actually able to hold himself back and didn’t shout, but he immediately sprung to his feet. Just looking at Song Fei’s expression and the spatula at the base of the window was enough for him to understand what was going on. He didn’t waste any time and stalked towards the window, shoved it open, then scooped up a shoveful of snow as well!
Half a minute later, the snowball Wang Qingyuan made was agilely dodged by Song Fei, but ultimately hit Qiao Siqi, who was behind him, full in the face.
How could Qiao Siqi allow himself to suffer such a loss, and so he immediately joined the battle.
In just a few minutes, the entire Wusheng Class 1 entered a merry snowball fight mode. Although they didn’t dare to call out too unrestrainedly, everyone’s face was still covered with long-lost joy.
—All except for Qi Yan.
As the first person to discover Song Fei’s intent, Qi Yan’s change in emotional ups and downs was very complicated. At first he was proud, see, I saw through you ba. Later it was full of warning, you dare to try and aim at me? Then, judging by the indifference on the other’s face, he realized that the other’s original target wasn’t him in the first place. In the end, it was Wang-tongxue who was the lucky winner, the one who he still couldn’t bring himself to like.
To believe that one’s affections were reciprocated ah, was such a heartbreaking thing.
Somewhere in the kitchen the two classmates Qiao Siqi and Zhou Yilu, who came to a temporary truce because they were tired from fighting, noticed the unusual silence of their comrade in the distance—
Qiao Siqi: “What is he thinking about over there again?”
Zhou Yilu: “I don’t know.”
Qiao Siqi: “He looks very troubled ah.”
Zhou Yilu: “He has too much on his mind and thinks too much.”
Qiao Siqi: “If you were to fall in love with someone like Song Fei, would you be able to play around heartlessly?”
Zhou Yilu: “It depends on the situation. . .”
Speaking of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao exclaimed from over there promptly—
“Qi Yan, why are you sitting there like an old man ne, be more lively ah, after all, Zhou Yilu estimated that we could stay here for at least three months!”
The two retracted their gazes and continued—
Qiao Siqi: “And now?”
Zhou Yilu: “I would go become a monk the day I found out that I fell in love.”
In the Korean specialties kitchen on the floor above, six heads were by the window.
Fu Xiyuan: “What are they doing, stretching out the spatula every now and then to shovel?”
Wu Zhou: “We are located in the ancient capital where there are many tombs, did they discover some sort of clues?”
Zhao He: “Don’t speak blindly, would they rob graves when things are like this?”
He Zhiwen: “Maybe they’re trying to find a hole on the side to enter the tomb and hide from the zombies.”
Feng Qibai: “They’d be able to hide from the zombies, but what if they end up encountering a Jiangshi?”
He Zhiwen: “I’ve found that your critical thinking is very sharp ah. . .”
Huang Mo quietly left the window side, found a corner to sit down, and began to seriously consider whether she should transfer classes.
Author’s Chapter Summary:
Eating home-cooked meals after the snow, stealing a moment of happiness amidst the sorrow!
The translator has something to say
Thank you for the chapter!
thanks for the chapter!
thank you for the chapter! i cant wait for the next
whoops posted 2 comments by accident, a double thanks i guess!