Before everything goes out

Half an hour later.

The last rays of the sun finally dipped below the horizon.

Li Fei stood on the eleventh-floor terrace, gazing into the distance. The golden filter that had enveloped the entire city at dusk had now turned black.

Pure black.

It was completely different from the city night scene he remembered.

Every building here is dim and lifeless, standing like a corpse.

From here, he could even take advantage of the height of the eleventh floor to watch the entire process of darkness descending...

Bai Xiaowu is right.

"Darkness rises from the ground."

From the ground floor, to the second floor, the fifth floor, the ninth floor...

Darkness seeped out from underground, writhing and piling up, spreading upwards until it engulfed the eleventh floor where he was, continuing upwards to higher places he could no longer see.

"This darkness comes from underground, so what's hidden underground? How high does it rise? Can airplanes fly over there?"

Li Fei suddenly had a brilliant idea.

However, his thoughts were quickly interrupted by shouts from inside the house.

"Time to eat!"

Enter the house.

With Yuan Dahai's help, a whole table of food was ready.

Niu San, carrying a large plate of braised soybeans, walked out of the kitchen with a grin.

"No wonder the little mute is such a good cook; it turns out her dad used to own a restaurant. This smells just right."

Yuan Dahai followed behind him, wiping his hands on his apron:

"Yesterday I tasted Yangyang's cooking, today you gentlemen should try mine. Maybe it's not as good as my son's."

Soon, all the dishes were served.

Yuan Dahai knocked on the bedroom door and called softly:

"Wife and son, time for dinner?"

The door was opened.

Chen Fang led the little mute boy out, both of them with red eyes. It was obvious they had been talking inside while waiting for their food...

Regarding the hardships they have experienced over the past three years, or their plans for the future.

after that.

The family of three, along with Li Fei and his group, sat neatly around the table.

Six people and one dog; Yuan Dahai cooked five dishes.

Wild scallions mixed with soybeans, bean sprouts mixed with ginger juice.

These are two cold dishes.

Stir-fried cured pork with soybeans, braised beef with beans.

These are two hot dishes.

And the final dish was a large bowl of soybean soup made by crushing soybeans and adding ginger slices.

"soy".

There are five dishes in total, and the main ingredient is soybeans.

In fact, Li Fei had already noticed when he went into the kitchen that, apart from canned soybeans, there was almost no other decent food in the house.

Even the dishes on the table, including the cured meat and beef, were brought from the villa and Huanzi's marching rations.

of course.

Li Fei didn't mind either.

Having toured the house, he knew very well that this "soybean feast" was the best hospitality the family could offer.

In terms of food, the quality in this city is not as good as that in Shuanghe Village.

"I'm so sorry, this is supposed to be our treat, but I didn't expect you to have to contribute. I'm really sorry."

Yuan Dahai smiled sheepishly.

Besides guilt, there was also a hint of excitement in that smile.

It's not so much the anticipation of delicious food, but rather the lingering satisfaction after a meal.

As a chef, he has excellent culinary skills, but no ingredients to use. In fact, the last time his family ate anything other than soybeans was two months ago.

at the moment.

The ingredients Li Fei and his group brought included wild vegetables, cured meat, and beef...

These precious ingredients finally allowed him to indulge his passion for cooking.

During those half-hour hours, while preparing ingredients in the kitchen and tossing the wok amidst the fumes, he even felt as if he had returned to ten years ago, when he owned his own small restaurant on the outskirts of the city.

My son had just been born then, and my two elderly parents were still alive.

The restaurant wasn't booming, but he had poured all his savings and energy into it, and with his hardworking wife helping out, it was more than enough to support his large family...

Until the catastrophe occurs.

The world was supposed to collapse then, and everything was bound to decline. Ten years have passed since then.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

Niu San's voice brought him back to reality.

"Eat the second tube first."

As usual, Li Fei fed Ertong a mouthful first.

Only after seeing the dog swallow a spoonful of beans did the group officially begin eating.

"Yo!"

"sure!"

"I never imagined that a soybean could be made into so many different dishes! If we were blindfolded, we wouldn't even be able to tell it's a soybean!"

Niu San ate while giving a thumbs up.

Li Fei also took a spoon and shoveled beans into his mouth one spoonful after another.

It's soft, smooth, and has a subtle sweetness.

As expected of a chef at a Chinese restaurant, and as expected of the little mute boy's father and mentor, the little mute boy's skills are already quite good, but this one is even a notch above.

"Hehe, I'm glad you like it. I can make it every day if you like it."

Seeing the group enjoying their meal, Yuan Dahai beamed with joy.

but.

Li Fei soon noticed that although everyone at the table was eating, the way the chopsticks of the family of three were moving was somewhat different from theirs.

They didn't eat meat; they only ate beans and wild vegetables.

"this..."

He frowned, realizing what was going on.

It is clear.

The family of three wasn't that they weren't tempted by the meat dishes on the table, but rather that they were genuinely embarrassed.

"Eat as much as you like, eat plenty of meat. Don't worry, we have plenty of canned beef in our bags. We can always resupply at the outpost, so don't be shy."

Li Fei greeted him in this way.

Yuan Dahai and his wife Chen Fang exchanged a glance, but still did not pick up any meat with their chopsticks. They simply swallowed their appetite and saliva silently.

"No, no, sir. You all eat well. We're not that hungry anyway."

Not hungry?

You two are both so hungry you're unrecognizable.

Li Fei frowned.

Seeing that the couple insisted on this, he had no choice but to put down his chopsticks and his face turned cold.

"Did you put something in the meat? Is that why you're afraid to eat it?"

Upon hearing this, the couple's expressions instantly changed.

However, before they could speak, Niu Sanxian retorted excitedly.

"How could that be! Li Fei, what are you saying! You've checked this house several times over, and besides, Er Tong clearly..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his mouth suddenly closing.

After being glared at by She Qingqing, he realized that Li Fei wasn't really questioning him, but rather trying to persuade him in a different way.

"Hmph! I knew something was wrong with this dish!"

After understanding Li Fei's meaning, Niu San slammed his chopsticks on the table and looked at the couple.

"Eat up! If you two don't eat, we won't eat either!"

"This...this..."

Yuan Dahai's eyes flickered slightly.

He certainly understood the two officers' true intentions. After exchanging a glance with Chen Fang, he finally picked up his chopsticks, took a small piece of beef, and brought it to his mouth...

Before he could even put it in his mouth, he seemed to remember something and looked at Li Fei and the others with a serious expression.

"Sirs, you escorted Yangyang home and gave us so much food. You are so kind; we don't know how we can ever repay you!"

"Don't worry about that. We want to ask you some questions about Changjiang City. Just answer as best you can."

Li Fei waved his hand.

"Okay, ask me anything. As long as we know it, I will not hide anything from you."

Yuan Dahai nodded with a sigh of relief.

Under the watchful eyes of several people, he finally put the beef into his mouth, chewed it slowly, and swallowed it with satisfaction.