Qiao Jiajin handed over the cloth bag from his waist without hesitation, followed closely by Lin Qin.
Tian Tian, although visibly reluctant, eventually handed over her cloth bag after some deliberation, given her vulnerable position.
Qi Xia collected all the cloth bags, settled down, and began sorting through them. After a short while, he discarded an empty cloth bag and stood up to address the group. "We've accumulated a total of five people's shares this time, amounting to ninety-five {Dào}. Since this number doesn't divide evenly among the four of us, we'll include the one {Dào} we had left from before, making it ninety-six in total. This means each person will receive twenty-four {Dào}."
He handed the three cloth bags back and said, "I've already apportioned them equally. Count them now to ensure the amount is correct, as I will not be keeping track if any are missing later."
Tian Tian swiftly took her cloth bag, opened it, and meticulously counted the orbs inside. There were indeed twenty-four {Dào}, not one less.
Lin Qin and Qiao Jiajin simply hung their cloth bags back on their waists without further inspection.
"Don’t you two want to double-check?" Qi Xia asked. "I am a swindler, after all."
"It doesn’t matter," Lin Qin replied, shaking her head. "If I find any missing in the future, I’ll just snatch them from you."
"Yes, don’t waste your time with those tricks. I won’t fall for them again," Qiao Jiajin added, waving his hand. "Where to next?"
Qi Xia glanced at the bear arm Qiao Jiajin was holding, considered for a moment, and said, "Let's go eat."
The group's approach was quite straightforward: if they could cook the bear arm, they'd eat it regardless of the taste, as long as it filled their stomachs.
However, finding the essentials for cooking in this ruined city proved extremely challenging. There were no clean water sources, stoves, pots, or lighters readily available.
After more than an hour of scouring the abandoned buildings, the group had still found nothing.
When they entered an abandoned restaurant, Qiao Jiajin finally reached his breaking point.
"We can't keep doing this," he said, tossing the bear's arm to the ground and stretching his sore wrist. "Carrying this heavy meat around is unbearable. If we don’t die from starvation, we’ll surely die from exhaustion."
"Thank you for your effort," Lin Qin said with a smile. "Would you like me to carry it for a while?"
"That's not necessary."
"I sense there’s hope here," Tian Tian remarked as she surveyed the restaurant, noting the relatively minor damage.
Indeed, after searching the area, they discovered an aluminum pot hidden under a table. Though slightly deformed, it appeared clean.
"And there’s plenty of firewood scattered around," Qi Xia observed, eyeing the damaged furniture. "We only need water and a way to start a fire."
"I'll check the kitchen," Tian Tian said, heading toward the back of the restaurant. "There might be some water there."
Qi Xia nodded slightly and began to search for other useful items in the room. After a moment, he realized it might not be appropriate to allow Tian Tian to venture alone. He turned to Qiao Jiajin and said, "Qiao Jiajin, you should go with Tian Tian. Keep an eye out for any {indigenous inhabitants}."
"Got it," Qiao Jiajin responded, moving toward the kitchen. But before he could take more than a few steps, he heard Tian Tian's voice from inside.
"Huh? What are you doing here?"
"Ah! Jie jie[1], what a surprise to see you here!"
The voice Tian Tian was speaking to was distinctly feminine.
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin rushed into the back kitchen. They found the slightly chubby young woman standing there, her hand affectionately hooked around Tian Tian's arm.
"Why are you all here? Can this be fate?" the woman said with a smile.
Qi Xia’s gaze turned cold as he fixed a displeased look on her.
The young woman feigned surprise, her expression wide with disbelief. "How is that possible? I was here first."
Qiao Jiajin was baffled. Why had this woman waited here deliberately?
"Are you searching for something?" the young woman continued to inquire.
"Yes, we’re looking for water and a way to start a fire," Tian Tian responded.
"Water and a way to start a fire?" The young woman’s laughter was light and airy. "You’re in luck; both are right here."
With Qi Xia’s wary gaze fixed on her, the young woman approached a built-in cupboard, standing on her tiptoes to open it. Inside, several plastic buckets filled with water were revealed.
The young woman then produced a lighter from her pocket. "See?"
Qi Xia couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all too coincidental, almost as if it had been premeditated.
Tian Tian eagerly accepted the lighter from the young woman and asked, "Are you really going to lend this to us, girl?"
"Jie jie, don’t be so formal," the young woman replied with a disarming smile. "We survivors should support one another."
Tian Tian’s initial skepticism melted away, and she expressed her gratitude with genuine warmth, thanking the young woman profusely.
"What do you want?" Qi Xia interrogated, his tone guarded.
The young woman turned to him with a puzzled expression and replied, "What do I want? I don’t want anything. I'm just merely extending a hand."
"Let’s hope so," Qi Xia responded curtly, then turned his attention to gathering potential firewood.
"That ge ge[2] is so weird." The young woman murmured, blinking her large eyes in confusion. "Why is he so suspicious of me?"
"That's just his personality. It’ll be alright once you get used to it." Tian Tian smiled and said, "Girl, what's your name?"
"Jie jie, you can just call me Xiao Xiao."
Lin Qin observed Xiao Xiao from across the room, her instincts tingling with unease. The young woman’s figure appeared slightly chubby, with broad shoulders and a loose-fitting T-shirt, yet her face was notably thin, creating a discordant impression with her overall physique.
"Xiao Xiao, stay and eat something with us," Tian Tian invited warmly. "We can't finish the bear arm on our own."
"Okay," Xiao Xiao agreed cheerfully.
Though Qi Xia was acutely aware that Xiao Xiao likely had ulterior motives, he chose not to press further. He merely hoped she wouldn’t ‘display her slight skill before an expert’ and attempt any deception.
Qiao Jiajin gathered a few bricks and constructed a makeshift stove. He tossed in some scrap wood and managed to get a fire going.
With Xiao Xiao's assistance, Tian Tian cleaned the pot and set it on the stove, preparing to boil a fresh batch of water.
Qi Xia took charge of preparing the bear arm.
Though he had experience cooking at home, this was his first time handling a bear arm, so he approached it as if he were preparing a chicken. He began by blanching the meat in hot water to remove the fur, then peeled off the skin and rinsed away the blood with clean water. He insisted that Xiao Xiao stay away from the ingredients, and no one protested.
Meanwhile, Qiao Jiajin scavenged the kitchen for a rusty knife. After a quick cleaning and sharpening, he sliced the bear arm into manageable pieces and added them to the pot.
This was the best they could manage under the circumstances—a hearty meat soup.
As they watched the water in the pot gradually come to a boil, the gentle {gurgling} was the only sound filling the room. The group sat in a silent circle, fixated on the pot.
After a while, Lin Qin broke the silence with a question. "Do you think bear meat will taste good?"
"It should," Qiao Jiajin replied confidently. "Haven't you ever tried bear paws before?"
"Have you?" Tian Tian inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"Yes, I’ve had the chance once," Qiao Jiajin said, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "The taste was unforgettable. If I make it out of here, I definitely want to have it again."
Tian Tian shook her head with a touch of exasperation. "You really are a criminal."
"Criminal?" Qiao Jiajin chuckled, puzzled. "Tian Tian, are you feeling alright? It’s not like I hunted the bear myself; it was served at a restaurant."
"Eating bear paws is illegal." Tian Tian retorted. "Delicious or not, is it worth being arrested for?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Qiao Jiajin regarded Tian Tian with scorn. "Since when did eating bear paws become illegal?"
Tian Tian furrowed her brows, feeling a disconnect between her and Qiao Jiajin. Sometimes they got along well, but other times they seemed worlds apart.
"You really should go on the web more often." Tian Tian said with a sigh. "Stop flaunting your ignorance so openly."
"{Web}?" Qiao Jiajin scratched his head, "Are you… referring to the {Interweb} that became popular a few years ago?"