NOVEL NEXT Chapter 50—House Rules (2)
Chapter 50—House Rules (2)
by Bocchan13
Song Yu was making rice porridge, shredding white meat chicken strips into the gurgling pot. He heard the rooms upstairs make noise and didn’t turn around as Lu Jingxiu and Xiao Zi came in. Yawning, they sleepily greeted him and helped him prepare the coffee. Song Yu checked the leftover inventory of the coffee and deduced that he would need to learn how to make coffee beans.
“It’s okay. If we’re running out, we can drink normal water. It’s no big deal.” Xiao Zi read Song Yu’s mind, leaving him a little baffled.
“N-no, it’s not that. It can last us another few years or so. I just want to know if I can plant them.”
Xiao Zi and Song Yu pondered on the cultivation of coffee beans, whilst Wang Cheng came in. His bed head was apparent, and his eyes spoke volumes that he didn’t sleep well.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t know. I had a weird dream that kept me up all night. I heard a voice telling me to meet them.”
“Oooh, creepy.”
“Tell me about it.”
They finished prepping the breakfast and had Lu Jingxiu call Lan Zhou and Yu Ci back. Song Yu could see that the invisible wall was gone as the two of them smiled coming in. Lan Zhou sat next to Song Yu and waited until everyone was seated before they dug in.
“We will have a meeting in a bit to discuss about what the house rules are. There is room for compromise, but note that Song Yu has the ultimate decision-making power, okay?”
Everyone agreed over porridge and continued to talk little tidbits here and there before cleaning up. Song Yu went upstairs and took the papers he needed before heading to the formal dining room. Instead of the uneasiness from their first meeting, everyone was more relaxed and comfortable.
Song Yu took the helm once more and sat down eagerly. He took out his notes before clearing his voice.
“Okay, everyone. Now that we are going to be living together, I do have some rules and agenda’s everyone has to follow. If you have any questions, you can ask at the very end. Let’s get started.”
“I’ve categorized everything into a daily aspect, weekly aspect, monthly, and yearly aspect. Starting with daily, as you can see, this place is very different from the outside. The lake behind the villa has purity properties and flows throughout the property. But that doesn’t mean the virus can’t enter. Please observe every food we grow for the virus.
“Another thing to note is that you can’t ask me any questions about this place. It’s kept under wraps mainly for security reasons. The only thing you should know that if you share this place to the outside world, it will cease to exist.”
Lan Zhou and the rest agreed. It was a given. Song Yu sighed belatedly.
“Daily chores consists of waking up early, feeding the animals twice a day, cleaning the stalls, gardening, picking fruits, cleaning the house, and cooking for everyone. This will be done in rotation so everyone can get rest after 3pm to which you can do whatever you want.
“Any food taken must be recorded in the account book, anything broken please let me know, or if there is a need like supplies make sure you say so. That concludes daily chores. Weekly, we will check the mushrooms in the dark room and have exercise in the common gym area. I have several types of weaponry that you can choose. If you would like to exercise daily, you can do so as long as you clean up afterwards.”
Everyone got excited when Song Yu said this. Albeit liking the gardening slice of life world they stumbled upon, they were still soldiers and needed the exercise to keep in shape. Song Yu’s gym was the perfect place.
“You need to keep in shape for the monthly job. I used to do a monthly check of the surrounding areas. As you know, I made zombie pits in a 5 hour perimeter of this place. Every month I would hunt them down so that they wouldn’t spawn or mob in the vicinity. Since there are 6 of us now, I want groups of 2 to go every month and do this job. I’ll personally lead all five of you first so you know where the trail is, but after that, I expect you to fulfill this.”
“Yes! Zombie killing! I felt like I was in an alternate universe, so seeing zombies again can re-ignite my blood!” Wang Cheng and Yu Ci high-fived each other, smiling.
Song Yu smiled and looked down at his paper.
“This trail takes roughly a week, and Derpy knows the route and rest stops. It will be easy. If there is any change in zombie behavior, don’t hesitate to abandon the trail and come back. Your safety is always the priority.”
“For now, we won’t have to worry about food and water. What we need most is—cough—uh…clothes for you guys. I used the last of my cotton material to make your shirts. During the trip, we can detour to find some.”
Everyone nodded eagerly.
Song Yu talked more about the place, even taking them to each room and showing them how everything was done. Song Yu was extremely transparent on all of the tasks. Cleaning the solar panels, fruit picking, window cleaning, gate maintenance, it was as if this was one giant machine that blended with each other.
The group were in awe at how long term Song Yu’s plans had been. This place wasn’t just a well-oiled machine, but an ecosystem where everything complimented together. Song Yu had his lazy days and his productive days, so even if he didn’t do work for a couple of weeks, the flow of tasks wouldn’t stutter.
With the addition of Derpy and Squinty, everything fell into place. Song Yu had led everyone outside to the gate that spanned the entire place. Lan Zhou touched the gate and felt that the interior must have been infused with rubber. This was another point that Song Yu was reborn.
Rubber was a zombie deterrent, but it wasn’t common knowledge until 8 years into apocalypse. Song Yu led the group to the lake. It had vibrant crystal blue water. Everyone looked inside to see fish swimming inside as well as aquatic ferns and logs.
“This is the lake. You can fish here, but after dark you are not allowed here. This is a rule I will not bend on. If I see anyone of you at the lake during nighttime, you are to leave. Am I clear?”
Song Yu turned to everyone, his eyes darkening with coldness. Wang Cheng gulped and nodded his head, Xiao Zi and Yu Ci also agreed. Lu Jingxiu wanted to ask, but remembered Song Yu’s warning about asking too many questions about this place. He could only agree for now but investigate it later.
He trusted Song Yu, but if Song Yu was hiding something akin to B Bases experiments, then he had cause to worry. He didn’t know what the lake properties were, if Song Yu did something to it or not.
Lan Zhou who knew Song Yu was the purifying ability user understood that at night was probably the time Song Yu would purify the lake and didn’t want the others to know.
“We agree. The lake seems to be extremely pure. I’m sure it’s doing its best to stay clean.”
Article 12—Make sure to compliment your love interest in their endeavors
Lan Zhou patted himself on the back whilst Song Yu scoffed.
The lake did nothing, it was all me. Song Yu thought bitterly.
…
By the time Song Yu was done explaining the ins and outs of the place, everyone was tired from the overload of information. Feeling sheepish, Song Yu let them have the rest of the day to rest and went off to help Squinty herd the animals back to their paddocks. Lan Zhou wasn’t as fatigued and learned how to do so.
Lan Zhou watched as Squinty expertly led the pigs and chickens to their respective places. Song Yu was using a rudimentary herding stick and was leading the cows from the grazing pasture. Lan Zhou also led a few goats and their babies to the stalls. Lan Zhou was still amazed that Song Yu had a full farm of non-zombified animals.
Every space of this place was filled with purified water, air and soil. Song Yu himself was purity in a can. He exudes it like a holy being. Combined with his warmth and soft presence, it was no wonder Paradise Base was called the holy land of the apocalypse.
But even paradise had to fall one day. Lan Zhou could recall all of the rumors surrounding it. That Paradise Base was built on the suffering of other bases. That the price of their purifications was astronomical, causing the suffering of everyone near it. It absorbed other bases into its claws and didn’t let go.
Lan Zhou knew that Song Yu might not have been responsible for this, but it wasn’t too far of a stretch to say that Song Yu was a participant. There was ruthlessness in each person of the apocalypse. Lan Zhou wondered what category Song Yu put himself in.
But seeing Song Yu now; peaceful, smiling, and exuding happiness, Lan Zhou was affected. The Song Yu in front of him was the one he believed in. He had killed comrades and innocent people as well, yet Song Yu still liked him. A relationship was a two way street, and despite walking a little further than Song Yu, they would still meet in the middle.
Song Yu had finished putting the cows away when he saw Lan Zhou watch him with soft gentle eyes. Song Yu’s heart warmed up and a blush settled in his cheeks. Walking to him and putting his hand in his, they shyly took a leisurely walk.
They talked in soft voices about what they wanted to do, improvements on the place and just nonsensical things in general. It was like a small date. Song Yu could feel Lan Zhou’s care in every aspect. This made him extremely happy.
Song Yu had never felt this happy in his entire life. Lan Zhou made all of the bad parts of his past disappear. One day, Song Yu would have the strength to tell Lan Zhou about his past. For now, he still had to piece his missing memories together and come to terms to what happened in his past life.
He still had nightmares, but they were gradually going away.
It was the will to overcome this trauma that made Song Yu strong.