The Taste of Home

"Don't just focus on the rice, have some dishes too."

Shen Yi encouraged Cheng Jun to try the dishes.

They weren't yet familiar enough to serve food to each other, so Shen Yi could only verbally encourage her.

Cheng Jun sniffled and blinked back her tears.

"Okay."

"Try them and give me your feedback."

Shen Yi had prepared three dishes in total.

One plate of stir-fried luncheon meat with bean sprouts, a bowl of beef and tomato stew, and vermicelli with preserved vegetables and pork.

On the table was also a small plate of pickled cucumbers brought from the restaurant as a side dish.

Though not extravagant, he had tried to make everything as refined as possible.

Even the best cook can't make a meal without ingredients, and given the limited supplies, Shen Yi had done his best.

Cheng Jun picked up a steaming piece of beef and put it in her mouth.

The beef was so tender it melted on her tongue, the sweet and sour taste of tomatoes permeating her mouth.

The rich aroma went straight to her head.

"Delicious..."

Cheng Jun only managed to say one word before unconsciously speeding up her eating.

Her chopsticks moved swiftly as she ate with evident enjoyment.

Seeing this, Shen Yi also tried a piece and nodded with satisfaction while eating some rice.

It would be an exaggeration to call this meal a feast of delicacies.

But after not having proper food for over ten days, hot rice with stewed dishes was a welcome change.

Their deprived taste buds were awakened by the flavors, and after being hungry for so long, they naturally found everything delicious.

They didn't speak for the rest of the meal, just focused on eating.

The pot of rice was completely finished between the two of them.

There was quite a bit of the dishes left that could be reheated for dinner.

Cheng Jun sat on her stool, holding her stomach and resting.

She had truly eaten her fill, consuming two bowls of rice alone, something she had never done even at home before.

Now her small mouth was slightly open, with a grain of rice stuck to her oily lips, looking quite adorable.

Shen Yi smiled and pointed to his own lips to remind her.

Cheng Jun stared at Shen Yi in confusion before finally realizing.

She quickly removed the rice grain, her face gradually turning red.

Though the meal seemed simple, it wasn't easy to prepare.

The only fresh vegetable was bean sprouts, which Cheng Jun had sprouted from soybeans three or four days ago.

The luncheon meat was canned, the beef and tomatoes were canned, and the preserved vegetable pork was also canned.

The ingredients were quite limited.

However, they had plenty of seasonings like oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, doubanjiang, and chili sauce. Although the presentation wasn't great, the taste was quite good.

The flavors were quite strong, which was why they were both drinking water now.

Shen Yi had a bigger appetite and wasn't as stuffed, so he let Cheng Jun rest while he started cleaning up.

Seeing this, Cheng Jun quickly stopped him,

"Hey, wait, let's establish some ground rules first."

"Oh? What kind of rules?"

Shen Yi paused and asked her.

"It's just the two of us now, and we have to do everything ourselves. We can't rely on you for everything; we should share the responsibilities fairly."

Cheng Jun said seriously to Shen Yi.

Seeing she wasn't joking, Shen Yi nodded and said:

"That's reasonable, tell me what you have in mind."

Cheng Jun had been rehearsing this in her mind for a long time. In this environment, it was impossible to be completely independent from Shen Yi, but she didn't want to trouble him with everything.

They had been strangers before, only forced together by their current circumstances.

She wasn't yet sure about Shen Yi's personality, and didn't know how long they would have to live together.

So she felt it was important to establish division of labor and clear responsibilities early on, to avoid future conflicts.

If things went sour with Shen Yi, Cheng Jun felt she would be the one at a disadvantage.

"Here's what I'm thinking: we split daily tasks equally, and if new tasks come up, we can discuss how to handle them."

Cheng Jun counted on her fingers as she explained to Shen Yi,

"Considering you're male and I'm female, you can handle the physically demanding work like moving things, fetching water, and gathering supplies. Things like cleaning rooms, doing laundry, washing dishes, cooking..."

"Ah, I don't know how to cook yet, but I can learn..."

At this point, Cheng Jun looked embarrassed, remembering that Shen Yi had just cooked their meal.

Given her skill level, she didn't feel confident taking on that responsibility.

However, Shen Yi would surely need to go out to explore and search for supplies, and he couldn't be expected to cook for her after a busy day.

So Cheng Jun thought she could learn gradually, hoping to have meals ready when Shen Yi returned.

This speech made Shen Yi quite impressed, and he repeatedly praised her,

"That's an excellent suggestion, I completely agree."

Cheng Jun's thinking showed true equality, not using her status as a woman to claim more privileges.

This was actually quite rare, as she might not have initially had this perspective, but being attractive often meant receiving preferential treatment, and with society promoting "ladies first," one tends to get used to such privileges and naturally develops biased thinking.

Even if she hadn't said anything, Shen Yi would have been willing to take care of her more in daily life.

But her bringing this up made Shen Yi feel even more at ease - it was always comfortable to live with someone reasonable.

"Alright, then it's settled."

Cheng Jun stood up and began collecting the bowls and chopsticks.

"This is my job now, so you shouldn't touch it."

Shen Yi's lips curved into a smile, finding Cheng Jun not only free of princess syndrome but also cute and principled.

She was very considerate, and the system's random matching had given him quite a treasure this time.

If nothing else, just not having to wash dishes was a win for him.

He hated cleaning up and washing dishes more than cooking.

Humming a tune, Shen Yi went downstairs.

Cheng Jun used some of the leftover rice-washing water mixed with clean water to wash all the dishes.

Water was precious and couldn't be wasted, but they had plenty of kitchen paper - Shen Yi had brought back more than a dozen rolls.

She dried everything thoroughly with paper towels.

These were tasks that Cheng Jun had rarely or never done before.

Though there were some stumbles, she managed well enough, as they were all simple tasks.

Downstairs, Shen Yi was still busy.

Having just moved into their new home, there was much to be done.

The small Western-style house had just been renovated, and most rooms were empty.

Planning for long-term living, they were being very methodical.

They had plans for what supplies would go in which rooms, with easy access to rice, flour, water, grain, and oil.

Shen Yi had also gone to the furniture mall to bring back plenty of furniture.

Complete sets of tables and chairs, assembled sofas, and simple storage cabinets.

These days they had been busy from morning till night, falling asleep as soon as they lay down, but living quite fulfillingly.

Another week passed.

Gradually, the living room filled with more furnishings.

They had wanted to add some plants, but the potted plants Shen Yi found had mutated.

Thick root systems had cracked the pots and burrowed into the soil to absorb nutrients independently.

They had to settle for several cacti on the windowsill instead.

Cheng Jun had also found various decorative items and wall art to beautify their surroundings.

Even in the apocalypse, they still pursued a beautiful life.

After finishing everything, they couldn't help smiling at each other before quickly averting their eyes.

Whatever else, it now felt like home.