“Yes…”
“No…”
“Yes… no…”
It was ten in the morning.
Lin Zao headed down to the first-floor garage. He climbed into the bed of the pickup truck, ready to sort through the supplies they had brought back the night before last.
There were three gas canisters, three water purifiers, two large plastic buckets, and all sorts of dishes and cookware, along with veterinary medicines scattered everywhere.
A total mess.
According to his plan, he should have organized everything yesterday.
But he had been too busy—sleeping, cooking—and hadn’t gotten around to it.
Now that he had some free time, he needed to tidy up quickly.
Otherwise, the longer he put it off, the lazier he’d get.
And then he’d only deal with it the next time they went out.
Lin Zao stood on the truck bed’s metal surface and hugged a gas canister and water purifier in his arms.
Fu Cheng stood at the back of the truck. When Lin Zao approached, he reached out to take the items.
Lin Zao handed one over, and Fu Cheng took it.
Once they had two canisters ready, Fu Cheng picked one up in each hand and walked toward the spot Lin Zao had designated.
“Brother Cheng, to the left!”
“Brother Cheng, too far left! Come back!”
“Brother Cheng, now too far right! Come back a bit!”
Lin Zao kept changing his mind, and his directions weren’t always clear.
Sometimes Fu Cheng couldn’t tell left from right, so he had to turn his head and check the direction Lin Zao was pointing.
It was just like playing a video game.
Little Zao was the player, and he was the character being controlled.
Still, Fu Cheng was more than happy to let Little Zao control him.
Fu Cheng quirked the corners of his mouth and patiently followed the commands.
Finally, Lin Zao settled on a spot.
“Yeah, yeah, right there! Put them against the wall!”
Lin Zao had deliberately chosen a shady area against the wall, out of the sun’s reach.
These canisters were especially important.
If nothing went wrong, they would provide enough fuel for the next six months and handle their water needs for years.
He couldn’t let anything happen to them.
Lin Zao watched Fu Cheng set the items down, then turned back to grab the rest.
He picked up another gas canister, watching his step to avoid the scattered veterinary medicines, and made his way to the back of the truck again.
But this time, the person waiting outside with arms outstretched was someone different—
Lin Xiaobao stood tall with his chest puffed out.
Mimicking Big Daddy, he raised his little hands high. “Daddy!”
Lin Zao stopped short, not daring to hand over the canister. “Little Bao, what are you doing here?”
Lin Xiaobao tilted his head back, looking up at him expectantly. “I’m here to help Daddy and Big Daddy move stuff!”
“No way,” Lin Zao refused flatly. “You’re just ‘Little Hercules.’ You can’t lift a gas canister.”
“I can,” Lin Xiaobao insisted confidently. “It doesn’t look that heavy.”
“Still no.” Lin Zao stood firm. “Big Daddy’s coming. If you don’t move, you won’t be ‘Little Hercules’ anymore.”
“Then what am I?”
“You’re ‘Little Gas Can Can.’ And ‘Little Gas Can Can’ can’t carry big gas canisters.”
Lin Xiaobao cocked his head, looking puzzled at his daddy.
He didn’t quite follow what Daddy was saying.
He suspected Daddy was teasing him, but he had no proof.
Just then, Fu Cheng walked over.
Wearing gloves, he gripped Lin Xiaobao’s shoulders with both hands and moved the obstructing child aside.
Just like shifting a gas canister.
Lin Xiaobao glanced at Daddy, then at Big Daddy, as if suddenly understanding.
“Daddy, I’m not a gas canister! Big Daddy, you can’t just pick me up and move me around like that!”
Lin Zao handed the gas canister to Fu Cheng and went back for another.
“Big Daddy lifts those canisters with one hand each. But he used both hands for you. That means Big Daddy still loves you.”
“Mm…”
Lin Xiaobao tilted his little head, pondering seriously.
“Still no!”
Lin Zao and Fu Cheng worked in perfect sync, making several trips to unload all the bulky supplies from the truck.
That left the pile of veterinary medicines scattered everywhere.
They had been in too much of a rush back then, just tossing everything into the truck before hurrying home.
Now, the medicines—in small packets, vials, and boxes—were everywhere.
Some had fallen into corners, others had rolled around the truck bed, and a few were wedged in the cracks of the bed liner.
Lin Zao grabbed a broom and swept them down. For those stuck in crevices, he dug them out by hand.
He had Lin Xiaobao fetch a few plastic baskets so they could sort everything.
The family of three sat in front of the baskets.
Fu Cheng and Lin Xiaobao grouped the medicines that looked the same, with matching packaging.
Lin Zao checked the labels to see what each one was for, committing it to memory.
“This one’s for little dogs. Keep it—it’s useful. We have a little dog at home. Put it here, Brother Cheng, Little Bao. All meds that look like this go in this pile.”
“This one’s for chickens and ducks. Keep it—useful. Grandpa Zhang raises chickens. We might too someday. Here too.”
“This one’s for…”
Lin Zao held a small vial, his eyes widening in disbelief as he peered closer.
“Cough… cough cough cough…”
He choked on his own saliva.
Fu Cheng and Lin Xiaobao looked up, setting aside what they were holding to pat his back.
“Zaozao?”
“Daddy?”
“Cough cough cough… this is…”
Lin Zao pounded his chest hard as he spoke between coughs.
“This is for… sows that won’t lactate… hormone meds. Useless… toss it.”
How had they even brought this home? It gave him a real scare!
Lin Zao went through all the medicines, sorting them into baskets based on usefulness.
Most were animal meds, but there were some pleasant surprises.
Like the eight full boxes of large dog muzzles for Fu Cheng. As long as Fu Cheng didn’t deliberately break them, they’d last a long time.
There were also three bottles of wound powder and two big packs of coarse cloth bandages—the kind used in villages for injured cows or dogs from thorns or traps.
They were veterinary grade, not as refined as human meds, but in their current situation, beggars couldn’t be choosers.
Having spares was great.
Lin Zao packed these into a small box, which he stored with their existing medicine kit in the drawer under the living room coffee table.
With everything put away, Lin Zao headed back downstairs to join Fu Cheng and Lin Xiaobao in finishing up.
They tossed like items into baskets, just like those sorting mini-games on the computer.
As he sorted, Lin Zao sneaked a glance at Fu Cheng.
Fu Cheng sat right beside him, focused on the task.
But Lin Zao couldn’t concentrate.
He drifted off into thought again.
About… that dream from this morning…
The one that had left him a bit embarrassed…
Little Bao had been sleeping right there.
He wasn’t sure if it was even possible to do that sort of thing with a zombie.
So he and Brother Cheng had just held each other—held on tight—until they both calmed down.
Nothing else.
Back when Brother Cheng was human, they hadn’t held back. Their frequency had been high, really high.
There were eight days in a week when Brother Cheng made Little Bao sleep alone.
Either bribing him with snacks, telling stories, or waiting till he was asleep and carrying him out.
Lin Zao had gotten used to that life. Sometimes he even enjoyed it.
After all, little husbands needed that friction to deepen their bond.
But now…
Suddenly not being able to do it felt strange. Unsettling.
Was it possible? Could he sleep with a zombie?
Why wasn’t there a “Zombie Caretaking Guide” to tell him?
Lin Zao sorted medicines with one hand while propping his head with the other, his little face scrunched up in worry.
“Yes…”
“No…”
He murmured softly with each vial he tossed.
Lin Xiaobao, squatting across from him, didn’t hear. But Fu Cheng, sitting beside him, did.
Fu Cheng turned his head and stared steadily at him.
Lin Zao looked up, saw his face, and suddenly got annoyed.
“It’s all your fault!”
Lin Zao smacked his arm.
Fu Cheng frowned, looking puzzled.
What now? Why blame me?
“If you hadn’t… done it so much before…” Lin Zao whispered, pinching the firm muscle on Fu Cheng’s arm. “I wouldn’t be worrying now.”
Fu Cheng glanced down at his arm.
Silly Little Zao, giving him a massage.
Lin Zao turned away and grabbed a vial at random.
He hadn’t seen this one before.
Oh, large dog heat suppressant.
Lin Zao dangled the bottle in front of Fu Cheng, lifting his chin in a silent threat.
—Do that again, and I’ll drug you!
Fu Cheng let out a low chuckle.
—As if.
If he got a scratch, Little Zao would panic and insist on the best medicine, the careful bandaging.
Little Zao would never use animal meds on him.
Little Zao adored him.
The family of three finished sorting the supplies and gave the pickup truck a quick cleanup.
Their outing hadn’t involved major dangers, and the truck was fine—just dusty.
A rinse with water and a wipe-down with a cloth, and it was good.
After washing the truck, Lin Zao led the big one and the little one upstairs to the window, where they flipped the thin blankets drying there.
They’d use those blankets tonight.
Busy all morning, lunch was simple.
There were leftovers from last night’s stewed soybeans with pork hocks and kelp soup. A quick reheat, and it was ready.
Lin Zao whipped up a mildly spicy hot and sour shredded potatoes dish to go with it.
After lunch, Lin Xiaobao insisted on watching TV.
He’d wanted to since last night—today it had to happen!
Considering how hard he’d worked that morning, Lin Zao agreed to indulge him.
The family of three dragged over a bed tray table, set out snacks, fruit, and water cups, changed into pajamas, and took turns using the toilet.
Fu Cheng skipped it—zombies never peed in their lives.
Lin Zao and Lin Xiaobao weren’t sure if that made him lucky or just pathetic.
The sky was overcast, the sun hidden behind dark clouds. It wasn’t too hot.
All the household chores were done; the afternoon was free.
Well, there were things to do—like laundry—but Lin Zao wasn’t in the mood.
Whatever. It was another happy day!
The family of three huddled under the blankets, leaning against the headboard.
The TV screen glowed with a soft blue light on their faces.
“Dun dun—dun dun dun—”
The movie they were watching today was directed and starring the famous director Fu Cheng—
Starring the celebrated actor Lin Zao—
Handpicked by renowned critic and viewer Lin Xiaobao, who could watch it a hundred times and never tire—
The highest-rated family theater screening;
Number one in family film history;
Prequel to the family of three’s happy life;
A once-in-a-lifetime production;
Featuring only two leads;
The evil Little Bao Bao wasn’t even there;
Daddy and Big Daddy’s Complete Wedding Video!
