RIACMET chapter 198

 

“Brother Jing.”

Jiang Nian stood up and greeted him.

“I thought you were eating at the cafeteria.”

Cheng Jing lowered his voice.

“You’re home. Of course I had to come back.”

Due to occasional scheduling conflicts, the time they spent together each day had become shorter.

Having said that, he stepped into the kitchen.

“Dad, Mom, is there anything I can help with?”

Father Cheng waved his hand.

“No need. Go on and rest. You must be tired after work.”

Mother Cheng turned to him.

“What made you decide to come home for lunch today?”

Cheng Jing walked up to her and gently massaged her shoulder.

“You’re asking even though you already know the answer.”

Mother Cheng brushed his hand away.

“Get lost.”

No one knew whether this man was overly attached to his partner or simply too controlling.

“All right, Mom.”

Cheng Jing smiled and walked out of the kitchen.

Jiang Nian had already taken chilled watermelon and sour plum soup out of the fridge.

“Brother Jing, come here. Have something cold to cool off.”

“Niannian, don’t worry about him. You should eat more yourself. He’s not afraid of the heat.”

His mother’s voice called out from the kitchen. Cheng Jing paused mid-bite of watermelon and looked at the person across from him. He was clearly trying not to laugh, looking both amused and exasperated.

“I understand, Mom~”

Jiang Nian replied sweetly. He took another slice of melon, picked out the seeds with a toothpick, and offered it to Cheng Jing. He whispered to comfort him.

“Eat. Just because you’re not afraid of the heat doesn’t mean it isn’t hot. Brother Jing, you’ve worked hard.”

He had to side with his mom, but he also had to dote on his boyfriend.

Huang Qian had grown the watermelon a few days ago using her superpower. It was large, visually appealing, and juicy but tasted slightly worse than regular watermelon. Still, it was better with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or salt.

Moreover, after what had happened previously, Minister Wang was given a larger share of fruit and vegetables during the distribution.

Minister Wang kept his word. Whenever the base received quality goods, he informed them first and asked if they needed any.

They were also notified about internal planning policies and had their opinions considered.

That kind of support was worth the price.

“…”

Couples in the honeymoon phase felt awkward living under the same roof as their parents.

After dinner, Cheng Jing tried to take his beloved back to the dorms for some privacy—but was stopped by Mother Cheng.

“You’ll be heading to work soon. It’ll be boring for him to sit alone in the dorm.”

Cheng Jing rubbed his nose.

“I’ll drop him off on my way.”

Mother Cheng snorted.

“Are you going to stuff him in your pocket? Do you think everyone can handle the sun like you can?”

“…”

Cheng Jing had no response. He could only look helplessly at Jiang Nian. Jiang Nian pretended not to notice and quietly accompanied Father Cheng as they sipped tea. The two of them moved on to other topics.

Now that they weren’t always working together, Brother Jing had become very clingy lately. Well, let him pout for now.

I don’t mind it, but it’s better not to be too shameless in front of the elders.

Mother Cheng nudged her son with the tip of her shoe.

“Go cut up some more watermelon.”

“…Oh, okay.”

Cheng Jing stood up and walked into the kitchen.

Mother Cheng came in with an empty fruit plate and asked in a low voice,

“Why are you being so suffocating? I barely have any private space left.”

“I’m not controlling him…”

Cheng Jing protested.

“We’re in the passionate phase of love. Isn’t it normal for me to want to be close to my wife? You and Dad are like this all the time.”

Mother Cheng smacked him lightly, annoyed.

“How is that the same? You need to find a balance. Don’t be too possessive. I think Niannian’s a little scared of you.”

After issuing that warning, she set the plate down and walked out.

Cheng Jing rolled his eyes silently. They were just acting like a normal couple. His mom had never seen him be strict before.

That little rascal only acted shy around elders. Why should he be scared of me?

“…”

In the end, I didn’t go back to the dorm.

Someone stomped off to work with a hint of sulkiness. Father Cheng took out a cookbook from the room and began flipping through it seriously.

Mother Cheng pulled Jiang Nian aside and asked,

“Niannian, be honest with me. How does Cheng Jing normally treat you? Has he ever been harsh or threatened you since you two got back together?”

Jiang Nian blinked, surprised, then chuckled.

“Mom, Brother Jing treats me really well. He’s never been mean to me. Don’t worry.”

What did Brother Jing do to make his parents misunderstand him like this?

“Really…”

Mother Cheng looked at him for a long time. After confirming that he wasn’t lying, she finally relaxed and said lightly,

“Then I’m relieved. There’s nothing wrong with Cheng Jing’s character. I was just worried that you might not be able to handle his controlling nature. It’s better when your personalities balance each other out. Otherwise, there will be problems in the long run.”

She knew her son well. Cheng Jing’s personality had become warped after being dumped. Jiang Nian had gone through so much. He didn’t have any close family to stand up for him. If he were mistreated, he might not dare say a word. The thought alone made her heart ache.

She asked because she was afraid that the two weren’t on equal footing in the relationship.

Jiang Nian understood that she was just looking out for him. He gently held her hand:

“Don’t worry, Mom. We’re doing great. Brother Jing treats me really well. I like that he’s so attentive.”

Had he not experienced his past life, he might have been more impulsive now, disliking Brother Jing’s controlling nature and picking fights with him.

But not anymore. Brother Jing’s urge to take control had become one of the things that made him feel safe. He liked being managed by Brother Jing—even if it was a bit excessive.

If Brother Jing ever stopped caring, that might drive him insane.

Mother Cheng suddenly laughed.

“All right then. If he ever bullies you, just come tell us.”

It seemed like she had really misunderstood her son. She’d ease up on them from now on.

Father Cheng, who had been flipping through the cookbook, smiled quietly when he heard that.

…

It was just after 2 p.m. outside the volunteer dormitory gates.

Fully armed soldiers were loading bodies wrapped in torn cloth or straw mats into military pickup trucks.

Jiang Nian was driving a modified pickup truck. Under the scorching sun, the air conditioning barely worked. A few other trucks followed behind. They had come to deliver supplies and did not expect to run into a scene like this.

Tang Ji sat in the passenger seat and sighed.

“Another one’s gone…”

Jiang Nian didn’t say anything. He just pursed his lips and nodded.

Death had become commonplace, yet he still felt uneasy every time he saw it.

Zombies could be controlled to some extent with superpowers, but human nature was unpredictable. That was unpredictable.

About half an hour later, the truck carrying over a dozen corpses drove off. The soldier on guard waved them forward, signaling that they could enter.

Inside the electrified metal gates were rows of concrete dorms with insulated rooftops—two lines of doors facing each other with a corridor in the middle.

The iron doors and windows appeared to be roughly the same size as pre-apocalypse prison cells.

Originally, there weren’t that many volunteer dorms. These had been built recently.

With shelters around the country sending resources to South City Base, many volunteers were transferred there to help with construction.

Jiang Nian and his team didn’t need to deliver the goods to each room. Instead, they brought the goods to the cafeteria area and waited with the supervisors as the detainees—or “volunteers”—lined up to collect them.

After a broadcast and whistle signal, the volunteers began filing out of the dorms in groups and heading toward the cafeteria.

Jiang Nian happened to spot a few familiar faces—people they had once captured from the church.

Da Jun and Xiao Liu were among them.