Opening the pot lid, Zhao Lian checked the wolf meat stew inside and felt the steam hit her face, making her cheeks even hotter.
As she added firewood to the stove, Zhao Lian felt a bit annoyed for some reason, thinking about what Achuan had said earlier. She felt she shouldn't be so sensitive since they were all adults and it wasn't a topic that should cause embarrassment. But for some reason, she felt uncomfortable when he, with his incredibly handsome face, said those words. It might be—shyness?
After pondering for a moment, Zhao Lian realized that it's likely she felt shy. It wasn't because she had any other thoughts about Achuan or that she liked him; it was purely a physiological reaction.
Most girls would feel similar emotions if a handsome and tall boy suddenly praised them on the street. After analyzing her intense reaction just now, Zhao Lian inexplicably felt relieved. She stood up, intending to call Achuan back, as he must be very confused at the moment.
Achuan indeed looked puzzled outside the door. Although he was not a woman, he had heard about how difficult it could be for women every month. Could it be because he had mentioned sanitary pads? But why would that make her angry? Isn't it just something women commonly use?
Achuan felt it was inexplicable. It seemed the saying, "A woman's heart is as deep as the sea," had some truth to it after all.
Looking at his own chest, he remembered her pushing against him and how her fingers had felt soft when she applied medicine, but slightly rough due to the harsh environment of the post-apocalyptic world. He resolved to find her some skincare products if he had the chance.
And her angry look just now, her blushing face, even in the dim light of the kitchen, appeared exceptionally beautiful and charming...well, at least more attractive than most women he had seen before.
As this thought formed in his mind, he saw Zhao Lian suddenly walk out of the kitchen.
Seeing her standing a few steps away, seemingly lost in thought, Achuan couldn't help but recall her actions earlier. He saw her blush and stutter while asking him to join her at dinner.
Zhao Lian said, "Dinner is ready, come inside and eat."
Achuan entered the kitchen and saw Zhao Lian busy serving meat and soup into the bowls, so he walked over to place them on the small table.
Then Zhao Lian said, "The lighting here is too dim. Come, I'll take you to a better place."
The two of them went outside, and Achuan led her to the wooden ladder he had set up earlier.
Zhao Lian laughed and said, "You're overthinking, it's just a meal. How are we supposed to climb up while holding our bowls?"
Achuan took the bowls from her and said, "You go up first, and watch me."
Even though Zhao Lian felt a bit helpless, she didn't want to dampen his spirits and climbed up first.
The roof was not the typical triangular sloping one but had a gently curved area in the middle, excellent for drying goods and preventing water accumulation, designed to suit the needs of the homeowners in rainy weather.
After climbing up, Zhao Lian looked at the sunset and realized why Achuan had brought her there. The scene was truly heartwarming.
Observing Achuan's bustling movements, he quickly set up a makeshift device for lifting and lowering using ropes and a wooden bucket.
From today's events, she realized his practical skills were exceptionally strong, and it shattered a few of her previous assumptions.
The two of them sat side by side on the roof, drinking soup and watching the sunset. The almost full moon had quietly risen into the sky.
Listening to the roaring sounds of the leopard eating the wolf meat in the yard, and the squabbling of two little wolves fighting over food, Zhao Lian put down her empty bowl and said, "Shouldn't we give them names?"
Zhou Quchuan had already lay down at this time, with his hands behind his head, lazily saying, "What name to choose? Ah Bao, Ah Da, Ah Er?"
"Phew..." Zhao Lian felt both annoyed and amused, "Can you be a bit more serious?"
"I am serious," Zhou Quchuan sat up, "When naming animals, it's better to keep it simple, so they can understand, right?"
"No, simple doesn't mean that simple," Zhao Lian disagreed firmly, especially for the two little wolves, "Ah Da, Ah Er" and the like are too casual.
"I think the horn on the cheetah's forehead looks like lightning, and it's very fast, so why not call it 'Lightning'? As for the two little wolves, they look very lively and energetic, they will definitely inherit their mother's abilities in the future. The one with a blue pattern on its forehead is called 'Chasing Wind', and the other one with a black tip on its light gray tail is called 'Chasing Moon', what do you think?"
Zhou Quchuan thought to himself: Women are trouble, even choosing names for a few wild animals has to be such a formal thing. According to him, the three names he chose are easier to remember and more pleasing to the ears.
However, he appeared very approving and said, "The names are very pleasant, indeed much better than what I came up with. So, let's go with that."
Zhao Lian smiled and looked up at the moon in the sky, sighing as if to herself, "The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming, it feels like the moon is much brighter than before."
Zhou Quchuan glanced at her and saw the silver moonlight shining on her face at this moment, reflecting a hazy glow.
Looking at her in this way, her profile seemed flawless.
He used to scoff at terms like "little fairy" for describing beautiful women, but at this moment, he really felt that Zhao Lian was like a fairy descending from the heavens. It seemed like with a little more moonlight, she could ascend to become a celestial being.
"Zhao Lian!" For some reason, he suddenly raised his voice and called her name.
"Hmm? What?" Zhao Lian was startled by his sudden loud voice and looked at him with wide eyes.
"No, it's nothing," Zhou Quchuan suddenly realized that his reaction just now was too much. He cleared his throat, looked at Zhao Lian, and felt that she seemed too close to him.
In fact, there was at least fifty centimeters of distance between them, but Zhou Quchuan felt like her face was right in front of him, especially in the hazy moonlight. Her face seemed to exude a kind of magic, disturbing his mind.
"I'm tired, I'm going back to my room to sleep!" Zhou Quchuan suddenly stood up, walked to the edge of the roof, and climbed down the ladder.
Although Zhao Lian found it strange, she didn't think too much about it and just watched his figure as he left, saying, "Be careful, don't fall."
Sitting alone on the roof, and enjoying the moonlight for a while, she took a deep breath, collected two bowls, and was about to go back down. But then she suddenly heard a sound from the ladder, and before long, Achuan came back up again.
"What's wrong?" Zhao Lian looked at him curiously.
"Give me the bowls, I'll take them down, you wait here," Zhou Quchuan took the bucket from her hands and went back down.