Miss Cousin is Always Busy

MCAB – Chapter 206

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TL Notes:

Edit (9th March 2022): The location Jun Zishu’s group escaped to is changed to the food court instead of the cafeteria. The author keeps using “cafeteria” and “food court” interchangeably, and I got confused.

…

After Ren Nanying climbed down from the dormitory, she began running with wild abandon. She was very good at sprinting and long-distance running, so she didn’t have any trouble outrunning the zombies.

Her goal was to lure the zombies away, so she did not run in the food court’s direction. Instead, she turned the corner and ran to the Arts Building.

Ren Nanying originally wanted to head for the Medical Building. However, after giving it some thought, she decided it was best to head for the Arts Building. This was because the Arts Building seemed easier to climb.

Ren Nanying ran at a leisurely pace as she led the zombie army around. Then, when she saw another group of zombies appearing ahead of her, she promptly accelerated and ran up to the Arts Building’s side.

There was a water pipe located on the side of the building, and Ren Nanying used it to climb to the roof. This wasn’t her first time climbing a building this way, so she reached the roof in no time at all.

Fortunately, the roof was very safe, and the zombies could only growl downstairs with no way to get to her.

The Arts Building’s roof was decorated with plants, and they looked green and refreshing. Once autumn arrived, the leaves here would turn red, and it would definitely create a wonderful scenery.

While leaning against a wall covered in green vines, Ren Nanying dangled her legs off the roof’s ledge and thought about Jun Zishu.

Did they get to the food court safely? I hope nothing happened on the way.

After thinking of Jun Zishu, Ren Nanying started to think about how she should escape from the Arts Building.

The weather was a little cool, but Ren Nanying had just done some strenuous exercises, so she didn’t feel cold at all.

After the zombies downstairs lost sight of Ren Nanying, they loitered around for around ten minutes before wandering off in all directions.

Based on her observation, Ren Nanying found that these monsters moved slower than the average person. Moreover, they all had individual differences that were most likely caused by the physical qualities they possessed pre-zombification.

She also noted that these zombies located their prey through smell and sound. Although their eyes remained functional, probably due to degradation or mutation, their vision was very weak.

However, while these disadvantages made the zombies an easy opponent in a one-on-one situation, these zombies typically moved in groups. In addition, they would growl and attack excitedly as soon as they discovered new prey, the noise attracting more zombies to join the party.

…

After spending half an hour on the roof, Ren Nanying wiggled her arms and legs to warm them up. Then, she climbed down using the water pipe on the other side of the Arts Building.

When Ren Nanying climbed down, she came across two wandering zombies. Without hesitation, she charged forward and dispatched them with her dagger before they could make noise and attract more of their kind.

After cleaning her dagger using one of the zombies’ shirt, she held her breath and started running back the way she came.

However, shortly after she started her jog, a zombie caught a whiff of her scent and let out a howl. Left with no better choice, Ren Nanying changed her plan to take things slowly and began sprinting in the direction of the food court’s back door.

When Ren Nanying climbed up the staircase leading to the food court, the zombies stumbled, and their advance slowed down.

However, Ren Nanying did not let her guard down despite seeing this situation. This was because zombies were coming after her from the front as well.

When Ren Nanying reached the back of the food court, she saw that the white stainless steel door was shut properly. Then, after running up to the door, she knocked on it three times, and Jun Zishu promptly opened it for her.

Seeing the zombie army fast approaching them, Jun Zishu promptly shut the door after Ren Nanying got in. Then, the two of them leaned their backs against the door in preparation for a battering.

While listening to Ren Nanying’s labored breaths, Jun Zishu pointed at the row of zombies lined along the corridor and said, “You can go in and rest first. We’ve taken care of everything already,”

Liu Manman had wanted to carry the zombie corpses into the corridor and be done with them originally, but Lin Su insisted on lining them up side by side, resulting in the current harmonious sight of the zombie family.

Liu Manman’s first reaction was to naturally protest against Lin Su’s crazy idea. However, before she could open her mouth, Xu Qiu had already gone to help Lin Su move the corpses. So, she had no choice but to follow suit.

Perhaps because Ren Nanying had run quickly, the zombies surprisingly did not bang on the door.

When Jun Zishu looked at her map, she could see many red dots scattered outside the door. However, none of the zombies outside approached the door.

Seeing that they were safe for now, Jun Zishu pulled Ren Nanying through the corridor and into the back kitchen.

The corridor led to three locations: the back kitchen, the front kitchen, and the toilet.

The toilet was located on the other end of the corridor, and of the two iron doors that lined the corridor, one of them led into the back kitchen. After Jun Zishu closed the iron door, the back kitchen became an isolated space.

As for the other iron door, it had already been locked before Jun Zishu’s group arrived, and that door led to the food court’s food counter. The people fleeing into the back kitchen must’ve locked that door while they were running away from the zombies. However, some of them must’ve been bitten or scratched, and they all ended up turning into zombies before they could lock the back kitchen door.

“Cousin! You’re back! It’s great that you’re safe!”

Liu Manman breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ren Nanying reuniting with them in one piece. At the same time, she also couldn’t help but look at Ren Nanying in admiration.

Jun Zishu: Who are you calling cousin?

Lin Su: That’s right. Is she your cousin?

Xu Qiu: That’s right, that’s right.

Liu Manman: Ermmmm… Cousin wouldn’t mind it. Our goddess’s cousin is our cousin!

Ren Nanying: But I do mind it.

Lin Su: How realistic.

Xu Qiu: How realistic.

Liu Manman: How realistic.

Ren Nanying sat beside Jun Zishu, and Jun Zishu passed her a water bottle.

By now, Jun Zishu was certain that Ren Nanying was that person. Although that person seemingly didn’t possess any memories of their past lives, she would somehow always try to get close to her.

When Jun Zishu thought of this situation, an inexplicable sense of joy appeared within her.

Who could she be? Jun Zishu wondered.

After taking a sip of water and catching her breath, Ren Nanying asked, “Have you guys checked the place yet?”

“We did. There’s quite a lot of stuff here,” Lin Su said, nodding. They had been overjoyed when they saw how much food was left in the back kitchen. The only problem was that the kitchen mainly used large woks to cook, so it would be tough for them to cook the ingredients here. The rice cooker was also gigantic compared to household ones, and it wasn’t even electric-powered.

“Let’s all get some rest first. We’ll cook lunch once we recover our stamina,” Jun Zishu said after taking a look outside through the back kitchen’s window.

Currently, other than the red dots inside and outside the food court, Jun Zishu’s mental map also showed a few blue dots on the second and third floors of the food court.

Setting aside individual restaurants, Jun Zishu’s university had five cafeterias on campus. The cafeterias were of varying sizes and scattered across the campus. Out of the five cafeterias, the food court had the best specifications for no other reason than because it had three floors, while the other cafeterias only had two floors.

Prices increased according to the floor one dined on. Naturally, the quality of the food served also increased accordingly, and the food served on the third floor was the best. One could even make individual orders on the third floor. The food served on the first and second floors was largely the same. The only difference was that the second floor had a milk tea store, so the second floor appeared a little more luxurious than the first floor.

The blue dots on the second and third floor added up to quite a significant number. It would seem that everyone was doing their best to survive.

After the five girls recovered from their exhaustion, they began looking for food to eat.

There were two big baskets of steamed buns and a large pot of cooked rice left out on the kitchen counters. However, both had long since grown cold and stale.

Out of the four residents of Room 412, Lin Su was the best at cooking. So, she took on the responsibility of head chef, while Xu Qiu worked as her sous-chef.

Lin Su made a simple stir-fry meat dish with some vegetables and some boiled egg soup. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but they needed to conserve their food supplies since they had no idea how long they needed to stay here.

Jun Zishu had no idea, either. She only knew that the apocalypse would end, not when it would end. This was because the plot outline she received ended when Ren Nanying died.

The group didn’t bother cooking rice. Instead, they used the microwave to heat up the steamed buns that had gone stale.

“I’ve never tried eating steamed buns as a staple food before,” Lin Su, a southerner, said as she bit into her steamed bun.

“What? You southerners don’t normally eat steamed buns?” Xu Qiu, a northerner, said as she swallowed the steamed bun in her mouth.

“We usually only have steamed buns for breakfast. Although there would still be people selling steamed buns in the afternoon, we typically have rice for lunch and dinner,” Lin Su answered after taking a sip of soup.

Liu Manman: This is an unresolved dietary differences between the north and the south. May I ask if you like eating sweet or salty beancurd pudding?

Xu Qiu: Salty.

Lin Su: Sweet.

Liu Manman: Okay. Our two female guests have failed to hold hands. (TLN: dating show reference)

Jun Zishu: Sweet.

Ren Nanying: Sweet.

Liu Manman: Okay. Congratulations to our two female guests for holding hands successfully.

In response, Ren Nanying simply chuckled and leaned against Jun Zishu.

Liu Manman: What about rice dumplings? Do you guys prefer them sweet or salty?

Lin Su: Sweet.

Xu Qiu: Sweet.

Liu Manman: Oh? Okay, then. Congratulations to our two female guests for reconciling!

Jun Zishu: I’m okay with both.

Ren Nanying: Ditto.

Liu Manman: Okay, you two are a match made in heaven.

Lin Su: Are you dumb, Manman? The two of them are cousins! They come from the same place! How can their tastes differ?

Liu Manman: Oh, I guess that makes sense. How about you ask the questions, Goddess, while Cousin and I answer?

Jun Zishu: Are you trying to pair up with her, Miss Female Guest?

Jun Zishu smiled at Liu Manman, a hint of killing intent hidden in her smile.

Ren Nanying: I’m not your cousin.

Ren Nanying was even more decisive, severing Liu Manman’s path forward completely.

Lin Su and Xu Qiu mercilessly laughed at Liu Manman’s plight, the two looking very happy.

Liu Manman: Dammit. This world is too cruel. What happened to the friendship between us? Where’s the camaraderie between roommates?

Lin Su: We share a plastic friendship.

Xu Qiu: There’s no friendship between us.

Liu Manman quietly stood up and left to do the dishes. She felt that her goddess was behaving too realistically. Ever since her goddess’s cousin appeared, she was no longer the person her goddess loved most.

However, Liu Manman felt that this was also a good outcome. At the very least, her goddess was no longer obsessing over Jiang Mubai.

Honestly, Liu Manman couldn’t understand why Jun Zishu had been so obsessed with Jiang Mubai in the past. She felt that a large part of it was because Jun Zishu felt unreconciled. After all, Jun Zishu had excellent appearances, temperament, and family circumstances. Yet, Jiang Mubai had rejected her despite her excellence.

Liu Manman previously had a bad impression of Ren Nanying because of Jun Zishu’s situation. Now, though, she only had positive feelings for the other party.

Liu Manman also didn’t mind receiving her friends’ merciless words. Although everyone had become less restrained when speaking, she could feel their friendship with each other deepening. Everyone might not have mentioned it, but there was now an invisible sense of trust connecting them. After all, they were people who had experienced a life or death situation together.

After Liu Manman finished doing the dishes, Lin Su and Xu Qiu began scrubbing the wok together.

Meanwhile, Jun Zishu and Ren Nanying sat aside and rested, neither of them having to work. Of course, they weren’t slacking because they were lazy. Instead, it was because Liu Manman and the others had told them to rest. After all, Jun Zishu had been responsible for pioneering the path to the food court, while Ren Nanying had been responsible for luring the zombie horde away. Since the three of them were hardly useful during their escape, the least they could do was put more effort into other aspects.

After taking care of everything, everyone sat on the kitchen floor without caring about the floor’s cleanliness. It didn’t really matter since none of them were clean.

Subsequently, silence enveloped the kitchen as nobody knew what they should do.

Seeing this, Jun Zishu opened her backpack and took out her phone to play some Anipop.

Meanwhile, Ren Nanying moved closer to Jun Zishu and watched her play Anipop.

Liu Manman and Xu Qiu also took out their phones to watch movies, and Lin Su was the only one staring at her phone in a daze.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Qiu curiously asked when she saw Lin Su staring idly at her phone.

“I only downloaded English listening exercises on my phone…”

“Sorry for the interruption.”