Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 244: Finding Joy in Suffering
As the sun began to set, the wooden frames around the armored vehicle, as well as the branches not far away, were covered with strips of meat as thick as fingers, swaying in the wind and giving off a particularly satisfying feeling.

Ou Yang was busy all day. At first, he tried to cut the pieces evenly, but as time went on, he lost patience and eventually just cut them out as best he could, some thick and some thin.

Even so, there was still a small portion of the cow that hadn't been butchered yet.

Glancing at the setting sun, Ou Yang sighed helplessly, "Fine, let's leave it at that!"

"You're not cutting it all?" Jiang Yuwei asked reluctantly. "There's still so much left!"

"I don't want any more." Ou Yang wiggled his hips, stretching his aching lower back. "With so much flesh, it'll take a while to gather it all, and it'll be dark soon!"

Jiang Yuwei thought about it and agreed, so she could only regretfully give up.

Although there are no flies or insects at this time of year, there are plenty of small animals. As soon as it gets dark, they sprout out like weeds, including rats, weasels, and raccoons, which may emerge from any nook or cranny.

These little guys don't care where the meat comes from, and they certainly won't be polite to Ouyang.

The meat strips I spent all day cutting have been ruined by these little creatures. Where can I even complain?
Therefore, we must collect all the meat strips before dark.

Not only that, there's no weather forecast right now, so if it gets windy or rainy in the middle of the night, all the work for the whole day will be for nothing.

The armored vehicle was crammed with junk, leaving little room for anything else. But that didn't matter; Ouyang had already planned it out. He moved all the junk, including the ashes from the stove and gas canisters, to the side of the vehicle, figuring these things wouldn't bite anyway.

After making room, disassemble the cardboard box and lay it on the ground. Finally, pick out the meat strips and arrange them neatly, taking up as little space as possible.

After a lot of work, it was almost dark when they finally finished.

Without touching the dinner supplies, Ouyang enthusiastically lit a campfire, cut off several strips of beef, skewered them with peeled branches, and kept turning them over the fire: "We're having barbecue tonight!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang and Zhu's mouths watered, and their appetites were practically watering.

However, the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.

Ou Yang put on a very imposing stance, but when it came to actually fighting, it was a completely different story.

First, I didn't turn the meat over in time, and then I didn't control the heat properly, so the meat burned.

They changed the pieces of meat and started over. This time they turned the meat over quite frequently, but before they knew it, the branch used to skewer the meat was burned through by the flames again, and the half-cooked beef fell into the fire, beyond saving.

After finally managing to bake a few pieces, they became so tough and chewy because they were baked for too long.

Ouyang was almost at his breaking point: "Why is it so hard to grill a few pieces of meat?"

Jiang Yuwei couldn't help but ask, "Isn't the method wrong?"

"It should be fine, right?" Ou Yang analyzed seriously, "Don't all the heroes in martial arts dramas roast their food like this when they're sleeping outdoors? How come it's different in my hands?"

Jiang Yuwei and Zhu Yiming both slumped their shoulders.

You're talking about plots from movies and TV shows. Using that as a standard is a bit naive, isn't it?

Ou Yang knew his idea was a bit silly, so he couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly: "Alright, alright, I admit I messed up. Laugh if you want!"

Jiang Yuwei lightly slapped Ou Yang on the back: "In movies and TV shows, it's a campfire, but barbecue restaurants use charcoal. Why don't you wait for the fire to burn a little longer and turn into charcoal before grilling?"

Zhu Yiming also offered a suggestion: "With our current conditions, barbecuing is a bit of a stretch. If you ask me, why not learn from the beggar's chicken method, wrap it in mud, and throw it into the fire to simmer until cooked!"

Ouyang immediately shook his head: "Mud is easy to deal with, but where can we find lotus leaves?"

"Use tin foil. Do we have any tin foil?" Zhu Yiming immediately gave the answer.

Jiang Yuwei rolled her eyes: "Where are we going to find tin foil? We do have plenty of emergency blankets, though."

"Stop kidding, that thing is plastic!" Zhu Yiming quickly refused. "Hey, how about we just have hot pot instead!"

Jiang Yuwei also suggested, "How about we pan-fry a steak?"

"No way!" Ou Yang's stubborn streak kicked in. "I absolutely have to have barbecue today!"

He cut another piece of meat and skewered it again, but learning from his previous experience, he didn't put it directly on the fire to roast. Instead, he placed it next to the campfire and used the residual heat from the side to roast it.

Then, I used the military knife to cut a thin slice of beef, used the blade as a cooking utensil to sear it over a fire, sprinkled a little salt on it, and immediately put the slice into my mouth after it changed color.

After chewing a few times, Ouyang let out a satisfied sigh: "Ah, finally I got some in my mouth!"

"Seriously? You really like this kind of thing?" Zhu Yiming asked, puzzled.

Ou Yang shook his head, then burned another piece and handed it to Jiang Yuwei: "Given the current situation, we don't know when we'll get there. I'm just preparing for the worst, practicing first."

He spoke incoherently, but Jiang Yuwei and Zhu Yiming both understood what he meant.

Although we now have stoves and gas cylinders, the fuel is limited and may run out at any time.

Lighting a bonfire and grilling meat is the most primitive and simplest way to cook. It's always better to learn it in advance than to cram at the last minute, right?
Ou Yang burned a few more pieces and shared them with Jiang Yuwei.

Zhu Yiming immediately objected: "Hey, why are you two only thinking about yourselves eating? What about mine?"

Ou Yang glanced at him sideways: "You're injured, beef is hard to digest, maybe next time."

"No way, you two are too cruel!" Zhu Yiming almost went crazy. "It's been days, are you trying to starve me to death?"

"Several days is not acceptable," Jiang Yuwei said firmly. "You better behave yourself!"

Ou Yang coughed lightly and pleaded, "How about we give him some?"

Jiang Yuwei shook her head again: "He had an intestinal anastomosis done, and he won't be able to eat for at least ten days. We had no other choice but to risk giving him some sugar water!"

Ou Yang shrugged, giving Zhu Yiming a helpless look.

Zhu Yiming immediately deflated like a punctured balloon: "Why didn't you say so earlier? What am I getting so excited about?"

Before he could finish speaking, his empty stomach rumbled loudly again.

The emptiness is only one aspect; more importantly, it has already whetted the appetite.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yuwei added insult to injury: "You can't eat meat right away after ten days. You have to start with liquids and gradually get used to it. Anything that's hard to digest is off-limits!"

Ou Yang was extremely frustrated: "You might as well just kill me already!"

Jiang Yuwei glared at her, dissatisfied: "This is all for your own good. If you're not afraid, then eat whatever you want and see who suffers in the end!"

“Old Zhu, we finally managed to save you, so please don’t be impulsive. If you accidentally tear your intestines open again, we won’t be able to find a place to sew them back up!” Ou Yang also chimed in, “It’s my fault for forgetting about that.”

He did regret it a little; why did he have to grill meat?
Doesn't this affect unity?
"Fine, fine, I won't eat it, okay?" Zhu Yiming hung his head dejectedly like a wilted eggplant, completely listless.

"When you're all better, I'll definitely get you something delicious to satisfy your cravings!" Ou Yang patted Zhu Yiming on the shoulder.

Zhu Yiming forced a smile: "Alright, I'm not going to argue with you guys anymore. I'm going back to the car to sleep. I won't be hungry when I'm asleep!"

Neither Ou Yang nor Jiang Yuwei spoke. A short while later, the meat skewers were ready. Ou Yang hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and asked, "Sister Wei, could you let Lao Zhu chew on a couple of pieces? Just to taste them, not to swallow them?" Jiang Yuwei replied softly, "I don't know, but will he be able to resist?"

Ouyang thought about it for a moment, but still felt it wasn't worth the risk. He sighed and said, "Let's forget about it, don't take the risk!"

He picked up a skewer of grilled beef, viciously tore off a piece, and grinned wickedly, saying, "Old Zhu, don't worry, we'll eat yours for you!"

Zhu Yiming's angry voice immediately came from inside the car: "You surnamed Ou, have some decency!"

Then came a string of curses and grumbling, roughly meaning something like, "You just wait, one day you'll experience what it's like to be left out."

Ou Yang pretended not to hear: "Don't worry, I definitely won't give you that chance!"

After eating a few skewers of beef, I finally filled my stomach.

It was already completely dark, but it was still early. Ouyang wasn't sleepy at all, so he simply took out the pot, washed it, filled it with water, cut a few pieces of meat, threw them into the pot, and put it on the campfire to cook slowly.

The water boiled in no time, and the aroma of meat wafted in the wind, spreading far and wide.

Ou Yang and Jiang Yuwei were chatting idly when suddenly a few faint footsteps were heard in the quiet night. Ou Yang immediately reached out and placed his hand on his gun.

The footsteps faded away, and a shout came from afar: "Hey, hello there, I mean you no harm!"

Ou Yang's hand remained on the gun as he whispered to Jiang Yuwei, "Go back to the car!"

Jiang Yuwei didn't say anything and immediately got into the car.

"Don't shoot, I'm coming out!" As he spoke, an elderly American man, about forty years old, stepped out of the darkness, raising his outstretched hands to indicate that he posed no threat.

The person wasn't wearing a mask and looked somewhat uneasy and reserved.

Ouyang asked warily, "What's wrong?"

Old Mi sniffed, his gaze falling on the pot of stewing meat: "Could I have some meat?"

Before Ouyang could answer, she quickly explained, "Don't worry, I won't take it for nothing. I can exchange it... My child hasn't eaten meat in a long time."

Ouyang remained wary: "Where is the child?"

"Behind me," Old Mi pointed behind him, "I came alone, you understand, right?"

Ou Yang nodded, not intending to investigate whether the other party was telling the truth or not: "Do you have a knife?"

Old Mi was taken aback: "What?"

“I mean, do you have a knife?” Ou Yang pointed in front of the armored vehicle. “Go cut it yourself, take as much as you can.”

There's still a lot of meat left, and the three of them can't digest it anyway, so let's just consider it a good deed.

Old Mi's eyes lit up. He walked around the armored vehicle, turned on his flashlight, and the few little creatures flew away like lightning.

Old Mi didn't take it to heart, quickly cut off a large piece of beef, thanked him profusely, and left.

Only after Old Mi's figure disappeared into the darkness did Ou Yang secretly breathe a sigh of relief, silently warning himself not to be careless. If it had been an Old Mi with malicious intent, he might have been shot in the back!
You can't think about these things too much. The more you think about them, the more uncertain you feel. Just as I was about to get back to the car, Old Mi, who had just left, came back.

Ou Yang was somewhat dissatisfied. "How greedy!" he thought.

But contrary to his expectations, Old Mi did not ask for beef again. Instead, he placed a small paper package on the ground and said, "This is a small token of my appreciation, thank you!"

Ouyang couldn't tell what was in the package, but out of basic caution, he refused very decisively: "No need, take it back... You're a good father."

"Thank you." Old Mi thanked him again, left the paper package, and turned to leave.

Ouyang didn't refuse again, but he didn't take the paper package either.

One should always be wary; what if it contains a highly toxic substance? He would never make such a basic mistake!
He had no desire to stay outside the car any longer, so he picked up the soup pot, placed it on the roof, and then crawled back inside to lie down.

"Are you alright?" Jiang Yuwei asked worriedly. "Should we go somewhere else?"

Armored vehicles are not a guarantee of safety if the enemy comes prepared.

Even assuming the other side originally had no ill intentions, seeing the armored vehicle might have given them a sudden idea to target it.

Zhu Yiming also felt that he shouldn't stay here any longer.

Harmfulness is not allowed, and defensiveness is indispensable.

At this time and in this place, you can't be too careful.

Ou Yang thought for a moment and shook his head: "Let's take turns keeping watch at night. There's so much stuff outside, we can't just throw it away, can we?"

Even a broken home is worth a fortune. Under normal circumstances, you can easily find a small shop and spend a few dollars to buy all these things.

But nowadays, let alone epidemic areas, even in safe areas, it's not easy to buy all these things.

Supplies can give way to food, but they must never be abandoned!

“Then let’s guard it,” Zhu Yiming said. “I’ll guard the first shift.”

"Forget it," Ou Yang immediately refused. "It's not your turn yet!"

"I'm not joking," Zhu Yiming said seriously. "You two have been busy all day, but I'm different. I've been lying here all day, neither tired nor sleepy. If I don't keep watch, who will?"

Ou Yang was about to speak when Zhu Yiming interrupted him: "Sister Wei, tell me, can I guard this place?"

Jiang Yuwei nodded: "Okay!"

It's been a few days since the surgery, and I can get out of bed and move around. It's just keeping watch at night, nothing else, what's wrong with that?

"I see!" Ou Yang hesitated. "Okay then, I'll take the second shift, and Sister Wei will take the last shift!"

After the duty roster was set, Zhu Yiming voluntarily moved to the passenger seat, making room for the trunk.

Ou Yang didn't stand on ceremony, lay down, closed his eyes, and fell asleep in no time.

After an unknown amount of time, Ouyang, who was fast asleep, suddenly felt someone pushing him: "Ouyang, Ouyang, wake up!"

Ou Yang sat up abruptly, and as he turned his head, he saw Zhu Yiming put a finger to his lips: "Shh—there's something outside!"

Ou Yang was still not fully awake. Hearing this, he looked out of the car but didn't see anything unusual: "What's wrong?"

Zhu Yiming shook his head: "I heard some noise outside and vaguely saw a dark shadow, but I don't know what it was!"

Ouyang crawled to the front, took out the night vision goggles, put them on his head, and turned them on. The pitch-black darkness was immediately replaced by varying shades of green.

To the side and slightly ahead, two green figures were lying on the remaining beef, devouring it.

(End of this chapter)