32: From now on, we are family.

The water in the pot began to bubble, the base melted, red oil tumbled, and the aroma grew stronger.

The living room table was cleared.

The induction cooker was placed in the center of the table, and the red soup in the pot bubbled and gurgled.

Ingredients were laid out all around: red and white meat rolls, emerald green vegetables, and tender white tofu.

There were also small dishes of dipping sauces.

Qin Lin had bought sesame oil, minced garlic, cilantro, and chopped green onions from the shop.

Everything was ready.

"Let's eat."

Qin Lin sat down and was the first to pick up a slice of mutton roll with his chopsticks, swishing it in the boiling soup a few times; the meat instantly changed color and curled up.

He dipped it in the sesame oil and minced garlic and put it into his mouth.

Spicy, fresh, and fragrant, the meat was tender and smooth.

A long-lost taste.

Su Yuran also couldn't wait to start eating.

She picked up a slice of pork belly, swished it until cooked, and stuffed it into her mouth, huffing from the heat, but with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Delicious... so delicious..."

Lin Wanwan looked at them without moving her chopsticks.

"Senior, eat quickly."

Su Yuran put a slice of beef in her bowl.

"It won't taste good once it gets cold."

Lin Wanwan looked down at the meat in her bowl, then at the table full of food, and suddenly, tears fell without warning.

One drop, two drops.

They splashed into the dipping sauce dish.

"Senior Wanwan?"

Su Yuran was stunned.

Lin Wanwan raised her hand to wipe away the tears, but the more she wiped, the more they came.

She choked up, her voice intermittent:

"I'm... I'm sorry... I just... I just..."

She couldn't go on.

In the past half month or so, she had been through too much.

Food became scarcer day by day.

The temperature dropped lower day by day.

Her companions left one by one, until only she was left.

She was even almost attacked by those two men... She had been on edge every day, not knowing if she would be thrown out to freeze to death tomorrow.

She had gone hungry, hungry until her stomach cramped, waking up in the middle of the night with a mouth full of stomach acid.

She had been cold, cold until her hands and feet lost sensation, thinking she would die silently in some corner.

She thought she was going to die.

But now... a warm room, clean and beautiful clothes, steaming hot pot, and... people willing to take her in.

This contrast was too great.

So great that she couldn't bear it.

"It's okay, Senior."

Su Yuran put down her chopsticks and gently hugged Lin Wanwan.

"It's all in the past. It will be better from now on. We have an RV, food, and a place to stay. We will survive, together."

As she spoke, she looked at Qin Lin with questioning and pleading eyes.

Qin Lin understood what she meant.

She was asking: We're taking her with us from now on, right?

Qin Lin nodded.

Su Yuran smiled and hugged Lin Wanwan tightly.

"See, Qin Lin agreed too. From now on, we are family. You have a room to live in and food to eat."

Was she hinting at something? Or taking the opportunity to express something?

It was unclear who she was saying it to, or if she was saying it to herself.

Qin Lin felt a bit strange hearing this.

What did she mean by 'family'?

Lin Wanwan cried even harder.

But this time, it was a cry of relief.

She cried for a full five minutes before slowly calming down.

Her eyes were red and swollen, and her nose was red, but most of the gloom on her face had vanished.

"I'm sorry..."

She said, sobbing.

"I... I'm just so happy..."

"If you're happy, then eat more."

Qin Lin pushed a plate of meat in front of her.

"You need strength to cry."

This was a bit of dark humor, but hearing it, Lin Wanwan broke into a smile through her tears.

She finally picked up her chopsticks, took a slice of meat, swished it until cooked like Qin Lin did, dipped it, and put it in her mouth.

Then, her eyes lit up.

"Delicious..."

She whispered and picked up another slice.

The three of them began to eat in earnest.

The steam from the hot pot rose, blurring the vehicle windows.

Outside was a world of ice and snow, while inside was as warm as spring.

The spicy aroma, the sound of chewing, and the occasional conversation and laughter.

All of this was as luxurious as a dream in the Apocalypse.

Qin Lin watched as he ate.

He watched Su Yuran eat with her cheeks puffed out like a hamster.

He watched Lin Wanwan go from being cautious to eating heartily, color finally returning to her face.

He watched the red soup bubbling in the pot and the ingredients floating and sinking.

He even saw the moment he died in the ruins that year.

At this moment, he truly felt:

It's good to be alive.

"Qin Lin, was this meat... also bought like the clothes?"

Su Yuran asked while eating.

"It's amazing that there are frozen meat rolls."

"An ability of the RV System."

Qin Lin explained vaguely.

"I'm not sure of the specific principles, but it works."

"Will there be more in the future?"

"As long as there are enough points, there will be."

Su Yuran nodded and swished another slice of mutton.

She looked at Lin Wanwan and noticed obvious signs of frostbite on her hands and face.

Her skin was red, and some areas had already scabbed over.

"Senior, your hands..." she said distressedly.

Lin Wanwan pulled back her hands: "It's nothing..."

"I'll help you apply medicine later," Su Yuran said.

"Qin Lin has medicine; it's very effective."

She looked at Qin Lin again, her eyes flickering.

She was thinking.

Thinking about Qin Lin's mission and how to help.

She was a smart girl, and from the 'pregnant' status in the personal information...

And from Qin Lin's occasional hesitation, she had probably guessed something.

But Qin Lin didn't say anything.

She planned to find a time to ask.

The three continued to eat.

Beef rolls, mutton rolls, pork belly, cabbage, tofu... the ingredients decreased one by one, and their stomachs were filled bit by bit.

Lin Wanwan gradually relaxed and even took the initiative to serve Su Yuran food.

Su Yuran served her too, and the two were like real sisters.

Watching them, a soft spot in Qin Lin's heart was touched.

In his previous life, he struggled in loneliness and finally died in an unknown corner.

In this life, he had an RV, companions, and steaming hot pot.

Perhaps, this was the meaning of Rebirth.

The wind and snow outside seemed to have lessened a bit.

But inside the vehicle, it remained warm.

They ate hot pot for over an hour.

The last piece of cabbage went into the pot, the last piece of tofu was shared, and only red oil and scraps remained.

The three of them were sweating and their cheeks were flushed.

Half was from the spiciness, and half was from the warmth.

Only Lin Wanwan hadn't eaten much—not because she didn't want to, but because she hadn't had a proper meal in many days.

She couldn't adapt to such a large intake of food all at once.

Su Yuran leaned back in her chair contentedly, rubbing her slightly bulging belly.

"I haven't been this full in so long..."

Lin Wanwan also nodded gently.

Now her stomach felt warm, and she felt like she had come back to life.

"I'll clean up."

She stood up voluntarily and began to clear the dishes.

"Together," Su Yuran also stood up.

Qin Lin didn't argue.

He watched the two girls divide the work in sync.

Su Yuran wiped the table, and Lin Wanwan washed the dishes.

Pots, bowls, and ladles clattered in the kitchen sink, making a crisp sound.

Hot water flowed from the tap, and steam curled up.

This scene was so ordinary it didn't seem like the Apocalypse.

After cleaning up, Su Yuran took the medical kit from the storage cabinet.

"Senior, come, let's apply the medicine."

She pulled Lin Wanwan to sit on the sofa.

In the medical kit was anti-frostbite gel that Qin Lin had bought earlier.

Su Yuran unscrewed the cap, squeezed some into her palm, and then gently applied it to Lin Wanwan's hands.

Lin Wanwan's hands were very cold, with large patches of redness and swelling, and blisters on her knuckles, some of which had already burst, revealing pink, tender flesh.

Su Yuran applied it very carefully, her movements gentle.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

Lin Wanwan shook her head: "No... it's cool and very comfortable."

After finishing the hands, she moved to the face.

Lin Wanwan had frostbite on her cheeks and the tip of her nose; although not severe, the skin was rough and red.

"Is it... on your body too?" Su Yuran asked.

Lin Wanwan paused and then nodded:

"On my back, my legs... there's some."

"Then we have to apply it everywhere."

Su Yuran looked at Qin Lin with an apologetic expression.

Then she said, "Let's go to the room; it's not convenient here."

She pulled Lin Wanwan up and said to Qin Lin:

"I'm going to help Senior apply the medicine."

Qin Lin nodded.

The two girls entered room 002 and closed the door.

Sitting in the living room, Qin Lin could vaguely hear the conversation inside.

"Senior, take off your clothes, I'll help you with your back..."

"I can do it myself..."

"Don't be shy, you can't reach your back yourself. We're both girls, what's there to be afraid of?"

Then came the rustling sound of clothes being removed.