Chapter 1361: Can I Pet Them?

"Alright, it's time to eat."

Xia Qing set the freshly stir-fried scallion and scrambled eggs on the table and called Ye Yiyi, who was watching Daigua, and Zhang Shi, who was staring blankly at Ye Yiyi with no idea what he was thinking, to come eat.

Scallion and scrambled eggs, plus two dishes and a soup Xia Qing had brought back from Territory Seven—spicy diced chicken, three-earth vegetables, and kelp pork rib soup—made this the most lavish meal Zhang Shi had eaten in the eleven years since the apocalypse began.

The food the Huiyi underground research lab people had taken out to coax her into cooperating with the experimental project the day they caught her and dragged her underground wasn't even as lavish as this meal.

Ye Yiyi had never eaten such good food since she was born; with a steamed bun in one hand and a spoon in the other, she didn't even lift her head.

Never mind Ye Yiyi—after one bite of the Territory Seven chef's cooking, Zhang Shi's speed at eating the dishes also picked up.

Smelling the fragrance of the steamed buns, Ergua, squatting in its den, didn't react much, but Daigua, who had eaten this kind of bun before, couldn't hold back. It overcame its fear of the two unfamiliar humans, poked its head out of the den, and stared eagerly at Xia Qing. "Ee—"

"Cough! Cough! Cough cough cough—"

Zhang Shi was so choked by the syllable the little monkey uttered that he turned aside and doubled over, coughing until tears came out. Ye Yiyi wasn't startled by the little monkey, but she was startled by Zhang Shi; the steamed bun in her little hand was squeezed out of shape.

"Yiyi… cough… don't be scared, I'm fine, I just choked on my food." Zhang Shi, with tears still on his face, struggled to steady his breathing, softened his tone to comfort the child, and helped her calm down.

Seeing that Ye Yiyi was alright for the moment, Xia Qing turned back and asked, "Daigua wants a steamed bun?"

"Ee!" Daigua, who had been scared back into its den, immediately poked its head out, eyes shining as it stared at Xia Qing.

"Good. Daigua washed the dishes and swept the floor very well today, and took excellent care of Ergua too, so it deserves a reward." Xia Qing broke off a piece of steamed bun, stood up, and brought it over to Daigua.

If Zhang Shi and Ye Yiyi weren't in the room, Daigua would have leapt over on its own, but now that little Yiyi had been frightened, Xia Qing didn't want Daigua to jump out and scare her again.

Yiyi, who had already begun showing slight signs of losing control, was drawn to Daigua squatting on the tree branch eating the bun; her breathing gradually steadied.

Seeing this, Xia Qing was a little surprised. It seemed contact with animals really did help with Yiyi's condition?

After the three of them finished the three dishes and a soup down to the last drop, Zhang Shi asked whether Yiyi could see the cows and sheep. "Yiyi spent the whole morning watching cows eat grass on her phone in the room. Can you bring the cows back now, Qing-jie, or let Boss Sheep come home?"

Because they weren't familiar with Zhang Shi and Ye Yiyi, after the two arrived, Boss Sheep and Wolf Lao Er had gone off to other parts of the territory to stay.

Knowing that Yiyi was having surgery tomorrow morning and would have to stay indoors for the next half month, Xia Qing wanted to let Yiyi decide where to watch them.

After washing the dishes, Xia Qing returned to the living room and asked the little girl, who was sitting obediently in a corner of the sofa staring at the little monkey, "Does Yiyi want to come with me to the hay shed to see the cows and sheep, or stay here at home while I bring the cows and sheep back for you to see?"

It was daytime, and Zhang Shi felt that her and Yiyi moving about openly in the territory might give them away. But since Xia Qing had said so, she probably had plenty of confidence, so Zhang Shi quietly waited to see how Yiyi would choose.

Yiyi stared blankly for a while, then looked toward the window.

Xia Qing failed to read Yiyi's expression and turned to look at Zhang Shi. Zhang Shi walked over to Yiyi, held out her left hand, and said, "If Yiyi wants to go outside to see the cows and sheep, put your little hand on this hand of mine."

Then Zhang Shi held out her right hand. "If you want to stay here and wait for Auntie Qing to bring the cows and sheep back, put your little hand on this hand of mine."

Little Yiyi stared at Zhang Shi's hands for half a minute before finally extending her tiny hand—about the size of Daigua's paw—and placing it on Zhang Shi's left hand.

"Yiyi chose to go outside with Auntie Qing to see the cows and sheep, so let's go." Zhang Shi gently held her little hand in praise, then put a protective mask and gloves on her, and followed Xia Qing outside.

Moving about outdoors openly in the daytime was something that hadn't happened for Zhang Shi in a very, very long time—not just for Yiyi.

Although her magnetic sense confirmed that within a hundred and eighty meters around them there were no large creatures besides the three of them, seeing the wild grass swaying in the wind still made Zhang Shi involuntarily tense up; her first instinct was to burrow in and hide.

Yiyi, who had been locked in a room since childhood and later confined within a valley, also wasn't used to moving about in such an open area, so the big hand and the little hand held tightly together.

To match the child's pace, Xia Qing didn't walk fast either, and as they went she introduced things to the two of them. "Wolf Lao Er's hearing and sense of smell are extremely sharp. The fact that it hasn't given any warning means our territory is safe and we can move about freely."

The four-plus-meter-tall iron mesh wall around the territory, the dense wall of wild grass, the surveillance and early-warning system covering the whole territory, her own magnetic sense, Xia Qing's vision, plus the wolf dog's hearing and sense of smell could rule out ninety-nine percent of dangers. Zhang Shi forced herself to relax and, holding Yiyi's hand, followed Xia Qing forward.

Xia Qing led them into the hay shed and walked toward Boss Sheep and the little yellow cow, who were lying on the side sunbathing.

Boss Sheep, squinting as it watched them, paused for only a second before continuing to chew its cud. The little yellow cow, seeing Xia Qing arrive, thought there might be something good to eat and immediately stood up and let out a "Moo."

Hearing the cow's lowing, little Yiyi's eyes instantly went wide.

After confirming that Yiyi hadn't been startled, Xia Qing led her over to the animals and began the introductions. "Boss, I've brought Sister Shi and Yiyi to see you. They like you very, very much and think you're the most handsome and most impressive evolved sheep in the whole territory…"

Used to Xia Qing's style of talking in front of animals, Zhang Shi waited for her to finish, then said calmly, "Boss, you're the strongest evolved sheep Sister Shi and Yiyi have ever seen."

Boss Sheep squinted its eyes and closed its mouth, staring at Zhang Shi.

Sensing that this sheep's magnetic field hadn't grown more aggressive, Zhang Shi relaxed a little, shifted her attention to Yiyi, and encouraged her to say hello to Boss Sheep.

After being frightened, this child hadn't said a single word—only screamed. So when Yiyi just stared at Boss Sheep and the little yellow cow without speaking, Zhang Shi didn't feel disappointed, nor did she force her to say hello; she simply let her observe quietly.

When Yiyi's little hand began to struggle, trying to pull free from her palm, Zhang Shi asked, "Qing-jie, can Yiyi feed the cow?"

"The little yellow cow is full, and it won't eat the grass here, but Yiyi can pet it—just a moment." In Boss Sheep's mind, all the grass in this shed belonged to it, and the little yellow cow was also under its protection; even the Huazi Feng squad wasn't allowed to approach the little yellow cow, so feeding the cow required its permission.

After Boss Sheep agreed, Xia Qing lifted Yiyi over to the little yellow cow and gently placed her gloved little hand on the little yellow cow.

She gave a gentle little press with her small hand, and this unfamiliar touch made Yiyi's eyes go round again.

Realizing Xia Qing wasn't going to feed it any delicious food, the little yellow cow walked away.

The little yellow cow left, but Yiyi's outstretched little hand didn't pull back; it just stayed stretched forward in a daze. After a dozen or so seconds, her little fingers finally wiggled, slowly drew back, and she looked toward Boss Sheep.

Xia Qing simply lifted her over to Boss Sheep, sat her on her own lap, and reached up to smooth Boss Sheep's fur. Boss Sheep, squinting, showed no reaction and continued chewing its cud.

This time, without Xia Qing having to teach her, little Yiyi placed her hand on Boss Sheep's thick, snow-white coat.