Shen Mo and Teacher Cheng returned just as Li Li and Zhu Shu were carrying bedding and pillows.
The four passed each other. Teacher Cheng couldn't help but glance back. "That girl looks a bit like a celebrity…"
Shen Mo: "…"
Could someone his age also follow celebrities?
Teacher Cheng continued slowly, "Back at school, some students wouldn't pay attention in class and would secretly look at celebrity photos and interviews. I confiscated them a few times. The female celebrity in those photos looks a lot like her."
So that was it…
"Brother Mo, Old Cheng." Tan Xiao walked over. "How's the road ahead? Passable?"
Cheng Wei sighed. "The traffic isn't too bad, but there are a lot of dolls. We might have to take a detour."
Bai Youwei poked her head out of the tent, her eyes clear and bright. "Why detour? The doll game is everywhere. Even if we avoid this one, we won't be able to avoid the next. I think we should just take this road."
Shen Mo chuckled, looking at her. "You're not afraid at all."
Bai Youwei's eyes darted around, a cunning glint in them. "The two of you went scouting and nothing happened, which means the game requires at least more than two participants. If we don't want to enter the game, we can split into three groups."
She paused for two seconds, then looked at Shen Mo softly. "But… if the game produces useful items, wouldn't it be a pity to miss out?"
Shen Mo smiled and gently patted her head. "Let's think about where to go next."
There were many roads, leading in different directions, to different destinations. Whether or not they took this road depended on their ultimate destination.
If their goal was to collect puzzle pieces, they needed to determine: which cities still had mazes?
…
For dinner, Teacher Cheng made scallion pancakes and seaweed egg drop soup.
The scallions were scavenged from Brother Fei's group's house, planted in a flowerpot, a full pot of them. In addition, there were cilantro, garlic sprouts, and a jumble of other things. The vegetables weren't growing particularly well, but they were better than nothing.
Tan Xiao, as usual, roasted the smoked chicken and duck over the fire.
The older generation valued a healthy lifestyle. Unless circumstances were truly limited, every meal had to include staple food, soup, vegetables, and meat to be considered nutritionally balanced.
The aroma of meat, soup, and scallions drifted around, a rich scent of home cooking.
They sat around the bonfire, eating and discussing their next plan.
The five-person camp not far away seemed much more desolate.
Lü Ang stared at the firelight, took a bite of a compressed biscuit, and felt a mix of emotions. "That smell… smells like scallion pancakes… They're really taking it easy."
He deeply inhaled the aroma in the air and sighed sadly.
Zhu Shu leaned against Li Li and smiled. "Probably because they're not in a hurry."
Li Li also took a few tasteless bites of the biscuit and said, "The hotel kitchen has all sorts of cookware. They brought their own flour and scallions, so making them isn't that much trouble. We could do the same."
Zhu Shu blinked and asked him, "Can you make scallion pancakes?"
"…" Li Li fell silent and subconsciously looked at the others. "Su Man, Lü Ang, can you cook?"
Su Man turned her face away impatiently. "No."
Lü Ang touched his beard. "I'm pretty good at grilling, but cooking…"
"What about Brother Yan?" Li Li looked at Yan Qingwen.
Yan Qingwen ate his biscuit slowly and replied, "I can, but…"
He paused and turned to look at the firelight in the distance. "Cooking is something you do depending on your mood."
"That's true," Zhu Shu said with a smile. "But eating delicious food can also improve your mood, right?"
Yan Qingwen smiled faintly. "That's also true."
Zhu Shu stood up and said, "The atmosphere over there seems pretty good. I'm going to take a look."