People always tend to discuss important matters at the dining table, because not only does it showcase the host's hospitality, but more importantly, the warm environment paired with delicious food can effectively bring diners closer, making conversation easier.
However, the five survivors gathered in the living room didn't have such a good atmosphere. They had no feast, no drinks, only the incessant growls of zombies outside and a dining atmosphere as stagnant as dead water.
Tang Xiaoquan discreetly scanned the group. The big man was eating his rice with relish, showing no disinterest due to the blandness.
His nephew was doing the same, busily eating and occasionally letting out two "snort" sounds.
In short, their eating manners were quite unappealing.
In contrast, Huang Yaru, seated between them, appeared much more graceful. One could see her taking small bites of rice, then slowly chewing each bite before gently swallowing.
Of course, these weren't what Tang Xiaoquan was focused on. What he cared about was Huang Yaru's current position, especially the chair she's sitting on, which was the chair the big man had been occupying alone.
It seemed his ploy to win people's hearts had some effect; a slight smile appeared on Tang Xiaoquan's lips.
In his view, the big man's initiative to give up his seat was a positive sign.
So he wanted to strike while the iron was hot, taking this opportunity to further build the relationship.
Thus...
"Ahem," he coughed lightly twice, then spoke: "Brother, I'm really sorry, we didn't bring much food from home, so we could only share those with you, please forgive us."
Tang Xiaoquan spoke sincerely, the words filled with warmth, even Wang Qiang, who was eating beside them, unconsciously glanced his way.
And most people are emotional beings, particularly someone like the big man—though generally impatient, at the end of the day, he's someone who responds to soft words rather than hard tactics.
So, Tang Xiaoquan's words were very well-received by him.
Slowly putting down his chopsticks, the big man squeezed out a somewhat embarrassed smile and replied, "Haha, it's okay, having something to eat is already good enough, thank you all!"
Hearing the word "thank you" made the smile on Tang Xiaoquan's face grow even more pronounced. He immediately added, "In fact, about today's matter, we are truly sorry, you're right, if it weren't for us, you might not have ended up this way, in a certain way it's indeed our fault for involving you."
The topic was somewhat heavy, but Tang Xiaoquan expressed his apology appropriately.
"Sigh~" The big man let out a long sigh, then shook his head helplessly: "Oh well, in the end, I also have some responsibility for this. If I hadn't been afraid of dying and opened the door for you immediately, maybe things would've been different."
At this point, perhaps feeling regretful, the big man hurriedly took a few more bites of rice, chewing vigorously, seemingly venting something.
With a slight nod, after hearing the man's speech, Tang Xiaoquan made an eight-word evaluation: Reckless by nature, not bad at heart.
Since the other party isn't bad by nature and also has a willingness to reconcile, Tang Xiaoquan naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to introduce their group.
He smiled at the big man and said, "Uncle, let's take this chance to get to know each other. Well, I'm Tang Xiaoquan; this here is Wang Qiang, my good brother; and..."
"Huang Yaru, thanks a lot for fixing the water pipe last time, big bro!" Before Tang Xiaoquan finished, Huang Yaru interjected in a self-assured manner.
Slightly taken aback, the sudden warmth from the group caused the big man to feel a bit embarrassed, and he pretended to take a few bites of his rice before replying, "Haha, no need to thank me, it was nothing. Oh right, my surname is Du, first name Jincheng, and that is my nephew, his name is Du Jincheng."
"Uh, hello everyone!" Seeing the big man call out his name, Acheng quickly lifted his head to greet everyone.
After the introductions, the formality in addressing each other naturally disappeared, and the atmosphere in the living room grew livelier.
They discussed the sudden disaster in a free-flowing manner, everything was so calm and smooth, until the big man brought up that question again…
"Just where did you get the key to my house?"
Exchanging a silent glance, Tang Xiaoquan fell silent, honestly, he didn't know how to answer the man's question.
After all, the key was taken from a corpse, a corpse killed by Qiang, so if he told the truth, it would surely stir up trouble again.
But if he didn't tell the truth, how could he explain the origin of the key?
Whether to speak or remain silent, both were dilemmas, Tang Xiaoquan felt like his head was about to explode.
As if sensing their difficulty, the big man sighed and said, "Sigh, actually, even if you don't say it, I can guess roughly. This key, you must have gotten it from a mutated zombie, right? I'm correct, aren't I?"
Once again exchanging a glance, Wang and Tang nodded silently.
"Haha, indeed!" With a bitter laugh, seeing their actions, a look of melancholy appeared on the big man's face: "To be honest, that mutated zombie was my brother, I was the one who drove him out of the house."
"What? Your... brother!" Wang and Tang exclaimed almost in unison, both deeply shocked.
"But how could your brother..." Tang Xiaoquan quickly asked.
The big man put down his bowl and chopsticks and explained:
"That day he returned from the construction site and was bitten by a madman at the door. At the time we didn't pay much attention, thinking the wound would heal in a few days. Who knew things would turn bad in the middle of the night, he suddenly had a high fever, with convulsions. I immediately dialed 120, but it was forever busy!"
At this, a hideous expression flashed across the big man's face.
"Then, after about 2-3 hours, his fever finally stopped, but his entire body became extremely cold, and then..."
The big man didn't continue, his choking voice had already said it all.
Seeing the big man shaking his head continuously, Tang Xiaoquan couldn't bear to hide it any longer. He confessed, "Brother, we did get the key from your brother and he attacked us! So... we're very sorry, for our own survival, we had to kill him!"
"Clatter!" As Tang Xiaoquan finished speaking, the sound of chopsticks falling to the ground was heard.