Chapter Three: News
When Tian Lei arrived at his apartment door, he realized he’d forgotten his keys. He set down the two large bags he was carrying and, after a long moment of hesitation, finally pressed the doorbell.
It was quite a while before Zhao Nannan opened the door, her face dark with annoyance. “If you forget your keys again, just buy yourself an electronic lock! Then you can use your fingerprint! Stop making me get up to open the door for you!”
“Sorry, sorry!” Tian Lei nodded and bowed in apology. He had experienced Zhao Nannan’s notorious morning temper before—once, while filming a short video early in the morning, he’d woken her up and watched with his own eyes as she snapped the plate he was using clear in half with her bare hands…
“Hmph!” In truth, Zhao Nannan didn’t want to nap in the afternoon; getting up afterward always made her feel terrible. Waking up to the doorbell only made it worse. Remembering the last time she’d sleepily broken Tian Lei’s plate, however, she managed to restrain herself and only huffed before turning to head back inside.
Tian Lei let out a sigh of relief, then gathered up his bags and brought them into his room. After he’d finished sorting and putting everything away, his stomach began to rumble.
A delicious aroma drifted into his room. The smell only made his hunger worse. He opened his door to find a large pot of instant noodles on the coffee table, with two sets of bowls and chopsticks already laid out.
Half an hour earlier, after being woken by Tian Lei, Zhao Nannan had returned to her room and tried to get back to sleep, but it was hopeless. She got up, straightened her clothes, and glanced at the time—it was nearly dinner. She remembered she’d promised her neighbor she’d make him some instant noodles.
She took five packets of braised beef noodles from the box by the door and headed to the kitchen. Opening them all, she then fetched a jar of chili sauce, a packet of tomato paste, and two tomatoes from the fridge. She washed and chopped the tomatoes, tossed them into a pot of boiling water, and let them simmer for five minutes until they became thick and saucy. After taking a sniff, she added a spoonful of chili sauce and a spoonful of tomato paste, stirring them in and boiling the mixture for another minute. When the broth was thick and fragrant, she added the seasoning and sauce packets from the instant noodles. She tasted a spoonful—it was perfect. Finally, she tossed in the noodles. The aroma was irresistible. She’d planned to add some eggs and lettuce, but when she’d opened the fridge earlier, there was none left. They both restocked the fridge whenever they noticed anything missing; neither of them was particular about it.
She’d learned this method of cooking instant noodles online and had made them a few times before. It was exactly to her taste, though she wasn’t sure if her neighbor would like it. She hoped it wouldn’t go to waste.
She’d just set out the bowls and chopsticks and was about to knock on his door when Tian Lei opened his.
“You’ve got a keen nose! Come on, I made noodles for you,” Zhao Nannan called out, then sat down and served herself a bowl.
At first, Tian Lei felt a little embarrassed, but the smell was too tempting. He took a step forward, then abruptly retreated to his room.
Zhao Nannan, just filling her bowl to the brim, paused in surprise when she saw him turn back—she’d made so much, would it all go to waste?
But before she could set her bowl down, Tian Lei emerged again, this time carrying two bottles of beer and some vacuum-packed snacks. “Do you drink? I’ve got soft drinks, too!”
“I’ll have a soft drink!” Zhao Nannan replied without hesitation. Her father had always forbidden her from drinking outside, and she followed his rule faithfully.
“I’ve got some!” Tian Lei put down the beer and snacks, went back to fetch two bottles of iced tea, and finally sat down to serve himself some noodles. “Why does this smell so good? It’s got a pretty unusual aroma—did you mix different flavors?”
“Mix different flavors?” Zhao Nannan asked, amused, after taking a big bite.
“Yeah, you know, throwing a bunch of noodle flavors and seasonings together in one pot,” Tian Lei explained, tasting the noodles. “Let me guess: braised beef noodles, tomato sauce noodles—spicy and tangy—did you add some spicy beef noodles too?”
“Wow, you really know your noodles!” Zhao Nannan laughed.
“If I were rich, I wouldn’t be sharing an apartment. Living alone means eating instant noodles all the time,” Tian Lei shrugged. “But these are really good. Got a secret recipe?”
“Just something I found online. I love instant noodles, but I also like experimenting with weird recipes,” Zhao Nannan said, her bowl already nearly empty.
“This counts as weird?” Tian Lei eyed her as she went for a second helping. “You’ve got a good appetite! And you’re not even gaining weight?”
“I eat as much as I want!” Zhao Nannan declared, opening a packet of chicken feet and biting into one.
“With those skinny arms and legs of yours, you need to eat more,” Tian Lei agreed.
“By the way, I noticed something weird when I went out today,” Tian Lei said, taking a swig of beer. “Remember what your mom mentioned yesterday about some virus? It’s all over the place now! Masks, disinfectant, even vegetables have gone up in price.”
“Really?” Zhao Nannan pulled out her phone to check her social media. She’d chosen this city because she loved the feeling of cherry blossoms—it gave her inspiration. Over time, she’d grown fond of the city, but since her work wasn’t tied to any particular place, she didn’t have many local friends. Her social feed hadn’t mentioned any virus yet.
“Let’s check the news,” Tian Lei suggested. They both had computers in their rooms, but never watched TV. He turned it on just in time for the local news. The anchor was reporting: the cause of a mysterious viral pneumonia outbreak in the city had been preliminarily identified as a novel coronavirus. Next, a live interview…
“Whoa, it’s real?” Tian Lei, beer still in hand, took a few quick gulps to steady his nerves.
“What did he just say? Corona? What does that even mean?” Zhao Nannan was clueless about such things and didn’t think it was anything serious.
As the interview played on TV, Zhao Nannan’s phone rang.
“Hello, Dad?” Back in her room, Zhao Nannan answered the call. “What’s up? Why are you calling me now?”
“Have you watched the news?” Her father’s voice was anxious.
“Just did. You mean this new coronavirus thing, right?” Zhao Nannan sat on her bed.
“That’s it! The coronavirus! No one knows what’s going on yet. If you can come home, come back now!”
“Huh? But Dad, I’ve already bought my ticket! I’ll be home in a few days. Is it really that serious?” Zhao Nannan was torn—she’d just booked her ticket. Spring Festival travel had started, and changing plans would be such a hassle.
“It’s a new virus, don’t take it lightly! I’m on night shift tonight. Tomorrow during the day, I’ll ask the doctors about it. If it’s bad, you come home right away—the ticket money doesn’t matter!”
“Sigh, it’ll be fine. Dad, shouldn’t you get some sleep before your shift?” Zhao Nannan asked.
“I slept all morning! I was just getting ready for work when I saw the news and had to call you.”
“Okay… I’m fine here, don’t worry. You be careful on your shift and take it slow on the road!”
“All right, just stay alert. I’ll call you tomorrow!”
“Got it…” Zhao Nannan hung up and sighed softly. She opened her door.
“You…”