When Shen Mo and Teacher Cheng returned, they happened to encounter Li Li and Zhu Shu carrying bedding and pillows back.

The four people passed each other in pairs. Teacher Cheng couldn’t help but take another look. “That girl looks a bit like a celebrity…”

Shen Mo: “…”

At his age, he’d chase stars too?

Teacher Cheng continued slowly, “Back at school, students wouldn’t study properly in class—they’d secretly look at celebrity photos and interviews under their desks. I confiscated them a few times. The female celebrities in them looked a lot like her.”

I see…

“Mo Ge, Old Cheng.” Tan Xiao walked over. “How’s the road intersection ahead? Can we get through?”

Cheng Weicai sighed. “The car jam isn’t too bad, but there are quite a few dolls. I’m afraid we’ll have to take a detour.”

Bai Youwei poked her head out from the tent, her clear, luminous eyes wide open. “Why take a detour? Doll games are everywhere in the world. Even if you dodge this one, you can’t dodge the next. I think we should just take this road.”

Shen Mo smiled, looking at her. “You’re certainly not afraid.”

Bai Youwei’s eyes rolled around, carrying a cunning light. “When you two went to scout, nothing happened, which means the game requires more than two participants. If we don’t want to enter the game, we can split into three groups and walk separately.”

After pausing for two seconds, she looked at Shen Mo softly. “But… if the game produces very useful props, wouldn’t it be a shame to miss it?”

Shen Mo smiled and gently pressed down on her head. “Let’s first consider where to go next.”

There were many roads, different directions, different destinations. Whether or not to take this road depended on where their destination actually was.

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 Fei Ge’s group’s place, planted in a flowerpot—a full pot. Besides that, there was also coriander, garlic sprouts, and a miscellaneous pile. The vegetables weren’t growing particularly well, but it was better than nothing.

Tan Xiao routinely set those smoked chickens and cured ducks over the fire to roast.

The elderly emphasized healthy eating. Unless conditions were truly limited, every meal had to have staple food, soup, vegetables, and meat to be nutritionally balanced.

The smell of meat, the smell of soup, the fragrance of scallions—drifting all around, it was a rich aroma of home cooking.

They sat around the campfire, eating while chatting about their upcoming plans.

The five-person camp not far away seemed much more desolate.

Lu Ang gazed at the firelight, bit into a compressed biscuit, his feelings complex. “This smell—it’s like scallion pancakes… They really are in a leisurely mood.”

He deeply inhaled the fragrance in the air and sighed long and mournfully.

Zhu Shu leaned against Li Li and laughed. “Probably because they’re not in a hurry.”

Li Li also chewed on his biscuit without enthusiasm. “The hotel’s back kitchen has all kinds of cookware. They brought their own flour and scallions—it’s not too much trouble to make. If it were us, we could do the same.”

Zhu Shu blinked and asked him, “Can you make scallion pancakes?”

“…” Li Li fell silent, instinctively looking at the others. “Su Man, Lu Ang, can you cook?”

Su Man impatiently turned her face away. “No.”

Lu Ang touched his beard. “I’m quite good at roasting meat, but cooking…”

“What about Yan Ge?” Li Li looked toward Yan Qingwen.

Yan Qingwen ate his biscuit unhurriedly. Hearing this, he replied, “I can cook, but…”

He stopped, turning his head to gaze at the distant firelight. “Cooking is something that depends on mood.”

“That’s true.” Zhu Shu said with a smile. “But eating delicious food can also improve your mood, can’t it?”

Yan Qingwen smiled faintly. “That’s also true.”

Zhu Shu stood up. “The atmosphere over there seems nice. I’ll go take a look.”