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Chapter 12: The Dictionary

Gu Yao wanted to learn how to write.

 

Chu Muge thought for a moment and then said, “Wait a bit, senior.”

 

She went upstairs and returned a few minutes later with the ultimate tool: a thick, bright red dictionary. 

 

Chu Muge sat down on the soft couch, casually flipping open a page. “Come here.”

 

Gu Yao obediently sat beside her.

 

"Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day; teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime," Chu Muge said, sounding unusually refined, her large eyes sparkling as they looked at Gu Yao. "How about I teach you pinyin?"

 

Gu Yao nodded.

 

Having turned into a zombie, she had to relearn everything from scratch. Now, she was like a first-grader, patiently reviewing the basics of pinyin. 

 

To Chu Muge, this obedient version of Gu Yao seemed endearing. The once capable senior had lost all her memories and forgotten how to be human, and now Chu Muge had become her guide. 

 

Time passed quickly.

 

Gu Yao, being smart, learned fast. She had some basic knowledge left, which made the process easier. Surprisingly, Chu Muge was exceptionally patient with her, and even after hours, she didn’t feel tired at all.

 

"Alright, senior, give it a try."

 

Chu Muge closed the dictionary and handed it to Gu Yao, her eyes gleaming. 

 

"Find the character for [Gu]."

 

Gu Yao quietly opened the dictionary, navigating through the unfamiliar yet vaguely recognizable pinyin, and finally landed on the correct page. Her slender finger traced the page before stopping at a character. She looked up at Chu Muge. 

 

Is it this one?

 

Chu Muge smiled, clapping her hands. “Good job!”

 

It felt like she was praising a child.

 

Gu "First-Grader" Yao: uvu

 

She felt proud of herself too.

 

Seeing that Gu Yao had gotten the hang of using the dictionary, Chu Muge enthusiastically scribbled down a few more words on a sticky note and placed it on the table in front of Gu Yao.

 

"Try looking these up."

 

The first three characters didn’t need much effort—Gu Yao instantly recognized them as [Chu Muge], since she had practiced those many times. The following characters, however, took a bit more time.

 

Slowly, she flipped through the dictionary, her movements deliberate, like an old person without reading glasses, carefully tracing each stroke until she found the words. 

 

The fourth character was [love].

 

The fifth, as expected, was [Gu].

 

With neat handwriting, six characters in total appeared on the sticky note:

 

**[Chu Muge loves Gu Yao].**

 

Gu Yao had learned how to recognize characters! Although she still needed the dictionary for help, at least she wasn’t a complete illiterate anymore. 

 

Under Chu Muge's curious gaze, Gu Yao, feeling accomplished, stood up with the dictionary in hand and solemnly walked to the door.

 

Chu Muge’s face fell instantly.

 

Outside, the two zombie dogs wagged their tails, half-sitting on the ground, panting at the sight of Gu Yao.

 

Worried that her senior might do something that would cause her blood pressure to spike, Chu Muge quickly ran up behind her, eyeing the dictionary in Gu Yao's hands. “Senior, what are you doing?”

 

Gu Yao glanced at her and pointed to the dictionary, then at the two zombie dogs.

 

Chu Muge's eyebrow raised in confusion as she hesitated and asked, shocked, “...Are you going to name them?”

 

Gu Yao nodded.

 

Chu Muge gritted her teeth. “Dog Meat One and Dog Meat Two.”

 

Gu Yao shook her head in disapproval.

 

Before she could act, Chu Muge’s slightly sour voice broke the silence, “...Do you really like them that much?”

 

Seriously? Jealous over this?

 

Gu Yao blinked, turning to see Chu Muge’s eyes narrowing at her, a slight redness around the rims.

 

Her voice sounded a little downcast as she continued, “So you’ve been learning to read just to name them? Do you like them more than me?”

 

Well, that wasn’t the case at all.

 

Her tone carried a bit of resentment. If the jealousy had been over a person instead of two dogs, Gu Yao figured that individual might have already been eliminated by Chu Muge.

 

Gu Yao stared at her blankly.

 

Was Chu Muge upset? Oh… Gu Yao hadn’t felt sadness in a long time. 

 

When people are sad, don’t they need comforting?

 

After thinking it over, Gu Yao stepped forward, took Chu Muge’s hand, and held it. 

 

Chu Muge continued glaring at her with teary eyes, staying silent.

 

Gu Yao opened her palm and began tracing words slowly with her finger.

 

It tickled.

 

**[Gu Yao]**  

**[Loves]**  

**[Chu Muge]**

 

She swapped the order of their names, but otherwise, it was the same phrase from the sticky note. It wasn’t really love, Gu Yao was just copying what she had learned earlier, but it seemed like the best way to comfort Chu Muge.

 

Sure enough, Chu Muge’s eyes brightened as they met Gu Yao’s pale grey ones. She leaned in closer and kissed her.

 

Gu Yao was puzzled.

 

Their lips pressed together, and Chu Muge’s soft tongue gently pried open Gu Yao’s slightly parted mouth, swirling inside.

 

As Gu Yao processed what was happening, her first thought was: thank goodness Chu Muge brushes her teeth every day.

 

After becoming a zombie, human notions of shame had almost completely vanished. Being kissed didn’t bother Gu Yao in the slightest, so her second thought was that Chu Muge must no longer be angry.

 

She hesitated for a moment.

 

Does that mean she could resist now? Maybe she didn’t need to just passively let Chu Muge keep kissing her?

 

After all, this was a bit weird.

 

As she pondered this, Chu Muge’s hand moved up, groping her chest.

 

Gu Yao’s zombie body was cold and stiff, her chest no longer as soft as it had been when she was alive, but Chu Muge didn’t seem to mind, and neither did Gu Yao.

 

She didn’t feel like she was being taken advantage of, but the sensation of being pawed at reminded her uncomfortably of a dog. 

 

Gu Yao snuck a glance at Chu Muge, then slowly looked away.

 

Forget it. Let her continue until she feels better.

 

After a few more minutes, their lips parted, a thin string of saliva stretching between them. Chu Muge, satisfied, smiled and said, “Alright, what names are you thinking of?”

 

She was successfully soothed.

 

Gu Yao wiped her mouth, expressionless, and flipped open the dictionary.

 

Under Chu Muge’s watchful gaze, Gu Yao found the first character:

 

**[Dog]**

 

Then she flipped to the remaining ones:

 

**[Big Dog]**  

**[Little Dog]**

 

Chu Muge: …  

These names aren’t any better than the ones I suggested!

 

It’s like some weird parody of a dog show.

 

But Gu Yao seemed pleased, pointing at the first dog:

 

**[Big Dog]**

 

Then at the second:

 

**[Little Dog]**

 

Finally, she pointed at Chu Muge:

 

**[Chu Muge].**

 

---

 

This time, Chu Muge had learned her lesson. Before heading out to investigate the exit in Zone B, she made sure to wear knee-high black socks. Last time, some of the brain matter had seeped into her shoes—it was disgusting.

 

Gu Yao glanced at her and saw she looked like a black crow.

 

Completely dressed in black: an oversized hoodie, black shorts, knee-high socks...

 

Oh, and black ankle boots.

 

Chu Muge had tied her long hair into a high ponytail, a cross necklace glinting faintly on her chest. Noticing Gu Yao's gaze, she shook her head. “People say high ponytails can recede your hairline, but don’t worry—I won’t.”

 

Gu Yao: …

 

I didn’t ask.

 

She raised her eyes slightly, looking at the top of Chu Muge’s head.

 

Hmm... Calling her a crow might be unkind. Once those cat ears popped out, she'd be a black cat instead.

 

Everything was ready to go. Chu Muge swung her firefighter’s axe with ease and said:

 

“Let’s head out.”