Apocalyptic Gratitude Duck - Chapter 20

A massive, plump rat appeared before Qiao Yanyu, completely unguarded. Its dull, gray fur, once glossy, had lost its shine from exposure to wind and rain. Huddled in the corner by the doorway, it dared not advance or retreat, its whiskers trembling incessantly—a living embodiment of cowardice.

Kexin stood beside the fat rat, a small cloth pouch stuffed with Zombie Crystals clutched in her duck bill. She puffed out her chest proudly, like a victorious general: “Quack~”

“Master, hurry and praise Kexin! I even got myself a little sidekick.”

Hearing Kexin’s mental voice, Qiao Yanyu couldn’t help but smile. She took the pouch and bent down to greet her little general: “Our Kexin is truly amazing!”

Kexin spread her wings and let out a joyful quack: “Quack~”

Your little pet wants a hug, duck~

A gentle warmth, like a spring breeze, seemed to ripple across Qiao Yanyu’s eyes. She cradled Kexin in her arms and casually stroked her plump belly, which was full once again. I must have been cooking too late again, she thought. Kexin went out to forage on her own.

She soaked a towel in water, wrung it out, and gently wiped Kexin’s dirty little duck feet. “Did you eat outside today?” she asked softly.

Kexin snuggled into Qiao Yanyu’s arms, her round little belly puffing up. “Quack~” I ate, and I’m stuffed.

Qiao Yanyu glanced down, gave Kexin’s belly a gentle rub, then set her on the sofa with a small toy to play with while she cleared the table.

The dried fish could be saved for later, but the noodles, having gone bad, had to be thrown away.

As Qiao Yanyu prepared to toss the noodles into the trash, an unmistakable gaze kept circling the food in her hand. She looked up to see the Mutated Rat hunched over, staring at her pitifully, its eyes pleading for food.

Feeding it to the rat wasn’t a bad way to recycle the waste.

Qiao Yanyu found a disposable container, transferred the noodles inside, and placed it in front of the Mutated Rat. “Help yourself.”

The Mutated Rat stared at the food that had fallen from the sky, tears of excitement welling at the corners of its mouth.

Just as the Mutated Rat began reaching for the food, a golden figure suddenly swooped in, blocking its path.

Kexin, who had been playing with a small ball in her mouth while watching her master, noticed her master emptying her special food bowl. Before she could figure out what was happening, she saw the noodles being placed in front of the Mutated Rat. That’s when she realized her master had given her noodles to the Mutated Rat.

Kexin clutched the food bowl protectively and growled at the Mutated Rat.

“Duck!” Don’t you dare eat Kexin’s food!

Startled, the Mutated Rat immediately withdrew its extended paw.

Kexin then turned and let out an even fiercer squawk at Qiao Yanyu.

“Bad Master! You’re not allowed to give Kexin’s food to other animals!”

Qiao Yanyu hadn’t expected to be scolded, let alone receive a harsh rebuke from Quack! She reached out to pat Kexin’s little head and explain her actions.

Kexin turned away, refusing to let Qiao Yanyu touch her. Still angry, she carried the food bowl in her beak and waddled resolutely toward her little duck nest. Her unsteady steps were determined, and she refused to look back even when Qiao Yanyu called after her.

Seething in her nest, Kexin glared at the food bowl. Golden sparks of anger flickered in her eyes, while the feathers on her wings blazed with rose-gold flames.

Qiao Yanyu crouched before Kexin, hearing her thoughts devolve into chaotic quacking. She’s really angry this time.

But even when Quack! is angry, she’s still so cute.

Suppressing a smile, Qiao Yanyu asked softly, “Are you upset?”

Kexin turned her head away without a word, clearly refusing to acknowledge her.

More chaotic quacking.

Qiao Yanyu pressed a hand to her temple and explained gently, “I put the dried fish back in your snack basket and only gave you the noodles because cooked noodles can’t be saved for later, and throwing them away would be a waste. That’s why I gave the Mutated Rat the fish.”

Kexin buried her head in her wings, still refusing to acknowledge Qiao Yanyu.

She didn’t want to hear this excuse.

Qiao Yanyu rubbed her nose. “I originally meant to give it to Kexin, but you were already full and couldn’t eat more.”

Just as she finished speaking, Kexin devoured the noodles in the bowl with lightning speed, then buried her head in her wings again.

Proving she could have eaten more.

Qiao Yanyu chuckled in disbelief. “…So you could have eaten more after all?”

“Burp~”

Overstuffed, Kexin let out an involuntary burp. Her little head twitched uneasily, but she still ignored Qiao Yanyu.

What a troublesome little one. She’d rather overeat than let anyone else have her food. What if she upsets her stomach?

Qiao Yanyu sighed softly and turned to fetch a packet of hawthorn berries from Kexin’s snack box.

Hearing the footsteps fade, Kexin thought Qiao Yanyu had given up on coaxing her. She lifted her head and let out a series of indignant quacks: “Quack! Quack! Quack!”

“Bad Master! You don’t understand the value of food at all! You just throw it around to other animals. When you have no food left and can only gnaw on cold, hard mantou, your stomach growling with hunger, Kexin won’t feel a bit sorry for you!”

The threat was all bark and no bite.

Qiao Yanyu reached out and gently stroked Kexin’s small head. “No more treats next time, okay? Don’t be angry. Can you apologize to our dear Kexin?”

“Quack!” I refuse to be a duck!

Kexin had quite the temper.

Qiao Yanyu chuckled helplessly. Such a stubborn little thing. She spread her palm and placed a few hawthorn berries in front of Kexin.

“Have some tangy, sweet hawthorn berries to aid digestion. You won’t burp anymore after eating them.”

Kexin glanced at the sour jujube slices, then at Qiao Yanyu’s gentle smile, and finally chose to eat her favorite sour jujube slices.

Kexin loved sour and sweet foods. In the past, Qiao Yanyu worried that eating too many sour jujube slices would be bad for Kexin’s health, so she hid them away. But Kexin was a clever little thing with a sharp sense of smell, and she often managed to find the sour jujube slices.

Once, Qiao Yanyu hid the sour jujube slices in a high corner. For many days, she didn’t see Kexin find them, and she thought she had finally found a good hiding spot, so she completely let her guard down.

One day, she came home earlier than usual. When she opened the door, she heard rustling sounds coming from the shelf. She thought it was a rat stealing food, but she was surprised to see Kexin’s little head sticking into the box where the sour jujube slices were kept, her little bottom still sticking out of the snack box.

“Kexin!” She held back her laughter and suddenly called out.

The moment Kexin heard Qiao Yanyu’s voice, she immediately scrambled out of the snack box, with a sour jujube wrapper still stuck on her head.

A shower of sour jujube slices spilled from the top of the box, scattering across the floor.

Kexin was still a little dazed, the wrapper still stuck on her head, unable to shake it off no matter how she tried.

In the end, Qiao Yanyu had to pick her up and remove the plastic bag herself.

Qiao Yanyu chuckled at the memory. Her little Kexin had done this more than once, all for a taste of sour plum.

Kexin, who had been happily munching on sour plum, noticed her master suddenly laughing and looked up with a puzzled expression. She pecked at Qiao Yanyu’s palm, emitting a questioning quack.

Why is Master laughing, duck?

Qiao Yanyu pressed a hand to her lips, coughing awkwardly. “Finished eating?”

Kexin lowered her head and finished the last bit of sour plum, then noticed the small green leaf still clutched in her master’s hand. She pecked at it, trying to extract more juice, but nothing came out. Qiao Yanyu had already withdrawn her hand.

Only then did Qiao Yanyu realize a green leaf had sprouted on her hand. Hearing Kexin’s thoughts, she learned the leaf secreted a sweet, milky sap. She tried to sense the leaf’s power but felt nothing. She wondered if she could hear Kexin’s thoughts because the duck had consumed the sap, and if so, how long the effect lasted and how often the leaf could secrete sap.

With so many unknowns, she’d have to wait for her next opportunity to experiment.

Qiao Yanyu temporarily set aside thoughts of the leaf. She had finished packing and needed to hurry and meet her temporary teammates.

Qiao Yanyu picked up the crocheted tiger-head helmet and placed it in front of Kexin. “Your helmet is ready, Kexin. Would you like to go out for a spin wearing it?”

Kexin’s eyes lit up at the sight of the fierce-looking helmet. “Quack!”

Qiao Yanyu tried the helmet on Kexin’s head, and it fit perfectly. It was clear Kexin loved it, her little duck feet tapping rhythmically on the ground.

After fastening the buttons, Qiao Yanyu turned to move the packed items from the bedroom to the living room.

Kexin waddled over to the Mutated Rat, flaunted her new helmet, and issued a warning: the rat had to find its own food, no mooching at her home, no appearing before the Master, and it had to offer a portion of its daily foraged food as tribute. Otherwise, any subpar lackeys would be eaten.

Having received the Boss’s instructions, the newly promoted lackey scurried off to find food.

Kexin stored the items her Master had packed into her Space. Her Space had doubled in size again, now totaling 80 square meters, providing ample storage for both their belongings and leaving plenty of room for future storage.

Qiao Yanyu strapped on a backpack filled with food and water to serve as a cover, then took Kexin on her motorcycle to a small convenience store.

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