Ch76 What, Do You Disapprove of Me Drinking?
"Shen Que, Shen Que."
Seeing he still wouldn't wake up, Meng Ci licked his lips, then propped himself up, slowly bringing his mouth closer to Shen Que's.
Since he wasn't waking up, he wouldn't blame him for taking liberties.
"What are you doing!"
Just inches from Shen Que's lips, Meng Ci suddenly heard his voice.
Glancing up, he saw Shen Que's eyes had snapped open.
Thud!
Startled, Meng Ci's arms went limp. Without support, he collapsed onto Shen Que.
As luck would have it, their lips met.
Meng Ci blinked, thinking that while the process had been a bit problematic, the outcome was exactly what he'd intended.
Not a bad deal for him!
Meng Ci even considered whether he should go in for a lick.
Seeing Meng Ci hadn't moved, Shen Que reached out and pushed him.
"You-"
Meng Ci scrambled upright, cutting Shen Que off. "Um, I just wanted to see if you'd fainted from hunger."
"This... it was all an accident."
Meng Ci's rapid denials only made him look like he was covering his tracks.
Shen Que didn't speak, only letting out a low hum before propping himself up to sit.
Regarding what had just happened, he showed neither anger nor joy, making Shen Que's true feelings impossible to fathom.
Shen Que saw several blankets piled on top of him, while Meng Ci sat nearby, his cheeks frozen white.
No wonder his lips had felt so cold earlier.
"Here."
Shen Que pulled two blankets off himself and handed them to Meng Ci.
Meng Ci shook his head stubbornly. "You keep them. I'm fine, I don't need them."
He then lit the alcohol stove beside them. "Once the water boils, take your medicine again."
"Mm." Shen Que nodded, stubbornly covering Meng Ci with the quilt.
Meng Ci could only drape himself in the blankets, pour Shen Que a cup of the heated water, then add more water to the pot to cook two packets of instant noodles for him.
Among the items brought from Bai Hu Hall were several boxes of ham sausages and braised eggs.
Meng Ci placed two of each on the table.
While Shen Que ate, Meng Ci kept watch outside.
He also deployed a fly camera for surveillance. After a full sweep, finding no suspicious individuals
Now they only needed to wait for nightfall. Then the two of them could make multiple trips to carry everything back.
After finishing his meal, Shen Que took the pot outside to rinse it clean with rainwater.
"Meng Ci, have you noticed? The rain is getting lighter now." Shen Que sat back down, setting the pot aside.
Meng Ci nodded.
The downpour had started torrential, as if someone were dumping buckets from above.
Over the past two days, the rain had lessened daily, yet the temperature showed no sign of rising, hovering stubbornly around freezing.
"Does this mean the storm is finally ending?"
Shen Que stared at the items on the ground, seemingly pondering whether it was even worth taking them back now that the downpour was ending.
Meng Ci shook his head. "Hard to say."
"Natural disasters are unpredictable. Who knows if this is the end of the storm or a warning of something worse."
Meng Ci looked at the pile of things too. " "We worked hard to get this. Whether the rain stops or not, we're taking it back."
"If you don't want it, it's all mine."
"Fine." Shen Que nodded, though it was unclear what he was agreeing to.
Meng Ci didn't mind. He'd share whatever they took back with Shen Que anyway.
The two-month-long downpour had caught many off guard, bringing endless suffering and sorrow.
Even those who survived the deluge were likely scarred both physically and emotionally.
"Haaah."
Relaxation often brought drowsiness.
Meng Ci was no exception, leaning against the wall and yawning repeatedly.
Seeing his bleary eyes, Shen Que suggested, "Get some sleep."
"I'm fine now. I can keep watch."
Shen Que's well-toned physique proved its worth-after a few hours' sleep, the fever broke.
"Mbm."
Meng Ci didn't fuss. He shed his overcoat, burrowed deep into the blankets, and soon fell asleep.
Shen Que sighed at the sight of Meng Ci curled up in the blankets, then rose to organize the items retrieved from Bai Hu Hall.
Occasional sounds of assault boats gliding by echoed outside, but thankfully none lingered nearby.
Military patrol boats passed twice as well. Likely due to the soldiers killed earlier by Brother Hu's crew, this patrol now consisted of at least four men.
Night fell swiftly.
Shen Que waited until seven o'clock before waking Meng Ci.
Being outdoors, even under thick blankets, Meng Ci felt stuffy-nosed upon waking and even sneezed twice.
Shen Que mimicked Meng Ci's earlier actions, heating a cup of water and having Meng Ci take some medicine.
After finishing the medicine, Meng Ci held the warm cup and suggested, "Why don't you take another dose to reinforce it?"
Shen Que nodded. Since he'd only heated one cup earlier, he opened a bottle of mineral water, preparing to warm another.
"Here."
As soon as Meng Ci spoke, Shen Que saw a cup of water appear before him.
"What? You don't like it?" Meng Ci raised an eyebrow when Shen Que hesitated to take the cup. "Fine, I'll drink it myself." He made a move to pull his hand back.
"No."
Shen Que grabbed Meng Ci's hand mid-retraction. Under Meng Ci's gaze, he fed the medicine into his own mouth and gulped it down.
Meng Ci beamed with satisfaction upon seeing Shen Que drink the water.
After taking the medicine, the two began loading supplies. This time, they would each pilot a motorized boat back.
Shen Que found a rope to tie the two boats together, preventing them from being swept apart by the floodwaters.
They loaded essential items first -food and drinking water-followed by cooking equipment like gas canisters.
Once the boats were loaded, Shen Que led the way.
They paddled a distance before starting the motors.
They didn't want the generator's noise to attract attention and risk having their supplies stolen.
On the return trip, Shen Que didn't take a direct route but made numerous detours to avoid being followed.
As they neared their residence, they simultaneously shut off the generators and resumed paddling.
Meng Ci and Shen Que swiftly hauled the supplies up to the seventeenth floor before returning for another trip.
Whether going out to fetch supplies or returning, they constantly took circuitous routes to avoid being followed.
They made five trips that night alone, both panting heavily from exhaustion.
Shen Que boiled water, and they prepared a bucket of instant noodles. After eating, each went to their room to sleep.
Knowing the acid rain meant infinite water in the space, the cleanliness-obsessed Meng Ci entered the space and took a hot shower.
Meng Ci emerged from the space bundled up warmly, wrapped in three quilts with several heat patches stuck inside the covers.
Mm, much warmer than sleeping outside.