Ch100 Oh, and Freeze Some Ice
"Shen Que, how much do you think these things weigh?"
Meng Ci looked down at the pamphlet in his hand-ten pounds of spiders could only be traded for half a pound of flour.
These two spiders were indeed fist-sized, but their blood had spilled everywhere. Now, only scraps of flesh remained, hardly weighing a pound.
Shen Que gave them a tug and replied, "Maybe a pound or so for both."
Meng Ci nodded, then voiced his lingering doubt.
"But what does the government need these for?"
Shen Que answered expressionlessly, "To eat."
"What?!" Meng Ci was utterly shocked. He'd assumed the people scrambling for rats in the shopping mall were just starving.
He never imagined the government would collect these creatures for consumption.
Meng Ci couldn't help glancing at the spider in Shen Que's hand. Could this ugly, green-blooded creature actually be edible?
In his previous life, during a similar blizzard period, survivors desperate for food would catch rats and cockroaches to eat when nothing else was available.
Back then, the government had zero preparedness-all food supplies had long been distributed to residents.
Once they realized rats and cockroaches were edible, the government dispatched troops to capture them.
Only as the blizzard neared its end did they manage to develop canned cockroaches, canned rats, and similar products.
These canned goods became people's primary sustenance for over a year afterward.
Shen Que, who had joined the security team, was once given several cans.
At first, Shen Que disdained them, preferring to go hungry rather than eat such things.
But when hunger became unbearable, he had no choice but to open and eat one can.
The taste was surprisingly good, with no unpleasant aftertaste.
Shen Que had detailed these foods in his earlier letters.
The cold-resistant rapeseed Zhang Mingtian and the others brought back from the refugee settlement was also mentioned in Shen Que's letters.
This time, unlike in his previous life, they didn't wait until the end of the blizzard to develop cold-resistant rapeseed.
But before the crops could be planted for long, the scorching heat returned.
When Meng Ci learned Shen Que had written to the government, he praised his resourcefulness.
If only he could have written a letter to the government when he first arrived.
But then Meng Ci realized that even if he wanted to write, he wouldn't know what major events would unfold in the coming month. He doubted he could convince the government.
Only Shen Que, who lived within the pages of the book, could know.
Back in his room, Meng Ci thought: If humans can eat this stuff, then Bai Lang should be able to eat it too.
And since it was a mutated animal, it might even enhance the white wolf's mutation abilities, making it grow larger and stronger.
So Meng Ci simply tossed the two spiders into the white wolf's feeding bowl.
Shen Que happened to be absent, so Meng Ci pulled out two more fish and shoved them into the wolf's mouth.
The white wolf's wounds had mostly healed, though its lame leg still required a few more days of rest.
Its fur, nourished to perfection, had transformed from coarse and shaggy to smooth and silky.
The wolf wasn't picky; without even lifting its head, it gobbled down the food with a satisfying crunch.
After feeding the rabbits, Meng Ci cleaned their cage.
This time, Meng Ci didn't discard the droppings. Instead, he found a bag and carefully collected them.
The pamphlet stated that excrement could be exchanged for food though twenty pounds would only buy one pound of greens.
Since the rabbits could both eat and produce waste, it made perfect sense to collect it for their meals.
Not seeing Shen Que arrive, Meng Ci washed his hands and began cooking.
He cooked a pot of rice, stir-fried braised eggplant, and made green peppers with pork. He retrieved a fish from his storage space and prepared it as spicy braised fish chunks.
He picked some greens, opened a packet of glass noodles, and made a soup.
"Shen Que, Shen Que, what are you doing?"
"Hurry over for dinner."
"Shen Que, Shen Que!"
Too lazy to go out, Meng Ci grabbed the walkie-talkie and called out to Shen Que.
"Okay, I'll be right there."
Hanging up the walkie-talkie, Meng Ci served the food. Within two minutes, Shen Que arrived.
During dinner, Meng Ci asked curiously what Shen Que had been doing.
Shen Que replied mysteriously, "You'll find out soon enough."
"Alright," Meng Ci conceded with a sigh.
After dinner, Shen Que washed the dishes and dashed back out.
Something felt off.
Just days ago, Shen Que had practically wanted to stay here all day. Why was he leaving without a word today?
Meng Ci glanced outside, remembering the chill.
Forget it.
Shen Que would definitely tell him what he was busy with, so he wouldn't have to go out into the cold.
With nothing else to do, Meng Ci curled up on the sofa and started playing with his phone.
After a while, Meng Ci yawned, pulled a blanket over himself, and fell asleep.
Half an hour later, Meng Ci woke up.
Yawning, he pulled out a cup of taro pearl grape drink from his storage space.
Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, Meng Ci slurped it down.
He'd originally wanted a cup with ice, but decided against it-it was too cold now. Catching a chill from an icy drink just wasn't worth it.
So he settled for a room-temperature cup instead.
Oh right, there was no ice stored in the spatial pocket.
If he didn't freeze some now, there'd be no ice to eat when the scorching heat arrived. Acting on impulse, Meng Ci glanced outside the door. Seeing no sign of Shen Que, he darted into the spatial pocket and swiftly hauled out a bucket of water.
He then grabbed a stack of disposable cups, lined them up on the balcony, and filled each one.
True to its reputation as a -40°C day, the water froze the moment It touched the cups.
Fortunately, the storage space had some leftover shelves from before, plus the ones he found at the restaurant today. They fit perfectly on top without taking up extra space.
After an hour, over three hundred cups were neatly arranged inside the storage space.
Just as he was about to continue, Meng Ci heard footsteps outside the door. He quickly stuffed the balcony items back into the storage space, then grabbed a pair of binoculars and pretended to look outside.
Thud.
Shen Que walked in.
Meng Ci turned his head. Shen
Que looked like he'd just showered-his hair was still damp, and his face was slightly flushed.
"Meng Ci!"
"Mm." Meng Ci set down the binoculars and walked over to the sofa.
"What's up?" Meng Ci asked, puzzled.
Shen Que's eyes locked onto Meng Ci, making him feel awkward under the intense stare.
Shen Que said, "You wanted to know what I do at home, right?"
"Want to come over to my place and see for yourself?"
Meng Ci nodded. "Sure."
Meng Ci followed Shen Que, inexplicably feeling like a lamb entering the tiger's den.
Stepping outside, Meng Ci shivered involuntarily.
"Brr!"
The weather was bitterly cold; he always had to steel himself before going out.
Entering Shen Que's apartment, the living room felt stark and empty.
Shen Que had been eating at Meng Ci's place lately, leaving his own home looking rather sparse.
Meng Ci glanced around but didn't notice anything unusual.
Shen Que led him straight to his bedroom.
As the door opened, a wave of warmth washed over them.
"Holy crap!"
Meng Ci was utterly stunned by the sight inside.