Ch104 No Way, Must Mark the Master
"Well, I was just... really pissed off by Bai Lang earlier."
Actually, Meng Ci's attempt at explanation was completely unnecessary.
After all, the two of them fought and brawled constantly. What kind of viciousness hadn't the other seen?
Shen Que hadn't overthought it. He'd stood aside simply to avoid interfering with Meng Ci's lesson for Bai Lang.
The balcony was dimly lit. Meng Ci assumed Shen Que hadn't noticed the items placed there.
He silently retrieved the bucket and water cup from the balcony into his spatial pocket before rising.
"It peed everywhere, and the smell was awful." Meng Ci's face twisted with disgust.
Shen Que nodded. "Peeing everywhere? It definitely deserves a beating."
But Shen Que didn't want Meng Ci to dwell too much on Bai Lang, so he changed the subject.
"The stove on my side is already lit. Want to head over now?"
"Let's go." Meng Ci just wanted to get away from this stinky place.
Bai Lang emerged after relieving itself and, seeing its master about to leave, approached with a whine.
Master, don't go with this guy.
Recalling its earlier misdeed, Meng Ci kicked the wolf with his foot. "Go face the wall and reflect."
"If you dare pee anywhere again, I'll abandon you."
"You'll learn what it's like to freeze and go hungry."
Bai Lang could only whimper as it returned to its den.
The den was a square wooden structure that Shen Que and Meng Ci had built over the past two days. They'd nailed thick clothing around the sides and laid a heavy mat on the floor.
Inside, it was snug and stuffy, warm and cozy.
A curtain hung over the entrance; Bai Lang could push it open with a single headbutt.
Once inside, the curtain would close automatically.
The wolf's head had been facing the curtain, but after a moment's thought, it turned its head toward the wall instead.
Awoo!
Bai Lang let out a low whimper, unsure what it should be reflecting on.
The marking was because it loved its master, loved this place.
The master not only healed its wounds but also provided it with a warm home.
But why didn't the master like the marking?
Did the master dislike having its scent on him?
Bai Lang couldn't understand.
Awoo!
Could it be that the master liked the scent of that cold-faced guy on him?
Though the cold-faced guy had treated its leg and built it a den, he was competing with it for the master's affection.
Bai Lang shifted its leg.
Conflicted.
If the master liked that guy, then it would reluctantly like him too.
Share a little bit of the master with that guy.
But the scent on the master absolutely couldn't belong to just that guy alone.
So Bai Lang crawled out of its den, made its way to Meng Ci's bedroom, stood up, and opened the door.
Inside, it sprayed urine on Meng Ci's shoes and bed, one by one.
A faint urine scent slowly filled the air.
Bai Lang sniffed its nose, satisfied with its own mark.
Then, head held high, it took tiny steps out of the bedroom, carefully closing the door behind It.
Returning to its den, it settled down contentedly to sleep.
Meanwhile, Meng Ci, already undressed and lying beneath the quilt, couldn't help but swallow hard when he saw Shen Que begin to undress.
His mind was already filled with lewd thoughts.
Even when Shen Que had stripped down to just his thermal underwear, he still didn't stop.
"Are you still undressing? Aren't you cold?"
Meng Ci felt around. Though the bed was warm, what if the fire died out in the middle of the night?
Shen Que set his clothes aside and stared at Meng Ci. "The lust in your eyes is practically overflowing."
"If I don't do something, wouldn't that be a disservice to you?"
Shen Que, do you realize your usual aloof, taciturn persona has completely shattered?
Complaints aside, Meng Ci wasn't one to make a fuss. Curled up under the quilt, he too began shedding his clothes.
Suddenly, two grown men felt no embarrassment about this matter-especially within a normal male-male relationship.
Then Meng Ci lay on the bed like a limp fish, tossed and turned.
During this, Shen Que got up to add more firewood to the stove.
Meng Ci had no idea what he'd been dreaming about, only that he absolutely couldn't sleep here again tomorrow night.
The next morning, Meng Ci ate breakfast in bed as usual before Shen Que carried him back to his own room.
While Shen Que went to wash the bedsheets, Meng Ci entered the space as usual, took a hot bath, and emerged.
He felt refreshed and invigorated.
Meng Ci then went back to the balcony to freeze ice cubes.
The two rabbits in the cage-Meng Ci had noticed them mating a while back.
These past few days, the female rabbit had grown resistant to the male's advances. Meng Ci gave her a gentle nudge and found she'd gained some weight, so he separated the two rabbits.
He fed the female rabbit a sliced apple daily, along with plenty of greens and carrots.
Watching the four little rabbits, Meng Ci prayed the mother would give birth soon.
If this litter produced many young, he planned to slaughter
He'd already chosen which rabbit to eat.
It was the male rabbit that constantly defecated everywhere and even sneaked through the fence slats.
The rabbit, under Meng Ci's watchful eye, seemed to sense his ill intent. Its munching on greens halted abruptly. Holding a leaf in its mouth, it hid behind the mother rabbit.
Bai Lang, likely aware he'd misbehaved the night before, stayed hidden in his nest except for mealtimes, avoiding Meng Ci's sight.
Meng Ci enjoyed a rare moment of peace.
For several days straight, Meng Ci froze nearly three thousand cups of ice.
But Meng Ci felt it still wasn't enough.
After all, the extreme heat wouldn't end in just a day or two.
Moreover, against extreme cold, one could simply wear more clothes or stay indoors.
But against extreme heat, even stripping naked or skinning oneself wouldn't help much.
So Meng surveyed his storage space: basins, buckets, bowls, and various cups-plenty of containers.
Seizing a moment when Shen Que wasn't looking, Meng Ci emptied them all, froze their contents into ice, and stuffed the blocks back into his storage.
He bit into a chunk of ice, wincing as the cold made his teeth chatter.
Then he remembered he'd forgotten to stockpile ice cream and popsicles.
He then turned his attention to the beverages in his spatial pocket.
He took out disposable cups, filled one to the brim, placed it on the balcony, and waited for it to freeze solid before stowing it away.
Apples, oranges, grapes...
Meng Ci used his juicer to turn all sorts of fruits into juice. For the less sweet ones, he added sugar and honey, then molded them into individual fruit popsicles, stuffing them into his spatial pocket.
As for why Meng Ci had so much time and wasn't afraid of Shen Que discovering his actions-
it was because Shen Que, shouldering heavy responsibilities, feared the household firewood would run out. He went out daily to chop wood.
Originally, Meng Ci wanted to accompany him, but Shen Que feared Meng Ci would overdo it, venturing out before his body had fully recovered.
Thus, he insisted that Meng Ci stay behind.
Meng Ci had no choice but to comply.
With no firewood stored in the space, Meng Ci could only focus on the coal.
After Shen Que used a few bags of coal retrieved from the space, Meng Ci would secretly replenish them whenever Shen Que wasn't looking.
Though Shen Que occasionally wondered why a bag of coal lasted so long, Meng Ci always feigned ignorance. Shen Que could only suspect he'd miscalculated the time.