Chapter 128: Shen Que, the Grenade is for You
"Shen Que, what's wrong with you?"
"My grapes."
"Aubergine, you're not allowed to eat anymore."
Aubergine ignored Meng Ci and even lay on the ground, using his paws to reach for the grapes that had fallen into the sofa crevices.
Woof.
Aubergine paid no heed.
The grapes were sweet; he wasn't a fool to stop just because he was told not to.
So Meng Ci pushed Shen Que aside and then grabbed Aubergine by the ears, scolding him.
"You greedy thing, didn't I tell you not to eat them? Why won't you listen?"
"Do you know how rare fruit is in this post-apocalyptic world?"
"If you keep eating, there won't be any meat left for you."
...
After being pushed aside, Shen Que gradually calmed down from his earlier agitation, coughing lightly and sitting up straight.
As long as Meng Ci said he wouldn't leave, it would be fine.
Otherwise, if one day Meng Ci disappeared, he wouldn't know where to look for him.
Although Meng Ci was scolding Aubergine, his eyes kept glancing at Shen Que.
Oh my, the look in Shen Que's eyes just now, it seemed like he wanted to devour him.
Fortunately, he was quick-witted and found an excuse to break free.
Otherwise, he might have suffocated in Shen Que's embrace.
Seeing Shen Que return to normal, Meng Ci chased Aubergine away and then picked up the scattered grapes, placing them in a bowl.
"I'll wash them." Shen Que helped Meng Ci pick up all the grapes and took them to wash.
Then, following Meng Ci's instructions, he took another bunch of grapes from the basket and washed them.
Meng Ci ate the clean grapes while secretly thinking that now was the perfect time to show Shen Que his space.
The temperature outside was about to drop to minus sixty degrees. If Shen Que saw the supplies stored in the space, enough to last them both for years, they wouldn't need to venture out in the freezing cold anymore.
Every time Shen Que came back from outside, it took a long time for the cold to dissipate from his body.
And those slender, fair hands already had some frostbite.
Meng Ci felt quite heartbroken when he saw this.
However!
Meng Ci didn't rush to pull Shen Que into the space but instead took something out and held it in his hand.
"Shen Que, I have something to tell you."
Seeing Meng Ci so serious, Shen Que also sat up straight.
"What is it?"
Meng Ci took his hand out of his pocket and showed Shen Que what he was holding.
"Look, what is this!"
Shen Que's face showed shock for a moment when Meng Ci revealed the object.
"How did you get this?"
In Meng Ci's hand was a deep green grenade shaped like a lemon.
But then Shen Que thought about it; since Meng Ci could produce a flashbang before, having a grenade now wasn't surprising.
Meng Ci said, "I'll explain how I got the grenade later."
"But do you know what I've decided to use it for?"
Shen Que shook his head.
What else could a grenade be used for besides against enemies?
Meng Ci snorted and said, "To use on you."
After saying this, he crossed his arms and leaned against the sofa, looking unapproachable.
Use it on himself?
Shen Que was speechless, unsure how he had offended Meng Ci.
"Why?" Shen Que asked in confusion.
Meng Ci explained, "I'll explain that later. First, I want to take you somewhere."
With that, Meng Ci took Shen Que's hand.
Immediately after, Shen Que felt a sudden darkness before his eyes. When his vision cleared, he looked around in shock.
"What is this...?" Shen Que was full of doubt.
Meng Ci explained, "This is my space."
Previously, Meng Ci had tried to bring an eggplant into the space, and the method was quite simple: he just needed to think about the object and touch it for it to enter.
"I read this novel, so when I found myself with this space, I started stockpiling supplies."
As he spoke, Meng Ci pulled Shen Que past row after row of shelves.
Shen Que was stunned by what he saw; everything from rice, flour, oil, to fruits and vegetables was available.
And as he passed some shelves earlier, he noticed that they held cooked food. Shen Que touched one, feeling the warmth.
After letting Shen Que take a good look, Meng Ci stopped and looked into Shen Que's eyes.
Besides the shock, Meng Ci saw no greed.
"So, now you know why I said I would leave the grenade for you?"
Shen Que stared at Meng Ci, waiting for him to continue.
"I was afraid that once you knew about these supplies, you might have some bad ideas."
"Meng Ci, if you ever treat me badly or fall for someone else—"
"We'll die together."
Unbeknownst to Shen Que, Meng Ci had already gripped the grenade again, using it to threaten him.
Shen Que chuckled and pulled Meng Ci into his arms.
"Alright, if I ever do anything to hurt you, blow me up."
"Sure!" Meng Ci lifted his head, "I won't hesitate."
The grenade was for those who betrayed true feelings; Meng Ci would hide in his space.
"Got it!" Shen Que patted Meng Ci's head.
Then he asked why the food in Meng Ci's space was still warm, which made Meng Ci act a bit coy.
"Because my space has a preservation function."
"That means whatever condition something is in when it goes in, it will be the same when it comes out."
Shen Que understood and took a step back.
"In that case, let's take the meat from my space and store it here."
Shen Que's space did not have a preservation function, and while the beef and mutton hadn't spoiled yet, they wouldn't last long.
Hearing this, Meng Ci paused for a moment before asking, "Aren't you afraid that if you give me your things now, I won't return them later?"
Shen Que chuckled, "Not afraid."
"And since I'm giving them to you, you can decide how to use them."
"If you don't want to give them back, it just means I did something wrong."
Seeing Shen Que's sincerity, Meng Ci didn't refuse.
He also remembered that Shen Que had mentioned his space lacked a preservation function.
Leading Shen Que to where he stored various meats, Meng Ci helped him move a few shelves over so he could place his items on them.
The pork and beef Meng Ci had bought were specially cut into ten-pound strips by the butcher, now neatly arranged.
Then, seeing the shrimp, crabs, and scallops nearby, he remembered that Shen Que had a cookbook and thought he could try making something later.
"Oh, I'll show you the house."
Shen Que had already noticed the three-story building in the center of the space, but since Meng Ci hadn't taken him there, he hadn't asked.
After looking around both floors, he found nothing particularly unusual, similar to the rooms outside.
However, when he heard about the unlimited water supply, Shen Que was surprised.
Considering the extreme heat, they wouldn't have to worry about running out of water.
Although Shen Que's space also had some water stored, it was limited due to the space's size of only about 100 square meters.