Chapter 130: Shen Que, Do You Want to Take a Bath?
"Report, Squad Leader, everything is ready."
Lu Chen nodded and then asked Meng Ci and the others to go check the scales to ensure there would be no shortage.
Meng Ci wasn't worried about this; after all, it was official, how could they shortchange them?
Upon hearing this, Zhang Mingtian and the two others hurried over to inspect.
After weighing and deducting the weight of the iron plate, the tiger weighed a total of 267 kilograms.
It was agreed that one kilogram of meat would exchange for half a kilogram of grain, so this tiger could now be exchanged for 267 kilograms of grain.
It was decided that Meng Ci and Shen Que would receive two-thirds, and Zhang Mingtian and the others wouldn't get more than their share.
Hearing this, Meng Ci frowned.
Huang Zhi thought Meng Ci felt the share was too small and quickly said, "Brother, if you think it's too little, I'll give you another five kilograms."
Seeing Zhang Mingtian call Meng Ci 'Brother,' Huang Zhi and Wu Can followed suit.
Meng Ci, however, was puzzled. "The tiger was hunted by everyone together, why should we get more?"
Then Meng Ci said to the soldier distributing the items, "Divide it into five parts."
This tiger needed to be exchanged for the corresponding amount of grain here, and then Meng Ci and the others would use the grain to exchange for other things.
Zhang Mingtian quickly refused.
"Brother, you did most of the work in hunting the tiger, dividing it equally might not be fair."
"Whether it's fair or not is up to me, don't argue," Meng Ci said firmly.
Seeing that Meng Ci really didn't want more, Zhang Mingtian and the others had no choice but to keep quiet.
At the same time, they all thought to themselves that if they got anything good in the future, they would definitely share it with Meng Ci and Shen Que.
267 kilograms of grain couldn't be evenly divided among five people.
Therefore, Zhang Mingtian suggested that each of them take 53 kilograms, and the remaining 2 kilograms would be split between Meng Ci and Shen Que, one kilogram each.
Meng Ci had no objection to this proposal.
Before the apocalypse, 50 kilograms of flour was just enough for a family's monthly consumption.
But in the post-apocalypse world, having 53 kilograms of flour meant they could survive for several more months.
Meng Ci and Shen Que discussed and decided to keep 50 kilograms of the 108 kilograms of flour for consumption.
Of course, Meng Ci noticed that the rice was already slightly damp, so he planned to trade it for other items rather than eat it himself.
One kilogram of grain could be exchanged for one kilogram of coal, so he traded for 45 kilograms of coal.
The remaining 13 kilograms of grain were used to exchange for vegetable seedlings.
Cold-resistant cucumber seedlings, eggplant seedlings, chili seedlings, tomato seedlings, and bitter melon seedlings—two kilograms of grain could only buy five seedlings, so Meng Ci bought five of each.
For other leafy vegetables, one kilogram of grain could be exchanged for a small packet of seeds, containing about twenty seeds. Meng Ci bought three packets of Shanghai green, lettuce, and spinach.
Zhang Mingtian originally planned to exchange the rice for some flour and canned food to cook for his wife to help her recover.
Seeing Meng Ci exchange for vegetable seedlings, he thought about it and also made a few exchanges.
Vegetable seeds could be saved for planting, ensuring a continuous supply of vitamins.
Because there were too many items, Lu Chen specially dispatched two off-road vehicles to help them transport everything back.
Of course, it wasn't free; each person had to pay one kilogram of grain.
Meng Ci and Shen Que didn't mind and handed over the items directly.
Zhang Mingtian and the others initially wanted to carry everything back themselves, but considering the volume and the risk of attracting unwanted attention, which could lead to theft, they decided it was better to pay the grain.
The soldiers helped guard the items while Meng Ci and the others loaded them into the vehicles.
Once everything was moved inside, the stove in the house still had some warmth.
Shen Que put down the items and started the fire.
Meng Ci sat on a small stool next to the stove and even took out a hot water bag from his spatial ring to warm his face and hands.
"Shen Que, do you want to take a bath?"
Meng Ci felt his body was still cold and thought a hot bath was necessary.
Shen Que didn't know that Meng Ci had hot water in his spatial ring, so he said, "If you want to take a bath, I'll start heating the water."
Their home didn't have a bathtub.
But Shen Que remembered that there was a bathtub in one of the apartments on the seventh or sixth floor.
Perhaps they could try moving it up, clean it, and let Meng Ci take a bath.
Seeing the fire in the stove was lit, Meng Ci didn't explain further and simply led Shen Que and the eggplant into the spatial ring.
This time, entering the space was directly from inside the house.
Since Eggplant had been here before, he seemed very familiar with the place.
Upon entering the space, he didn't hold back, running wild and heading straight for the outside.
Meng Ci shouted, "Eggplant, if you dare to pee randomly again, you'll be in for a beating."
The last time Meng Ci brought Eggplant in, it was perhaps out of curiosity that he took advantage of Meng Ci's distraction to lift his leg and urinate on a box of sealed sausages.
By the time Meng Ci noticed, Eggplant had already finished.
Meng Ci was furious and grabbed Eggplant, giving him a good beating.
Although Eggplant's urine hadn't soaked through the cardboard box, and the sausages were still wrapped,
Meng Ci still found it disgusting, so he placed the box in a corner, using it to feed Eggplant on a daily basis.
Woof.
Eggplant barked, indicating he understood.
If no marking, then no marking, but he could still find something tasty!
With this thought, Eggplant hurried to where Meng Ci had placed the box of sausages and pulled one out.
He quickly tore open the packaging and started eating.
However, Eggplant didn't dare eat too much, as his owner had stipulated that he could only have two per day.
It was either eating his fill at once and having nothing left, or eating a little each day to ensure a steady supply. Eggplant knew the difference.
After finishing the sausage, Eggplant began to wander around.
Meat, chicken legs, rice...
Each time Eggplant smelled food, the urge to mark grew stronger.
To avoid getting beaten by his owner, Eggplant had to force himself to run away.
When he saw a mound of dirt in the corner, Eggplant barked and dug for a while, trying to dispel the urge to urinate.
Meanwhile, Meng Ci led Shen Que into the bathroom.
He turned on the water and added bath salts.
Seeing that the water was warm, Shen Que asked curiously, "Does your space have electricity?"
Meng Ci shook his head, "No."
"I have a generator outside."
Once heated by the water heater, the water, like the food, would remain warm indefinitely, thus not requiring power.
So Meng Ci never turned off the water heater, ensuring that he could always take a hot shower whenever he entered the space.
Shen Que nodded.
"Your space is really nice."
As Meng Ci started to undress, he agreed with Shen Que's comment.
"It's nice, but there is one drawback."
"You can only stay inside for one hour each day, but the time can accumulate."
"So I plan to wait until the temperature outside drops to minus seventy degrees, and then bring you and Eggplant to live in the space."
Hearing this, a warm current surged in Shen Que's heart.
He had thought that after the passing of his parents and grandmother, there would be no one left in the world who cared about him.
But now, he had unexpectedly met someone who cared for him so deeply.