Chapter 141: Someone, Uncle Liang, Long Time No See
"Shen Que, this is my villa."
Shen Que gazed at the fortress-like house before him, inwardly marveling that the Meng family, being the wealthiest, had indeed made impressive renovations.
After showing off, Meng Ci reached out to open the door.
The door was equipped with an electronic lock that required a password and either a fingerprint or iris scan to unlock.
"Meng Ci, come over, I'll record your information." After opening the door, Meng Ci thought it would be a good time to register Shen Que's details.
Shen Que obediently followed Meng Ci's instructions, inputting his information step by step.
Only after closing the door did Shen Que notice the generator nearby, which explained why the electronic lock still worked despite the power outage.
The door itself was over twenty centimeters thick, and if not for the wheels installed at the bottom, it would have been difficult for one person to push it open.
Surrounded by snow, Shen Que couldn't tell how large the villa was. Upon entering the courtyard, he could only see a passage about one meter wide and taller than a person.
At the end of the path was another door.
To enter the house, one needed to input a password and a fingerprint, just like the outer door.
The living room was spotlessly clean, showing no signs of recent occupancy.
On the way to the second floor, there was a bedroom where Meng Ci found a stack of firewood taller than a person.
"Is someone living here?" Shen Que asked, puzzled.
He thought back, but Meng Ci had never mentioned anyone living in the villa.
Meng Ci nodded, then opened the bedroom door and shone a flashlight inside, relieved to find no suspicious bodies.
Meng Ci checked both upstairs and downstairs. The glass used during the renovation was bulletproof and showed no signs of damage from the snow.
The only sign of life in the villa was in the bedroom downstairs.
Woof, woof!
Eggplant must have heard something and suddenly started barking outside.
The villa had excellent soundproofing, so neither Meng Ci nor Shen Que heard anything.
But Meng Ci wasn't afraid; after all, only one person could open the door and enter.
Click!
The door opened from the outside.
"Master?" The person who entered was surprised to see Meng Ci.
The newcomer wore a black military coat, a hat on his head, standing over 1.8 meters tall, and wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.
"Uncle Liang, long time no see," Meng Ci called out.
"Long time no see."
The person who entered was Liang Xiu.
The room was dim, but Liang Xiu quickly turned on the light in the bedroom and welcomed the two inside.
Liang Xiu then started the stove and heated some water.
With the bedroom lit up, Meng Ci examined the room.
A 1.5-meter bed, a wardrobe, and a stove were placed inside.
Next to the door, a table held pots, pans, and some basic seasonings.
Beside the table was a wooden cabinet fixed to the wall, storing rice, flour, oil, and other essentials.
In one corner, firewood and coal were piled up.
Despite the many items, the small room was neatly organized and didn't look cluttered.
Seeing a can of rat food in the trash bag, Meng Ci said, "Uncle Liang, didn't you see the things in the basement?"
Liang Xiu, squatting by the stove and adding wood, replied, "I saw them."
If he saw them, why was Liang Xiu eating rat food?
Meng Ci was confused.
"Why are you eating this?" The thought of rats and cockroaches made Meng Ci feel nauseous, let alone eating them.
The fire in the stove burned brightly, and Liang Xiu stood up, dusted his hands, adjusted his glasses, and answered seriously, "Those are Master's things."
Sitting at the foot of the bed, Meng Ci and Shen Que exchanged glances, and Meng Ci rolled his eyes.
"It's the end of the world, where do you get the idea of 'Master' and 'Young Master'?"
"Besides, didn't I tell you to handle the things in the basement as you see fit?"
After the villa was renovated, Meng Ci had stored food in the basement.
From rice, flour, oil, and various seasonings to all kinds of ready-to-eat foods, everything was well-stocked.
He even bought the stove.
In Meng Ci's memory, there was Uncle Liang, and he knew that Uncle Liang was very loyal to the Meng family, so Meng Ci decided to save his life.
Therefore, on the day the heavy rain came, Meng Ci made an excuse that he had something important to personally instruct Liang Xiu to do, asking him to come here at six in the evening.
Liang Xiu would always arrive ten minutes early, whether it was for meetings or banquets.
So before six o'clock, Meng Ci remotely controlled the house via his phone, telling Liang Xiu the password, and then had him input his fingerprint and iris code.
At six, the rain poured down heavily.
At 6:05 PM, Meng Ci called Liang Xiu, saying that something came up at school and he wouldn't be able to come until eight.
Given the heavy rain outside, he asked Liang Xiu to wait there.
The refrigerator in the kitchen on the first floor had been stocked full of various foods by Meng Ci, knowing that Liang Xiu could cook, so Meng Ci wasn't worried about him starving.
Over the next few days, the rain grew heavier.
While the power and signal were still working, Meng Ci kept Liang Xiu there through phone calls.
An hour before the power system collapsed, Meng Ci called Liang Xiu again, telling him about the entrance to the basement.
Seeing the supplies in the basement, Liang Xiu's sharp mind had a moment of doubt, wondering if Meng Ci knew something.
But Liang Xiu didn't ask more questions or think too much, and followed Meng Ci's instructions.
The water on the stove had boiled, and Liang Xiu took two cups, pouring one for each of them.
"I knew there were things in the basement, but I don't know when the heavy rain and snow will end, so I wanted to use them sparingly."
"Besides, you said you would also come to stay."
"Of course, I need to leave some for you."
In Liang Xiu's heart, he felt grateful that Meng Ci let him stay here, avoiding the risk of going out in the storm to find food.
As for the things Meng Ci bought, he decided to use them sparingly.
Hearing this, Meng Ci sighed.
But Liang Xiu's behavior matched what Meng Ci remembered about him.
Meng Ci glanced at his watch; it was already past four.
Today, he brought too little, and nothing was prepared, making it unsuitable to stay, so he planned to leave.
"Why?" Liang Xiu was puzzled.
Since they had come, why not stay, especially since Liang Xiu remembered there were many blankets in the basement.
Meng Ci briefly recounted his experiences over the past few days to Liang Xiu.
"We just came to check if the villa is still standing, so we didn't bring many things."
"In the next few days, after we move our things here, we'll stay."
Liang Xiu nodded and offered to help with the moving.
Meng Ci declined, as their moving was just for show.
As for the matter of the space, Meng Ci hadn't decided whether to tell Liang Xiu yet.
After a few more words, Meng Ci and Shen Que left.