Chapter 242: Big Brother, What Should I Do Now?
"Big brother, what should I do now?"
Zheng Yan had stopped crying, but he seemed to have latched onto Meng Ci, hoping for some advice.
"Get the authorities to put Lin Jun in isolation," Meng Ci suggested.
Zheng Yan was somewhat hesitant. "That doesn't sound right."
After all, Zheng Yan had heard from others that once someone was put in isolation, they would only receive a bowl of thin porridge each day, and it was pitch black in the room.
Some people ended up with serious mental health issues after being in isolation.
Meng Ci realized Zheng Yan still had some feelings for Lin Jun! He decided to lend a hand to the two of them.
Thus, Meng Ci proposed, "How about I send Qie Zi and Xiong Ying over to give him a good bite?"
Then he asked, "Do you want him to lose an arm, a leg, or... you know, something else?"
Zheng Yan winced at the thought of Lin Jun hurt like that, and it stirred up mixed emotions in him.
He waved his hands and said quickly, "There's no need for such cruelty; just a light punishment will do."
Meng Ci shrugged. "Can't do isolation, can't do beating, then I have no solution."
"Or you could cut ties with him, and I know someone at M City Base who can get you a ride there with the official group."
Zheng Yan felt conflicted when he realized he might have to leave the West Mountain Wilderness.
He and the boss had been close since before the apocalypse, so it didn't make sense to end things over something like this.
Meng Ci was at a loss for words.
If Zheng Yan really wanted to get married, wouldn't he feel like killing the guy who messed with him?
If he's going to think this much, why bother getting revenge? He might as well just take a bath and crawl into bed with the guy.
Noticing Meng Ci's silence, Zheng Yan scooted closer. "Hey, big brother, why so quiet?"
Meng Ci looked at Zheng Yan and said, "If you're not even going to consider my advice, what else can I say?"
"Or tell me how you want me to handle Lin Jun!"
Zheng Yan paused, realizing he'd overreacted, and awkwardly picked up a cup from the table.
Still, his mind was racing, trying to figure out how to deal with Lin Jun.
"Beating him up would hurt—like, a lot!"
Thinking about it, Zheng Yan couldn't help but grumble, "This is all because of Lin Jun. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be in this mess."
Hearing Zheng Yan's complaints, Meng Ci's lips twitched. This guy really wasn't going to change his ways.
"No way, I can't just let him off easy. I need to show him who's boss."
Meng Ci sighed and asked, "So what do you plan to do?"
Zheng Yan scratched his head and, after a moment of thought, said, "How about… locking him up and starving him for a few days?"
But Zheng Yan quickly dismissed the idea, feeling that it would be too uncomfortable for his big brother to be starved.
Zheng Yan thought again and suddenly his eyes lit up. He could just scold him! But upon looking at his big brother, he didn't seem like someone who would scold others.
Forget it, then.
He'd scold him himself. If his big brother scolded him too harshly, he wouldn't be happy either.
Seeing Zheng Yan sitting helplessly on the sofa, Meng Ci, thinking that Zheng Yan had helped him quite a bit, suggested that he stay for a meal.
If he didn't know where to go, Meng Ci offered to help him rent a house.
Zheng Yan declined.
In this apocalyptic world, every family was short of food and clothing. Even if Big Brother's family was doing well, he couldn't just eat there.
As for renting a house, Zheng Yan said that was out of the question!
When the house was being built, Big Brother promised that a floor would belong to him, and he was relying on it to help him find a wife!
Though he wasn't sure if he could still get married in his current situation.
But the house was absolutely non-negotiable.
So, after setting his cup down, Zheng Yan stood up to leave.
As he got up, Zheng Yan stretched and realized his butt wasn't nearly as sore after sitting on Big Brother's couch!
He couldn't help but take a second glance, wondering if he could find a similar one when he got back.
Meng Ci saw Zheng Yan off and noticed Lin Jun standing nearby, while Shen Que carried a bucket of water in one hand and led Qiezi and Xiong Ying back.
"Big brother, I'm leaving."
"Thank you for the advice today," Zheng Yan said as he bowed to Meng Ci to express his sincere gratitude.
Meng Ci dodged, not only because Zheng Yan was older than him, but also because none of the suggestions he made today were taken, and he couldn't handle the bow.
"No need, as long as you're happy."
When Zheng Yan saw Lin Jun, his expression turned serious and he snorted as he walked past him.
Seeing this scene, Meng Ci couldn't help but think of a scene from a drama where the boss's wife acts all high and mighty.
"He's gone far, let's go back."
Shen Que, noticing Meng Ci was still watching Zheng Yan and the others, said with a hint of jealousy.
"Okay."
Back at home, Meng Ci pulled out two servings of tofu pudding, fried dough sticks, and jianbing from his spatial storage. As for Qiezi and Xiong Ying, they got their usual rice and meat. Meng Ci wasn't too worried about Zheng Yan. It seemed like Zheng Yan had always seen him as a good brother, and now that their relationship had changed, he just needed time to adjust.
Sure enough, a few days later, Zheng Yan showed up to announce he and Lin Jun were an item.
To celebrate, Meng Ci went upstairs, grabbed a bag of condoms, and handed it to Zheng Yan.
These condoms were from the backpacks of the guys they took out during the earthquake when they tried to steal the RV.
Shen Que had already picked out what worked for him, and since the rest weren't useful, he gave them to Zheng Yan, hoping it would help him out.
When Zheng Yan saw the bag of condoms, his jaw dropped.
"B-big brother, how did you get your hands on this stuff?!"
"And there's so many of them!"
Zheng Yan couldn't help but think: Does big brother even realize that selling this bag of condoms could make him the richest guy in the West Mountain Wilderness Base?
Meng Ci said, "When Shen Que and I went out, we ran into some guys trying to hijack us."
"We took care of them, and boom—here they are."
"Since you guys need them, here you go!"
Meng Ci just moved the story of the RV incident to the present, but it wasn't really a lie to Zheng Yan.
Zheng Yan clutched the bag and gave a sly wink. "Big brother, don't you need any?"
Meng Ci pushed Zheng Yan's face away and awkwardly said, "There's nothing suitable left inside!"
"Ohhh~"
Zheng Yan responded with a sly tone and gave a thumbs up, praising the two big brothers for being amazing.
When he took the items back, Zheng Yan had no intention of keeping the returns to himself, planning to split them three for him and seven for the others.
Seven for the big brother, and three for the leader.