42 Chapter 42

Tong Shu lay quietly on Wen Shaocheng's back.

This was the second time he had carried her on his back.

This time the distance was shorter, only four floors from the ground floor to her house, and Wen Shao Cheng carried her up in five minutes.

Along the way, Tong Shu's heart was pounding. For the first time, she was grateful for the cold weather, which gave her thick clothes to keep her heart pounding and unable to hide her feelings.

"If you're injured, just rest and recover. Don't go running around," Wen Shaocheng said, reaching out to peel away the thin layer of ice on her shoulder.

"You were the one who called me downstairs," Tong Shu muttered.

Wen Shaocheng didn't explain, waved for her to go home, and then went downstairs.

Tong Shu stood by the window and watched him walk out of the stairwell until he disappeared into the supply ship before taking out her key to open the door.

"Why are you only coming back now? Your foot isn't even healed yet, and you're still running around everywhere." Shu Hua came over and took a towel to pat the ice crystals off her body.

"Where are my uncle and the others?" Tong Shu looked around but couldn't find them.

"I escorted the people to the supply ship with Director Zhu."

"oh."

Tong Shu took off her chilly clothes, changed into warm pajamas, took a bath on the island, and then went back to her room to rest.

After all this, dawn was breaking. Tong Shu lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. She drew back the curtains and looked at the misty sky, her mind filled with the image of Wen Shaocheng frozen and standing downstairs.

Honestly, you've come all this way back, why aren't you going home to rest? What are you doing downstairs at my convenience store? There's quite a distance between us.

Tong Shu's mind was in a jumble, but then she realized that her thoughts were rather presumptuous. She sat up and slapped her head a few times before slamming herself back into bed with a thud.

No, even someone as strong as an ox would probably catch a cold from this rain. Should we ask Wang Jie to take a look at him and bring him a couple of packets of medicine?

With a quick turn, Tong Shu rejected her own idea again: Why be so attentive? There are military doctors on the ship; why should you worry about them?

Tong Shu's gaze fell on a set of black thermal underwear placed on the bedside table.

Oh right! I had my aunt make the thermal underwear for him! Hmm, I'll take it to him tomorrow...

Tong Shu tossed and turned, finally feeling sleepy. Her mind was filled with images of black thermal underwear, and she drifted off to sleep in a daze.

The following day, in Wen Shaocheng's office.

As Wen Shaocheng took the set of soft clothes from Tong Shu, a rare look of surprise appeared on his face.

"For me?"

"Mm." Tong Shu nodded.

Upon unfolding the clothes, Wen Shaocheng compared them to his usual attire and knew that they fit perfectly.

"You traded it with someone else?"

Tong Shu shook her head: "The fabric was delivered, and the clothes were made by my aunt."

Wen Shaocheng nodded. Their clothing sizes were registered on the ship, and he could easily find out by asking around. However, he hadn't received any handmade clothes like this since joining the army. He had no contact with Aunt Tong Shu, so this set of clothes must have been made for him by Tong Shu's aunt at her request.

"Thank you, you've gone to so much trouble." Wen Shaocheng folded the clothes neatly and carefully put them into the closet.

"No, it's nothing."

Wen Shaocheng stared at her for a while. Apart from her face being red from the cold as she walked, she hadn't changed much in the past month.

Tong Shu felt a little awkward under his gaze, her hands clasped together, her fingers twisting, unsure of what to say.

Wen Shaocheng certainly had many things he wanted to know, but he didn't intend to ask Tong Shu herself. He would naturally find out what Tong Shu had been doing during this time from Zhu Cheng.

"Is there anything else?" Wen Shaocheng asked.

"Huh?" Tong Shu looked up, her expression blank again. Realizing what Wen Shaocheng had said, she felt a pang of disappointment for no reason. She replied dryly, "That's all."

Tong Shu stood up, her lips slightly pursed, and glanced at Wen Shaocheng.

The oblivious Major Wen had already taken out paper and started writing a report. She limped to the door, slowly opened it, then stopped, her thoughts written all over her face.

Wen Shaocheng didn't hear her close the door. He looked up and saw her staring at him, so he curled his lips and said, "The road is slippery, walk slowly."

"Oh!" Tong Shu was so angry that she snorted hot air, deliberately turned even more aggressively, and left in a huff.

Wen Shaocheng chuckled, shook his head, and began writing the report seriously.

-----

"Dad, what happened to those thieves yesterday?" Qin Xiaoxiao asked Qin Jiaqiang while wiping the jar with a cloth.

"The supplies ship is taking them to greenhouses for farming," Qin Jiaqiang said. "There are no courts anymore; those who break the law are just arrested and sent to labor camps."

"Serves you right!" Qin Xiaoxiao spat. "You have hands and feet, yet you still steal. You're shameless."

Grandma Tong said with some concern, "We have so many good things at home, it's really too conspicuous. With such a group of petty thieves coming today, will people start robbing us in the future?"

"Oh grandma, there are troops stationed in our neighborhood. Who would be so bold as to come and rob us?" Qin Xiaoxiao said.

"That's hard to say," Grandma Tong said, still worried.

Tong Shu had heard last night that Wen Shaocheng had single-handedly subdued four thieves, and now she felt a surge of excitement and her mind started working: "Wen Shaocheng's team is quite skilled. Why don't we ask Director Zhu to talk to him and ask him to send some people over to teach the neighbors in the community some martial arts? What do you think?"

"No good. It's freezing cold. After exercising, all the sweat is trapped in my clothes, and I still have to wash my hair and take a shower. I don't want to," Qin Xiaoxiao refused.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Shu Hua said. “It’s a good thing. The world is in chaos now, and you never know what kind of people you’ll meet in the future. Learning some martial arts from the army could save your life in a critical moment!”

“I think it’s good too,” Shuya chimed in. “Taking a bath at home isn’t troublesome. Even if we can’t learn how, it’s still good for exercising. It’s great.”

“Right?” Tong Shu ignored Qin Xiaoxiao’s objections and said happily, “Then I’ll bring this up with Director Zhu when he goes to the office.”

Shuli, who had guessed her niece's little scheme, remained silent, holding her thermos and looking at Tong Shu with a meaningful smile.

----

“Sure, sure!” When Zhu Cheng came to exchange for a new batch of supplies, Tong Shu pulled him aside and told him her idea. Zhu Cheng agreed without saying a word.

“You definitely need to be aware of this. If Major Wen hadn’t come back last night, not only would your family have suffered losses, but there would likely be even more people with ill intentions coming into the community, and the personal safety of the residents would not be guaranteed.”

"Yes, that's because Major Wen and the others aren't always staying in the neighborhood, so we still have to learn some skills on our own."

"Okay, don't worry, I'll go talk to him at the supply ship later."

"Thank you for your help, Director Zhu," Tong Shu said gratefully.

"It's no big deal! I should thank you for your idea!"

...

After listening to Zhu Cheng's explanation, Wen Shaocheng agreed without much hesitation.

In fact, he had already made this plan in his mind. The shot he was hit at the entrance of the community had been haunting him. Later, he led people to search the area several times but failed to find the group of people.

Now that the water surface is frozen solid, it has become much easier to proceed with this project.

"Once things are mostly settled here, we'll let any interested residents train with the soldiers. Director Zhu, you'll be in charge of compiling a list of who's interested."

"Okay, I'll go in a bit." Zhu Cheng agreed and prepared to leave.

"Wait a moment."

"Is there anything else, Major?" Zhu Cheng stepped back and asked.

Wen Shaocheng remained calm: "I heard the Tong family set up a small workshop?"

"Oh, about that?" Zhu Cheng smiled. "Thanks to the publicity you did before, many supply ships from various places have contacted us, wanting to exchange some cold-weather supplies to take back. Tong Shu's family doesn't have enough stock, but they still have cotton, so fortunately they set up a small workshop to handle this."

"Cotton? Where did it come from?"

"...They must have been collected from another city during the previous floods." Zhu Cheng scratched his head. "This might be their trade secret, so I shouldn't ask too much."

Wen Shaocheng understood and nodded.

"By the way, they've started making instant noodles now. Major, if you're going out again, you can go to the convenience store to get some to take with you. On such a cold day, a hot meal on the go is better than anything else!" Zhu Cheng enthusiastically advertised Tong Shu's convenience store.

“Okay, I won’t go out for a while. If I do go out, I’ll arrange for someone to buy it,” Wen Shaocheng agreed.

After Zhu Cheng left, Wen Shaocheng fell into thought again.

Tong Shu clearly possesses prophetic abilities, and in addition, she seems to have an inexhaustible supply of resources.

During his trip, Wen Shaocheng not only traveled all over Z City, but also inquired about the situation in the neighboring cities. Although some cities were in slightly better condition and had planted crops on higher mountains during the floods, according to his inquiries, most of the crops grown in these places were grains or vegetables with short growth cycles. Even the scallions, ginger, and garlic used for seasoning were scarce, let alone slow-growing crops like cotton that are sensitive to climate.

This is an amazing ability; if used properly, it can save many lives.

Thinking of Tong Shu's tireless efforts in setting up the small shop and workshop in the neighborhood, Wen Shaocheng couldn't help but feel puzzled. After all, Tong Shu was just an ordinary person; she had no obligation to help others. Anyone with such abilities would instinctively try to hide them.

Unless, she has a reason to do so.

Wen Shaocheng bent his fingers and tapped them on the table one by one.

I wonder if that little guy is related to Tong Shu?

A furry face appeared in Wen Shaocheng's mind. It had thick, yellowish-brown fur, dark eyes, and a round belly. Unfortunately, by the time Wen Shaocheng realized what was happening, the little guy had already disappeared. However, he was confident that he could catch the little thing soon if he went to look for it.

Meanwhile, on the island, Tong Shu was staring at a little hamster standing upright.

"Dou, DouDou? Is that you?" Tong Shu asked incredulously, and it took her a long time to confirm.

The little hamster shook its head: "Island Master, I am Bean."