Wu Huaiqing breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she didn't suspect anything.

He turned to the side, spat out the sugarcane from his mouth, put it aside, and stopped chewing.

Sugarcane, especially sugarcane, has a high sugar content. Eating it when you are thirsty and dehydrated will not only fail to quench your thirst, but will also make you thirstier.

Fearing that Yu Yao would be scared, Wu Huaiqing kept chatting with her to distract her.

"Little sister, I have some good news I forgot to tell you."

Yu Yao leaned against the door and turned to look at Wu Huaiqing, whose face was hidden in the shadows and could not be seen clearly.

"What good news?"

"The results of the preliminary round of the canned food R&D competition are in. Your canned food has successfully passed the preliminary round and received unanimous praise, and you have directly entered the final round."

Although she was confident in herself, Yu Yao was still very happy when she heard the results.

"If I pass the preliminary round, I deserve a share of the medal. What do you want to eat? Order whatever you like, I'll make it for you."

Wu Huaiqing pretended to be angry: "I only had a chance to order food because I helped you. If I didn't help, would you not let me order food?"

Yu Yao knew he was teasing her, so she replied, "No way, tell me quickly, what do you want to eat? You won't find another opportunity like this."

"Then I'll have to think about it carefully. It's a rare opportunity to order whatever I want, so I won't let you off easily if I don't order everything I want to eat."

"I'll make it for you as long as you can name it."

In the enclosed space, the two siblings, despite being thirsty and hungry, started talking about food with great expertise.

"Brother, you haven't ordered yet?"

Wu Huaiqing thought for a moment, "Let's start with coconut chicken. The chicken must be authentic Wenchang chicken, stewed in sweet coconut water, with some red dates and mushrooms that you brought from Qin Province. Simmer it over low heat, and the chicken soup will definitely taste delicious."

"Okay, besides coconut chicken, what else would you like to eat?"

Wu Huaiqing mentioned several names, and Yu Yao wrote them all down.

"Alright, that's all for now. I'll order the rest when I remember." Wu Huaiqing licked his chapped lips and asked, "Little sister, what do you want to eat after we go out?"

“Me,” Yu Yao said, resting her chin on her hand and thinking for a moment, “I want to go out and drink coconut water, the sweetest and most fragrant golden coconut. Qiaoqiao picked one for me today, and the coconut water is really delicious.”

"I also want to drink longan wine. I bought some at the supply and marketing cooperative last time. It cost a few cents per ounce and tasted just as good as fruit juice."

Wu Huaiqing smiled and said, "Brother knows where the best golden coconuts are. I'll climb a tree and pick them for you."

The two chatted and laughed, and half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Yu Yao drank several mouthfuls of water along the way, while Wu Huaiqing chewed two pieces of sugarcane.

"By the way, bro, has the factory mentioned when they'll be holding the final round of canned food R&D?"

Wu Huaiqing nodded, "In the middle of next month, your canned goods will be anonymously exhibited in the staff auditorium. Worker representatives and factory cadres will vote to select the final champion."

"My sister is so amazing. The canned food she developed is so delicious. She'll definitely win the championship."

Wu Huaiqing had complete faith in Yu Yao, even though he might not be able to see her.

The two chatted casually, neither saying much nor remaining silent.

If we don't speak, this hour will feel like an eternity; but if we talk too much, we're afraid of wasting too much energy. We have to find a compromise.

The warehouse was dimly lit, and Wu Huaiqing deliberately avoided Yu Yao, so Yu Yao didn't notice anything amiss with him.

Halfway through, Yu Yao wanted to save the water and eat the sugarcane first, but Wu Huaiqing stopped her, saying, "This sugarcane is too hard, you can't chew it. Just persevere a little longer."

"What time is it? Let's quench our thirst first." Yu Yao picked up a piece of sugarcane and was about to take a bite.

Wu Huaiqing snatched the sugarcane away, "We're leaving soon, bear with it for now. This sugarcane isn't actually very tasty, so let's not..."

"Are you hiding something from me?" Yu Yao interrupted him, her gaze seemingly piercing through the darkness to meet Wu Huaiqing's eyes.

Wu Huaiqing looked away and said dryly, "No."

"Then why did you stop me from eating sugarcane? Is there something wrong with the sugarcane?"

"Little sister, you're overthinking it. It's just that this sugarcane doesn't taste good. You still have water, you can drink some first."

Yu Yao didn't believe him at all. She took the sugarcane and started eating it, ignoring Wu Huaiqing's attempts to stop her.

The outer skin of sugarcane is stiff and tough, making it particularly difficult to chew.

Yu Yao finally got to taste the juice inside, but at first she didn't quite understand why. Wasn't the juice supposed to be very sweet?

But as I kept eating, I found that my thirst not only didn't get better, it actually got worse.

I finally know where the problem lies.

Yu Yao's eyes welled up with tears. Without uttering a word, she picked up the military water bottle, placed it in Wu Huaiqing's hand, and commanded in a choked voice, "Drink water!"

"I'm really not thirsty." There was still half an hour left, and the water in the military water bottle was running low, so Wu Huaiqing was reluctant to drink it.

Yu Yao bit her lip. "You'll drink it, won't you? If you don't drink it, I won't either. I'll chew sugarcane with you."

After saying that, Yu Yao picked up the sugarcane and continued to eat it, tears streaming down her face as she did so.

Yu Yao had no experience living with relatives. Her parents left when she was very young, and she lived as a dependent in her uncle's house. Not only did she have to work, but she also had to take the blame when her brothers made mistakes.

She had never experienced being protected and pampered by her brother.

After they recognized each other as family, she treated Wu Huaiqing more as a friend than a brother.

Wu Huaiqing's protection made her experience for the first time what it felt like to be protected and pampered by her brother.

Now, faced with life and death, this brother, in order to keep her alive, would rather go thirsty himself than let her go thirsty.

Yu Yao felt both sad and touched.

Hearing her cry, Wu Huaiqing felt a pang of sadness. He took the sugarcane from her, pursed his lips, and said, "I'll drink it."

The cool, refreshing water greatly relieved his discomfort, but Wu Huaiqing only took one sip before stopping.

Seeing his chapped and bleeding lips, Yu Yao asked with concern, "There wasn't much water left in there, and you drank it all."

Seeing the determination in her eyes, Wu Huaiqing had no choice but to drink the rest of the water.

There wasn't much water in the kettle to begin with, and he only drank a few sips before it was all gone, but it greatly relieved his thirst and made him feel much better.

The air inside the warehouse was getting thinner and thinner, and the heat continued to rise. The entire warehouse was like a steamer, making it hard to breathe.

Yu Yao's face grew increasingly red, her head felt dizzy, and her hair was soaked with sweat, which felt uncomfortable sticking to her body.

Yu Yao glanced at her watch. "There are only twenty minutes left. You promised to climb the tree and pick golden coconuts for me once we get out."

Wu Huaiqing gave a weak "hmm".

Neither of them knew whether Lu Ze would come when the time came.

But they no longer had the energy to wait any longer.

Lu Ze, you'll come, won't you?

Time passed slowly, and the oxygen in the air became thinner and thinner. Yu Yao felt very tired and wanted to sleep.

"Little sister, wake up, don't sleep!"

"I'm not asleep, brother, you can't sleep either. Lu Ze will be here soon."

Sugar water workshop.

"Brother Zhao, there's a People's Liberation Army comrade at the door looking for you."