Chapter 20 Chapter 20 A Horrible Nightmare
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It is impossible to return to Huangjiang for the time being. This flood that almost wiped out everyone sounded the alarm. Before the thick fog dissipates and visibility returns, the only way to go is to walk on foot.
The sky was dark, and the thick turbid fog turned the evening into midnight. The winding mountain path led to no village or shop. After coming out of the space, the three of them unanimously decided to rest in place for a night.
Picking a flat open space to set up the tent, Gu Mengran took out an air pump and a stack of brand new, unopened outdoor inflatable mattresses from the space, and pumped them up with a grunt.
The floor was too hard, the sleeping bag was too hot, and the air mattress was just right.
It’s a bit troublesome to use it the first time, but when you leave tomorrow morning, you won’t deflate it and can just put it away into the space. It will be much more convenient to use next time.
The temperature had obviously risen, and Gu Mengran was sweating profusely just to inflate the mattress. But when he opened the curtain and came out of the tent, everything was worth it, and his not-so-good mood suddenly turned from cloudy to sunny.
The overgrown wasteland has completely changed. Simple triangular tents stand by the road, folding tables and chairs are neatly placed in front of the door, an outdoor power supply on the table is flashing a signal light, and two outdoor lights are hung beside the tent, illuminating the obscure darkness.
The good days are over, and every day will be like this from now on.
If conditions permit, try to live as comfortably as possible.
After a long walk through the gates of hell and being hungry for a day, Gu Mengran was unwilling to force himself to eat fast food. Since the tables and chairs were already set up, he simply took out the gas tank and pots and pans, rolled up his sleeves and started cooking.
When you're hungry, you won't be able to do anything fancy.
Steam a pot of rice, chop a fresh chicken, cut three potatoes and three thin-skinned green peppers, wash them and cook them all in a pot.
Dried peppercorns, dried chili peppers, ginger, onions, garlic, and half a block of hot pot base. Stir-fry them in hot oil and it smells so good that it's even more delicious than burning insoles.
After putting the blanched chicken pieces into the pan and stir-frying them evenly, add the dark soy sauce and cooking wine, and finally add water to cover the chicken pieces. Once the pot was covered, Gu Mengran became completely idle. He squatted by the stove with his chin in his hand and began to think.
It was fine when I was on the Wind Wing, I could cook every day without any trouble. But now I’m out and about, I have to set up a stove outside to cook after a whole day’s journey... I just put on the mask of pain.
Gu Meng then regretted it. If he had known what would happen now, he should not have lay down on the Fengyi. When he had nothing to do, he would make more food and put it in the space. He could take it out and eat it when he went out. He could eat delicious food anytime without wasting time and even saved the trouble of heating it.
What a bad decision!
Now the conditions no longer exist, Gu Mengran can only think about it, hanging his head and sighing.
"Meng Ran."
A shadow fell overhead and a slightly hoarse voice sounded behind him.
Gu Mengran acted as if he didn't hear it and didn't even raise his head.
Liang Zhao didn't mind his ignoring him. He knelt down beside Gu Mengran, sniffing the spicy aroma in the air with his nose slightly moved, and said in a flattering tone: "It smells good, your cooking skills are really good, it tastes the same as in the restaurant."
"I think I smell hot pot. Have you added the base?"
The opening remarks to ease the atmosphere did not work. No matter how Liang Zhao talked, Gu Mengran acted as if he didn't hear him and didn't say a word.
Liang Zhao hadn't realized the seriousness of the problem yet. His eyes shifted from the burning stove to Gu Mengran's face. He lowered his voice and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, I was inconsiderate today, but--"
"But you did it for my own good, and didn't want to implicate us," Gu Mengran suddenly raised his head, stared at Liang Zhao with wide eyes, and asked loudly, "That's why you let go of my hand before the flood came, and then prepared to die alone, right?"
Gu Mengran clearly touched Liang Zhao a second before the flood hit, but Liang Zhao seemed to feel that it was too late, and without the slightest hesitation, he let go of his hand.
Fortunately, Gu Mengran noticed his intention in time, held him tightly and refused to let go, and put him into the space safely. Otherwise, Liang Zhao would not be able to squat here and talk to him, and he probably wouldn't even be able to find the body.
Gu Mengran was filled with rage and put Liang Zhao into the space and ignored him. If his grandfather had not insisted on seeing him, he would even have thought of locking Liang Zhao up for two days!
Gu Mengran was not good at hiding his emotions, and Liang Zhao saw his anger.
Liang Zhao did not defend himself. He stared at Gu Mengran and apologized again after a few seconds of silence: "I'm sorry, the situation was urgent at the time, and I forgot that you still had space."
"Oh, so you mean you can do this when there's no space?"
Gu Mengran got so angry that he was shaking all over, and his eyes instantly turned red. "I know you, Liang Zhao. You promised us that we are a family, but in the end, you still treat yourself as an outsider. When you encounter danger, you think of sacrificing yourself first! Do you think you are a sacrifice that can be discarded at any time?"
At the thought that Liang Zhao might die, Gu Mengran's voice suddenly rose and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. He quickly turned his face away, lifted the lid of the pot and stir-fried the chicken nuggets to hide his out-of-control emotions.
The hot oil collided with the wok, and the curling smoke rose up, just like the stiff atmosphere, filling the space between the two people.
Liang Zhao frowned, and subconsciously raised his hand that was hanging by his side, slowly placed it on Gu Mengran's shoulder, and patted it very lightly, "If possible, I also want to live well with you and Grandpa Meng. I'm not a selfless hero, but because we are family, I don't want to put you in danger."
"I was impulsive today and made you worried. Next time, I will think twice before making a decision." Liang Zhao leaned forward a little, put himself in front of Gu Mengran, and comforted him softly: "Don't be angry, okay?"
Liang Zhao lowered his attitude, but Gu Mengran didn't buy it.
He understood the reasoning. If the positions were reversed, he would probably make the same decision as Liang Zhao. But Liang Zhao... he had already lost him once, and he could not watch Liang Zhao die before his eyes again.
Perhaps the fog was too thick, Gu Mengran felt a tightness in his chest and had trouble breathing.
Taking a few deep breaths and trying to calm down, Gu Mengran sniffed and looked at Liang Zhao, "I have no right to interfere with your decision, nor do I have the right to be angry. But what about me? What if something happens to you? Should I live with the guilt, or die with you?"
Die, die with you——
The tail sound penetrated the eardrum, like a bullet flying through the air and hitting right between the eyebrows.
Liang Zhao's body swayed slightly and he almost fell to the ground. Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound in his head. It was as if someone dragged him into the water. The cold sea water instantly surrounded him, and the strong feeling of suffocation made him feel difficult to breathe.
The surrounding scene began to change rapidly. In an instant, the wilderness shrouded in black fog turned into an endless sea.
The wind was blowing and the waves were surging. In a trance, he felt that his consciousness was about to sink to the bottom of the sea with his body. At this moment, a pair of hands tried their best to pull him out of the water. A desperate and helpless cry suddenly exploded in his ears:
"Liang Zhao! Hold on Liang Zhao, don't, don't die!"
"Don't leave me alone, you promised me..."
"If you feel too uncomfortable, just go, Liang Zhao. Don't walk too fast. Slow down a little. Wait for me. Remember to wait for me. I will be with you soon."
…
"Liang Zhao, Liang Zhao, what's wrong with you?"
The crying and shouting gradually overlapped with reality, and Liang Zhao woke up as if from a dream. He slumped to the ground, as if he had just climbed a mountain. His chest heaved violently, and he breathed in big gulps of fresh air.
The fine beads of sweat on his forehead were like raindrops, falling down as soon as he moved. He had no time to pay attention to it, and turned his head to look around quickly, eager to confirm something.
When he came back, the sea water had receded, revealing a dark wasteland, a lighted tent, a steaming wok, and Gu Mengran, who stretched out his hand to him with a worried look on his face.
The heavy stone on his chest disappeared, Liang Zhao regained his consciousness while breathing heavily, grasped Gu Mengran's wrist and pulled it gently, then held him in his arms irresistibly.
Unexpectedly falling into a warm embrace, Gu Mengran was obviously stunned, and subconsciously raised his hand to push him, "What are you doing——"
"No," Liang Zhao tightened his strong arms, like a drowning man holding onto a life-saving swimming ring, stubbornly refusing to let go, and murmured in a low voice as if talking to himself: "Don't accompany me, no matter what, you have to live well, don't give up yourself for anyone."
After venting, Gu Mengran regained his senses. He thought that he was responding to what he had just said, so he put his arm around Liang Zhao's shoulders and patted him twice. "You, me, and grandpa, the three of us are indispensable. I can't accept losing any of you. Liang Zhao, you are...really, really important to me."
"I understand." After an unknown amount of time, Liang Zhao opened his mouth again, his tone was light but sincere: "I promise, I will never give up my life so easily again. I will stay with you, and live with you and Grandpa."
Warm breath passed by his ears, and Gu Mengran shrank his neck unnaturally. Liang Zhao seemed to think that he wanted to leave, and tightened his arms around his waist again, holding him tightly in his arms.
Something is wrong. This person is in a very bad condition.
Gu Mengran frowned slightly, curled up in Liang Zhao's arms without any flirtatiousness, pinched his shoulder and asked softly: "What happened to you just now? You broke out in a cold sweat without saying a word, you scared me."
"I'm fine." Liang Zhao rested his chin against Gu Mengran's shoulder, and the deep attachment in his eyes silently merged into the darkness. "I just... had a dream, a very scary nightmare."
Gu Mengran: "You didn't sleep, how come you still had a dream?"
"It will be fine in a while, it will be fine in a while." Liang Zhao answered the question irrelevantly. He held Gu Mengran tightly and refused to let go. His heart finally settled down and his rapid breathing gradually calmed down.
"At least get up from the ground first."
"No, just give me five minutes."
His voice was very hoarse and Gu Mengran was still a little confused. Fortunately, the feeling of being hugged by Liang Zhao was not bad, so he simply let him hold him.
In the tent not far away, Meng Gaoyang looked through the crack of the door at the two people hugging each other tightly, scratching his head anxiously, "Tsk, stop talking about love, you two little brats, don't burn my roast chicken!"
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