Chapter 18
Summer is more than halfway over, but temperatures have been soaring day after day, and the air has become even hotter.
During the day, the vehicle is exposed to the sun for a long time, with no shade for most of the journey, and even the wind feels scorching hot.
Humans can tolerate it, but food may spoil faster, and the fuel tank in the trunk has an unknown limit, posing a potential danger.
Therefore, Fang Xiaoyu finally decided to turn on the air conditioner.
Although the increased fuel consumption and dwindling inventory were painful, I persevered until I reached the new service area.
Upon entering the service area, Fang Xiaoyu busied herself, diligently studying the various instruction manuals.
Flame-retardant sound insulation cotton was added to the hood, and vibration damping plates and sound insulation cotton were added to the doors. Heat insulation pads and sun visors were added to the interior. The car refrigerator and insulated bags were filled with ice to chill bottled water. As for the explosion-proof film, it was replaced less than a year ago and already has a good heat insulation effect, so it will be kept for now.
Su Ming helped out and learned a lot of new knowledge. In addition, Fang Xiaoyu hadn't mentioned the rope ladder again recently, so he was more confident about the future.
At this point, Fang Xiaoyu announced: "From now on, we'll change our schedule. We'll rest during the day and drive at night."
Su Ming thought it was fine, so the matter was settled.
From that day on, the two began to hide during the day and go out at night.
At first, they were not used to it; they yawned at night and couldn't sleep during the day.
Especially at noon, there are almost no shady spots on the road. The sunshade is made up of a few pieces of sun visor and sunshade cloth, which mostly block the light on the roof of the car and a small part extends to the sides.
Later, his body gradually adapted, but each time Su Ming was the first to fall asleep and start snoring.
Fang Xiaoyu found it even harder to fall asleep. She would play single-player games, watch TV shows and read novels, browse Teacher Xiaoshi's videos, and also look back at old chat logs.
Friends, classmates, close colleagues...
Mom, brother and sister-in-law, niece...
Page after page, line after line, it feels like I was chatting with them just yesterday.
"Auntie, look, my little princess!"
The giant cat face was forced against the screen, and although it was uncomfortable to be held, it did not resist, its expression one of utter despair.
She unconsciously broke into a maternal smile.
"Woof woof—"
Yes, this cat was raised by my sister-in-law's dog. It learned a foreign language, but it doesn't speak often. When it does, it just barks like a dog.
"Woof woof—"
Fang Xiaoyu's smile faltered as she realized the voice wasn't coming from the phone, but rather from outside the car.
The car window was open, and she looked down.
A big yellow dog was squatting next to the car.
It seemed to be a young adult, covered in dirt. Although it was thin, its eyes were round and bright. When it saw people, it barked twice: "Woof woof—" and its tail wagged so fast it left a blur.
Fang Xiaoyu's eyes widened, and she got out of the car with surprise, finding a small basin and pouring a bottle of water into it.
The big yellow dog wasn't afraid of strangers; it didn't run or bark, but grunted and growled loudly.
Hearing the noise in his sleep, Su Ming mumbled twice, turned his head to the other side, and fell fast asleep.
Fang Xiaoyu tore off another sausage and handed it over.
The big yellow dog carefully avoided her hand, biting the sausage. After the person let go, it lowered its head and swallowed it in a few bites. After finishing, it licked its nose, barked happily, spun around twice, and lay down in the shadow of the little white car, its brown almond-shaped eyes innocent and gentle.
She went back to her car, took out a damp old towel, and wiped its fur and paws.
The big yellow dog didn't move at all, lifting its paw when told to lift it and lowering its head when told to lower it, being very obedient.
She found a sun hat and put it backwards around its neck, then took out an old nail clipper and trimmed its overly sharp claws.
The big yellow dog was very cooperative, neither barking nor making a fuss.
It must have been tamed by someone; I don't know how it got lost here.
Fang Xiaoyu checked the little guy's gender and said to it, "From now on, you will be called the Great Princess, understand, Great Princess."
The big yellow dog, now with a name, responded with a whimper, as if in agreement.
Fang Xiaoyu cleaned it up simply, carried it back to the car, and placed a cushion next to her feet.
The eldest princess sniffed around, then curled up obediently on the cushion, as if she knew she was taking up her sleeping space and was trying her best to shrink her body.
When Su Ming woke up, he found a big yellow dog keeping watch for Fang Xiaoyu.
As soon as he stood up, the big yellow dog looked up too. As soon as he sat down, the big yellow dog lay down, staring at him with its eyes and its tail wagging wildly behind it.
Su Ming gasped, leaned back tactically, and was held in place by the backrest.
Where did this dog come from?!
What to do? It's looking at itself!
Su Ming has a severe phobia of dogs since childhood because he witnessed his playmate being attacked and bitten by a rabid dog, and he himself almost lost his life.
At that moment, he realized that he was less than an arm's length away from an adult dog, and his 1.78-meter height made him look particularly helpless as he huddled in the driver's seat.
Fortunately, the big yellow dog only watched for a while, and seeing that he had his eyes closed, it quickly lost interest.
Fang Xiaoyu curled up to sleep so the eldest princess could make room for her. She was half asleep, waking up several times in the middle of the night, but finally sensed Su Ming's nervousness and immediately became alert: "Are you afraid of dogs?"
Su Ming hadn't dared to make a sound. Seeing that she was awake, he breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart quickly jumped again, and he began to stammer, "Can...can you take it down with you?"
Fang Xiaoyu checked the time; it was 2:30 PM. Then she looked at the sun and tried to persuade the eldest princess: "The ground is still very hot. Why don't we leave it in the car? Look, it's very well-behaved."
As he spoke, he hugged the dog, grabbed one of its paws, and said, "Say hello to your Uncle Su."
The eldest princess obediently opened her mouth and let out a soft "woof," which startled Su Ming so much that he trembled.
His shaking was so violent and sudden that it startled Fang Xiaoyu.
She quickly hugged the eldest princess tightly and said to Su Ming, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm holding you tight, it won't pounce on you."
The eldest princess, wearing a sun hat, tilted her head in confusion.
Su Ming's eyes welled up with a suspicious glint of tears, but he didn't dare look. He pressed himself against the side of the car door, showing no intention of getting out: "Is this dog something we absolutely have to keep?"
Fang Xiaoyu hesitated and glanced down at the eldest princess.
The eldest princess seemed to realize her dilemma and let out two soft sobs.
It felt as if an arrow had pierced my chest.
The eldest princess is behaving very well so far, and she has a keen sense of smell, runs fast, and can help keep watch. She also has sharp teeth and claws, so she should be a good companion.
But my teammates are clearly afraid of it, what should I do?
Fang Xiaoyu carefully observed Su Ming's reaction: "How about I put it in the back row?"
Seeing that he wouldn't budge, she added, "Should I move to the back seat to keep an eye on it too?"
Su Ming's hands, still trembling slightly, gripped the steering wheel, but he remained silent.
Fang Xiaoyu sighed: "Why don't you go to the car in the back?"
To save energy, although they have two vehicles, they mostly use the back one as a warehouse, storing goods there and rarely driving it.
Since we can't share a room now, let's just use some "oil" to avoid trouble. The car behind us is spacious enough for long arms and legs to fit comfortably.
Su Ming opened his eyes in disbelief, his gaze towards Fang Xiaoyu filled with accusation, as if she had committed some heinous crime. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say, and awkwardly opened the door and went downstairs: "Sister Xiaoyu, you're in charge."
Fang Xiaoyu: ...Oh, this.
She grabbed a thermos bag filled with crushed ice and got out of the car. When she saw Su Ming open the MPV door and get in, she handed him the thermos bag.
I thought Su Ming would be happy, but he was stunned at first. His expression softened, but when he saw the bag of ice, his expression suddenly became even uglier.
Fang Xiaoyu's heart skipped a beat; she sensed something was wrong.
This is likely to lead to another cold war.
She scratched her head and returned to the driver's seat of the little white car. The eldest princess was still lying in her bed, not moving. She only sat up when she saw her, whimpering as if she was concerned about what would happen next.
“It’s not your fault.” She rubbed its fluffy head and said, “Stay here and relax. If you’re uncomfortable lying down there, come up to the chair.”
He patted the passenger seat as he spoke.
The eldest princess blinked, tentatively placed her paw on the seat, and nodded encouragingly. Her eyes lit up, and the next second she lightly jumped onto the seat, her paws tucked in, careful not to scratch the seat cushion. She lay down, not caring that she was still wearing a hat around her neck, and rested her head on her two paws, just like Fang Xiaoyu, and closed her eyes to sleep.
The occasional twitching of the ears indicates that the person is still paying attention to their surroundings.
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