Chapter 87
Qin Huai didn't have to go to work, and Mu Nan didn't have to get up early. In the morning, he lay on Qin Huai like an octopus, with one side of his face pressed on Qin Huai's chest, making him almost drool. His legs under the quilt were also pressed on Qin Huai's legs. Qin Huai could only lie motionless and serve as Mu Nan's sleeping tool.
The room was well heated, and Mu Nan didn't like to have anything on him when he slept. He always said that the weight of the quilt made him breathless. Now that he still had the conditions, of course he would do whatever was comfortable for him. So he wore a loose fleece pajamas to sleep, and covered himself with a relatively light but very warm goose down quilt. At this moment, the quilt was warm, but his body felt heavy. His even breathing swept across his chest. Qin Huai raised his hand and gently stroked Mu Nan's soft hair. If it wasn't for the fact that skipping breakfast was bad for his health, he would definitely not be willing to wake Mu Nan up on such a leisurely and comfortable morning.
But no matter how reluctant he was, he still had to get up. He gently pinched the back of Mu Nan's neck. Even though he was asleep, Mu Nan still instinctively shrank. This habit that had not changed since childhood made Qin Huai laugh: "Get up."
Mu Nan hummed twice and moved, trying to turn over and get out of Qin Huai's control, but Qin Huai sat up and pulled him up as well: "Get up and have breakfast. After eating, you still need to water the tomatoes and peppers, and you need to take down the quilt and wash it. If you haven't slept enough in the afternoon, take a nap. Be obedient and get up quickly."
Mu Nan frowned irritably: "Hmm..."
Qin Huai: "Stop humming and wake yourself up, or I'll wipe your face with a cold towel."
Mu Nan turned over in the quilt and kicked his feet: "I don't have to go to work, why get up so early?"
Qin Huai: "In order to develop good habits, it's nine o'clock, so it's not too early. We still have to bake bean shreds today. We made so much yesterday."
It took me half an hour to get up reluctantly and wash my face before I finally woke up. But since I didn’t wake up naturally, I felt that I didn’t get enough sleep. I was still yawning all the way out of the bathroom.
Qin Huai said, "Let you wake up naturally, you can sleep until night. Bring out a bowl of noodles, half for each of us, and a boiled egg and some milk. It's almost ten o'clock now, eat a little to fill your stomach, or you won't be able to eat lunch at noon."
Mu Nan was like a robot programmed by Qin Huai, following instructions one by one, and looked at him expressionlessly after finishing. Qin Huai amusedly split the noodles in half, peeled the eggs and put them in his bowl, then stuffed the chopsticks into Mu Nan's hand: "Eat quickly."
Mu Nan took two bites, and then Qin Huai threw a few slices of beef into his bowl. Mu Nan picked up the beef and put it back into Qin Huai's bowl, and threw the slices in his bowl over to him: "I don't want to eat this kind of beef, it's not delicious."
Qin Huai chuckled: "You have a sharp tongue."
There was not much in half a bowl of noodles, and the two of them finished it in a few bites. Mu Nan finally woke up after breakfast, and then went to water his peppers and tomatoes. Qin Huai brought a small table and began to cut the bean shreds that Mu Nan had made yesterday. The method of making bean shreds is quite simple. Soak mung beans and rice in water, then use a wall breakers to squeeze them into juice. Brush some oil on the pot, blanch the juice into shape, and then roll it into strips. It can be eaten immediately after it is done, or it can be dried and dehydrated into dry bean shreds. The dehydrated bean shreds can be preserved for a long time. When you want to eat them, just boil them in water or soak them and stir-fry them. They can be used as a staple food.
The cut bean threads were placed in a dryer for dehydration. These machines were all found in the mall before, including blenders, juicers, dryers, and various ovens. They brought back too many of them, so they used those that had some damage on the packaging or body but were still usable. Those that still had packaging and looked good were put aside for the time being, as they could sell them later to exchange for points.
After cutting the bean threads and having Mu Nan dry them, Qin Huai began to use red beans to make the filling. This weather is most suitable for making sticky rice dumplings. After they are made, they can be frozen after being left outside for a while. If fruits were not so rare at this time, he would have wanted to get some frozen pears for Mu Nan. People like them in the south have never eaten pears frozen in the snow. Those frozen in the refrigerator outside don't taste the same at all.
The sweeper was set to mop the floor automatically, and the water outside was ready. Mu Nan, who had nothing to do, lay on the sofa playing with his mobile phone. Qin Huai was making red bean filling next to him. The flour had been kneaded and was put aside waiting to ferment. He didn't do anything else in the afternoon, so he made sticky rice dumplings.
Mu Nan was browsing the supplies section, watching those people selling some weird things online, when he received the official push of the cold wave news. The cold wave was expected to hit around 6 pm. Mu Nan said to Qin Huai: "The temperature will drop to minus 30 degrees. It's minus 20 degrees now. A cold wave will directly drop 10 degrees."
This was an official message, at least it gave people a warning. In his previous life, he had no idea how low the temperature was. It was getting colder day by day. If there was a sudden strong wind and heavy snow one day, the temperature would drop suddenly, and many people would freeze to death in their sleep. The private base did patrol every day, but its ultimate goal was to clear out the frozen people and take away their supplies as soon as possible.
Qin Huai: "This is probably a conservative estimate. The temperature may be even lower."
Mu Nan: "Does this mean the Little Ice Age has arrived?"
Qin Huai rubbed the red beans in his hand and said, "It shouldn't be. If it was the Little Ice Age, the summer wouldn't be that hot. I'm afraid it's still some unknown reason that caused the extreme climate change on Earth."
Mu Nan said, "It's so cold here. People in cold areas may have to migrate to save their lives. It was said that the glaciers would melt in the hot summer. Now that it's so cold, will the melted glaciers freeze again?"
Qin Huai laughed: "That's not how you look at melting and freezing. And it's even more terrible if it happens over and over again. When the snow accumulates and melts again in the summer, who knows how many countries will be submerged."
After reading the official push, Mu Nan sent a message to Xu Ming. He didn't know what time he came back yesterday. Anyway, they didn't hear any movement in the yard while they were in the house. There were all kinds of fractures and frostbite recently. Xu Ming was a veterinarian, but he was also busy as a human doctor and didn't even have time to drink a sip of water. So he asked him if he had prepared winter supplies. If he went too late, he probably wouldn't be able to buy anything.
I don’t know if Xu Ming was just taking a break or just happened to see it, and he replied to him: “I’ve bought it. You should be careful at home. The inspection results are out. The one who ate the man was not the tiger that was shot last time. The tiger didn’t have much food in its stomach. According to the autopsy of the deceased before, the one who ate the man was most likely a black bear.”
Mu Nan quickly sent a screenshot of Xu Ming's words to the group chat. Jian Chu and the others were still working outside today, so they still had to be careful on the way back. Then she looked at Qin Huai and said, "Fortunately you are on vacation, otherwise you would have to go farther to and from get off work, and I'm afraid I would not be able to help but pick you up after get off work."
Qin Huai: "Will the bears avoid you if you go there?"
Mu Nan: "I have an electric sled. I can use it to save lives in critical moments. Aren't bears hibernating animals? Why are they still out in such cold weather?"
Qin Huai said: "Even if they hibernate, they need to store enough food. Besides, not all bears hibernate. Even if they hibernate, they remain highly alert. They are not the type that sleeps forever. If they are hungry, they will come out to look for food."
Qin Huai glanced out the window as he spoke. There was no wind at the moment, so the snow outside the window was more clearly visible: "Maybe the bear is preparing for its hibernation." If the temperature gets colder to a new extreme in the future, now would probably be the time to hunt. Animals are always more sensitive than humans.
Mu Nan sighed: "Then let's just eat at noon. I'm afraid the smell will attract the bear."
Qin Huai said, "Eat fish. Eat the spicy fish you like. Add some fatty beef and mutton. Add some green vegetables, too. Eat some baby cabbage and spinach."
Mu Nan slowly got up, took out a pot from the space, put on the induction cooker, and then put the cooked fish in. The fish was the Qingjiang fish with very few bones, and one fish weighed at least three pounds. With some side dishes, it was enough for two people. He took the fat beef and lamb very quickly, but when it was the spinach's turn, Mu Nan hesitated.
Qin Huai said: "Just eat two, be obedient."
Mu Nan sighed, but still took it out obediently. Compared to others who didn't even have the bark to chew, he had to be grateful and content, so even if he didn't like it, he couldn't reject it.
Mu Nan buried the spinach at the bottom. It was best to cook it until it was soft, so that he could chew it twice and swallow it directly without having to smell the earthy smell. While eating the fish, Mu Nan remembered, "Don't bears like to eat fish the most? This is more attractive than hot pot."
Qin Huai: "Don't worry, eat your food. If the black bear really comes, we are indoors and it is outside. We have weapons, so there is nothing to be afraid of. We may be able to shoot it from a distance and get the points for it."
Mu Nan quickly said, "The bad ones don't work, but the good ones do. I don't want this kind of points."
As it turned out, they were not the chosen ones, and nothing happened so coincidentally. Until the black bear was shot dead, Mu Nan didn't even see a single hair of the bear.
The cold front arrived earlier than the government had announced. At around five o'clock, the sky was completely gloomy. The wind and snow grew stronger, and the windows were whistling. Mu Nan closed the insulation baffle that had been installed indoors, and the wind became slightly stronger. When the wind and snow got stronger, their neighbors had not returned yet, but it was not time to get off work.
The sticky rice dumplings were already made and left outside for an hour or two. They were now frozen hard. Mu Nan divided the sticky rice dumplings into ten for each family. They were all packed, so he sat on the bay window in the room, opened the curtains a little and paid attention to the movement outside. He couldn't help but sigh, "They are too hard-working. The weather has changed, but they didn't let them go back early. It was snowing all the way, and I felt like they were going to be blown away."
Qin Huai: "There's nothing we can do. They are different from my unit. Our software system is ready. We just need to pay attention to the background maintenance and the normal use of the hardware facilities. They work overtime for one day, so that more people can move into the greenhouse one day earlier. There are still many people in the school who have not been transferred here. Moreover, we don't know how many people outside have not been rescued yet. There is no way that there are only tens of thousands of people in the whole city."
Mu Nan sat on the bay window for a while, and then he saw someone with a flashlight approaching in the distance. However, due to the strong wind and snow, it was a bit difficult to walk. When the people got closer, he could recognize Jian Chu and Yu Zibai just by looking at their appearance, but there were only the two of them and Wu Zheng was not seen. However, Mu Nan still went downstairs with the prepared sticky rice dumplings.
Qin Huai glanced at him and reminded him to put on his coat, as it would be very cold even if he was just standing at the door and talking to him.
Mu Nan ran downstairs. Yu Zibai and Jian Chu just entered the yard and turned around to see Mu Nan poking his head out of the house.
Jian Chu was wrapped up thickly, and even raising his hand seemed to be a little difficult to greet Mu Nan. Mu Nan waved at them: "My brother made sticky rice dumplings, you can take them to Xu Ming. Where's Wu Zheng? Didn't he come back with you?"
Jian Chu shook his head, but his face was wrapped too tightly, or it was too cold, his teeth were chattering and his mouth was numb, he couldn't even speak, so he could only gesture with him and talk on the phone when he got home. Mu Nan also gave Jian Chu Wu Zheng's portion: "Then can you help me deliver it?" So that he wouldn't have to run out in the wind and snow again.
Yu Zibai, who was standing by, took it, nodded at him, waved his hand, told him to go upstairs, then turned and walked towards Wu Zheng's house.
Mu Nan closed the door and went upstairs, sitting next to Qin Huai on the carpet. The floor was warm. Although it was not as soft as the sofa, it was more comfortable. "Wu Zheng is not back. Jian Chu and the others are so cold that they can't speak. They said they would tell me when they get home. I asked them to send Wu Zheng's sticky rice dumplings over."
After a long while, probably just when they came to their senses, Jian Chu sent a voice message to Mu Nan: "Today was really bloody. We met Wu Zheng's dad."
Mu Nan remembered that Wu Zheng and his brother seemed to have the same mother but different fathers, so he quickly asked, "Then what happened? Did he go home with his father?"
Jian Chu: "We said we were going to visit him. His father didn't seem to be doing well. Today, he came to look for a job, but he looked very unwell. He was wearing one layer after another, and his cotton coat was tattered. He was hunched over and looked like he didn't even have the strength to walk. How could the higher-ups want such a person? So we asked him to leave his address. If he really couldn't work, the higher-ups would make other arrangements for him."
Mu Nan: "That's fine, so Wu Zheng was worried and sent his dad home?"
Jian Chu said, "It's not that I'm worried. It was Wu Zheng who recognized his father first, but he didn't plan to go forward to recognize him. Later, his father saw him, ran over, grabbed him and cried miserably."
Mu Nan exclaimed, "And then what?" A man who can even take care of a dog and never abandon it would not ignore his own father without any reason. At least the Wu Zheng he had met did not seem like that kind of person.
Jian Chu said, "Then Wu Zheng didn't want to make a scene, since there were many coworkers watching us. He told his dad to wait until he got paid for today. I guess after hearing about the salary, his dad really stopped making a scene, but he stared at Wu Zheng closely, as if he was afraid that he would run away, and followed him as soon as he got off work. Maybe Wu Zheng didn't want his dad to know where they live now, so he didn't go home. He asked me to come back and tell Song Jia, but he didn't even mention Song Jia's name, as if he was intentionally avoiding me. I don't know what the inside story is. I just hope his dad is not a vampire. Life is hard enough. If you meet a vampire relative, it would be unbearable."
Mu Nan was a little sad when he heard this. His parents left early, but in his memory, his parents loved him, just like the kind of love that many people in the world want to give all the good things to their children. But he also knew that not all parents love their children, such as his brother's biological father. Fortunately, his brother also grew up surrounded by love, otherwise, as others said, an unfortunate childhood might take a lifetime to heal.
The two of them had a casual dinner of two dishes and a soup. Mu Nan even left some food in his stomach on purpose because he wanted to have a barbecue. Unfortunately, plans can never keep up with changes. It was almost nine o'clock and Song Jia still hadn't waited for his brother to come back. He was so anxious at home. And because of the cold wave, the temperature dropped sharply. Song Jia finally couldn't wait any longer and put on his clothes and took the dog to go find his brother.
But the snow on the ground was a little thick, and he was worried that Niu Niu would have trouble walking. In addition, the dog had no clothes and its paws were stepping directly on the snow, so he was afraid that it would get frostbite. So he wanted to borrow Qin Huai's car, but Qin Huai's family's tricycle was left at Jian Chu's house. When Song Jia asked this, they all knew that Wu Zheng had not returned yet.
Jian Chu looked at Song Jia, who was already dressed warmly and ready to go out, and said, "But you don't know where your brother is. We do know which direction your brother went, but we only know one direction. Maybe he saw that the weather had changed, so your brother's father asked him to stay overnight."
Song Jia shook his head: "Impossible, if I let him stay for one night, my brother will not reply to my message, and even if the world returns to normal tomorrow, it is more likely than my brother will stay with him for one night."
Jian Chu looked back at Yu Zibai, and Song Jia said, "I'll go out and look for it myself. I know the direction you mentioned. I've brought Niuniu with me. Niuniu has the ability to find people now. I've also brought a walkie-talkie, but I don't know if the walkie-talkie can still be used in such a low temperature. Let's give it a try. You guys go in."
Qin Huai and Mu Nan also came over, and went directly through the garage. They had knocked on a door in the garages of the two families before, just in case it was too cold or too hot outside, and it would be difficult for the two families to communicate. Opening a door in the garage would not affect the privacy of the two families, which was just right. Seeing that Song Jia was going to go out to look for him by himself, Mu Nan looked at Qin Huai and hesitated, "Why don't we go together? If something really happens, you may not be able to handle it alone."
Jian Chu nodded: "Yes, wait a minute, let's go change clothes. I'm afraid your small flashlight is not enough, you need to get a big light."
Xu Ming asked: "Song Jia, does your bathroom have a bathtub?"
Song Jia shook his head. These houses were not very well decorated to begin with. Although a bathtub was found in the ruins before, it was really redundant. Who would go to the trouble of getting one?
Xu Ming said, "In this case, Mu Nan and Jian Chu will stay at home. Song Jia, open the door of your house. Find some containers to prepare some hot water. The more the better. Just be prepared. Song Jia, take another quilt and put it in the car. Qin Huai Zibai, let's go out with Song Jia to look for someone."
Since they decided to go out and look for someone, they naturally had to wear thick clothes. While Qin Huai was putting on his clothes, Mu Nan was sticking heat packs on him. His entire body was covered with them, even inside his shoes. Qin Huai's shoes were heated shoes, but he was still afraid that Qin Huai would get frostbite, so he stuck one on each sole of his feet and even inside his gloves.
Qin Huai said, "You and Jian Chu should be careful at home. If anything happens, try to contact them using the intercom."
Mu Nan nodded: "You too, if you can't find anyone for a while, come back first, don't keep us waiting at home."
After the group left, Jian Chu and Mu Nan went to Song Jia's house. Song Jia lived on the second floor, and the third floor was empty. The second floor was full of daily necessities. There were things to boil water, but nothing to drain water. Mu Nan was about to go home to get a slightly smaller inflatable swimming pool from the space, and Jian Chu found an inflatable bathing pool for pets at Song Jia's house. It wasn't very big, but it wasn't small either. It couldn't fit an adult lying flat on his back, but it could still fit curled up. They had found it in the ruins, but it was too small for people to use, so Song Jia said they wanted it so they could give Niuniu a bath, and now they were using it.
Jian Chu took out the thing and blew air into his mouth, while Mu Nan began to boil water. Song Jia's family only had one kettle, so Mu Nan ran back home and got two from his own home. He boiled all three kettles together and poured the boiled water into the bucket first. He just hoped that they could come back soon and all these preparations would be unnecessary.
The person was finally found, thanks to Niuniu, who jumped off the car from a long distance and dug up a snow pile. Qin Huai and the others hurried over. The snow pile was Wu Zheng, who was covered in snow. Wu Zheng was frozen like a popsicle, but his palms were still warm, proving that he was still alive. The few people were very strong, and they couldn't pry open Wu Zheng's curled up body, so they lifted him into the car and covered him with the prepared quilt. Song Jia hugged Wu Zheng tightly, and the tears on her face had frozen into icicles.
The place where they found Wu Zheng was not on the way home, but rather close to Building No. 1. Wu Zheng's outer coat and cotton jacket were gone, and no one knew what had happened. It was obvious that Wu Zheng was very cold when he came back, and he knew that he might not be able to make it home, so he wanted to go to Building No. 1 first. However, he lost consciousness due to the cold before he even reached Building No. 1.
Their place is a bit far from the medical station that was built later, so it would be better for them to go home. This is why Xu Ming asked Jian Chu and the others to prepare hot water at home. If they were attacked by wild beasts and had external injuries, they would be sent directly to the medical station no matter how far away they were. If they were suffering from hypothermia or frostbite, they would go home first to warm up their body temperature and replenish the heat that had not yet dissipated, and then send them to the medical station depending on the situation.
Seeing that the person was carried back, Mu Nan's heart skipped a beat and he hurried over with Jian Chu to help. Song Jia was so scared that his legs went weak and he missed two steps on the stairs in his house. If Jian Chu hadn't grabbed him, he would have almost rolled down.
Mu Nan also quickly helped Song Jia up: "It's okay, don't be afraid, we have prepared hot water, and Xu Ming is here, don't panic, if you panic, what will happen to your brother, he still has to count on you."
Song Jia wiped his tears randomly, but he used too much force and the icicles on his face directly cut his face. Blood mixed with melted snow water dripped down, which was scary to look at. Mu Nan hurriedly took a tissue to wipe his tears. He saw Qin Huai and the others starting to help Wu Zheng take off his clothes, but the clothes were frozen too hard, and Wu Zheng was curled up unconscious, making it even more difficult to take them off, so he wanted to go forward to help.
Jian Chu pulled Mu Nan back and said, "Don't go over there."
Mu Nan looked back at him in confusion: "What's wrong?"
Jian Chu said, "The three of them are enough. If you squeeze over to help, you will be in the way. Let's go boil some water. We will probably have to keep boiling the hot water. Even if the house is warm, the water will cool down quickly. Let's go and boil some water."
Mu Nan didn't think much about it, responded with a "OK", said something to Qin Huai, and followed Jian Chu to boil water.
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