Bi Qiaoan felt a pang of heartache as she looked at Shen Yanming, who was squatting in front of the tent, enjoying a bowl of plain rice porridge with only a few pickled vegetables. In just a few days, he had not only gotten tanned but had also become so thin that you could see his bones.
If even someone like him, who receives special treatment, is like this, what about everyone else?
Bi Qiaoan took out a salted egg from her spatial storage, peeled off the shell, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and quickly put it into Shen Yanming's bowl. She whispered, "Look how thin you've become. How can you go on like this?"
Shen Yanming smiled and said, "It's alright, I'm in good health. If everyone else is thin and I'm still chubby, wouldn't that be a clear sign that there's something wrong with me?"
Hearing this, Bi Qiaoan couldn't help but sigh. They clearly had so much food, but they didn't dare to eat freely in this kind of environment. It was only because everyone knew that the two of them had brought rice, flour, and cooking oil when they came that they dared to do so; otherwise, with Bi Qiaoan's current plump figure, who knows how much trouble she would have caused.
After Shen Yanming finished eating and washed the dishes, he took off his dirty work clothes outside before walking into the tent in his underwear.
Bi Qiaoan was about to turn off the lamp so that Shen Yanming could take a shower in the space. But Shen Yanming stopped her, "Don't rush, let me show you something good."
Shen Yanming rummaged through his dirty work clothes for a long time before finally finding a bracelet studded with gemstones. It shimmered under the light and looked extremely beautiful.
“This is…” Bi Qiaoan took the bracelet and, after examining it closely, realized that it was a classic design from a luxury brand in the country of Ai.
She had an idea in her mind, but wasn't sure, so she tentatively asked, "Where did you get it?"
"The villa area we excavated today was dug out from the ruins!" Shen Yanming admitted frankly.
Bi Qiaoan was somewhat taken aback. Her expression was very strange. After hesitating for a long time, she asked in a low voice, "Honey, you didn't secretly keep this, did you?"
"What are you thinking!" Shen Yanming was so angry he almost laughed. He raised his right hand and gave Bi Qiaoan a sharp rap on the forehead.
Bi Qiaoan winced slightly, rubbing her forehead in grievance, and said with teary eyes, "Didn't you say that everything should go to the public? Isn't it normal for me to have such thoughts?"
Shen Yanming was taken aback for a moment before saying, "These are the spoils of war that Captain Li specially allowed us to keep today."
Seeing that Bi Qiaoan didn't understand, Shen Yanming explained, "We've been digging for supplies in the ruins every day, which is already very physically demanding. Now that we're not eating well, many people are thinking of quitting. Captain Li saw that everyone was being a bit passive and came up with this idea to improve everyone's work enthusiasm."
Bi Qiaoan hadn't expected the truth to be like this. She asked, "Then he won't make a mistake, will he?"
"No. These things aren't edible or drinkable, and they don't have much value in the current environment. They're only good for looking at; otherwise, nobody would want them if they were thrown away."
Then, as if remembering something, he shook his head again, "It's not that nobody wants it, because I saw someone pocket the gold ring with my own eyes, but at the time I felt it had nothing to do with me, so I didn't say anything."
I'm thinking, maybe Captain Li saw it too, which is why he thought of using these previously expensive but now useless trinkets as bait to get everyone to work harder.
Shen Yanming chuckled, "You know what, it's actually quite useful. Maybe gold and silver jewelry are still valuable in everyone's mind. So, when Captain Li said that everyone could choose one piece of loot to take away, everyone's spirits soared. We even completed an extra excavation task today."
Bi Qiaoan nodded. "Are there many supplies in the villa area?"
"It's alright. Anyway, the warehouse and basement were storing rice, flour, and cooking oil. If they just confiscate it like this, the owners will probably be heartbroken."
"There's nothing we can do about it. If you hadn't helped, these supplies would have remained buried underground, never seeing the light of day. It's good that we're bringing them out now so everyone can have a good meal."
"I'm afraid we won't be able to eat our fill. I heard they say there's a big food shortage, and there's not much food left. We have to eat sparingly, or we'll run out of food."
Hearing this, Bi Qiaoan was speechless. If it weren't for this earthquake, every household would have had surplus grain, enough to last until the summer harvest.
But now, their surplus grain is buried underground, their wealth is buried underground, and their hopes seem to have been buried underground as well.
Seeing that Bi Qiaoan remained silent, Shen Yanming looked into her eyes and asked seriously, "If, I mean if, I took out the food from my spatial storage, would you blame me?"
Bi Qiaoan's heart skipped a beat; she was afraid to answer the question. But Shen Yanming wouldn't allow her to avoid it, looking at her intently. "Tell me your thoughts. If you don't allow it, I won't do it!"
Bi Qiaoan bit her lower lip hard, and her eyes began to redden. She wanted to say no, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Seeing that she had almost bitten her lip until it bled, Shen Yanming sighed helplessly, gently pried open her jaw, and said, "It's okay, I won't go."
“No.” Bi Qiaoan shook her head, her voice trembling slightly. “It’s not that I’m reluctant to part with the food. I’m afraid that if we leave a trace, we’ll be arrested and put under guard.”
Shen Yanming was also worried about this, but he couldn't bear to see the guards working on an empty stomach, nor could he bear to see the refugees who had just experienced the destruction of their homes and now had to endure hunger again.
Seeing how worried Bi Qiaoan was, he could only comfort her, "It's not that I necessarily want to send them food, I'm just worried that things will get worse and we'll have to take action then."
Don't worry, as long as people don't starve to death, we'll pretend we know nothing. If we really have to take action, I'll find a good opportunity and try my best not to arouse suspicion, okay?
Bi Qiaoan nodded, but her unease did not diminish in the slightest.
After the lights were turned off, Bi Qiaoan sent Shen Yanming into her spatial dimension so he could take a proper shower. Of course, this "proper shower" only applied to the area below the neck. The rest of his body, above the neck, still had to be kept dirty for others to see.
Bi Qiaoan lay in the tent, pondering how to get the food without arousing suspicion. But as she thought about it, she fell asleep.
When Shen Yanming came out of the space, he saw his wife, who was sleeping restlessly with a furrowed brow.
He knew his words had frightened her, but he had a feeling that he had no choice but to take action this time.
Sigh, he's in a difficult position too. If these people weren't right in front of him, he really wouldn't want to get involved.
What's so great about being a savior? How many of those who made great contributions in history had a good ending?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
