Li Sikai wanted to refute, but for a moment he was speechless.
Faced with the criticism from the crowd, he could only silently endure it.
Xiong Jianwei, however, couldn't stand it and yelled, "Damn it, we just found out she died of the plague. Before that, the two people who had the accident took care of her."
It would have been better if he hadn't said it; once he did, the crowd went crazy.
"Oh my, he was just giving that dead guy CPR, he might have already been infected with the plague."
"Quick, quick, get away from them. Don't get caught up in the excitement and end up getting yourself killed."
"These people are really something. Knowing there's a risk of infection, they should stay far away from crowds. But what did they do? They were chatting with us so close to each other. It's ridiculous."
"Hey, you'd better stop nagging, or someone might beat you up. Look at their physique, they could probably knock you down with just one finger."
"How dare you talk like that? Do you think I'm that weak?"
"Pretty much, anyway, not that strong!"
"you!"
Listening to everyone's whispers and pointing fingers, Xiong Jianwei felt that all his previous good intentions had been wasted on ungrateful people. He was extremely frustrated and regretted bringing people to pick wild vegetables, gather mushrooms, and distill purified water.
Seeing his anger and frustration, Li Sikai came over and patted his arm to comfort him: "Alright, we're not on the same page. There's no need for us to bother with these weaklings; it would only make us look bad."
Xiong Jianwei's eyes reddened when he heard this.
To be honest, he was a little scared, afraid that people would say he had been infected with the plague, so he was somewhat evasive when facing Li Sikai.
Li Sikai didn't notice this and turned to everyone, saying, "We were negligent in what happened today. We apologize."
To avoid further risks, please find your own food from now on. After all, we've all had close contact with plague patients; we don't want to accidentally get infected and burden everyone else.”
As soon as Li Sikai said this, the person who had been making sarcastic remarks and picking a fight immediately fell silent.
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment before realizing what mistake they had made.
"No, Captain Li, if you don't lead the way, where are we going to find food?"
Li Sikai smiled apologetically: "Let's search the places we went before again; we're sure we can still find something. Our current physical condition really isn't suitable for us to get involved with everyone anymore."
Although the onlookers were unhappy, they knew that Li Sikai was telling the truth. So they nodded and dispersed.
Once everyone was alone, Li Sikai went inside, intending to put Tong Xianbao and Yuan Ruoxi together. However, he was surprised to find the room in disarray, clearly having been ransacked.
He was so angry he laughed. That little girl was crying wolf, trying to shift the blame!
But is it necessary to search through it? Isn't this little house a place where you can see right to the end?
I'm truly fed up with these selfish and greedy guys!
Li Sikai put the man on the bed and left. Seeing that Xiong Jianwei was out of sorts, he prepared to go over and say a few words of comfort. But the old Xiong just stood there and backed away, saying, "You guys stay away from me, I might have caught the plague too."
"Ha, Old Bear, you must be joking. Didn't you say that it's okay if you don't eat fish?"
Xiong Jianwei shook his head, his eyes red, and said, "That's just speculation. What if it can be transmitted through droplets? Wouldn't you be in trouble?"
"No, Lao Xiong, how can you be so sure you'll have a problem? Did their words scare you into a mental breakdown?"
Geng Zhixing was joking around without a care in the world, but Li Sikai grabbed Xiong Jianwei and asked, "Are you injured?"
Xiong Jianwei tried to pull back twice, but couldn't.
He then resigned himself to his fate and admitted, "Yes, I was cut by glass, and the wound is soaked in sewage. This plague is raging, and I'm afraid I can't escape it. You all stay away from me."
Upon hearing this, Geng Zhixing's eyes turned red: "Old Xiong, you're not joking?"
"I'm about to die, who the hell is joking with you!"
"Brother Xiong, don't be so pessimistic. Maybe we'll be fine? We've trained for so many years, our resistance isn't that bad," Sun Sainan comforted him with a smile. But that smile was more like a grimace.
Li Sikai was also upset and asked Xiong Jianwei, "So, that's why you pulled Geng Zhixing away and performed CPR on Tong Xianbao?"
Xiong Jianwei nodded. "Well, since I've already been infected, there's no need for me to harm the other brothers. You can all leave. I'll keep Yuan Ruoxi and Tong Xianbao for their burial. As for the rest, let them fend for themselves."
“What nonsense are you talking about? Aren’t we still brothers? We share the good times and the bad. Even if you get sick, I’ll be there to take care of you!” Geng Zhixing said.
Sun Sainan nodded, "We've been together day and night for years, we're closer than family, even closer than parents and brothers. How can we just abandon each other like that? Hang in there, brother, I'm still waiting to go back to the capital with you for a drink!"
With tears in his eyes, Xiong Jianwei smiled and said, "Okay, with you all here, I will never give up, and I will hold on until the last moment of my life."
Seeing this, Li Sikai didn't try to be sentimental. He silently turned around, fetched a basin of seawater, distilled it into pure water in the middle of the night, returned to the thatched hut, and used the dim light of dawn to wash Xiong Jianwei's wounds.
"Boss, don't waste fresh water. Wouldn't it be better to save it for the brothers?"
"Stop talking nonsense. If you don't clean it up properly, even if you don't have the disease, you will die from infection."
A slight smile curved Xiong Jianwei's lips. He felt that with such brothers, he had no regrets in this life.
"Alright, lean against the door frame and rest for a while. We'll go bury the two inside."
"Okay, be careful, try to avoid direct contact."
"Know!"
Li Sikai, along with Sun Sainan and Geng Zhixing, dug a pit nearby, put Yuan Ruoxi and Tong Xianbao in it, bowed, and buried them.
"I hope you can be upright, positive, and kind people in your next life, and I hope you can have a wonderful life in your next life." Don't be like this life, where you started at the peak of your life but ended up at the bottom of society.
Li Sikai led the two of them to pick some wild vegetables and mushrooms nearby, and shot two birds before returning home.
When they got back, they found Xiong Jianwei with his eyes closed, his face flushed, and his consciousness somewhat unclear.
Li Sikai was startled and quickly stepped forward to pat him: "Wake up, don't sleep! Old Xiong, you better hold on!"
Xiong Jianwei murmured in a daze, his eyelids seemingly glued shut, unable to open them.
"Ouch, it's so hot! It feels like Yuan Ruoxi's fever." Li Sikai said, frowning.
Sun Sainan and Geng Zhixing looked at Xiong Jianwei with concern. They exchanged a glance and said, "Boss, let's go get some seawater. We'll distill it, use half to wipe Old Xiong's body, and use the other half to make soup. Even if he really can't make it, we want him to die a full and clean death!"
Li Sikai remained silent for a long time before saying, "I have a secret that concerns my life and fortune. I don't know if I can tell you."
The two men exchanged a glance and nodded: "Boss, if you want to tell us, we'll definitely keep it a secret to the death. If you don't want to tell us, don't force us. We're not people with a lot of curiosity."
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