"Don't be so stingy!" Qi Xili said shamelessly.
Shen Yan understood him at a glance, but didn't say anything. He served him a bowl of stewed chicken with potatoes, and then Qi Xili quietly left.
Bi Qiaoan exclaimed from the side, "Could this be the legendary love-hate relationship?"
An'an and Nuannuan ignored the adults' affairs and ate heartily after taking the bowl. When they finished eating and returned the bowl, they discovered that the cup on the coffee table had fallen off by itself.
The two children almost lost their balance and fell. Luckily, Qi Xili reacted quickly, tucking them under his arms and shouting, "Earthquake!"
Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan were both stunned. They grabbed the down jackets from the sofa and the backpacks from the door and ran downstairs.
Qi Xili and the two children were not far behind, but before the three of them could even leave the building, the earthquake stopped.
The three adults had all experienced earthquake rescue, so they naturally knew how dangerous it was.
But An'an and Nuan'nuan were still in their mother's womb at that time, and their knowledge about earthquakes came from classroom learning. They had never truly experienced one, and hadn't even watched many documentaries. The two little ones were too young to be afraid, and were even counting the number of people running down from upstairs with great interest.
Qi Xili listened to their whispered chatter and couldn't help but slap both of their butts.
It was quite heavy; at least An'an and Nuan Nuan could sense that Qi Xili was angry.
Indeed, in such a serious environment, with everyone else pale-faced, it was truly outrageous that the two of them were still joking around.
The two children wanted to complain to Bi Qiaoan, but after hearing Qi Xili's account of the devastating consequences of the earthquake, they realized how inappropriate their behavior had been.
"You guys wait outside for a bit, I'm going to check out areas B, C, and D." Qi Xili pushed An'an and Nuannuan into Shen Yanming's arms and left.
Before Comrade Shen could even give a few words of advice, he had already disappeared.
Bi Qiaoan hiccuped and said, "It's alright, we ate lunch early today, and the fire was already sealed off. Uh, hiccup..."
Shen Yanming let An An hug his waist and patted Bi Qiaoan's head: "Don't talk, you're inhaling cold air."
Bi Qiao thought to herself, "She must have inhaled it long ago, otherwise why would she be hiccuping?" But seeing more and more people around her, she didn't say anything more.
Half an hour later, Bi Qiaoan was finally ready. The others were getting a little anxious waiting downstairs because there hadn't been any tremors in the ground during that time.
Bi Qiaoan wanted to go back upstairs, but Shen Yanming felt that since he had promised Qi Xili, he should wait for the other person to come back before discussing it further.
Seeing this, Bi Qiaoan whispered a few words to Shen Yanming. She rushed upstairs alone, opened the door, and tidied up the room. When she came downstairs, she carried her bag and put a lot of snacks in it. Finally, she pulled up the thinnest quilt in the bedroom.
Although it's described as thin, it actually weighs five or six pounds. In my haste, I didn't fold it properly. It's loose and crumpled, a large bundle in my arms.
"Oh my, darling, did you bring all our belongings down here?" Shen Yanming was chatting with Li Tongtong downstairs when he saw Bi Qiaoan carrying a quilt down, and he laughed.
Because her view was blocked, Bi Qiaoan hadn't seen Li Tongtong yet, but she said with a smile, "I'm afraid our little darling will be cold."
Although it's early September, the temperature is only seven or eight degrees Celsius. To be honest, it's still quite cold.
Shen Yanming took the quilt, and only then did Bi Qiaoan see Li Tongtong's eyes sparkling with stars.
"Tongtong is here. Where's your mom?" No need to ask Dad, he's probably busy.
“My dad just called me to help out. My mom was worried something might happen to me, so she told me to come and find Uncle Chen, saying that we're acquaintances and can look out for each other.”
Bi Qiaoan nodded: "Okay, you can stay next to us. By the way, are you cold? Do you want to wrap yourself up with An'an and keep warm?"
Li Tongtong was somewhat tempted, looking at Bi Qiaoan without saying a word. But the starlight in her eyes said it all.
Shen Yanming lifted a corner of the blanket and beckoned, "Come in quickly. You're tall enough to hold the blanket up so it doesn't fall to the ground."
Li Tongtong smiled shyly and slipped inside. She thought to herself, "Uncle Shen is so thoughtful, giving me such an excuse."
The group chatted downstairs, and time didn't seem to pass slowly. But the gradually decreasing temperature was making them a bit irritable.
Many people wanted to go home, but were worried about potential accidents. Until the base gave clear instructions, they felt it was safer to stay outdoors.
The couple reasoned that if nothing had really happened, Li Gangtie wouldn't have called his wife away. Since he'd sent people to help, it meant something had happened somewhere at the base. Although they wanted to go too, with An'an and Nuannuan with them, they didn't dare act rashly.
Shen Yanming even thought that if a magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake were to occur, he would risk being discovered to send An'an and Nuannuan into his spatial dimension immediately. As for the others, he would decide based on their mood and physical reactions at the time.
Two hours passed, and Qi Xili still hadn't returned. An'an and Nuannuan were tired of standing, and Li Tongtong was also getting bored.
Shen Yanming took out a thermos from his backpack and offered the two children a sip. The spiritual spring water inside should help relieve their fatigue.
An'an and Nuannuan obediently drank the water, and even asked Li Tongtong very considerately, "Sister, do you want some water? It's warm!"
The couple wasn't sure if the other person minded using someone else's water cup, so they asked. Unexpectedly, Li Tongtong was still the same carefree girl she always was; she took the cup and drank two big gulps, commenting, "It's a little sweet!"
Bi Qiaoan laughed after hearing this, and secretly slipped a bag of dried meat into the quilt for the three of them.
Li Tongtong was stunned, staring at Bi Qiaoan in disbelief. Only after confirming that it was for her did she smile and say thank you.
She slipped one to An'an and Nuan'nuan, then secretly took a bite herself. The fragrant and spicy flavor exploded in her mouth, and Li Tongtong's eyes lit up. She couldn't help but give Bi Qiao'an a thumbs up.
Because the dried meat contained chili peppers, it masked the effects of the spiritual spring water. Li Tongtong didn't suspect anything.
Bi Qiaoan, trying to make conversation, brought up a topic that her aunts and uncles always brought up every year: "Does Tongtong have a boyfriend yet?"
"No, my dad said there's no rush. The current environment is unstable, and many men can't even take care of themselves. I'd rather not find someone who would be a burden to my parents."
"Why not just hire a guard?"
"Well, it all depends on fate. I'm not against it, it's just that I haven't met anyone I click with yet. Maybe things will get better in the future."
Bi Qiaoan smiled, thinking that the person before was still the most clear-headed. She nodded and said a few words of encouragement to the other person.
After waiting a while, Qi Xili returned.
He waved his hand and said, "It's alright, everyone go back!" The people below then rushed upstairs.
He kept running and saying, "Oh my god, I'm freezing!"
Li Tongtong was also about to go home, but Shen Yanming stopped her: "Come on, go upstairs and sit for a while. When your dad comes back, have him come pick you up."
Li Tongtong didn't hesitate; she nodded and agreed.
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