Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Horrible Nightmare

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Huangjiang can't go back for the time being. This flood that almost took away everyone has sounded the alarm. Before the thick fog dissipates and visibility improves, the rest of the way can only be walked on foot.

The sky was dark, and thick fog had turned the evening into midnight. The winding mountain path led to no village or shop. After coming out of the space, the three of them unanimously decided to rest where they were for the night.

Picking a flat open space to set up the tent, Gu Mengran took out an air pump and a stack of brand new, unopened outdoor inflatable mattresses from the tent, and pumped them up with a grunt.

The floor was too hard, the sleeping bag was too hot, the air mattress was just right.

It was a bit troublesome to use for the first time, but when I leave tomorrow morning, I won’t deflate it and can just put it away in the space. It will be much more convenient to use next time.

The temperature had obviously risen, and Gu Mengran was sweating profusely just to inflate the mattress. But when he opened the curtain and walked out of the tent, everything was worth it, and his not-so-good mood suddenly turned from cloudy to sunny.

The weed-covered wasteland has completely changed. A simple triangular tent stands by the road, and folding tables and chairs are neatly placed in front of the door. The outdoor power supply on the table is flashing a signal light, and two outdoor lights are hung on the edge of the tent, illuminating the gloomy darkness.

The good days are over, and every day will be like this from now on.

If conditions permit, try to live as comfortably as possible.

After a trip to the gates of hell and feeling hungry for the whole day, Gu Mengran was unwilling to force himself to eat fast food. Since the tables, chairs and benches were already set up, he simply took out the gas tank and pots and pans, rolled up his sleeves and started cooking.

When you are hungry, you won’t be able to do anything fancy.

Steam a pot of rice, chop a fresh chicken, cut three potatoes and three thin-skinned green peppers, wash them and cook them in one pot.

Dried peppercorns, dried chili peppers, ginger, onions, garlic, and half a block of hot pot base. Stir-fry in hot oil and it will be so fragrant that even burnt insoles will taste terrible.

After stir-frying the blanched chicken evenly, add soy sauce and cooking wine, and finally add water to cover the chicken. After covering the pot, Gu Mengran became completely idle and squatted beside the stove with his chin in his hand, thinking.

It was fine when I was at the Wind Wing, and it wasn't a hassle to cook every day. But now that I'm out and about, I have to set up a stove outside to cook after a long day of traveling... I just put on the mask of pain.

Gu Mengran regretted it. If he had known what would happen now, he should not have lay down on the Fengyi. He should have made more food and put it in the space when he was free. He could take it and eat it when he went out. He could eat good food anytime without wasting time and even saved the trouble of heating it.

What a bad decision!

Now that the conditions no longer exist, Gu Mengran can only think about it, hanging his head and sighing.

"Meng Ran."

A shadow fell overhead and a slightly hoarse voice sounded behind me.

Gu Mengran acted as if he didn't hear anything and didn't even raise his head.

Liang Zhao didn't mind his neglect. He knelt down beside Gu Mengran, sniffing the spicy aroma in the air with his nose slightly moved, and said in a flattering tone: "It smells good. Your cooking skills are really good. It smells the same as in the restaurant."

"I think I smell hot pot. Have you added the base?"

The opening remarks to ease the atmosphere did not work. No matter how hard Liang Zhao talked, Gu Mengran acted as if he didn't hear him and didn't say a word.

Liang Zhao hadn't realized the seriousness of the problem yet. His eyes shifted from the burning stove to Gu Mengran's face. He lowered his voice and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, I was inconsiderate today, but--"

"But you did it for my own good, and didn't want to implicate us," Gu Mengran suddenly raised his head, stared at Liang Zhao with wide eyes, and asked loudly, "That's why you let go of my hand before the flood came, and then prepared to die alone, right?"

Gu Mengran clearly touched Liang Zhao a second before the flood hit. But Liang Zhao seemed to feel that it was too late, and without the slightest hesitation, he let go of his hand.

Fortunately, Gu Mengran realized his intention in time, held him tightly and refused to let go, and put him into the space safely. Otherwise, Liang Zhao would not be able to squat here and talk to him, and he probably wouldn't even be able to find the body.

Gu Mengran was filled with rage. He put Liang Zhao into the space and ignored him. If his grandfather had not insisted on seeing him, he would have even thought of locking Liang Zhao up for two days!

Gu Mengran was not good at hiding his emotions, and Liang Zhao saw his anger.

Liang Zhao did not defend himself. He stared at Gu Mengran and apologized again after a few seconds of silence: "I'm sorry, the situation was urgent at the time, and I forgot that you still had space."

"Oh, so you can do this when there's no space?"

Gu Mengran got stuck in a dead end, shaking with anger, his eyes instantly reddened, "I know you, Liang Zhao. You promised us that we are a family, but in the end, you still treat yourself as an outsider. When you encounter danger, the first thing you think of is sacrificing yourself! Do you think you are a sacrifice that can be thrown away at any time?"

At the thought that Liang Zhao might die, Gu Mengran's voice suddenly rose and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. He quickly turned his face away, lifted the lid of the pot and stir-fried the chicken to hide his out-of-control emotions.

The hot oil collided with the wok, and the lingering smoke rose up, just like a stiff atmosphere, spreading between the two people.

Liang Zhao frowned, and consciously raised his hand that was hanging by his side, and slowly placed it on Gu Mengran's shoulder, patting it very lightly, "If possible, I also want to live well with you and Master Meng. I'm not a hero who sacrifices himself for others, but because we are family, I don't want to put you in danger."

"I was impulsive today and made you worry. Next time I make a decision, I will think twice before acting." Liang Zhao leaned forward a little, put himself in front of Gu Mengran, and soothed him softly: "Don't be angry, okay?"

Liang Zhao lowered his attitude, but Gu Mengran did not buy it.

He understood the reasoning, and if the positions were reversed, he would probably make the same decision as Liang Zhao. But Liang Zhao... he had already lost him once, and he could not watch Liang Zhao die before his eyes again.

Perhaps the fog was too thick, Gu Mengran felt a tightness in his chest and had trouble breathing.

Taking a few deep breaths and trying to calm down, Gu Mengran sniffed and looked at Liang Zhao, "I have no right to interfere with your decision, nor do I have the right to be angry. But what about me? What if something happens to you? Should I live with the guilt, or die with you?"

Die, die with you——

The tail sound penetrated the eardrum, like a bullet flying through the air and hitting the center of the eyebrows.

Liang Zhao's body swayed slightly and he almost fell to the ground. Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound in his head. It was as if someone dragged him into the water. The cold sea water instantly surrounded him, and the strong feeling of suffocation made it difficult for him to breathe.

The surrounding scene began to change rapidly. In an instant, the wilderness shrouded in black fog turned into an endless sea.

The wind was blowing and the waves were surging. In a trance, he felt that his consciousness was about to sink to the bottom of the sea with his body. At this moment, a pair of hands tried their best to pull him out of the water. A desperate and helpless cry suddenly exploded in his ears:

"Liang Zhao! Hold on Liang Zhao, don't, don't die!"

"Don't leave me alone, you promised me..."

"If you feel too uncomfortable, too uncomfortable, just go, Liang Zhao, don't walk too fast, walk a little slower, wait for me, remember to wait for me, I will come to accompany you right away."

…

"Liang Zhao, Liang Zhao, what's wrong with you?"

The crying and shouting gradually overlapped with the reality. Liang Zhao woke up as if from a dream. He sat paralyzed on the ground, as if he had just climbed a mountain. His chest heaved violently and he breathed in big gulps of fresh air.

The beads of sweat on his forehead were like raindrops, dripping down as soon as he moved. He had no time to pay attention to them, and turned his head to look around quickly, eager to confirm something.

He came back, the sea water had receded, revealing a dark wasteland, a lighted tent, a steaming wok, and Gu Mengran, who stretched out his hand to him with a worried look on his face.

The heavy stone on his chest disappeared, Liang Zhao came to his senses while breathing heavily, grasped Gu Mengran's wrist and pulled it gently, then pulled him into his arms irresistibly.

Unexpectedly falling into a warm embrace, Gu Mengran was obviously stunned, and subconsciously raised his hand to push him, "What are you doing——"

"No," Liang Zhao clenched his strong arms tightly, like a drowning man holding onto a life-saving swimming ring, stubbornly refusing to let go, and murmured in a low voice as if talking to himself: "Don't accompany me, no matter what, you have to live well, don't give up yourself for anyone."

After venting his anger, Gu Mengran regained his senses. He thought that he was responding to what he had just said. He put his arms around Liang Zhao's shoulders and patted him twice. "You, me, and grandpa, the three of us are indispensable. I can't accept losing any of you. Liang Zhao, you are...really, really important to me."

"I understand." After an unknown amount of time, Liang Zhao opened his lips again, his tone was gentle but sincere: "I promise, I will never give up my life so easily again. I will stay with you, and live with you and Grandpa."

Warm breath passed by his ears, and Gu Mengran shrank his neck unnaturally. Liang Zhao seemed to think that he wanted to leave, and the arm around his waist tightened again, tightly holding him in his arms.

Something is wrong. This person is in a very strange state.

Gu Mengran frowned slightly, curled up in Liang Zhao's arms without any flirtatiousness. He pinched his shoulders and asked softly, "What happened to you just now? You broke out in a cold sweat without saying a word. You scared me."

"I'm fine." Liang Zhao rested his chin on Gu Mengran's shoulder, and the deep attachment in his eyes quietly merged into the darkness. "I just... had a dream, a very scary nightmare."

Gu Mengran: "You didn't sleep, how come you had a dream?"

"It will be fine in a while, it will be fine in a while." Liang Zhao answered the question irrelevantly. He held Gu Mengran tightly and refused to let go. His anxious heart finally settled down and his rapid breathing gradually calmed down.

"At least get up from the ground first."

"No, give me five minutes, just five minutes."

His voice was extremely hoarse and Gu Mengran was still a little confused. Fortunately, the feeling of being held by Liang Zhao was not bad, so he simply let him hold him.

Not far away in the tent, Meng Gaoyang looked through the crack of the door at the two people hugging each other tightly, scratching his ears and cheeks anxiously, "Tsk, don't just focus on talking about love, you two little brats, don't burn my roast chicken!"