Chapter 58
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When Rong Qiu returned from his trip, he brought back many gifts, just like last time. He also brought gifts for Rong Qin, but this time he didn’t know whether to give them or not, so he just left them at the bottom of the suitcase.
Sitting in the warm starship, it was December, and the weather in the middle of the month was already cold. Many places on the main star U had already seen heavy snowfall, covering roofs and treetops in a white blanket. Below at an altitude of ten thousand meters was the famous Docking Port of the Thirteenth Military District. Nowadays, ships and freighters were coming and going frequently, and the tower lights were rotating, making it lively even in winter.
But once he stepped out of the starship, within a short distance of two hundred meters, the cold wind blew against his face, and the air he breathed into his nostrils felt like ice.
Rong Qiu had just returned from a tropical planet and was not accustomed to it.
This time, Rong Qiu still went on a ten-day trip. During these ten days, he traveled to many tropical planets, exploring tropical jungles, canyons, waterfalls, and other natural landscapes. He was under the sun for a long time, but unlike the beta companions he was with, he didn’t care too much, didn’t apply sunscreen, and only wore a hat. This made him go from being a fair and gentle man to a slightly chocolate-colored beta.
So when Rong Qin came to pick him up, he was startled.
Rong Qiu’s footsteps halted.
He had said that Rong Qin didn’t need to come to pick him up.
Rong Qin was wearing a neat suit, with a delicate silver cufflink on his sleeve, as if he had just returned from some evening event. He looked at Rong Qiu’s slightly tanned skin and didn’t say anything. He reached out as if to take the two large suitcases from Rong Qiu’s hand, but Rong Qiu’s grip on the suitcases made him hesitate.
Rong Qiu didn’t let him help.
He just followed behind Rong Qin. “Thank you, Brother Rong Qin.”
Although it was a thank you, the tone was not as warm as before, but rather a bit bleak.
Rong Qin could only walk ahead of Rong Qiu with a stiff smile.
“How was the trip this time, Qiu Qiu? Was the canyon and other places fun?”
“Yeah, it was quite lively, and also hot.”
“I saw you looked quite thin in the photos, thought you had a tough time.”
“Thin?”
“Yeah, Qin… Someone said even your chin has slimmed down.”
Although a certain name was blocked, both betas knew who that person was. Rong Qin cursed himself for his lack of control, while Rong Qiu slightly quickened his pace and casually remarked, “I didn’t lose weight.”
As they rushed to catch the bus, Rong Qiu sneezed, and even because of the sneeze, he stopped in his tracks. Rong Qin also stopped and turned to look at him. Rong Qiu’s nose had turned red at some point, but only the tip of his nose was red. Rong Qiu sniffled and took out a tissue from his pocket. In that moment, Rong Qin quietly took the suitcases from his hands.
Rong Qiu tossed the tissue into the recycling bin and turned around to see his two suitcases being pulled by Rong Qin.
Rong Qiu wanted to take them back.
But Rong Qin just diverted his gaze and urged, “Today’s temperature on U Star has dropped significantly. Let’s hurry back, or we might encounter a blizzard.”
“Isn’t this a blizzard already?”
Rong Qiu grew up in the Welfare Institution of the First Military District since childhood. He remembered seeing snow when he was young and also seeing blue warnings on the small TV in the Welfare Hospital. But he had never seen a red warning for a blizzard on TV news media. Today, looking down from the starship, he thought what he saw below was already a blizzard.
“This is just a moderate snowfall. The Thirteenth Military District has issued a red warning for a cold wave and a blizzard. It’s said that this year’s blizzard is a rare occurrence in a decade, and it’s estimated that the snow will be at least thirty centimeters deep. It will be troublesome to walk even then.”
Speaking of blizzards, Rong Qin’s words instantly opened up. He had roamed in the Thirteenth Military District since he was young, and he had experienced the blizzard ten years ago. Naturally, he knew how much impact such a severe natural disaster would have on the Thirteenth Military District.
Ten years ago, communication was interrupted, power outages occurred, houses collapsed, trees fell, and even road traffic collapsed. Daily necessities were not smoothly circulated, causing a panic. Now, ten years later, Rong Qin was not sure if there were better measures to protect the daily lives of the people in the Thirteenth Military District.
Rong Qin just mentioned what he had experienced, but Rong Qiu had already frowned.
He had been in the Thirteenth Military District for five years and had never encountered the situations Rong Qin mentioned. If it really was that difficult, how would they get through this blizzard this year?
But even if Rong Qiu was worried, there was nothing practical he could do.
All he could do was postpone the matters in his hands.
Rong Qin accompanied Rong Qiu home, and out of hospitality, Rong Qiu boiled a pot of hot water for Rong Qin.
Seeing Rong Qiu fetching water, Rong Qin remembered something and reminded, “The snow is still moderate now, but when the blizzard comes, your neighborhood is very likely to experience a water cut. You can prepare some backup water.”
Water cut, power outage, and blocked roads.
Rong Qiu had experienced all of these, but it was when he went out for missions five years ago. He had some experience, knowing the importance of having water and food on hand, so he nodded along with what Rong Qin said.
Successfully seeing Rong Qiu home, Rong Qin had no more reasons to stay.
Moreover, although Rong Qiu could still reply to him sentence by sentence, the exhaustion from the trip was already evident in his eyes. Seeing Rong Qiu unconsciously rubbing his eyes for the third time, Rong Qin felt both distressed and reluctant to disturb him further.
“It’s late, I should go now.”
“Brother Rong Qin, let me see you off.”
“What’s the point of seeing me off? It’s troublesome to come back and forth. Hurry up and wash up and go to bed. Oh, and regarding water, food, and clothes, don’t worry, I’ll prepare them for you.”
Just as Rong Qiu was about to refuse, Rong Qin interrupted him with a serious tone, “Dealing with extreme weather like this blizzard, you lack experience. If anything is missing and can’t be bought in time, it could be life-threatening.”
One sentence about lacking experience successfully turned back what Rong Qiu wanted to say.
Rong Qiu saw Rong Qin off to the door, and Rong Qin didn’t let him escort further.
“Just to here, I’m leaving.”
After changing his shoes, Rong Qin walked out the door and then proactively closed it behind him.
With the sound of that certain someone’s “bang” of closing the door, the neighbor from next door actually popped his head out, and even with some embarrassment, he knocked on Rong Qiu’s door.
Rong Qiu stepped out cautiously, looking at the man knocking on the door expressionlessly.
The young beta scratched his head awkwardly and introduced himself, “Hello, I’m your neighbor from next door.”
“Yeah, hello.”
Rong Qiu awkwardly exchanged pleasantries with the enthusiastic beta. It was already December now, although there was no blizzard yet, it was still surprisingly cold outside. They had been talking at the door for three minutes, and Rong Qiu, despite shivering, didn’t go back inside. He pursed his lips and faced the beta neighbor who was slightly shorter than him.
“Do you have anything else to discuss? If not, I need to wash up and sleep.”
“Well… it’s just, was that your older brother just now? Can I have his contact information?”
The beta neighbor’s cheeks flushed as he spoke, and he couldn’t even look Rong Qiu in the eye.
Rong Qiu paused, and finally, there was a ripple in his gaze.
“You want to pursue him?”
***
Rong Qiu didn’t give the beta neighbor Rong Qin’s contact information.
Although Rong Qin’s relationship with Qin Zexi was still unclear, outsiders shouldn’t interfere.
He closed the door, as if shutting out all the greetings and socializing from the outside world.
Rong Qiu let out a sigh of relief, turned on the TV, and sank into the sofa. The bright lights on the ceiling caught his eye, and the cold wave warning being broadcasted on the Thirteenth Military District news. It was expected to arrive the day after tomorrow, bringing a blizzard. They hoped the masses would make emergency preparations.
Rong Qiu didn’t know what to prepare, even though Rong Qin said he would help him prepare. But Rong Qiu still searched online for relevant strategies to get through the cold wave.
Most of the people surfing the internet now were young people, and most of the netizens were from outside the Thirteenth Military District. Many outsiders didn’t pay much attention to this cold wave, and even thought that the Thirteenth Military District’s residents, who took the cold wave seriously, were disrupting the online order.
Even the inexplicable trending topic of “#Why is it always you who’s unlucky?” got pushed up.
At first, Rong Qiu thought it was just a joke, but when he clicked on it, he realized the hostility within.
【The pirates who haven’t been defeated for decades living near your old nest is one thing, but facing a major cold wave, how come it’s only sweeping through your Thirteenth Military District?】/【It’s just some snow, how many planets in the twelve Military Districts have perennial snow? Now your main planet, U Star, is only experiencing a rare snowfall in a decade, and you’re making such a fuss about it?】/【Are you trying to beg the Federation for more funding again…】
Rong Qiu found it annoying. These comments from IPs of other Military Districts were too provocative.
Rong Qiu rarely spent time on such boring matters.
But now, he reported them one by one.
Before he could finish reporting, a statement from the Thirteenth Military District’s official appeared on his homepage.
The current leader of the Thirteenth Forbidden Army is Qin Muye.
Realizing this, Rong Qiu’s hand inexplicably paused.
He had no desire to explore this face and voice of the S-class alpha. Although Qin Muye still wore his signature black mask, Rong Qiu could vividly imagine the micro expressions when the man spoke under the mask. The alpha’s lips should be thin, with pale blood color, often pursed when not speaking, but when speaking, the movement wouldn’t be exaggerated, as if opening his mouth too wide would diminish his pride.
Rong Qiu remembered all of this deeply.
Because five years ago, he had already engraved everything about Qin Muye into his mind. If he were a talented artist now, he wouldn’t need a model in front of him; he could vividly portray Qin Muye’s emotions just by recalling the images in his mind.
But these clear memories were not happy.
The recovered memories were attacking him again, more effectively than before.
The more he wanted to forget, the more he couldn’t.
Especially when the man in the video occasionally made direct eye contact with the camera, in that moment, even though he knew the man couldn’t see him, Rong Qiu still felt like he was completely exposed in front of the man.
As if he wasn’t wearing clothes in front of Qin Muye.
Qin Muye easily saw through that he was just someone lacking love.
So as long as Qin Muye gave him some sweet words, he would obediently follow like a puppy, affectionately chasing after him.
A lapdog.
Pathetic.
***
The Thirteenth Military District’s Qin Muye finally finished work.
But even though he was off-duty, he didn’t return to his villa. He had only been resting in the military district’s lounge these days. Because of the upcoming cold wave, he had been preparing with the various leaders of the Thirteenth Military District for a long time.
He didn’t have experience dealing with extreme weather, but he had seen the records from ten years ago, knowing the impact that cold wave had on the people of the Thirteenth Military District. It was also from that cold wave that the pirates, who had been lurking since then, began to ravage. Not only did they affect the lives of ordinary people, but they also dealt a blow to many military bases in the Thirteenth Military District.
Dealing with these issues was tedious but necessary.
Qin Muye had just sat down in the lounge, and he hadn’t even changed out of his military uniform. The white shirt underneath had simple silver patterns on the collar, and the dark green military uniform outlined his tall and straight figure. The military shoulder badge on his shoulder confirmed his supreme authority in the Thirteenth Military District.
With a gulp of cold water, he finally cleared his mind a bit.
The lounge’s air conditioning temperature was very comfortable, and the man wouldn’t feel cold even without his jacket. Qin Muye hung his green military jacket on the hanger, and he inexplicably paused in front of it, or more precisely, his gaze lingered on the military shoulder badge.
Something he used to think was very important, now that he had obtained it, it wasn’t as significant as he had imagined.
For example, his brother had always taught him that as an S-class alpha, he must not lose to anyone. He couldn’t lose to betas or omegas, and even among alphas of the same kind, he had to stand out, be exceptional, and be unique.
First place.
It was something that every alpha’s instinct would compete for.
He competed and got it, but he didn’t seem to be happy.
Because he soon realized that it wasn’t something that, as long as he fought for it, he would definitely get it.
It’s just that his brother still hadn’t figured out this truth.
Even his brother’s experience had provided him with a negative example. During this time because of Rong Qiu blocking him, his distance from Rong Qin had gotten closer. Naturally, he also understood Rong Qin’s impression of his brother had plummeted. Although on the surface, his brother and Rong Qin still maintained their marital partner relationship, in Rong Qin’s heart, they were already drifting apart.
But how much better was he compared to his brother?
Rong Qiu ignored him, Rong Qiu even blocked his communication number.
He had been afraid to see Rong Qiu during this time, and now even his communication number had been cut off.
No matter what he sent over, all he received was 【The message has been sent out but rejected by the recipient】.
At first, he didn’t understand the meaning of this sentence.
Later, he asked Su Ran.
Su Ran remained silent for a long time, then told him that he had been blocked by Rong Qiu.
Then he fell silent too.
Now Qin Muye opened his phone again.
The phone in his hand was no longer just a phone; it had become a mirror for him to reflect on himself.
Although he had been blocked by the other party, the chat records between him and Rong Qiu were still there. Qin Muye had never thought that one day he would have such strong emotional fluctuations just by looking at chat records. Sometimes joy, sometimes pain, these two emotions were like the objects on both sides of a balance waiting to be evaluated. Any message could tip the balance, causing it to sway from side to side.
He swayed all night.
At five o’clock the next day, before the sun rose, he finally made a move.
He rubbed his stiff neck like an old habit.
Even though he hadn’t slept all night. He stretched his limbs, like a puppet with strings, like an old teleportation machine without maintenance, with every movement accompanied by the cracking sound of metal rubbing against each other.
But when he saw a row of “The message has been sent out but rejected by the recipient” followed by new messages, all his numbness and stubbornness instantly disappeared like taking a miraculous medicine.
The blocked nerves were activated by stimulation.
The Alpha suddenly got up, even causing a momentary dizziness due to the rapid movement.
The brain blanked out for three seconds, finally regaining clarity.
Rong Qiu: Are you free at 2 p.m. this afternoon? I have something to discuss at my mecha research institute.
***
Rong Qiu went to bed early last night, lying down at nine o’clock, and woke up at five the next day.
On the first day after the trip, he already arranged what he needed to do.
He needed to go out and visit the mecha research institute that had already been renovated before.
Although he had experienced temperatures as low as minus five or six degrees Celsius in the snow, Rong Qiu didn’t expect the temperature to drop so low this time. Even though Rong Qiu wasn’t fully prepared, he was affected by this extreme weather. Just wearing a little less made him feel dizzy and his nose blocked.
At noon, Rong Qiu realized that he might have caught a cold.
But all kinds of relevant documents about the institute were only fragments left. Rong Qiu poured a cup of hot water in the office, took a sip, read a page, and even drinking a whole cup of hot water didn’t relieve his symptoms; in fact, the signs of a cold worsened.
But he had already contacted Rong Qin and Qin Muye to come to the institute in the afternoon.
Rong Qiu had no choice but to pour another cup of hot water.
Rong Qiu just had a cold and hadn’t developed a fever yet. The symptoms of a cold didn’t show on his face; he just spoke with a slight nasal tone.
When he received a call from Rong Qin, he casually replied, “I’ll come to pick you up.”
After seeing them, he was in the same state.
He politely greeted Rong Qin.
But when it was Qin Muye’s turn, the greeting turned into silently leading the way.
Rong Qiu’s institute was very clean, from the entrance to the corridor, and then to Rong Qiu’s office, there was not a speck of dust anywhere. Similarly, there were no decorative posters, no famous quotes posted on the walls like in other research institutes, and no greenery. The white light shone on the walls and tiles, only reflecting a few strands of cold silver.
But as Rong Qin slowed down, he noticed that Rong Qiu wasn’t wearing the birthday watch he had given him.
Obviously, he was wearing it yesterday when he picked him up.
Rong Qin’s gaze narrowed.
Qin Muye’s eyes were even more heavy.
Because Rong Qiu hadn’t made eye contact with him from start to finish.
Rong Qiu was able to deal with him calmly, as if he had seen through the frost and snow for thousands of years, yet still ripples appeared in his heart.
Cold and distant.
Rong Qiu didn’t have as many thoughts as they did; he was just a little tired.
He had just checked all the new equipment in the research institute in the morning. He spent two hours reorganizing documents during lunchtime and found that he seemed to have caught a cold now, and it wasn’t even two o’clock in the afternoon yet. Rong Qiu tried to suppress his nasal tone.
He handed over the sorted documents to Rong Qin and Qin Muye, mainly about the research directions to be explored in the future. Once approved by the General Union of the Institute, his private research institute could officially start its research.
He wasn’t afraid that the General Union would suppress his project.
He had talked to the military district, because as the designer who successfully designed the new generation of military combat mechas, any subsequent design projects would be allowed some flexibility.
But Rong Qiu’s next mecha was no longer a military combat mecha; the one he had just designed hadn’t even been officially deployed to the major military districts yet, so he shifted his focus to civilian mechas.
Compared to military mechas, civilian mechas would be simpler to design.
He already had a rough model of a mecha in his mind.
Just smaller and faster.
It would surely be popular among mecha racing enthusiasts.
But this was just his current plan, which he needed to let Rong Qin and Qin Muye know about.
“Take a careful look at these. Just reading might not be enough for you to understand. Later, I’ll carefully introduce the several projects the institute will apply for.”
Rong Qin and Qin Muye were both laymen, they agreed with whatever Rong Qiu said. Rong Qiu talked for a full ten minutes, and the two people sitting in front of him didn’t say a word, just nodding from time to time.
After a pause, Rong Qiu tactfully and impartially made his suggestions: “If you don’t understand, you can invite professionals to come and take a look.”
Qin Muye quickly shook his head, and Rong Qin followed suit.
It was just that Rong Qin was more explicit than Qin Muye; he directly expressed his thoughts: “Who can be more professional than Qiuqiu in mecha design.”
Receiving the trust of the two, Rong Qiu silently took back the documents.
He then brought out a newly drafted contract.
“Here’s this contract, take a look.”
“Okay.”
Two minutes later.
“Qiuqiu wants to redistribute the profits of the institute?” Rong Qin lowered his head, browsed through it repeatedly, he was very sure that he hadn’t read it wrong, and precisely because of this, Rong Qin looked up at him puzzled, “The original contract was already good; my share doesn’t need to be adjusted.”
When they initially partnered to establish this mecha research institute, it was divided according to the investment shares. Rong Qiu invested the most, accounting for seventy percent, followed by Rong Qin, who accounted for twenty percent, and finally Qin Muye, who accounted for ten percent. Now, Rong Qiu’s suggestion was that he only wanted fifty percent, and the remaining fifty percent would be evenly divided between Rong Qin and Qin Muye according to their proportions.
The reason was that he had taken advantage of Rong Qin and Qin Muye too much before. Without Rong Qin, his application wouldn’t have been approved so quickly, and without Qin Muye, his experimental instruments wouldn’t have reached the top level.
But Rong Qin disagreed: “I don’t lack this bit of money, and besides, we agreed on how much to invest initially, there’s no need to give us extra profit.”
As he spoke, Rong Qin even urged Qin Muye beside him to respond.
But Qin Muye remained unmoved.
He took the pen Rong Qiu handed him and left his graceful signature on the contract.
“I’ll sign.”
Rong Qin: …
Rong Qiu looked at Rong Qin.
Although there was nothing in his gaze, Rong Qin inexplicably felt deflated.
“I’ll sign too.”
As he spoke, he snatched the pen from Qin Muye’s hand. But after signing, he saw Qin Muye’s gaze was fierce. If looks could kill, he would have directed countless middle fingers at Qin Muye’s behavior long ago.
Rong Qiu looked at the three freshly printed contracts.
The guilt that had been overflowing in his heart finally eased slightly.
“Then it’s settled. I’ll go back to do the experiment now.”
The institute wasn’t large, and Rong Qiu was used to being alone. In the future, he would be alone as well, so Rong Qiu hadn’t hired an assistant yet.
After seeing the others off at the door, the cold wind that greeted him made Rong Qiu’s nose tingle. He sneezed several times against the cold wind, and his head was buzzing.
Rong Qin went to the garage to drive, leaving only Qin Muye.
Rong Qiu wouldn’t actively look at Qin Muye, which gave Qin Muye the opportunity to sneak a glance at him.
His gaze was straight, but he couldn’t help but be attracted by Rong Qiu.
So many sneezes.
And his nose was rubbed red.
Was he catching a cold?
Carefully thinking about it, when Rong Qiu spoke in the office just now, his voice was slightly off. It was too deep and some sounds were unclear, which was completely different from Rong Qiu’s usual clear voice.
So he was catching a cold.
Qin Muye’s brow furrowed slightly.
Only when they were alone did Qin Muye dare to take a step forward, but only one step.
He silently blocked the bone-chilling cold wind from behind, his eyes, as black as ink, reflecting Rong Qiu in front of him. His tone was calm, but it was a deliberate effort to keep his emotions calm: “Remember to take your medicine when you get back.”
Rong Qiu: …
***
Qin Muye’s “Remember to take your medicine when you get back” sounded like scolding.
If someone else suddenly told him to take medicine, Rong Qiu would have punched them already. But for Qin Muye to suddenly scold him, and his tone didn’t sound like he was scolding him. Although Qin Muye had hurt his heart five years ago, he had to admit that Qin Muye’s character in other aspects was still good.
Fortunately, Qin Muye provided an explanation in time.
“After so many sneezes, take your medicine quickly. If you let the cold drag on, it will only get worse. If you get a high fever at this time, it will be troublesome.”
“How did it escalate to a fever? I just sneezed a few times.”
Qin Muye looked at him disapprovingly.
Because Qin Muye had seen Rong Qiu catch a cold before, in the autumn transitioning to winter of their junior year, Rong Qiu had also caught a cold while taking care of him during the seasonal change. In the end, he had a continuous high fever and had to go to the infirmary for three days of intravenous drip.
He remembered all of this.
It’s just that when he suggested accompanying Rong Qiu for the drip, Rong Qiu refused him and told him not to delay his classes in the Command Department.
Rong Qiu sneezed again. It was seven or eight degrees below zero outside, and his nose was too sensitive. It felt so sore that even his eyes were almost watering from the stimulation of the cold air. Later, he couldn’t control it and his eye sockets turned red, tears gathered in his eyes, and everything looked blurry to Rong Qiu.
Helpless, Rong Qiu could only turn away, using the back of his hand to wipe his eyes, trying hard not to let Qin Muye notice his anomaly.
Qin Muye noticed.
But before Qin Muye could say anything, Rong Qin’s car emitted a loud screech as it braked, accompanied by Rong Qin’s explosive voice that was almost ear-piercing to bystanders—
“Are you bullying Qiu Qiu!?”
Rong Qin’s voice was very loud, almost a roar. If Rong Qiu’s research institute wasn’t in such a remote location, Rong Qin’s shout would have attracted the attention of everyone on the street.
Rong Qiu was so startled that he hadn’t even put his hand down yet.
With a powerful momentum, Rong Qin got out of the car and walked over. When he took a closer look, he saw that Rong Qiu’s eyes were as red as a rabbit’s, although Rong Qiu had gotten a bit tanned after going out, Rong Qin could still tell that Rong Qiu’s eyes were red and swollen, even his nose was red. This Rong Qiu looked very much like the Rong Qiu who had come out of the bar five years ago, heartbroken.
Rong Qin raised his thorn.
But Qin Muye didn’t explain.
Seeing that a war was about to break out, Rong Qiu helplessly covered his head with his hands, closed the door, and turned away.
“I’ll go back to organize the data first.”
***
The weather forecast was very accurate.
At four o’clock in the afternoon, the sky started to snow heavily. Rong Qiu, who had just come out of the research institute, wasn’t dressed warmly enough. His car was parked in the temporary parking lot, just a few hundred meters away, but Rong Qiu found it extremely difficult to walk.
The snow was heavy.
Rong Qiu reached out and caught a snowflake, which had a diameter of up to five centimeters.
It was hard to imagine what the scene would be like after such a large snowflake fell overnight. Rong Qiu shrank his neck and hurried up. The news channel on the car radio had already issued another warning.
When he reached the residential area, he had just swiped his card at the security booth when the security guard called him to stop.
“Mr. Rong? There are some packages for you here.”
“Packages?”
“They were delivered this morning, and more were added in the afternoon.”
Rong Qiu followed the security guard into the security room and indeed saw many packages. There were three large cardboard boxes, each filled with a cubic meter of items, and one box was particularly large, enough to fit the contents of the three other boxes.
Rong Qiu remembered that these items were prepared by Rong Qin for him.
Actually, he had also bought some items himself, such as instant noodles, bottled water, and thick clothes, but he didn’t buy as much as Rong Qin did. Combined, they didn’t even fill one box.
Rong Qiu borrowed a small trolley from the security booth, and the security guard helped him stack the four large cardboard boxes high. Rong Qiu pushed them upstairs by himself.
In the small apartment of over fifty square meters, because of the remote control, the heating was very sufficient. After Rong Qiu sorted himself out, he put on his pajamas, hugged his knees, and watched tv.
Most of the news was about the cold wave in the Thirteenth Military District this time, and the local hot searches on the Star Network were the same.
#Never seen such big snow#
#Not exaggerating, each snowflake is as big as a fist#
One by one, Rong Qiu flipped through them. Indeed, it wasn’t an exaggeration. He sneezed after reading each page. Rong Qiu held a cup of hot water; this was already his second cup since returning home. He stood up, remembering something. He wasn’t sure if there were cold medicines in his temporary medicine box. It had been five years since he last caught a cold… The last time he got sick was because Qin Muye had a cold, and he got infected.
After searching for a while, there was indeed none.
Rong Qiu poured another cup of hot water. As he passed by the entrance, he looked at the four large cardboard boxes placed there.
Three of them were the same black boxes. Rong Qiu decided to open these first.
One contained thick down jackets, warm innerwear, fifty packets of hand warmers, and hot water bags with plush covers; the second box mainly contained rice, flour, oil, and some instant foods that didn’t require cooking; the third one was noticeably different, much heavier. When Rong Qiu moved it, he noticed it might contain water. Upon opening it, he found several large bottles of bottled mineral water.
Looking at the contents of these three large boxes, he felt he could stay at home for a month.
Unfortunately, there were no medicines. Was it still possible to order medicine now?
But it seemed too troublesome for the delivery person. It would be quite difficult to transport anything in such heavy snow.
As Rong Qiu pondered whether to buy medicine, he sniffed, feeling his nose congested and blocked. His voice wasn’t just nasally; it was entirely muffled, making him sound urgent even to himself.
In this state, he opened the fourth box.
The fourth box, also the last one, was exceptionally large, almost the size of the previous three combined. When Rong Qiu moved it, he and the security guard almost strained themselves.
Rong Qiu took scissors to open it, only to find it divided into four separate compartments.
It felt quite novel.
It was like opening presents.
Rong Qiu, who hadn’t opened many gifts before, inexplicably reminisced.
The first compartment contained food, but there were several varieties of canned fruits and a few bottles of vitamins; the second box contained clothes. Besides warm clothing, there was also a thick black down jacket that reached the ankles, very substantial; the third was water, along with two boxes of oat milk; the last one was particularly heavy, and the contents were more diverse—power banks, a brand-new tablet, and a large medicine box.
Rong Qiu’s gaze was instantly drawn to the medicine box marked with a red cross.
This medicine box was even larger than his own, and upon opening it, he found various medicines inside. The cold and fever medicines were right on top, with dosages and instructions marked.
Rong Qiu’s heart warmed.
Brother Rong Qin was indeed very considerate. Although some things were overly sent, this medicine box was just perfect.
Rong Qiu organized everything in every corner of the house.
Finally, he placed the large medicine box next to his small one.
Outside the window, the wind howled, and the goose feather-like heavy snow danced lightly, while inside, Rong Qiu fell asleep on time. After gulping down two sachets of cold medicine, Rong Qiu lay on the bed calmly, his hands folded on his abdomen, silently chanting that he would definitely feel better tomorrow after taking the medicine.
***
The next day.
The situation didn’t seem to have improved.
Rong Qiu, who had just planned to go out to take out the garbage, was informed by the community’s group chat that he couldn’t go out.
The blizzard from last night hadn’t stopped yet, and the property management informed everyone not to go out without reason. Because a large tree in their community had suddenly collapsed this morning, it had hit a young couple who were throwing out the garbage early in the morning. Fortunately, the patrolling security guard noticed it in time and immediately called for an ambulance, but with such heavy snow, it was also difficult for the ambulance to arrive.
They still didn’t know the final outcome.
Rong Qiu only knew that they were suddenly confined to their homes. The property management assured everyone not to panic, and food and daily necessities would be arranged and delivered by volunteers from the community below. One more thing, everyone must not spread panic; the food temporarily mobilized might not be as expected, and they hoped everyone could understand.
Rong Qiu wasn’t picky, so he could manage. Besides, he had so many things prepared by Rong Qin; even if he didn’t accept what the property management provided, he could still get by.
Rong Qin had called early in the morning to ask if he wanted anything else. Rong Qiu said he was fine. After exchanging pleasantries, Rong Qiu’s indifferent attitude prompted Rong Qin to hang up automatically.
On the third day, Rong Qiu was finally able to go out to take out the garbage.
The three large bags of garbage were very heavy. Rong Qiu needed to walk about a hundred meters along a fifty-centimeter path to reach the communal garbage disposal point of these several buildings.
The wind and snow outside were heavy, reaching up to his knees, with only a small path dug out by a machine in the middle.
He placed the garbage in its designated spot.
Residents were limited in their electricity usage. There was only one hour in the morning, two hours at noon, and more than two hours in the evening. The elevators were turned off. Rong Qiu descended from the twenty-seventh floor via the stairs. It was already fifteen degrees below zero outside, so he wore a thick, black, long down jacket, which reached down to his calves.
Everything around him was white, making him feel particularly small. Rong Qiu was like a black swan with a light feather falling on him.
After disposing of the garbage, he straightened up, but he forgot to wear a mask. His face was stung by the minus ten-degree cold air.
Rong Qiu rubbed his face.
The hand that reached out from his sleeve also instantly shrank from the cold.
With his hands and face frozen, Rong Qiu could barely think of anything else. He decided to speed up and walk faster, hoping to jog back home and lie down.
But as soon as he raised his head.
He saw a tall man standing beside five garbage bins in the distance, wearing a black mask and a black furry hat. He wore the same long black down jacket as Rong Qiu, with a high collar that was tightly wrapped, looking very warm.
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