Chapter 171: Making an Impression
There weren’t many rooms on the third floor. One window had been broken by the flood, letting water in. The remaining rooms were divided up, with kitchenware placed at the staircase entrance. When the two of them arrived, Shen Xing had just found a few dry sets of clothes, all in sizes for adult men.
“Tonight will have to do. The young master is sick, and the master just fell asleep after a long day. I’ll ask him tomorrow if there are any suitable clothes for you,” Lin Yimu told Chen Zhong.
“Just a dry one is fine. Sorry to disturb you so late,” Chen Zhong’s wife, Wang Li, took the clothes, handing a set to their daughter, Chen Miao, and spoke first.
“Thank you, Uncle,” said little Chen Miao, curled up from the cold, still managing to thank Lin Yimu.
“You’re welcome. Hurry up and change, kids are prone to getting sick. If you’re uncomfortable, let me know,” Lin Yimu said, glancing around to find a space to move, but every room was filled with large men.
“We’ll change in that room,” Wang Li pointed to the room with the broken window where they had entered.
Chen Zhong took one set of clothes for himself. “Let’s go together.”
Since they had come together, Shen Xing also brought two sets of clothes for Yun Lu and Guan Tong. The two followed Chen Zhong to that room, while Li Qing, not caring as a big man, immediately stripped off his wet clothes and threw them on the ground, picking a new set to wear.
“Brother Lin, I’m not good at cooking. How about you cook the noodles we’ll have for dinner?” The evening meal had already been finished, but Lin Yimu had specifically set aside some bone broth, thinking of making some clear soup noodles for the two sick people, Xi Shi and Zhuang Ai Yi, in the morning.
“Sure, cook more. You should have a bowl too, it’ll warm you up,” he added, speaking to Li Qing.
“Then I won’t be polite. The supplies at the military base were all flooded, and we spent the whole afternoon salvaging. We only ate some compressed biscuits, and my stomach feels cold,” Li Qing said, looking around. “Captain, we saved some people from the other side, and the hallway is full. Can I stay here for the night?”
“It’s all sleeping on the ground. I’ll get you an extra blanket,” Lin Yimu said, then went to a corner where a simple supply basket was kept, pulling out two tomatoes, a handful of vegetables, a few sausages, and some meatballs.
“Thanks, Captain,” Li Qing said, then began helping to pick vegetables. Shen Xing, seeing the crowded hallway, felt he couldn’t be of much help, so he simply returned to the place where he had been on watch.
“What’s the situation at the base now?” Lin Yimu asked while putting the tomatoes into a pot and stirring them, adding the bone broth and a few large bowls of water.
“The wall’s been destroyed, half the people are missing or dead, and those who survived have no supplies. Most of them are hungry today,” Li Qing’s mood sank as he spoke about the hard-to-establish safe base. “We don’t know when this flood will subside. If we delay for a few more days, even more will die. There’s a mountain nearby, about two kilometers downriver. It’s not really a mountain, more like a highland. Some people who were swept away ended up there and survived. I accidentally found it, and the people we rescued later were sent there.”
“A mountain?” Lin Yimu asked.
“Yes, downriver, about two kilometers away. It’s more like a highland. Some people who got washed away managed to survive there. I discovered it by accident, and after rescuing some people, we sent them there,” Li Qing explained.
“Seems like there’s always a way out,” Lin Yimu said. “How’s your military?”
“The military has the least damage. Liu Yang immediately took a boat to rescue people as soon as he got it. Since the army lived in the tall buildings, which were cheaper, they quickly started rescuing people once the flood came. But supplies are running low. We were already short, and with some of it submerged, there’s even less now. Tomorrow, we’ll have to start salvaging supplies,” Li Qing replied, before asking about the situation with their team.
“We’re… okay,” Lin Yimu said, not going into detail about the supplies’ location, but Li Qing had interacted enough with them to understand, so he didn’t ask further.
While they were talking, the people who had changed their clothes came over. The noodles were ready, and Lin Yimu told them to help themselves. He and Li Qing, holding bowls, sat at one side and continued the conversation.
“What are your plans, after this?” Lin Yimu asked.
“After…” Li Qing drank a big gulp of soup, warming his stomach. He paused, then shook his head. “My father hasn’t given any further orders. What about you guys?”
“We’re leaving,” Lin Yimu said.
“Leaving?” Chen Zhong, hearing this, looked over.
“What…” Li Qing was startled, looking at Lin Yimu, his emotions visibly low.
“Yes, before bed, the young master told everyone to think about where they would go, since he plans to leave,” Lin Yimu told Chen Zhong. “But he will leave some supplies for everyone to survive for a while.”
Chen Zhong was stunned by the news, nodded but didn’t know what to say. Li Qing, in a low voice, asked, “You… are leaving too?”
“…Yes, I’m leaving with the young master,” Lin Yimu replied.
“Oh,” Li Qing silently ate his food. No one spoke for a while. After a long pause, Li Qing finally asked, “Where are you going?”
“Back to the Capital, Mingxu’s leg has started to atrophy, we need to find a healer quickly. Young master decided to take him back to the Capital.” Lin Yimu didn’t elaborate on the other plans for the moment.
“Yeah, his family is there. Returning… seems fine,” Li Qing muttered softly.
“Brother Mu?” Zhuang Mingxu’s low voice suddenly rang out, causing Lin Yimu to stop mid-sentence. He got up and headed to their bedroom.
“Brother Mu, call Qingyue over, Ai Yi’s fever’s up again,” Lu Weiyi, exhausted from sleep, didn’t even wake up when Zhuang Mingxu spoke.
“Okay,” Lin Yimu quickly went to the next room, called Gu Qingyue, and went back. By then, Zhuang Mingxu had already gotten up from the bed, in a wheelchair, holding Zhuang Ai Yi, whose mouth was dry and peeling from the fever.
“Did you take his temperature? Let me see.”
“Yes, 39.5 degrees,” Zhuang Mingxu said, noticing Yun Lu and Guan Tong at the door. He frowned slightly but didn’t ask them anything, as this wasn’t the time.
Gu Qingyue leaned in to listen to Zhuang Ai Yi’s breathing, checked, and after a moment said, “It’s a cold that triggered the fever. Give him some cold and fever medicine, and I’ll help cool him down.”
“Okay,” Zhuang Mingxu responded. Gu Qingyue took the medicine from the bedside and tried to feed it to Zhuang Ai Yi, but despite his efforts, he couldn’t get it down. Even Zhuang Mingxu shouted for a while, but there was no response from Zhuang Ai Yi.
“Infusion or an injection, otherwise he might burn his brain if the fever continues,” Guan Tong said at the right moment.
Zhuang Mingxu looked at Gu Qingyue, clearly trusting him more. Gu Qingyue nodded but frowned, “I can’t give injections. That’s usually the nurse’s job at the hospital. With kids, their veins are so tiny, I can’t guarantee it.”
“I can,” Guan Tong said.
“You?” Zhuang Mingxu looked at her, not fully trusting.
“Yes, I’m a doctor with over twenty years of experience,” Guan Tong replied.
Zhuang Mingxu paused for a moment, nodded in agreement, and turned to call Lu Weiyi.
“Don’t make a scene,” Lu Weiyi mumbled sleepily, pushing Zhuang Mingxu’s hand away and curling up under the blankets.
Although usually Lu Weiyi let Zhuang Mingxu decide everything, their relationship still felt somewhat unfamiliar. To others, it seemed like a cooperative partnership. It was the first time people saw them so close, some felt curious and others awkward.
Guan Tong noticed this clearly and turned to Yun Lu, silently reminding her not to get any ideas.
Yun Lu, however, didn’t catch her mother’s hint and stared intensely at them, her gaze filled with disdain for Zhuang Mingxu.
“Xiao Yi, wake up,” Zhuang Mingxu gently lifted Lu Weiyi’s upper body and shook him. “Ai Yi’s fever is up, Xiao Yi?”
Lu Weiyi frowned, breathing a little faster in frustration, not wanting to wake up. However, Zhuang Mingxu’s actions had disturbed Zhuang Ai Yi, who mumbled in a crying voice, “Little daddy.”
“Mm? I’m here,” Lu Weiyi immediately responded, opening his eyes. After a moment of confusion, he quickly woke up, looked at Zhuang Mingxu, and then at the sick Zhuang Ai Yi in his arms, sitting up quickly and asking, “What’s wrong?”
Zhuang Mingxu felt a surge of relief in his heart; it seemed like Lu Weiyi was finally taking on the responsibility of being a parent. He briefly explained the situation.
“Is it effective? Is the doctor who used to take care of him still around? If not, we should get her over here,” Lu Weiyi remembered that even though Zhuang Ai Yi often wasn’t well, the doctor who cared for him always managed to solve the problem.
“Li Muzi, she’s at the research institute in the base, but…” Zhuang Mingxu glanced at the pitch-black sky outside. “Let her treat him for now. If it doesn’t work, we can look for her tomorrow.”
Lu Weiyi nodded, took out the necessary medicine, and Guan Tong immediately began the infusion.
Guan Tong had solved the immediate problem when Zhuang Ai Yi fell ill, and Zhuang Mingxu didn’t ask any further questions about how they ended up here.
For breakfast, Wang Li, Guan Tong, and Yun Lu worked together to prepare a simple meal of cold dishes, porridge, and steamed buns. It wasn’t extravagant, but it was enough to fill them up.
Sick children were much more delicate, and Zhuang Ai Yi, though a bit better, was still clingy and sleepy. Lu Weiyi fed him, and even when Zhuang Mingxu tried to stop him, Lu Weiyi rarely showed irritation, saying it was fine.
With one spoonful, Lu Weiyi clumsily and earnestly fed him. By the time the others had finished, he still had half a bowl left.
“Ai Yi, eat by yourself, okay? Little daddy has things to do,” Zhuang Mingxu said again.
Zhuang Ai Yi didn’t respond, but looked up at Lu Weiyi with a pitiful expression. Lu Weiyi immediately said, “It’s okay, we’re almost done.”
“You spoil him,” Zhuang Mingxu said, though there was a hint of happiness on his face. After all, this was their child, and it made him happy to see him so cherished.
Lu Weiyi didn’t respond and continued to feed Zhuang Ai Yi. However, Yun Lu couldn’t stand it and came over with a bowl of porridge to “assert her presence,” “Weiyi, eat your food while it’s hot. Let me feed Ai Yi.”
The dozen or so people were sitting in a room near the staircase eating. Though no one said it aloud, the core group of ability users gathered in one area, while family members like Wang Li and Chen Miao stayed a bit farther away, not participating in the conversation.
When Yun Lu came over, the atmosphere froze for a moment, and those familiar with Zhuang Mingxu exchanged glances, some expressing silent irritation toward Yun Lu.
