Chapter 34: Accidental Injury (1/2)

Chapter 34: Accidental Injury

Translator:Editor:

After seeing Cao Qianqian off, Luo Yuan and Huang Jiahui arrived at Luo Yuan’s building in the Jingyue District.

“Which floor are staying on?” Huang Jiahui tried to find something to talk about. She was feeling quite nervous. This was the first time that she would be staying at an acquaintance’s house for a few days.

“Fourth,” he said, turning around to look at her.

“Are you staying with her now?” Huang Jiahui asked while she played with her fringe.

“Who? Are you talking about Zhao Yali? She is back in her hometown.” Luo Yuan seemed to idle for a bit at the mention of Zhao Yali. He quickly changed the topic, “All the furniture is still here. You can stay in her room. Please hide the rifle so we can avoid any unnecessary trouble,” Luo Yuan told Huang Jiahui when he saw that she was still holding it.

Donghu City was a mess and no police would bother to arrest them even they knew they had a rifle. However, it would be best for them to be more careful if they wanted to stay there.

”Okay,” Huang Jiahui responded before she put the rifle into her luggage.

The two of them arrived on the fourth floor very soon. Luo Yuan could sense that there was someone standing near the fire escape. When he opened the door, he found Wang Shishi standing there and sobbing.

”Uncle, my parents aren't home. I'm scared,” she said while she looked at Luo Yuan with a pair of big teary eyes.

Luo Yuan felt bad and said, ”Why don't you come stay at my house for a while?”

”Thank you, Uncle!” Wang Shishi responded.

Huang Jiahui felt sorry for her and asked, ”You're such a pretty girl. How old are you?”

”I'm in Year 8. Are you his girlfriend?” Wang Shishi asked curiously.

Huang Jiahui felt embarrassed, and she immediately regretted talking to her. ”No, we’re just friends. I'll only be staying here for a few days,” she replied.

Luo Yuan did not bother listening to their conversation. He just inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. The house was a mess. All the glass had been broken, including the balcony door. Luo Yuan checked around the house to make sure that no one had entered it before he walked into the kitchen. He switched on the gas stove and watched the blue flame get weaker and weaker until it finally disappeared. He cursed silently. Something was wrong.

”Xiao Luo, I'm going to take a shower first,” Huang Jiahui shouted from the other room.

Luo Yuan rushed to stop her, ”Wait!” he said while he lingered around the room.

”What's wrong?” Huang Jiahui asked, noticing Luo Yuan’s panic. She was cold, sweaty and scared, and she was feeling really uncomfortable.

”Do you think there will be a water supply if there is no gas supply? The water storage in the city center must have been attacked. Soon there will be no water if nobody fixes it,” Luo Yuan said calmly as he thought about it. He did not wait for Huang Jiahui to respond. He went straight to the bathroom and switched on the tap.

Luo Yuan was relieved to see water gush out. “Can you help me bring the plastic pail and the pot over from the balcony?” he asked.

“Okay,” Huang Jiahui said, running towards the balcony. There were lots of pots in the house. Other than Luo Yuan’s pail and pot, Zhao Yali had also left a couple of them behind. There were two plastic pails and four pots in total. Nobody cared which ones had been used to wash the face and which ones the legs.

Luo Yuan filled all the containers with water and then told Huang Jihui, “You can take a shower now. Enjoy your shower while there is still water. We might not be able to have a shower anymore soon.”

Huang Jiahui took a change of clothes and entered the bathroom.

“Uncle, do you think this is the end of the world?” Wang Shishi asked softly.

“Who told you that?” Luo Yuan asked her.

“I knew it,” Wang Shishi said sadly.

“Would you be afraid if it was?” Luo Yuan asked again.

“Fear can’t change anything. My parent are not coming back, right?” Wang Shishi asked again.

”Yes, they are. Perhaps something has just delayed their arrival.” Luo Yuan patted her head to comfort her.

”You don't have to lie to me, Uncle. I saw a lot of people get eaten by those big bugs in the district. They even swallowed their bones.” Wang Shishi was shaking while she talked about the beetles, but she kept looking directly at Luo Yuan.

Luo Yuan stopped patting her for a second. He did not know how to comfort her. Then he realized that she was already in Year 8 and could even be considered a young adult. It was time for her to accept the harsh reality.

“You must be strong, okay? Even if your parents are not here, you must be strong to stay alive.”

“Yes.” Wang Shishi nodded while tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Alright then. Can you help me sweep all this broken glass?” Luo Yuan asked.

Wang Shishi took a deep breath and agreed. She used a broom and dustpan, wiping her tears away while she swept the broken glass. Luo Yuan watched her for a while, and then went into the storeroom. There was an axe, a hammer, scissors, nails, and other tools inside.

He walked back to the living room and cut the dining table into wooden boards, planning to use the edge pieces as firewood. He took a wooden board, the hammer and a few nails, and walked to the window to measure it. He began to nail the wooden board on the window. Although there was an iron grill outside, it was a fragile one that could easily be destroyed by a common thief, even more so by giant bugs. Of course, boarding the windows would not help much, but it was an extra layer of protection, and one that could block them from the bugs and other small animals’ sight. A moment later, Huang Jiahui came out of the bathroom in casual wear. When she saw Luo Yuan and Wang Shishi working, she walked over to offer her help.

Luo Yuan stopped her, “We are good here. It’s quite late already. Can you help prepare dinner? There is rice in the kitchen. Here’s the lighter.”

He raised his chin up and looked up at Huang Jiahui. She looked seductive. Her casual clothes did nothing to conceal her big breasts, and her small waist and round cherry-like butt drove Luo Yuan crazy. He quickly turned his gaze away and signaled for Wang Shishi to bring more wood.

Huang Jiahui took the lighter, but realized it was out of gas. She could only use firewood to cook, so she carried some into the kitchen. She took out a pressure cooker and found rice inside a cupboard. However, when the moment came that she needed to light up the fire, she paused. She didn’t know how to. Although she’d had picnics before, it was usually her male colleagues who would take care of the fire starting part, so she had never learned.

Huang Jiahui asked, ”Where should I start the fire? It can't be on the floor, right?”

”Find a pot and do it inside it,” Luo Yuan replied.

Huang Jiahui said, ”I can't do it, could you come and help?”

”Pour a little oil on the wood and then light it up,” Luo Yuan told her. A moment later, a choking smell came from the kitchen. Luo Yuan did not bother checking on her as that kind of smell was normal when someone lit up a fire in the kitchen. However, the smoke started getting thicker and thicker, making both his and Wang Shishi’s eyes tear up at the same time that mucus started dripping down from their noses.

Luo Yuan felt that something was wrong and quickly rushed to the kitchen to check. He almost fainted when he saw the pressure cooker on top of the pot and Huang Jiahui holding its handle. She lifted the pressure cooker and blew some air into the pot. Her eyes were red and she looked completely lost.

”What are you doing? How are you going to light it up if there is not enough air in the pot?” Luo Yuan asked.