[BBGCD] Chapter 10

 After finishing the bowl balls, Su Jiao still licked the chili oil from his lips and looked at the other food in the box.

The sight of his pink, tender tongue brushing across his delicate lips was far too tempting.

Gu Lingye didn't come back to his senses until Su Jiao began rummaging through the food in the box. He swallowed and quickly finished the bowl balls in his hand in two or three bites, trying to cover up his reaction.

The stewed ribs in the pot were bubbling. Su Jiao stopped rummaging through the box and went over to check on them.

The moment he lifted the lid, the aroma burst out. The thick broth looked perfect for pouring over rice.

He added the previously stir-fried bean sprouts and potatoes to the pot and mixed everything together. After tasting a little with his chopsticks, he found that it was slightly under-seasoned, so he added a spoonful of salt and stirred everything evenly.

Once the vegetables were ready, Su Jiao spread out the flower rolls beside the pot, covered them, and continued steaming them.

Su Jiao tore open a packet of cookies, put one in his mouth, and turned to look at Gu Lingye.

Gu Lingye was browsing various updates online when a cookie suddenly appeared in front of him.

Following the white, delicate fingertips, he saw Su Jiao's smiling face. His golden hair glowed in the firelight.

"Brother Gu, try one. These cookies are delicious."

As he spoke, Su Jiao brought the cookie between his fingers to Gu Lingye's mouth.

Gu Lingye was momentarily captivated by those eyes. He opened his mouth absentmindedly and bit down on the cookie. His lips brushed against a soft, warm touch, and his teeth gently caught the fingertips holding it.

The moment Su Jiao pulled his fingers away brought Gu Lingye back to his senses. He looked at the blond young man in a panic, but seeing no unusual expression on his face, he felt relieved—and a little disappointed.

His face was so hot it felt as though he could boil an egg on it. Gu Lingye looked away and stared at the cooking pot. With the flames nearby, the heat seemed to spread from his cheeks all the way to the back of his neck.

He didn't dare look at Su Jiao, so naturally, he failed to notice the young man's lowered eyes and quiet smirk.

It was getting dark. The residents who had gone out to look for their relatives were returning to the residential complex.

The coming and going of so many people created quite a commotion. Su Jiao checked the time and stood up.

"Brother Gu, would you like to go upstairs and check the situation?"

Gu Lingye was also curious about what was happening outside. When Su Jiao invited him, he stood up and followed the young man to the second floor.

Looking out through the second-floor window, they could see people bundled up tightly as they returned to the residential complex. Their eyesight was unexpectedly good, allowing them to see that the expressions on those people's faces were far from pleasant.

Just as they were wondering whether the people had encountered difficulties in the cold or something else, the residents' group chat suddenly became lively.

Three videos were posted one after another.

Both men were local residents, so they immediately recognized the location in the videos: H City No. 2 Senior High School.

Most of the students at No. 2 Middle School were boarders. The school alone had three six-story dormitory buildings.

Su Jiao glanced at the people outside who were still returning home despite the extreme cold, then muted the video. The footage showed a chaotic scene. Parents, all bundled up tightly, were pushing and crowding around, each wanting to take their children home.

Armed police officers were stationed at the school gate, while numerous personnel patrolled the campus.

Gu Lingye frowned. "I'm afraid the students aren't doing very well."

If the students were safe, the school wouldn't have needed to be so strict about refusing to let parents take their children home.

Su Jiao didn't know much about the situation outside in his previous life. After so many years, he could only recall a few scattered details. He thought for a moment before saying, "It might also be to prevent people from being abducted."

If he remembered correctly, after the initial chaos, the first major incident to break out had involved human trafficking.

"At a time like this?!" Gu Lingye turned to look at him.

It had been less than five hours since the temperature dropped. No matter how rampant human traffickers were, surely they wouldn't be out committing crimes in the middle of a natural disaster that threatened everyone's lives?!

Su Jiao shrugged and led Gu Lingye downstairs.

"Good people have all sorts of reasons to look after only themselves, while bad people always find opportunities to commit crimes."

That was true.

Gu Lingye glanced at the people walking toward the buildings outside. However, most of his attention was on the hand Su Jiao was holding.

He was far less concerned about the possibility of human trafficking than about the little prince he had fallen in love with at first sight.

He always felt that the little prince was seducing him, but whenever he looked over, those soft black eyes were filled with innocence.

Was he simply overthinking things?

Still, being led downstairs like this was rather intimate. Their palms were even touching directly!

Gu Lingye's mind was full of thoughts, but he didn't dare ask Su Jiao something as direct as, "Do you like me?" He held his breath until Su Jiao finally released his hand. Only then did his tense muscles relax.

Su Jiao curled his lips and walked toward the fire pit.

"Brother Gu, go to the kitchen and bring out the food. It's almost time to eat."

Hearing this, Gu Lingye suppressed the restlessness in his heart and headed for the kitchen.

He spent a little while looking for rice bowls and chopsticks. By the time he came out, Su Jiao was already holding a plump, beautifully shaped flower roll and eating it.

The flower roll was covered in thick broth, and half of it was soaked in the sauce. The little prince took a bite, and some of the broth slid from his lips, only to be caught by a tissue in his other hand.

Tissue?

Gu Lingye's eyebrows twitched. Why didn't he remember seeing any tissues in the living room?

Su Jiao stopped when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and waved at Gu Lingye.

"Brother Gu, come quickly! This flower roll is delicious. Would you like to try some?"

As he spoke, he stood up and walked toward Gu Lingye. He took a small bite of the flower roll in his hand and offered it to him, looking at him with bright eyes.

Gu Lingye looked down at the small, particularly beautiful bite mark on the flower roll. Whatever reservations he might have had about sharing food disappeared completely under the temptation of that little tooth mark.

He bit into the exact spot Su Jiao had bitten, swallowing the little prince's bite mark along with it.

"It's really delicious."

The man's eyes were fixed on the little prince in front of him. There was an unmistakable intensity in his gaze, enough to make anyone want to retreat.

His behavior left Su Jiao confused. Gu Lingye's face showed no particular expression, so Su Jiao's gaze shifted to his ears.

They were as red as blood.

It seemed he was getting impatient. Su Jiao smiled to himself, but his expression remained innocent. He didn't seem to attach any particular meaning to Gu Lingye's words.

"Really? I think I could eat ten of these in one go!"

Seeing that the little prince showed no signs of shyness or retreat, and that he smoothly took back the flower roll and continued eating, Gu Lingye began to feel that his earlier guess had been nothing more than wishful thinking.

Su Jiao carried the rice cooker, along with the dishes and chopsticks placed on top of it, and happily walked ahead.

Gu Lingye placed the rice cooker between them and carried the box of snacks to the table behind them.

The white rice looked enticing as it was served into the bowls. Paired with the soft, tender potatoes, it was deeply satisfying. The soft bean sprouts were fresh and sweet, while the boneless ribs were rich and full of flavor.

Su Jiao didn't bother maintaining his image while eating. He finished a bowl of rice and only slowed down once he finally felt that his stomach had something in it.

As both of them were undergoing the physical changes brought about by their newly awakened abilities, the rice in the cooker, along with the dishes and flower rolls, was quickly devoured.

Gu Lingye took responsibility for washing the pots and dishes Su Jiao had used.

Most of the fire in the fire pit had died down. Su Jiao moved the firewood aside, went into the storage room, and took out a large shovel from his space. He also took out several tools and put them inside.

Carrying a box of anthracite back to the living room, Su Jiao placed it between the two sofas and stools. He removed the table covering and opened the lid of the brazier underneath.

Using the iron shovel, he transferred the remaining embers from the fire pit into the brazier and added two more pieces of charcoal.

He stopped drawing the thick smoke into his space and opened a small gap in the kitchen window and the glass door of the living room to allow ventilation.

He went out into the courtyard and looked around, making sure that no smoke was escaping before returning to the living room.

Gu Lingye had already put away the washed pots and pans. When he saw Su Jiao coming in from outside, he asked, "What were you doing?"

Su Jiao casually turned on the living room light.

"Checking whether any smoke was escaping. I didn't want anyone to mistake it for a fire."

Gu Lingye followed his words and looked at the hand the little prince had just withdrawn from the light switch. He looked puzzled.

"There's a light. Why didn't you turn it on earlier...?"

It wouldn't turn on.

Su Jiao naturally didn't tell Gu Lingye that he had deliberately kept the lights off for the atmosphere. Instead, he smiled and said, "With the lights on, it feels even colder. The fire is warmer."

Human beings were strange creatures. Even warmth perceived through sight could make people feel warmer.

Su Jiao's explanation was nonsense, but it wasn't entirely unreasonable. Gu Lingye scratched his head and decided not to dwell on it.

Su Jiao moved two thick blankets onto the wooden sofa.

The pile on the blankets was extremely deep. When the little prince reached out to touch one, his fair, delicate fingertips disappeared into the soft fur, creating an inexplicably alluring sight.

Gu Lingye forcibly tore his gaze away from Su Jiao's hand and followed him to sit on the sofa. Then he showed Su Jiao the QR code that had been displayed on his phone for quite some time.

"Well, how about we exchange contact information?"

After all these years, Su Jiao had almost forgotten the habit of exchanging contact information when meeting someone new. He slowly took his phone out of his pocket and scanned Gu Lingye's QR code.

Successfully adding Su Jiao on WeChat, Gu Lingye felt that he had taken another step toward bringing his wife home. He couldn't help smiling slightly.

Su Jiao keenly noticed the man's expression. His thoughts shifted, and he quickly figured out what Gu Lingye was thinking.

He curled his lips but didn't expose the man's intentions.

To win a man's heart, it was best to give him a little sweetness before following it with a stick.

Most people didn't cherish what came too easily. Su Jiao didn't want to gamble on Gu Lingye's character.

For now, he would give the man a little sweetness. Later, he could mix in a little sand.

[BBGCD] Chapter 9

 Gu Lingye was quite cooperative. Su Jiao skillfully cut the potatoes into pieces and chopped the ribs into small chunks, each about the length of a knuckle.

Once he was done, Su Jiao glanced at the dough by the fire and reached out to take the bowl containing it.

Gu Lingye noticed what he was doing. Afraid that the steam might burn Su Jiao, he quickly reached over and took the bowl out first.

The steam was indeed a little hot, but the dough inside was only slightly warm. Holding the bowl, Gu Lingye felt safe enough to hand it to Su Jiao.

Seeing how considerate he was, Su Jiao's thoughts shifted slightly. He said, "Clean this pot for me. We'll use it for stir-frying later."

Gu Lingye nodded. Seeing that the water in the pot was still clean, he poured it into the sink.

He went into the kitchen to find a dishcloth and a wire scrubber. Using the water in the sink, he washed the bottom of the basin before putting everything back on the shelf.

Su Jiao took out the dough, which had finished rising, and kneaded it until smooth. He covered it with plastic wrap again, placed it beside the fire pit to continue rising, then got up and went to the room where the ingredients were stored.

He had forgotten to take out the seasonings. It would be difficult to bring them out in front of Gu Lingye now, so he went into the room to get them.

Several boxes of ingredients were stored inside. Su Jiao took out a box containing various seasonings from his space, selected one of each, and placed them in a basket.

Gu Lingye looked up from his phone and saw Su Jiao carrying a large basket. He immediately stood up and took it from him.

As he took the basket, Gu Lingye's eyes inadvertently swept over the room. He was slightly stunned.

"Brother Gu?" Su Jiao waved a hand in front of him, looking puzzled.

Gu Lingye snapped out of it, his doubts fading before they could fully form.

He walked back beside Su Jiao, carrying the basket of seasonings. The veins on the back of his large hand stood out, while the well-defined muscles along his arm disappeared beneath his sleeve.

The temperature was too low, so the dough was rising more slowly than usual. Su Jiao poked a small hole in it with his finger. Feeling that it was almost ready, he took it out and placed it on the kneading mat on the table.

He divided the dough into ten equal portions. After adding soybean oil and salt, he pinched each piece closed, rolled it up, and then twisted it into a long strip.

Afraid that the low temperature would cause the flower rolls to freeze, Su Jiao placed them back in the bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and set it on the large square section of the fire pit.

Seeing that Su Jiao had finished shaping the flower rolls, Gu Lingye placed the iron pot beside him on the rack and obediently returned to his seat, watching Su Jiao work.

The temperature was low, and the iron pot, which had only just been placed over the fire, would take some time to heat up. Su Jiao put away the oil and salt containers, then picked up a spatula to check the pot.

He dipped a little water into it with his fingers. The droplets rolled down the sides of the pot, and a sizzling sound filled the air.

Seeing that the pot was almost hot enough, Su Jiao poured in some water and blanched the ribs.

In weather this cold, even with a fire burning, cooking still took time.

Noticing that Gu Lingye had been looking at his phone, Su Jiao asked curiously, "Has the signal come back?"

"Mobile data is working." Gu Lingye handed his phone to Su Jiao. "It's just a little slow."

The phone was still on the trending topics page. Almost every headline was related to the sudden extreme cold.

Su Jiao was about to return the phone so he could check the situation on his own device when a notification suddenly appeared on the screen.

Junyan: Brother, where are you? Come and pick me up?

Gu Junyan was Gu Lingye's half-brother. The two had shared a good relationship before the apocalypse. In his previous life, Gu Lingye had hesitated for a long time before finally finding a way to help him after Gu Junyan repeatedly pleaded for help.

Unfortunately, a person did not become an ungrateful wolf overnight.

Gu Junyan had probably never truly regarded Gu Lingye as his brother. Before the apocalypse, he had coaxed him into giving him money. After the apocalypse, he had continued to manipulate him into handing over supplies and even damaging his reputation.

If Gu Lingye hadn't awakened his ability early and suffered serious physical discomfort as a result, Gu Junyan might never have shown his true colors. He had simply thought Gu Lingye was no longer useful to him...

Gu Junyan's face appeared in Su Jiao's mind. He had to admit that the man was a natural actor. Every performance came back to him seamlessly.

Su Jiao's hand slipped directly into the chat window. The conversation history was filled with short voice calls and money transfers.

"I'm sorry, Brother Gu. I just wanted to check the trending topics and accidentally opened your messages. Do you owe someone money?"

The blond young man's face was full of apology. Gu Lingye glanced at the phone and realized it was his brother. He shook his head.

"It's okay. That's my younger brother. He must be having trouble at school because of the cold."

"Ah..." Su Jiao drew out the sound. Touching his nose, he said, "I thought you owed someone money. Every message is either a short voice call or a money transfer."

Gu Lingye hadn't thought there was anything unusual about his chat history with his brother. But after hearing Su Jiao's words, he frowned. For some reason, he suddenly felt irritated with Gu Junyan, who was still in school.

He put down his phone and said, "I've probably spoiled him too much."

Seeing Gu Lingye's reaction, Su Jiao's lips curled up happily.

He lowered his head to retrieve the blanched ribs from the pot, hiding his smile. In a gentle voice, he said, "So he's your younger brother. It's really not good to spoil him too much. But it's so cold now, and he's still a student. The money your parents give him might not be enough. Should you transfer him some more?"

Su Jiao's words were like oil being poured into a fire, quickly stirring up Gu Lingye's thoughts.

Ever since Gu Junyan started college, Gu Lingye had privately given him nearly 500,000 yuan.

Now that the couple in that family didn't welcome him, what was wrong with spending a little more money on his future wife instead?!

Gu Lingye narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "My brother is an adult. I have no obligation to support him."

Su Jiao nearly burst out laughing at his words. He poured the bean sprouts and potatoes into the pot and stir-fried them.

"Brother Gu, you're so good to your younger brother. He must respect and love you very much, right?"

Gu Lingye's expression froze. His eyes settled on Gu Junyan's messages. There was not a trace of love or respect in any of them.

He sneered. "Perhaps."

Seeing that Gu Lingye was clearly annoyed with the person on the other end of the phone, Su Jiao restrained himself from provoking him any further and asked, "Brother Gu, do you like spicy food?"

Gu Lingye shifted his attention away from the person who had upset him and answered honestly, "I like it, but I can't handle too much."

"I forgot to get the scallions, ginger, and garlic ready. Brother Gu, could you go into the room I just visited and get some scallions, ginger, garlic, rock sugar, dried chilies, cinnamon, star anise, and peppercorns? Put them in a box near the door."

Cutting the potatoes and bean sprouts had taken some time. Gu Lingye, however, was very quick. After hearing Su Jiao's instructions, he immediately got up and headed toward the room.

When he opened the door, he was momentarily stunned by the room full of supplies. The questions that arose in his mind were quickly suppressed by instinct before they could fully register.

He quickly picked out everything Su Jiao had asked for. As he walked back, he began peeling the garlic.

Hearing the movement behind him, Su Jiao served the nearly finished stir-fried potatoes and bean sprouts. When he turned around and saw Gu Lingye peeling garlic, he said, "Brother Gu, give me the garlic. Could you help me wash the other ingredients?"

Gu Lingye handed the garlic to Su Jiao without hesitation, then took a small basin and began washing the rest.

Su Jiao usually worked slowly, but when he was in a hurry, he could be quite efficient. He flattened the garlic with the knife, removed the crushed skin, and chopped it up in just a few strokes.

The first things Gu Lingye washed were the scallions and ginger that needed to be cut. Almost as soon as Su Jiao put down his knife, Gu Lingye handed them over.

Su Jiao cut the scallions into sections and sliced the ginger.

Once those were ready, he turned around and poured oil into the hot pan. He added the scallions, ginger, and garlic and stir-fried them a couple of times. Gu Lingye had finished washing the remaining ingredients, so Su Jiao added the rock sugar as well.

After the rock sugar melted, Su Jiao added the ribs and stir-fried them until they turned brown. He added soybean paste and light soy sauce, mixed everything evenly, then poured in enough water to fill half the pot and let it simmer.

The aroma had already begun to spread while he was stir-frying, making both of their stomachs growl.

As soon as Su Jiao added the water, he got up and headed toward the ingredient room. Once inside, he walked to a corner where Gu Lingye couldn't see him.

Su Jiao took out boxes of instant food and snacks one by one, placing them near the doorway. Then he filled a suitcase to the brim.

"Brother Gu, people get hungry much faster in this damn weather. The meat will take a while to cook, so let's eat something else first."

Gu Lingye had been so distracted by the thought of tasting Su Jiao's cooking that he hadn't realized how unusually hungry he was.

The two of them ate two pieces of bread by the fire. The hunger gradually subsided.

Su Jiao touched his stomach. He still didn't feel full. He rummaged through the boxes and found two packages of bowl balls, then handed one to Gu Lingye.

"I found these online. They're apparently a Shanxi specialty. If they taste good, we have some buckwheat at home. We can try making them ourselves and have the authentic version."

The thin bowl-shaped bites didn't look particularly filling. After Su Jiao tore open the package, he began to wonder whether they had been placed in the snack section simply because they were made from buckwheat.

Once he opened the package, Su Jiao cut the bowl-shaped bites apart with the knife provided, poured in the vinegar and seasoning packets, and mixed everything together.

Gu Lingye was used to eating instant food like this. After eating a couple of pieces, he noticed that Su Jiao was still clumsily mixing his portion. He handed his own bowl to him.

"Eat mine. Don't go hungry."

They had obviously just eaten two pieces of bread, yet hunger had returned so quickly.

At first, Gu Lingye had thought it was ordinary hunger. But seeing how quickly it came back, he also began to realize that something was wrong.

Su Jiao didn't stand on ceremony. He took the bowl Gu Lingye offered, picked up one of the pieces with the small fork, and put it in his mouth.

The bowl-shaped bites were pleasantly chewy, and the combination of vinegar and chili oil was delicious. The taste was so good that it was hard to stop eating.

There were so few pieces in the bowl that Su Jiao instinctively slowed down, afraid he would finish them all at once.

However, they were so smooth and easy to swallow that he soon found himself eating them without realizing it.

Author's Note:

I used to eat bowl balls for a while when I was trying to lose weight. It was probably because I was hungry back then, but anyway, I still miss the taste very much.

However, every time I go shopping, I forget to buy snacks. And by the time I remember, I don't have time to go out and buy them. QAQ

[BBGCD] Chapter 8

 The hail outside had finally stopped.

The temperature inside the house was frighteningly low. Su Jiao rested his feet near the large square fire pit to warm them. After his ability had strengthened, his mental power could accurately detect movements outside.

The family members who had gone out still hadn't returned, and there was no signal to contact anyone outside. The residents who had stayed home could no longer sit still. Wrapped tightly in thick clothes, they began making their way outside.

The residents who had been hiding from view carried bags of all sizes. As soon as they left the residential compound, they went their separate ways and disappeared into the crowd.

Su Jiao lowered his eyes to watch the flames dancing in the fire pit.

The sudden cold wave had dealt humanity a devastating blow. The hailstones had fallen on people who had no protection, directly killing those who were still out on the streets.

Not everyone was as lucky as Gu Lingye, and not everyone had someone paying attention to them.

In his previous life, Gu Lingye had awakened quickly thanks to his sense of danger and managed to move against a wall to protect his vital points. Many more people had been struck dead before they could even wake up. Even those who regained consciousness might still die because they couldn't find somewhere to hide.

The national government had responded quickly, but the rescuers were only ordinary people. Under such an enormous hailstorm, how many people could rescuers on foot possibly save?

Apart from the citizens caught outside on the streets, everyone else was waiting for the government to send supplies and rescue teams.

But it was too late.

Many people couldn't wait for the supplies or rescuers to arrive.

Su Jiao clearly remembered what had happened before the country had fully assessed the situation caused by the extreme cold.

All the people involved in rescue efforts, including soldiers, firefighters, police officers, and even volunteers, had been attacked online by people with nowhere else to vent their anger.

Despite repeated attempts by the authorities to stop it, the malicious rumors continued spreading like sparks from a wildfire. It wasn't until the higher-ups confirmed the severity of the extreme cold and forcibly suppressed the situation that they discovered many of those stirring up trouble were spies from other countries.

The warmth from the flames gradually chased away the cold in his body. Su Jiao shivered and let out a relieved breath.

It was already four in the afternoon. Su Jiao took a basin and some flour, then placed the large iron frame for the pot over the fire.

The large iron frame was slightly smaller than the opening, fitting just outside the smaller square structure of the fire pit.

Su Jiao poured some water into the pot and placed the dough inside.

He was afraid the dough would cook directly if he covered the pot, so he left the lid off and covered the bowl containing the dough with plastic wrap instead.

The weather was so cold that the water in the pot could only stay warm over the fire. It was barely enough to let the dough rise.

There was nothing else to do inside the house, and the activity outside had quieted down.

The sound of the wind replaced all other noises, leaving the room silent.

"Click."

The sound of the door lock opening caught Su Jiao's attention.

As soon as Gu Lingye opened the door, he saw the young man he had rescued sitting in front of a fire pit. The unusual arrangement of the living room only caught his attention for less than five seconds.

The blond young man sitting there had fair skin. His soft black eyes, illuminated by the firelight, seemed like the brightest stars in the world.

Gu Lingye heard his heart pounding.

It seemed he had fallen in love at first sight.

"What's wrong? Are you still feeling unwell?"

Seeing that the man was standing there without moving, Su Jiao frowned slightly and got up to walk toward him.

"Ah, I'm fine." Gu Lingye blushed slightly, scratched his head awkwardly, and changed the subject. "Do you know what's going on?"

The temperature inside the room was so low that even he couldn't stand it. He had no idea how cold it was outside.

Su Jiao shook his head and sat back down on the stool with him.

"At around two or three o'clock, the temperature suddenly started dropping, and then it began to hail. I saw you get knocked unconscious, so I dragged you inside. I haven't gone out to check what happened elsewhere."

He picked up the iron tongs beside him and rearranged the firewood in the fire pit, adding several more logs.

Gu Lingye nodded. When he woke up, he had checked his phone. Judging from the last message he had received, the signal had been gone for quite some time.

"I..."

Gu Lingye had just wanted to ask about the clothes he was wearing, but the rest of his words died in his throat under the gaze of those soft, beautiful black eyes.

For some inexplicable reason, Gu Lingye suddenly wasn't very interested in finding out where the clothes had come from.

Whether they had belonged to a relative or a lover, the person sitting with the young man now was him.

Gu Lingye felt that he had a chance.

Su Jiao, who had already thought of an excuse: ?

Why had he suddenly stopped talking?

Gu Lingye turned his attention to the dough sitting in the bowl over the warm water and changed the subject.

"The weather outside is terrible. Would it be convenient for me to stay here for a few days? I'll pay you."

"Ah, there's no need." Su Jiao shook his head. "What's the difference between letting you go outside and sending you to your death in weather like this? I just don't know your name yet. My name is Su Jiao. Su as in Su Shi, and Jiao as in jiao."

Jiao... bright...

Gu Lingye was momentarily distracted by the fair-skinned blond young man in front of him. He murmured softly, "Your name suits you."

"What?" Su Jiao hadn't heard him clearly. He thought the syllables didn't sound like Gu Lingye's name.

"Nothing." Gu Lingye shook his head. "My surname is Gu. Gu Lingye."

After finally exchanging names with Gu Lingye in this life, Su Jiao relaxed his eyebrows and smiled.

"You should be a little older than me. Can I call you Brother Gu?"

The young man was so straightforward that Gu Lingye felt his face growing warm. He quietly answered, "Mm."

The man's skin was a healthy wheat color, so Su Jiao couldn't see even the slightest blush. Besides, Gu Lingye hadn't talked much in his previous life, so Su Jiao hadn't realized that he could be shy.

The two sat quietly, watching the fire for a while. Just as Su Jiao was about to reach out and check the dough, Gu Lingye asked, "Why haven't I seen your family?"

Caught off guard by the question, Su Jiao paused before answering.

"My mother died when I was young. My father was sent to prison after killing someone and died not long afterward. When I grew up, my grandparents were already in poor health. They passed away one after another."

Gu Lingye felt as though his vision had gone dark. At that moment, he especially wanted to slap himself.

His heart was pounding. He was afraid that Su Jiao's opinion of him would plummet because of his question. He could only say helplessly, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

This was the first time Su Jiao had seen Gu Lingye so nervous. He chuckled and said, "It's okay. It happened a long time ago."

In truth, it hadn't been that long. But to Su Jiao, who had been reborn from the future, it felt like a distant memory.

Gu Lingye looked at the young man, who wore a smile despite the sadness in his expression. For some reason, his heart ached.

The ache wasn't intense, but it spread in fine, persistent waves, pricking at the very depths of his heart.

Seeing that Gu Lingye seemed uncomfortable, Su Jiao changed the subject.

"I'm planning to make an iron pot stew tonight. Do you have any food restrictions?"

"No. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Su Jiao had been sitting there in a daze earlier without making any preparations. He hadn't given Gu Lingye any instructions that might have seemed ambiguous.

"Brother Gu, could you help me prepare the ingredients in the kitchen? There's no water supply over there, so you'll have to come here to wash the rice."

"Oh, and cook more rice. After this weather, I'm going to be starving."

Gu Lingye looked at the large bucket opposite him, nodded, and went into the kitchen.

Su Jiao got up and went to the room where he kept the ingredients. He picked out some spare ribs, potatoes, and vegetables, then brought out a large washing basin and a medium-sized bucket from the space.

Water was difficult to come by now. The dirty water from washing vegetables could later be used to water the animals. He would save the dishwashing water for the time being and use it to water the vegetables growing on the second floor of the space.

It was terribly cold. Su Jiao scooped water into the basin, put in the bean sprouts and potatoes, and swished them around twice. Then he gathered his courage and dipped his fingertips into the water to wash the vegetables.

Even beside the fire pit, the water was unbearably cold. After keeping his fingers submerged for too long, he could no longer feel them. His fair, delicate skin soon turned red from the cold.

As soon as Gu Lingye came out of the kitchen, he saw Su Jiao's red, frozen hands. His long legs carried him quickly to the young man's side.

"You look like a little girl. Stay over there. I'll wash the vegetables."

Su Jiao: ...

You're the little girl! Your whole family is! It's not as if little girls can't handle hardship!

The little man inside Su Jiao pointed at the tall man's nose and cursed him out. Nevertheless, Su Jiao obediently got up from his stool and sat in the place where Gu Lingye had been sitting.

After saying that, Gu Lingye worried that his words might have upset the young man. But when he saw how obediently Su Jiao moved aside, he was momentarily stunned. Then his heart suddenly softened.

So well-behaved.

Watching the tall man squat down to wash the vegetables and rice, Su Jiao said gently, "Brother Gu, pour the water from washing the vegetables into that bucket. Pour the rice water into the washing basin. We can use it to wash the dishes later."

His voice suited his appearance perfectly. The tall man felt a shiver run through his heart and coughed.

"Okay. I'll remember."

Watching the man wash the vegetables and rice in an orderly manner, Su Jiao's expression softened.

Some of Gu Lingye's movements were far too familiar. He had recalled those gestures thousands of times while alone. A certain suspicion lingered in Su Jiao's heart, but he didn't dare ask. The tangled feelings inside him had somehow found their own balance.

Gu Lingye was just about to stand up when a pair of cool hands took the inner pot of the rice cooker from his hands.

"I'll take it, Brother Gu. You can stay here and keep warm by the fire."

Su Jiao's slender fingers brushed lightly against the back of the man's hand. When their eyes met, his gaze was open and straightforward.

Gu Lingye watched the blond young man walk toward the kitchen. The fingertips that had just brushed against the back of his hand seemed to trace a path straight to his heart.

The man frowned, looking both puzzled and a little excited.

Was this young man flirting with him?

Gu Lingye rubbed his fingers and quickly dismissed the thought.

How could someone flirt with him at their very first meeting? He was being shameless, thinking about all sorts of things.

Su Jiao put the inner pot into the rice cooker, plugged it in, and started cooking the rice. Then he left the kitchen carrying a knife and a cutting board.

Gu Lingye had just finished washing the vegetables and was warming himself by the fire. Seeing Su Jiao return with a knife and cutting board, he stood up, intending to take them and help chop the vegetables.

Su Jiao refused.

"You've already washed everything. I'll take care of the rest. Brother Gu, you can try my cooking, too."

Gu Lingye, who had been about to help, froze when he heard those last words. He couldn't bring himself to reach out.

He wanted to eat!

Author's Note

"Direct" is the same as "direct."

Watering vegetables with dishwashing water and laundry water: This is based on Rabbit Mom's experience. Apparently, watering vegetables with these two kinds of water works very well. But the author hasn't tried it personally, so she doesn't know whether there are any particular tricks to it.

About the term "health care":

The author had gotten used to using this expression. It had been pointed out twice before, but she only realized then that people don't usually use the term that way. She looked it up online and found that the term health care does exist, but it should refer to raising or caring for animals. The author had made a mistake.

Sorry about that! Thank you to the two lovely readers in the comments section for pointing it out!

[BBGCD] Chapter 7

 The man had always been so serious in front of him.

When Su Jiao had saved Gu Lingye in his previous life, he hadn't found any scars on his body. At the time, he had genuinely believed Gu Lingye's explanation that he had simply fainted from the cold.

He hadn't expected this man to lie to him just to keep him from worrying about him fainting.

Recalling the past, a faint smile appeared on Su Jiao's face. His eyes fell on the man's face, but the smile gradually faded. He let out a long sigh.

In this new life, many things had a chance to change.

Su Jiao couldn't be sure whether the man in front of him was the same person he had loved in his previous life. Nor did he know whether their future together would take a path he had never expected.

He didn't dare think too far ahead. Many things could only be left to fate.

He would stay true to himself in the present and not lose himself in the future.

Whatever happened, Su Jiao was certain that he wouldn't regret his choices whenever he looked back on this moment.

He pushed all his complicated thoughts aside, rolled up his sleeves, and began removing the man's suit.

Gu Lingye had a physique worthy of his profession as a boxing coach. The muscles covering his body were strong and well-defined. Even in his most relaxed state, unconscious, his body felt firm and resilient to the touch.

The man was tall, with long legs and a standard inverted-triangle build. Almost every part of his physique seemed perfectly proportioned.

Su Jiao's soft fingertips grew a little red from the warmth radiating from the man's body. He removed Gu Lingye's clothes without any trouble and changed him into the clothes he had bought in advance.

After finishing that, Su Jiao turned his attention to the man's head.

Gu Lingye was a typical tough guy, the kind who could look handsome and gentle at the same time.

Why call him gentle? These days, the mainstream preference among young women leaned toward the type described as "a stranger as beautiful as jade, a peerless gentleman."

Looking at that handsome face, Su Jiao remembered how Gu Lingye's stubble had scratched him in his previous life. He really wanted to get revenge by rubbing the man's face in return, but he was also hesitant. They had only just met again in this life, and he wasn't sure whether he should actually do it.

He held the man's head and examined it carefully. Eventually, he found a small raised bump.

It wasn't very large, and there was no obvious bruising or swelling around it. It seemed that Gu Lingye had been knocked unconscious by a blow to a particular pressure point.

Su Jiao gently rubbed the man's head for a while. After checking that the bump had become smaller, he finally withdrew his hand and went into the bedroom.

The quilt on the bed was still the thin summer one. Su Jiao took out the winter quilt he had prepared earlier, spread it over the bed, and tucked the man from the space underneath it.

The temperature was so cold that Su Jiao stared blankly at the unconscious man on the bed.

Memories of his previous life echoed in his mind. Su Jiao realized that he couldn't truly let this person go, no matter how much he had thought he could at first. He clearly remembered all the little moments they had shared in his previous life, as well as the care Gu Lingye had shown him through his actions.

Could he really separate his previous life from his current one?

Su Jiao asked himself that question, but he couldn't separate two people who looked exactly the same.

People's hearts could change. After experiencing different things, the same Gu Lingye might become someone entirely different from the person Su Jiao remembered. And the truth was, even in his previous life, he hadn't known Gu Lingye as well as he thought.

The blond young man sitting beside the bed seemed unable to feel the freezing temperature. His soft black eyes gradually took on a hint of stubborn obsession.

Su Jiao knew that Gu Lingye couldn't be exactly the same in this life as he had been in the previous one. But now that he had met the same person again, he naturally wanted to fight for his own happiness.

Whatever the future held was a matter for the future. For now, he just wanted to be happy in the present!

Having made up his mind, Su Jiao tucked the quilt around Gu Lingye, then gently pulled the bedroom door closed as he left.

Some of the things in the space needed to be taken out and arranged in the house. He would put daily necessities and tools on the second floor, clear out the other rooms on the first floor, and use one room for firewood and another for vegetables and food.

The temperature outside was extremely low. Su Jiao could faintly hear crying and howling from upstairs, as if someone had fainted.

He glanced at his phone. The signal indicator showed nothing but an X.

Hail was still falling outside. His car, parked in the courtyard and covered only with a layer of sunshade fabric, had already been dented and deformed by the hailstones.

Even wrapped in thick clothes, he couldn't keep himself warm. Su Jiao breathed into his hands, then pulled down all the curtains on the first floor. He even moved the living room furniture into the space.

Energy slowly circulated through his body. Su Jiao felt a little warmth in his chest. As he walked upstairs, he used his ability to arrange the furniture and supplies in a large compartment on the first floor of the space. This would become his bedroom inside the space.

The windows on the second floor were made of privacy glass. Su Jiao drew all the curtains, just as he had downstairs, and selected several rooms to store the furniture.

The sofa in the second-floor living room was a wooden one. Back when his grandparents were still alive, it had been part of the furniture set they commonly used on the first floor. Su Jiao ran his fingers over the scratches on its surface.

He put the sofa into the space, intending to move it downstairs for use later.

After arranging all the furniture, Su Jiao placed the daily necessities from the space directly in the second-floor living room. He then returned to the first floor and moved the firewood, charcoal, grain, and vegetables into separate rooms.

Once that was done, Su Jiao planned to build another fire pit in the living room near the entrance. But when he went to get the bricks, he realized that the only cement he had was the small amount delivered with the bricks from the factory.

Su Jiao: ...

He had thought of almost everything, but never expected to overlook something as simple as this.

He could think of other uses for the bricks, but for this fire pit, he could only use cement.

He glanced toward the bedroom, then entered the space through the toilet.

The temperature outside was too low. The cement would freeze before he could even mix it properly. Su Jiao decided to build the fire pit inside the space first and move it out afterward. That way, he could also feed the animals while he was there.

As for the outside world...

The large amount of supernatural energy brought by the cold current had already eliminated the barrier between Su Jiao and his space. The energy circulating inside his body also flowed more smoothly. He could now clearly hear what was happening outside, even while inside the space.

Su Jiao quickly moved the bricks and stones to the open area. First, he estimated the general shape and size of the fire pit, then placed the cement nearby.

Cement couldn't be used on its own. Su Jiao searched for a long time but couldn't find any sand.

After thinking for a moment, he took some of the soil he had dug out of the pond on the second floor. He also gathered the fine wood chips from beside the firewood and mixed them with the cement.

The temperature inside the space wasn't particularly high, so Su Jiao worked quickly. First, he built a large square base, then constructed a smaller square structure on top of it.

To make it easier to install the chimney later, he made this smaller structure a little taller. By the time he had finished, his fingers had become stiff from the cold.

Unable to bear the low temperature any longer, Su Jiao rubbed his hands together. Then he used his ability to spread the remaining cement over the surface of the bricks and stones, making the layer in the middle of the smaller square especially thick.

This kind of delicate work consumed too much energy. His body had only just entered the apocalypse, and he didn't have that much energy to spare.

Su Jiao soon felt an intense hunger. He took out a bag of snacks and squatted down to examine the cement he had carefully applied to the bricks using his mental power. At the same time, he began thinking about what to eat that evening.

Gu Lingye didn't like a solemn atmosphere, so they might as well have a hot pot meal.

As for the pot, how about a Northeastern-style iron pot stew?

He could also add some flatbreads and put in more staple ingredients.

Making noodles would be a little difficult right now. He would have to start a fire first and then cook the noodles in the pot.

After barely managing to fill his stomach, Su Jiao turned around and poured food into the feeding troughs in the animals' compartments. He then took a bowl of regular animal feed to the second floor to feed the seafood in the pond.

He hadn't even reached the pond when he noticed that the seafood inside seemed to be distributed strangely, as if each species had been separated into its own area.

Su Jiao stopped walking and focused most of his mental power on the pond.

The situation inside the pond appeared in his mind. Its space had been divided in an orderly manner.

Different kinds of seafood were separated by thin energy walls. From time to time, seafood with weaker physical abilities managed to escape the boundaries of its compartment and wander into other areas, only to be preyed upon by creatures higher up the food chain.

Su Jiao frowned. Why did he feel that the pond was larger than its actual dimensions suggested?

He had never really understood how his spatial ability worked. His momentary confusion soon passed, and he walked over to the pond, pouring all the animal feed from the bowl into the water.

The feed dispersed through the water and soon reached the different energy-separated compartments.

Seeing that quite a lot of seafood hadn't received any feed, Su Jiao took a piece of fresh meat from the first floor, cut it into pieces with a knife, and tossed them into the pond.

After feeding all the animals, the fire pit on the first floor was almost ready.

Su Jiao returned to the first floor and carefully examined the cement on the fire pit. He reached out and gently tapped it.

It had frozen solid, too.

He returned to the house through the toilet and opened the door.

Gu Lingye was still asleep in the bedroom. Su Jiao placed the finished fire pit a little away from the center of the living room. He took out a thin matchstick, lit it, and placed a piece of firewood about as thick as a finger over the flame. Finally, he added a thicker log.

The fire caught, driving away some of the cold.

Su Jiao pulled over a stool, sat down, and held his cold palms near the flames. The warmth gradually chased away the chill between his hands. His eyebrows relaxed, and his cheeks and fingertips slowly turned rosy.

After warming himself up a little, Su Jiao took out the fire table and placed it over the fire pit. He laid the thick tabletop on its frame and pressed it firmly into place.

Once the heated table was ready, Su Jiao moved the wooden sofa beside it. He clapped his hands, took out a portable brazier from the space, and placed it beside the table so they could warm themselves after eating.

With the fire table set up, there wasn't much else to do. Su Jiao sat beside the fire and took out the iron pot stand from the space, placing it nearby.

He brought over a shelf and set it against the wall behind him. He put several basins on it and placed a low table beside it.

With the basic arrangements in place, Su Jiao took a bucket of water from one of the storage containers in the space and placed it beside the fire pit to keep it from freezing in the cold air.

[BBGCD] Chapter 6

 Building the greenhouse was not easy. What's more, Su Jiao's physical condition had not been worn down by the apocalypse. Even with the help of his abilities, he had only managed to build the greenhouse frame after spending most of the day working on it.

Su Jiao got up and checked the time. The takeaway had already been delivered. He yawned and left the space, just as his phone began to ring.

After answering the call, he told the delivery driver where to leave the food. Then Su Jiao waited by the courtyard gate to receive tonight's late-night snack: more than 700 yuan worth of barbecue.

As he walked back with the takeaway, Su Jiao realized that he had almost missed the delivery. He had been so busy inside the space that he hadn't come out in time to answer the driver's calls.

Fortunately, they had already spoken on the phone two or three times.

Working inside the space did not make him feel hungry from using his abilities, but the long hours of physical labor were enough to leave him starving.

He took out all the barbecue and laid it out, then opened the variety show he had been watching on his phone and continued where he had left off.

Coincidentally, it was a survival-themed variety show. Su Jiao was bored and too lazy to switch to something else. Gradually, though, his attention shifted away from the show and toward the food.

There was no way he could finish more than 700 yuan worth of barbecue in one sitting. He packed up what was left and put it in the space, planning to eat it later when he got hungry.

The water tank in the room was almost full. Su Jiao waited a little longer, changed the tank, and then returned to the space.

The main frame was already in place. Su Jiao took out the greenhouse film and began covering it.

The greenhouse kit he had bought came with three sheets of film. Installing them was more troublesome than assembling the frame.

Following the instructions, Su Jiao handled the film step by step and attached it to the frame. By the time he had finished, it was already 4:30 a.m.

With his ability, sleep wasn't a necessity for the time being.

After finishing the greenhouse, Su Jiao used his power to dig a large pit about five meters in diameter beside the farmland.

He poured the water from the storage containers directly into the pit, then emptied the seafood he had bought into it, without bothering to separate the different species.

Once the seafood was taken care of, he planted a row of the fruit trees he had bought down the middle of the farmland.

Using his abilities twice in succession made his stomach demand attention again. Su Jiao left the space to find something to eat.

Seeing that it was already dawn, he went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He also cleaned out the refrigerator and kitchen, planning to move the ingredients from the space outside that evening.

There was no need to keep so many things piled up in the space. Once the temperature dropped, the food would keep for a long time outdoors without going bad.

If it weren't for the high temperatures outside, Su Jiao would have bought several more refrigerators and stored everything in them. The space could block most of the outside temperature and maintain an internal temperature of around twenty degrees.

Later, he would have to visit a brick factory to buy some bricks. The space could indeed insulate against some of the temperature changes, and with the greenhouse in place, growing basic crops should not be a problem.

The only thing he needed to worry about was the unexpected temperature drop after the extreme cold began.

If he remembered correctly, during the first few years of the Age of Extreme Cold, there had been a prolonged, drastic drop in temperature. It had become impossible to continue growing crops in the space.

If he wanted to keep the farmland productive, Su Jiao would have to install a boiler in the planting area.

That would be easy to build. He had done it many times before and was practically an old hand at it. There wasn't much he needed to prepare.

For now, he could only deal with the remaining tasks as the time came. Su Jiao prepared his food and continued cooking the things that needed more time. In between, he went into the space to feed the little animals he had raised there.

He tossed two shovelfuls of corn into the corner of the compartment shared by the chickens and ducks, then set down a large basin of water for them to drink.

He wasn't sure what to feed the pigs, cows, and sheep, so he decided to give them some vegetables and fruit.

There were plenty of supplies stored in the space, but they might not be enough to raise all these animals to maturity without difficulty.

He would still have to buy some animal feed. He wanted to raise them properly, after all.

He had already decided what else he needed to buy. He just wasn't sure whether the little money he had left would be enough. He could only hope the supplies would be cheap.

After breakfast, it was not yet six o'clock. Su Jiao drove out of the courtyard and headed toward the brick factory on the outskirts of the city.

There was also a livestock farm about one or two kilometers from the brick factory. Su Jiao planned his route in the car, making sure he could buy both things in one trip before heading straight home.

The brick factory offered several types of bricks. Su Jiao chose the most ordinary red bricks because they were cheap. A thousand bricks cost nearly 20,000 yuan. After thinking it over, he decided he might need them later anyway, so he ordered a thousand and asked the factory to deliver them to the warehouse first.

While the workers loaded the bricks, Su Jiao drove to the livestock farm and bought various kinds of regular animal feed with the money he had left.

After spending nearly all his remaining cash, leaving himself with only 1,500 yuan, Su Jiao went to the warehouse and opened the door. Less than an hour later, he received a call from the workers saying the delivery had arrived.

He paid them a little extra to help move the red bricks into the warehouse. Once everyone had left, he pulled down the warehouse door, transferred the bricks into his space, locked up, and drove away.

On the way home, the sky outside began to darken. Su Jiao glanced at the time. It was already one in the afternoon.

The extreme cold would arrive in less than two hours. On the way, Su Jiao spent the rest of his money on a few more supplies.

He was about to meet the person he had been thinking about for so many years. He felt a little nervous, yet at the same time, he seemed remarkably calm.

He pulled down the car's sunshade to block the sunlight, then took a large box from the living room. He cleared out the ingredients in the space and placed them inside the box. Once the extreme cold arrived, he would be able to keep these things for a long time without a refrigerator.

"Ding-ding-ding-ding—!"

His phone suddenly rang, startling Su Jiao as he carefully sorted through his supplies. He picked it up and saw that it was the alarm he had set for 2:45 p.m.

He quickly grabbed the folding stool from the living room and hurried to the courtyard gate. He took a thick cotton coat out of the space and put it on, then held up a large umbrella to block the view from above.

Su Jiao watched the minutes pass, his eyes fixed on every figure that walked past the gate.

In his previous life, he hadn't paid much attention to what was happening outside. By the time the extreme cold arrived, the temperature had already dropped considerably. When he finally found Brother Gu, it was past six in the evening. The water pipes had frozen, and Gu Lingye had planned to go out and buy something to eat.

No matter how strong a grown man was, lying outside in thin summer clothes for three hours in such low temperatures would leave him half-dead. Even Gu Lingye's powerful ability couldn't protect him during his most vulnerable moment.

It wasn't until the two-month warm period afterward that Gu Lingye's health gradually improved. Before then, he had looked so pale that he seemed as if he could lose his life at any moment.

Since he had been given another chance, Su Jiao thought he should at least make sure this person's health was preserved.

As for everything else, people's hearts were unpredictable. As long as he did not act against his own conscience, that was enough.

Su Jiao watched the time pass. The white mist from his breath grew thicker, and he realized that the extreme cold did not arrive all at once. It was simply that humans had too little time to react.

An old man walking his dog outside began to feel cold. He rubbed his arm and pulled the dog toward the building, muttering, "My health gets worse every day. It's the middle of the dog days, and I'm already feeling cold. What's going on..."

Two fifty-five.

The cold had begun to penetrate his thick coat and touch his skin. Su Jiao took out another quilt, wrapped it around himself, and continued staring blankly at the scenery outside.

The old men and other people who usually wandered around the neighborhood had returned home early. The area, which was never particularly lively to begin with, had fallen completely silent.

Two fifty-seven.

Su Jiao felt his face growing stiff. From a nearby building came the sound of someone swearing.

He rubbed his face, forcing himself to stay alert, and kept his eyes fixed on the building where the shouting had not stopped.

At two fifty-nine, a tall man in a suit came out of the building. He was caught off guard by the cold air and froze for a moment. Then he turned around, as if he were about to go back inside.

But just before he could turn completely around, his steps stopped.

The man stepped into the freezing wind without hesitation.

Su Jiao recognized that familiar figure. He couldn't care less about keeping himself hidden behind the umbrella anymore. He reached out and opened the courtyard gate.

Gu Lingye heard the gate opening and looked over. He saw a blond young man bundled up in so many layers that only his head was visible, peeking out toward him. The young man looked warm and well-protected.

Thinking about his own condition, Gu Lingye stepped forward, intending to borrow some clothes from the other person.

Three o'clock.

The cold current swept down from the upper atmosphere, freezing every liquid in its path. Water vapor high above condensed into hailstones, which came crashing down along with the sudden cold.

The tall man was caught off guard by the hail and fainted on the spot. Just before losing consciousness, he vaguely saw the young man nearby jump in fright.

Strangely cute.

Su Jiao had no idea that Gu Lingye had found his startled reaction cute. He had jumped up and covered his head with the quilt. Dragging the thick quilt over to Gu Lingye, he wrapped it tightly around the man's body.

The hailstones falling with the cold current were so large that even a thick quilt couldn't stop the cold from making him shiver.

Su Jiao took two deep breaths, then brought the unconscious Gu Lingye into the space. He took out a large stuffed toy from the house and pretended to drag the man inside.

He wasn't particularly strong. Trying to drag a big man like Gu Lingye, who exercised regularly, would have been foolish.

Besides, outsiders had no idea how strong he really was. It was better to pretend to struggle for a while as he brought the man into the space.

The cold had left his hands and feet numb. Su Jiao didn't stay outside for long before returning to the courtyard. He first brought the quilt and stuffed toy into the living room, then drew all the curtains.

He put on a thicker fleece top and corduroy trousers, then checked on the man in the space to make sure he was still unconscious.

After putting on his coat again, he went outside to close the courtyard gate. He secured it with an iron chain and lock before returning home to take care of Gu Lingye.

The temperature inside the space was much higher than outside. Su Jiao planned to help the man change his clothes before he woke up, then check whether he needed any medicine for the places where the hail had hit him.

Come to think of it, if Su Jiao hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he would never have imagined that this man had actually been knocked unconscious.

[BBGCD] Chapter 5

Su Jiao looked at the several piles of supplies accumulated in his space and began sorting them into different compartments.

He also separated the chickens, ducks, pigs, cattle, and sheep on the farmland layer, giving them some food at the same time.

Since he didn't have anything else on hand, Su Jiao simply scattered some corn kernels. He also added a few sweet potatoes, which he had purchased at the grain market, to the feed for the pigs.

After putting most of the supplies into the compartments he had originally planned for them, Su Jiao wanted to set up the greenhouses and plant the seeds and fruit trees as well.

However, as soon as he started, an overwhelming hunger almost swallowed him whole.

Su Jiao quickly stopped what he was doing, picked up his phone, and ordered several takeout meals. Only then could he calm down enough to think about the situation.

In his previous life, Su Jiao had only seen this kind of situation happen to Brother Gu.

At that time, the two of them didn't have much food left. Brother Gu had been so hungry that he fainted several times.

Later, new technology gradually emerged.

Su Jiao had heard about it through news circulating among the human settlements, although it had taken several twists and turns before reaching him. Even so, he had learned a little about the awakening of supernatural abilities at the beginning of the Age of Extreme Cold.

Only people who awakened particularly powerful abilities would experience such extreme hunger because the energy in their bodies couldn't keep up with the demands of the awakening process.

And this was extremely rare, even among the first group of people who awakened supernatural abilities.

If Gu Lingye hadn't saved some food for him and insisted on not eating it himself, he might not have ended up with an ability level similar to Su Jiao's.

Thinking about the past, Su Jiao suddenly felt another wave of hunger in his stomach. Tears finally began to fall uncontrollably.

He didn't know what he was crying about.

Was he crying over all the hardships he had endured for so many years, only to have to return to that world again?

Or was he crying because, despite all the precautions and sacrifices, he had eventually ended up in a wilderness of corpses, almost being devoured by a mutant beast?

Or perhaps he was crying because he would finally have another chance to reunite with that person and change what had happened in the past?

His tears soaked the sofa cushion until the sound of his phone ringing interrupted him.

Su Jiao wiped his tears and walked toward the courtyard gate while answering the call.

"Hello, I'm already at the entrance to your community. I'll be at your door in about three minutes."

Suppressing the choking in his voice, Su Jiao replied, "Please leave it at the courtyard gate when you arrive. It's not convenient for me to open the door here."

"All right."

The call ended shortly afterward. Not long later, someone rang the bell at the courtyard gate.

Su Jiao got up and went into the yard to collect his food. As soon as he closed the gate, he eagerly opened the takeaway package and grabbed a chicken leg to eat.

After finishing one fried chicken leg, the hunger in his stomach eased a little.

Su Jiao took out all the food and placed it on the table. While eating, he checked the situation inside his space.

The extreme cold would arrive at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon, and the temperature would begin dropping even before then.

Therefore, it would be best to finish setting up the greenhouse before noon. He should also install a stove inside it so that, once the temperature dropped severely, he could still maintain the basic conditions needed for cultivation in his space.

Su Jiao had never built a greenhouse before, so he had no idea how difficult the process would be. He was afraid it would take quite a lot of time.

He also needed to find time to prepare some cooked food for emergencies.

At the moment, his body required a large amount of food to maintain the energy needed for the awakening process. He wanted to see whether his ability could advance another level after this initial awakening period.

And Gu Lingye would probably need quite a lot of food in the future as well.

There were simply too many things to do.

After finishing the food on the table, Su Jiao went into the kitchen.

The rice cooker there was a small one designed for a single person. Su Jiao searched through the kitchen and found the large rice cooker his elders had used when they were still alive.

He washed it and started cooking a large batch of rice.

Only after the rice was ready did Su Jiao realize that he didn't have any prepared ingredients on hand.

He checked the money in his bank account. Fortunately, he still had enough to buy ingredients to get through the awakening period.

Su Jiao glanced at the time, then drove to the supermarket.

To avoid attracting too much attention by purchasing everything in one place, he deliberately chose a supermarket farther away from his home and began stocking up on ingredients.

There were many twenty-four-hour supermarkets in N City. The vegetables, meat, and even seafood on display all looked fresh.

After living through so many years of extreme cold, Su Jiao was still a little stunned when he saw seafood in the supermarket.

His mind frantically tried to recall what seafood tasted like, but the attempt soon ended in failure.

However, since seafood occupied such a large section of the supermarket's food department, it was probably delicious.

Su Jiao simply picked up large quantities of everything he wanted.

When he left the first supermarket, the meat and vegetables alone had cost him four or five thousand yuan. The staff helped push his shopping cart to the car and load everything inside.

He had purchased the seafood alive, and it was packed in foam boxes. When Su Jiao sat in the driver's seat, he could still hear the creatures moving around inside.

After waiting for the staff to leave, he secretly transferred everything into his space. He then opened the foam boxes inside and planned to move the seafood to another area where he could raise it later.

To avoid attracting attention, he made sure that the amount he purchased at each supermarket remained manageable.

Su Jiao drove around several twenty-four-hour supermarkets across half the city. Only when his remaining money had dropped to less than 10,000 yuan did he finally head home.

The supplies inside his space had piled up again. Since he had transferred so many things several times, his energy consumption had increased considerably. Although he had not fully entered the awakening period, he was still struggling to control his abilities.

His stomach was burning with hunger.

By the time Su Jiao opened the courtyard gate, drove inside, and closed it again, his fingertips were trembling from the overwhelming hunger.

The rice in the kitchen had long since finished cooking and was already in the keep-warm mode.

Su Jiao rushed into the kitchen and turned on the small rice cooker. Without even caring about how hot the rice was, he grabbed the rice paddle beside it, served himself a bowl, and started eating.

A whole rice cooker's worth of rice went into his stomach.

At last, the hunger that had nearly driven him mad finally subsided.

Su Jiao let out a breath and realized that his mouth was hurting a little. He carefully moved his tongue around and sadly discovered that several patches of skin inside his mouth had been scalded.

After putting down what he was holding, Su Jiao took some ingredients out of his space.

He quickly stir-fried some chili peppers, sliced meat, and vegetables. Then he placed the dishes on top of the rice in the large rice cooker and switched it to the keep-warm setting.

After finishing everything, Su Jiao entered his space.

The entrance to the space was in the same place as it had been in his previous life, right in the middle of the first floor.

Su Jiao first went toward the area where he had placed the chickens, ducks, pigs, cattle, and sheep.

From the outside, the arrangement hadn't looked particularly different. However, once he entered, he discovered that the dimensions of the space had changed considerably.

The overall layout remained the same, but the row of compartments he had designated for the animals had been reduced to sizes that were just large enough for them.

The chickens and ducks, which he had originally placed in separate compartments, had been combined into a single one. The ten little animals inside now had plenty of room.

Combining the compartments had also saved quite a lot of space.

The entire back row, which had originally been filled with compartments, now had one large empty section.

Su Jiao thought about it for a moment and decided to store the firewood there.

He had purchased several truckloads of firewood and transported them himself. Even if he worked until tomorrow, he wouldn't be able to finish moving everything by hand.

Su Jiao raised his hand and tried controlling the objects inside the space.

Compared with manipulating things from outside, controlling them from within was much smoother. The hunger also didn't appear as quickly.

Su Jiao breathed a sigh of relief.

He pictured the layout of the farmland layer in his mind, then transferred all the firewood to the first floor, where the compartments were of different sizes. He neatly arranged the wood inside the large compartment.

Although the space was large enough to store countless things, the height of the two floors was also considerable.

Su Jiao filled about four-fifths of the compartment with firewood.

Just as he finished filling it, a new compartment appeared in the space he could perceive.

Above the four compartments used for raising chickens, ducks, pigs, cattle, and sheep, an additional storage area had appeared.

This hadn't existed in his previous life.

Su Jiao turned his head and looked at the thin, cloud-white barrier surrounding the newly appeared area. He thought about what had just happened and suspected that it might have something to do with completely filling one of the compartments.

He had never fully understood certain aspects of his ability.

If he hadn't been the one controlling everything, Su Jiao might have suspected that someone was secretly manipulating this power from behind the scenes.

Naturally, he wasn't going to ignore the newly appeared storage area.

Su Jiao transferred all the remaining firewood and coal into it, but even then, he couldn't fill the entire space.

So he added the materials for the extra greenhouse he had purchased, along with the additional tools he had bought.

After finally filling it up, Su Jiao looked at the remaining daily necessities and prepared food behind him. He chose a separate room for each category and stored everything accordingly.

Even after that, the daily necessities and prepared food weren't enough to fill the two rooms.

Two more compartments of different sizes appeared above them.

Su Jiao immediately filled those with all the canned food he had purchased.

The only things he left outside were the seafood from the supermarket, the empty water containers, and the fruit trees that hadn't yet been planted.

There were still too many things to organize, and Su Jiao's stomach was beginning to grow hungry again.

Since he couldn't finish everything at once, he decided to leave the space and get something to eat.

When he returned, he checked the time.

More than an hour had passed since he entered the space, which was roughly the same amount of time he had spent inside.

The passage of time was the same as in his previous life.

It seemed that the appearance of the new compartments was an unusual occurrence. The reason was probably that he hadn't possessed this many supplies in his previous life, so he had never encountered such a situation.

Putting the matter aside for now, Su Jiao ordered some barbecue on his phone while eating in the kitchen. He scheduled the delivery for three hours later.

He took out a large water storage tank, connected a water pipe, and began filling it.

Then he entered his space again.

This time, his goal was to build an insulated greenhouse.

Such delicate work couldn't be done directly with his supernatural ability.

Su Jiao turned on the timer on his phone, gathered the materials around him, and cleared the area where he planned to build the greenhouse.

He took the instruction manual provided by the seller and read through it carefully several times before finally rolling up his sleeves.

His previous life had taught him to try all sorts of things. However, his current body was still delicate and soft.

Not long after he started working, wounds began appearing on his hands.

He stopped and looked at the injuries, feeling rather helpless about his current body.

Building the greenhouse was a little troublesome.

It took him more than half an hour just to complete the basic ground leveling, lay out the lines, and drive in the stakes.

Su Jiao checked the time and went outside to look at the water tank.

It could hold more water than he had initially estimated, and it would take a while longer to fill completely.

Afraid that he would lose track of time once he became busy inside the space, Su Jiao drank some water and ate something in the kitchen.

He waited until the storage tank was full, replaced it with another one, and continued filling it.

Only then did he return to the space and resume his work.

The next step in the instruction manual was to build the walls.

Su Jiao studied the requirements for a long time before falling silent.

In the end, he simply ignored the recommended curing time and began building the walls with the water and cement mixture he had prepared.

The walls didn't have any supporting pillars, and Su Jiao felt that the structure wasn't particularly reliable.

After applying the mortar, he found the steel support columns and installed them according to the positions indicated in the instructions.

Once everything was in place, he went outside to change the water tank before returning to study the next step of the construction process.