[BBGCD] Chapter 12

 Gu Lingye slipped out of bed. Before rushing out of the room, he returned to check whether Su Jiao, who was still asleep, was feeling cold.

The temperature today was even lower than yesterday. People in the southern cities didn't have much in the way of thick winter clothing, so those walking outside were wearing the warm clothes distributed by the rescue teams the previous day.

Quite a few people passed by the courtyard gate. Before going out, Gu Lingye found a thick scarf upstairs and wrapped it around his face. Only then did he dare to open the door and step outside.

Yesterday, Su Jiao had felt a little cold when he opened the ventilation gaps. Now that Gu Lingye had actually stepped outside, he finally understood just how cold it was.

The clothes that felt perfectly warm indoors were hardly enough to keep out the cold wind outside.

The sudden change from a warm room to the freezing outdoors made Gu Lingye shiver.

He casually checked that his phone and bank card were in his pocket, then quickened his pace toward the crowd.

It was still early, and the weather was bitterly cold. There weren't many people outside.

Most residents remained by their balcony doors or windows, watching what was happening below to decide whether the supplies were worth going downstairs for.

Taking advantage of his height and long legs, Gu Lingye stood nearby and looked over the displays, getting a good idea of what was available.

There was mostly rice, noodles, grains, cooking oil, fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as various melons. There were also plenty of self-heating meals. Among the instant foods, Gu Lingye spotted bowl balls, too.

After thinking for a moment, he decided not to visit the fruit and vegetable section. Instead, he turned to the young soldier standing nearby.

"Hello, comrade. Can I take all of these?"

As soon as he asked, several people who were shopping nearby turned to look at him. When they realized he was referring to the bowl balls, they initially relaxed, only to become puzzled a moment later.

Gu Lingye paid no attention to their confused expressions.

Even the young soldier looked a little bewildered. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Gu Lingye explained, "Someone at home really likes these, but we didn't have any stocked up. I thought I'd buy more for him."

Hearing this, someone nearby couldn't help commenting, "Why are you still buying snacks at a time like this? Young man, you'd better buy more staple foods. Otherwise, you might end up starving at home!"

The remark was rather unpleasant, and Gu Lingye immediately frowned.

"Excuse me, but what does that have to do with you?"

He was tall, and his thick scarf left only his eyebrows and eyes exposed. His features were striking, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. When he frowned and looked at the other person displeasedly, the man was intimidated and fell silent.

After the man backed off, Gu Lingye turned to the young soldier standing guard beside the supplies.

After considering the situation, the soldier said, "We don't have a lot of these. You can take all of them, but over there, you can only choose three kinds of ingredients, and there's a quantity limit for each."

"That's fine." Gu Lingye nodded.

He had seen how much food Su Jiao had at home yesterday. It was enough to last them a long time. If he wanted to buy more ingredients, he could always come back later.

Seeing that Gu Lingye had agreed, the soldier called over his comrades. They gathered up all the bowl balls and motioned for Gu Lingye to follow them.

The two of them made their way to the first truck. The young soldier spoke briefly with the commander sitting nearby.

The commander looked at Gu Lingye, took out the notebook in his hand, calculated the price, and asked, "How would you like to pay?"

"Can I scan a QR code?"

Gu Lingye didn't keep all his money in his bank account. He also had a considerable amount spread across several payment apps.

The commander nodded, turned around, and searched beside his seat until he found a payment QR code.

Gu Lingye scanned it and transferred the money. As he followed the soldier to collect the remaining boxes, he couldn't help thinking about the appearance of the payment code.

It wasn't one of the ordinary payment codes commonly used by businesses. It looked as though it had been specially created for this operation.

Gu Lingye had good eyesight and had also noticed two lines of tiny text beneath it. They seemed to mention separate accounts or some kind of settlement arrangement.

He didn't think much more about it. By the time he reached the truck where the bowl balls had been placed, he realized just how many there were.

He turned to the soldier who had been guiding him.

"Can I leave these here for now, go over there to buy some ingredients, and come back to collect them afterward?"

The soldier nodded and handed him a note.

"To prevent impersonation, you'll need to show this note every time you come to collect or buy something."

Gu Lingye nodded and headed toward the ingredient stall.

There weren't many people there, and his tall figure was hard to miss. Several people noticed him as soon as he arrived.

Many were puzzled by his decision to buy a pile of snacks at a time like this. Some even made unkind comments.

Gu Lingye didn't so much as bat an eyelid at them.

Yesterday, Su Jiao had eaten more potatoes than anything else during dinner. Gu Lingye suspected that his little prince preferred soft, starchy foods.

He bought a bag of potatoes and five jin of fresh meat. Then he spotted some fresh chestnuts nearby and had a bag weighed out as well.

He paid for everything by scanning the QR code. After completing the payment, he carried the three bags back to the truck where the bowl balls had been stored.

There were seven boxes of bowl balls in total. Gu Lingye had to make three trips before he managed to carry them all home.

By the time he returned with the last box, Su Jiao was already awake.

He was standing beside the table, carefully examining the things Gu Lingye had bought. When he heard the glass door slide open, his dark eyes lit up with delight.

"Brother Gu, why did you buy so many bowl balls? Did they cost a lot?"

As he spoke, he walked toward Gu Lingye and reached out to help him take the box.

Gu Lingye avoided his outstretched hand and took two steps forward, setting the box down on the table.

"They didn't cost much. There might not be any more supplies coming in later, so I bought them all. You can eat them whenever you want."

Su Jiao looked at Gu Lingye without blinking. The thick scarf covered most of the man's face, making it difficult to tell whether he was embarrassed.

With his dark eyes fixed on Gu Lingye, Su Jiao walked behind him and reached out to untie the scarf around his neck.

When he noticed Su Jiao approaching from behind, Gu Lingye instinctively straightened his back.

Before he could say anything, a pair of nimble hands reached around the back of his neck and gently loosened the scarf. The hands grasped one end and carefully unwound it from around his neck.

As Su Jiao drew closer, Gu Lingye caught sight of the red marks on his soft palms.

The little prince had only just woken up and didn't know where those marks had come from. But Gu Lingye knew perfectly well.

The events of that morning, along with the little scene he'd imagined in his head, came rushing back to him. With the young man so close, Gu Lingye was already burning with embarrassment.

He tried to suppress his shame, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of the person he liked. At the same time, he was afraid Su Jiao might guess what was going through his mind.

Unfortunately, he didn't realize that his reddening earlobes had already betrayed him.

Seeing that Gu Lingye looked as though he might start steaming, Su Jiao smiled. He folded the scarf in his hands, walked around to Gu Lingye's side, and placed it on the wooden sofa.

"It's getting late. I'll make a fire first. Then we can cook something to eat."

Surrounded by the young man's scent, Gu Lingye was afraid his voice might betray him, so he simply nodded. He picked up the boxes of bowl balls and carried six of them into the room where they stored the ingredients.

Su Jiao went into the firewood room, took a handful of matches, and brought out some kindling and firewood. He placed them beside the fire pit.

After stirring the embers, Su Jiao dragged the bucket closer so that the heat from the flames could melt the ice inside.

Once the fire had grown stronger, he stood up and took out a large iron pot. He filled it with water, placed it directly on the iron stand, and covered it to let the water boil.

This wasn't a frying pan. It was a deep iron pot meant for boiling water. One pot would be enough for the two of them to drink over the following day.

When Gu Lingye came over carrying the inner pot of the rice cooker, which contained the washed rice, he noticed that the bucket beside the fire had frozen solid.

He casually set the rice cooker insert aside and told Su Jiao about the situation outside.

There weren't many people going out to buy supplies. Most of the residents in the community were middle-aged or elderly, and they were accustomed to keeping vegetables stocked at home.

Even so, the amount each person was allowed to buy was still limited.

Compared with Gu Lingye, who had already used part of his allowance to buy snacks, the others could purchase considerably more. But even then, the supplies were only enough to feed one person for about a week.

This had caused quite a commotion in the community group chat. Su Jiao knew that Gu Lingye hadn't had time to check the messages, so he smiled, opened the relevant chat on his phone, and handed it to him.

Gu Lingye glanced at the screen and immediately frowned.

The messages were mainly complaints about the soldiers distributing supplies and charging people for them.

Some residents argued that the supplies should have been distributed free of charge.

That was still the mildest of the comments. As the discussion continued, it veered into territory that no reasonable person could understand.

What does this mean? Is the country using this opportunity to reduce the population???

The cold wave was beyond the government's control.

It wasn't as though the authorities had deliberately delayed rescue efforts and allowed people to die. They had already provided all the basic supplies they were supposed to distribute. Did these people expect the government to provide them with unlimited food as well?

Not to mention that the cold wave had arrived so suddenly. Nobody knew when it would end. The government couldn't possibly provide for everyone for the rest of their lives!

Su Jiao shrugged.

"There are always so many fools who think they're smarter than everyone else."

Gu Lingye wholeheartedly agreed. He handed the phone back to Su Jiao, then took out his own and checked the news online.

"I wonder when they'll have time to deal with all this chaos."

The complaints in the community group weren't an isolated incident. If the government didn't step in, problems would inevitably arise sooner or later. The only question was when they would be able to take action.

Su Jiao tended the fire, his voice slightly distant.

"When a new kind of chaos appears."

The chaotic period wouldn't be short. Online arguments and minor incidents weren't the biggest problem. The real trouble would begin when supernatural abilities started to appear.

He only hoped that no one would come and disturb their lives.