[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!