Chapter 116: Chapter 115: Don’t Sprain Your Back
Shen Baoying grinned from ear to ear. "Sometimes a little nudge makes things even sweeter. If you want to give it a try, then give him a proper try!"
Jiang Linhai also took Qin Shen’s side. "Exactly. If you really don’t feel a spark, then just tell him clearly. Don’t drag it out. Matters of the heart should be handled cleanly and decisively!"
"But, if he bullies you, you absolutely can’t just put up with it. Tell Mom and Dad everything. No matter how good or how powerful he is, Dad will risk his life to get even for you!"
Jiang Si’s heart ached and swelled. Jiang Linhai had done the exact same thing in her past life, protecting her until his very last breath.
"Mm, I know. If he dares to bully me, I’ll definitely tell you, Dad, so you can beat him up!"
Jiang Linhai was satisfied. Shen Baoying gave him a look, and he left the room. Shen Baoying fidgeted for a good while, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn’t get the words out. Jiang Si furrowed her brow. "What’s wrong?"
Shen Baoying’s face flushed red. She took a deep breath and finally said, "Sisi, some things happen naturally when the time is right. But our situation isn’t stable right now. You two must be ’safe’, you know?"
In an instant, Jiang Si blushed from head to toe.
She had never even considered such things in her past life, but in this one, her mother was already worrying about it for her.
Seeing Jiang Si’s expression, Shen Baoying knew she was inexperienced.
Now that she had broken the ice, the words came more easily.
Shen Baoying asked cautiously, "That... stuff... do you have a supply?"
Jiang Si had never given it a thought, so how could she possibly have a supply? Shen Baoying had gotten a contraceptive implant long ago, and Jiang Si herself had even less reason to think about adult products.
Jiang Si shook her head. Shen Baoying then secretively pulled a box of condoms from her pocket, placed it in Jiang Si’s palm, and said earnestly, "There’s no need to be embarrassed about this. Otherwise, you’ll be the one to suffer. Mom collected these on the yacht—several large crates of them. They shouldn’t be expired, but they have been frozen, so check and see if the quality is still okay."
Jiang Si: ...
After saying her piece, Shen Baoying left without lingering, leaving Jiang Si holding the condoms and contemplating her life.
’My mom really thinks of everything...’
Jiang Si tossed the hot-potato condoms into her space and stared at the wall. ’Qin Shen must have heard that.’
’This is... so awkward...’
Jiang Si came out of her room. Coincidentally, Qin Shen also came out of his.
He walked toward her, his purpose clear. "For you."
Jiang Si reached out and took it. It was a novel bound in trimmed printing paper—a Chinese translation of an English novel, handwritten by Qin Shen himself.
The cover was carefully wrapped in kraft paper, making it look beautiful and exquisite. It was clear how much thought Qin Shen had put into it.
Jiang Si was both surprised and delighted. She had only glanced at it in the library last time, but Qin Shen had remembered.
Qin Shen said, "If there are others you like, you can tell me." He paused, then added, "Or, I can read them to you."
Jiang Si was beautiful, young, and vibrant. At the Extreme Club, she could have met many elite individuals, but no one who pursued her had ever gone to such genuine, painstaking effort.
Jiang Si’s lips curved into a smile. "Thank you."
"Mm."
The conversation stalled there. Qin Shen didn’t seem to know what to say next.
Luckily, Niu Niu came to get them just in time. "Big Sister, Big Brother, Uncle said now is the warmest part of the day. Should we go down and build the igloo?"
Jiang Si nodded. "Okay. Everyone, let’s get ready. Bundle up and grab the tools."
Niu Niu asked, "Should we bring Little Black and Big Black?"
"They look like they really want to go!"
Jiang Si said, "Mm, let’s bring them. It’s time they got used to the survival environment."
"Yay! I’ll go put on their clothes, shoes, and goggles."
Qin Shen usually wore very little. Jiang Si thought for a moment, then said to him, "You should bundle up too. Be careful not to catch a cold or get frostbite."
’Tigers are resistant to the cold, but they can still get sick.’
Qin Shen gave her a few surprised glances. "Mm."
Jiang Si hurried back to her room, closed the door, and smiled, placing the treasured book on her bedside table.
Everyone got dressed quickly. The men loaded the igloo-building tools onto the snowcat and took them to the shore. First, they cleared a path through the snow for everyone to use.
They had already decided on a suitable location for the igloo.
Directly north of the Icebreaker was a good spot. The view was open on all four sides, so any danger would be immediately visible. The forest wasn’t far from the construction site either, which would make it convenient to transport and collect firewood.
The snowcat continuously compacted the fallen snow, pressing it down to create a base about half the size of a basketball court.
Everyone got busy again, cutting blocks of snow from the snowdrifts.
With their previous experience on deck, everyone’s teamwork was quite smooth and efficient.
It was just that they were dressed so thickly, they looked like rolling cabbages when they moved.
Even Big Black and Little Black bounced when they walked.
There were eight of them in total, so they built an igloo with a diameter of eight meters.
When they all went inside, it felt quite spacious.
But the temperature inside was still low. First, the entrance wasn’t sealed. Second, the stove hadn’t been lit. And third, the inside of the igloo hadn’t been lined with animal hides for warmth.
They had more than ten crates filled with just the highest-quality mink furs from the yacht.
Jiang Si had also stockpiled some in her space before, specifically to prepare for the extreme cold of the apocalypse.
They hung sheepskins from the igloo’s ceiling, layered the ice sofa with several fox furs, and used a few yak hides for the door flap.
The entrance was covered layer by layer, the wood-burning stove was lit, and just as Jiang Si had said, the igloo became wonderfully warm.
Looking at the stove, Shen Baoying suggested, "How about some barbecue?"
Everyone unanimously agreed.
They weren’t worried about filling the igloo with greasy smoke. After all, this was just a temporary outpost; their main living quarters were still on the Icebreaker.
With everyone in agreement on barbecue, Jiang Linhai and Shen Baoying went to get spices and ingredients. Lu Zhifeng said, "I wonder if there are any living animals around here. I’ll go set a few traps and see."
Jiang Chengwu said, "I’ll go with you."
Jiang Chengwu had been hunting since before Lu Zhifeng was even born; he was very familiar with setting traps.
"Okay."
Zhang Qingfang said, "You two be careful, now."
Qin Shen said, "It’s still too early for the barbecue. I’ll go chop some firewood."
Jiang Si stood up. "I’ll go with you."
Niu Niu wanted to follow and help, but Zhang Qingfang stopped her, smiling mysteriously. "Child, we have our own work to do. In a bit, when your Aunt Shen and Uncle Shen get back, they’ll need our help skewering the meat and watching the fire."
"Okay! I’ll skewer the meat and watch the fire."
Arriving at the patch of forest crushed by snow, Jiang Si had originally planned to use a shovel to clear the snow off a tree, then chop it into sections to drag back.
After spotting a target, Qin Shen went up, wrapped his arms around the tree, and gave it a powerful shake. The snow on the branches rained down, covering him in an instant.
Jiang Si rushed forward to help. "Be careful you don’t throw out your back!"
