Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Feng Chen, carrying two buckets of water, headed towards the parking lot, and seeing that he had no intention of looking back, Yan Bubu reluctantly picked up his half-filled basin and followed.

"Young master, wait for me."

After placing the water on the bus and securing the door, Feng Chen took Yan Bubu to the street.

Yan Bubu trudged through the rubble, asking, "Young master, where are we going?"

Feng Chen, navigating through protruding steel bars, answered, "To the Feitu Riverbank, where we were last night."

"Last night's place?" Yan Bubu shivered slightly, "But there were lots of fierce crabs there."

Feng Chen looked ahead, "What's there to fear? Wasn't it just bombed by a plane? Let's go check it out."

When they had left the previous night, Chushi and his group were surrounded by crabs, and the fate of Adai and her injured snake was unknown. The West Union Army had just bombed the riverbank, and he wanted to see the aftermath.

Approaching the riverbank, they could see from a distance that besides the fissure from last night, there were several new large craters, each emitting billowing black smoke. The air was filled not only with the smell of gunpowder but also a strong scent of burning.

Yan Bubu followed Feng Chen closely, cautiously approaching the nearest large crater to peer inside.

Inside, the crater was filled with dead crabs, most of them blown to pieces, their claws scattered around, and their shells charred black.

"Wow... they're all dead," Yan Bubu exclaimed.

"I'll look around; you wait here."

"Okay."

Feng Chen paused and added, "If you get scared, just go to the side."

"Alright."

After instructing Yan Bubu, Feng Chen walked to where Angson had died last night, but now, there was no trace of his body. He searched the area and found no sign of Chushi, his subordinates, or Adai.

It seemed they had ultimately escaped and had taken Angson's body with them.

Feng Chen, who hadn’t examined closely last night, now squatted down and used a stick to poke at a charred crab.

What kind of crab was this? He had never seen nor heard of them before.

By appearance, they resembled the common sand crabs of the area, but they were far too large, each the size of a washbasin. Even the largest Solvofa crabs in the Anxi Sea were only half this size.

Pondering without conclusion and considering that the West Union Army might arrive soon, he stood up, intending to call Yan Bubu to leave the area.

However, Yan Bubu was not standing by the large crater, and his figure was nowhere in sight.

Feng Chen’s heart tightened, and he immediately called out, "Yan Bubu!"

"Hey, I'm here," Yan Bubu's voice came from inside the large crater.

Feng Chen hurried over, only to find Yan Bubu leisurely sitting at the bottom of the crater, with a cracked-open crab in front of him.

"Don't eat—"

Before Feng Chen could finish, Yan Bubu had already stuffed something resembling crab roe into his mouth, chewing contentedly with his eyes squinting in delight, "Young master, it's really tasty."

Feng Chen paused, "How much did you eat?"

"Not much," Yan Bubu replied, followed by a burp.

Feng Chen watched him silently, relieved to see he was fine. He then picked up a whole cooked crab from the crater and, along with Yan Bubu, headed back.

Though there were many crabs on the beach, they couldn't be preserved for long. Plus, just one of these crabs would suffice for him and Yan Bubu for two or three days.

As they left, more people began to arrive, drawn by curiosity. If they acted quickly enough, they might manage to take some crabs before the West Union Army arrived.

Returning to the parking lot, Feng Chen placed the crab in a basin of cold water. Yan Bubu squatted beside the basin, watching the crab, while Feng Chen searched other cars and found a set of outdoor equipment in the trunk of an SUV.

This included a gasoline stove, two pots, various seasonings, and some dishes and utensils.

As the sun set and the sky was painted with an orange hue, the interior of the bus was bathed in the warm light. Feng Chen ate the crab meat leisurely, with the evening breeze blowing through the open window, lifting his hair to reveal his handsome forehead.

Yan Bubu sat opposite him, eating seriously with his mouth smeared with crab roe, his legs dangling outside the seat, swinging happily.

Outside the bus, the gasoline stove boiled water in a pot, steaming. Feng Chen planned to boil the water for ten minutes, let it cool, then store it in empty bottles for drinking.

Every few minutes, helicopters flew overhead. The city smoked in places, and the sound of alarms was constant. Inside their bus, however, the turmoil of the outside world seemed distant. In their small haven, they enjoyed a moment of brief peace.

"Want more?" Feng Chen asked, noticing Yan Bubu's empty plate.

Yan Bubu burped, shaking his head, "I'm full."

They had eaten twice that day, once at noon and once in the evening, and yet they hadn't even finished a third of the crab. Feng Chen continued eating, while Yan Bubu, now with nothing to do, began mimicking how Mrs. Feng used to speak.

"Yan Bubu, come here, I just made little cakes, strawberry-flavored. Come and try."

Yan Bubu pretended to hold a plate with his left hand, beckoning with his right, his lips curled into a smile, mimicking Mrs. Feng's usual tone and expression.

Feng Chen glanced at him, a smile curling his lips, encouraging Yan Bubu, who then enthusiastically started imitating Feng Zai Ping.

He stood with his hands behind his back, bending slightly forward, his tone gentle, "Yan Bubu, did you get hit today? Didn't hear you crying. Did you try what Uncle Feng suggested, padding your bottom with a cloth before getting hit?"

Watching Yan Bubu imitate his father Feng Zai Ping so accurately, Feng Chen felt amused but also a sense of faint loss.

Feng Zai Ping was gentle with Yan Bubu and other children, but exceptionally strict with his only son. Feng Chen had to train hard to excel and earn a word of praise, to see a faint smile on his father's stern face.

No one knew that he had once hidden behind the curtains, enviously watching his father play with Yan Bubu, laughing heartily at the boy's childish words. Nor did they know that his resistance towards Yan Bubu might be tinged with unacknowledged jealousy.

He thought maybe he was not yet excellent enough.

Yan Bubu, oblivious to Feng Chen's mood, had finished imitating the servant Chen Bo and began to mimic Feng Chen himself.

"Yan Bubu! Have you just rolled around in the dirt? Stand back, don't touch my clothes."

Yan Bubu, pushing forward a finger, held his chin high with a proud air, his expression cold, corners of his mouth downturned, his eyes full of disdain.

"Cough, cough." Feng Chen choked on a piece of crab, hurriedly grabbing the water bottle to drink.

Yan Bubu continued, frowning, his face full of impatience, "Stay away from me, don't follow me—"

"Enough, Yan Bubu," Feng Chen interrupted him, his brow furrowing, but then he noticed his expression mirrored the one Yan Bubu was imitating, so he relaxed his face, "Go get some water to clean your face, it's too dirty."

Yan Bubu, looking at his reflection in the bus window, laughed, "Really dirty indeed, like I just ate mud."

Yan Bubu stepped off the bus to clean his face, while Feng Chen looked at the remaining crab roe and meat on his plate and suddenly lost his appetite.

After the sun set, Feng Chen fetched two more buckets of water and heated them on the gasoline stove for Yan Bubu to take a bath.

Although there was no one else in the parking lot, Feng Chen still carried the water behind the bus for privacy, mixing hot water in the basin while instructing Yan Bubu, "Once you've used the water in the basin, use the water from the buckets, I've placed them all here for you."

"Okay," Yan Bubu nodded obediently.

Feng Chen placed the hand soap found in another car on a rock, "You can use this for bathing, and wash your hair too."

Yan Bubu continued nodding, "Got it."

Feng Chen brought over a flat stone slab, rinsed it with water, "There are no slippers, so stand on this stone slab when you bathe, and put on your shoes afterward."

"Okay."

With everything instructed, Feng Chen started to walk away. After a few steps, he turned back to see Yan Bubu still standing motionless and asked, "Can you bathe by yourself?"

Just as Yan Bubu opened his mouth to respond, Feng Chen cut in, "If you can’t, learn to do it yourself. Don't expect others to help you."

Yan Bubu closed his mouth and just nodded.

Feng Chen went to the other side of the bus, tinkering with the items he had found during the day. He took out a multi-tool kit from his backpack and started working on a modification.

He aimed to make a gasoline lamp, as there was plenty of gasoline available in the parking lot. All he needed was to modify the small metal box he had at hand.

Feng Chen was highly focused while working, gripping the edge of the metal box with pliers and slowly twisting it into the shape he wanted. His hands moved ceaselessly, accompanied by the sound of running water nearby, indicating Yan Bubu was bathing...

Wait a minute!

Why does the sound of water seem so close?

Feng Chen turned around to see Yan Bubu standing right behind him, stark naked, with a basin of water beside him, his body covered in suds as he scrubbed his stomach.

"Why have you come here to bathe?" Feng Chen asked in astonishment, "Didn’t I tell you to bathe behind the bus?"

Yan Bubu wiped the foam covering his eyes, "Um, there’s no one behind the bus."

"That's exactly why I told you to bathe there, to avoid people."

Yan Bubu hummed softly, "Young master, let me stay here. It's almost dark, and I don’t want to be there alone."

His face was completely covered in foam, only his round, pleading eyes visible.

Feng Chen took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and then said, "Fine, I'll accompany you to bathe behind the bus."

He picked up Yan Bubu’s basin, and Yan Bubu happily followed, his bare feet patting on the ground.

"Stand on the stone slab," Feng Chen ordered. "Clean the dirt off your feet too."

Yan Bubu obediently washed his feet and continued bathing. Feng Chen was about to retrieve the metal box and tools to continue his work, but as soon as he took a step, Yan Bubu called out anxiously from behind, "Young master."

"Keep bathing, I’ll be right back," Feng Chen said firmly.

This time, he went onto the bus, draped a fleece blanket over his shoulder, and picked up the tools and metal box. He then walked in front of Yan Bubu, turned his back to him, and leaned against a nearby car, continuing to work on the gasoline lamp.

"Young master, what are you making?" Yan Bubu asked curiously while rubbing his hair.

Feng Chen responded noncommittally with a hum.

Unfazed, Yan Bubu continued, "There are so many bubbles."

"Mhm."

"Wow, I can’t even find my fingers now."

Feng Chen secured a wire and gently blew on it, "Mhm."

Yan Bubu, sensing his perfunctory response, mischievously said, "Yan Bubu is so amazing, the young master really likes him."

This time, Feng Chen remained silent.

"Young master, why aren't you responding?"

Feng Chen: "Mhm."

"Why are the clouds in the sky red?"

"Mhm."

Yan Bubu, not giving up and adding his own spin, said, "Yan Bubu is truly incredible and even knows magic spells. The young master will definitely not abandon him and will always keep him by his side."

Feng Chen fell silent again.