Chapter 115 No, I Can’t Take These

Chapter 115 No, I Can't Take These

"Woof, woof!"

Eggplant’s paws continued to press on Meng Ci's waist, but the smell of meat in the air was too tempting.

Its head kept turning towards Shen Que, and its pressing motions were intermittent.

Shen Que had no choice but to say, "Press well, and I'll cook some bones for you to eat."

Hearing this, Eggplant let out two woofs and turned its attention back to pressing.

Shen Que then took a clay pot, placed it on the stove, put the bones inside, added some green onions, ginger, and cooking wine, filled it with water, and let it simmer.

Shen Que continued preparing other dishes, already planning which ones to make.

Sweet and sour eggplant, scallion oil chicken, salted pepper chicken wings, carp tofu soup, pickled cabbage spare ribs, and corn tender rabbit.

Six dishes, just right for two people.

Meng Ci had actually woken up when Shen Que started making sweet and sour eggplant, but he simply turned over and continued playing match-three games.

Seeing that it couldn’t press Meng Ci’s waist anymore, Eggplant squatted next to its head, eyeing the chicken leg.

Meng Ci wasn’t one to break promises, especially since he still needed Eggplant to press his waist in the future!

So, Meng Ci quietly pulled out a chicken leg from his storage space.

Eggplant had learned how to open packaging bags and, upon seeing Meng Ci holding the chicken leg, its eyes sparkled as it snatched it away and squatted to the side to unwrap it.

"You act like you've been reincarnated as a starving ghost; it makes me wonder if I’ve been mistreating you," Meng Ci commented.

Eggplant’s meal was equivalent to what Meng Ci and Shen Que would eat in a day.

To celebrate the New Year, the table was laden with abundant dishes for Meng Ci and Shen Que.

Even if there were leftovers, Eggplant would take care of them.

Looking at Eggplant’s size, Meng Ci suggested, "Shen Que, why don’t we bring Eggplant along next time we go chopping wood?"

"Otherwise, we’d be wasting its size."

Shen Que nodded, "Sure."

Moreover, after Shen Que’s training, Eggplant could easily knock down an adult, though it still needed to work on its bite strength.

Thus, their easygoing life of eating and sleeping all day came to an end for Eggplant.

But Eggplant, being the silly thing it was, was still struggling with the chicken leg’s plastic bag, completely unaware that its good life was about to disappear.

After the meal was ready, Meng Ci picked a comedy movie, and they watched while eating.

Bang, bang, bang.

Suddenly, they heard knocking at the door. Meng Ci and Shen Que quickly went out and saw Zhang Mingtian standing outside, carrying something.

He must have come to wish them a happy New Year.

Opening the door, Zhang Mingtian cheerfully said, "Happy New Year, brothers!"

"Happy New Year!" Meng Ci replied.

Zhang Mingtian handed the bag to Meng Ci and said with a smile, "Thank you both for lending me the rubber boat; it saved my life."

"This is a small token of appreciation."

"I hope you won’t mind."

Meng Ci didn’t refuse and accepted the gift, "Thank you."

"You’ve helped us a lot before, so there’s no need to be so formal."

After all, it was Zhang Mingtian who brought the fertile soil that enriched Meng Ci’s storage space.

Being grown men, they couldn’t express much more intimacy. After exchanging a few words about the situation outside, Zhang Mingtian prepared to leave.

Meng Ci said, "Wait a moment."

"I also prepared a New Year’s gift for you. Wait here, I’ll get it for you."

Zhang Mingtian hurriedly refused, "No need, brother."

"Just keep it for yourselves. I don’t need anything."

Zhang Mingtian had joined the security team and worked long hours every day.

Though it was tiring, the government-provided food, combined with the vegetables he grew, was enough for three people if they were frugal.

As for leaving his pregnant wife and sixty-year-old mother at home, Zhang Mingtian had no choice.

If he didn’t go out, the whole family would starve.

So, he found some iron rods and reinforced the door, ensuring it could only be opened from the inside when he left, only opening when he returned and called out.

Meng Ci said, "Exchanging New Year greetings is about expressing good wishes to each other."

"Are you unwilling to accept my good wishes?"

Meng Ci's words were too severe, scaring Zhang Mingtian into not daring to refuse any further.

"Just wait here for a moment; I'll be right back." After saying this, Meng Ci entered the house.

Left alone with Shen Que, Zhang Mingtian and Shen Que stared at each other, wide-eyed.

Zhang Mingtian considered himself a fairly talkative person, but seeing Shen Que's stern face, he didn't dare say much.

Fortunately, Meng Ci was quick.

Seeing Meng Ci's figure, Zhang Mingtian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The items were the same as those given to Yun Jingcen.

Two dried fish, a five-pound block of frozen meat, five sausages, and a bag of sugar.

Upon seeing the items, Zhang Mingtian hurriedly pushed them back into Meng Ci's hands and took two steps back.

"Brother, I can't accept these. Please take them back." Zhang Mingtian's words echoed what Yun Jingcen had said.

Meng Ci walked out, pulling Zhang Mingtian and placing the items back in his hands.

"Just take them. Besides, your wife is pregnant and needs nutrition."

Hearing Meng Ci mention his wife's pregnancy, Zhang Mingtian paused in pushing the items back.

"These fish were caught during the storm by Shen Que and me. We processed and stored them."

"The other three items were taken from a bandit hideout we dismantled earlier."

"Because we don't know when the storm will end, we've been conserving food."

"Now our supplies are running low. If you really want to thank us, help bring back more vegetable seedlings and seeds."

"Those are far more useful than these."

Once the fish are consumed, they're gone, but seeds are different.

Some people save seeds from vegetables to plant when they grow old.

Peppers, cucumbers, green beans—these can all be saved for seeds.

Moreover, the cold-resistant seeds distributed by the government mostly mature within a month, so these vegetables are now common at trading points.

Hearing this, Zhang Mingtian agreed and quickly assured, "Don't worry, Brother. Getting you the seeds is on me."

After sending Zhang Mingtian off, Meng Ci and Shen Que returned to continue playing the game.

"Shen Que, how did you build such a beautiful house?" Meng Ci maneuvered his character to fly next to Shen Que, circling around his house.

White quartz blocks, stone brick walls, birch fences, end rods...

These simple materials created a two-story villa with a pool that far surpassed Meng Ci's self-proclaimed unique mushroom house.

Shen Que, diligently working, explained upon hearing this: "I just threw it together."

Just threw it together? If throwing it together results in something this good, what would happen if he put real effort into it?

No way, he couldn't let Shen Que keep building like this.