Chapter 38: Extreme Heat, White Tiger

Dabai paused, its mysterious, pitch-black eyes fixed on Jiang Si, making her feel a chill down her spine.

Is it… still mad?

Instinctively, Jiang Si tried to soothe it. She hugged its neck and rubbed against it gently.

“Just kidding, don’t take it seriously!”

But as she leaned in closer, Dabai turned its face away coldly—clearly uninterested and even a bit disgusted.

Jiang Si suddenly thought of Qin Shen—this aloof attitude reminded her so much of him.

It was just too hot.

Normally, Jiang Si slept pretty well, but now she twisted and turned, flipping into all sorts of positions like a restless snail, trying to escape the scorching heat of the furry furnace beside her. But each time she rolled away, she would somehow get pulled back into its warm, soft embrace.

Soon, she was drenched in sweat. Half-asleep, she instinctively stripped off her shirt and pants, trying to cool down.

The fluffy blanket beneath her soaked up the moisture, making her feel slightly more comfortable.

Dabai looked at her upside-down sleeping position and sniffed the scent that lingered on her skin. Its brow furrowed deeply.

The night was quiet. The blood-red hue of the sky gradually faded, revealing a round moon like white jade.

Suddenly, Dabai stood up, shook Jiang Si off its body, and turned to leave. But after a pause, it circled back, picked up her discarded outer shirt, and gently draped it over her.

Mid-sleep, Jiang Si felt a sudden chill—her skin exposed to the air—and startled awake.

Where’s the tiger?

She quickly dressed, grabbed her mushroom umbrella, and headed to the rooftop to look around—but Dabai was nowhere to be found.

It all felt like a strange dream.

But when she looked at the crack in the wall where a bullet was still lodged, she knew—

It wasn’t a dream.

So… would Dabai come back?

Maybe it had just gone hunting.

Jiang Si turned to go back inside when she suddenly saw Qin Shen walking slowly out of the forest, holding a giant mushroom. The harsh sunlight cast a soft glow over him, creating a stark contrast against the bleak world around them—like a serene filter over an apocalyptic backdrop.

Jiang Si waved and called out,

“Qin Shen! Did you see a big white tiger anywhere?”

Qin Shen paused, then shook his head.

“No.”

Jiang Si’s eyes dimmed slightly, but she added:

“If you do see it, and it doesn’t attack you, please don’t kill it. It’s intelligent—it understands speech.”

Qin Shen looked a bit strange but nodded.

“Okay.”

Then Jiang Si asked,

“You went into the forest again?”

Qin Shen raised the basket in his other hand.

“Picked some things. Want to trade?”

From a distance, Jiang Si couldn’t see clearly—and pulling out her binoculars would’ve been too obvious.

So she shouted,

“What did you get?”

Qin Shen walked up to their courtyard wall, and Jiang Si finally saw it—he had found some cactus fruits.

Her storage space wasn’t static—fresh goods in the fridge had already been mostly consumed. The strawberries and tomatoes she planted hadn’t ripened yet. So to have cactus fruit now… was a luxury.

Jiang Si’s eyes lit up.

“What do you want in exchange?”

Qin Shen hesitated.

“Any instant noodles?”

Instant noodles? That was easy!

Jiang Si agreed without hesitation.

“We’ve got two buckets of it left—give me some cactus fruit, and I’ll come down right now.”

“Okay.”

As Jiang Si went to meet Qin Shen with the noodles, her whole family gave her teasing, knowing looks.

She laughed and said,

“What are you guys thinking? It’s just a trade.”

Jiang Linhai elongated his voice,

“Ooooh~~”

As soon as Jiang Si left, he immediately climbed to the third floor to spy from above.

Though it was only two cups of pickled veggie noodles, Qin Shen gave her the entire basket of cactus fruits.

Jiang Si tried to refuse.

“That’s too much. Just a few would be fine.”

Entering the forest was dangerous—these fruits couldn’t have been easy to find.

Qin Shen shook his head.

“It’s fine. There’s more where that came from.”
Without waiting for a reply, he left the basket on the ground, took the noodles, and walked away.

Jiang Si brought the basket back inside, and everyone gathered around.

“Cactus fruit! Whoa, they’re huge!”

“He gave you this much, and you only gave him two cups of noodles?”

Jiang Si rolled her eyes.

“Giving too much would be suspicious. We’re not that close yet.”

“Still, he gave a lot. We can make jam and share some with him.”

There were only two nearby households now—Qin Shen and the Lu family. They weren’t threats and could be treated as neighbors.

Everyone agreed,

“Sounds good.”

Shen Baoying looked nervously toward the attic.

“Where’s the tiger?”

Jiang Si sighed.

“Gone.”

Knowing Dabai—so powerful—had left, everyone actually felt a bit disappointed.

Just then, Dahei barked.

It was Lu Zhifeng and Niuniu.

Seeing the family safe, Lu Zhifeng breathed a sigh of relief.

“I heard some terrible noises last night, came to check on you.”

Jiang Si replied,

“It’s taken care of. The hunting rifle matches the type used by Zhang Xianchao’s gang. You guys okay last night?”

Lu Zhifeng shook his head.

“We stayed alert all night. I took down the ladder, so they didn’t dare approach.”

“Good. Stay cautious.”

Jiang Si also mentioned Dabai to them, and when they left, she gave Niuniu a few cactus fruits.

Several days passed.

Dabai never returned.

At night, Jiang Si stood on the rooftop watching Qin Shen fix windows and doors.

“You’ve been cutting wood in the forest?”

Qin Shen nodded.

“Did you see Dabai?”

He looked a little awkward.

“No.”

Jiang Si sighed.

“It really was a beautiful tiger… would’ve been the perfect mount.”

“Mm.”

Qin Shen always sounded so nonchalant—but somehow, Jiang Si liked talking to him.

With the mushroom umbrellas shielding them from solar radiation, the apocalyptic conditions seemed to ease a bit.

Still, Jiang Si never let her guard down. Each day, she spent a few hours teaching the family survival skills—climbing, fire-starting, diving, and more.

The rest of the time, Grandma used burlap sacks to grow sweet potatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, peas, cucumbers…

Grandpa devoted himself to studying medicine. Jiang Si would use the space’s copy machine to print out relevant materials. She didn’t understand much herself, but Grandpa occasionally asked Qin Shen for advice.

Her dad focused on physical training and combat practice. Every time he learned a new move, he’d spar with Qin Shen.

Bit by bit, Qin Shen became a regular presence in their lives.

Jiang Si even “borrowed” some chemistry equipment from a house in the village and asked Qin Shen to help develop mushroom-based sunscreen.

Life was peaceful.

But that peace didn’t last long.

One night, Jiang Si was doing her usual rooftop patrol when she suddenly spotted a long line of torches in the distance—bright and orderly, moving steadily forward.

She immediately alerted the family—and called out to Qin Shen too.

Jiang Linhai asked anxiously,

“Should we run?”

Jiang Si nodded.

“Looks like they’re coming for us. There’s too many of them. Better to escape now.”

“Got it.”

The family geared up quickly, grabbed Dahei and Xiaohei, and began retreating into the forest.

Just as they stepped outside, they ran into Qin Shen. Before Jiang Si could speak, his face turned cold and sharp as he said:

“They’re here.”