Chapter 47: Torrential Rain

Her family had let Qin Shen stay—without even asking her opinion.

Now how was she supposed to discreetly take things out of her storage space?

Jiang Si had wanted to stop them, but in the end, she felt too embarrassed to say anything.

Qin Shen noticed the look on her face and shook his head gently.

“It’s okay. I can go back.”

Shen Baoying quickly said frankly:

“Xiao Shen, we haven’t fully grasped the massage technique yet. Is there some core trick or method that can help us memorize it more quickly?”

Jiang Si couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Mom, what exactly is wrong with me?”

Shen Baoying sighed:

“Xiao Shen said you’ve got a very rare condition—sudden cardiac syncope. Only massage stimulation of specific points on the body can relieve the pain.”

“But the technique is complicated and takes a long time. Xiao Shen worked hard and massaged you for over two hours before you finally woke up!”

Jiang Si’s eyes widened.

Sudden cardiac syncope that could only be cured by massage?

That didn’t sound right.

She was sure it wasn’t that kind of condition.

But when she looked at Qin Shen again, his cold face showed no trace of a lie. He looked so calm and composed.

Could it be she really had some strange illness?

But if that were true, why didn’t she have it in her past life?

After thinking it over, Jiang Si felt it probably had to do with the energy stone inside her. And Qin Shen’s massage just happened to be a lucky accident—a blind cat stumbling on a dead mouse.

Maybe she would’ve woken up on her own eventually, even without Qin Shen’s help.

But then again, she couldn’t be sure. Maybe only his specific technique could ease that crushing pain she had felt.

Just imagining how worried her family must have been while she was unconscious—and how uncertain the future seemed—Jiang Si decided to just go along with Shen Baoying’s story.

Might as well learn it. What if it really works?

Qin Shen, despite his cold exterior, was warm-hearted. He immediately asked Shen Baoying to bring him pen and paper. He drew a detailed acupressure point chart, complete with pressure indicators.

Jiang Si looked at the densely labeled, highly precise diagram and felt guilty for doubting Qin Shen earlier.

He hadn’t needed to risk his life to come over—especially not to play games with them.

She glanced out at the heavy rain and the alligator gars still lurking in the water, and finally made up her mind to let him stay for now.

BOOM—

Suddenly, a loud crash came from across the way.

Everyone looked instinctively—and saw the last remaining wall of Qin Shen’s house collapse, washed away by the rain into the floodwaters, turning into a pile of wreckage and broken tiles.

Now, there was no way for him to go back.

Even if the rain stopped, Jiang Si couldn’t just throw him out.

She glanced at Qin Shen, who was looking at the ruins of his home with an unreadable expression, and forced a smile:

“We still have enough food at the moment. Why don’t you stay here for now?”

With things as they were, Qin Shen accepted the offer without protest.

Aside from the concern that their supplies might arouse Qin Shen’s suspicion, everyone was honestly happy to have him stay.

What if their massage attempts didn’t work? With Qin Shen around, he could save Jiang Si immediately if it happened again.

Shen Baoying went to the kitchen to cook for him, and Jiang Si quickly got up under the pretense of helping. Once outside the room, she lowered her voice to ask:

“He didn’t see the lifeboat, did he?”

It was still possible to explain away other supplies—maybe from trading, fishing, or leftovers from before the disaster.

But a lifeboat?

That would be a dead giveaway.

Shen Baoying whispered back:

“He went straight to see you. I closed the door. He definitely didn’t see anything.”

He came straight to see her.

Jiang Si was stunned.

Could Qin Shen actually have feelings for her?

Despite the heavy rain and incredible danger, he came anyway. And he hadn’t asked for anything in return.

That kind of behavior… was suspiciously generous.

But looking at his calm, unbothered face, Jiang Si wasn’t sure anymore.

She wasn’t one to overthink. Since he was here, and now homeless, they had to at least offer proper hospitality.

Jiang Si returned to her room and secretly stored the lifeboat back into her spatial dimension. Shen Baoying then asked:

“Qin Shen’s house collapsed. Shouldn’t we leave now?”

Jiang Si looked at the spot where the rescue team had blasted a path before and said:

“Let’s wait one more day. If it still doesn’t work out, we’ll pretend to discover the lifeboat by accident tonight and leave.”

Shen Baoying nodded, but then paused:

“Then we’ll have to bring Qin Shen too, right?”

Jiang Si was silent for a moment.

“Let’s ask him what he wants. If he wants to go, of course we can’t leave him behind. It’s dangerous out here, and he helped save my life. We’ll bring him along for a while—be discreet—and once we find a place to settle, we can leave him some food and supplies before parting ways.”

Shen Baoying thought that made sense.

“Alright. I’ll talk to your dad and the others. Make sure no one slips up. I’m going to finish cooking now.”

“Okay.”

While Shen Baoying was busy in the kitchen, Jiang Si set up an extra wooden bed in her dad’s room—barely long enough for Qin Shen to lie on.

Qin Shen, not wanting to freeload, pointed to the alligator gars in the water.

“Need me to catch some?”

Jiang Si shook her head:

“No, no, we still have grain at home. Catching those things is too dangerous, and without salt, we can’t even preserve the meat.”

Qin Shen fell quiet, seeming to think about how he could repay their kindness.

Shen Baoying chuckled:

“You’re our family’s life-saver. No need to be polite. Eat, drink, and rest—we might still need your help again later.”

Jiang Chengwu added:

“That’s right, Xiao Shen. I’ve been wanting to ask how you were able to diagnose Si’s condition just from her pulse!”

Jiang Linhai, not wanting Qin Shen to feel awkward, brought the bowls over and said eagerly:

“And that move you taught me last time? I’ve been practicing! Now we finally have time to spar a bit!”

Everyone was so welcoming—it felt like Qin Shen was the future son-in-law.

Qin Shen remained calm and composed, showing no hint of awkwardness, while Jiang Si suddenly felt she might’ve been overthinking everything.

Shen Baoying prepared a lavish meal:

• Sauerkraut with preserved pork
• Sweet and sour dried shrimp
• Pan-fried ribbonfish
• Mushroom dumplings
• Seaweed and tofu soup

All ingredients were shelf-stable—no fresh vegetables—to avoid raising Qin Shen’s suspicions.

She served Qin Shen some dishes enthusiastically. He accepted them silently and politely praised:

“Delicious.”

The atmosphere was warm and cheerful.

Shen Baoying thought of feeding the meat bones to Dahei and Xiaohei (their two dogs), but when she looked down—those two, who usually raced to the table faster than anyone, were hiding in the corner, wide-eyed, cowering in a washbasin.

No matter how she called them, they refused to come.

Jiang Linhai was confused:

“What’s wrong? Are they sick?”

Jiang Si guessed:

“Probably not. Maybe they’re just not used to Qin Shen’s scent yet. Give it a while.”

Qin Shen raised his eyes and glanced at the dogs.

Immediately, Dahei and Xiaohei let out a low whimper, their legs trembling as they cautiously crept forward and sat beside Shen Baoying. They nervously began gnawing on the bones, sneaking glances at Qin Shen every few seconds.

Jiang Si looked at him. He was holding his bowl calmly, face unreadable.

Maybe his aura was just too strong—the kind of person even dogs didn’t dare mess with.

That wouldn’t do. She’d need to train Dahei and Xiaohei properly in the future.

If they cowered too easily… one day, they might just end up as dog stew.