Chapter 74: As Long As He Comes Back, It Doesn’t Matter What He Gets

Early the next morning, Pang Zhenggong got up before dawn, ready to set out and discuss splitting up with the rest of his squad.

Ah Hong got up too, packing a few bags of instant noodles and a bottle of water for him.

After seeing Pang Zhenggong off, she waited for Pang Ziyuan to wake up, then helped him over to the Shi family’s place.

Pang Ziyuan could just barely stand now, his legs as thin as reeds, but he could walk a few steps on his own.

Though he moved slowly, with enough food and water, his body was gradually recovering.

As soon as they entered the Shi family’s courtyard, Shi Yaoyao came running over excitedly.

“We’re going to fix the big water tank at the public restroom! Auntie said that once it’s done, we’ll be able to take showers there.”

Both Pang Ziyuan and Ah Hong knew the Shi family had cleared a path up the slope.

At the top of that slope was a public restroom.

Ah Hong had even carried Pang Ziyuan up there before so he could use it.

But there wasn’t much to see—just rocks everywhere, on both sides of the path.

Every day lately, Ah Hong had been getting two bottles of water from Shi Yaoyao.

She’d saved up quite a bit this way.

Now, she could even spare a little water to wet a towel and wash her and Pang Ziyuan’s faces.

Being able to wash her face every morning made Ah Hong feel refreshed all day.

As for taking a shower, she didn’t even dare think about it.

So when she heard Shi Yaoyao mention it, she froze on the spot.

It wasn’t until Shi Yuebai, scowling, wheeled herself into a shady spot that Ah Hong finally asked, “Yuebai, can we take showers too?”

“If you finish building the water tank, you can. If not, you’ll stink for the rest of your life,” Shi Yuebai replied flatly, her tone harsh. She hated the sun on this wasteland more than anything.

Another day without losing any weight—so annoying.

Getting Shi Yuebai’s confirmation, Ah Hong was over the moon. She wanted to rush over and hug her, maybe even give her a kiss.

“That’s great, Yuebai, you’re such a good person!”

Shi Yuebai leaned away, face full of disdain, clearly wanting nothing to do with Ah Hong.

But her cold attitude did nothing to dampen Ah Hong’s excitement.

Ah Hong quickly turned and helped Pang Ziyuan up the slope to the public restroom.

In front of the restroom was a very flat area, though many of the stone tiles were cracked.

But that didn’t matter—as long as it was cleaned up, it would be fine.

Guai Guai was already sitting cross-legged on the broken tiles.

He’d figured out the restroom’s piping and found the main valve.

He planned to build the water tank behind the restroom.

“The solar panels on the restroom roof still work,” Guai Guai muttered, spreading out a blueprint covered in complicated wiring diagrams that made Ah Hong’s head spin.

She only knew how to stack bricks and build walls—the rest was beyond her.

But Guai Guai didn’t expect her to understand. Once he’d made his plans, he grabbed his tools and went to fiddle with the electrical box by the restroom.

Following his blueprint, Ah Hong started building the water tank behind the restroom.

They didn’t have a ready-made tank that big.

So Shi Yuebai told Ah Hong to build one out of bricks, stones, and cement.

Really, it was more like a reservoir than a water tank.

After a while, Shi Yuebai wheeled herself up the slope, with Shi Yaoyao holding an umbrella for her.

She sat on the flat ground in front of the restroom, gazing into the distance, then suddenly said to Nong Yasi, Second Sister-in-law Shi, and Mother Shi, who had just arrived:

“Is that the visitor center up ahead?”

Everyone followed her gaze to the back of the restroom.

Sure enough, they saw a half-collapsed building, only part of the roof still visible.

The huge “Visitor Center” sign was half-buried in the rubble.

But more importantly, most of the bricks in the collapsed ruins were still intact.

A massive pile of bricks lay exposed before them.

There were also a dozen or so sightseeing carts, all electric.

Some had been smashed to pieces by the collapse, others were just dented and crooked.

Shi Yuebai waved her hand, directing the Shi family and Pang Ziyuan, “Pick up all those bricks and use them to expand the water tank—make it twice as big.”

The trench in front of the Shi family’s house was being dug deeper and wider.

With all these bricks, Pang Ziyuan wouldn’t have to spend so much effort shaping stones into brick-sized pieces.

Shi Yuebai had him focus on making long, narrow, triangular stones.

She had him embed these triangles evenly along the bottom of the five-meter-deep trench, fixing them in place with cement.

If anyone fell in, they’d be skewered like a hedgehog.

Everyone got busy, full of energy.

While her meridians were almost healed, Shi Yuebai also expanded the fog array around the restroom.

It spread outward.

Anyone inside the array would find that mountains weren’t mountains, and water wasn’t water.

Unless you got very close, all you’d see was rocks.

Before she knew it, Ah Hong had worked from morning to noon.

At lunchtime, sitting cross-legged in the Shi family’s courtyard eating boiled potatoes from a disposable bowl, Ah Hong smiled and said,

“Once Zhenggong splits from the team, he’ll finally be free.”

“Tomorrow, we can have him dig around the visitor center out back—there’s bound to be good stuff there.”

Following the team meant you never had full freedom.

Especially since everyone in the squad had joined other groups—they had to dig wherever those team leaders said.

The area and depth of excavation were all decided by someone else.

Pang Zhenggong was an outsider.

He often came back saying it was a shame they couldn’t dig deeper in certain places—he was sure there was something down there.

Other places, he felt, weren’t worth the effort.

But it wasn’t up to him.

The squad followed the other teams.

Pang Zhenggong’s opinion didn’t matter.

Nong Yasi and Second Sister-in-law Shi looked full of anticipation.

Everyone chatted excitedly about the new life awaiting the Pang family.

But by dinnertime, Pang Zhenggong still hadn’t returned.

Ah Hong’s smile faded a little, but she kept talking,

“Team matters are complicated—it might not be easy to reach an agreement.”

“Oh well, it’s not like we have to get that snake-eye detector. Even a regular entrenching tool would be nice.”

Shi Yuebai had been silent all this time.

Nong Yasi and Second Sister-in-law Shi nodded along, “Yeah, yeah, that’s good too.”

Finally, Shi Yuebai muttered darkly,

“As long as he comes back, it doesn’t matter what he gets.”

The courtyard fell deathly silent.

Guai Guai, oblivious to the mood, stuffed more potatoes into his mouth and added,

“Hard to say.”

Whether he’d come back or not—hard to say.

Everyone tacitly pretended not to notice how Ah Hong’s face had suddenly gone pale.

No one paid me any attention. No one at all."