Chapter 129 - 127 Hot Water Bag

Words : 1170 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Inside the small shelter, Chen Xin was in the midst of removing ice when he suddenly heard someone calling his name. He pressed against the slit where he had knocked off the accumulated ice to observe outside, and saw the door of his own refuge wide open with Qin Lan kneeling in the snow. Chen Xin was a bit puzzled but still directed his flashlight towards Qin Lan. "Why are you shouting? Running out like this early in the morning without wearing protective gear, are you trying to freeze to death? Get inside and close the door!" Chen Xin angrily shouted at Qin Lan. It had just snowed a bit this morning, and the temperature was very low. Qin Lan, running out without any protective equipment, could become numb from the -30°C cold in just a short while. A bit longer and she could get frostbite or even freeze to death. Seeing Qin Lan kneeling in the snow like that, it was no wonder Chen Xin was angry. Hearing Chen Xin’s voice, Qin Lan quickly turned back, but the flashlight’s glare temporarily blinded her. She could only shield her eyes with one hand, squinting up as she shouted, "A-Xin? How did you get up there? What are you doing?" "I’m removing ice, hurry and get inside!" Chen Xin yelled even more irritably, his voice muffled through the face shield as he shouted at Qin Lan. Being yelled at by Chen Xin, Qin Lan finally realized she was freezing all over. She stiffly got up from the snow, entered the refuge, and closed the door. With the last bit of ice knocked off, Chen Xin carried his hammer back through the passage to the refuge. Seeing Qin Lan, arms shaking in the prep room, he removed his protective face mask and shouted angrily at her, "Early in the morning you lose your mind and run out like that? Weren’t you afraid of freezing to death?" "I... I didn’t see you when I got up just now, I thought you... you went out..." Qin Lan lowered her head, feeling very aggrieved. But seeing Chen Xin still looking angry, she rushed over and hugged him tightly: "I thought you were mad at me, that you ran out and weren’t going to talk to me..." As she spoke, tears began to fall from Qin Lan’s eyes. Seeing Qin Lan hugging him and crying, Chen Xin’s initial anger disappeared. He gently patted her back twice without saying anything further. "Where did you go?" After crying in Chen Xin’s arms for a while, Qin Lan quickly collected herself. Yet, her tear-streaked face was vastly different from her usual competent and strong policewoman demeanor, making her seem a bit vulnerable. "I went to remove ice from the vent. With the weather so cold, ice accumulates at the refuge’s vent every day. If it’s not cleared, it will get blocked," Chen Xin explained to Qin Lan, showing her the hammer in his hand. Seeing the hammer, Qin Lan finally believed he had gone to remove ice, but she still puzzledly asked, "Then where did you go out from? Why didn’t I see you when I searched inside just now?" To this question, Chen Xin merely shrugged helplessly, leading Qin Lan into the corridor and pointing to a passage on the wall. "There’s actually a door here?" Qin Lan stared in surprise at the passageway, not having noticed there was a door there. "There’s a communication antenna and vent above. I made a shelter with reinforced concrete. Due to the weather and the high humidity of the air expelled by the vent, it easily freezes and requires regular de-icing," Chen Xin explained before closing the door on the corridor wall again. After Chen Xin closed the door, Qin Lan observed carefully and found the door to be quite inconspicuous. Though it wasn’t deliberately hidden, the corridor lighting was poor, and the door’s position was in the darkest spot between two lamps, making it easily overlooked. This minor misunderstanding left both Qin Lan and Chen Xin feeling a bit embarrassed. "Go inside and warm up first. I’ll take off the protective suit." Chen Xin touched Qin Lan’s hand, finding her fingers ice-cold, so he prompted her to return to the refuge: "Boil some hot water too; you might catch a cold in this cold wind." At this moment, without saying much more, Qin Lan obediently nodded and returned to the refuge. Chen Xin returned to the prep room, closing several doors and removing his bulky protective suit and face shield before heading back into the refuge. Inside the refuge, Qin Lan had already put on the coat she hadn’t worn before and was warming herself by the electric heater, with water boiling on the kitchen stove nearby. "Feeling better?" Chen Xin took the Snickers bar Qin Lan had left on the workbench yesterday and handed it to her: "This is what you brought yesterday, eat it to replenish some energy." Chen Xin then went to the kitchen, noticing the water was nearly boiled, filled a mug from the stove, and brought it to Qin Lan. Seeing her still somewhat pale face, Chen Xin shook his head, went into the bedroom, got a hot water bottle from the cabinet, filled it with hot water in the kitchen, and placed it inside Qin Lan’s clothes. "What is this!" Startled by the sudden warmth stuffed against her, Qin Lan was taken aback, but soon the heat from the hot water bottle began to warm her up. "Hot water bottle, didn’t you use one when you were little, A-Lan?" Chen Xin looked at Qin Lan, paused, then realized: "Oh, I forgot, given your age, you probably haven’t seen this kind of thing filled with hot water; you’ve likely only seen those electric heated gadgets." Listening to Chen Xin, Qin Lan also reached into her bosom to take out the hot water bottle for a look, but Chen Xin directly held her down. "Keep it there a little longer, warm up first." Chen Xin stopped her but quickly withdrew his hand, realizing where he’d pressed was her chest. Seeing him retract his hand, Qin Lan was amused by his action, but she didn’t mind. Smiling, she asked, "A-Xin, why are you reluctant to go to the official refuge?" "This question..." Chen Xin thought for a moment before answering: "Just like you wouldn’t give up your job as a special police officer to live with me here, everyone has something they hold on to. Plus, I’ve poured so much heart and effort here, and the living conditions are better than the official refuge. If you want me to move, how could I possibly agree? If I couldn’t survive here, A-Lan, if you asked me to move now, I’d pack up and go with you without a word. But aside from having no one to talk to and lacking social interaction, I’m actually doing well. If you want me to move, how could I possibly move?"

Chapter 129 - 127 Hot Water Bag

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