NOVPUBChapter 108: Chapter 108 Passionate
Chapter 108 -108 Passionate
Gu Pan and her group had just finished eating, too. Since many of the dishes and utensils were disposable and they ate very cleanly, leaving nothing behind except for a lunchbox they had reserved for the Fang Family, they nearly drank all the soup as well.
There wasn’t much to clean up; they just had to dump everything into trash bags and throw them away at a designated garbage point later.
Cheng Yang was too embarrassed to deliver the food to the Fang Family himself, so he dragged Gu Pan along with him.
Gu Pan happened to feel like taking a walk after the meal, so she agreed and went with Cheng Yang to the Fang Family’s place.
When they got there, Fang Lanlan was in the yard; she didn’t run away this time, although she kept her head down but still talked to them, “Sister Panpan, Cheng Yang, please come in and sit. My dad is inside.”
Gu Pan smiled and said, “We won’t come in. We made some tasty food, and Cheng Yang wanted to bring some over for you.”
Cheng Yang, feeling shy, said, “It was everyone’s idea to bring some over, not just mine.”
Gu Pan laughed, “Really? I thought it was all your doing?”
Fang Lanlan’s face turned redder and she lowered her head even more.
Gu Pan had intended it as a lighthearted joke, but after saying it, she realized that something seemed off.
Squad Leader Fang came out at that moment, “Xiao Gu is here, come inside.”
Gu Pan replied, “Squad Leader Fang, we won’t bother. We’re leaving soon to go scavenge for supplies. We ate well today, so we brought some for you.”
Cheng Yang quickly brought it over, whispering to Squad Leader Fang, “Uncle Fang, we saved you some of the hotpot and dipping sauce.”
Squad Leader Fang was surprised to hear about the hotpot, “You guys are really capable, getting hold of anything.”
Gu Pan said, “Hurry and take it inside to eat, it won’t be good if you leave it out any longer. We’re heading back.”
Cheng Yang handed the bag of food to Squad Leader Fang, “We’ll be going now.” After that, he went over to Fang Lanlan and took something out from his pocket to give her.
Gu Pan didn’t see what it was, but her earlier feeling was now a firm belief—this kid had something going on.
After saying goodbye to Squad Leader Fang and leaving, Gu Pan looked at Cheng Yang, “Cheng Yang, what do you think of Fang Lanlan?”
Cheng Yang’s face was beet red, “She’s, she’s nice.”
Gu Pan smiled, “If we go to the base in the future, let’s bring them with us.”
Not grasping Gu Pan’s implication, Cheng Yang was especially happy, “Sure, that way we can still be together.”
Gu Pan smiled as well. Even though many things were impossible in the post-apocalyptic world, there was no need to deny such pleasant thoughts—just let things take their natural course.
When they got to their doorstep, Gu Pan and Cheng Yang went their separate ways. They were scheduled to go out and scavenge for supplies, but it was Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng’s turn to stay and watch the house, so Gu Pan didn’t need to change clothes or anything. She started chatting with Lu Ruisheng about Cheng Yang and Fang Lanlan.
Lu Ruisheng laughed, “I’ve noticed Cheng Yang’s affection, too.”
Gu Pan was somewhat surprised, “When did you realize?”
“It was before Fang Lanlan took up arms to help him.”
“I thought it was that day; so he had his designs on her from the start?”
“Emotions are not something that can be predicted.”
“That’s true.”
They chatted and went into the house.
In the evening, they didn’t just stay home and use binoculars; they also went out from time to time to patrol around the neighboring homes to prevent any intrusions.
In her previous life, Gu Pan didn’t like cold foods like ice cream, but with the daily high temperatures, she would occasionally eat an ice cream bar.
Whenever the two were on house watch, Gu Pan would make rice and dishes when idle, as each villa had a considerable distance from the others, especially theirs, which had a larger plot of land and was at the very edge, with no neighbors at home next door, so cooking wouldn’t attract attention.
Since they had a generator, running the air conditioning and fans weren’t a problem, and neither was cooking.
Once finished, she put everything into the Space for when it was needed. Over time, she had made quite a bit.
Although in the future at the base they might not have to cook behind everyone’s back, it was always good to be prepared. The Space was getting larger, so she made use of her time.
Not just meals, she also made some snacks.
When it was time, they went out to patrol again, circling around the buildings. Everything was normal, so they returned home.
At their doorstep, Yuan Jiang and Lin Mengmeng walked over.
Yuan Jiang was the first to speak, “Miss Gu, Mr. Lu, do you have a moment? We have some questions and wonder if we could ask you?”
Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng, not tired of the polite exchange, nodded, “Sure, but my place is a bit messy, so let’s not go inside.”
Everyone understood what she meant. Yuan Jiang and Lin Mengmeng quickly said they could talk outside by the door where it was cooler.
So, they stood talking on the steps at Gu Pan’s front door.
Yuan Jiang began, “Thank you for being willing to talk with us, we really appreciate it.”
Lu Ruisheng said, “We’re all just trying to survive. Ask your questions and we’ll try our best to answer them.”
Yuan Jiang, grateful, looked at Lu Ruisheng and began asking his questions, “We want to form a Self-defense Team like yours, not aggressive raiders, but one that can protect itself. I know we can’t match your strength, but we just want to avoid being bullied and make it through. Can you share some of your experiences with us? We’ve never led a team and don’t understand many things. We wanted to accumulate experience slowly, but we didn’t expect to be attacked so soon and everything has been accelerated, hence we come to you for advice, hoping we can grow faster.”
Lu Ruisheng thought for a moment, “I suggest you two leave this place. The leader in the Inner Circle is a very shrewd man. If he finds out about you, you might not stand a chance to survive.”
Lu Ruisheng and Gu Pan had discussed this before. Although the combat power in the Inner Circle was average, that leader was a very astute commander, which is why he could get enough supplies and choose this place without being in opposition to them. He knew how to measure and compromise.
Yuan Jiang and Lin Mengmeng’s faces showed their dilemma.
Gu Pan, puzzled, said, “Isn’t Yuan Jiang all alone? Although Lin Mengmeng is related to the Lin Feifei family, she’s just staying with them, so it shouldn’t implicate them. Changing names and leaving now isn’t a big deal—they won’t search the entire city for you two. Their threats are mostly to deter.”
Lin Mengmeng agreed with Gu Pan but her situation was different now and she had to tell the truth, “Grandfather has started living with us now. We can’t ignore him.”
Gu Pan, confused, “Wasn’t your grandfather always living with your uncle? Why would an old man with established sons choose to live with a young granddaughter?”
Gu Pan really couldn’t understand. In her memory, Old Master Lin was Lin Ran’s pillar of support. He lived with them because he didn’t trust his eldest son. Gu Pan found it puzzling that Old Master Lin would leave his son’s family; the matter really piqued her curiosity.
