When they reached the bathroom, Lu Xi'an said to Yao Wei, "Sorry for the trouble, but could you get me a pair of scissors? I remember there's a pair in your toolbox."
"Sure."
Yao Wei agreed and went to get them.
By the time she returned with the scissors, Lu Xi'an was already inside the bathroom.
The light was on. Lu Xi'an had turned the empty bucket upside down on the floor and was crouching beside it, inspecting the bottom.
Yao Wei handed him the scissors. Lu Xi'an took them, opened them, and held one blade up in front of his eyes.
Yao Wei was puzzled. From the way Lu Xi'an was looking at them, it seemed he wanted to use one of the blades.
But didn't Lu Xi'an have a dagger? Why not use that? Why had he specifically asked her to bring the scissors?
Lu Xi'an seemed to guess what she was thinking and explained, "The tip of the dagger isn't as narrow as this. It'd be hard for me to control. These scissors aren't ideal either. Something like an awl would be perfect."
Unfortunately, they didn't have one.
So he'd have to make do with the scissors.
Both the scissors and the dagger were quite sharp, but beyond its tip, a dagger quickly widened, while a pair of scissors gradually broadened toward the handle.
Lu Xi'an took a deep breath, then jabbed the scissors into the bottom of the bucket, barely touching it before pulling away.
A tiny hole appeared in the bottom.
If he'd used the dagger, or failed to control his strength, the hole would have been bigger.
That wouldn't do. A hole that was too large would make the water flow impossible to control.
Jab, jab, jab, jab, jab...
He kept at it, the scissors flashing in his hand. A series of thuds echoed through the bathroom as he left a patch of tiny holes in the bucket's bottom. Yao Wei watched with a pang of regret.
Yao Wei had no idea what Lu Xi'an was doing. She just thought it was a waste to ruin a perfectly good bucket.
But the bottom of the bucket did look a little like the showerhead in the bathroom stall.
The shelter's water supply system had broken down completely, and the showerhead had long since become useless. So neither Lu Xi'an nor Yao Wei had paid it any attention.
But now that Yao Wei thought of the showerhead, she suddenly understood what Lu Xi'an was planning.
"Could you bring me a bucket of water?"
After saying that, Lu Xi'an turned and carried the empty bucket into the stall.
The showerhead was fixed to the wall and made of metal. It looked sturdy enough, and its right-angled mount had no bends, making it convenient for hanging things.
Still, he'd have to test it first.
When Yao Wei brought in the bucket of water, Lu Xi'an gave a little hop and hung the bucket on the showerhead.
It held.
The shelter's equipment really was built with plenty of sturdy materials.
He watched for a while as the bucket swayed back and forth before coming to a stop. The metal showerhead hadn't been damaged in the slightest.
Satisfied, Lu Xi'an turned and asked, "Do you want to wash first, or should I?"
"You go first."
Yao Wei turned and walked out.
Lu Xi'an smiled and followed her out. He went into the nearest dorm room and grabbed a pillowcase to use as a towel.
He'd actually showered a few days ago, at Villa 272 in Jiang Yu District, Yu Bei City. To his surprise, the water still worked there, and he'd gotten to wash to his heart's content.
But that didn't mean he couldn't take another shower now.
There was nothing like getting clean, then slipping naked under the covers. Now that he finally had a chance to enjoy it, he wasn't going to pass it up.
Once he left here, who knew when he'd get to enjoy something like this again?
He stripped off and hung his clothes by the door, then took down the empty bucket. He poured the water from the other bucket into it and hung it back up.
A little water would be wasted in the process, but that was all right. Lu Xi'an had controlled his strength while poking holes in the bucket, making sure they weren't too large.
He wouldn't waste much water this way.
The flow was just right—not too strong, not too weak—and there was enough of it for him to wash before the bucket emptied.
The icy water hit his body, making Lu Xi'an shiver. If this had been his previous life, he definitely couldn't have stood water this cold.
But now, it felt wonderful.
He'd come here through snow and ice, and the weather had changed without warning time and time again since. He'd grown used to the cold.
The water poured down over him, and he gave his head a thorough rinse too. Once it ran out, he dried himself off with the pillowcase.
As his skin met the air, he felt a wave of warmth.
And freshness.
So good!
Lu Xi'an cheerfully pulled on his clothes and ran outside.
Yao Wei wasn't in the hallway. When he returned to the dorm room they shared, he saw her sitting on the bed, eyes closed as she rested.
"You look like you're practicing some kind of martial art. Why not sit cross-legged too?"
He tossed out the comment casually.
Yao Wei looked at him as if she hadn't understood.
"I'm done," Lu Xi'an said. "It's your turn. You can use a pillowcase from the top bunk as a towel. You can dry off with it afterward."
"Mm."
That, Yao Wei understood. She stood and took a pillowcase from the top bunk before heading out.
As she reached the door, Lu Xi'an reminded her, "Make sure you wash properly. If one bucket isn't enough, use another. We're right next to the reservoir, so we can fetch more whenever we want."
"Mm."
Yao Wei answered again, then disappeared through the doorway.
Once she was gone, Lu Xi'an quickly stripped off, laid his clothes on the other bed above the one he'd picked, then took the quilt down from the top bunk. He stretched out on the bed and wrapped himself in it. Cool and crisp!
So good!
Yao Wei used only one bucket of water. She still couldn't bring herself to waste any.
But since they were just washing with water, without any toiletries, it didn't take that long anyway.
When Yao Wei returned, her short hair was still a little damp and clung to her cheeks. Lu Xi'an couldn't help looking at her a few times.
He'd never expected this usually fierce woman to give off such a bewitching, captivating air without even realizing it.
But Yao Wei didn't seem the least bit self-conscious under Lu Xi'an's gaze. She simply looked at him calmly and asked, "Should I turn off the light?"
"No need. Once you're settled in, I'll call Gouzi over."
Lu Xi'an replied.
"Mm."
Yao Wei nodded, went to her own bed, and glanced toward the head of Lu Xi'an's. "You took your clothes off?"
"Yeah. I told you, sleeping like this is more comfortable. We rarely get a chance to relax without having to worry about danger, so we should make the most of it."
"Mm."
Yao Wei nodded, then calmly took off her undershirt.
Lu Xi'an's eyes went wide.
This woman wasn't following the script at all!
She took off her clothes, pants, and socks, placing them on the other bed at the head of the one she'd chosen, just as Lu Xi'an had. Then she took the quilt down from the top bunk, climbed into bed, and pulled it over herself, wrapping up just like him.
Yao Wei lay silently with her eyes open, as if trying to decide whether it was comfortable.
After getting an eyeful of her healthy, graceful curves, Lu Xi'an saw her calm, composed expression and clear, placid eyes—and suddenly felt a little guilty.
He sighed and said, "Why did you suddenly throw that comic book away when you saw it earlier?"
Yao Wei knew which book Lu Xi'an meant. Her expression suddenly turned a little awkward. After a moment of silence, she said, "I don't know."
She didn't know...
Was it an instinctive reaction?
"Read that book when you have time," Lu Xi'an said.
"Then toss it to me."
"..."
So she had noticed him leaving the book by the head of the bed earlier.
He put on an air of nonchalance and tossed it over.
Yao Wei caught it and opened it. The more she read, the stranger her expression became. Every so often, her eyes flicked toward Lu Xi'an, and there was something unkind in her gaze.
Lu Xi'an tensed. "So, you should be careful from now on. Unless you want to get as intimate with me as the people in that book, you'd better not take your clothes off in front of me."
"Smack!"
The book came flying back.
Wrapped in her quilt, Yao Wei turned away from him, showing him the back of her head.
At least she hadn't flown into a rage.
Lu Xi'an felt a little relieved, though also vaguely disappointed.
"Gouzi!"
He called out.
"Bzz—"
The light went out.
Gouzi had arrived.
Before you continue