"I have food," Su Wei said gently. "Didn't I just tell you? I just finished breakfast."
"One slice of bread won't last a day! It's so cold, I'm burning three times the usual calories!"
Emily interrupted him urgently, "You need high-calorie food, chocolate, meat, butter! And so on... I can help you buy some food, I'll try contacting the police..."
Emily.
Su Wei interrupted her softly.
"The police cars are too low to even drive out of the town's main road, let alone venture into the storm zone to deliver a few cookies."
He picked up the empty milk glass from the coffee table, swirled it, and the remaining milk on the glass emitted a sweet aroma.
"And who told you I was eating dry bread?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
Only the hissing sound of electricity could be heard.
"So what... did you eat?" Emily asked instinctively.
Su Wei's lips curled up slightly.
He wouldn't bother showing off if it were someone else.
But if it's this girl, teasing her a little won't hurt, and it'll put her mind at ease.
There wasn't anything fancy to eat.
Su Wei adjusted to a more comfortable sitting position, his tone languid.
Three thick slices of bacon, pan-fried over low heat. As the fat melts, the edges curl and turn crispy and golden brown, releasing that rich, oily aroma...
"Stop!" Emily's voice trembled slightly.
Su Wei ignored him and continued speaking.
Using the bacon oil, I fried two sunny-side-up eggs. The egg whites were golden brown and crispy, while the yolks were still runny. When you poked one, the golden egg yolk flowed out, and you dipped it into a piece of crispy whole-wheat bread...
" Su Wei!!"
Su Wei delivered the final blow.
Finally, a large glass of steaming hot whole-fat sweetened milk; one sip and the Warm Current rushes straight to my heels.
Gurgle.
The sound of swallowing was so clear, it was as if it were ringing right next to Su Wei's ear.
On this cold, powerless morning, when all I could eat were cold, hard compressed biscuits, this description was like a nuclear-level psychological blow.
Are you the devil?
Emily's voice was trembling.
"Aren't you $160,000 in debt? No poor person eats better than a middle-class person!"
Is there a conflict between being in debt and eating and drinking well?
Su Wei retorted, as was his natural response.
"Who says being in debt means you have to eat coarse food? I not only have steak, but my fridge is also stuffed with a huge pile of beef and lamb, plus enough vegetables and eggs to last me a month."
"Oh, right. Actually, they also have pork."
Even from dozens of kilometers away, Su Wei could picture Emily's expression right now.
She was probably wrapped in a blanket, looking incredulous, with a hint of hurt and jealousy after her defenses crumbled.
"All right."
Several seconds later, Emily finally let out a long breath, her previous anxiety dissipating considerably.
"Looks like I have to take back what I just said. If you really died inside, it wasn't from freezing, it was from overeating."
"Thank you for your kind words."
Su Wei laughed out loud, and the Cotton Candy in his hand wagged its tail in response.
"So, don't worry. As long as this snow doesn't continue into next year, I'll be living better than 90% of the people in town."
I hate you, I really do.
Emily gritted her teeth.
"Once the road is open, I want to come to your house for that stewed beef. I want two bowls! No, three bowls!"
"Okay, all you can eat." Su Wei agreed readily.
"Let's get down to business."
After the joke was over, Su Wei's smile faded. "You mean the town has started clearing the roads?"
"Right."
A burst of noisy broadcasting came from Emily's end, seemingly an emergency announcement.
"The city hall issued a notice, and several snowplows are already working on the main roads. But you know how slow they are, plus the snow hasn't stopped falling, they just finish clearing it and then cover it up again."
"How long will it take?"
Su Wei asked the most crucial question.
"In previous years, it would have taken only three days to get through."
Emily paused, her tone becoming serious. "But this time is different. That cyclone is still lingering, and the weather station says there will be heavy snowfall in the next forty-eight hours. Knowing those workers' habits, as long as the snow doesn't stop, they'll stop work under the pretext of safety."
"So?"
"It will take at least a week."
Emily gave a pessimistic figure.
"It could take even longer. That's an optimistic scenario; what if the equipment breaks down or the workers go on strike..."
That means indefinitely.
Su Wei stopped stroking the fox's fingers and gently tapped them on his knee.
One week.
This was about the same timeframe he had predicted, or even worse.
This means that for the next week, or even two weeks, this wooden house will be completely isolated from the outside world.
There were no supplies available and no possibility of rescue.
He could only rely on what was already in the house, and on himself.
"I see."
Su Wei watched the charcoal in the fireplace gradually turn red, his eyes calm.
"One week it is fine. It's a good time to give myself a break. It's nice not to have to face that bald, grumpy face of the bank manager."
You have a really good attitude.
Emily sighed.
"Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore. My phone only has 15% battery left, and there's nowhere to charge it. Since you're not going to die, just stay put and don't wander off. Especially don't go onto the lake; the ice is very unstable in this weather."
"Don't worry, I'm most afraid of dying."
"I'm hanging up. I'll let you know as soon as the road is clear."
doo€€€€
The call ended.
The room fell silent again, with only the crackling of the burning firewood and the howling of the wind and snow hitting the windows outside.
Su Wei casually tossed her phone onto the sofa cushions, and the screen went black.
The ease and joking on his face disappeared.
What I just said.
It was just to avoid worrying my friends, and also to maintain a pathetic sense of dignity as an adult.
But reality is far from as easy as it sounds.
There is enough food for the time being.
But that's far from enough to last a week.
Keep in mind that this was his first time coming down from the mountain to enter the town to make purchases.
I only bought food for a few days.
He had originally planned to go shopping again today.
But no one expected the changes to happen so quickly.
In addition to these, there is energy.
Su Wei looked past the warm fireplace toward the dimly lit garage outside the window.
Diesel generators are not perpetual motion machines.