“Ss—”
The full weight of an adult male crashed down on him, catching Lin Yi completely off guard and making him suck in a sharp breath.
He quickly rolled over and checked the man’s condition. The stranger’s clothes were soaked with blood, his brows tightly furrowed as if he were in excruciating pain. Murmuring an apology for the intrusion, Lin Yi unbuttoned the man’s uniform at the chest to examine the wound.
The man’s injuries were serious, a deep gash ran across his chest. Fortunately, his breathing and pulse were relatively stable.
The wound was too long for Lin Yi to bandage on the spot, so he hoisted the unconscious man onto his back and trudged back home with difficulty.
Once inside, he wasted no time. He removed the man’s clothes and called out to Ah Yun, “Ah Yun! Please bring a basin of water and a towel.”
After a brief moment of panic, Ah Yun quickly calmed down and brought what Lin Yi needed, then crouched nearby, nervously watching the stranger on the bed.
With limited supplies on hand, there wasn’t much Lin Yi could do beyond cleaning the wound to prevent infection and observing its condition.
He dampened the towel with water and gently wiped away the blood and grime on the man’s chest, gradually revealing the full extent of the wound. Fortunately, though it looked vicious, it hadn’t struck any vital areas. However, because it hadn’t been cleaned in time, the wound had already become slightly inflamed.
Lin Yi’s heart sank. He reached out and touched the man’s forehead, sure enough, it was scalding hot.
He turned to ask Ah Yun if there were any hemostatic or anti-inflammatory drugs in the house. But unfortunately, as an abandoned dead planet, few spacecraft were willing to stop here, so most supplies were scarce, medicines being no exception.
This was a problem.
Lin Yi knew where to find medicine, but…
He looked down at his own hands and smiled bitterly. It seemed his abilities, which had barely begun to recover, would have to be pushed to their limits once again.
Without delay, after cleaning the wound, Lin Yi shouldered his empty pack and headed back to the underground seed bank.
When he had left last time, not knowing what the outside world was like, he had only taken some common crop seeds. But the seed bank’s inventory went far beyond that, it contained nearly every plant species once found on ancient Blue Star.
This seed bank was his greatest asset and safeguard, second only to his abilities.
Lin Yi first checked that the seed bank was functioning properly, ensuring the cooling and drying systems were running normally. Then, he rummaged through the storage for a moment and quickly found what he had come for.
He took several unassuming seeds from the storage cabinets and placed them into his pack. Of course, having made the trip, he wasn’t about to stop there. In addition to the medicinal herb seeds, he also took a variety of other odds and ends: seeds he might need in the future, a few changes of clothes, and some portable, low-temperature preserved food.
Finally, he returned with a bulging pack, and on the way back, he luckily caught a rabbit for dinner.
Once back at the house, he immediately used his ability to sprout several medicinal herbs. He divided them into two piles by function: one pile was crushed and applied externally to the wound, while the other was boiled in water at the proper ratio for oral administration.
After all that, he finally looked up at the sky, it was already evening. From the moment he found the injured man, Lin Yi had been busy all afternoon, and before he knew it, it was time for dinner. On top of that, he hadn’t eaten lunch, so now he was starving.
He certainly wasn’t going to shortchange himself. Taking the rabbit he had caught on the way, he skillfully skinned it, removed the entrails, sprinkled it with a layer of salt, and placed it over the fire to roast.
Before long, the rabbit’s skin turned golden and translucent, glistening with oil, and the rich aroma of roasted meat filled the air. Lin Yi took the rabbit off the fire, let it cool slightly, and then used his dagger to carve it into several large pieces.
The blade cut through the crispy skin with a satisfying crackle, and golden fat dripped down the back of the knife, utterly tantalizing.
He was about to call Ah Yun for dinner when he turned around and saw her standing right behind him, staring longingly at the roasted rabbit in his hands.
Lin Yi: …
He had figured it out by now. This little girl had no real faults, except that she was a bit of a foodie. Every time before dinner was ready, she’d already come sniffing around.
He handed a rabbit leg to Ah Yun, reminding her to be careful not to burn her mouth, then took a piece for himself. The rabbit meat was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Although seasoned only with a bit of salt, it was absolutely delicious.
After a few bites, however, he felt that eating only meat was a bit greasy. So he rummaged through his pack and pulled out some of the portable food he had brought back.
There were several large packs of compressed biscuits inside. As if worried that plain dry rations would be too monotonous, the seed bank also had some cookies, candies, and other small snacks stored away.
Lin Yi opened a pack of biscuits, handed one piece to Ah Yun, and took one for himself. Just as he was about to put it in his mouth, he suddenly paused—
It occurred to him that these biscuits were several thousand years old. Could they still be… edible?
He glanced at Ah Yun, who was munching away happily, and felt a rare twinge of guilt.
But he remembered Professor Zhou’s solemn assurance before his hibernation: these foods were preserved using brand-new low-temperature vacuum technology, and no matter how long they were stored, they would remain perfectly fine.
Since Professor Zhou had said so, it must be safe to eat. Lin Yi comforted himself inwardly and took a bite.
Mm, crunchy. Pretty good.
After dinner, Ah Yun was already yawning with drowsiness. Children needed their sleep. Lin Yi settled her down first, then stayed up to tend to the medicine still simmering in the pot.
With nothing else to do, Lin Yi opened the Star Network again to browse. He had another live stream scheduled for tomorrow morning, but he was still at a loss. A large part of today’s streaming success had been thanks to Ah Yun’s accidental appearance. He couldn’t rely on her forever.
Just then, a video with millions of views caught his attention.
Lin Yi clicked on it to watch. It was a food video, but the streamer mostly used semi-synthetic ingredients, and their technique was quite average, at least in Lin Yi’s opinion, far inferior to his own.
And this… had millions of views?
Thoroughly astonished, Lin Yi opened the comments section, only to find nothing but praise and envy:
“Looks so tempting, I wish I could eat this…”
“Looking at the nutrient fluid in my hand, suddenly it doesn’t seem so appetizing…”
He quickly skimmed through a few other popular food videos and found similar situations. In the interstellar era, many people relied on nutrient fluids for convenience. Although synthetically produced ingredients existed, their flavor was far inferior to natural ones. Since few people still cooked for themselves, culinary skills had greatly declined, making food bloggers who had mastered some cooking techniques especially precious.
In fact, it wasn’t just food. Lin Yi browsed a few more videos and noticed that most forms of manual craftsmanship were highly sought after, and many of these skills were things he was very familiar with.
…Well, of course. As an ancient Blue Star native who had survived the apocalypse, how could he not be?
Thoughtfully scrolling through the videos, Lin Yi began to form an idea.
Just then, the medicine finished brewing. Lin Yi set down the smart screen and went to the kitchen to fetch it.
He quietly placed the medicine by the man’s bedside and was about to help him sit up to take it when suddenly, a hand encircled his extended wrist and yanked him forward.
Lin Yi lost his balance. In the flash of a moment, he braced himself with his other hand against the edge of the bed, barely avoiding collapsing directly onto the man.
Once bitten, twice shy. This time, Lin Yi didn’t even feel much panic, just silently grumbled to himself:
He had no idea what this person used to do for a living, but their vigilance was certainly strong.
Fortunately, after a brief moment of disorientation, the other man quickly came to his senses. He released Lin Yi’s wrist and lowered his gaze. “…Sorry. Are you all right?”
Lin Yi shook his head. With the crisis over, he belatedly realized just how close they were. One of his hands was braced on the bed, his other wrist loosely held by the other man, their breaths nearly mingling.
The room was dimly lit. Lin Yi could only vaguely make out the man’s deep, chiseled features and those strikingly dazzling golden eyes.
It was only a fleeting moment. The next second, Lin Yi pulled his wrist free and stood up as if nothing had happened, subtly putting some distance between them.
He turned on the light and instinctively glanced toward Ah Yun’s bed. Seeing that she was still fast asleep, he let out a small, inexplicable sigh of relief.
The light was on, and Lin Yi finally got a clear look at the other man’s face. Although he had seen him during the day, he couldn’t help but marvel again at the man’s strikingly handsome features.
What surprised him even more was how quickly the man had regained consciousness. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better. Thank you for saving me. And about earlier… I’m sorry.” The man’s gaze was earnest as he looked at Lin Yi, his low voice spreading through the night.
“It’s fine. Being vigilant is a good thing.” Lin Yi knew what he was referring to and smiled indifferently. “Is there anyone you’d like to contact? With your current injuries, professional treatment would help you recover faster.”
But as soon as he asked the question, Lin Yi saw the man’s expression darken. After a moment, he shook his head. “I can’t leave here just yet. Do you think I could…”
The man’s tone hesitated, as if not sure how to continue. Lin Yi sensed his reluctance. “Then you can stay here for a while. We’ll figure things out after your injuries have healed.”
The straightforward answer caught the man off guard. Looking at Lin Yi’s open, unguarded expression, the conditions he had been about to propose got stuck in his throat. After a long pause, he said quietly, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. My name is Lin Yi.” Lin Yi extended a hand toward him.
“Lu Jinghan.”
Another hand, with distinct knuckles, clasped Lin Yi’s, a polite, brief touch before letting go.
“Wine awakens from the cold dream, a good name,” Lin Yi commented offhandedly.
Lu Jinghan paused. He had never actually heard that verse before, nor had he ever pondered the meaning of his own name. But hearing Lin Yi recite it now, what had always seemed like an ordinary name suddenly carried a touch of warmth.
He was not a man of many words, however, so after a long silence, he simply gave a low “Mm.”
Only then did Lin Yi remember that the medicine he had brought was still untouched. “Oh, right. Don’t forget to drink the medicine by your bedside. It’s anti-inflammatory and will help your wound heal. Your old clothes were soaked in blood, I left a fresh set for you by the bed.”
With that, he pointed to the bowl and the clothes, then turned and left, giving Lu Jinghan some time alone.
Lu Jinghan picked up the bowl beside him. Before it even reached his lips, a pungent, bitter, spicy odor assaulted his nose. Even a man who rarely showed emotion on his face couldn’t help but grimace reflexively.
Can this stuff really be drunk… But since his savior had brought it, he would drink it no matter what. With his constitution, ordinary things couldn’t poison him anyway.
Just as Lu Jinghan steeled himself to drink, he saw Lin Yi, who had just walked out, turn back and pull something from his pocket. “The medicine is quite bitter. Here, this is for you.”
Lin Yi reached out and dropped a piece of candy into Lu Jinghan’s palm, still warm from being against his body.