Her family had let Qin Shen stay without consulting her.

’How am I supposed to conveniently get things from my space now!’

Jiang Si wanted to stop them, but she was too embarrassed to say anything now.

Qin Shen saw the look on her face and shook his head. "It’s fine, I can go back."

Shen Baoying had no choice but to confess, "Xiao Shen, we haven’t quite mastered the massage technique. Are there any core skills that would help us remember it quickly?"

Jiang Si couldn’t help but interrupt. "Mom, what exactly is wrong with me?"

Shen Baoying sighed. "Xiao Shen said you have a very rare type of sudden-onset syncope, and only by stimulating your body with a massage can the pain all over your body be relieved."

"It’s just that the process is complicated and takes a long time. Xiao Shen worked tirelessly, massaging you for over two hours before you finally woke up!"

Jiang Si’s eyes widened. ’Sudden-onset syncope requires a massage to wake up from?’

’That can’t be right!’

She clearly felt that what she had wasn’t sudden-onset syncope.

But when she looked at Qin Shen, she couldn’t see the slightest hint of a lie on his cool, detached face.

’Could it be that I really have some strange illness?’

’Then how come I didn’t have it in my last life!’

Jiang Si thought it over and over, but she still felt it was related to the energy stone inside her. Qin Shen just happened to massage her—it was just a lucky coincidence.

’Perhaps even if Qin Shen hadn’t massaged me, I would have woken up after fainting for a while.’

’But there was no guarantee. It was possible that his specific technique was necessary to alleviate the overwhelming pain she’d felt earlier.’

The thought of her fainting, her family’s worry, and the uncertain future made Jiang Si tacitly accept Shen Baoying’s words.

’Might as well learn it. What if we end up needing it?’

Qin Shen was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He immediately had Shen Baoying bring a pen and paper and drew a detailed acupressure chart, even marking the amount of force to use. Seeing the densely packed, detailed diagram of the technique, Jiang Si couldn’t help but feel ashamed for having doubted him.

’He had absolutely no reason to risk his life to come over here and just fool them.’

Jiang Si glanced at the heavy rain outside and the Weasel Crocodiles roaming the water in search of prey. She, too, decided to let him stay for now. "BOOM—"

A loud crash suddenly came from across the way.

Everyone looked toward the sound, just in time to see the last remaining wall of Qin Shen’s house get washed away by the rain, collapsing into the floodwaters and turning into a pile of rubble.

Now, he truly had no way of going back.

Even if the rain stopped, Jiang Si couldn’t bring herself to kick him out.

Jiang Si looked at Qin Shen, whose expression was unreadable. Forcing a smile, she took the initiative. "We’re not short on food for the time being. Why don’t you just stay?"

Things having come to this, Qin Shen accepted Jiang Si’s arrangement.

Aside from the worry that the things in their house would arouse Qin Shen’s suspicion, the family was actually happy to have him stay.

What if their technique just wasn’t good enough? Then Qin Shen could be there to help treat her at a moment’s notice.

Shen Baoying was about to go make a meal to welcome Qin Shen. Jiang Si got up, using the excuse of helping her. Once out of the room, she immediately lowered her voice and asked Shen Baoying, "He didn’t see the lifeboat, did he?"

If he saw their other supplies, they could still claim they were traded, salvaged from the water, or stockpiled from before. But a lifeboat in the house? That would be obviously suspicious.

Shen Baoying whispered, "He came to see you as soon as he arrived. I closed the door, so he definitely doesn’t know."

’He came to see me as soon as he arrived.’

Jiang Si froze. ’Could it be that Qin Shen actually has feelings for me?’

’The rain was so heavy and it was so dangerous, yet he came over regardless of everything and didn’t ask for anything in return.’

’It was hard not to wonder.’

But looking at his open and straightforward expression, Jiang Si wasn’t so sure anymore.

She wasn’t the type to get hung up on things, anyway. Since he had been willing to come over and his house was now gone, they had to treat him well.

Jiang Si went to the room and put the lifeboat into her space. Shen Baoying asked, "Qin Shen’s house has collapsed. Aren’t we leaving yet?"

Jiang Si looked toward the spot where the rescue soldiers had used explosives. "We can wait one more day. If that doesn’t work, we’ll lower the lifeboat at night and pretend we just found it."

Shen Baoying nodded, then her expression faltered. "Then we’ll have to take Qin Shen with us, won’t we?"

Jiang Si was silent for a moment. "First, let’s ask him what he wants to do. If he wants to leave with us, we certainly can’t just leave him here. It’s already dangerous, and besides, he’s done us a great favor. We can take him with us for a while, be a little careful to avoid him seeing too much, and once we find a place to live, we can figure out a way to leave him with some food and supplies."

Shen Baoying thought that was feasible. "Okay. I’ll go give your father and the others a heads-up so they’ll be careful not to expose anything. I’ll go start dinner now."

"Mm."

Shen Baoying went to the kitchen to cook, while Jiang Si went to her father’s room and added a wooden bed. It was just barely long enough for Qin Shen to sleep on.

Qin Shen, probably feeling embarrassed about taking their food for free, pointed to the Weasel Crocodiles in the water and said, "Do you need me to catch some?"

Jiang Si shook her head. "No, no, we still have food in the house. Catching Weasel Crocodiles is too dangerous. And even if we did, without salt, we can’t preserve the meat."

Qin Shen fell silent, seeming to consider how he could compensate them.

Shen Baoying smiled. "You’re our family’s savior, so don’t stand on ceremony. Eat and drink as you please. We might even have to trouble you again in the future."

Jiang Chengwu also chimed in, "That’s right! Xiao Shen, I was hoping to ask how you managed to diagnose Sisi’s condition just by taking her pulse!"

Jiang Linhai, afraid Qin Shen would feel uncomfortable, set the table and quickly added, "Xiao Shen, I’ve been practicing the moves you taught me last time. I was hoping we could spar a bit. Now we’ll have the chance!"

Everyone was so enthusiastic, it was as if Qin Shen were a new son-in-law visiting for the first time.

Qin Shen nodded calmly, showing no trace of awkwardness. It was Jiang Si who felt she had been overthinking things.

Shen Baoying made a lavish meal: pickled cabbage stew with cured meat, sweet and sour dried shrimp, pan-fried hairtail fish, shiitake mushroom dumplings, and a seaweed tofu soup.

All the ingredients she used avoided fresh vegetables, so as not to arouse Qin Shen’s suspicions.

Shen Baoying served Qin Shen a generous portion of food, her hospitality almost over the top. Qin Shen quietly accepted it all and politely praised the meal as delicious.

The whole family was enjoying the happy, harmonious atmosphere. When Shen Baoying wanted to give the cured meat bones to Big Black, she glanced down and saw Big Black and Little Black—who were usually more eager than anyone to eat—hiding silently in a washbasin in the corner, their big, watery eyes wide.

No matter how Shen Baoying called them, they were too scared to approach.

Jiang Linhai found it odd. "What’s wrong with them? Are they sick?"

Jiang Si guessed, "I don’t think so. They probably just aren’t used to Qin Shen’s scent yet. They’ll be fine in a little while."

Qin Shen lifted his gaze and looked quietly at Big Black and Little Black.

With a WHIMPER, Big Black and Little Black’s legs trembled as they timidly ran over and sat in front of Shen Baoying. They began to cautiously nibble on the cured meat bones, stealing glances at Qin Shen from time to time.

Jiang Si looked at Qin Shen. He had picked up his bowl, his expression normal. ’His aura is probably just too strong,’ she thought. ’He looks like someone you don’t want to mess with, so Big Black and Little Black got scared.’

’This won’t do. I’ll have to train Big Black and Little Black properly in the future.’

’If they chicken out so easily, they could end up in a cooking pot.’