Spoil Him

Ignatius nodded, feeling a tickle in his nose, likely the onset of a cold. Ignoring it for the moment, he hurriedly went upstairs.

...

In the evening, the typhoon showed no signs of relenting. Blanche thought for a moment and suggested, "Let's have hotpot tonight. It's inconvenient to cook with this heavy rain."

The kitchen was outside, and stepping out meant getting drenched.

"Sure, what do you all want?" Alice asked.Some in the family liked spicy food, while others didn't. So, she brought out a dual-flavored hotpot.Tripe, hotpot balls, shrimp paste, beef slices, egg dumplings, fried chicken feet, fried tofu skins, vegetables...The table was filled to the brim with dishes.

The bad mood brought by the typhoon was cured in the face of delicious food. The family gathered behind closed doors, happily enjoying their hotpot, feeling incredibly comfortable.

"How about we try a screw hotpot next time?" Alexander, feeling a bit tired of the traditional hotpot, suggested trying something new.

"Sure, how about tomorrow?" Alice asked with a smile.

Blanche, picking up a chicken foot for her, objected, "Even if you love hotpot, you can't eat it every day. We'll have to cook regular meals tomorrow."

Alexander let out a disappointed sound, and Alice comforted him, saying, "We can have it the day after tomorrow."

Atticus glanced at Alexander, then helplessly said to Alice, "You really spoil him."

"Big brother has always been kind to me. What's wrong with making him happy with a hotpot meal?" Alice raised an eyebrow.

Alexander looked at her with sparkling eyes, feeling touched. "There's no one as good as a sister in this world. Children with sisters are like treasures."

Alice: "..."

Other members of the Allen family: "..."

After a night passed, the first thing Alice did after getting up and getting ready was to open the window.The weather outside remained grim, with heavy rain pouring down incessantly. The gutters were unable to drain properly, and water had risen by about ten centimeters.

Seeing this scene, Alice couldn't sit still. Their yard was low-lying, and a few more days of rain could flood it. She quickly put on her raincoat and waterproof shoes and grabbed some shovels before heading out of the house.

Atticus, who had just woken up, frowned when he saw her attire. "Where are you going? It's pouring outside."

"The gutters on both sides of the house might be blocked. I need to clear them, or else our yard will be flooded in another day," Alice explained hastily before rushing out.

Atticus immediately went to wake up his two sons and told them to follow Alice.Realizing there were no raincoats left, he grabbed a straw hat and a shovel and went outside without hesitation.

Each person clearing a gutter made good progress, but their pants were still soaked through.

Alice quickly made ginger soup for them to drink while it was still hot.

As soon as Atticus finished his soup, he sneezed. Alice hurriedly took some medicine from the cupboard. "Dad, take your medicine quickly."

"You're not young anymore. Why are you still going out?" Blanche scolded him, handing him dry clothes. "Go change quickly."

The family's breakfast was simple: two meat buns and a cup of hot milk each.

After breakfast, the rain lessened, and the wind weakened. Alice decided to go out and take a look. She always made sure to protect herself from the rain before leaving the house.Upon reaching the roadside, she saw that the low-lying vegetable fields nearby were already flooded. Even the higher ground didn't fare much better; the seedlings were all toppled over, some completely uprooted by the typhoon.

At that moment, Ignatius arrived with a dozen or so people. They were all carrying baskets on their backs and wearing waterproof shoes, paying no mind to the water as they stepped right in.

Everyone was in a hurry to salvage the seedlings. Alice watched for a moment before continuing on her way.As Alice continued on her way, she noticed many people carrying their belongings up the path.She asked in confusion, "Where are you all going?"

A man, exhausted and expressionless, glanced at her and explained, "The base gate has been flooded, and water has seeped into our living quarters. We have to find another place to stay. The Base Commander agreed to let us temporarily stay in the office building."After his explanation, the man hurriedly walked away.

Alice lifted her feet towards the base gate. Before she could reach it, she was met with a vast expanse of water.

After a night of heavy rain, the sea level had risen, flooding the base gate. The surrounding residents had no choice but to move out. Their faces were numb, their expressions exhausted, as they slowly carried their heavy luggage towards the direction of the office building.

Alice overheard some people talking.

"If the heavy rain continues, this base will be gone sooner or later."

"The terrain here is already quite high, but it still can't withstand the rising sea levels. Once the rain stops, we should find an inland base. It's safer than staying here."

"My family also thinks so. When the time comes, we'll all leave together."

"I thought things were getting better slowly, but one disaster after another. I won't expect anything anymore. Just being able to live one more day is enough."

"It's a pity about my seedlings. I just planted them and spent a lot of points, and now they're all washed away."

As the group gradually walked away, their voices faded.

Alice watched for a while before leaving.Thinking about their words, she chuckled self-deprecatingly. Going to another base would also have various natural disasters. It didn't necessarily mean it would be safer than staying here.

Alice had seen through it all. Therefore, she wasn't in a hurry to leave. Unless the base was completely flooded and unsustainable, she wouldn't consider leaving.Alice retraced her steps, and within a few minutes, the rain intensified once again. The people who had come out to salvage the seedlings could only hurriedly run back, fearing falling ill.

Someone had developed a fever last night and was taken to the small hospital in the base. Unfortunately, there was no antipyretic medicine available, so they could only resort to physical cooling methods.

Upon hearing this news, everyone became afraid to go out in the rain, fearing falling ill without access to medication.

Seeing the rain intensify, they all ran back as fast as they could. Alice, fully protected from the rain, didn't need to hurry like the others.

Ignatius saw her and reminded her, "Hurry back, don't linger here. The typhoon is picking up again."

"Okay, you take care too," Alice smiled back at him.

Not long after, the typhoon made landfall again, and the surrounding trees were blown helter-skelter. Alice didn't dare delay any longer and quickly ran back home.

Blanche had just finished preparing lunch and was thinking about how to set the table when she saw Alice return and immediately called out to her. Alice walked over and held the umbrella for her.

"What's the situation outside? Has the sea level risen?" Atticus asked anxiously when he saw her return.

Alice put away the vegetables and then took off her raincoat, placing it outside. "Yes, it has. It's already flooded around the base gate, and people have been forced to move to the office building."

"Is it that serious?" Blanche grew worried. Would the base be submerged?

She didn't voice this concern but kept her heart suspended in anxiety.

"For now, the damage isn't severe. But if the heavy rain continues and the typhoon rages on, it's hard to say," Alice replied. No one knew how long the typhoon would last; they could only wait and see.

Atticus didn't want to dwell on such heavy topics. He took his wife's hand and said, "Come on, let's eat. We're all hungry, aren't we?"

"Let's leave what we can't control to the heavens. Let's eat and drink," Blanche added, trying to lighten the mood.