NOVEL WEB Chapter 24 - Unexpected Heavy Rain
024: Unexpected Heavy Rain
Rumble, rumble~~
A clap of thunder exploded in the clear sky.
“Huah~~” Mino, groggy from sleep, was startled awake by the noise.
A flash of light streaked past the window.
Rumble…
Then came a muffled roar of thunder.
“Thunder?” Mino blinked, quickly getting up.
She went to the window, standing on tiptoe to look outside.
The sky was already bright.
What was usually a dim dawn was now covered with rolling black clouds, making her feel small and humbled by nature’s grandeur.
“Another night has passed,” Mino smiled, twirling lightly, her eyes landing on the painting hanging on the wall.
She stared at it, mesmerized. “It’s incredible every time I look at it.”
She had spent all night trying to figure out how such a painting could even be made.
“So embarrassing…” Mino covered her face.
She thought about her drawing from the previous day and felt utterly humiliated.
Rumble…
Another thunderclap brought her back from her thoughts. She reluctantly glanced at the painting one last time, opened the door, and left her room.
The fire pit in the hall was already burning.
“Where is he?” Mino looked around but didn’t see anyone. She went outside and found Mu Liang busy in the yard.
“Mu Liang, what are you doing?” she asked, puzzled.
“Preparing to collect rainwater,” Mu Liang was modifying the yard with the Rock Armored Turtle’s help.
He planned to make it sloped so the rainwater would gather and flow into a large bathtub placed at a lower point.
“What can I do?” Mino rolled up her sleeves.
“Make breakfast first,” Mu Liang thought for a moment, then instructed, “Also prepare more charcoal. We’ll need it later.”
“Okay!” Mino responded cheerfully.
“I didn’t expect to be thinking about rain last night, and now it’s here.”
Mu Liang looked up at the rolling thunderclouds.
At dawn, the Three-colored Lizard had sent feedback—Blood Beard had already set off.
“By noon, we’ll pass each other,” Mu Liang calculated their distances, predicting they’d avoid crossing paths with Blood Beard’s team.
“For now, let’s focus on collecting more water.”
Mu Liang found good-quality wood in the yard and planned to make a few more large bathtubs. Water storage was crucial.
Crack, crack…
Wood chips flew as he split planks, smoothing the edges on stones.
Making bathtubs wasn’t hard. When compressing the planks, he filled the gaps with spider silk to ensure they wouldn’t leak.
In just over an hour, Mu Liang had made three large bathtubs.
He took a break to have breakfast.
The thunder continued intermittently until noon when rain finally poured.
It wasn’t just rain—it was a downpour. Raindrops pelted like needles.
The Rock Armored Turtle stopped moving in the storm, tucking its limbs and head into its shell near a hillside.
“Mu Liang, what now?” Mino looked at the rain, tempted to rush out and bathe.
She hadn’t forgotten Mu Liang’s remark: Can’t you smell your own sour stench?
“Are you going out dressed?” Mu Liang eyed the rain-soaked yard. There was enough water for a bath.
“Of course, how else?” Mino asked, confused.
“Use the bathroom. I’ll remove the roof,” Mu Liang glanced at her dirty clothes, knowing she wouldn’t get clean like that.
“Okay…” Mino blushed under his gaze.
Using his power, Mu Liang split the bathroom roof in two, leaving it open to the rain.
“Go ahead, but don’t take too long,” he reminded her.
“Got it,” Mino, cheeks flushed, slipped into the bathroom.
“Who knew bathing would be this complicated,” Mu Liang muttered, running a hand through his wet hair.
Looking around, he stripped off his shirt and walked into the rain…
Minutes later, Mu Liang returned to the hall, dripping wet, wearing his rain-washed clothes.
He stoked the fire and put meat soup on to boil.
“Not having spare clothes is troublesome,” he muttered, scratching his head.
He recalled the five rolls of fabric he had and cut a three-meter strip with his military knife.
Folding it in half, he cut a hole for his head at the centerline.
“No needle and thread… Spider silk should work.”
Mu Liang folded the fabric, leaving armholes at the shoulders. Using his finger to guide the silk, he stitched the sides into a sleeveless, round-neck robe.
Hiss, hiss~~
Mino, shivering from the cold, walked into the hall, teeth chattering. She’d spent over half an hour bathing.
Seeing Mu Liang holding a strange-looking robe, she blinked, confused.
“Change into this,” Mu Liang handed her the robe and gestured for her to change in her room.
“How do I wear it?” Mino asked, bewildered.
“Head through the middle, arms out the sides,” Mu Liang explained, pushing her into the room.
Catching a cold in a post-apocalyptic world was no joke; without medicine, recovery relied entirely on immunity.
“I should make another robe,” Mu Liang shook his head, sighing.
He didn’t feel cold, but wet clothes were uncomfortable.
Mino emerged from her room, shuffling in the robe.
“It feels weird,” she blushed, fidgeting.
“You look great,” Mu Liang complimented, momentarily stunned.
With her clean face, fair skin, delicate features, and large blue eyes, Mino looked soft and radiant. Her waist-length blue hair and rabbit ears added a unique charm.
Mu Liang hadn’t expected the grubby girl to transform so dramatically after a bath.
“Sit and drink some soup to warm up,” he urged, not wanting her to catch a cold.
“Okay, you have some too,” Mino blushed, pouring two bowls of soup.
“You first. I need to finish this,” Mu Liang waved, focused on his robe.