I can upgrade the shelter-Chapter 819 - 717: Hot Spring Bathhouse

"Isn’t everyone doing well in New City? Chen Xin, why do you want to move back here again?" Qin Lan was organizing some clothes she had brought along and putting them into the wardrobe in Chen Xin’s private refuge.

She couldn’t quite understand Chen Xin’s thoughts. Everything seemed fine in the New City, yet he suddenly said he wanted to move back to the original refuge.

Faced with Qin Lan’s question, Chen Xin hugged her from behind, holding her in his arms and asked, "Don’t you like living back here? Isn’t it more comfortable than in New City?"

"This place is nicer, but won’t living back here cause unnecessary trouble?" Qin Lan still couldn’t quite grasp why Chen Xin wanted to return, especially since everyone had already moved to New City. "Not to mention, you, me, and Qingyan all work in New City, and your parents live there too. So why do you want to move back here—doesn’t it seem like a hassle to you?"

Saying that, Qin Lan slapped Chen Xin’s arm that was holding her, complaining, "Stop bothering me; there’s a lot of clothes to unpack, and you’re not even helping!"

Seeing Qin Lan like this, Chen Xin couldn’t help but laugh.

After the laughter, he explained to Qin Lan, "This is my place after all. Now that I’ve reclaimed it, I can’t just let it go to waste, right?"

Chen Xin’s words made Qin Lan’s expression change slightly. This was actually the reason why she agreed to come with him, but she still didn’t quite understand why Chen Xin insisted on moving back here.

Although the shelter couldn’t just be left neglected, Qin Lan still felt there was no necessity for Chen Xin to move back. The place could be managed by others, and they could occasionally visit. There was no need to relocate again.

Noticing the change in Qin Lan’s expression, Chen Xin gently placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled as he said, "The experiment site at the Research Center in New City is insufficient for my department. We’ll activate the Research Center here again, transferring some projects back. When working here, I can stay here—surely you don’t want to see me sleeping in the office after a hard day’s work, do you?"

As he spoke, Chen Xin flashed Qin Lan a pleading look.

Hearing Chen Xin’s explanation, Qin Lan rolled her eyes at him and said, "Don’t think I don’t know—your office has a rest area with a bed, so don’t act like it’s a big deal."

Despite her words, Qin Lan no longer opposed Chen Xin’s decision.

After understanding Chen Xin’s intentions, Qin Lan realized that he was not completely moving back but only staying here when work required it, which naturally made her less resistant.

In fact, Qin Lan herself was quite fond of this refuge. The living facilities here were much more comfortable compared to New City’s, considering it was a shelter painstakingly crafted by Chen Xin, followed by expansions and upgrades. If it weren’t for the hassle of moving back and forth, Qin Lan wouldn’t have been against moving back.

"Since you’re moving back, won’t you help with the unpacking? Don’t expect me to do it all by myself!" Seeing Chen Xin standing idly by, Qin Lan grunted at him.

Seeing that Qin Lan no longer objected, Chen Xin quickly reached out to help her organize the clothes they brought back.

———————————— 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Once they finished tidying the room, Chen Xin, after a long time, busied himself in his familiar kitchen and prepared a meal.

Since the refuge had been uninhabited for some time, the vegetables and fruits in the greenhouse were in poor shape. After upgrading the refuge, Chen Xin only restored the greenhouse to a usable state. He hadn’t yet cleared these long-neglected crops, so he merely picked a part of them that was still edible to make a few simple dishes for Qin Lan and himself.

The rice and flour in the storage, although aged, were still edible.

"It’s been a long time since I had your cooking, Chen Xin. Ever since moving to the New City, you were either working overtime without time, or abroad, rarely cooking," Qin Lan remarked as she ate Chen Xin’s food. Though limited by the ingredients, and the cooking rather ordinary, she still felt a sense of nostalgia.

To this, Chen Xin simply smiled and said to her, "Once the greenhouse is sorted and we’ve got vegetables and fruits growing again, I can cook whatever you want."

Although he didn’t express it, Chen Xin knew that over the past two years, he hadn’t spent much time with his family, and he had already decided to spend more time with them in the future.

His motive for moving back to the refuge was also to spend more time with his parents, as well as Qin Lan and Mo Qingyan.

After all, in New City, Qin Lan and Mo Qingyan didn’t live with him. They only visited for meals or gatherings when they had time.

Hence, Chen Xin hoped to rejuvenate the refuge so that Qin Lan and Mo Qingyan could live with him here, allowing him to spend more time with them.

As for his parents, Chen Xin had consulted them, but they seemed reluctant to move again and preferred New City’s living environment. After considering their wishes, Chen Xin chose to respect their decision and didn’t move them back.

It was for this reason that he would live in the refuge according to work requirements, rather than fully moving back.

And if Qin Lan and Mo Qingyan had time to stay with him here, that was easy to solve, as he could simply transfer them to the Research Center here, allowing them to live here and work nearby.

However, he needed to consult Qin Lan and Mo Qingyan’s opinions, so he hadn’t directly done so.

"By the way, can the hot spring bath still be used? It’s been ages since I enjoyed a hot spring bath," Qin Lan suddenly remembered her favorite thing about the refuge as she stretched after dinner.

At Qin Lan’s mention of the hot spring bath, Chen Xin laughed, "Rest assured, when repairing the place, I paid special attention to the hot spring. Although damaged by past wars, it’s still usable."

This was part of the adjustments when Chen Xin upgraded the refuge. The underground hot spring water had been altered due to alien creatures tunneling through water veins and subsequent nuclear blasts. If not upgraded by Chen Xin, it would have been unusable now.

Hearing that the hot spring bath was functional, Qin Lan let out a cheer and ran towards the hot spring, "Chen Xin, you handle the dishes; I’m going for a bath!"