"Trexa.... oh.. hey..." he sat up straight. His back creaked loudly. The tub was not the tight place to lie in. It just aggravated his back ache even more.
"What time is it?" he glanced at his digital watch. It stopped working and so did his phone. The house had light, at least.
He stood up with difficulty and folded the sheets up. "That was not that bad, right Trexa? We survived. Yue said that the initial infected turn swiftly or get a fever for a long time." He checked his temperature. It was slightly hot but not bad.
"I guess I'm good," he walked up to the door. "Honey, are you up now?"
There was no sound outside.
Trexa gran anxiously ran in front of his leg, sniffing under the bathroom door.
"Honey?"
"Squeak!" the rat pointed to something outside.
"Zou Nui! Answer me. Are you okay?"
Only silence prevailed.
"shit." He threw open the door and ran out with his oxygen mask still on. His wife was lying on the bed, unmoving. "Nui!" he held her hands. They were very hot. "You are burning up!"
Zou Nui panted softly.
"Honey... no... no..." he kissed her hands. "I'll get you meds. Wait here,"' he ran out into the hallway.
Hary was in the kitchen fiddling with the drawers. "Cough, Mister Zou, can you tell me where the fever tablets are... I don't feel so good.."
"Hary move," he pushed him out of the way and ran t the kitchen and pulled out the emergency kit.
"is everything okay, mister Zou?"
"My wife is sick." he whispered, taking the beds he needed. He swiftly heated up some water in a kettle and ran back to Yue' room. "We need to lower her temperature!"
"Bring me some ice water!"
Hary ran to the kitchen and came back with a bowl filled with ice and a towel.
Zou Wei first fed her the pills and gently wipe her down. But as soon as water touched her skin it started to heat up. "oh no... no... Nui.. Nui.." he sobbed quietly holding her hand.
"I'll bring some hot soup. It really works!" Hary ran out into the kitchen.
Trexa gran followed after him, sniffing curiously at the air.
He threw Radom vegetables and a huge chunk of ginger in. "I hope it tastes good..." he mumbled, looking at the grey liquid.
To be honest, it didn't look that appetising.
"Maybe I should add something else.." he glanced around.
He noticed the little rat rushing into the small garden area.
"wait you are not supposed be here. Mister Zou does not approve of you In the garden....."
"Where did that come from?" Hary glanced up. There was a small hole in the temper glass above the garden area. "Oh it was the meteor." He tossed the rock in air a few times.
The rat hurriedly tried to catch it.
"booo this is not for pets to play with. I'll store it safely somewhere." As he was walking out, he noticed the lotus plant that was pulled out. Its bulb was just in the developing stage.
"This will do." He tore it up. He noticed a developed seed pod there as well. He picked the seeds out and tossed it back into the pond. "Shit my soup," he ran back to the kitchen.
Trexa gran sadly glanced at the lotus plant with its whiskers down. She tried to bite into the leaves at least, but soon the plant shrivelled up and turned black.
Hary chopped the small lotus root and added it to the soup. He let it simmer and went to check up on misses Zou.
Trexa grab took this chance to stealthily move closer to the cauldron. Her small nose trembled so fast smelling that good thing. But she could not reach it.
The soup glowed slightly, and it emitted a fresh, tantalising scent all around the kitchen.
She placed a hand on the pot, but the heat burned her paws slightly.
"Squeak!" she moved away, licking her palm. The wound disappeared instantly.
Hearing his loud squeak, Hary came running out of the room. "hey that's too dangerous for you," he picked her up and placed her on the ground.
He served it up in a small bowl and handed it to mister Zou and misses Zou.
Zou Wei fed his wife one spoon full after another. He could not control the trembling of his hands, so some of it did spill over his wife's chest.
He hurriedly wiped it away. "I'm sorry.., Nui... I'm so sorry," he sobbed, holding his head.
"I'll do that," Hary patted his shoulders and let him sit on the bed. He carefully lifted misses Zou's head and placed a pillow elevating her head. "I have experience taking care of the sick. I worked in a nursery before."
He gently fed her the soup until only the vegetables remained in the bowl. "Maybe I should have let it simmer longer." he whispered, mashing the vegetables. The lotus root especially was really hard to mush.
"Give it here," Zou Wei sobbingly took it from him and smashed it into a paste. "Is it good to feed her that?"
"Yeah, she needs some fibber." With difficulty he fed misses Zou. "There. all done," he then placed a wet towel on her forehead. "Mister Zou, don't fret. She is in good care,"
"You did good." Wei patted his back.
"Wait, you haven't eaten anything yet. Il bring the soup,"
"I'll have it later," Zou Wei shook his head.
"Mister Zou, you have to eat. You have to stay strong for your wife," he chided, and came back with another bowl. "Here, drink while it's hot,"
Zou Wei drank it all in a gulp, not minding the heat. "thanks,"
Hary looked at the leftover vegetables with a small smile.
"Squeak!" Trexa gran swiftly climbed over him and onto his hands. She pulled out a piece of lotus root specifically and ate it off.
"You must really like human food huh," Hary mumbled, glancing at her bulging cheeks.
Without any hesitation, Hary ate the leftover vegetables. Somehow after eating it his mind felt super refreshed and his mild fever subsided instantly.