Author Archives: Thingyan

Sell Rice

On the other side, Gu Shi was preparing to take a short nap when he received the call. He sat up from the bed. He didn’t actually have the desire to raise a dog, but he thought that having a dog for his grandparents, who usually didn’t have much to do, might bring them some joy and alleviate their boredom.

So he spoke up, “Sure, I’d like to adopt one for my grandparents.”

“Alright, then will you come with me to choose one? What about Brother He and the others?”

Gu Shi got up from the bed and walked to the doorway of their room, asking about the others.

Given that He Fu was responsible for planning their daily meals and monitoring their health data, and he also had his commitments at the recuperation center, he simply didn’t have the extra energy to raise a puppy. He waved his hand, saying, “I won’t be raising one. Tang Hui should probably adopt one.”

Pets are great companions, and Tang Hui’s mental condition had also significantly improved. To prevent a relapse, having a companion pet could help distract him and shift his focus during moments of emotional instability. This approach was quite common in the therapeutic process at the recuperation center and had proven to be effective.

After a moment of silence, Tang Hui finally said, “Yeah, I want to adopt one.”

Both of them left the house together and headed towards Su’s small courtyard.

Su Mu was currently chatting with her mother. Seeing them arrive so quickly, she smiled and said, “So, are we going to pick the puppies now? Did you bring money?”

“I brought some.” Su Mu didn’t need to bring money; they were different.

“Mom, I’m heading out now. You should go back to your room and rest.” Sleeping in the hammock occasionally was fine, but if they slept in it all the time, it wouldn’t be good for their neck and spine.

Su Mu brought them two hats and carried a sun umbrella for herself.

Grandma Chen’s house was located at the center of the village, and the location was quite good. However, due to her daughter-in-law’s health issues after childbirth, most of the money earned by their family was spent on her. Consequently, they still lived in the old house. Last time, part of their land was sold to Su Mu, while another portion was sold to the recuperation center, bringing them a substantial amount of money.

However, they were planning to build a new house recently. There were some bricks and sand piled up at the entrance, making it look a bit messy.

Mother dog with newly born puppies could be quite aggressive, so Su Mu didn’t rush into the yard. Instead, she stood at the entrance and called out, “Grandma Chen, it’s me, Mu Mu. I’ve come to see the puppies.”

After a short wait, a pale-faced woman emerged from the house. She was Grandma Chen’s daughter-in-law. She smiled and said, “Oh, it’s Mu Mu. Please come in. Grandma Chen went to the riverside to do laundry. I’ll take you to see the puppies.”

Her attitude was quite friendly, almost obsequious. Su Mu smiled in response, feeling a bit uncomfortable. “Thank you for your trouble, Auntie.”

“No problem at all. Let’s go this way.”

Grandma Chen’s daughter-in-law had arranged a place in the corner of the storage room for the mother dog and her puppies. There were a few pieces of old clothes underneath, and although the smell wasn’t pleasant, it was clear that Grandma Chen’s family was taking good care of the new lives.

The puppies were also well-fed, each of them chubby and tumbling around in all directions.

Seeing unfamiliar people entering, the mother dog was a bit nervous and growled softly. A few scoldings from Grandma Chen’s daughter-in-law quickly made her behave.

“Mu Mu, which one do you like?” Grandma Chen’s daughter-in-law asked.

When Su Mu had entered earlier, her attention had been immediately captured by a small dog with orange paws and a pitch-black body. In response to the question, she pointed at the one she had her eye on and said, “Auntie Chen, I like this one.” There was a small irregular shape on its forehead, resembling a cloud.

It had a somewhat unique appearance, but she simply adored it.

When many people choose puppies, they often prefer solid-colored ones. Those with mixed colors or even a somewhat “ugly” appearance weren’t as popular.

Grandma Chen’s daughter-in-law asked again, “You really like this one?”

“Yes, it’s very cute.” Su Mu picked up the little cloud and felt its soft fur. Its barks were a bit fierce.

“Since you like this one, you can take it. Oh, and do you want Big Black’s help in nursing it?” The puppies were still nursing at this point.

“No need, Auntie. I have some goat milk powder at home. My two friends also want to raise puppies. Can we buy two more from you?”

“That’s fine, no need to pay. I’ve heard from my mother-in-law that your friends are all kind-hearted people. Thanks to them, I was able to afford treatment for my illness. I’m feeling much better now.”

Grandma Chen’s daughter-in-law held two red bills in her hand. She could only watch as they walked away, getting farther and farther.

Half an hour later, Grandma Chen returned from doing laundry at the riverside. Grandma Chen’s daughter-in-law truthfully told her what had happened.

“If they’re taking them, then so be it. I’ll be even more dedicated to helping Mu Mu with things in the future.”

“Mom, you’ve worked hard.”

*

The three of them carried the puppies back to their respective homes. The little ones didn’t seem uncomfortable at all. Maybe it was because Su Mu’s scent was around?

Still full of interest, the puppies sniffed here and rolled there, and as they rolled, one of them ended up in Big Orange’s arms. Startled awake, Big Orange saw it was its own pup, extended its front legs, and cradled the little one in its embrace before closing its eyes and going back to sleep.

Poor little Cloud was trapped under its dad’s leg, struggling for a while but unable to break free. It could only raise its head in despair, its round eyes filled with a hint of confusion.

Only when Su Mu prepared some milk powder did she manage to rescue it.

And so, Little Cloud began its stay at the Su residence.

Compared to Little Cloud, its brother, Coal Ball, had quite the reputation. Tang Hui named his puppy Coal Ball. True to its name, its entire body was pitch-black, with only its eyes and teeth being white.

Perhaps feeling the responsibility of taking care of a life, Tang Hui cared deeply for Coal Ball, buying it many tasty treats and toys suitable for its age. When he brought it home, he shared the joy with his fans, who naturally exclaimed in awe at the cuteness.

The other little orange one was also adored by Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu. The three siblings had found good homes.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Having a little puppy at home was still quite novel for Su Mu. However, right now, the priority was harvesting the rice. She had focused all her energy on getting the harvest done.

The weather during this period was unpredictable. When the sun was out, she had to make sure to dry and store the rice properly. If mature rice was soaked in water and not harvested promptly, it would quickly sprout, rendering all the hard work of the past six months useless.

After about four or five busy days, all the rice in the fields was harvested. Next came the drying process. As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, the rice was completely dried and stored, filling up the family’s granary.

This year, the rice yield had reached a new high, around 1500 catties per mu. With an area of about twenty mu, they had harvested over thirty thousand catties in total.

With so much rice, the Su family couldn’t possibly consume it all. Including Su Chen and his wife, they might eat about seven hundred catties a year.

Moreover, Huayuan Village was suitable for double-season rice cultivation. They would plant in March, harvest in July, plant again in July, and harvest around October. Rice that wasn’t stored properly could attract weevils, so the best solution was to sell a portion.

Last time when her aunt came, she said she wanted to buy rice from the Su family. Some rice needed to be reserved, and Su Chen’s family also needed some. Altogether, around three thousand catties were needed.

Hearing Su Mu’s predicament, Gu Shi, He Fu, and the others offered to buy some.

No one knew the quality of Su family’s rice better than them. Their families were already accustomed to eating Su family’s vegetables, so they would likely be even happier with some rice. Either way, it was all for sale. Hearing their intention to purchase, Su Mu naturally wouldn’t refuse and said with a smile, “Please tell me how much each of you wants.”

The Gu family had fewer mouths to feed, but considering that Grandpa Gu had several good friends, Gu Shi ordered five thousand catties.

The He family, on the other hand, was large and bustling, with over a dozen members. They ended up asking for ten thousand catties.

Tang Hui’s family had a fair number of members too and requested ten thousand catties as well.

After these requests, there were still over five thousand catties left in the granary. Before she could decide what to do with them, Wei Liu’s call came in urgently.

“Mu Mu, can you save two thousand catties of rice for me? I’m sending a driver to pick it up!”

“Sure, but Brother Wei, how come you’re so well-informed?”

“Your brother mentioned it. The family should be harvesting rice these days. I just knew that my bunch of buddies would definitely grab a share of your rice. How much did they all buy?”

Su Mu reported the quantities that Gu Shi and the others wanted, and Wei Liu exclaimed in surprise, “Are they pigs? Each one of them wants so much!”

At this moment, her phone received another call, so she had to say, “Brother Wei, next time you send someone to pick up the rice, please let me know in advance so I can be prepared. Someone’s looking for me, I’ll hang up now.”

It was Fu Da. His voice sounded a bit urgent. “Mu Mu, your family’s rice…”

Su Mu spoke, “There’s only a little over three thousand catties left. Do you want it, Brother Fu?”

“I do.” He sighed, “I’m really late. Actually, I wanted to secure the whole batch.”

He had seen a photo of Tang Hui’s harvested rice just now and then realized that Su family’s rice should have been harvested around the same time. He hadn’t expected their actions to be so fast, leaving only a little over three thousand catties for him.

Still, better than nothing.

And so, shortly after being stored in the granary, the rice was loaded onto trucks and taken away.

Su Mu sold unhusked rice, priced at an astounding 89 yuan per catty. Selling around thirty thousand catties of rice, the Su family received over three million yuan. Out of that, over six hundred thousand were Father Su and Mother Su’s share. She transferred the money to her parents’ account, marking the end of the rice-selling affair.

With a relaxed mind, they ushered in the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Su family’s mooncakes were made with self-prepared fillings at the local workshop. Their taste was no worse than the ones available on the market.

When Mother Su was making mooncakes, Grandma Gu went along too. She had never seen the process of making mooncakes before.

There were several types of fillings, such as five-nut, red bean, salted egg yolk, and sweet potato paste. All the ingredients were produced at home, even the glutinous rice flour used for the pastry.

Most of them were traditional-style mooncakes, while snowskin mooncakes had become popular in recent years, so a considerable number of those were also made.

The mooncakes that were produced had a rich aroma and a very delicate texture.

The shop owner who helped with the production even wanted to buy ingredients and mooncakes from Mother Su. Naturally, Mother Su rejected the idea without much thought. Over this period, she had also realized that their self-produced ingredients were top-notch. Most people couldn’t afford them, and she was reluctant to sell them at a low price.

During this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, both Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu were staying in Huayuan Village. So, Su Mu made many mooncakes and sent them back to the capital for Gu Yan and his wife. Apart from keeping some for themselves, they would use the rest as gifts for well-connected families.

Father Gu was a military man and couldn’t leave the capital at will. He could only spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with his wife. He had Gu Yan and Sang Yan represent them in Huayuan Village to show filial piety to the grandparents.

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Harvest

Grandpa Gu was in good health, but he was over seventy years old. With the fields bustling now, it wouldn’t be good if he bumped into something. After some persuasion from Gu Shi and Su Mu, they finally managed to dissuade him from personally going to harvest the rice.

Grandma Gu chimed in too, complaining, “You old man, you’re in your seventies. Don’t you have any self-awareness? Do you still think you’re as strong as you were in your prime? Let me make it clear: if you get into trouble showing off, I won’t be taking care of you.”

Grandpa Gu grumbled, “I just wanted to relive the old days.”

“In that case, you shouldn’t be eating a feast tonight, as if you’re still eating husks and drinking thin porridge?”

“You old woman, I can’t reason with you.” Grandpa Gu stubbornly held his ground. He knew he was in the wrong, but she was just going on and on about it.

Su Mu and Gu Shi exchanged a glance, amusement in their eyes. However, they didn’t dare laugh out loud; they focused their attention on the villagers working instead.

“Do you want to experience it?” Su Mu lifted the sickle in her hand and invited.

Before Gu Shi could answer, He Fu and Tang Hui, who were nearby, quickly spoke up. Excitedly, they said, “We want to try it too!”

“Sure, there are a few sickles in the bamboo basket. You can take them and learn from the village uncles. Just be careful not to cut your hands.”

In the days leading up to the harvest, the water in the paddies had been drained, leaving the ground firm. After they got onto the fields, they adjusted to the terrain. They humbly learned from the neighboring villagers.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Grandpa Gu patted Gu Shi’s back and raised his chin toward the field. “You should go too.”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t understand the preciousness of food. They were provided with delicious food and drink every day, and they still didn’t have an appetite to eat!

Gu Shi glanced at his grandpa and obediently went into the field. Su Mu followed suit. When she was young, she rarely did manual labor in the fields. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to but because her father wouldn’t allow it. He’d say he didn’t want his daughter, who was as fair as jade, to become as dark as coal.

However, she was still a country girl at heart, and she’d seen plenty. Despite a few initial fumbles, she quickly got the hang of it and soon left Gu Shi and the others behind.

Adjacent to her, an aunt praised, “Mu Mu, you’re really fast! You’re almost as fast as me.”

She also had a college-educated son, but when he had to work in the fields, it was like pulling teeth. He moved slowly, not as smoothly as Mu Mu.

Su Mu smiled and replied, “Well, I’ve seen a lot before, so cutting isn’t difficult.”

“Mu Mu, slow down.” After hearing He Fu’s words, she turned her head. He Fu thumped his slightly sore lower back and said, “You shouldn’t be so fast. It makes us look like slackers.”

His comment amused Su Mu and the villagers, causing a burst of laughter.

Grandpa Gu stood on the ridge of the field, laughing and scolding, “You little rascal, catching up with the girls is nothing to be proud of. What skill is there in letting the girls go easy on you?”

“Big Brother He, how is that any different from plugging your ears and stealing a bell?”

He Fu stood his ground, “At least it looks better on the surface.”

“This morning’s harvested rice was brought here to dry. Typically, during rice harvesting season, this square becomes insufficient, leading to conflicts and tensions among villagers. Fortunately, Su’s family harvested their rice earlier than anyone else in the village, so they are able to use a large portion of the square.

Father and daughter each took a rake and spread out the rice, which had been piled into a small hill, making it even and ready for drying on the ground. This was quite a labor-intensive task, and after about half an hour, both of them were busy and sweaty. Su Mu had just finished showering and was sweating again.

Father Su felt sorry for her. “You should go home and rest.”

After spreading the rice to dry, it needs to be turned over with the rake occasionally to ensure even drying and better quality. Plus, there were many birds and villagers’ chickens and ducks around. He needed to stay here and take care of things. Su Mu suggested, “How about I call Mom to come and help you?”

Father Su waved his hand. “No need. It’s so hot. Why call her here? Let her come to take my place around 4 o’clock in the afternoon.”

“Alright, then I’ll head back.”

Next to the village committee square was a large banyan tree with several hammocks hanging from its trunk. At this time, many villagers were resting here. Father Su wouldn’t suffer much staying here.

Su Mu returned to the small courtyard. She was afraid her parents would get bored being alone, so they usually stayed in the courtyard during the day and went back to their new house to sleep at night.

The small courtyard was quiet now. Grandpa Gu and the others had already gone home to rest. Her mother was lying on a hammock, and when she saw Su Mu come in, she sat up.

“Earlier, Grandma Chen came over. She said the puppies at her house have been born for over a month. She asked if you wanted one. If not, she’ll sell them in the county.”

Su Mu’s eyes lit up, and she quickly nodded. “Yes, how many puppies were born? How much should we pay?”

Her mother waved her hand. “No need to pay. These puppies are Big Orange’s offspring. There are seven in total.”

Su Mu looked at the curled-up Big Orange by her feet and exclaimed, “Big Orange, you’re quite a sneaky troublemaker.”

Big Orange wagged its tail and ignored her, continuing to sleep.

Su Mu picked up her phone and said, “I’ll call Gu Shi and ask if they want to raise any.”

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Thingyan: Big Orang is a scum huh

Going Home

In the following days, Su Mu and Gu Shi thoroughly enjoyed exploring the various attractions of the city, both big and small. Their originally fair skin turned a healthy wheat color after being exposed to the sun.

It’s often said that travel reveals a person’s true nature, and their feelings for each other progressed rapidly during this time. However, they still hadn’t crossed the final boundary. Su Mu could consider herself as having fulfilled her father’s numerous warnings.

It was time to head back home.

The clothes and bags they bought at the mall were all packed and shipped back by Gu Shi, along with their luggage. So, the return journey was quite light and easy.

They arrived at the Muyun City Airport around two o’clock in the afternoon. Stepping out of the airport, they were hit by a wave of heat, causing Su Mu’s sweat to instantly start flowing.

“Now that I think about it, the temperature in Q City is more friendly,” she remarked.

“Then let’s walk a bit faster. It won’t be so hot once we’re in the car,” Gu Shi suggested.

Looking at Gu Shi, who still looked fresh and cool, Su Mu couldn’t help but feel envious. He seemed immune to sweating…

The drive took over an hour before they reached Huayuan Village.

Upon their return, instead of heading straight to Su Mu’s new house, they came to Su family courtyard. The courtyard was bustling at the moment. Grandpa Gu and the others were sitting under the grape trellis to enjoy the shade. Father Su was sitting on a stool, holding a knife and a piece of bamboo.

Seeing them back, everyone was delighted.

They bombarded them with questions about their travel experiences.

Smiling, Su Mu answered, “It was a lot of fun, relaxing too. We had great food and entertainment. Oh, we also bought gifts for you, but they’re bulky and heavy, so we sent them by courier. They should arrive in a couple of days.”

After chatting for a while, Su Mu headed into the kitchen to find something to eat. Mother Su followed her and whispered, “Mu Mu, during this trip with Xiao Shi, nothing happened, right?”

Su Mu’s face turned slightly red, but she remained composed. “No, nothing happened at all.”

Mother Su breathed a sigh of relief and smiled wryly. “I knew it. You and Xiao Shi are both rational. Your dad insisted I confirm just to ease his mind.”

Su Mu didn’t think her parents had outdated thinking; rather, she felt their caring concern. She held her mother’s hand and said, “Mom, don’t worry. We both know our boundaries.”

She wasn’t averse to pre-marital cohabitation. It was a trial for their future married life. However, given that they had known each other for less than half a year, rushing things wouldn’t be wise, as it might lead to complications.

Mother Su nodded. Her daughter was a sensible person, and Xiao Shi was mature too. She was confident in their relationship.

Su Mu grabbed an ice cream from the freezer and a chilled passion fruit tea from the fridge, then walked outside with her mother.

Grandpa Gu and the others were of old age and couldn’t eat frozen treats like these. Therefore, she only poured a glass of tea for Gu Shi, while she indulged in her ice cream.

Father Su’s fingers were busy flipping, while bamboo strips moved along with his motions.

“Dad, what are you doing?”

“It’s too hot these days, I’m making a bamboo mat.”

Although a bamboo mat was a bit hard, it provided cool comfort. Besides, he was used to sleeping on hard beds; he couldn’t sleep on those soft and fluffy ones.

Su Mu didn’t expect her father to have this skill and was quite surprised.

Mother Su laughed and explained, “Your dad hasn’t done this in a long time. It’s normal that you didn’t know.”

Previously, the burdens of their children’s education fees and living expenses pressed heavily on Father Su, so he had no time to waste on weaving bamboo mats. He might as well go into the mountains to pick mushrooms or gather medicinal herbs.

*

After returning from the trip, Su Mu’s flower shop reopened. The shop had been temporarily closed while she was away.

After a few months of operation, each of the flower shops had gained quite a few fans. The news of the reopening quickly spread, and orders started pouring in.

Most of the orders included several types, even a dozen varieties of flowers purchased together. Among them, sunflowers were the bestsellers.

However, Su Mu wanted to temporarily remove sunflowers from the offerings. The reason was simple: the sunflowers had developed seeds.

When she saw the sunflower heads turning from green to gray, she had a bad feeling.

Upon closer inspection, she found the flower heads densely packed with mature seeds.

Sunflowers that had developed seeds gradually lost their vibrant petals, and the once lively appearance disappeared.

When she shared this news with the flower shop’s fans, their response was one of lament.

“No, please don’t, those big sunflowers have always been my daughter’s treasure.”

“How about selling sunflower seeds, owner? You could even bundle them with the seed-filled flower heads. I’ve been telling my son that sunflower seeds are the fruit of sunflowers, but he doesn’t believe it. This would be a perfect chance to give him an educational lesson.”

The demand for sunflower seeds in certain online fan groups grew louder, forcing Su Mu to consider the feasibility of this idea.

The ultimate outcome was indeed feasible. Dried flower heads were more convenient to transport than fresh sunflowers.

The flowering period of the Asteraceae family flowers by the roadside was also coming to an end. Various flowers were gradually taken down. Although Su Mu sowed new seeds, she didn’t intend to sell them in the latter half of the year. Instead, she used them to cultivate new plant varieties.

Transporting flower heads with seeds didn’t require the infusion of her powers, so Su Mu assigned this task to her mother, with all the income going to her.

This was her way of compensating her mother. Previously, her mother had helped the flower shop a lot. Su Mu had offered to pay her, but her mother firmly refused, saying she wouldn’t accept money for helping her own daughter.

“Mom, just accept it. If you don’t, I’ll close the flower shop.”

Sunflowers wouldn’t be sold for much longer; they’d likely be done by the end of October. Once sunflowers were sold out, the flower shop would naturally close. This was just a matter of time.

However, Mother Su grew anxious when she heard this. Having helped her daughter with the flower shop for quite some time, she knew roughly how much money the shop made each day. They could earn forty to fifty thousand yuan in just three or four days. She was reluctant to see it close.

“Alright, alright, I’ll accept it. Is that not okay?” Anyway, the money would eventually become part of her daughter’s dowry.

With her mother taking over the flower shop, Su Mu devoted most of her attention to the vegetable garden and cultivating new plants.

In the vegetable garden, due to the different maturation times of various vegetables, after harvesting one type, she had to promptly replant new seeds to ensure a continuous supply to both Rui Shang and the healing center.

It’s worth mentioning that the vegetables brought in from abroad performed well and were popular in the market. Based on Rui Shang’s feedback, most of the new seeds Su Mu planted were foreign vegetable varieties.

The grandmothers worked wholeheartedly, with Grandma Li overseeing them. This took a lot of burden off Su Mu’s shoulders.

She entered the greenhouse. Mist Blossom hadn’t grown much taller, but the color had become more vibrant. Golden Crystal showed signs of flowering. In the center of the plant, light golden flower buds had emerged, almost imperceptible without close examination.

The defensive Morning Glory flowers planted at the entrance of the greenhouse were now producing vines. The vines were crawling towards the edges of the greenhouse. Su Mu tested them, and the Morning Glory flowers were indeed starting to develop their defense skills.

Various colors of orchids in another greenhouse were thriving, thanks to the efforts of little orchid and little violet.

After watering them, Su Mu left the greenhouse. It was getting late today, and there was no rush to cultivate new plants.

October had arrived, and although the temperature had dropped a little, it wasn’t much different. In the city of Mu Yun, December and January were the coldest months, with temperatures mostly above twenty degrees Celsius. The peak of summer could reach over thirty degrees.

In a few days, it would be the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the festive atmosphere was becoming stronger.

Before the festival, there was a big event in the Su family. The rice in the fields had ripened and needed to be harvested.

Originally, they had only five acres, but Su Mu had bought over a hundred more acres. Among them, the area used for planting rice was around ten acres, adding up to about twenty acres in total.

Their rice was ready for harvest about half a month earlier than the rest of the village’s rice. It was too much for just the three of them to harvest, so they had to hire some help.

Mu Yun City wasn’t a plain; it mostly consisted of hills and mountains. The only exception was that the area around Huayuan Village was relatively flat.

Therefore, they didn’t have the harvesting machines found in the central plains, and everything had to be done manually.

The Su family had already gathered a group of experienced workers, offering good wages. As a result, many villagers signed up to help.

On the day of harvesting, Grandpa Gu and others had gotten up early to join the excitement.

Dozens of villagers lined up in formation, which was quite a sight. It didn’t take long for the combine harvester to roar to life.

Grandpa Gu and his wife marveled, “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen such a bountiful harvest.”

“Yes, when I was working in the countryside, I did this kind of work.”

As they chatted, Grandpa Gu was already rolling up his pant legs, ready to get to work in the fields.

Su Mu pointed to her left and right without saying a word, then bent down to continue cutting rice. He Fu followed her movement, and to his astonishment, Gu Shi and Tang Hui had secretly left him far behind! The rice they were cutting was much higher than his.

“I’m saving face for you, and you guys don’t even show any brotherly solidarity?!”

Unfortunately, he couldn’t offend anyone, so he had to work diligently.

He Fu felt bitter in his heart. Just a moment ago, when he was standing on the field ridge watching, he saw the villagers cutting in big handfuls. It seemed easy, so why were the sickles so disobedient in his hands?

Rice plants had tough roots, and their leaves had small, sharp edges. Careless movements resulted in several small cuts on his hands, making them sore and itchy. But what could he do? He brought this work upon himself. He would endure it until the end, even if he had to cry, or else he’d lose both face and substance.

The Su family’s rice was growing well this year. Every rice ear was densely packed with grains, causing them to droop heavily.

The villagers were experienced farmers. As soon as they started working, they knew that the yield per acre would be high. Seeing the grains plump and full, they felt envious.

It seemed that the heavens had smiled on the Su family this year. From vegetables and fruits to rice, everything had been harvested well. This year had been prosperous.

Harvesting nearly twenty acres of rice wasn’t something that could be done quickly.

As the sun climbed higher, its intensity increased. Father Su asked everyone to return for lunch and resume work around four in the afternoon.

The group returned together. After a morning of work, Su Mu and the others were in a sorry state. Their clothes and pants were stained with mud, and their hair was soaked in sweat.

Scratching at the small wounds on his hands, He Fu sighed, “Harvesting isn’t easy. We really need to treasure these crops.”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Gu Shi deeply agreed. Farmers worked under the scorching sun, yet the price of rice wasn’t high. However, there was serious food wastage in places like schools and restaurants in the cities. Even he had engaged in wasteful behavior in the past. Looking back, it was truly wrong.

Father Su chuckled, “It’s not too late to realize this now. Your generation grew up in times of peace, never worrying about food and clothing. You don’t have such a deep connection to the land and food. But for people like me, who are older, we couldn’t bear to waste even half a grain of rice. Back then, we used to dig for roots and peel tree bark just to fill our stomachs.”

Su Mu and the others nodded obediently. Today, they had truly learned a meaningful lesson.

*

Ever since Tang Hui posted that photo on V-blog, he had intermittently started posting content. Today, he shared about harvesting rice online, accompanied by a picture of him wearing a straw hat and holding a sickle in front of a rice field.

“So the big boss hasn’t been posting for a while, turns out he’s out in the countryside harvesting rice?”

“Really down-to-earth.”

“Emmm, looking like this, you’re not much different from an ordinary person!”

“Our family Tang Hui relies on acting, not his looks. But why don’t you post a picture for us to see? He’s actually quite handsome, you know?”

“Don’t give us that skeptical look. Our Tang Hui is in much better spirits. I’m glad to see him eating well lately.”

“Did anyone hear the news? There’s a rumor that he is joining ‘A Wonderful Day.’ Is it starting filming?”

“Don’t believe rumors. Wait for the official announcement.”

These rumors have been circulating for over two months, and the show’s production team still hasn’t made an official announcement. Even though fans really want Tang Hui to join this popular variety show, they won’t get their hopes up until there’s concrete news. They don’t want to cause trouble for the person they like; they’d be the ones getting attacked, not the haters.

Tang Hui refreshed the comments section and saw that fans were defending him. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He took a few steps forward and joined the conversation.

“I wonder what the aunties are making for lunch.”

…

The group returned to the small courtyard, where mother Su and the others had already prepared lunch. Since it was hot, she hadn’t cooked anything overly steaming or oily.

There was a whole hand-pulled chicken, thinly sliced garlic pork, blanched jumbo shrimp, stewed sour eggplant with fish, a large pot of minced meat and vegetable soup, and garlic-flavored baby bok choy.

Each dish was substantial, showing that they knew everyone was famished and had even served the food themselves.

Today was harvest day, and the young people had gone to help. Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu were worried that Mother Su alone wouldn’t be able to prepare lunch in time, so they had asked Aunt Li to come and assist. Therefore, they were having lunch at Su’s house too, and the table was packed with cheerful chatter.

“I’ve never felt that white rice was so delicious!” He Fu took a big mouthful of rice and expressed his genuine feelings.

Grandma Gu looked at him affectionately. “Seems like you need to experience it firsthand to understand the value of these crops. Are you going back in the afternoon?”

He Fu and Tang Hui both shook their heads. “Not going, not going.”

He Fu added, “I need to check on the progress of a project at the recuperation center.”

Tang Hui said, “I need to see if there’s any work for me. Due to my previous depression, my studio disbanded, so now I have to manage my own work arrangements and plans. But I haven’t resumed work yet.”

Grandma Gu and Grandpa Gu’s gazes landed on their grandson. Gu Shi nodded lightly. “I’m going.”

It was his girlfriend’s land, and the rice was his girlfriend’s rice. As half of the owner, he had to go.

Grandpa Gu nodded in agreement. “Exactly.”

Su Mu naturally understood why he wanted to go as well. She patted his hand resting on his thigh, and placed a piece of chicken on his plate. “Eat more.”

After lunch, Su Mu followed her father out and arrived at the village committee square.

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Thingyan: Are you hungry now, my dear reader? Because I am 🥲🥲🥲

Shopping

The mall wasn’t far from the restaurant, and they arrived after a short walk.

This mall was one of the three most luxurious malls in China. Everything inside was a world-class luxury product. Ordinary people rarely dared to step inside; most of the visitors were impeccably dressed top professionals from various industries.

However, Su Mu didn’t understand much about these things. Back in the Interstellar world, she had seen even more luxurious aerial shopping centers than this.

To her surprise, it seemed that Gu Shi was quite knowledgeable about this place.

She nudged his arm playfully and teased, “Mr. Gu, did you used to come here often? Who did you accompany?”

Naturally, Gu Shi sensed the undertones in her words. He replied calmly, “This is our family’s property.”

It was he who had suggested building this top-tier mall. He had been involved for quite some time during the project’s initiation, which explained his familiarity with the place.

Su Mu couldn’t have expected this response. She was taken aback for a few seconds before speaking, “It seems that the Gu family’s business empire is even larger than I imagined!”

As far as she knew, the Gu family primarily engaged in real estate, followed by the entertainment industry, and more recently, they had entered the technology sector. Strikingly, they excelled in each sector, achieving top-level status.

But witnessing how much Gu Shi had to manage every day, along with constant studying during his free time, she understood that the Gu family’s success wasn’t as straightforward as outsiders might think.

“Sure, you’ll gradually learn more in the future,” Gu Shi said fondly, looking at her.

Su Mu suddenly laughed lightly and asked him, “Gu Shi, aren’t you afraid that I might be interested in your family’s wealth?”

Gu Shi pinched her smooth cheek and self-deprecatingly said, “That would be great, you can take away the wealth. Only one condition – you have to take me along, alright?”

Su Mu gazed at him with a smile. “Mr. Gu is truly priceless.”

Hearing this, Gu Shi felt his heart soften.

The two of them exchanged sweet nothings from time to time and soon arrived at their destination.

As the area was close to the sea, there were quite a few stores selling swimsuits.

Su Mu casually pointed to a store and walked in. The service staff were quite courteous, guiding them through the store.

Gu Shi disliked being disturbed, so he waved the staff away and personally started selecting swimsuits for her.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“This one looks nice, and that one is good too. Which one do you like?” he asked.

Su Mu looked at the options in his hand, her expression hard to describe. She was planning to swim, not dive – did she really need something so tightly wrapped?

“Don’t mess around, go pick your own.” She had actually set her sights on two slightly more revealing swimsuits – one in black and the other in a cute yellow.

The colors and designs resonated with her.

Gu Shi touched his nose and obediently headed to the men’s section.

However, the men’s section of the store was rather quiet, with fewer options compared to the women’s section. After casually picking out two items, he couldn’t wait to return to her side, appearing like a large tailless bear that constantly wanted to stick to its owner.

Once they left the swimsuit store, Gu Shi was now carrying two shopping bags in his hands, and he took her to a clothing store.

“We still have plenty of clothes at home that you haven’t worn,” Su Mu said. She wasn’t very keen on buying more, and if she did, he would insist on paying. These clothes were too expensive, and she couldn’t get over that hurdle of accepting such valuable things.

“But those weren’t purchased by me. I just wanted to buy you some clothes, nothing more,” Gu Shi explained. It seemed that she had everything she needed in life. Besides treating her well, he wasn’t sure what else he could do for her. Now that he had finally found an opportunity, he didn’t want to give up easily.

“But…”

“No ‘buts.’ Do we need to be so formal between us? My grandparents and I eat vegetables from your family’s land every day. Have you ever accepted money for that? Those vegetables are enough to cover these expenses.”

After thinking for a moment, Su Mu waved her hand and said, “Alright, I’ll trade you a lifetime supply of vegetables!”

Gu Shi raised an eyebrow. “In the end, I’ve gained something.” Her vegetables were truly invaluable.

With her agreement, Gu Shi was eager to buy out the entire women’s section of the store. Su Mu kept trying on clothes, so much so that she became numb to it.

After trying on around a dozen items, she refused to try on more. However, Gu Shi had already learned her size and personally picked out several more items for her.

By the time they returned to the car, the luxury vehicle was almost submerged beneath numerous shopping bags.

Once a man’s shopping desires arose, they rivaled those of any woman!

Shopping consumed a lot of energy, and Su Mu couldn’t summon the strength to continue exploring sightseeing spots. Therefore, they returned to the seaside villa.

Upon entering, she collapsed onto the sofa. The driver took care of carrying the bags. Gu Shi sat down on the carpet next to the sofa and gave her a massage to help her relax.

“Mr. Gu, why do you have so much energy despite being so thin? I’m not going shopping with you again next time,” Su Mu complained weakly as she lay on the sofa.

Gu Shi just chuckled and didn’t say anything, gently massaging her. The pressure was so comfortable that Su Mu slowly closed her tired eyes.

After a while, there was no movement. Gu Shi looked up and saw her sleeping peacefully. He got up, went to the room, fetched a thin blanket, and gently covered her with it. Then, he sat down on the other side and started working on his business matters.

A few days ago, his elder brother had sent him a project proposal, so he took this opportunity to carefully review it. Perhaps because his beloved was right beside him, he was able to see her with just a slight lift of his head. His work efficiency was remarkable, and in no time, he cleared the backlog of work from the past few days. This led his elder brother to repeatedly ask if he had taken some miraculous efficiency-enhancing drug.

He couldn’t be bothered with his brother’s inquiries and simply sent a message to silence him.

“I’ve completed my tasks, it’s your turn to execute.”

Between the two brothers, one made the major decisions while the other handled the execution. Over the years, they had achieved seamless cooperation.

In this era, only with high efficiency could one put food on the table. Therefore, Gu Yan didn’t waste any more words and immediately plunged into his intense work.

Gu Shi put down his laptop and walked to Su Mu. He carefully lifted her up and let her rest her head on his lap. He gazed at her sleeping face with tenderness, as if he couldn’t get enough of looking at her.

The sea breeze was soothing. It wasn’t until the sky was tinted with hues of dawn that Su Mu gently woke up. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Gu Shi’s handsome face.

At the moment, he had his eyes closed, his hand supporting his head. She couldn’t tell if he was asleep or not.

Su Mu couldn’t help but reach out her hand, tracing her fingertips along his exquisite contours, and finally pausing on his lips.

Mr. Gu’s lips were as soft as marshmallows.

Su Mu gazed at him, her eyes sparkling like stars.

Suddenly, her hand was held, and Gu Shi’s voice sounded near her ear, “Miss Su, are you thinking of doing something naughty to me?”

Su Mu sat up in a hurry, looking innocent. “No, I haven’t thought of anything. Don’t misunderstand me.”

Gu Shi leaned in, his voice low and slow as he whispered in her ear, “But I want to do something naughty.”

With that, his scorching kiss descended upon her.

Originally, Su Mu had no intention of resisting him. She tried to respond, and it set off a chain reaction. Gu Shi began exploring more deeply, and her breath was nearly stolen away.

“Mu Mu, breathe.” His breath brushed against her ear, causing her to shiver with goosebumps. Before she could break free, she was once again enveloped in his tenderness.

Perhaps it was the ambiguous dawn light, but Gu Shi was almost losing control. They were initially sitting side by side, but now Su Mu was sliding down, and Gu Shi leaned over her.

Su Mu felt the scorching heat of his large palm at her waist, as though it might sear her. Her rationality was being drawn away bit by bit, following his breath as it surged.

It wasn’t until she was released from his gentle hold that she realized the soft restraints had been lifted. She used her small hand to stop his wandering hand. “Stop, Gu Shi.”

Gu Shi’s movements paused, and he buried his head in the crook of her neck, panting heavily. He kissed her neck gently. “I’m sorry, Mu Mu.”

Su Mu’s one hand was still wrapped around his neck as she lightly patted his head. “It’s okay.”

She was also indulging in this wonderful moment, especially since it was with him.

Gu Shi withdrew his hand from beneath her clothing. His palm was still scorching hot, as if he could still feel the softness and delicacy from before.

For a while, neither of them moved. They needed some time to calm down and compose themselves.

After a while, Gu Shi got up. The desire in his eyes had faded, and he helped Su Mu to her feet. He carefully straightened her clothing and gradually tidied her messy hair.

“Are you still going swimming?”

Su Mu nodded. “Yes.”

She wanted to cool off and relieve some of the tension by soaking in the water.

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Thingyan: Why are all the MLs in these novels so freaking rich? Nothing wrong with not being so rich you know, authors!!!

The middle-aged man’s behavior was quickly stopped by the soldiers in the base, and they brought all three people back to the office for investigation and processing. The verdict was that the middle-aged man had no right to interfere with the romantic relationship of two adults.

In the following days, students from various small bases were gradually brought to the main base, and the start of the new semester also marked the beginning of other work in the base.

On a morning in early March, at eight o’clock, the announcement speakers in all the bases simultaneously came on, and the voice of Liang Jincheng was heard.

All the bases within the jurisdiction of the S Base heard his voice at the same time.

“I am Liang Jincheng, and what I am going to announce next is the work arrangement for the new year in the base.

1. Strengthen the security construction of the base, and focus on security patrols in the external area.

2. Gradually open up free trade.

3. Expand recruitment for the food and processing factories…

He read out the big picture and small details for more than ten minutes. During this period, anyone who could hear it was all ears to the sound.

Then Liang Jincheng’s voice stopped abruptly, and another voice inserted itself.

“What we are about to announce is a new policy. All adults, under the premise of mutual consent, can register and obtain a marriage certificate at the 306 office on the third floor of the comprehensive affairs building in the base,” Ji Cha paused here and added, “There are no restrictions on gender for marriage registration.”

No gender restrictions? The members of the base who heard this were a little surprised, what does that mean?

Regardless of the surprise of the people below, after reading this announcement, the speaker went silent, and a moment later, with a beep, the speaker was also cut off, indicating that the announcement had been completed.

Compared to the policy changes in Liang Jincheng’s speech, most people feel that the bigger news is about Ji Cha.

Many pre-apocalypse systems have been completely overturned by now, and although there are tens of thousands of people in the base, there are very few couples who were together before the apocalypse. Most of them were separated during the process of fleeing. As for lovers, there are quite a few, but they lack security, and many of them just live together temporarily, switching partners frequently.

Even so, there are still some people who genuinely want to stay together and build a future. When they heard this news, they were overjoyed. Among them, there is also a special group, which is same-sex couples.

Before the apocalypse, Country C did not pass a law legalizing same-sex marriage, and the overall social attitude towards same-sex couples was quite discriminatory and dismissive. When they arrived at the base after going through hardships, they did not expect to be recognized and accepted.

But no one expected the base to suddenly issue a notice that seems to be inclusive of same-sex couples.

Because of this, someone went to the comprehensive affairs building that afternoon to inquire about it, and the answer they received was even more shocking.

The base indeed does not exclude same-sex couples, and they can also obtain a marriage certificate. In addition, there is a notice posted at the office entrance stating that people who come to obtain marriage certificates in the first month can buy the base’s own candy at half price.

With such an accurate answer, many same-sex couples immediately couldn’t contain their excitement and wanted to obtain their certificates, but they were told to wait because there was another couple taking pictures ahead of them.

The crowd waited patiently, but they were all startled when the couple came out.

Perhaps there are still many people in the base who do not know Ji Cha, but there is no one in the base who does not know Liang Jincheng.

Ji Cha and Liang Jincheng walked out from behind the curtain, which could possibly be explained as a work inspection by the leaders, but what’s with them holding hands? Everyone was stunned.

The real bombshell came after that. They sat down at the office staff’s desk, reported their names and the numbers on their information cards, and became the first couple in the base to get married under the number 001.

Although there were still many members in the base who were hesitant, after Ji Cha and Liang Jincheng set an example, the marriage registration office suddenly saw a surge in couples registering to get married.

For Ji Cha and Liang Jincheng, getting married was simply a guarantee for both parties, and nothing had really changed between them. But for outsiders, this was a shocking revelation.

Liang Jincheng was the biggest diamond bachelor in the base, not to mention handsome and charming. More importantly, he was now the highest authority figure in the entire S base and also the captain of the supernatural ability team. Many people were eager to help him fix his single status, and even wanted to personally take action.

Who would have thought that such a powerful figure was gay?

As for Ji Cha, he managed the farm and was in charge of many other related industries in the base, providing food and necessities for everyone. The changes in the base over the past year were astounding, especially in terms of the food. Everyone praised him for it.

The fact that these two people were a couple was a huge surprise to everyone. Even those who had initially opposed the policy of same-sex marriage suddenly became silent when they saw that the leaders themselves had set the example.

All in all, marriage is a happy event. Many people still adhere to the customs of the pre-apocalyptic era and are willing to celebrate at this time. As the farm gradually opened up for personal buying and selling, many people were even willing to buy vegetables and cook a small feast to celebrate. As a result, the first month after the policy was announced was a lively one in the base.

In contrast, the people in T base, including Feng Xing, were completely restless.

The children who came from other bases to study didn’t have weekly breaks, but rather studied for a month and then had a week off, with transportation provided by their respective bases. When the children from T base returned to their base, they immediately told their families about the situation in S base.

Not only did the people in S base live and eat well, but the base itself was almost no different from the pre-apocalyptic era. However, what really struck the children from T base was not the local students of S base, but rather those who had struggled to survive in bases even younger than theirs were living better than they were.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Just because they’ve been taken in by S Base now, they can eat, drink, and live better than us. Our T Base could crush ten of them small bases before, but now we can only envy them. Who made them part of S Base now?”

“Eating meat every day. My desk mate doesn’t like fatty meat. Even when he eats braised pork, he has to chew the fat. Who among us can choose to be picky like it?”

The children were holding their breath, not because they were being treated unfairly by S Base. After all, lunch and other things were all self-funded projects. The more money you spend, the better you eat. What the children from T Base couldn’t accept was that even the bases that used to be poor and struggling, and even begged T Base for help before, were now doing better than them.

Suddenly, a wave of resentment swept through T Base.

Feng Xing and Ke Chenglei were also worried. Who wouldn’t want to live a relaxed and comfortable life?

Finally, after several meetings, T Base made a decision. Feng Xing and Ke Chenglei got on a car heading to S Base, preparing to discuss the matter of merging with the base.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

By the time Feng Xing and Ke Chenglei arrived, it was already noon. Before they even entered Liang Jincheng’s office, they were taken to the cafeteria for a meal. This made them realize that what the students had said about life at S Base compared to T Base was not an exaggeration.

Liang Jincheng had already anticipated their visit, so he calmly received them.

“Merger is good. After all, there is strength in numbers, and everyone needs to support each other to develop. I just don’t know if you have any conditions regarding the merger?” Liang Jincheng sat calmly on the sofa and asked Feng Xing and Ke Chenglei.

They were already the weaker party seeking help. What other conditions could they ask for?

Feng Xing said, “We don’t have any requirements on our side. We don’t know what treatment the base can give us?”

This was another thing that Liang Jincheng had anticipated.

He spoke up, “Once you merge, the title of T base will no longer exist, and you will all be part of S base. T base will be renamed as Zone T of S base, which will still be under your responsibility. In addition, we will send some personnel to help with the management, and the development and changes of each sector will be determined by the main base. At the same time, the resources and living conditions for residents of each sector will be the same as those of the main base.”

This was already a much better deal than what Feng Hang and Ke Chenglei had expected. They didn’t hesitate and agreed immediately.

Feng Hang and Ke Chenglei hurried back to T base, but this time they were filled with hope. Along with the S base personnel, several trucks of fresh supplies had also arrived at the now-renamed Zone T. From now on, the overall resources and living conditions of Zone T would be provided by the main base.

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Thingyan: HEADS UP! Final chapter will be password locked and password is busyfarming.

The small bases were just the beginning. Throughout the Lunar New Year, S Base took over more than ten small bases outside, and the overall area of jurisdiction expanded from the original S City to three adjacent districts.

With the successful acquisition, the entire territory now rightfully falls under the governance of S City. Consequently, the area of S City has also grown nearly threefold.

The population of the numerous small bases that were acquired exhibits considerable diversity. Collectively, these bases are home to over 7,000 residents, and approximately 1,000 of them were carefully chosen to become members of the original S city Base. Among the selected individuals, many possessed specific skills prior to the apocalypse, including tradespeople, educators, healthcare professionals, and more. This selection process has, to a certain extent, alleviated the shortage of skilled labour within S Base.

The remaining 6,000-plus people remained in their original bases, building new residential areas and walls with the help of the main base to ensure safety. This was for the stability and development of the local area.

Now with over 1,000 more people, it can be foreseen that the population of S Base will continue to increase in the future. The most important thing is that Ji Cha having to plan for the staple food.

As the center of the entire territory and the most heavily guarded place, the main S city base was absolutely safe even during the apocalypse. To increase food production, they certainly cannot touch the land of the main base. The food supply of the main base only needs to meet the usual consumption.

Ji Cha planned to open new planting and breeding areas in several newly acquired large bases. First, those bases have more people, and second, they are relatively far from the main base. Non-perishable items like rice, flour, and oil are okay, and they only need to be delivered once a month or once a quarter without worrying about spoilage. However, vegetables and meat cannot last that long, and they can still be delivered in the cold weather. But when the weather gets hot, it will be very difficult.

Moreover, most of the small bases outside have not yet restored their power supply. This is because electricity is now limited, and several large factories have been opened, and the electricity is mainly delivered to the industrial zone. The small bases have received less care.

The electricity problem will be solved in the future, but Ji Cha wanted to plan for breeding and planting while the weather is still cold, so that they can directly start working when spring comes. They can then wait for the harvest this summer.

As for the small bases that did not increase their planting plans, Ji Cha is planning to have them do some animal husbandry. After all, transporting live poultry is much more troublesome than transporting grains, so it’s best for each zone to be able to solve this on their own.

To facilitate distinction, the original names of the several small bases were changed and they were sorted according to their size. The main base is referred to as Zone 1, while the new area is designated as Zone 2, and so on.

The newly acquired areas are close to cities and there are not many people who know how to farm. Moreover, the environment has changed since the apocalypse, so even if they had experience in planting before the apocalypse, it has almost all been overturned now.

Many workers in the main base’s farm have been working for a long time and are already skilled workers, so Ji Cha assigned some of the workers from the bases to guide and assist in planting in each zone. The wages for these workers who go out will be higher than those who stay in the base, just like business trips before the apocalypse.

In addition to being busy with these tasks, due to the last time they took down Brother Qiang’s nest and found out that he was under someone, who turned out to be a relatively big shot who was originally in charge of affairs on the school side. This vacancy for the position has not found a suitable replacement yet, so Ji Cha temporarily took over.

During this time, the base school was still on vacation, but with the start of the new semester, there are probably over a hundred children in the newly acquired base who will come to the main base to study one after another. In addition, with the news that the education system has been restored in S base spreading to T base, Feng Hang and Ke Chenglei also had a plan to send the children from T base over to study. After some discussion and calculation, nearly a hundred parents were willing to send their children over to study, of course, there were still more people who were unwilling, after all, in T base, where their livelihoods were barely secured, many people were struggling to get by, and they didn’t have the same comfort as S base.

Not to mention S base, even those in the newly acquired base, after calculating the money they could earn from working hard every day and comparing it to their children’s tuition fees, they immediately made up their minds to send their children over to enroll, with only a few people still hesitating.

This almost meant that anyone who had any connection with S base suddenly had a better life.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Feng Hang and Ke Chenglei are both far-sighted people, and they have a cooperative relationship with S base, so there is a certain discount for the children who are sent over. Except for meals and accommodation, the remaining tuition fees can be ignored.

Therefore, when many parents were unwilling to send their children to school, Feng Xing and Ke Chenglei wanted to mobilize people through loudspeakers and the people in the base.

Despite the cold weather, someone was speaking through the loudspeaker, and many people in the T base gathered under the pole to discuss it enthusiastically.

“I can’t afford to send my children to school, I haven’t eaten meat for so long. Where do I get the money from? I am not like the people in the S base who have such good luck and can eat meat and fish all day long,” a middle-aged man said with a depressed face.

However, someone expressed doubt about his argument: “Eat meat and fish all day long? Who told you that? Are they lying to you?”

The man snapped back, “Who is lying to me? I’m not lying to you either. My neighbor is a technician who went to S City. When he came back a few days ago, he brought back twenty pounds of pork and two chickens. I heard he bought them in the S base. He told me himself that the canteen in the S base had a lot of delicious food, and the meat and vegetables were fragrant. No one cooked at home, everyone ate in the canteen. It was cheap and delicious, and the portions were generous.”

Many people squatting on the ground were salivating at the man’s description.

There were also people who echoed him: “I don’t know about the technician, but my son is in the psychic team. I heard that the biscuits and meat sauce they brought with them last time they came to burn the ashes were particularly delicious. They said that not only ability users, as long as you work hard, ordinary people can eat like this too.”

For a while, the discussion became even more heated, and all the words were full of envy for the S base.

“That’s right, last time when their people came over, they were all smooth-skinned and tender. They don’t look like people who have suffered in this miserable life!”

Feng Xing and Ke Chenglei naturally knew about these discussions. They were not unaware of what ordinary residents were saying. Their position allowed them to be even more aware of the gap between the S and T bases. Instead of letting the people in the base become restless, it was better to make some changes based on this. Ke Chenglei and Feng Xing had some ideas in their minds.

For Ji Cha, after sorting out the agricultural arrangements, the remaining issue was about the school. Unlike the children in the main base who could return home every night, the children from the New Base and T Base would definitely have to stay somewhere else.

There weren’t many vacant apartment buildings left in the base, but it was enough to accommodate over two hundred people. After all, children living in dormitories were not living luxuriously, and eight to ten people in a room was acceptable since the original rooms were spacious enough, and it saved the trouble of dividing them. The bunk beds were also directly transported from the school site outside the base, which was very convenient.

After Ji Cha made these arrangements and assigned the work to others, he planned to go and check on the preparation of the apartment buildings. There were only two days left before the base would send a car to pick up students from various places. They couldn’t find out that things were not ready by then.

Unexpectedly, he encountered a drama halfway through.

Ji Cha rode his electric scooter through the middle area of the base and happened to run into two soldiers running past in a hurry. There were also crying sounds not far ahead. Ji Cha’s electric scooter turned a corner and followed them, ready to see what had happened.

More than ten people were gathered ahead, with two young men and a middle-aged man standing in the middle. The woman was crying, the young man was anxious, while the middle-aged man had a fierce look on his face, and he was still yelling, “I’m taking my own daughter away, who are you to stop me?”

The woman resisted: “I’m not going with you!”

The soldiers were called by nearby residents. Ji Cha listened for a while beside them and roughly understood what was going on.

The story was still a cliché. The young man and woman were lovers who met in the base, but the girl’s father didn’t like the man because his salary in the base was not high, in other words, he was poor. He wanted to take his daughter away and “marry” her to another wealthy middle-aged man who was almost the same age as him.

“We’re boyfriend and girlfriend, you can’t do this!” The young man was very anxious, although he was physically strong, he was hesitant to take action against the girl’s father.

The middle-aged man didn’t care: “What’s a boyfriend and girlfriend? Are you married? You’re just a fart if you’re not married!”

This is just being a hooligan, everyone knows that there is no marriage in the base now. Most of the couples in the base existed before the apocalypse, and they have naturally deep feelings for each other after going through hardships together. But for those who got to know each other in the base later, it’s different. Most of them are just living together as roommates. Marriage? The officials haven’t brought it up, so nobody really thinks about it or even has the time to fantasize about it. However, this farce has reminded Ji Cha that the issue of marriage that he previously discussed with Liang Jincheng can be put on the agenda and announced to the residents in the base.

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

When they arrived at the canteen, the people in the small base finally dispelled their doubts. Everything could be faked, but in a world like this, the food of a base was the most accurate reflection of reality. Men, women, and children from the small base could hardly believe their eyes. Standing outside the canteen, they could smell the scent of the food coming from inside, almost as if it were drilling into their noses.

Even though they had eaten a full meal at noon, the hunger that had been tormenting them for so long seemed to grip them again. The food in the canteen was undoubtedly many times better than what they had eaten at noon.

During the medical examination earlier, it had already been checked that the people who came with Ji Cha had no external injuries, so the probability of carrying the zombie virus was basically zero. Therefore, there was no problem for them to eat with the members of the base in the canteen.

Ji Cha led the group into the canteen, and the people in the small base followed him closely, not daring to fall behind. The canteen was a bustling place at this time, and Ji Cha’s arrival with such a large group of people attracted quite a bit of attention.

However, most of the residents and staff in the canteen knew Ji Cha, so no one found it strange.

Ji Cha brought the people to the window of the canteen and let them take their own trays, then handed over his information card for the staff to scan. Except for occasional expenses, Ji Cha’s information card had not been used much over the months, and he had saved a considerable amount of points in it. It was probably a huge sum of money for many civilians in the base.

The people in the small base saw Ji Cha’s name on the card and realized that it was his personal card, so the first person to go up to get food didn’t dare to take too much, only getting a little rice and a vegetable dish. Translated on hololo novels.

Upon seeing the small portion of food, Ji Cha asked, “Can you really be full with such a small amount?”

The man replied quietly, “Yes, I can.”

Ji Cha knew what he was thinking and smiled, “Don’t worry about the money, this is a public service, and I can reimburse it later.”

This was actually true. Regardless of whether it could be reimbursed or not, for Ji Cha, ordering food was simply a matter of adding or subtracting numbers on the computer.

After hearing this, the man hesitated but ended up ordering another meat dish. Ji Cha took charge and ordered extra rice and soup for him. Because of this, the attitude of those who came to order food after them also improved.

Ji Cha ate with them in the cafeteria and became more familiar with them, so the conversation among the residents increased.

A little girl asked Ji Cha, “Uncle, can we really study here?”

All eyes turned to him when the girl asked this.

Ji Cha nodded, “Yes, the base encourages children to study. You don’t have to worry about tuition fees. Parents can afford it. Even if you don’t have parents, the base has measures to allow you to defer payment until you start working.”

Providing basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter, and transportation was not enough. The base also needed to restore public facilities like schools to ensure its long-term development.

After finishing their meal, Ji Cha led them to the screening area in the base. Although it was lively during the summer, there were also many people in the winter. The screening area was surrounded by wind-blocking facilities, and because it was still the first month of the year, the atmosphere was quite warm.

When Ji Cha and his group arrived, a classic skit was being shown, and the crowd was laughing continuously.

Ji Cha planned to let the people at the small base experience the atmosphere of the S base well. Only by making them feel envious and wanting to integrate from a psychological level could they have a sense of belonging.

“You guys stay here for a while. The TV will be on until ten o’clock. I will come and pick you up to go to sleep when it’s time,” Ji Cha handed his information card to one of the children and pointed to a room not far from the projection area with a small light bulb on, “That’s the small supermarket. There are many things for sale, including hot tea and snacks. Use this card to buy whatever you want.”

The little girl timidly nodded her head as she held the card, but by the time she showed the card to an adult, Ji Cha had already walked away.

He returned to the factory area where his grandmother and others were chatting. Ji Cha asked about Liang Jincheng’s whereabouts and learned that he was in the room upstairs, so he went straight up.

Ji Cha pushed open the door of the room, but it was pitch black inside. Just as he was about to turn on the light, someone suddenly pulled him into their arms.

Ji Cha was startled but was then held tightly by Liang Jincheng.

“Leave this kind of thing to the people below to handle. You’ve had a long day,” Liang Jincheng bit his ear and whispered.

“I think it’s fine. I’m not that tired,” Ji Cha turned on the light, but Liang Jincheng could see clearly in this dark environment, while he could not.

There were still almost two hours until ten o’clock, so Ji Cha could rest for a while. Liang Jincheng held him face to face and talked.

“I have an idea,” Ji Cha said, “There are many couples or lovers in the base now. We’ve talked about protecting women before, and I think no matter how hard we try, it’s impossible to do it perfectly without any loopholes. We can only do our best. I thought about whether we could also regulate the marriage system, so that there is at least a compulsory protection for male-female relationships, and it could also promote an increase in the birth rate in the base.”

“I think it’s possible, but I think you might be thinking a little too narrowly,” Liang Jincheng said.

“Mh?” Ji Cha looked puzzled.

“Is it only heterosexual relationships that need protection in the base?” Liang Jincheng leaned in close to Ji Cha and gave him a kiss on the face.

Ji Cha immediately understood Liang Jincheng’s meaning. He was saying that same-sex relationships should also be protected. This was almost a qualitative leap compared to the pre-apocalyptic society in Country C.

However, Ji Cha also knew that this was actually a more appropriate time to discuss this issue. At this time, what everyone cared about was whether the base could provide a suitable place to protect their lives. The leadership of the base was now extremely authoritative in the minds of the people, and their words were law. People no longer had the energy to argue whether same-sex relationships were normal, healthy, and should be recognized by the public like heterosexual relationships.

“You’re right,” Ji Cha smiled, “we should bring this up for discussion as well.”

However, the most important thing now was to deal with the remaining small bases.

There was more than one small base, and each of the small bases that S Base was interested in had its own advantages. The factory inside the small base they went to visit today was one of the best in the area. There were also two more to go to for similar reasons.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Ji Cha rested at home for a while before going out to the screening area to meet the people they were picking up. When he arrived, the little girl in front immediately handed him back the information card, like a hot potato.

Ji Cha took a look at everyone’s empty hands and knew that the card was given to them for free.

“Now let’s go to sleep. There’s not much to do tomorrow, but we still need to rest well. Tomorrow, you’ll mainly visit other places in the base, and when your information cards are ready, someone will come to take you back.”

Everyone followed Ji Cha like elementary school students following a teacher on a field trip, not daring to lag behind.

Ji Cha led the group to the apartment area in the base. Most of the buildings were still empty, but they had electricity. Only two floors on the bottom were occupied by soldiers. Originally, people were supposed to live on the upper floors, but after the new area was established, those people moved away too.

Ji Cha knocked on the door of the downstairs apartment. When the soldier who answered saw him, he immediately stood up straight and said, “Director Ji!”

Ji Cha responded and asked, “Did Vice-Captain Qin mention that a group of people will be staying here tonight?”

The soldier nodded and opened the two large doors completely, saying, “Yes, we have already prepared everything upstairs. The bedsheets and blankets have been changed, and the electricity has been restored.”

“Great, I’ll bring the people in. Tomorrow, please have someone take them to the cafeteria for breakfast and show them around the base. I have some things to do tomorrow and won’t be able to make time,” said Ji Cha.

The soldier nodded vigorously and said, “Understood.”

Ji Cha handed his card to the soldier and said, “If there are any places that require card access, use this.”

The soldier didn’t take it and said, “We have access to most areas in the base. Vice-Captain Qin also said that if there are any expenses, they can be reimbursed. Director Ji, you don’t need to use your card.”

Ji Cha didn’t mind and took the card back. He turned to the people from the small base and said, “Let’s go upstairs. Each room can accommodate four people, and there are sixteen rooms on each floor. The hot water heaters in the rooms are all functional. Everyone can take a hot shower and rest well.”

After eating and drinking their fill and watching TV like they were before the end of the world, they could still take a hot shower in their rooms? Everyone felt like they were dreaming in this S base.

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“I want to know, after S city base takes over this area completely, how will you arrange us?” Wu Kai asked Liang Jincheng cautiously, as S city Base is their only hope for survival.

Liang Jincheng glanced at Ji Cha from the corner of his eye and replied to Wu Kai, “It’s not going to be a complete takeover so soon, but in a few days, we will send some personnel to be stationed here to ensure the safety of this area. You guys, the original group of people, will continue to stay here, and there will be more personnel coming in later to restart the factory.”

Wu Kai breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Firstly, there will be guards stationed here and secondly, they no longer have to risk their lives outside to survive.

Wu Kai was happy that the people from their small base could still be together, but he had mixed feelings. He was about to ask Liana Jincheng about the situation at S Base when he saw the man suddenly walking away.

Wu Kai was surprised and quickly followed him.

What’s going on?

Liang Jincheng walked a few steps to Ji Cha and took his hand out of the cold water, “Why are you washing this?”

He looked down and saw that Ji Cha’s hand, which had just been soaked in the water, was already slightly red and cold to the touch.

There is no other source of water in the small base, only a rudimentary well dug out by themselves using crude methods after the apocalypse. Although the temperature of the groundwater is slightly higher, it still feels uncomfortable in such a cold environment.

In fact, Ji Cha was not really uncomfortable. He was just washing vegetables. He used to do all sorts of odd jobs like this on the farm. What was uncomfortable was Liang Jincheng watching him from the side.

“Washing vegetables for dinner,” Ji Cha replied, feeling a little embarrassed to be pulled aside by Liang Jincheng in front of everyone, “What’s wrong?”

Wu Kai had a better eye for things. He said to Ji Cha, “Let them do it, you should take a break for a while.”

Immediately, someone next to them took over the work that Ji Cha was doing just now. Even if he wanted to go back, there was no place for him to go.

In his heart, he blamed Liang Jincheng and thought he was making a fuss, but he didn’t say anything out loud.

Ji Cha then noticed a little child nearby who was already skilled in working. He asked Wu Kai, “Have these children been to school?”

Wu Kai nodded, “Two of them have. One was in the first grade of primary school, and the other had attended kindergarten. The remaining two haven’t.”

Ji Cha nodded, “Then they can be sent to school at the base. Moreover, the children will be safer inside the base.”

Wu Kai was somewhat surprised. Although he knew that the S base had developed well, he had not thought that education had been restored inside the base.

Ji Cha simply explained to him the situation of the school inside the base. “The tuition fees are not expensive. Basically, it’s just a meal fee. The meal fee is also cheap, and the total amount is very small. When you are outside the base, the daily wage is also synchronized with the people inside the base, and you can completely support the four children to live inside the base.”

Wu Kai listened to Ji Cha’s explanation of the entire work system inside the base and learned that working outside the base could earn more than working inside the base, making him even more enthusiastic in explaining the matters.

“Many of us worked in this factory before, so we know how to operate all these machines skillfully…” Wu Kai spoke excitedly.

To restart the factory operations, the security measures that need to be reinforced around this factory and the new technical facilities that need to be established are also needed. This factory area is very large and there are many buildings inside. When it was fully operational, there were three or four thousand employees. When it reopens, even if it does not immediately return to the previous prosperous state, there should be at least three or four hundred employees.

With the addition of soldiers, the number of workers may be around five hundred, and considering the subsequent increase in production, the labor force will also increase, so there should be some space left for dormitories and the like.

When the men from S base talked about revival of the factory, Wu Kai’s smile was completely unable to hide. Meanwhile, the food that was cooking on the other side had already begun to emit the fragrance of fresh rice, which could not be concealed and had already penetrated into the noses of the people present.

For those who came from the S base like Ji Cha, it was not a big deal, they were just a little hungry by mealtime. However, for the people from the small base, they could not remember how long it had been since they smelled the fragrance of rice like this. It seemed that the last time they ate so peacefully was before the end of the world.

The children couldn’t bear hunger, and now they crowded around the steamer, stretching their necks to smell the fragrance of rice. The women crouching on the ground and cooking had already wiped away tears several times in secret.

For the small base, today was a festive day. In addition to steaming white rice in the pot, they also cooked a braised pork and several pots of stir-fried vegetables. Although these were just simple dishes, for those who had not had a good meal since the end of the world, it was like a delicacy, more like a dream come true. Many people didn’t dare to blink, for fear that what was in front of them would disappear.

Ji Cha felt someone tugging at his pants, he looked down and saw a small boy who was a little shy but also happy. He asked Ji Cha, “Uncle, can we eat such good food every day from now on?”

Ji Cha half-squatted down and smiled at him, “As long as the adults work hard and live well, you can eat such delicious food every day.”

Half an hour later, when hundreds of people were almost drooling with hunger, the women finally uncovered the food on the dishes.

“Lunch is ready!”

People in the courtyard cheered and took their own bowls and chopsticks to serve themselves food and dishes.

Wu Kai and Ji Cha had a separate portion served on small plates, which was good because otherwise they wouldn’t know how much they could get with the way everyone else was eating.

The people here were really hungry.

After everyone had eaten their fill for the first time in a long time, Wu Kai stood on a large rock and announced to everyone, “Some of us will go with Captain Liang to S base later to check our health and get our new identification cards. Our daily wages and everything else will be related to these cards.”

The crowd cheered at this decision, and the first group of people was quickly selected.

Wu Kai had to stay behind to ensure the safety of the base, and since the first group was going for health checks, many of them were older people and four children. Over fifty people went in total, sitting in the back of the truck with the doors closed.

After the bumpy ride, they arrived at S base in the afternoon, almost at 5 o’clock when it was starting to get dark due to the winter weather.

Ji Cha had the friendliest smile and was recognized by the people who came with him. Especially the few children who were given candy by him, they almost followed him around like little tailgaters. For those who had been running around outside for so long, the scene at S base was shocking.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

There’s no need for Ji Cha or anyone else to say anything. They can tell the living conditions in the base just by looking at the ordinary people passing by, their clothes, and their mental state.

Ji Cha asked Liang Jincheng to go back first, and led the group of people himself, as if a teacher taking children on an outing, and took them to the medical center in the base first.

The first thing to be checked was the zombie virus. Although this possibility was very small, it could not be overlooked for safety reasons.

Next, they took the people to the recruitment office to enter their information.

“This is the place where we arrange the work for the personnel in the base, but you will work in the factory area and don’t need to register here.” Ji Cha introduced them.

An employee from S Base who knew Ji Cha came over and heard what he said. He asked with a smile, “Director Ji, are these new members who have just joined? Where will they work?”

Ji Cha replied, “They will work in the original Luo Village base, in the factory area outside. Many of them are skilled workers from there.”

The person who spoke immediately exclaimed and turned to the thin and emaciated crowd, “The workers in the factory area outside work this many hours every day!” He gestured with his fingers and said with a smile, “I’ve been trying to get a job there, but I never got a chance. You guys are lucky now.”

The girl in charge of information entry at the recruitment office also smiled and said, “From now on, we are all part of the same base. As long as you follow the rules and work hard, life will get better and better.”

The words “life will get better and better” struck a chord in the hearts of the small base people, making them eager to go back to the factory and operate those machines.

It was already after six o’clock when they left the recruitment office.

Ji Cha looked at the time and said to the guard who had been following him, “You go back and tell Captain Liang team that I’ll have dinner with everyone in the canteen and he doesn’t have to wait for me.”

“But Captain Liang asked me to stay with you,” the guard hesitated. Liang Jincheng had instructed him to never leave Ji Cha’s side no matter what.

Ji Cha knew that he couldn’t persuade the guard if Liang Jincheng had given orders. He looked around and saw that Qin Shuang was driving by with some members of the ability user team.

Ji Cha immediately called out, “Qin Shuang!”

Qin Shuang stopped the car and jokingly said to Ji Cha, “Sister-in-law, what’s up?”

Ji Cha blushed at her words, but it was fortunate that it was dark and not very noticeable. He couldn’t control the curious looks of others and hurriedly said to Qin Shuang, “Go to my house and tell Captain Liang that I won’t be going back for dinner.”

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They first arrived at a small base with only a few hundred people. Due to the small number of people, the projects that could be completed were also very limited. If it were not for the high walls of a factory area that had been built before the apocalypse, this small base would probably not exist.

The members of the S base’s paranormal team have been exploring and understanding the situation outside the base, so they are very familiar with these small bases. The bases they visited this time had already expressed their desire to submit to the S base, so there was no danger. Otherwise, Liang Jincheng would not have brought Ji Cha out.

Ji Cha and Liang Jincheng sat in an off-road vehicle, with another off-road vehicle and a truck in front and behind them. In the other off-road vehicle were Qin Shuang and two other members of the ability team, and in the rear was the truck, driven by a regular soldier, with provisions such as main food, meat, vegetables, clothing, and other supplies. This amount of supplies was only enough for a meal at the base’s cafeteria, but for a base with only a few hundred people, it was enough for them to eat and drink for almost a month.

The car drove for about an hour and a half. Although the members of the ability team occasionally cleared out zombies along the way, they still encountered at least ten or more zombies from time to time. Having a means of transportation made them slightly safer, but it was very difficult for the people in the small base to have any contact with the outside world, and the journey could potentially kill them.

The leading off-road vehicle stopped in front of a high wall, with two zombies wandering outside the wall. The noise of their arrival attracted a lot of attention, and there were rustling sounds in the bushes around the convoy, making people alert.

Originally, Ji Cha was lying in the backseat of the off-road vehicle, resting with his eyes closed. He noticed the car had stopped and sat up again when Liang Jincheng pulled out a piece of candy from his pocket and put it in Ji Cha’s mouth before getting off the car. “Wait a bit,” he said.

Ji Cha played with the milk candy at the corner of his mouth and looked out the window, through the glass, wondering if the candy was expired.

He felt a little conflicted for a moment, but decided to keep it in his mouth. The taste was still the same, anyway.

Not long after Liang Jincheng got off the car, Ji Cha saw a head pop up from behind the tall wall. The person inside seemed tense as they peered outside, but relaxed visibly upon seeing the S-base mark and text on the truck. “Do you need our help?” they shouted outside.

Qin Shuang didn’t even look back. “No, just open the gate later.”

There were indeed a few zombies around, but they were no match for the ability team. After a short fight, which lasted about five minutes, Liang Jincheng confirmed that there were no zombies within a radius of 500 meters. He then walked up to Ji Cha, opened the car door, and said, “Let’s go.”

Ji Cha nodded and followed Liang Jincheng, one step behind him.

The factory gate was opened by the people inside, and three cars drove in one after the other.

As it was a small base, almost everyone inside had come out at this point. Ji Cha felt his heart pounding when he looked around. The people in the base were all very thin, wearing very little clothes despite the fact that it was already cold enough for Ji Cha to wear a scarf and gloves. Their eyes lacked vitality, and they looked at Liang Jincheng and Ji Cha with curiosity and caution, but mostly fear.

However, this base was not without its good aspects. There were old people, children, and women inside, and their numbers were not small. This was enough to show that the people here had not chosen to abandon the weak after the apocalypse, and that humanity still existed here.

Ji Cha’s gaze fell on two boys about the same age as Xiao Chao, who were so thin that their bones were visible through their skin. They had almost none of the innocence and childishness of children their age. His heart ached, and he turned to look at Liang Jincheng.

After both sides had finished introducing themselves, they learned that the leader of the small base was named Wu Kai, who appeared to be around thirty-five.

Liang Jincheng spends a lot of time outside and has gradually become numb to scenes like this as his powers upgrade. But when Ji Cha turned his head to look at him with a pitiful look, Liang Jincheng almost couldn’t resist reaching out to pat Ji Cha’s head.

“What’s wrong?” He asked Ji Cha in a low voice.

“Shouldn’t we distribute the supplies first?” Ji Cha looked at the people shivering in the crowd.

Liang Jincheng turned his head and gestured to a soldier. The soldier immediately ran to the back of the truck and opened the door.

The meat, vegetables, rice, and other supplies in the truck were revealed in an instant. The people in the base who had previously had calm gazes all focused on the truck at the same time.

Wu Kai was also an ability user as well. He had been working under Liang Jincheng for a while, and he could naturally sense the fluctuations of the base leader’s abilities. Compared to Liang Jincheng, his ability level was like a drop in the ocean.

After introducing themselves to each other, Liang Jincheng didn’t say anything, and no one else dared to speak.

Unlike the others who were naturally afraid of Liang Jincheng’s supernatural abilities, Ji Cha walked to the back of the truck and said to Wu Kai, “Brother Wu, come and move these supplies. It’s almost lunchtime. Why don’t we eat first and talk about business later?”

Wu Kai was taken aback. He looked at Liang Jincheng first and saw that he had no objections, so he quickly replied, “Okay, how much do we need to move?”

Wu Kai hesitated to ask and his heart was violently stirred. The people in their base were originally from a village, and the people in the village were somewhat related to each other. Therefore, they supported each other. The villagers had some food reserves, but they had been robbed of some of them in the past year and a half, and many had been damaged. In addition to consumption, there was not much left. In the past six months, the people in the base had been trying their best to fill their stomachs, but life was still very difficult, and they were already struggling to survive.

Seeing so many fresh supplies in the truck, almost all the people in the base turned red-eyed.

Ji Cha gave him a reassuring smile, “All of this is for you. You can move it wherever you want.”

Only then did Wu Kai let out a sigh and turned to call his companions in dialect. When he turned back, his voice was trembling, and he said “thank you” four or five times to Ji Cha, Liang Jincheng, and the others, and his eyes were already watery.

Ji Cha felt a bit embarrassed. They brought supplies due to the agreements they had in place. There was a former dairy and food processing plant within this small base, and the machinery inside was entirely new and had never been utilized previously. Given that the factory was founded just two years before the apocalypse, it could be regarded as relatively recent and capable of serving its purpose for a long time. Having control of this small base was also beneficial for the S city base.

The people in the small base quickly followed and began moving the supplies as if Ji Cha and the others might change their minds if they were slow. Therefore, the transportation of supplies proceeded briskly. There were newly harvested rice, freshly slaughtered pigs, and in addition to fresh vegetables, there were also many preserved vegetables, such as pickles and dried radish, which could be stored for a long time.

After the adults left, Ji Cha could now see the children standing around.

There were five children in the base, three girls and two boys, aged between four and ten, and all of them looked a bit timid.

Ji Cha walked up to Liang Jincheng and asked him, “Do you still have the candy you gave me earlier?”

Liang Jincheng took out a handful from his pocket and handed it all to Ji Cha.

Ji Cha looked down and found that the candy packaging was very simple, made of paper, with only the words “milk tea” printed in Chinese characters on it, without any other markings. He was a little puzzled, “This candy?”

Liang Jincheng explained, “Qin Shuang gave it to me before we set off. It was produced in the factory over there in the new district, and the quantity is still small. This is the first batch.”

So there was no expiry date issue.

Ji Cha was also pleased to hear this news. He took the candy and walked up to the children, then held out his hands and handed the candy to them, saying, “Here you go.”

The children were timid, and a woman next to them quickly pulled them aside and thanked Ji Cha before taking the candy. As Ji Cha listened to the childish “thank you’s,” he felt a bit uncomfortable. Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

After receiving some candy, the children couldn’t wait to eat one, and then cherished the remaining candies in their hands.

“So much meat…” The children couldn’t help but point to the pork with admiration.

In fact, not only the children, but also the adults in the base had already begun to salivate, wishing to take a bite immediately.

When the goods were almost unloaded, the other side began to prepare the meal.

Because they were used to being hungry, the women who were cooking were reluctant to use too much rice, but when Wu Kai saw this, he immediately said, “Put more, don’t be stingy. Let’s all have a good meal!”

With S base behind them, were they still afraid of not having enough food?

Since he had spoken, the woman “yes”ed in agreement and added a lot more rice to the pot.

On the other side, someone was cutting pork and cooking soup and vegetables, and everyone was busy. Ji Cha also joined in to help and learned about the survival situation of this base.

The small base didn’t grow much, and they didn’t have the same planting conditions as before the apocalypse, even if they did plant, they didn’t have much of a harvest. Before the apocalypse, three of the children in the base had already gone to kindergarten and primary school, while the remaining two had not yet gone to school. There were also nearly twenty people in the base who used to work in this food processing factory, each with their own job.

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