Author Archives: Thandar

Not only salt, but there are also vacancies in various aspects of the S base. The fishery that Ji Cha has been wanting to expand also had to be put on hold because S city itself does not have such an industry and cannot find corresponding technical personnel. There are always many shortcomings when it comes to refined aquaculture.

C country is vast and rich in resources. In modern development, various cities have formed a network of mutual communication and support based on their own advantages, which is a huge social relationship network. Many big cities have huge advantages in economic development, but after the advent of the end times, they have become disconnected from the resource supply of surrounding towns. Coupled with densely populated areas and severe zombification, they have declined more rapidly than rural areas.

The originally close-knit network of relationships was severed by the advent of the end times, causing the previously interconnected regions to once again become independent islands. S city was nominally called a second-tier city before the apocalypse, but it cannot be compared with some truly second-tier cities. Its only advantage is probably that its geographic location is in the center of the province, and transportation is very convenient. Its development was mainly based on private small factories, but there were no particularly outstanding projects, and its natural resources were not abundant enough.

Ji Cha followed his subordinates and drove around several important production areas in the morning, recording various data, but he had not even seen half of the places by noon. Seeing that it was time for lunch, Ji Cha felt that this day was already too tight. He had planned to have a casual lunch and continue his inspection, but unexpectedly a guard came over.

“Director Ji, Captain Liang invites you to have lunch together,” the guard said.

Ji Cha lowered his head to record the data, “Tell him I’m too busy to go, he can have lunch by himself.”

“It’s not just Captain Liang,” the guard approached and said, “Several people from other bases came this morning, and they are having lunch together. Captain Liang specially asked me to find you. He probably has something to discuss with you.”

Ji Cha’s pen stopped, and he thought for a moment, “Alright, where are they having lunch?”

“You can follow me now, lunch is about to start. Captain Liang said we can eat in the office.”

The so-called office is actually the apartment where Liang Jincheng currently lives. There is a desk outside, and the bedroom where Ji Cha lives with him is inside.

It takes about ten minutes to ride a small electric scooter from the farm to the apartment. When Ji Cha got off the scooter, he glanced around and saw that the door of Liang Jincheng’s room was closed. In addition to the two guards who were usually there, there were also several unfamiliar people standing outside, dressed differently from those in the base. They were probably the people from outside the base.

The guard helped Ji Cha push open the door, and the smell of food immediately came out. Ji Cha stopped at the door and turned to ask the guard, “Have you guys eaten yet?”

The guards shook their heads.

“Well, then, take a few guests to the cafeteria for a meal,” said the host.

Although the words were spoken, and the reasoning should have been so, neither the guards nor the people outside the base made a move.

After thinking for a moment, Ji Cha understood. Both sides were afraid of some unforeseen circumstances inside the house, so they dared not leave. He said again, “Xiao Chen, go to the cafeteria and get some food.”

One of the guards agreed and hurried off.

Only then did Ji Cha step inside, and Liang Jincheng stood up and introduced the two people sitting inside the room, “This is Ji Cha, responsible for managing the farm in the base. Cha Cha, these are Ke Chenglei and Feng Xing, who come from the base in T City.”

“Hello, I’m Ji Cha.” Ji Cha greeted the two people and sat down next to Liang Jincheng.

It was unexpected for Ke Chenglei and Feng Xing to see that Liang Jincheng, who appeared serious and difficult to get along with, and clearly a master, could be so warm and friendly when he met Ji Cha, even calling him ‘Cha Cha’.

Ji Cha noticed their momentary shock and then realized what caused their reaction. Liang Jincheng had just called him ‘Cha Cha’.

But at this moment, Ji Cha felt a little shy and couldn’t say much on the surface, so he just slightly turned his head and looked at Liang Jincheng with the corner of his eye, indicating that he should be a little more restrained in front of outsiders.

There were simple dishes on the table, which were actually worse than what they usually ate. Ji Cha didn’t know if this was intentionally arranged by Liang Jincheng. However, even so, Ke Chenglei and Feng Xing’s surprise couldn’t be concealed. The development of the base in S City was far better than what they had expected.

The base in T City was located in a coastal area and had always been mainly focused on fishing. However, there were relatively few areas suitable for agricultural planting, and there were fewer people who relied on agriculture for a living, not to mention various livestock breeding industries. After the apocalypse, although the development of the base in T City was not bad, it was far from being comparable to the base in S City. At least when Ke Chenglei and Feng Xing entered the base in S City, they were completely moved by the planned buildings inside the base and the spirit of the ordinary civilians.

Their original intention was to come and understand the development of the surrounding areas. Before coming to S City, they had also visited several small bases, thinking that the base in T City was developing well. Unexpectedly, they had underestimated it.

The T city base is lacking many things, and the most urgent issue is the shortage of staple food. Since Ke Chenglei and Feng Xing have the opportunity to sit down and chat with the highest commander of the S city base, they naturally won’t miss this chance to bring up the issue.

Ji Cha is also familiar with the T city base. Based on his experience from the end times in his past life, he knows that the T city base is a highly competitive one. However, at that time, the communication between the S and T bases was several years later than now. By then, the T city base had already cooperated with other bases to solve the food problem, and S City base lost many advantages when they contacted them later.

Not only does the T city base not lack salt, but there are also many metal resources in the surrounding mountainous areas. The various equipment of the original mining site is readily available and it shouldn’t be too difficult to resume operations. If they can cooperate with the T base now, not only can they gain greater profits for their own base while they lack bargaining power, they can also pay a smaller cost.

At the same time, Ji Cha also thought of a problem he has been recently struggling with, the lack of fish farming technicians. S City base doesn’t have many specialized fish farmers, but T City base has many. If they can reach a cooperation agreement, they can temporarily send some skilled personnel over, solving Ji Cha’s problem.

“Under the premise of solving our own base’s food problem, we can provide a part of the food production,” Ji Cha knows very well how much food the farm can produce. Currently, the internal food production of the base has reached a stage where they don’t have to worry about it, and he is also planning to develop other planting areas. It’s not difficult to “export” a part of it in the future.

“But it’s not just salt. I hope you can provide some personnel for technology exchange. It can promote the progress and development of both bases. Also, I know that T City base has abundant metal resources, and I also hope that we can achieve sustainable cooperation in this aspect.”

Ke Chenglei and Feng Xing didn’t expect Liang Jincheng to be silent and Ji Cha to speak first.

“Everything else is easy to talk about, but the metal mining area, to be honest,” Ke Chenglei said, “We haven’t resumed work in this area yet, and we are still mainly developing the base’s foundation.”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

This is easy to understand. After all, if they haven’t completely solved their food and clothing needs, no one will have the energy to care about anything else. Moreover, the T base has only five thousand people, far less than the more than twenty thousand people in the S base, making it difficult to allocate manpower to manage the mining site.

“This is not a problem,” Liang Jincheng said, “We can provide food on our side, and the two bases can cooperate in mining metal ores and distribute the mined minerals later.”

This is also a solution.

Compared with various minerals that cannot be seen at present, food is the top priority for the T base. Ke Chenglei and Feng Xing almost agreed without hesitation.

Feng Xing thought of the technical personnel mentioned by Ji Cha just now and asked, “I don’t know what kind of technical personnel Director Ji mentioned just now?”

“I hope to borrow some technical personnel who are knowledgeable about fishery breeding from your base. At the same time, if you have any needs, you can also request the technical personnel you need. If our base can provide assistance, we will definitely try our best to support it.” Ji Cha said.

As for borrowing technical personnel, T city currently doesn’t have much to borrow from S city. After all, even the most needed agricultural technical personnel are basically useless there because they don’t have the innate planting conditions.

S city and T city are about four hours away by car. Although the distance is not far, the journey is dangerous because there is a four-way intersection in the middle with a considerable number of zombies.

Now that the basic agreement has been reached, both sides have also agreed to control and deal with the zombies on this road, at least not to let them affect the transportation of resources on both sides.

Ji Cha remembered that before the end of the world, he had watched many TV movies of the same theme, and even many European and American games had the end of the world as their background. As far as games are concerned, the biggest difference between C country players and foreign players is that even in the end-of-world environment, even if the basic theme of the game is to trust no one, they can still trust each other and form alliances with unity and bloodline trust in the competitive and killing environment.

The base that has been isolated on an island is now beginning to connect with the outside world and develop together by learning from each other’s strengths and making up for each other’s weaknesses.

Even in the end of the world, sooner or later, people will see the light of hope rekindled.

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

This Establishmen Doesn’t Welcome You

At this moment, Yu Qingze wouldn’t let Brother Le just go back to the kitchen like that. He caught the cloth falling from his face, took a few quick steps, and pulled Brother Le into an embrace, whispering softly, “Are you angry?”

Chang Le lightly punched his chest.

“Mmm… Help! Someone is trying to murder their beloved spouse!” Yu Qingze covered his chest with one hand, bent over in a pained expression, while his other hand still held onto Brother Le’s waist.

Seeing his clumsy performance, Chang Le was both angry and amused. He simply turned around and didn’t look at him.

Yu Qingze quickly straightened up, embraced him from behind, and whispered, “Alright, be good, don’t be angry. I’ll find a way to resolve it.”

Chang Le turned around to look at him. Although he knew Big Brother Yu wasn’t really at fault, he couldn’t help feeling inexplicably angry.

Yu Qingze nodded and raised three fingers in a gesture of swearing, saying, “I promise, I really do.”

Hearing this, Chang Le pursed his lips and gestured, asking, “How will you solve it?”

Yu Qingze pondered for a moment and replied, “I really need to think about it carefully. Anyway, it will be resolved within these two days.”

Chang Le gestured again, saying, “If it’s not resolved, then you have two months, no, one month, where you’re not allowed to kiss me!”

Originally, he wanted to say two months, but upon second thought, it seemed too long. It would already be the Lunar New Year, and he wasn’t sure if he could endure that long, so he retracted one finger.

Yu Qingze chuckled and pinched Brother Le’s finger, then kissed it lightly, saying, “Yes, my lord!”

Chang Le blushed at the mention of “my lord” and quickly turned around and ran off after Yu Qingze kissed him.

Watching Chang Le enter the kitchen, Yu Qingze’s face darkened, and he furrowed his brow.

Young Master Shi went from exchanging greetings with him yesterday to making a move on him directly today. He wondered if that person understood what he said today?

He needed to find a good solution to this.

Generally speaking, anyone with even a hint of emotional intelligence would understand the meaning behind his words and the interactions between him and Brother Le. But he was afraid that the issue wasn’t the other person’s emotional intelligence, but…

Thinking about this, Yu Qingze felt frustrated. If only Young Master Shi didn’t have a connection with the landlord’s family, it would be much easier to handle. He didn’t know exactly what kind of relationship Young Master Shi had with the landlord’s family, but it seemed like the landlord’s son and Young Master Shi got along well…

If he could just find out more information.

After pondering for a while, Yu Qingze came up with a few ideas, but ultimately chose a more appropriate one and decided to resolve it in the next few days.

After freshening up, he entered the kitchen. Taking advantage of Brother Chang’s distraction, he quickly kissed Chang Le on the face. When he received a loving stare from Chang Le in return, he happily busied himself.

“Brother Le, after resolving this matter, I’ll have to go back to the village for a few days. I want to try making some new things,” Yu Qingze said to Chang Le while busy with his tasks.

Chang Le looked at him in surprise and gestured, asking what he wanted to make. Couldn’t they do it here?

Yu Qingze replied, “I want to make smoked bacon and sausages. It’s not convenient to do it here, and besides, this place is crowded with prying eyes, which isn’t very suitable. Apart from that, I also want to try making sweet potato noodles.”

A few days ago, Yu Qingze calculated the accounts for October. Aside from the wages of the hired workers and other costs, they made around sixty taels.

He managed to recover the initial investment, but considering the shop’s rent was previously paid by the Zhao family, if they deducted the rent, their rate of earning money was still too slow.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Being able to recoup the investment in the first month of opening the business was actually considered very good, but in Yu Qingze’s plan, it was far from enough. Even if they included the share from Liu Ji’s side, it still wasn’t quite sufficient.

Thirty percent of the money earned from the shop was reserved by Yu Qingze to give to Grandpa Chang and Chang Le. He couldn’t use their share of the money for building the house and getting married. When calculated like this, the expenses for building a house and getting married after the Chinese New Year would be substantial, putting a strain on their savings.

Moreover, when it came to building the house, Yu Qingze wanted to build a relatively large one in one go to avoid future troubles. Based on his calculations, they would need at least four rooms: one for him and Brother Le, one for Xiao Hao, one for Grandpa, and the remaining one as a guest room. If they had children in the future, the children could also stay in that room. If they didn’t have children, it would still serve as a guest room, which would be great.

Therefore, the urgent matter at hand was to earn money, earn money. The current month was just the right time to start making smoked bacon. On the other hand, a few days ago, Brother Chang’s mother mentioned that the villagers had dug up sweet potatoes, which gave Yu Qingze the idea of making sweet potato noodles.

They had rice noodles here, but they didn’t have sweet potato noodles yet. The process of making sweet potato noodles was more complicated than that of rice noodles. If they succeeded in making sweet potato noodles, they should sell well. Moreover, almost every household in the village had sweet potatoes, so the raw materials were abundant. At that time, they could also introduce spicy and sour noodles in the shop, as it was approaching winter. Having a bowl of spicy and sour noodles, tangy and warm, would be satisfying.

When Chang Le heard about the new dishes, he asked, “What are they like?”

Yu Qingze explained, “Smoked bacon and sausages are smoked meats that can be preserved for a long time and are especially fragrant. Sweet potato noodles are noodles made from sweet potatoes. They have a chewy texture and, if made well, can be even more delicious than rice noodles. However, I’ve never made them by hand before. I’ve only heard my master mention it a couple of times, so I don’t know if I can succeed. Anyway, I’ll give it a try first.”

After thinking for a moment, Brother Le nodded and gestured, asking, “How long will you be gone? Do you need me to come with you?”

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “Probably seven to ten days. Once the smoked bacon and sausages are ready, I don’t need to keep an eye on them. I’m not sure how many days it will take to make the sweet potato noodles. If I make them, I’ll come back. You don’t need to go, it’s too tiring to travel back and forth. Grandpa and I will take care of it.”

Upon hearing this, Chang Le nodded in agreement.

Yu Qingze then turned to Brother Chang’s mother and said, “Uncle, during this time, could you or Brother Chang come and stay at the shop? I’m a bit worried about Brother Le being alone.”

Upon hearing their conversation just now, Brother Chang’s mother nodded and said, “Sure, when you’re ready to go back, just let us know a day in advance. We’ll come over together. It’s also a good opportunity to make some dim sum in the morning.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” Yu Qingze said with a smile.

Brother Chang’s mother chuckled and said, “No need to thank me, it’s such a small matter.”

The next morning, Yu Qingze looked at the time and realized it was about time. He tidied up and prepared to go out to find Steward Zhao. On this day of each month, Steward Zhao would go to the stationery store in the town to buy rice paper for Old Madam Zhao.

He found the store and indeed saw Steward Zhao accompanied by a servant picking rice paper inside.

He walked in and called out, “Steward Zhao.”

Steward Zhao turned around and, upon seeing Yu Qingze, exclaimed, “Oh, Boss Yu, what a coincidence! Are you here to buy stationery too?”

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “No, I came specifically to find you.”

“To find me?” Steward Zhao was surprised. Seeing the troubled expression on Yu Qingze’s face, he pulled him to a corner and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Furrowing his brows, Yu Qingze asked, “Steward Zhao, I wonder if you know about a cousin of Young Master Zhao surnamed Shi.” The landlord’s son is named Zhao Qin.

“The Shi family? They are his uncle’s family, and he has several cousins. Which one are you referring to?”

“The one who is around seventeen or eighteen years old, with delicate features and seems to have a good relationship with Young Master Zhao.”

Upon hearing this, Steward Zhao nodded and said, “Ah, you must be referring to Shi Sheng. He’s the only cousin around the same age as Young Master Zhao. What about him?”

Yu Qingze hesitated and said, “Lately, he has been coming to my shop frequently, and his purpose is not just for dim sum. As you know, I’m planning to marry Brother Le after the Chinese New Year. I have no intention of marrying anyone else in this lifetime except for Brother Le. Besides, we couldn’t possibly match a prestigious family like the Shi family. But this young Master Shi keeps coming over… This, well…”

Upon hearing this, Steward Zhao opened his mouth wide, surprised, and said, “Are you saying that Shi Sheng has taken a liking to you? And he comes to your shop every day?”

Yu Qingze nodded, his brows tightly furrowed, and said, “Yes, I can’t understand it either. You see, with his status and Young Master Shi, why would he be interested in me? And he even offered to wipe my sweat in front of my fiancé! This… sigh, I don’t know what to say…”

“…,” Steward Zhao was also stunned and didn’t know what to say.

After a moment of silence, Steward Zhao patted Yu Qingze’s shoulder sympathetically and said, “I think I know why he might be interested in you.”

Yu Qingze asked, “Why?”

Steward Zhao sighed and said, “I heard that his family recently arranged a marriage for him with the second young master of the Zeng family in the northern part of the city. The Zeng family is considered a prominent family in the city, while the Shi family has been in decline in recent years and hopes to gain some benefits through this alliance.”

Yu Qingze asked in confusion, “If the Zeng family is so good, shouldn’t Young Master Shi be satisfied? Why would he still…”

Steward Zhao sighed again and whispered, “My dear Yu, you don’t know the whole story. This Shi Sheng is an illegitimate child, only having a slightly better life because of his good relationship with Young Master Zhao. He is not favored in the family. Otherwise, why would the Shi family arrange for him to marry into the Zeng family? You see, the second young master of the Zeng family is said to be weak and bedridden, and there are rumors that he is unable to… you know.”

Yu Qingze remained silent.

After a while, Yu Qingze suddenly grabbed Steward Zhao’s wrist and pleaded, “Steward Zhao, please help me with this matter. If Young Master Shi keeps coming every day, I don’t know how to explain it to my fiancé. I have no intention of marrying anyone else, and my future happiness depends on you, my dear friend.”

Steward Zhao smiled at Yu Qingze for a moment and said, “Don’t worry, the marriage arrangement with the Shi family is already set and won’t change.”

“But he keeps coming to me like this every day, and the customers in the shop have noticed. Rumors are starting to spread, and my business might suffer.”

Upon hearing this, Steward Zhao narrowed his eyes and asked, “Does he find you in the main hall of the shop?”

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Yes. Many people have seen it. He takes out his handkerchief and says he wants to wipe my sweat, and it scares me… The crucial point is that my fiancé saw it too!”

Steward Zhao looked at him sympathetically and said, “I guess one of his motives might be to spread rumors. If the Zeng family finds out, they might cancel the marriage. Sigh…”

Yu Qingze asked anxiously, “What should I do then?”

Steward Zhao comforted him, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to our young master when I go back. He admires you, and if he mentions it to the head of the branch family, there’s a good chance he will speak to his relatives. They can’t afford to have someone who’s already engaged getting involved with other men.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze felt relieved and thanked Steward Zhao, saying, “With your words, I feel reassured. Steward Zhao, thank you so much. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t know what to do. Oh, by the way, when you come to the shop later, I’ll let you taste the new dim sum I’ve made and take some back for the old Madam and the young master.”

Steward Zhao smiled and said, “Sounds good. I’ll come over after I choose the rice paper.”

“Great. I’ll head back now. See you later.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

With Steward Zhao’s words, Yu Qingze felt relieved. He didn’t expect Young Master Shi had already been engaged, and it was such a marriage arrangement. Young Master Shi’s actions were bold, completely disregarding his reputation while resisting this marriage.

Yu Qingze was also repulsed by this kind of marriage, but you can resist it yourself, just don’t drag him into it!

As he walked to the street outside the shop, he coincidentally bumped into the landlord’s son and Young Master Shi coming his way.

“Boss Yu, we’re here again!” The landlord’s son, Zhao Qin, greeted Yu Qingze cheerfully.

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Young Master Zhao, welcome.”

On the other side, Young Master Shi enthusiastically said, “Boss Yu, have you just returned from outside?”

Upon hearing Young Master Shi’s words, the smile on Yu Qingze’s face instantly faded. He nodded slightly and remained silent.

Seeing his cold attitude, Young Master Shi bit his lip and said, “Boss Yu, I have something to tell you.”

Yu Qingze furrowed his brows. Seeing Young Master Shi’s expression, could it be that he hasn’t given up yet?

Since Zhao Qin was also present, Yu Qingze said, “Young Master Zhao is here too. I also have something to say to Young Master Shi.”

Young Master Shi’s eyes flickered when he heard that. He hurriedly said, “Then let’s go inside and talk?”

“No need, it’s just a couple of words. Let’s say it here,” Yu Qingze said. “Young Master Shi, I heard that you are engaged to the young master of the Zeng family. Congratulations. My fiancé and I will also be married early next year. I will have only him as my wife in this lifetime, and there won’t be any other lovers. Do you understand?”

Upon hearing this, Shi Sheng trembled. How did he find out about his engagement? But he still wanted to fight for it, so he said, “I will find a way to cancel the engagement. I, I only have feelings for you.”

Yu Qingze frowned and said, “Thank you for your admiration, but I only have feelings for my fiancé.”

“But how can that mute ger be worthy of you? He can’t even speak, and it’s said that he can’t have children!” Shi Sheng shouted in defiance.

“Cousin…” Zhao Qin’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at his cousin.

His cousin was actually interested in Boss Yu? But Boss Yu already has a fiancé. No wonder Boss Yu said what he did earlier. And how could he say such things in front of someone’s fiancé? Moreover, there are other people around.

Shi Sheng turned to look at his shocked cousin, biting his lip. He felt embarrassed to lose face in front of his cousin, but thinking of his own goal, he stubbornly stared at Yu Qingze.

Shi Sheng’s derogatory words about Brother Le immediately made Yu Qingze’s face darken. He no longer cared whether he would offend the Shi family or the Zhao family. He said, “Young Master Shi, mind your words! Brother Le is the best person in my eyes, incomparable to anyone else! I have said all I need to say. I hope Young Master Shi won’t continue this meaningless entanglement!”

Afraid that this young master would suddenly cause a scene, Yu Qingze turned to Zhao Qin and said, “Apologies, Young Master Zhao. I don’t think Young Master Shi is suitable for dining in this establishment. It would be best if you take him home. From now on, this establishment does not welcome him.”

With the situation having reached this point, Zhao Qin also lost his appetite for dim sum. He pulled his cousin and said, “Cousin, let’s go quickly, back home.”

Shi Sheng stared at Yu Qingze in shock, unable to believe that he had been rejected. He shouted loudly, “What did you just say? Yu Qingze, you will regret this! How can there be such a foolish person like you in this world? You know that mute can’t speak and can’t have children, yet you still want to marry him?!”

“What did you say?” Yu Qingze stood there with a dark expression, his gaze fixed on Shi Sheng’s eyes, filled with a chilling intensity as if brewing a storm, intimidating and dreadful.

Zhao Qin and Shi Sheng were accustomed to seeing Boss Yu’s smiling face, but seeing his current expression, they instinctively shrank their necks. Shi Sheng held back the words he wanted to say, keeping them stuck in his throat, afraid to utter another word.

“Let’s go, let’s go home,” Zhao Qin quickly pulled his cousin and left.

Shi Sheng stood there in a daze. This terrifying man, this man who threatened him with a dark expression, was not the Yu Qingze he knew, not at all.

Seeing his cousin standing there blankly, Zhao Qin sighed and pulled him away.

Once Zhao Qin and Shi Sheng were far away, Yu Qingze turned around, intending to return to the shop. His good mood was completely ruined.

As he turned, he noticed Brother Le and Brother Chang standing at the doorstep, watching him. There were also other customers nearby.

Not far behind, Steward Zhao stood there with a servant, his brows furrowed, already standing for quite some time.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: Ahhh come on Shi Sheng, why would you lower yourself for a stranger? Have some pride in yourself and don’t chase people who are not available.

“I always thought that Grandma didn’t really know,” Ji Cha placed the dinner he brought on the table and watched Liang Jincheng eat. He repeated the conversation he had with Grandma and some old folks at the factory to him.

Liang Jincheng was also surprised by this, but he said, “Actually, this is good. Let’s find a time to talk to Grandma about it, okay?”

Ji Cha nodded. This outcome was much better than he had originally anticipated.

After being nervous for so long, suddenly being able to relax made Ji Cha feel a bit uncomfortable.

The base outside was already lined up with people as the day started to break.

The largest and most stable base in the entire southeast coastal region was currently in S City, where Ji Cha and his family were. News gradually spread, and combined with the base’s intentional propaganda, people who had gone through great hardships to come here were coming in an unending stream.

There was a group of people among them that could not be ignored: orphans.

Regardless of how they came to the base or who helped them, these orphans, from infants to those under twelve years old, had accumulated to quite a number.

The end of the world was different from before. As long as they could find a way to survive, the base would not meddle too much. Basically, children over fifteen years old had to find their own jobs to survive. Those between twelve and fifteen years old would be assigned some relatively light collective work, such as picking things. Children under twelve had their food and accommodation taken care of by the base.

For a long time at first, apart from maintaining everyone’s livelihood, no one had the energy to think about other things, such as education or medical care.

But now that the base’s food and safety were guaranteed, and with the leadership of Liang Jincheng, who officially took office as the highest leader of the base after passing a vote at the end of August, plans for various things began to be planned and executed at a much faster pace than when Cheng Feng was in power.

The teaching profession was officially established, and recruitment and screening began early on in the information column.

This made many knowledge workers who could only do heavy physical labor at the beginning very happy. The salary and benefits were good, and they could return to their own professions, so there was no shortage of people signing up.

Ji Cha’s cousin Zhang Qinqin had been working in early childhood education before the apocalypse and had been helping out in the factory since then. Upon hearing this news, she immediately signed up.

This matter is not under Ji Cha’s control, but because the location set for the school is quite far from both canteens, a school canteen needs to be opened nearby. Ji Cha needs to do some preparation and handover farm related matters before personally visiting the place.

Currently, the school is temporarily divided into four parts: kindergarten, primary school, junior high school, and high school.

Since the news of opening a school was announced, many parents with children in the base have been interested, and there have been many inquiries on the information board. There are also many matters and things to prepare for the school, so it is scheduled to open at the end of September. However, pre-registration has already begun, and in just two days, there are already more than 500 registrations, excluding orphans. Apart from the small amount of fees that everyone can afford, the remaining families still need to pay for education, especially for the daily meals.

From a demographic perspective, the number of eligible children in the base is actually unhealthy, so they need to be protected.

“I estimate that there will be about 700 people who need to eat lunch at school every day when school starts. The dishes in the school canteen should be slightly different from those in the large canteens,” said the temporary head of the school in charge, who is from the army. “It is necessary to pay more attention to nutrition, but it should also be not too different from the meals from other canteens. Being too specialized is not good. How does Mr. Ji think?”

“Well, there should be differences. Actually, there are not many vegetables on the farm, and if they are supplied to the two large canteens, it is not enough. It’s just right to put them in the school canteen. Let’s see the students’ appetite on the first day, make a little more, and then send a quantifiable amount later,” Ji Cha said while recording various data on the school side.

When preparing to leave, he met Zhang Qinqin.

Zhang Qinqin has obtained the qualification to teach in kindergarten and has come to help with various decorations in these two days. The school is an empty shell, even the houses are newly built with red bricks, and it can be said that there is nothing if you don’t ask for it. Many of the equipment inside are all collected from several schools outside during this period.

Fortunately, even though the outside world is chaotic, there are not many people who want to come rob the school, nor are there many good things to rob. Except for the fact that some books in the library were burned for heating, there aren’t still many valuable things. For example, tables, chairs, and electronic tools for teaching have been brought back a lot. The arrangement before and after is really quite similar.

“You must be very busy these two days too, right?” Zhang Qinqin smiled, obviously very happy. “I have a feeling of never experiencing the end of the world when I stay here for a long time. I really want to return to the state of teaching children. I will bring Xiaochao to school when the time comes.”

“I think it’s good too,” Ji Cha nodded. “But I never thought we could start this so early. Before, I had thought about what we would do if the children stopped going to school in the future.”

Even though it’s the apocalypse, at least the people in the base have the motivation to live. In a hopeful environment, everyone has the expectation of being able to rebuild their lives. Education and enlightenment are the sparks that will continue all hope.

By the end of September, the school officially opened, and production on the farm entered a new stage.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

The production of chickens, ducks, and rabbits has entered the process, and the chicken coops, duck coops, and rabbit hutches have all been expanded more than twice their original size, and can now meet most of the relevant demands. The output of large meat production was slightly slower, but the supply of pork is now much better than before.

The experience accumulated from the breeding and production of livestock over time is more vivid than the simple language descriptions in books. As for food crops, a rich and diverse production has been achieved.

The problem of seed degeneration that had troubled Ji Cha before has also been solved by using the variation of crops. Like vegetables, almost all crops have two types of variations. Positive variations increase yield or optimize dryness in the mouth, while negative variations cause many plants to become aggressive and even cause fatal consequences.

This also requires the farm to pay attention to the growth and development of each batch of food crops at all times. Fortunately, as long as the crops have positive variations, there is basically no risk of infection, which is also one of the benefits.

The fish fry that Ji Cha planned to release has not yet shown any results in the ponds dug out by several people due to the limitations of the river, but this is a long-term investment, and Ji Cha has the patience to wait.

On the first day of school, Ji Cha went to the school’s cafeteria to check various situations himself, to supervise the preparation of the cafeteria and to perfect the later food handover matters.

On the first day of school, many of the students who came to school still looked confused. They brought their own tableware to the cafeteria, because the cost of the meals would be deducted from their family’s information points. Although the prices here were relatively cheaper than those of the large cafeteria, few people were willing to order meat and vegetables. This resulted in a surprising amount of leftovers, which could be digested by the large cafeteria for dinner, or it would be a waste in this hot weather.

All the food prices in the base are actually set based on the cost of maintaining the operation of the base. There is no room for profit at the moment, so it is not realistic to further reduce the price of meat and vegetables. Therefore, after a night of calculation by Ji Cha, they decided to change the dishes in the canteen. All meat dishes were reduced to one per day, but many vegetables were mixed with meat shreds, so the price was also reduced. As a result, the composite version of dishes with both vegetables and meat sold well the next day when they were sold in the canteen.

After observing for a week, the digestion and popular dishes of the school cafeteria became clear, and the supply from the farm became smoother.

All kinds of matters in the base began to proceed in an orderly manner. They thought that it would continue like this for some time, and almost all ordinary people forgot about the outside world. Suddenly, S Base received news from the outside world.

Even though C Country was so big, even if the end of the world brought devastating blows to the population, the existence of the base cannot be limited to S City alone, which is a fact that everyone understands.

However, what the outside base has developed into, whether their intentions are hostile or friendly, and what kind of consequences it may cause are concerns not only for ordinary people but also for Ji Cha.

He had experienced the end of the world in his previous life for so long. He knows that people outside were difficult to read, and no matter what, one cannot treat the other party as a simple character.

The safest way is to speculate maliciously about the other party’s intentions, but one cannot act recklessly. Even though S Base is now such a large base, there are still hidden worries when facing the outside world.

Of course, communication between the base and the outside world cannot be completely cut off. After all, humans are social animals, and although the base has achieved basic self-sufficiency, there are still many vacancies.

For example, salt in the base, although there has not been a shortage yet, it is inevitable that there will be a shortage when they run out, because they do not have well salt or access to the sea.

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Chang Le, Who Quietly Learned to Show Affection

The next morning, young master Shi indeed came again, and this time he came alone without the landlord’s son accompanying him.

As soon as he entered the shop, he looked around to see if he could spot the person he wanted to see. Then he picked up a tray from the side and ordered two dim sum. He then asked Brother Chang, who was nearby, “Waiter, is your boss here?”

Internally, Brother Chang rolled his eyes and smiled, saying, “Esteemed guest, our boss is very busy. May I ask if you have any business with our boss? Is it something related to business that you wish to discuss with him?”

Young master Shi raised an eyebrow and said, “Can’t I see your boss if it’s not related to business?”

Brother Chang smiled and said, “It’s not that, but apart from doing business, our boss is always with his fiancé.”

“Fiancé?” The young master Shi sneered and contemptuously said, “Are you talking about that mute ger?”

Seeing the disdainful smile on the young master’s face and hearing the disdain in his words, Brother Chang’s anger flared up. He replied coldly, “Even though Brother Le can’t speak, compared to those who may appear elegant and refined on the outside but often spew filth from their mouths, he is far superior. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“You!” Young Master Shi didn’t expect this waiter to be so sharp-tongued. He was quite angry and furrowed his brow. However, when several people entered through the door, he restrained himself from losing his temper. He sneered and said, “Hmph, you, as a waiter, are quite audacious!”

Brother Chang smiled and answered, “There’s no choice. It’s not easy to encounter a good boss. We, the helpers, all hope for a loving relationship between them, a harmonious family, and a happy and blissful life. It makes our work here more enjoyable. But there are always some ignorant people who know that our boss has a fiancé and still want to make advances towards him. We can only worry on his behalf.”

The meaning behind Brother Chang’s words was naturally understood by the young master Shi. He was taken aback, feeling choked, and let out a cold snort. Angrily, he headed towards the dining area. Why should he bother with a mere waiter? His target was the owner of this snack shop, Yu Qingze.

“Hey, esteemed guest, please settle the bill before dining. The counter for payment is over there. Please settle the bill first,” Brother Chang called out loudly from behind.

Young Master Shi halted his steps, glared at Brother Chang, and with a flushed face, went to the counter to pay the bill.

Seeing this, Brother Chang immediately entered the kitchen and approached Brother Le. He said, ” Brother Le, that Young Master Shi came again. As soon as he came in, he asked if Boss Yu was here, but I managed to put him in his place.”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Brother Le stared and gestured, saying, “This person has come again?”

“Yeah, I told him that Boss Yu is engaged and has a fiancé now, but he still acts so arrogantly. It’s really infuriating,” replied the other person.

Brother Le frowned. This young master Shi seemed to come from a decent background. Why is he acting like this?

“Brother Le, Boss Yu will be back with the flour soon. That young master Shi will definitely approach him again. Think of a way to handle it. There are many customers outside, so I’ll go out and attend to them first,” Brother Chang instructed specifically before going out to greet the customers.

Brother Le kneaded the dough, his brows tightly furrowed.

He believed in Boss Yu, but it was annoying to have someone constantly bothering him. Moreover, that person knew about Boss Yu’s engagement and still acted this way. Their intentions seemed highly malicious.

No ger would want to see their fiancé surrounded by a group of fluttering butterflies.

Not long after, Yu Qingze returned. He and the flour porter entered through the back door and placed the flour in his room. Then, he went to the front counter to get money to pay the porter. He had bought a bit more this time but was short on money.

Young Master Shi had been observing the hall and immediately approached when he saw Yu Qingze, calling out, “Boss Yu, you’re back?”

Yu Qingze turned his head and saw the person, immediately feeling a headache. He forced a smile and said, “Young Master Shi, you’re here for some dim sum today too. Thank you for your patronage.”

Saying that, Yu Qingze took the money counted by Jiabao and went to the backyard to pay the porter.

“Uh, Boss Yu…” Young Master Shi saw Yu Qingze turning away and walking. He took a few steps and noticed someone waiting for Yu Qingze in the corridor. He retreated and stood still in front of the counter, waiting.

Jiabao looked at Young Master Shi and spoke, “Excuse me, sir, you’re blocking our checkout. Could you please stand aside?”

Young Master Shi glanced at Jiabao and moved a step to the side, standing beside the counter.

When Yu Qingze finished paying the flour porter and saw him off, he returned to the counter and had to record the accounts.

Just as he arrived at the counter, Yu Qingze saw that Young Master Shi was still there.

Yu Qingze: …

“Uh, Boss Yu, I have something to discuss with you,” Young Master Shi saw Yu Qingze and his eyes lit up. Afraid that Yu Qingze would leave again, he quickly spoke.

With no other choice, Yu Qingze walked over and asked, “What can I do for you, Young Master Shi?”

Young Master Shi didn’t really have anything to discuss. His eyes flickered, and in his haste, he thought for a moment. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he found an excuse, saying, “Well, you see, my elder brother’s health isn’t very good, and he can’t go out often. He hasn’t had the chance to taste your dim sum, especially the white fungus soup. It’s such a pity. So, I was wondering if it would be possible for you, Boss Yu, to visit my home as a guest and make the white fungus soup there?”

Jiabao, the young boy by the counter, was dumbfounded.

Why would this Young Master Shi invite Boss Yu to his house just to make white fungus soup? They don’t have such a close relationship like the Cai family and the Zhao family. They’re not even acquainted!

Yu Qingze: … Speechless.

“I’m really sorry, Young Master Shi. I have a lot of things to take care of in my small shop, and I can’t spare the time. Actually, you can take the dim sum back home for your brother to taste,” Yu Qingze suggested.

“How about you teach me then?” Young Master Shi’s eyes brightened. Private lessons would mean more time spent together.

Yu Qingze: …

Just at that moment, Brother Le came over with a plate of dim sum. He walked up to Yu Qingze, glanced at Young Master Shi, then picked up a piece of pastry, took a bite himself, and fed the other half to Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze looked at Brother Le, smiled, and opened his mouth to eat the remaining half.

Young Master Shi: …

Jiabao couldn’t help but cover his mouth and chuckle.

Brother Chang, who had been secretly observing from the side, couldn’t hold back his laughter and burst out with a snort. He quickly turned his back. He didn’t expect Brother Le to have such mischievous moments. Young Master Shi would be infuriated if he saw that.

Brother Le put down his chopsticks on the plate and gestured, asking, “How is it? How does it taste?”

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “It’s delicious. Everything you make is delicious.”

Brother Le nodded in satisfaction but didn’t leave after feeding the dim sum.

Young Master Shi glanced at Brother Le and knew that he was Yu Qingze’s mute fiancé. He narrowed his eyes slightly and then smiled as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, saying, “Boss Yu, you’re sweating. Let me wipe it for you.”

As he spoke, he reached out his hand, intending to wipe the sweat off Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze quickly stepped back, avoiding him, and said, “Young Master Shi, please maintain your boundaries!”

At the same time, Brother Le grabbed the extended arm of Young Master Shi.

Both of them looked over and saw that it was Brother Le who was holding onto Young Master Shi’s arm.

Brother Le was furious, glaring at Young Master Shi. His eyes seemed to be spewing fire.

Young Master Shi exclaimed, “Ouch!” in a coquettish manner, pretending to be in pain. A tear squeezed out of his eye, and he said, “It hurts so much, why did you use so much force, this ger? You’re as strong as a man.”

Brother Le hadn’t really exerted much force earlier; he had just grabbed hold of Young Master Shi. But seeing Young Master Shi’s exaggerated reaction, he decided to fulfill his wishes and increased the strength in his grip.

“Ouch, it hurts!” This time, the pain was genuine. Young Master Shi blinked his eyes, furrowed his brows, and deliberately said to Yu Qingze, “Boss Yu, why is this servant treating guests like this? He’s so strong! It hurts so much. Please ask him to let go.”

Brother Le couldn’t speak, so naturally, he couldn’t respond to him.

“He’s not a servant, he’s Chang Le, my fiancé,” Yu Qingze took a step forward, placing his hand on Brother Le’s waist and guiding him towards himself. He said, “Young Master Shi, if there’s nothing important, my fiance and I have other matters to attend to. Please make yourself at home.”

Saying that, he embraced Brother Le and walked towards the backyard.

Brother Le shook off the guy’s hand, gave him a glare, and followed Yu Qingze to the backyard.

Young Master Shi bit his lip, rubbing his red wrist that had been squeezed. He was quite dissatisfied. This Yu Qingze was so clueless. Despite having good looks and a good figure, he couldn’t compare to a mute?

Many guests witnessed the scene just now and shook their heads. Those who were familiar with each other started discussing, wondering why this person had no shame. Boss Yu already had a fiancé, yet he was still trying to seduce him…

Young Master Shi heard the discussions and glared angrily at those guests before leaving.

Finding an ideal husband is not easy. This Yu Qingze has a good relationship with the Cai and Zhao families, and he himself has abilities. He will surely earn a lot of money in the future. Young Master Shi won’t give up so easily. Moreover, if he wants to leave that family, he must seize Yu Qingze. This is currently his best option.

In the backyard, Chang Le twisted a wet towel and angrily wiped Yu Qingze’s face.

Yu Qingze looked at him with amusement and said, “I thought you were going to kiss me directly. I had a little expectation in my heart.”

Chang Le glared at him, threw the wet towel in his face, and turned around to enter the kitchen.

Hmph, clean up yourself then!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Immediately, only Ji Cha and Liang Jincheng were left in the room.

“It’s just cooked, still hot,” Ji Cha divided the food into portions and handed them out. Liang Jincheng stood beside him and helped him. He no longer looked like the person who could make people shiver without saying a word, but more like a completely different person.

Liang Jincheng hugged Ji Cha from behind and buried his head deep in his neck, taking a deep breath.

“I didn’t take a shower last night,” Ji Cha tried to push him away, but Liang Jincheng didn’t want to let go.

“I’ll be busy for the next few days, and I might not be able to come back at night,” Liang Jincheng said.

Ji Cha understood, “It’s the same here, the farm is also busy, but it should be better than here.”

“Stay here tonight,” Liang Jincheng’s lips brushed against Ji Cha’s neck, and his body became hot. “I can’t sleep well without seeing you.”

Although his body had been strengthened to the point where he could be energetic with less than five hours of sleep a day, he still said such words to act cute.

Ji Cha fell for it, “Okay, that’s fine. The distance from here to home is not that far anyway. But, are we going to live in this apartment?”

The security here was good, but Ji Cha still felt that it lacked vitality and had even been home to zombies, making it even more gloomy.

“For now, the office is here, but we won’t live where Cheng Feng used to live. Another brand new place that nobody has lived in is being prepared,” Liang Jincheng said.

“Okay,” Ji Cha nodded with relief.

He brought some toiletries with him and moved in from that evening. On the surface, there was also a legitimate reason, after all, the farm he was in charge of was not a small place, so he needed proper protection.

And as time passed, those high-ranking officials who were under pressure from Liang Jincheng also figured out that as long as Ji Cha was around, Liang Jincheng’s temper wouldn’t be so bad. As a result, they became smarter and came to report their work when Ji Cha was present.

As May went by, the weather began to show signs of summer.

The dried pickled vegetables that had been prepared earlier were ready to be stored. Ji Cha calculated that there were still four piglets that could be produced in May, so he informed the canteen to make a dish of pickled vegetables and braised pork belly.

Even before the food was served, the fragrance of the meal had already wafted from the cafeteria’s kitchen, arousing the appetites of many and making some members of the newly approved team, who hadn’t eaten anything decent for almost a year, unable to walk properly.

“When it was peaceful before, I loved to eat preserved vegetable pork belly. It’s also good for stir-frying bitter melon. Just a few pieces and you can eat it with a bowl of rice.”

“Exactly, this flavor makes me want to go in and eat right now.”

The people outside were drooling, and the cooks inside were also feeling uncomfortable, wishing they could start serving the food right away so they could taste it too.

Moreover, this meal was especially abundant because it was the first one, and there was rare prosperity as piglets had recently been bred. When it was time for the meal, the people who came running in almost crushed the cafeteria. If they hadn’t prepared and estimated beforehand, those who came last would definitely not be able to get anything.

Although there were rumors outside that S City’s base was well-equipped, few believed it at first. However, gradually they could not bear the hunger and feared of being bullied by other gangs, so they began to come and try their luck, only to find out that it was really a treasure trove.

Although ordinary members had some complaints about other parts of the base after entering for so long, they had no objections to the farm and factory. Especially the farm, which worked hard to provide food for the people in the base, almost desperately. Everyone could see this.

Not to mention that the salary and treatment in the farm were generous. Those who could work in the farm had three times more opportunities than other base jobs. As a result, everyone’s impression of the farm was even better.

However, it was unexpected that there would be some unpleasantness in the farm at the end of May, which had been relatively conflict-free. The policies related to the distribution of milk were temporary, and the farm would conduct regular spot checks. If the other party no longer met the qualifications to receive milk, it would be canceled at any time. This resulted in two families being screened out.

These two families were very unhappy. After questioning the farm side without success, they privately complained to many people that the farm was unfair to them, and that all families with children were eligible. Why were they removed and replaced by others?

As more people spoke up, the rumor naturally spread wider. Within two days, it had reached the ears of Ji Cha, who was immediately displeased.

Of course, the farm cannot achieve absolute fairness, and many policies can only be implemented in a relatively fair environment. What does it mean to use these rules that have been communicated in advance for argument’s sake?

On that day, he drafted a notice to reiterate the milk policy, which benefits only newborn babies who have not yet been weaned. They are always a group in society that needs special care and attention, so it is not a controversial issue. The notice also directly listed several families who took advantage of the policy and violated the rules on the blacklist of purchasing milk, which deterred some people who like to use chaos to achieve their goals. After that, the matter was considered settled, and no one mentioned it again.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

A few months after Cheng Feng’s death, the differences in the base had begun to emerge. Under the leadership of Liang Jincheng, everything became more well-planned, and the size of the periphery of the base almost doubled. In addition to the original central area, the farm has now expanded to the safety zone on the periphery.

The base continues to attract people, and in order to maintain its stability, the farm must also increase its scale exponentially, at least to the point where it can feed the existing population of the base and still have a surplus.

As a result, it is already very clear who will be elected as the leader in the upcoming national vote in early August, and the position of the highest commander in the base belongs to Liang Jincheng.

Liang Jincheng and Ji Cha have different roles; although the farm only focuses on food, because of the stable output of products such as rabbit fur, chicken feathers, and duck feathers in recent months, it also has some connections with textile work.

However, Ji Cha does not know much about this area, and there are more professional personnel outside, so he is only involved in material handover and some procurement quantity determinations.

Currently, Ji Cha is mainly involved in fisheries and aquaculture.

He had previously discovered mutated fish, which are now the focus of Ji Cha’s observation and research. However, the fish pond area has never been considered very safe, and there has been no manpower available to build a new one.

Ji Cha was busy all day and only had time to return to the factory building for dinner. Now he and Liang Jincheng mostly live in the apartment area. Ji Cha probably only spends two days a week living in the factory building. But as long as he has free time, he will come back for dinner.

The weather at the end of July had already started to get hot, especially after the apocalypse, the weather seemed to be more extreme. The daytime temperature had already reached 37-38 degrees Celsius, making it very difficult to endure.

There are quite a few elderly people in the base, two of whom have all their children at home and do not usually work. After meeting Ji Cha’s grandmother, they occasionally come over to chat.

In the courtyard on a summer night, a plate of mosquito-repellent incense was lit, and a few elderly people sat in chairs with fans, gently swaying. This scene made Ji Cha feel as if he had returned to a very ordinary village night before the end of the world.

Even the topics discussed by the elderly were very down-to-earth.

“How old is Boss Ji this year?”

“Twenty-two years old, twenty-three in nominal age.”

“That’s still young, no need to rush. Hey, isn’t Captain Liang older than Boss Ji?”

“Jin Cheng, yes, he’s twenty-six this year.”

Ji Cha stood nearby, charging his electric scooter, and heard them discussing this, so he pricked up his ears and listened carefully.

“Then he should find a partner, right?” the old lady raised her voice, “Captain Liang has such good conditions, we should find someone good for him.”

Grandma Ji nodded in agreement, “Jin Cheng does have good conditions, but he wouldn’t like ordinary people.”

Nowadays, there is no one else like Liang Jincheng in the base with his status, who wouldn’t want to pair up with him?

“Hey, you guys are all family, any news from Captain Liang’s side? Let me tell you, there are a few girls who are not bad, what kind of girl does Captain Liang like?”

“He likes girls with short hair, good looks, round eyes, and doesn’t have to have very fair skin,” Grandma Ji said confidently.

Ji Cha felt uncomfortable listening to this on the side, why were they actually introducing others to Liang Jincheng?

“Grandma,” he walked out of the darkness and interrupted them, “why are you talking about this? Jin Cheng knows what he wants.”

Grandma Ji looked at him and smiled without saying a word. It was the other two elderly people who were interested in Ji Cha and pulled him aside to ask, “Boss Ji, what kind of girl do you like? Grandma can find one for you?”

Ji Cha was embarrassed, but Grandma Ji smiled and took the hands of her old friends off Ji Cha, “Alright, don’t bother, both Cha Cha and Jin Cheng already have partners, no need to worry about this.”

Grandmother’s words left Ji Cha stunned. He realized that she had known it a while ago.

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Thandar: oh shiiiiiit, grandma you still sharp at this age 👏 👏 👏

Someone Has Their Eyes on You

Early the next morning, Jiabao came over and specially brought a small jar of bamboo leaf green tea as a birthday gift for Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze looked at the tea in his hand, patted Jiabao’s head, and smiled, “Thank you, Jiabao. I really like it.”

Jiabao grinned at his words and then turned around to help with the preparations for opening the store.

In the morning, Brother Le also took some time to go out and buy some fabric. Yesterday, Brother Chang reminded him that winter was approaching, and Big Brother Yu’s winter clothes and shoes were still missing. He was still wearing their old clothes as outerwear.

Moreover, it was time for Grandpa and Chang Hao to have new clothes and shoes as well. In the past, when the family was poor, they would only have one set of new clothes for the whole year, and sometimes they couldn’t even make one set. Now that their conditions had improved, they should buy them new clothes this year.

Brother Le chose several colors of fabric suitable for the elderly, young people, and teenagers. There were undershirts, middle layers, outerwear, and even cotton-padded clothes. He bought enough fabric for a complete outfit for each style, and the leftovers could be used to make shoes or insoles.

So, in the evening, Chang Le had another activity: making clothes.

While Yu Qingze was busy with bookkeeping and accounting, Chang Le sat beside him, making clothes. They sat around a table, each doing their own tasks, occasionally chatting, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

And so, a few days passed.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

One morning, Chang Le was suddenly pulled by Brother Chang into his room in the kitchen. Brother Chang whispered in Chang Le’s ear, “Le, quick, I found a ger who always secretly watches Boss Yu. He has been coming here often these days, and I’ve caught him a few times. He even had a conversation with Boss Yu just now. I suspect he’s interested in Boss Yu.”

Le was taken aback. Someone has taken a liking to Boss Yu? He looked at Brother Chang and gestured, asking, “Who is it?”

Brother Chang grabbed Chang Le’s wrist, and the two of them secretly hid in a corner, looking out into the lobby. “Look, it’s the ger who’s talking to Boss Yu right now,” Brother Chang said in a low voice.

Chang Le looked towards the lobby and saw a young ger who seemed to be about seventeen or eighteen years old talking to Boss Yu at the counter. He had a handsome appearance, fair skin, and looked well-dressed. His family background should be decent.

Looking at Boss Yu, who had a smile on his face while responding.

“Do you see anything from the way he looks at Boss Yu?” Brother Chang asked softly.

Chang Le shook his head. He couldn’t see anything unusual. The guy’s gaze seemed normal, except that he didn’t make much eye contact with Boss Yu while speaking.

Frustrated, Brother Chang said, “Look carefully. Look at him. He seems hesitant to make direct eye contact, shy and timid. It’s just like when you hadn’t confessed to Boss Yu yet.”

Chang Le wondered, “…Is that so? Did I look at Boss Yu like that before?”

“Hey, what are you two doing here acting so sneaky? You’re blocking the way. Little Chang, why don’t you go and attend to the customers? Can’t you see there are so many?” Brother Chang’s mother, holding a large tray of dim sum, was about to place it on the stove in the lobby but was blocked by the two.

As soon as the two guys realized they had been discovered, they quickly straightened up and let Brother Chang’s mother pass.

Chang Le was about to go back to the kitchen to work when Brother Chang grabbed him and said, “You’re right. Why are we sneaking around? This is your territory. Come on, let’s go and listen to what they’re saying.”

Saying that, Brother Chang directly pulled Le out.

Chang Le was a bit confused. He was pulled by Brother Chang and placed next to Jiabao, making it convenient for him to eavesdrop, while Brother Chang went to the entrance and intentionally walked much slower as he passed by.

“Brother Le? Is there something wrong?” Jiabao saw Chang Le standing next to him and thought he had something to discuss, so he asked.

Chang Le shook his head, signaling that he should focus on his own tasks and not pay attention to him.

Jiabao blinked his eyes and continued working. There were still a few customers waiting in line to check out.

Since they were already standing there, Chang Le thought he might as well listen in.

“I see! Boss Yu, you’re really amazing. So many dim sum, and they all taste so good. I truly admire you.” It was the voice of that guy.

“Not at all. It’s all thanks to the support of the locals.” Boss Yu replied.

Chang Le thought, “Hmm, that’s just ordinary compliments. Doesn’t seem like anything special.”

“There’s no better pastry in this city than the ones you make. By the way, Boss Yu, I also want to learn how to make dim sum. Can you teach me?”

Chang Le frowned. Why would this guy ask such a question? These dim sum are what Boss Yu uses to earn a living. It’s not something you can learn just by asking, or that Boss Yu would teach you.

“Making dim sum is tiring. It’s better to let the cooks at home handle it, Master Shi. There’s no need for you to do it yourself.”

Chang Le raised an eyebrow. Just as I thought, Boss Yu wouldn’t casually teach someone to make dim sum. So this guy’s surname is Shi…

Then, Master Shi said, “Well, I also want to be able to personally make some dim sum for my future spouse when I get married.”

Chang Le glanced up and noticed that when the guy mentioned ‘future spouse,’ he happened to glance at Yu Qingze for a moment and quickly looked away.

Chang Le thought, “…”

Yu Qingze furrowed his brow. Why doesn’t this guy understand a polite refusal? If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s the son of the landlord and Zhao’s cousin, he would have already lost patience with him. Especially with his sticky and affectionate gaze…

Yu Qingze’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, “Master Shi, I’m really sorry, but we can’t share these dim sum with the outside. You see, Young Master Zhao seems to be looking for you over there. I still have some things to attend to in the kitchen, so I’ll take my leave for now.”

“Uh, Boss Yu…”

After Yu Qingze finished speaking, he didn’t bother with whatever Master Shi had to say. He wanted to quickly return to the kitchen, but when he turned around, he found Chang Le standing behind the counter, looking at him.

Yu Qingze: …

Chang Le: …

Caught in the act. Chang Le lowered his head and happened to see a small basket with bamboo plaques on the counter. He casually picked up the basket and started distributing the plaques towards the stove.

“I’m just here to help!” Chang Le calmly walked past Yu Qingze, but once he got there, his face turned red.

Yu Qingze: …

After glancing at Chang Le’s back and his reddened ears, Yu Qingze touched his nose and walked towards the kitchen, his lips curling upwards until he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Hahaha, Brother Le is so adorable!

Once Yu Qingze entered the kitchen, Brother Chang immediately rushed to Chang Le’s side, giving him a signal and pulling him into a corner. He whispered, “How did it go? I wasn’t wrong, right?”

Chang Le pressed his lips together and nodded with a serious expression.

“What are you going to do?” Brother Chang asked again.

Chang Le gestured, indicating his trust in Big Brother Yu. He believes that Big Brother Yu will handle it well. He just rejected that ger’s request to learn dim sum-making.

Brother Chang then asked, “But what if he comes back?”

Chang Le pondered for a moment and gestured, “We’ve already turned him down. Why would he come back?”

Brother Chang replied, “Who knows? I’ve noticed that he’s been coming quite frequently lately, almost every other day.”

Chang Le had been in the kitchen the whole time and hadn’t noticed this issue, so he furrowed his brow and said, “We’ll see when the time comes. Right now, I don’t know what to do either. I’ll think about it tonight. Besides, it also depends on Brother Yu’s attitude.”

Brother Chang thought about it and advised, “Alright, I’ll keep an eye outside for you. If I see him, I’ll let you know. But let me tell you, if he keeps pestering you, you must muster up the courage, you know?”

Chang Le solemnly nodded in response.

Towards the end of the afternoon, Dajian came to find Yu Qingze. Currently, his father and the others at home were in charge of making baby carriages, but according to their previous agreement, he was following up on the foot-powered threshing machine’s production with Yu Qingze.

However, this machine was indeed much more difficult to make compared to the previous items. The outer frame was not much of a challenge, but the internal wheels and gears were particularly difficult. He was currently working on models for those gears, which would eventually be made of iron. However, he was stuck and couldn’t get the gears to mesh properly, so he had to come to Yu Qingze for help.

Yu Qingze and Dajian discussed in the backyard for a long time, and when it was time to close up shop, Brother Chang took charge and held a brief summary meeting before everyone packed up and went home. Yu Qingze and Dajian continued their conversation until dinner was mentioned. Dajian grabbed a quick bite and happily headed home.

After sending Jiabao home in the evening, Yu Qingze took out the account book and began recording the day’s transactions.

“Brother Le, Dajian mentioned today that their family’s production of baby carriages and walkers is going smoothly. In about ten days, they should be able to release the first batch of finished products for sale. I’ll be able to receive a portion of the profits from that…”

Yu Qingze finished speaking and looked up at Le, waiting for his response. However, after waiting for a while, he saw that Brother Le was lost in thought, furrowing his brow and seemingly unaware of what was said.

Putting down the pen in his hand, Yu Qingze reached out and waved his hand in front of Brother Le’s eyes, calling out, “Brother Le?!”

Chang Le startled, snapped back to reality, and gestured, “What’s wrong? What did you say?”

Yu Qingze furrowed his brow and asked, “What are you thinking about? Is something bothering you?”

Chang Le quickly shook his head.

Yu Qingze pondered for a moment. The only thing today that could make Le worry was probably the incident from the morning. He asked, “Is it about that young master Shi wanting to learn about making dim sum? Are you worried that I would teach him?”

Chang Le shook his head. It had nothing to do with dim sum at all.

Chang Le had indeed heard it.

Yu Qingze pulled the chair closer, held Chang Le’s hand, and asked, “Then what are you worried about? Tell me.”

Chang Le hesitated for a moment. He felt that eavesdropping was not honorable, and he was concerned about this and that, so he didn’t feel comfortable speaking up.

Yu Qingze said, “Do you remember during Brother’s Day when we said that we should share our thoughts and concerns with each other? Do you remember that?”

Chang Le nodded.

“Then tell me what you’re thinking right now. I want to know,” Yu Qingze said.

Chang Le hesitated for a moment and gestured with his hand, indicating that the young master Shi seemed to have taken a liking to Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze blinked and said, “And then?” Even the slow-witted Chang Le could see that the young master Shi had an interest in him? That’s progress!

Chang Le looked at him, a little puzzled about the meaning of “and then.” What’s next? What comes after?

Yu Qingze guided him and said, “He seems to have some interest in me. And then, what do you think about it?”

Chang Le fell silent.

“Worried that I might like him too?” Yu Qingze asked.

Chang Le immediately shook his head and gestured, indicating that it’s not the case.

Yu Qingze continued to ask, “Then, are you afraid that he might snatch me away?”

Chang Le widened his eyes and vigorously shook his head, gesturing that he trusts Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Thank you for trusting me. So, tell me, what were you thinking just now?”

Chang Le pursed his lips, gesturing angrily, and said, “You’ve already promised to marry me, but that guy keeps throwing flirtatious looks at you. It makes me angry!”

“Hahaha, if someone is interested in me, it means you have good taste,” Yu Qingze laughed and then said seriously, “And Brother Le, no matter if others like me or not, as long as you remember, I only love you, that’s enough, understand?”

Upon hearing this, Chang Le blushed and nodded. Then he looked up at Yu Qingze and made a serious gesture, indicating, “No matter how good other guys are, you are my fiancé. You’re not allowed to like anyone else!”

At such times, there’s no need to say much. Expressing sincerity is enough.

Yu Qingze immediately raised his hand and made a swearing gesture, saying, “Heaven above, in this lifetime, the next lifetime, and the lifetime after that, I only love Brother Le and want to have a loving and blissful relationship with him until old age!”

Upon hearing that, Chang Le grinned.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

When Cheng Feng and Li Lingyun died, there was inevitably some turbulence among the upper echelons of the base. These days, Liang Jincheng had a lot of things to do, so much so that he hurriedly returned home late at night only to find that Ji Cha was not there. It wasn’t until he met Zhang Xing, who got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, that he learned that Ji Cha had stayed at the farm to work overtime tonight.

Liang Jincheng had come back just to catch a glimpse of Ji Cha, but now he missed the opportunity, and on the other hand, he had to go back to deal with urgent matters, so the two didn’t meet that day.

Ji Cha dozed off in the office for three hours, then got up and turned on the computer to organize the identity information of the people who came to collect the milk subsidy that day one by one, and pulled out all the qualifying family information in the base, carefully reviewing and placing them in other documents.

This special approach may make people feel unfair to some extent, but at present, Ji Cha couldn’t think of a more effective method. What he could do was to strictly follow the rules and not give people the opportunity to exploit loopholes.

Busy until the morning with almost no sleep, Ji Cha finally found time to go home for breakfast. Because he wanted to make dried mustard greens, the farm had hired some new temporary workers from outside these days.

Ji Cha returned to the farm to check on the production of the dried mustard greens, but unexpectedly ran into a conflict.

There were more than twenty temporary workers who had been hired, including two from the Thousand People Base. When Li Lingyun was still alive, the members of the Thousand People Base were considered domineering in the S Base due to Cheng Feng’s indulgence. Now that Li Lingyun was dead, they were like a pile of loose sand and dared not be arrogant anymore. However, while they had to be more restrained, whether the people in the base would or would not pick a fight with them was another matter.

Unlike before, when conflicts arose now, the members of the Thousand People Base also dared not do anything, and the other workers at the farm felt that they should give them a lesson, so they didn’t intend to intervene.

“What are you doing?” Ji Cha stopped the car and shouted loudly.

He quickly walked over and pushed aside the people who were pushing and shoving each other. “Are you here to work or to fight? If you’re here to fight, go outside and have a good fight. Afterward, put yourself in solitary confinement and don’t take today’s wages. Let your family go hungry too!”

As soon as they saw him, the originally sharp conflict calmed down a lot. After listening to both sides’ explanations, Ji Cha also had a rough understanding of the situation.

“Whatever the reason may be, the past is over and the troublemakers from before have been punished. Do you want to follow in their footsteps? We are all part of the same base and should not treat each other as outsiders. Newcomers should not feel special either. Here, whoever works hard can live comfortably, and whoever breaks the rules will be punished. Those who participated in the fight today will have three points deducted from their card, and those who repeat their mistakes will be sent to the black room.”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present became quiet.

Fortunately, aside from this incident, the pickling of the dried mustard greens went smoothly, and it should be ready for sale in a week. By that time, two pigs in the pigsty should also be ready for slaughter. They could then use the dried mustard greens to cook with the pork and offer a new dish to the cafeteria, as well as provide better meals for the members of the base.

As Ji Cha went downstairs, Zhang Xing was going up and said to him, “Brother Liang came looking for you last night.”

After completing all of this, Ji Cha went home and slept for a while. He didn’t sleep long, waking up at half-past eleven in the morning. Lunch was only halfway done.

Zhang Xing knew about his relationship with Liang Jincheng, so he appeared more concerned about them.

Ji Cha rubbed his tired eyes and said, “I know, he probably won’t come back for lunch, so I’ll bring him some food later.”

The food at home was quite simple because there were many people to feed, and most of the meat and grains that Ji Cha had stored were already consumed. Now, the family received their food supplies from the farm, which were similar to the cafeteria’s ingredients. The only advantage was that Ji Cha had a significant share in the farm, so he had some control over certain meats and vegetables.

In simpler terms, if Ji Cha wanted to eat meat at every meal, no one could say anything. However, this privilege was not often utilized at home. Compared to the cafeteria, the food at home was just more ordinary.

Ji Cha’s grandmother was an excellent cook, and aside from overseeing work in the factory, she spent most of her time cooking three meals a day. Upon hearing that Ji Cha was going to bring Liang Jincheng some food, she hastened her work.

Zhang Qinqin helped take out the lunchbox on the side.

Grandma glanced over and said, “Get a bigger double lunch box from the cabinet below. It’ll get cold if we wait for Chacha to finish eating before sending it over. It’s better if he goes over and eats with Jin Cheng.”

“Okay,” Zhang Qinqin nodded and found a double-layered lunch box from below.

Ji Cha thought for a moment and decided to send a message to Cheng Feng’s computer in his office. He figured that Liang Jincheng should be there.

Indeed, Liang Jincheng was there, but the atmosphere in the room was far from relaxed like at home. In just one night, the high-level management of the base secretly underwent a major reorganization, and power struggles and hidden agendas were gradually exposed. Those who had thought they were in control suddenly realized that Liang Jincheng wasn’t ignorant of anything; he had simply been observing and waiting. And now that he had taken action, he had left everyone else with no way to retaliate.

The communication soldier was carefully watching the computer screen, trying not to make any noise on the keyboard, fearing that any sound would draw the attention of the people in the room.

“Excuse me, is Captain Liang in the apartment area?” the message read.

The soldier was startled by the message, should he reply or not? He looked at the source of the message and saw that it was from the factory. Wasn’t Captain Liang and the factory in the same family? The soldier typed cautiously on the keyboard, and with two clicks, he instantly attracted several pairs of eyes, the most fierce of which belonged to Liang Jincheng.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

The communication soldier stood up abruptly and almost knocked over the chair behind him. “Captain Liang, someone is looking for you!”

“Who?” Liang Jincheng frowned.

The soldier became even more flustered and stammered, “I-I don’t know!”

The subordinates, who had been intimidated by Liang Jincheng earlier, suddenly felt relieved when the focus shifted away from them. They all let out a sigh of relief.

“Get out,” Liang Jincheng ordered.

The messenger ran off in a hurry, while Liang Jincheng called out to him from behind, “Where did you get the information from?”

“From the factory!” The messenger replied.

Liang Jincheng ordered him to sit down and asked him to find out who the source was and what the matter was about. The messenger typed the message and received an immediate reply.

“Ask him if he’s coming back for dinner, if not, I’ll send it over.” The messenger read out the message.

Liang Jincheng’s fierce attitude, which seemed like a storm was coming, immediately eased up a bit, “Send the coordinates over, and let someone wait at the door later.”

Although those who didn’t understand were still afraid, the members of the ability user team who knew what was going on couldn’t help but smile and relax. With Ji Cha’s arrival, Liang Jincheng’s bad mood could turn into a bright day, so there was nothing to fear.

As soon as the electric scooter stopped, Ji Cha got off with a lunchbox in hand, and someone greeted him immediately at the door. He thought it was a search like before and was about to raise his hand, but the other person politely said, “Mr. Ji, please follow me, Captain Liang is inside.”

“Okay.” Ji Cha followed him inside, noticing a lot of differences. When Cheng Feng lived here before, the apartment guards were very strict, almost watertight. Now it’s much looser, but the atmosphere is still serious and apparent when entering the room.

As soon as Ji Cha stepped into the room, everyone’s eyes and Liang Jincheng’s footsteps greeted him.

“Let’s eat first, shall we?” Ji Cha put the food on the table, looked around, and whispered to Liang Jincheng, “Have they not eaten yet?”

Liang Jincheng nodded and said to everyone, “Go to the cafeteria and continue the unfinished business in an hour.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out.

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Birthday Gift

A small bottle of osmanthus wine, most of which went into Yu Qingze’s belly. Jiabao cannot drink it, and Chang Le…

Thinking about the embarrassment from drinking during the Mid-Autumn Festival, he only had two small cups with Yu Qingze and refused to drink anymore.

Yu Qingze didn’t insist on drinking either. If Brother Le got drunk for real, what would happen to his birthday gift?

After the three of them finished eating and tidied up, they attended an arithmetic class for half an hour, which ended half an hour earlier than usual.

Later, Brother Le complained of feeling dizzy. Yu Qingze noticed his flushed cheeks and his eyes were hazy, probably due to the effects of alcohol. He let Brother Le rest in the room and personally accompanied Jiabao back home.

Jiabao initially said there was no need to accompany him anymore, as he hadn’t been bothered by any ruffians since last time. However, Yu Qingze and Chang Le were still worried. It was not safe for a teenager like him to go home late every night, so they continued to accompany him home every day.

Once Yu Qingze and Jiabao left the store, Brother Le immediately stood up from his chair, grabbed an oil lamp, and quickly entered the kitchen. He rolled up his sleeves and skillfully started preparing the dough, his eyes no longer hazy.

Well, to be honest, his head was a bit dizzy too. But he wanted to make a bowl of longevity noodles for Big Brother Yu. They hadn’t had longevity noodles for dinner yet, so he had to make it quickly, hoping to surprise him before he returned.

When Yu Qingze returned, the hall was empty, with only a lonely oil lamp burning on the table. He couldn’t find Brother Le’s figure, but the kitchen light was on.

“Brother Le, aren’t you feeling dizzy? Why are you still busy? Go wash up and rest…”

Yu Qingze thought Brother Le was preparing for tomorrow’s work and entered the kitchen intending to ask him to wash up and rest. But as he approached, he found Brother Le making noodles in front of the stove.

Was it for him? The last word lingered in his mouth, unspoken, as Yu Qingze slowly approached Brother Le.

Seeing Yu Qingze return so quickly, Brother Le felt a bit annoyed. He wasn’t fast enough, and Big Brother Yu had already seen him. But there was nothing he could do, so he turned around and gestured, “It’ll be done soon. You go out and wait for a while.”

After gesturing, Brother Le turned back and continued his work.

Yu Qingze approached, wrapped his arms around Brother Le’s waist from behind, and rested his chin on Brother Le’s shoulder. He felt Brother Le’s body tense for a moment, and his hand with the chopsticks paused briefly before relaxing again. Then, he tilted his head slightly, lightly brushing against Yu Qingze’s face, and turned back to stir the boiling noodles in the pot.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Yu Qingze curled his lips and smiled, softly asking, “Is it for me?”

Brother Le nodded and gestured, indicating that it was for his birthday.

Yu Qingze tightened his arms, tilted his head, and kissed Brother Le’s face lightly. He said, “Thank you.”

Since his grandfather passed away, for over a decade, he had spent most of his birthdays alone. He would cook a bowl of noodles for himself and consider it done. During his time in the military, he had comrades to celebrate with, but after he left the service, everyone scattered across the country, and they could only exchange messages and phone calls to send their blessings. He didn’t pay much attention to birthdays.

Today, he hadn’t even remembered that it was his own birthday. He only learned about it from listening to Brother Chang and Brother Le chatting, talking about how it was already October 28th, and winter was approaching. Everyone in the village had harvested their sweet potatoes, and his family had just sown radish and celery seeds…

Yu Qingze suddenly realized and remembered that today was his birthday. Although he didn’t usually care much about birthdays, he felt that this first birthday after getting to know Brother Le held some significance, so he wanted to commemorate it in some way.

Although he had thought about it, he didn’t want a big celebration with many people, which led to the current situation. Now, seeing Brother Le making longevity noodles specifically for him, his heart felt warm, filled with small bubbles of gratitude and happiness.

It’s really wonderful to know Brother Le!

From now on, he would have someone to celebrate every birthday with him. Not only birthdays, but also various holidays like Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, New Year’s Eve, Spring Festival, Lantern Festival… he would have someone to celebrate with for all of them.

Not only a lover, but also Grandpa Chang, Xiao Hao, and in the future, maybe even children and more family members.

Thinking about this, he couldn’t help but kiss Brother Le again.

The feeling of having a home is truly amazing.

Brother Le laughed as he was kissed, feeling a bit ticklish and warm on his cheeks. He quickly gestured, asking, “Add eggs?”

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Yes, add two eggs. Let’s fry them. One for you, and one for me.”

So, after cooking the noodles, Brother Le fried two eggs and placed them on top of the cooked noodles.

Throughout the process, Yu Qingze never let go of Brother Le, as if he was attached to his back.

Once the longevity noodles were ready, Brother Le brought the noodles to the outdoor table. He took off the large human-shaped pendant from behind him and placed it on the chair, then handed Yu Qingze a pair of chopsticks.

Yu Qingze took the chopsticks, picked up a fried egg from the noodles, and used a spoon to catch the dripping broth before bringing it to Brother Le’s mouth.

Brother Le glanced at Yu Qingze, pursed his lips, smiled, and took a bite. Then, Yu Qingze took a bite himself…

The two of them finished the two fried eggs like this, one bite at a time.

Afterward, Yu Qingze found the two ends of the longevity noodles and ate one end himself, while he used his chopsticks to pick up the other end, indicating for Brother Le to eat it.

Brother Le shook his head and gestured, saying that the longevity noodles shouldn’t be eaten by the person who made them.

Yu Qingze gently held the remaining end of the noodle in his mouth and said with unclear words, “I want you to eat with me, to share our longevity together.”

Brother Le initially hesitated, but seeing his persistence, he reluctantly lowered his head and took the other end of the noodle into his mouth.

Under the warm glow of the candlelight, the two of them bowed their heads and ate the same longevity noodle, occasionally sharing smiles.

As the noodles grew shorter and reached the last bit, Yu Qingze leaned over and pressed his lips against Brother Le’s. The noodle disappeared between their lips, leaving only a slanted shadow merging on the ground…

After the kiss, Yu Qingze rested his forehead against Brother Le’s, their noses brushing together. They both breathed heavily, occasionally pecking each other’s lips.

By now, Yu Qingze had already straddled Brother Le, holding him face to face. Both of them were filled with emotions. Yu Qingze tightened his arms, and with one hand, he took Brother Le’s right hand off his neck and guided it to the space between them. He whispered in Brother Le’s ear, “Brother Le, you came today, hm?”

Little Aze and Little Lele had already greeted each other before and played happily together a few times, but every time it was Yu Qingze assisting with the interactions. Brother Le had not initiated any actions yet.

Brother Le’s eyes flickered, and his fingers involuntarily curled up.

Yu Qingze guided his hand to the right position and encouraged him, saying, “Just do it like you’ve done before.”

Upon hearing this, Brother Le buried his head in Yu Qingze’s neck, feeling his face burn.

How did Big Brother Yu know that he had done it before?

“Hm? Have you done it before?” Yu Qingze asked in a hoarse voice.

Brother Le’s body stiffened, but he nodded with his face still buried, holding on a bit tighter.

Yu Qingze chuckled softly and coaxed him, saying, “Then come, open your fingers.” Saying that, Yu Qingze separated Brother Le’s fingers and guided them to touch Little Aze. Then he kissed Brother Le’s earlobe and whispered softly, “Be good, touch it. It likes you just as much as I do…”

Listening to Yu Qingze’s hoarse voice and feeling the warmth between his fingers, Brother Le, with a flushed face, boldly grasped Little Aze.

“Mmm, Brother Le, my baby, don’t be nervous, be gentle…” Yu Qingze groaned and trembled in his voice.

Upon hearing Yu Qingze’s stifled painful voice, Brother Le realized that he had exerted too much force. He quickly let go, raised his head, and looked at Yu Qingze with concern.

“It’s okay, just don’t be nervous. Come, continue.”

Seeing that Yu Qingze was really fine, Brother Le breathed a sigh of relief and took a deep breath. He leaned in and kissed Yu Qingze’s lips, diverting his attention, and slowly resumed exploring…

The candle flickered in the room, and the shadows on the ground danced along with their movements…

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: Hey hey hey, this isn’t yaoi. It’s shounen ai. Stop it, you two XD

“These are not my words, I am being framed!” Li Lingyun kept struggling, shouting in anger.

Liang Jincheng put away the recording pen, “We have all the witness and physical evidence now. You killed Cheng Feng and are still planning to take control of the base. The base has decided to execute you.”

The soldier standing next to him did not look away. Li Lingyun’s left and right hand men were nowhere to be seen, and he knew he had fallen into a trap. Looking at Liang Jincheng’s expression, Li Lingyun knew he was doomed.

“What identity do you have to kill me now?” Li Lingyun gritted his teeth. “You’re just a squad leader!”

Liang Jincheng sneered, “What do you think my identity is?”

His own position wasn’t high, but Li Lingyun knew very well that no one in the base could shake Liang Jincheng’s position. Even when Cheng Feng attempted to make some changes, he was mercilessly removed. Now, it had become a situation of killing two birds with one stone, and he was one of the birds. And now that Liang Jincheng had clearly decided to seize power, there was no room for negotiation.

Li Lingyun laughed in anger, lowered his head and remained silent.

On the farm.

“Boss, the army has sent back the milk test results.” Wang Qiang rushed into the farm office with a paper report, his face both joyful and proud. “See, I told you the milk we brought was drinkable.”

“Hey, weren’t you supposed to have half a day off today? How did you get here so soon?” Ji Cha stood up and took the paper from Wang Qiang.

Yesterday evening, Wang Qiang and his family moved into their new home in the base, which was in a good location. Ji Cha understood that they had a lot to tidy up, so he gave them all half a day off.

“Well, why do we need so many people to take a break? My sister, my mom, and I can handle the cleaning. My uncle, dad, and cousin are all here to work. Otherwise, who would dare to milk the cows this morning? Isn’t that a waste? And, I happened to meet the person delivering the report at the door, so he let me bring it in.”

During his speech, Ji Cha glanced through the report. The main idea was simple: no zombie virus was found in the milk, and it was deemed safe for consumption after processing.

This was great news. Milk could be processed into so many products, enriching the base’s diet. At least now, almost everyone in the base could have a glass of milk after milking the cows.

“I had someone feed the cows earlier. They’re quite clever. They don’t get agitated when they see someone coming to feed them. They just stand there waiting. After a while, our workers will be able to milk them up close,” Ji Cha said.

“That would be great,” Wang Qiang chuckled. “In a little while, it’ll be time for mating season. Then we can look forward to having some calves.”

Yesterday, their family had finally eaten delicious food again in the base. They slept in houses with water and electricity, and they didn’t need to take turns to stand guard at night. They could sleep soundly until dawn, which felt like a luxury.

Over the past two days, they had collected several thousand kilograms of milk. Since there was no equipment to process the milk in the base, they had to use two stoves and a large black pot to boil and sterilize the milk. They didn’t have professional disinfection equipment and couldn’t add any additives to the milk. Therefore, the milk’s shelf life would be much shorter.

Now, there was no immediate way to process the milk. The best solution was to drink it directly.

While Ji Cha was getting instructions from Wang Qiang on how to process the milk, he tried to request a broadcast message through the base’s computer system. However, he received a message back that the broadcast system was being occupied.

Occupied?

This situation had never happened before. Apart from announcing significant events, there was hardly ever a need to use the broadcast system in the base. So why was it being used now?

Ji Cha was about to use the device to inquire about any possible machine malfunctions on the other end when the base’s broadcast equipment suddenly came to life.

To his surprise, he heard Liang Jincheng’s voice coming from the speakers!

Ji Cha was surprised and immediately ran outside to listen to the radio attentively. Ordinary residents working in various places were also attracted by the sound of the broadcast.

“I am Liang Jincheng, and I have two things to announce to everyone now.

First, around yesterday midnight, the highest commander of the original base, Cheng Feng, was attacked and killed by zombies in his bedroom. After on-site investigation, the source of the zombies was one of the five zombies that Cheng Feng kept in the basement. The zombie has now been disposed of, and Cheng Feng’s body has been cremated. I am being honest and open to hope that everyone will not panic because of this. Everything is currently under control.

Second, Cheng Feng’s death was partly due to his own fault, and partly due to someone deliberately plotting against him. After collecting evidence and careful elimination, the culprit, Li Lingyun, 36 years old, who had been in the base for more than a month, has been arrested. The evidence is as follows…”

After that, there was Li Lingyun’s recording and the testimony of an anonymous person.

“The base has decided to execute Li Lingyun by firing squad, to be carried out immediately.”

As soon as Liang Jincheng’s words fell, there was a faint gunshot in the broadcast, and everything returned to calm.

“The subsequent arrangements of the base will be handled by me until a new leader is elected.” Liang Jincheng’s voice remained calm, “Sorry for the interruption.”

Compared with Cheng Feng and Li Lingyun, Liang Jincheng was a more familiar figure in the base. His achievements and reputation were far more spread than Cheng Feng’s. It was better to let someone they fully trusted lead their lives than some elusive figure.

Liang Jincheng’s decisive actions not only did not cause panic but also made the residents of the base cheer. Cheng Feng’s open death news and the way he died made them believe even more that Liang Jincheng would not deceive them.

Only the small base of a thousand people led by Li Lingyun was frightened, afraid that Liang Jincheng would seek revenge and implicate them all.

As for Ji Cha, as soon as the broadcast ended, his computer immediately received a reply from the broadcast station, asking what content he wanted to play.

This interrupted his train of thought that was about to disperse due to the sound of gunfire. There were still many things to be busy with here, why bother thinking so much?

Ji Cha quickly sent the message he wanted to convey in text form. Shortly afterwards, another broadcast was heard from outside.

“Broadcast notice, broadcast notice, the source of the message is the farm office. From today on, the farm will supply a certain quantity of milk. Each person can buy up to 100 milliliters per day, and each household can buy up to 500 milliliters. It costs 1.5 points per purchase and resale on the black market is strictly prohibited. For special needs such as infant consumption, separate application can be made. Purchase time is from 7:00 to 19:00. Please bring your own container when purchasing and inform each other.”

This made the residents of the base who had just received news of the deaths of Cheng Feng and Li Lingyun fluctuate in their emotions. They directly pushed their deaths to the side.

1.5 points is not a small amount nor is it a large amount, but it is just right for most members of the base to afford. It depends on whether you are willing to spend the money or not. For example, for hard-working people in the farm and some construction workers, they can earn 20 points per day. If you exclude the expenses for food, water, electricity, and rent, having an extra 4 or 5 points per day is still acceptable. Under such conditions, if there are children at home, buying some milk to supplement their nutrition is nothing.

About half an hour after this broadcast was sent, a large group of people came to the entrance of the base. They all brought their identity cards and various containers to buy milk.

Ji Cha was already prepared and had a large tent set up at the entrance of the farm, which led to the farm behind it.

After Wang Qiang and the others disinfected the milk, they rode a tricycle out of the farm and brought the milk down. The residents who were eagerly waiting over there were in a good mood and even thanked them.

Wang Qiang was quite honest and even a little embarrassed at first, but then he felt that what he was doing was meaningful. He went back with his head held high and continued to cook the milk.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

The milk was poured into measuring cups and then accurately poured into various containers, swiping the identity card and leaving. This process continued and was synchronized with the milk boiling process in the farm.

By noon, all the milk squeezed yesterday was sold out.

Ji Cha checked the information and estimated that they had sold more than 5,900 portions. He figured they could sell about the same amount today. As he was calculating, someone knocked on the office door.

“Boss, there are five couples here to apply for milk.”

Ji Cha looked up and saw five couples standing awkwardly at the door. Three of them were holding children, while the other two were not.

“Those with babies can sit down first. We don’t have enough chairs, so the others can stand for a while. Please line up in order and tell me about your family situation.”

Ji Cha opened his computer, created a new document, and opened the personnel information system.

“We have only my wife and me at home. Our child was born at the end of last year after we entered the base. Since then, my wife’s health has not been good, and she has little breast milk. Although the child can gradually start eating porridge, the nutrition is still not enough. I also want to give my wife some nutritional supplement.”

Ji Cha checked their income and family situation through the system. The woman of the family was currently unable to work because of taking care of the child, but the man had a good job and earned 18 points per day, which was considered above average in the base.

“Okay, we will adjust your daily quota to 400 milliliters, and the price will be adjusted accordingly.” Ji Cha took out a farm-specific proof paper from the drawer and explained the situation on it. He then marked the price at 1 point and said, “Please come back to renew this once a month.”

The other party took the paper gratefully and left.

The following situations were all similar, with milk insufficiency being the main issue. However, each family had different incomes, so the price of milk varied from the original price to 0.5 points per portion, and the quota varied depending on the size of the infant.

When this news spread, dozens of households came to apply for more quota in the afternoon. For those with breastfeeding pregnant women at home, Ji Cha made corresponding adjustments one by one.

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Confirmation

The next morning, following the previous agreement, Dr. Li arrived at the snack shop. He wanted to see with his own eyes whether the dried white fungus was truly non-toxic after soaking.

Yu Qingze simply placed a small table in the lobby of the shop. In front of Dr. Li and the customers, he placed a dried white fungus in a basin of water. The wooden basin was placed on the table for everyone to see.

Due to yesterday’s incident with Wang’s white fungus soup, many people now knew about the white fungus. However, this information was also negative, as it made people aware that fresh white fungus is toxic and should not be consumed.

Except for those present at the time, the others hadn’t heard Yu Qingze’s statement that the dried white fungus was safe to eat after soaking.

Yesterday at noon, Yu Qingze had thought of conducting this experiment to have it witnessed firsthand by the renowned Dr. Li in the town. This would confirm the truth of what he had said, and only then could he gain people’s trust when introducing the white fungus soup.

Perhaps people wouldn’t fully believe it at first, but soon, when those who had eaten it had no issues, people would gradually accept this fact. By then, white fungus would become a precious ingredient that people, especially the locals, would enjoy.

“You need to use enough water and soak it for about one and a half to two hours. During this time, the water should be changed every thirty minutes to an hour. It will be ready for cooking in the afternoon, around noon,” Yu Qingze explained to Dr. Li and the observing customers.

After setting everything up, Yu Qingze left it on the table and invited Dr. Li to sit at another table. They chatted about various topics related to the white fungus while enjoying some dim sum.

Since the soaking process took some time, many customers finished eating and left, planning to come back around noon to see Yu Qingze prepare the white fungus soup.

Dr. Li stayed in the snack shop the whole time because he wanted to witness the entire process firsthand. After chatting with Yu Qingze, he sat with a medical book, occasionally glancing over at the small table.

Every thirty minutes or so, Yu Qingze would change the water. By the time the soaking time was sufficient, the white fungus had turned transparent, forming a large bloomed flower, occupying almost half of the wooden basin.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

After noon had passed, Yu Qingze carried a stove into the hall and started making white fungus soup right there. He didn’t even move the white fungus away from people’s sight, and even the cleaning was done in front of everyone in the hall.

An hour later, the white fungus soup was ready. The gelatinous substance in the white fungus had been boiled out, and the thick soup contained red dates, goji berries, and white lotus seeds, emitting a sweet fragrance.

“Would anyone like to taste it?” After letting it cool down a bit, Yu Qingze scooped out a few bowls of white fungus soup and placed them on the table, asking.

The guests still had fresh memories of yesterday’s events, especially the red rashes on the faces and necks of those three brothers. They were still fearful, so naturally, they didn’t come forward to try it.

Dr. Li also harbored doubts and hesitated about whether to eat it.

At this moment, a person quietly approached and picked up a bowl of white fungus soup, starting to eat.

Everyone looked and realized it was Brother Le from the snack shop. Many customers knew him from the time when the shop was just a food stall. Seeing him boldly eating a bowl, they were somewhat impressed.

But what if this white fungus soup also had a problem? Wouldn’t he develop red rashes on his face? Wasn’t Brother Le afraid?

“I’ll also have a bowl. Boss Yu, is it alright?” Brother Chang also walked over and asked.

“Of course.” Yu Qingze nodded with a smile and turned to his assistants behind him, saying, “Anyone else who wants to taste it, come over.”

Suddenly, Brother Qing, Jiabao, and Xiaoshu also came over.

When Boss Yu makes food, they definitely want to taste it.

Just then, two more people walked into the shop.

“Oh, it’s lively here. We came at the right time.”

Upon seeing them, it turned out to be Old Master Cai and Cai Yunwei.

“Old Master, Second Young Master,” everyone greeted.

Old Master Cai nodded, looked at the white fungus soup on the table, and smiled, “I heard you were making white fungus soup today, so I specially came to have a look. Is there any left? Give us a bowl as well.”

“We have some.” Yu Qingze quickly took two bowls and handed them to Old Master Cai and Cai Yunwei.

They accepted the bowls, found a place to sit, and started drinking. It was a rare opportunity for them to taste the white fungus soup personally made by Boss Yu.

Everyone looked on. How could Old Master Cai and the Second Young Master of the Cai family dare to drink this? Wasn’t it said that the elderly and those with weak constitutions were particularly susceptible to poisoning?

However, looking at their expressions while drinking, they seemed so delighted? And it seemed like they really enjoyed it?

Old Master Cai and the Second Young Master of the Cai family truly placed a lot of trust in Boss Yu.

Dr. Li, seeing that so many people had already drunk it and noticing that there was only a small amount left in the pot, quickly said, “Give me a bowl.”

Yu Qingze promptly scooped a bowl for him, and once it was served, the pot was empty.

Dr. Li took it, sat down, and scooped a spoonful into his mouth. It was smooth, slightly chewy, and deliciously sweet.

My wife should enjoy eating this. Dr. Li thought to himself.

Unconsciously, Dr. Li finished a bowl of white fungus soup, licked his lips, and felt a bit unsatisfied.

After discussing with Brother Le and Jiabao, Yu Qingze addressed the crowd, “Because the employees in the shop still have work to do, only Brother Le and the little brother Jiabao will go to the backyard to work under the sun. If you have nothing to do, you can wait and see the results. If there’s anything urgent, you can come back tomorrow to check if they have any adverse reactions.”

Saying that, Brother Le and Jiabao went to the backyard. They didn’t need to make snacks at this hour, so they went to the backyard, folded up the parasols, and started washing dishes and frying dumplings under the sun.

Yu Qingze temporarily took over the cashier’s work.

“Father, I’ll go too. I want to fry dumplings with Jiabao,” Cai Yunwei said to Old Master Cai.

Old Master Cai nodded and said, “Go ahead.”

Cai Yunwei happily went to help Jiabao fry dumplings. Being a young master who had never done such laborious work before, he seemed quite content.

An hour later, everyone saw that Brother Le and Jiabao had no redness or swelling on their faces, only sweat. Even Cai Yunwei had a normal sun-kissed flush on his face, but there were no adverse reactions on their skin exposed to the sun.

Dr. Li carefully examined the three of them, nodded, and confirmed that Boss Yu was indeed right. White fungus that had been soaked and dried properly and then consumed posed no harmful toxins to the human body.

The other people who witnessed it all couldn’t help but marvel. Just from a brief exposure to the sun, how could it make such a significant difference compared to the fresh ones?

Until closing time, none of the people who had consumed the white fungus soup showed any signs of redness or swelling. The customers who witnessed this sighed in relief as they left.

The next morning, some customers couldn’t let go and made a special trip to check on Brother Le and Jiabao. They coincidentally encountered the Cai brothers who came here for breakfast. Seeing that the three of them were perfectly fine, the customers felt reassured. It seemed that there was truly no problem with the white fungus soup.

In the morning of that day, Yu Qingze stood at the entrance of the shop, banging a gong to attract people’s attention. He then explained the experimental process from the previous day and invited Dr. Li to publicly announce the results of the experiment.

Dr. Li readily agreed and spoke up. He mentioned that while waiting for the results yesterday afternoon, he had a chat with Old Master Cai and learned that they had previously eaten the white fungus soup made by Boss Yu, and they were absolutely fine.

Once Dr. Li revealed the results, Yu Qingze immediately hung up a promotional sign, announcing the official launch of the white fungus soup the next day.

On the following day, Yu Qingze didn’t make a large quantity of white fungus soup. Even though Dr. Li had confirmed the safety of the dried ones, many people still wouldn’t easily come to try it. It needed to go through a process, and Yu Qingze wasn’t in a hurry.

Moreover, Yu Qingze had set a relatively high price for the white fungus soup, charging fifteen wen for a small bowl. Most households might not be willing to spend on it.

As expected, there weren’t many customers who came to eat that day. It was mainly the guests and their children who had previously dined at the Cai residence. When they heard that the snack shop was introducing white fungus soup, those who liked it came over to enjoy.

However, with their patronage, it served as its own promotion, and the effect was much better than if ordinary families’ families had come to eat.

The fact that the wives and children of wealthy families weren’t afraid to consume it indicated that it was definitely safe. Moreover, they loved drinking it, which meant it must be a fantastic product.

As a result, the sales of the white fungus soup at the snack shop visibly increased day by day.

With the introduction of white fungus soup at the snack shop, Yu Qingze also raised the purchase price of white fungus in the village. As autumn approached, the quantity of white fungus was becoming scarce, and it would soon be depleted.

Fortunately, they had found another source.

On the third day after Wang’s incident, they saw a man wandering around Wang’s door with a backpack filled with fresh white fungus.

Yu Qingze speculated that the man with the basket who had previously delivered white fungus to Wang’s Noodle House was the same person. He went over to tell the man that Wang’s Noodle House had been ordered to cease operations because the white fungus soup he made was poisonous.

The man was named Tugen, and upon hearing the news, he became anxious. “Ah? They used it for cooking? Oh dear, when I asked them what they were using it for, they didn’t tell me. I always thought they knew that this thing shouldn’t be consumed, and I kept forgetting to tell them not to eat it. If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have sold it to them.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze said, “That’s not your concern. What are you going to do with the white fungus?”

Tugen replied, “What else can I do? Since trouble has already occurred, I’ll throw them away when I leave the city.”

Yu Qingze then suggested, “That would be such a waste. Why don’t you sell them to me?”

Surprised, Tugen asked, “Sell them to you? Are you planning to eat them too?”

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Yes.”

Tugen shook his head and said, “That won’t work. It causes problems when eaten. If I don’t sell it to you and you use it for consumption, it would harm people. Their skin becomes red and swollen, and they itch like crazy.”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “It’s alright, I know how to remove the toxins from them.”

“You know how?” Tugen asked.

“Yes, we conducted an experiment yesterday, and Dr. Li from the city confirmed it. Look, my shop has already introduced it today, and everyone who ate it is fine.”

Tugen looked at Yu Qingze’s shop and furrowed his brow. He asked, “Is it really safe?”

“It’s safe, trust me,” Yu Qingze assured him.

After considering for a moment, Tugen said, “Alright then.”

Subsequently, Yu Qingze purchased Tugen’s white fungus at the same price he had given Wang’s Noodle House and asked him to continue delivering in the future.

After about ten days, news spread that people who had eaten Yu’s white fungus soup had no adverse reactions. As a result, the sales of white fungus soup increased significantly. However, unlike other snacks that anyone could order, the sales of white fungus soup reached a certain point and then stabilized.

The successful launch of white fungus soup marked a milestone for the snack shop. Every three days, they introduced a new pastry, and the business continued to thrive. Although everyone was busy every day, they felt fulfilled.

Yu Qingze hired two more assistants and created a rotating schedule for everyone to have a day off after working six days. This arrangement prevented them from getting too exhausted.

The assistants were delighted. They knew that elsewhere, there wouldn’t be a job that allowed them to have four days off per month without pay deductions. With this arrangement, they became more dedicated to their work.

On October 28th, after closing the shop, Yu Qingze personally cooked a table full of delicious dishes and opened a bottle of osmanthus wine.

Brother Le and Jiabao looked at him in surprise.

Yu Qingze scratched his nose and somewhat embarrassedly said, “Um, today is my birthday.”

Brother Le and Jiabao stared at him wide-eyed.

Brother Le gestured with a bit of frustration: “Why didn’t you tell us earlier that it’s your birthday? We didn’t prepare anything, and it’s only the two of us celebrating with you. You should have told Grandpa, Xiao Hao, and everyone else earlier, so they could celebrate your birthday properly.”

Jiabao also said, “Brother Yu, I… I didn’t know. I didn’t prepare any gifts for you.”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “It’s okay, no need for a special celebration. I’m already at this age, and there’s nothing much to celebrate. I wasn’t planning on celebrating it at all. But I thought about it and decided to let you know. Come, let’s not talk about it anymore, let’s eat.”

Brother Le looked at him pensively and gestured, “I didn’t prepare a gift for you.”

Yu Qingze approached him and whispered in Brother Le’s ear, a voice only the two of them could hear, “When Jiabao goes back, I’ll ask you for a gift.”

Brother Le: …

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