Chapter 43
Washed all the putty off though Luo Xun did not know how it got on. He placed today’s purified water inside the upper level storage tank – he had a set of equipment before the apocalypse began, could access water without going upstairs.
In addition a small bucket of clean water was put next to the water dispenser for use. They did not have electricity in their homes so they used water dispensers bought before the end of the world.
"You can take out some instant noodles or rice to trade but best stick with stuff like this. These things have a shelf life and we can’t eat this much...Tomorrow you can ask Li Tie and the others. I remember that last time they got a lot of stainless steel pots and pans."
When they went to the supermarket last time, Li Tie returned with a lot of metal cutlery. When they first came to base, they were in a hurry at school. They did not grab any tableware, only some simple foods.
It was easy to eat on base since there were dishes. However once they returned to their own residence it became a problem – the five men only had two small lunch containers so they had to take turns when eating. Thus when they went out two days ago they got a good deal of stuff from the supermarket, the home was now stocked with things.
Li Tie and the others were also smart, they did not only grab pristine and sturdy porcelain and glassware but also a variety of metal tableware. Indeed they saved a lot.
Luo Xun with a small abacus in his heart, reluctantly poured cold water on Yan Fei. "What if they hear about what you want to do and ramp up?"
Luo Xun felt awkward, they would not stop if they came to help Yan Fei. Did the group not come to live on the top floor because the light was good? In addition to using solar energy another major goal was to grow vegetables. They had five people and would need more things than their side.
"Then...I will go out tomorrow and collect things." Yan Fei laughed uncomfortably.
Took two steps and naturally placed a hand on Luo Xun’s shoulder. "Look at the situation tomorrow. We have collected a lot of metal materials this time. I know that some of them are stainless steel. I hadn’t used this before but there should be enough for the floor. There should be enough for the next room if we go out and trade tomorrow. What about the room? Want to transform it together?"
The house was renovated long before the end of the world for it to be remodeled, it was necessary to lift the floor to re-lay pipes. All the furniture in the house had to be moved; the project seemed to be too big. However if they took advantage of the opportunity and renovated next door now, they would save themselves a lot of trouble.
Luo Xun’s expression tangled and twisted before temporarily giving up. "Wait a minute, we still don’t know if this house..." He always worried about the previous owner finding the place.
Although he knew that this area has not been completely filled and the builders had not yet finished, the building owner had a voucher that could be exchanged in the future. However the owner was the owner. Whether or not people come back with evidence, there will be trouble when they arrive.
As for the previous tenants a family of three, why did he not meet the original landlord? Even if the landlord did not die in the zombie swarm, the three of them seemed unruly and unreasonable amongst other issues. Maybe if the original homeowner found them they would not necessarily let the apartment go?
Maybe what is black will be said it is white. Who carried things with them when they fled? Did one not see how many people lost their identity cards when they were registered?
Brought back from subconscious when on the second floor with Yan Fei. After entering the bedroom, Luo Xun’s footsteps stiffened. Do not blame him for being uncomfortable when he saw the bed. There days...*cough cough* he woke up every morning beside a handsome man, could not be worse.
Did not know if the days were too tiring from all the work. Or it was the fierce northerly winds that made body heat so attractive? Anyway these days Luo Xun found himself waking up in Yan Fei’s arms every morning.
Of course, while sleeping in the arms of another person, their own hands would naturally hug back. If one was calm enough, they could easily take advantage during the night...would feel really good?
Thus, Luo Xun felt tangled, dread and anticipation every day. His face would heat up as soon as he returned to the bedroom but his heart would inevitable heat in slight expectation.
Luo Xun was suspicious because every day he woke up with his head on the other’s arm. Also it was not himself holding the other. It was not him being a rogue...rather someone else...*cough* taking the initiative to hold him?
Luo Xun was not a fool, but he was very aware that he was not super attractive. If he had even half of Yan Fei’s looks and height he might think the guy was expressing his wants. The problem was that he is too self-knowledgeable!
This kind of ordinary appearance and figure, incomparable to Yan Fei. An ordinary person that would be lost in a crowd. How would they be found when all looked for beauties?
Of course there was another possibility – Luo Xun secretly glanced at the guy undressing beside the bed. This man might have the habit of holding something while sleeping! Even if he did not honestly go to sleep but if he did not have the habit of holding things, then he will never sleep in his arms! Wake up together as a last resort!
Slowly climbed from the bed to the side of the window, Luo Xun decided to sleep late today. Anway everyone decided to take a rest day. Sleeping late would not affect anything so he took the opportunity.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Luo Xun who had been sneaking away from time to time fell asleep after laying on his pillow for three seconds.
The guy looked really tired these days, falling asleep as soon as he touched the pillow. From Luo Xun’s reaction these past two days, the guy had doubts about waking up in Yan Fei’s arms every day but there was no evidence yet.
But...who was Yan Fei? What if he took him into his bed and found himself sleeping with him? If it was not found he would only hold him and sleep for the time being. The past few days it took a lot of energy to renovate the house. When was there time to fall in love during the day?
But if he was discovered...He would absolutely, honestly, bluntly move hands and feet to simply eat the person. The most basic solution to this troublesome problem.
As for renovation after the eating? He could provide Li Tie’s group several methods of weapon making and recruit them to help with renovation. In any case, they already knew about their weapons for a while.
Uncovering the quilt, he naturally hugged the person in the bed. After he entered the room he placed his left hand around Luo Xun’s neck, the right pulled up the quilt. Smoothly followed the top of the waist and shirt.
Luo Xun was completely unconscious and in response to Yan Fei’s arms, raised his hands and wrapped them around the guy’s waist to sleep more practically. Did not notice the hand sliding up and down the back, sliding down the spine groove in the middle of the back...
The sensation of his hands made Yan Fei’s sharpen, his chin was affixed to Luo Xun’s head. Or should he eat now?
The past few days every night, Yan Fei’s mind would turn to this matter. At the beginning it was only because of warmth and feeling of family that Luo Xun brought that he was tempted to stay with him. But these days after coming back from this time, he approached him with all kinds of behaviour, deliberately embraced him at night. Yan Fei found that he would actually be a homosexual person.
But now was not the time. Wait a minute. Wait a few days to find a chance to pick things up and then he could eat the person...
Luo Xun stood irresistibly in front of the bathroom washstand. He thought he was going to sleep late last night to see whether Yan Fei had taken advantage or if he did so after falling asleep. However...falling asleep right after laying down, he had never fallen asleep so fast even when he had reviewed the middle of the night before the university entrance examination!
Was it a problem that arose because of his rebirth leading to mental instability? The sense of fatigue from two lives added together...
Luo Xun came out of the bathroom after gently brushing his teeth and washing his face.
Yan Fei was wearing a black, tight-fitting turtleneck sweater that he had worn when he first came here. He was waiting at the table for Luo Xun to have breakfast together.
Today the two people were eating wontons. Luo Xun had wrapped and put them in the fridge before the apocalypse. Most had already been consumed, the ones left were broken. They now had to rely on food stored in their homes.
There was no dialogue between the two. After eating the meal, they got up and knocked on the neighbor’s door.
Wang Duo opened the door with a yawn, rubbing his eyes while letting people inside. "How early, we haven’t gotten up yet."
The room was much cleaner and the putty was more white than before. Although there were still some places on the wall that were somewhat uneven, they were much stronger than those of the previous wall.
Li Tie was engaged in a desperate struggle with his bird’s nest. Wu Xin was using lotion on his face...Luo Xun felt that this would aggravate the face acne symptoms. He Qiankun was stuffing his mouth with a package of instant noodles, after seeing the two people, waved and continued to eat.
They would be prepared to get a warm floor but there was not enough stainless steel at home so they needed to go out and trade. They explained to Li Tie and the group rushed to hug the two with sparkling eyes.
"Floor heater!?"
"After the equipment is installed the house will be warmer?"
"We can take the opportunity to make the house warm!"
"But...it should use a lot of stainless steel? Where are we going?"
The five people were excited for a moment but their faces fell after thinking about the actual problem. The method was very good and their current room had not been renovated at this time. It was entirely possible to transform the house into a more suitable place for the end of the world.
Even stainless steel materials need to be exchanged for. Li Tie and company could not compare to Luo Xun, the house did not have anything to eat much less trade. Although they had some points, but these would have to be used for eating!
Luo Xun thought of suggestions. "It is better for you to look at the situation first. Anway the floor must wait until the wall is completely set up before installation. The speed of our renovation is slower. It’s better to wait until later to decide whether or not to install."
Li Tie and the others nodded while looking at each other. Yes, although they wanted to rush and fix this place but with small renovation team that within a month or two the house may not be finished. Maybe they would have other ways to earn points. It’s good to use points since people in the base exchange for them!
After discussing the matter thoroughly, everyone got up and went downstairs.
Luo Xun and Yan Fei had already prepared two boxes of instant noodles in their backpacks, ready to use them for something.
Li Tie took the points they had saved before and went to the window where food was sold. The official food window was large and honest but only points were exchanged. The free market outside depended on who was talking to buyers and sellers, whose eyes were more discerning to see who could switch to more affordable things.
Yan Fei indirectly lifted the steel plate in front of one of the elevators, exposing the door and buttons. After the elevator came up all the people walked in. Once everyone went in, the steel plate was put back in place.
Although it was inconvenient to do this every time going up and downstairs and no one could open these ’gates’ except for Yan Fei. However there were too many things in the corridor. In the middle of a busy time, it was a temporary safety measure.
During this period, Luo Xun unexpectedly discovered – it looked like the seven people on the floor had a degree of home property. In the three days they were shut upstairs, no one was going out and strolling around. If there was not enough food for 1601, Luo Xun seriously did not doubt that they would rather sleep at home for a day than go out shopping and trading.
Of course it was the same for Luo Xun himself. The only person who looked unsuited to the issue was Yan Fei and there was a great chance of being assimilated by Luo Xun in the future.
After the ebullience of the underground building, the group came downstairs and obviously felt there were more people on base.
The seven storey building that was ready to be rebuilt beside the overturned bungalow had been framed for only a few days. Wang Duo saw the building progress and pointed. "Don’t go back and let people join the house, it’s all covered. We haven’t renovated the house yet?"
Luo Xun laughed. "Don’t say that, it’s really possible."
Now it was winter and housing was not really well renovated. They would need to do some meticulous repairs (since they had not mastered it yet, the speed was too slow). Could not say a house could be built faster?
A few people went to the gate and and pointed out a place where they would meet up kater. Seven people dispersed their activities.
Li Tie’s group of five went to the official window to buy and sell food while Luo Xun and Yan Fei went shopping for things.
Just outside Hongjing district, they could see that the outside streets had been occupied by various small business hawkers. Various temporary sheds were erected upon a walkway. Many people were covered in several layers of quilts and sleeping under shop roofs.
It was still winter. Although it had not snowed recently the weather was still very cold and many people had only recently arrived on base. Since the total amount of bases that can be occupied was not too large, some houses had to be reserved for capable people and others who were willing to rent their houses. Some people had no ways to maintain so the original tenants were forced out. There were a few people who temporarily slept on the roads.
Luo Xun did not feel any discomfort, or rather he felt this was what a post-apocalyptic base would look like.
Luo Xun walked eagerly to see things on both sides of the road. More people had fled recently to the base than before. These people had fled with everything from food and drink to pots. In bowls and pans there were more things with unclear usefulness, unknown sources and things that one did not where they come from before arriving at the base.
More often than not, some people were responsible for certain tasks before the end of the world, looking at warehouses for transportation. When they fled after the apocalypse, they also conveniently pulled the goods together to escape.
If food was pulled in a car, it was still easy to handle. However many people carried things that could not be eaten or worn and were useless in their hands.
Some people had thrown away these things that were of no use partway through the journey, but some still brought these things to base.
Luo Xun saw some people drove directly alongside the car and parked on the side of the road. The trunk of the car was opened and there was a pile of things inside.
A van was packed with socks and underwear. There were many people in front of his car. One of them was standing on a big rock and appealing. "Come – come look at products from before the end of the world. Panties can be changed for a pack of instant noodles! Or for two packets of biscuits! A base big bread can be exchanged for two – do not miss out!"
On the other side of the car was a pile of plastic products. Everything needed for a bathroom from toothbrush, towels, drying racks, paper baskets and buckets was there.
As the two walked along, there was indeed many kinds of things ranging from all kinds of daily necessities to materials to jewelry. Except for any booths selling food.
No way around it since clothes, shoes and socks once owned were had. But food...the more one ate, the less there was! In particular after the majority of people had entered the apocalypse without food at home and being forced to go out and look. Who did not know the preciousness of food at home?
Therefore do not be tricked at all these stalls calling out for quite a few things. There were indeed many people who were very interested in these things but few were really willing to take out their food and exchange.
Even if a team with good luck got out and brought back a pile of food and sold it. It would be sold out in a matter of ten minutes by any who heard.
Even if most people did not lack food, they all had a hoarder’s heart in this precarious environment. Everyone was determined to transform their home into a hamster nest.