◎Happy Day 40: Digging the Ground with Toes◎

This news was like a drop of boiling water falling into boiling oil, and everyone's emotions found an outlet.

Before the broadcast was over, a large number of people began to wrap themselves in clothes and rushed towards the entrance of the rescue center.

Jiang Muyun even saw someone hiding the supplies at home on their bodies.

They were afraid that they would be penniless when they returned, so they brought their supplies with them.

No matter how troublesome it is, you must go out and breathe some fresh air. You can't wait even a second longer.

Qin Shiwen was also very happy: "Shall we go out and take a look too?"

Although she can keep her emotions stable, it doesn't mean she likes this kind of life.

Now that we have the opportunity to go out, everyone is feeling the same urgency.

Jiang Muyun took several deep breaths and suppressed the anxiety in his heart. "Wait a little longer, it's too unsafe now. Wait a little longer, and we'll go out last."

There are more than 10,000 people in the rescue center, and there are only four entrances and exits, including those not open to ordinary residents.

More than 10,000 people all crowded towards the four entrances and exits. They were all wearing bulky clothes and had difficulty moving. Some even carried supplies with them.

You can imagine what kind of chaos it will be.

If you are caught in the crowd at this time and a stampede occurs, you will be helpless.

Jiang Muyun did not doubt the authenticity of the temperature rise.

The authorities have gritted their teeth and persevered for so long. If the opening of the rescue point causes the death of a large number of residents, then all their previous efforts will be in vain.

If the outside temperature had not really started to rise, there would have been no need for the authorities to do this.

It's just not the right time yet.

It's not the time to go out.

After seeing the crowd rushing out and the mess left behind at the rescue center, the emotions surging in the three people's hearts gradually calmed down.

Jiang Muyun exhaled: "Let's pack our things first. We also need to take our bags and leave."

They still have plenty of water and fuel, which are all good things.

If they dare to go out empty-handed for some fresh air, I guarantee that no one will leave them a single grain of rice when they come back.

Jiang Muyun had almost finished the food he had brought from home, leaving only the last five or six pounds of rice and two sausages.

The water they brought with them had long been used up, and now they were using water earned with points, which they exchanged as they used it. The reserves at home were not large, and they could just carry it away in a few plastic bottles.

The gas tank of the gas stove was also burned out. Jiang Muyun had been eating with Chu Buwen and others during this period, and the gas he gave out was anthracite.

Jiang Muyun organized his remaining supplies, including important items like water and fuel, and put them all into his backpack and took them away.

As for the escape backpack she originally carried, Jiang Muyun secretly hid it in the space.

This escape bag is full of good stuff. If someone takes it away, Jiang Muyun will be heartbroken.

The three of them packed up their things and waited at the rescue center for about half an hour.

After the rescue center was completely quiet and all the noise was gone, I wrapped myself in a heavy cotton coat, put on my backpack full of supplies, and walked towards the exit with the two little ones.

As for the two little chicks that Jiang Muyun raised in the cage in the tent?

Although they now look like adult chickens, they still haven't learned to crow and usually make no sound.

Maybe it's because they have been kept in cages since they were born, so even though the cage is a bit cramped for two chickens now, they don't show any signs of discomfort.

Now the two of them are like old hens sitting on brood every day. Except for the slight movement when Jiang Muyun adds food and water for them, they just pace around in the cage at most.

Seeing his peaceful appearance, Jiang Muyun didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

This would indeed make them inconspicuous at the rescue center, but Jiang Muyun felt that these two chicks, like Dabai and Xiaobai, had a tendency to mutate.

When Jiang Muyun thought of the taste of those mutated animals, he felt that his food was wasted.

Chu Buwen was very open-minded after knowing that she also raised two chicks.

According to Chu Buwen, in his previous life, at the end of the world, there was actually a base that bred animals with benign mutations.

It is the variety whose taste has not changed or has not become that bad after mutation.

But because the number is too small, it has always been exclusive to the powerful and wealthy, and even the news has rarely spread.

Jiang Muyun already had a space at that time and was always on the road, so he seldom went into the base and didn't know that this was normal.

After hearing what Chu Buwen said, Jiang Muyun almost set up an incense table in front of the small tent.

She didn't expect the two cubs to have any benign mutations, she just hoped that their taste wouldn't become too sloppy.

Dabai and Xiaobai were very excited. They kept barking along the way and ran back and forth, reluctant to stop.

Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen were holding the two dogs, so they had to pay attention to their steps from time to time to avoid being tripped by the leash.

Several people were wearing thick clothes and the temperature inside the rescue center was high. They didn't dare to walk too fast for fear that they would sweat and get into trouble if they went out into the cold wind.

Qin Shiwen's cheeks flushed with heat, and he breathed a little: "I don't know what's going on with my brother."

Jiang Muyun lifted the backpack behind him and said, "Still on the operating table. It's impossible for the patient to stand up and rush out as soon as he hears that the rescue center is open."

Qin Shiwen was amused by her words: "He's made a great sacrifice this time, so let's reward him with something good to replenish his energy."

Jiang Muyun patted Chu Buwen and said, "Did you hear that, my friend? Brother Wu's health depends entirely on you. If he relies on Sister Wen for nourishment, I'm afraid Brother Wu will not make it."

Qin Shiwen: "Go to hell. I can't make it, but I can't buy it."

The temperature is starting to rise, and winter will eventually pass.

Winter is over and life can return to normal.

At this moment, Qin Shiwen only felt that the future was bright and sunny.

Chu Buwen and Jiang Muyun both heard the expectation in her words, and the smiles on their faces froze for a moment.

The two exchanged glances, and Chu Buwen took the initiative to change the subject: "With a ready-made chef right in front of you, it would be a waste to spend money on him. Why don't we have a good meal together next time when Brother Wu comes back from his day off?"

Jiang Muyun smiled and said, "I agree. I still have a lot of beans at home. We can get some to sprout later."

When the rescue center was first opened, no one could have imagined that it would one day be closed.

Many people, either due to limited space in the resettlement area or simply out of concern, did not move all of their drinking water to the relief center.

Everyone thought that since there were no restrictions on entry and exit, it would be easier to keep the food at home so that it would not spoil easily. They could just go back and get it when they wanted to eat. But who knew that something would happen later.

So now, quite a few people still have food and water stored at home, as well as a lot of fuel.

Everyone was so excited when they heard the relief center was open, not just because they wanted to go out for some fresh air, but also because of the supplies they had left at home.

The same goes for Jiang Muyun and Qin Shiwen.

The family had stored so much rice, flour, grain, oil and water. If they moved them all to the relief site, there would not be enough space in the resettlement site, so they left a lot of things at home.

"I have quite a few mung beans. Let's distribute some. We haven't had fresh vegetables in a while." Qin Shiwen thought for a moment and said, "I think I still have a bag of glutinous rice flour at home. I'll look for it later and bring it back to make dumplings."

Chu Buwen shrugged: "I'm different. I'm homeless now, and all my belongings are at the shelter. I can only provide you with some labor."

Qin Shiwen was a little surprised: "How could this happen?"

Chu Buwen said, "I just moved here at the end of August. I signed a six-month lease, but I lost my job after only two months. I pay rent monthly, but I haven't paid since the internet was cut off. If the shelter hadn't opened, I would have been sleeping on the street."

After the temperature dropped, many people were unemployed at home.

It is not surprising that young people like Chu Buwen cannot afford the rent if they come to Nanshi to rent a house for work.

Qin Shiwen had no interest in prying into other people's family affairs. He only asked with concern, "So what are you going to do in the future?"

Chu Buwen looked at Jiang Muyun and said, "I bought some stable financial products at the bank, but they've now matured. When the bank opens, I'll go withdraw the money and then find another house nearby."

Jiang Muyun understood what he meant.

The rising temperature is not the end of the disaster. Since we have decided to have more teammates in the future, it is indeed more convenient to live closer.

Jiang Muyun said, "There's a vacant unit on my floor. If you can contact the owner, you might be able to rent that one."

Jiang Muyun felt that since Chu Buwen dared to rent a house at this time, he should have a lot of money on hand, so it would not be a problem for him to rent an entire house.

Chu Buwen tried hard to suppress his laughter: "Then give me the address later and I'll ask the property management."

As they talked, they kept walking. The closer they got to the entrance, the louder the noises outside became.

The ground here is a bit messy. Occasionally you can see water marks, rice flour that has been trampled into a black and gray state, and some scattered things that are hard to tell what they are.

They were not the only ones who were patient enough to wait until the end to go out. Jiang Muyun also met Tangtang's family and Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang at the exit.

Tangtang's originally fair and chubby face had become deflated. If she hadn't run over to greet Jiang Muyun after seeing Xiaobai, Jiang Muyun wouldn't have even recognized her.

There aren't many people at the door now, and they are the ones who deliberately wait for the crowd to disperse before coming out.

The people who rushed out of the rescue point first were in the square, on the road, and some even went directly to the residential buildings.

It's very noisy outside.

It was not a bustling noise, but a low sound with occasional shouts.

Jiang Muyun shuddered as soon as he walked out the door.

The temperature now may not be as low as -70 or -80 degrees Celsius, but they have lived in the rescue center for too long and have become accustomed to days with temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius.

Once again returning to the ice cellar, even with the entire sky as comfort, it could not stop the physiological discomfort.

Chu Buwen didn't know what he was doing. He leaned over to Jiang Muyun and whispered, "Sixty-four degrees below zero."

Jiang Muyun didn't know what the temperature was yesterday, but she was sure that it was definitely not higher than minus 80 degrees Celsius, otherwise the authorities would have announced the lifting of the ban long ago.

As a result, the temperature rose to more than 60 degrees below zero overnight.

Jiang Muyun looked up at the sky, which was still gray and there was no sign of the sun coming out.

Jiang Muyun stretched his neck while looking up: "I'm so lucky, I'll be able to move back home soon."

Chu Buwen also looked up as she did: "So, guess how lucky I am?"

Jiang Muyun turned to look at him.

Chu Buwen gave her a shot of prevention: "First of all, I think we need to believe in science."

Jiang Muyun instantly thought of what Chu Buwen said that night.

What if a flood comes when everyone is staying in the shelter...

Jiang Muyun: "I think you'd better be careful before you speak. The fact that we're here proves that this world is quite unscientific."

Jiang Muyun leaned over and asked Qin Shiwen, "How about we go out once every morning and evening, and move back when the temperature is about right?"

Qin Shiwen replied, "I vote in favor. I've been suffocating myself for the past two months."

As Qin Shiwen spoke, he suddenly turned around. A man who was holding a knife and preparing to cut her backpack paused, turned around and wanted to run into the crowd, but was pinned to the ground by Qin Shiwen.

Chu Buwen skillfully knocked the man unconscious. Jiang Muyun rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a half-worn plastic bag. "Someone's coming to deliver supplies at the last minute. I didn't bring any rope with me today, so I'll just tie him up."

Qin Shiwen, wearing gloves, picked up the knife that had fallen to the ground and looked at it over and over again. "There's no surveillance outside. Can this thief be exchanged for points?"

Jiang Muyun signaled Chu Buwen to lend a hand, and the two of them carried the unconscious man away: "We've caught him, let's go and give it a try."

The facts prove that it is possible.

Because when they caught the man, he had not had time to sell the stolen goods and had a lot of things on him.

They took the man to the public security bureau and happened to run into another owner who went to report the case.

The owner lost his belongings when he was leaving the rescue center, and they happened to be within the surveillance range. The surveillance camera captured the entire process of the theft.

They were verifying the identity and preparing to arrest the person when Jiang Muyun and his men brought both the person and the stolen goods over.

Chu Buwen said that he was just helping to send someone off and still didn't want any points, so this time the points were given to Jiang Muyun and Qin Shiwen.

On the way back, Chu Buwen didn't explain deliberately. He just said that his elder had made a big mistake, the kind that would make it impossible for him to pass any political review.

Qin Shiwen understood him instantly.

Jiang Muyun wanted to applaud him after hearing this. Not a single word of this was false.

Everyone agreed that it wasn't long before they would move out of the shelter, so they exchanged all their points for frozen and dehydrated vegetables, planning to celebrate after moving out.

They did not leave these vegetables at the relief center. Instead, they packed them up and sent them back home along with some things that were not needed temporarily, so as to avoid attracting attention by leaving them at the relief center.

The people who sent the things back were Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen. Because Chu Buwen was now homeless and was planning to rent the house in 1504, he simply put the things with Jiang Muyun first.

The two men carried the camper van upstairs. Everything was normal at first. When they reached the fourteenth floor, Jiang Muyun looked up and met a pair of wide-open eyes.

Jiang Muyun choked on his breath and almost dropped the camper van out of his hands due to the sudden surprise.

Chu Buwen, who was carrying the car on his shoulders, couldn't see what was happening ahead, so he could only ask, "What happened?"

Jiang Muyun let out a breath, then walked up two more steps. He glanced at the purple corpse and said slowly, "Nothing. There's a body lying in the hallway. It was probably a thief who died outside."

The corpse was still holding a crowbar in his hand, with a wrench on his waist and a snakeskin bag beside him, with a lot of things scattered inside.

The two walked to the corridor on the fourteenth floor and put down the camper.

Jiang Muyun stuck his head out to take a look inside the 14th floor and saw that the doors of two households on the 14th floor were indeed open.

She gathered up the scattered items on the floor and put them back into the snakeskin bag. Then she closed the doors of the two houses and found a hidden angle in the stairwell to put the bag down.

She has no shortage of these things, but they could be life-saving supplies for a family that has been robbed, so there is no need for her to be greedy for them.

Chu Buwen took the body down from the middle of the stairs and placed it face down in a corner, so as not to scare people with its eyes open.

Jiang Muyun said, "Let's go back and tell the Public Security Department and see how they deal with the body."

Chu Buwen agreed: "I will go find them when I get back, otherwise it will be troublesome if the temperature rises."

The gases and liquids produced by biological decay all contain a large amount of toxic substances and pathogenic bacteria. These substances will spread to all around along with the flies, insects and other creatures attracted by the decaying corpses.

In more serious cases, if the corpse is directly liquefied, then these pathogenic bacteria and toxic substances will seep into the water source and air along with the corpse fluid, causing a large-scale plague.

After the end of the world, various plagues emerged one after another, and the large number of unattended corpses was definitely the main cause.

They don't want to embark on the road of wandering again, so they must do their best to protect the surrounding environment.

Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen didn't waste too much time on the corpse. After clearing the path, they continued walking with the things in their arms.

When they reached the fifteenth floor, Jiang Muyun pointed to 1504 and said to Chu Buwen, "That's the house. If you can't find any information about the owner from the property management, I'll ask the old neighbors here to see if anyone knows the owner."

Jiang Muyun racked his brains to dig up his past memories: "I remember that since I moved here, I haven't seen anyone come back to this family."

Chu Buwen laughed: "This place is not available for rent, so I'll go upstairs and downstairs to ask. After what happened, it should be easy to rent a house."

That’s true.

After this incident, it is estimated that more than half of the people who came to Nanshi to work would leave, and the entire rental market in Nanshi would drop to freezing point.

Everyone is short of money now, so renting out a house will bring in some income.

The two put their things in the living room and went back.

In the next few days, just as Jiang Muyun said, they would go out once every morning and evening, using a thermometer to measure the extent of the temperature rise outside, in order to move out of the rescue point as soon as possible.

But in fact, even without a thermometer, many people can clearly feel the temperature rising.

A few days ago, I was shivering even when wearing three coats, but today I can take off my scarf and take a breath when I go out.

No matter whether the temperature rises too quickly or they gradually adapt themselves, when the outside temperature no longer makes people feel difficult to survive, the rescue point is no longer a necessary option.

Zhao Jiahao and Li Anxuan specifically brought them a message while they were on patrol, saying that the rescue point would be closed in a while, and asked Jiang Muyun and the others to prepare early.

As for the two of them, Li Anxuan said that they have not yet completed all the formalities and are only temporarily following the troops. They are still unsure about what will happen in the future.

Jiang Muyun and the others intended to wait for Qin Shiwu to join them, so they were not the first group to leave.

The first to take action were families with large members, especially those with children.

Their family has many people, and they could buy a lot of anthracite before, so they stockpiled as much supplies as possible. This is completely different from Jiang Muyun and others' attitude of just not starving to death.

Even though the relief points are now open, people have an outlet for their emotions and supplies are no longer tight, they were still frightened by the previous chaos.

Since I have children at home, I naturally don’t dare to stay here any longer.

When the outside temperature rises to a level they feel they can accept, they can't wait to leave with their families.

There were fewer people in the rescue center, the atmosphere was no longer tense, and the medical department was no longer as busy as before. Qin Shiwu finally had a normal rest day.

Qin Shiwu was in better spirits and had even had time to shave his stubble. His first words after meeting a few people were: "The hospital will be able to reopen in a couple of days."

Qin Shiwen was a little surprised: "So, the authorities have confirmed that the temperature is about to return to normal?"

Qin Shiwu was very relaxed: "It's more or less the same. I finally made it through."

Jiang Muyun smiled: "Then we can prepare in the next few days. We will move when you have your next holiday."

Compared to the huge bags I brought with me when I came here, this time I have much less stuff to move home.

The water and fuel have been almost used up, and the remaining ones will be used in the next few days.

You can take back some of the daily necessities, clothes, and quilts that you don’t need temporarily.

This way, when the day comes for them to officially move, each person can basically bring one suitcase and drag all their things back.

Chu Buwen took advantage of this time to inquire about the situation of 1504, but unfortunately the number left by the property management was out of service and other information would not be disclosed casually.

Jiang Muyun thought about it, then took Chu Buwen to find Aunt Wang.

Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang had already moved back home. When Jiang Muyun knocked on the door, they were cleaning the house.

Aunt Wang is worthy of being the source of information in the community. From the old neighbors before the renovation to the new neighbors after the relocation, there is no one she doesn’t know.

After hearing the purpose of Jiang Muyun and the others' visit, she immediately stopped what she was doing, enthusiastically pulled them into her house, took out her phone book and started looking through it.

As the temperature rose, communications gradually recovered, and everyone finally got rid of the days when they had to rely on shouting to communicate.

Aunt Wang flipped through her precious phone book and muttered, "I remember 1504 was from the Lu family. He moved to Hai City a long time ago to enjoy life with his daughter. I don't know what the situation is like in Hai City now."

Jiang Muyun had completely forgotten who "Old Lu" was: "Hai City was already well developed. Now that we have recovered, Hai City will not be bad either."

Aunt Wang said cheerfully, "That's great. I spoke to Old Lu on the phone this summer, and he said he wanted to rent out the house, but he never came back to do it."

"Found it!" Aunt Wang placed the phone book in front of them and pointed to the line with "311 Lao Lu" on it. "That's the number."

Jiang Muyun only vaguely remembered when she saw the 311 in front of her that this "Old Lu" was a grandmother who lived in the building opposite her house before the renovation. She lived there alone with her daughter at that time.

Jiang Muyun failed an exam one time. She was so depressed that she wandered around outside with her bag on her back and didn't want to go home. It was Aunt Lu who comforted her.

Later, when the city was renovated, Aunt Lu happened to be transferred to another job and took Grandma Lu directly to Hai City. The two sides never contacted each other again.

Jiang Muyun was still young at that time, and I don’t know what she was thinking, but she insisted on calling Aunt Lu "sister".

This was nothing to worry about, but one time she ran into Grandma Lu and Aunt Lu walking together on the road. She greeted them with the words, "Hello, Grandma Lu, Hello, Sister Lu."

All the neighbors heard it, but Jiang Muyun still hadn't figured out why they were laughing.

Memories of the dead suddenly attacked me.

Jiang Muyun scratched the ground with his toes silently for a while.

Chu Buwen wrote down Grandma Lu’s cell phone number, took out a can of milk powder for the middle-aged and elderly from his backpack and handed it to Aunt Wang.

Aunt Wang refused to take anything, saying, "It's just a matter of turning over a number. How can I take your things? Besides, if it weren't for Yunyun and the others last time, would your aunt still be here talking now?"

Uncle Wang also laughed and said, "That's right. If it weren't for you last time, we old couple might have confessed everything."

Chu Buwen's well-behaved face was really deceptive: "Auntie, renting a house is really important to me. This milk powder is specially bought for you. If you don't accept it, I don't know what to do with it."

Chu Buwen laughed out his two little canine teeth again: "Besides, if I rashly approach someone and ask to rent a house, I don't know if they are willing to rent it to me."

Chu Buwen said shyly, "Actually, I wanted you to say a few good words to the landlord for me. I'm embarrassed to speak up when you're like this."

Chu Buwen said so, and Jiang Muyun also followed suit. When the two of them started to talk sweetly, no elders could resist them.

Aunt Wang cheerfully assured them, "No problem. Old Lu was planning to rent out that house anyway. Xiao Chu, you look like a good kid. She'll definitely be happy to do it."

"Besides." Aunt Wang looked at Jiang Muyun.

Jiang Muyun had a bad feeling.

"When Yunyun was little, she was also close to the daughter of the old Lu family, wasn't she..."

Jiang Muyun promptly replied, "We even had dinner together."

Jiang Muyun patted Chu Buwen and took him out with all his strength: "I will contact Grandma Lu later and make sure you don't end up on the streets."