"This is a lucky child, still sleeping soundly at this hour," Grandma Wu said to everyone, looking at little Youyou in her arms.

Little Youyou was fast asleep in the swaddling clothes, sniffling softly. Grandma Wu had protected him very well; in addition to his own swaddling clothes, he was wrapped in a cotton quilt and a moisture-proof mat. He had no idea what was happening outside.

Only then did everyone have time to pay attention to themselves. Several people had frostbite on their hands and feet. The incident happened so suddenly that they only had time to put on clothes and blankets. Xu Lin's hands were covered with cotton gloves and Zhou Pin put them under the blankets, which only caused a slight stinging sensation. Minister Sun and Grandma Wu's hands were so numb that they couldn't move when they were under the blankets.

Zhou Pin quickly poured some oil into the stove, and added charcoal and firewood, and the room gradually warmed up.

Fortunately, the group had made preparations in advance. However, who knows how many more people will die in the base? They were already struggling to make ends meet, and now things are getting even worse.

However, everyone is struggling to survive right now, so there's no time for pity or compassion.

As if things weren't going to go wrong, they encountered a headwind as well. During their meal and conversation, they mentioned that Sun Wei and his group had almost used up all their firewood for heating due to the last cold snap.

Sun Wei and his uncle were preparing to go on a long trip to find supplies the next day because the weather was nice, but the area around the base was already barren.

Before they even left, another cold wave hit, and they've almost run out of heating materials.

There probably aren't enough quilts and cotton-padded clothes; look at Li Jingjing and Grandma Wu, they both have frostbite on their faces.

“You don’t have heating equipment over there either, so why don’t you stay here for the next few days?” Xu Lin said to Li Jingjing and the others.

This cold wave is much colder than the last one, so for now we can only stay at home; going out would be suicide.

"No need, our firewood can last for two more days. It shouldn't be so cold by then, and we can go out and find supplies."

Li Jingjing knew that Xu Lin didn't like to get too close to others. Although they had become close in recent years, they had both been careful to keep their distance.

“Since I invited you, I’m not just being polite. You’ve all seen how troublesome it is for Zhou Pin and me, two inexperienced novices, to take care of a child. We’ve been so grateful to Jingjing and Aunt Wu lately. Without you, we definitely wouldn’t have been able to take good care of Xiaoyouyou,” Xu Lin said.

“Okay, we’ll go back and get some things later. We’ll go out and find supplies together when the weather gets better,” Sun Wei readily agreed.

He doesn't mind being alone, but he still has his mother and wife, and he doesn't want them to suffer. Teaming up with Xu Lin is the best arrangement.

In fact, Sun Wei knew that this was Xu Lin's way of taking care of them; otherwise, they would have had to find someone else to take care of the children.

Since Xu Lin had extended an olive branch, Sun Wei accepted it.

Sun Wei's family of four temporarily left to go home and get some things. While they were at it, Xu Lin and Zhou Pin tidied up the house, putting away anything that shouldn't be there and taking out some useful items from their space.

Xu Lin's invitation to Sun Wei and the others to live together wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; the two of them had discussed it while taking care of Xiao Youyou.

The weather is becoming increasingly erratic, and new disasters could occur at any time. The two of them, with their child, are always in a state of chaos, and recently they have been relying on Grandma Wu and Li Jingjing for help.

Before the apocalypse, they could hire people to take care of their children, but now that idea is simply not feasible.

Joining their group made it easier for Xu Lin and her friends to take care of the children. On the other hand, Sun Wei and his group lacked supplies, and Xu Lin didn't want to provide them with free aid; instead, she asked them to help care for the children, so everyone got what they needed.