Zhang Heping was stunned for a moment, then jumped three feet high: "Old Ji, why didn't you say so sooner?"

Ji Kangyong said somewhat helplessly, "I just thought of that myself. After all, who doesn't like a nice house!"

The two looked at Shen Yanming: "You don't have heating or a heated bed, how are you going to get through the winter?"

Shen Yanming pointed to the wood in the corner: "Burn it."

Zhang Heping nodded: "Okay, okay, whatever you like."

"And what about you? What are your plans?"

The two looked at each other, both somewhat bewildered.

After a long pause, he said, "Let's leave it at that and see how the guards are arranged. If they're assigned to Area A, then it's Area A; if they're assigned to Area B, then it's Area B. But you're right, no matter where they are, we need to prepare firewood."

Shen Yanming nodded: "Once you've thought it through, that's fine."

For the next week, Zhang Heping and Ji Kangyong were incredibly busy. Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan spent one day at home making medicinal pills and the other day helping out in the agricultural area. They were extremely busy every day, yet incredibly fulfilled.

Their act of gathering firewood was kept secret, and many people, after figuring it out, joined the team that was stockpiling supplies.

Fearing the mountain would be stripped bare, Ye Wengui sent a team out to search for firewood.

Of course, to protect the precarious environment, they only picked up branches broken by the sea or cut down wooden stakes that had been submerged. The trees and grass that were still alive were left untouched.

Because some guards had not returned for a long time, in September, Zhang Heping and Ji Kangyong successfully moved into a single dormitory in a building in Area A.

The two became neighbors as they had hoped, and Li Wanwan began living with Zhang Heping. Of course, they had completed the formal registration with the security team.

Yu Huiyu and her family also successfully moved into Area A, but the accommodation was not as good as Bi Qiao'an's.

Now that they were closer, she preferred to visit Shen Yanming. Unfortunately, Shen Yanming acted as if he couldn't see her, always brushing her off with a few words.

Seeing that the girl was so silly and cute, Bi Qiaoan was both angry and amused.

One day, I finally couldn't hold back and asked directly, "Girl, do you really think living in Area A is a good idea?"

Yu Huiyu puffed out her chest proudly and said, "Of course! The buildings here are so beautiful, unlike those outside, which are drafty."

Bi Qiaoan suppressed a laugh, "But, you can build a kang (heated brick bed) in a bungalow."

Yu Huiyu blinked, not understanding what she meant.

Bi Qiaoan said, "Haven't you noticed that the temperature has dropped again recently? It's definitely going to be colder than usual this year. Are you sure that without heating, Area A is still the best choice?"

Yu Huiyu's eyes narrowed, then she remembered how the couple had tricked her in the past. She snorted and said, "If the bungalows are so nice, why don't you go there?"

Bi Qiaoan chuckled: "That's because this house is my home. I'm used to living here, I have an emotional attachment to it, and I can't bear to abandon it."

Yu Huiyu was somewhat skeptical, yet felt there was some truth to it. After thinking for a moment, she frowned and said, "Hmph, I'll go back and ask my father."

She looked up at Shen Yanming, only to find he wasn't even paying attention to her. She pouted and left, unwilling to give up.

Bi Qiaoan walked up to Shen Yanming and whispered, "You're quite an interesting peach blossom."

Shen Yanming pinched Bi Qiaoan's nose with his mud-covered hands: "All you do is watch the show! If it weren't for the fact that she only talks all day, I would definitely have taken action against her. And her father, doesn't he even know how to manage him?"

Bi Qiaoan stepped aside and said, "Maybe he realized you didn't have any bad intentions, and his daughter is stubborn, so he didn't interfere forcefully. But I don't think that girl likes you that much."

Shen Yanming nodded: "It's just that they're attracted to someone's appearance and then get lost in their fantasies."

After finishing their work in the fields, the couple clocked out and went home. Now that there were no outsiders at home, it was even more convenient for them to get whatever they wanted to eat.

However, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan ate in the cafeteria most of the time. Although the food was just average, they had to follow the crowd.

The couple always finish their porridge and then eat some vegetables or fruit when they get home. This way, they can ensure a balanced diet.

In September, the temperature is slowly dropping. The family of four has already switched to long sleeves.

Zhang Heping, Ji Kangyong, Li Wanwan, Xu Yajing, and Li Zhaozhao were all still wearing short sleeves and shorts, shivering from the cold every day.

Over the weekend, a group of people came to find Shen Yanming, saying they wanted to go outside to see if there were any warm clothes.

The couple thought about it and agreed. But before leaving, they gave each of them a change of clothes.

"Please don't mind our clothes." They were actually new, but we just used the excuse of "old clothes."

The group hugged the clothes to their arms, overjoyed. They had been shivering for days and never expected to be warm so soon.

After changing their clothes, the group walked out of the guard post. This was the first time they had come out since they returned.

The outside world was as desolate as ever, and the cool autumn breeze made it seem even more barren.

Outside the base, many survivors and guards were scavenging through the ruins, cheering every time they found a piece of clothing.

Because the city is so big and there are so few people, it's really not hard to find something.

The group didn't search for long before finding a pile of clothes and two quilts. These were all things they hadn't been able to take with them when they sought refuge. No one had expected the disaster to be so devastating.

Seeing that it was getting late, the group walked home.

For a while after that, the couple would go out scavenging with others every weekend. However, they would give away everything they found to others.

Li Zhaozhao wanted to ask about the supplies they had previously stockpiled, but he couldn't bring himself to ask.

Shen Yanming could roughly guess what he was thinking, but it wasn't the right time yet.

Everyone is struggling to make ends meet these days, scavenging for scraps. If they suddenly had a large amount of supplies, wouldn't that be suspicious?

So let's just bear with it for now.

Ji Kangyong and Zhang Heping didn't think much of it; they had almost finished stocking up on winter supplies, so they weren't in a hurry.

Li Wanwan was an optimist, believing that things would always work out in the end, and she didn't have high demands for her quality of life. Xu Yajing had recovered enough, and since she didn't know the financial situation of these people, she didn't have any inappropriate fantasies.

But Shen Yanming was already planning for the future. During his scavenging, he diligently surveyed the surrounding environment. Sometimes, he would even venture out alone to find suitable warehouses for storing supplies.

Surprisingly, he actually found a basement.

It was a space of about 20 square meters. Because the entrance and exit were paved with floor tiles, it was impossible to tell from the outside.

The entrance could only be found by prying up the floor tiles. Because it was so well sealed, the basement was undamaged when the tsunami struck.

Shen Yanming discovered it by chance. After discovering it, he didn't make a fuss, nor did he store any supplies inside. He simply left it as it was, waiting for the right opportunity to release the items.