"But you're from the Southern Province!"

"Oh, I have a friend in Haishi, and I've come here to stay with him."

"Fine." Liang Zheng pursed his lips, thinking to himself that the person you've turned to for help is really unlucky. What kind of times are these? Nobody can resist being taken advantage of by poor relatives.

However, he only thought about it to himself, as it was someone else's private matter and he dared not comment on it casually.

"Alright, we'll ask about your friend after you've settled in."

Zeng Yiming nodded, seemingly grateful for the reminder.

"Alright, everyone's registered. Now come with me. Your accommodations will be in Zone D. Since all the houses in the base were built brick by brick by everyone, you'll need to pay a certain amount of credits if you want to stay there."

"I know you don't have the funds, but the rules can't be broken. Either you work with the laborers building houses, or you go out and work to pay off your debts."

Everyone's hearts sank when they heard this. Fine, they'd only just moved in and were already burdened with debt.

"But don't worry too much. Our city is very humane. As long as you work hard, you can pay off your debts and live a relaxed and comfortable life."

"Come on, this is your dormitory."

Wang Yi pushed open the door of a dormitory room and showed it to everyone. There was nothing inside except a bed.

It's not very big, only about ten square meters. But it's very sturdy, made of bricks, tiles, and cement, not mud.

"Not bad, I guess."

"Hmm." Everyone nodded politely, "It's alright."

That's true. Some of them used to live in cave dwellings or thatched huts. Having a brick house like this is really a blessing.

"Alright, I'll assign them directly. This room is for Yi Xiao and Liang Tian, ​​the one next door is for Qi Min, and the one next to that is for Ke Wu..."

“Hey, this room is yours, Zeng Yiming, and the one next to it is your parents’ room.”

Zeng Yiming nodded and asked, "There's no heating here, right? How do you get through the winter?"

"Let's light the stove. We can collect firewood outside and store it in the house, or we can exchange credits for coal with the base. If you feel it's not warm enough, you can also build a kang (heated brick bed) inside."

"Hmm, what if I don't know how to build a kang (heated brick bed)?"

"Go around and ask if any neighbors know how to build a kang (heated brick bed) and are willing to help. You can also ask the security guards, but you'll have to pay them."

Zeng Yiming: "...Why does it feel like you need credit points for everything here?"

"Ha, that means we have order here. Relax, relax, as long as you work hard, you'll have bread and milk. Once you really integrate, you'll know how great our Haishi base is."

"Okay."

Since Zeng Yiming was the last one, Wang Yi made arrangements for him and then prepared to leave.

Seeing this, Zeng Yiming offered to see him off. Wang Yi could tell he had something to ask, so he didn't refuse.

"Brother Yi, is there a guard named Shen Yanming in the base?" Zeng Yiming asked in a low voice.

Wang Yi raised an eyebrow, stared intently at him, and asked, "Who are you to him?"

“Friend,” Zeng Yiming said.

"Yes, there is." Wang Yi nodded, not hiding anything. Given the couple's reputation, even if he didn't say anything, people would find out in a couple of days.

Wang Yi waited for a long time, but Zeng Yiming didn't ask any further questions. He was surprised: "Aren't you going to ask for his address?"

"Ha, he and I are friends, that's true, but I'm not here to ask for a sugar daddy/sugar baby. These days, it's not easy for anyone. I was just asking."

"Hmm." Wang Yi was a little surprised, but didn't say anything more.

After seeing Wang Yi off, Zeng Yiming went to visit the long-time residents in the neighborhood.

Everyone was very kind, and as soon as they heard that they were newcomers, they shared their life experiences.

Zeng Yiming benefited greatly from the donation and wanted to thank the other party, but he was penniless and had nothing to offer. Instead, the neighbors gave them some food, which helped the family of three get through the most difficult first week.

Afterwards, Zeng Yiming found a job at the base, clearing land and farming. Although it was quite tiring, he was extremely satisfied watching the credit points in his account increase day by day.

In order to pay off his debts as soon as possible, Zeng's father applied to the base for permission to build a house.

Although he was getting on in years, the building materials were readily available, and since the houses were all single-story, it didn't require too much effort. After working for a while, he had built a decent dormitory.

The debt was paid off, but in order to earn more food, Zeng's father continued to work on the front line of house repair until the temperature dropped so low that he could no longer work.

Since Zeng's mother couldn't do physical labor, she would go out with the neighbors to pick wild vegetables, gather mushrooms, and collect firewood.

In July and August, wild vegetables are already too old. But to fill their stomachs, no one cares about the taste. If you're lucky, you can pick several pounds a day; if you're unlucky, you can only manage a handful.

However, they did gather a lot of firewood, which already filled an entire room.

When Zeng Yiming received his first month's salary, he asked someone to help him build a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove).

The weather is still warm now, so people can make do for a few nights without much impact. Besides, the kang (heated brick bed) dries quickly, unlike in winter when it doesn't dry naturally and needs to be heated, which makes it prone to cracking.

Both Zeng's father and Zeng Yiming had jobs, so the family wasn't under too much pressure. Zeng's mother followed others' example and cleared land outside the base, bought some seeds and planted them, and they lived a fulfilling life.

They integrated into the family quickly and feel that they are living a good life now.

It's nothing like the area at the foot of Kunmeng Mountain, where there are too many people, and it's always crowded. Even if you work hard, you still can't get enough to eat.

The base in Kunmeng Mountain says that the population is too large due to the large number of residents in the eastern and western parts of the area, and that they don't have enough supplies. If they eat whatever they want, they can't last two years.

Many people chose to leave after learning about it. However, Kunmeng Mountain is too far to the east, and even if they wanted to go back, it wouldn't be so easy.

The base at the foot of Kunmeng Mountain has seen some relief from pressure due to the departure of some personnel. However, several nearby bases are struggling to cope.

It's like a vicious cycle; wherever they go, conditions get worse.

In the end, Zeng Yiming made up his mind to go find Shen Yanming. Because that guy had said that if he encountered any difficulties, he would lend him a hand.

He never thought of adding to anyone's burden before, but now, seeing his parents' increasingly thin figures and hunched backs, he felt that he couldn't keep making do like this.

So, after discussing it, the family embarked on a long and arduous journey, spending a year to reach Haishi.

They stayed temporarily at a base in between. The base's seemingly lenient but actually harsh rules made everyone feel stifled. Unlike here, where as long as you work hard, the base will not treat you unfairly.

It was at that base that he met these companions, and when spring arrived, they set off together. They traveled from spring to autumn, finally returning to Haishi.

Zeng Yiming feels very happy now.

And everything was on track, so there was nothing he needed Old Shen's help with. He hadn't been looking for anyone, but fate had brought them together so quickly.