94

Upon hearing this, Sun Haizhu's first reaction was, "Isn't this too much trouble?"

He was most afraid of troubling others in his life, and it was more painful to make others unhappy than to make himself unhappy.

"That's right, Xiao Tao, there are five people in our family, and the daily expenses are quite high... These days, everyone is having a hard time, so I don't want you to go hungry when the time comes." Sun Kai said embarrassedly.

She has helped them enough. She drew her sword to help them in the morning, and then brought people to help them snatch things from the fire. She has already repaid all the favors she owes them, so how can she still have the nerve to live with them now?

Tao Sai shook his head. "Indeed, it's the end of the world now. We're only caring about ourselves, not others. But individual ability is always limited, and it won't last long. To maintain stability, we need unity. I have a survival base, and now there are dozens of people. We all live together, helping each other, supporting each other, and each doing our part. We have enough food reserves, and we also farm, but what the base lacks most right now is livestock. I've given it serious consideration, and I think you can join us. I promise to keep everyone fed, live comfortably, and ensure their safety."

Sun Haizhu was somewhat persuaded.

He understood that the girl had united a group of people, and they were taking refuge together. They had grown to a certain size, and they stored food and farmed, but they didn't raise chickens, ducks, or geese, so she had wanted to buy his chickens at the market before.

They wanted to engage in breeding and develop further, but seemed to lack resources, so they wanted his entire family to bring chickens, ducks, and geese into this survival base.

From Tao Sai's description, he could foresee that this survival base was not bad, and these twenty young men were not lazy at all. They were all energetic and safe.

This is a good thing!

It is perfectly fine to take these chickens, ducks and geese as membership fee. Besides that, he can still work. He has been raising animals for most of his life.

Of course, Sun Haizhu didn't think that this girl named Xiao Tao was obsessed with his chickens and ducks. Xiao Tao was clearly a sincere child. Nor did he feel that living in the survival base was a disadvantage. It wasn't that he cherished his chickens and ducks. After all the rice had been swindled out, he wanted to use the laying hens and ducks as a livelihood for his family. That was the only way to survive, and he wouldn't resort to killing the chickens to get the eggs unless it was absolutely necessary. His goal was simply to keep his family from starving and to keep them alive for a few more years in this cruel apocalypse.

And now, Xiao Tao can provide them with such a living environment.

Sun Haizhu glanced at his son Sun Kai, then at his wife Qiu Ping and daughter-in-law Luo Qinqin. After the family exchanged glances, he immediately made the decision: "Okay, Xiao Tao, we'll go with you."

Finally getting a reply of approval, Tao Sai happily extended his hand: "Great, welcome to join!"

She shook hands with them all, including Sun Siyao, in a very ceremonial manner.

"Then let's move the things over first." Tao Sai called the commandos to come over and move them together.

All the remaining belongings were in the dry fields. There wasn't much, really. Mostly food, rice, flour, oil, pots and pans, bedding, winter quilts and bedspreads. Not many electrical appliances, because after the power outage, household appliances were useless. Whatever we looted would just be a pile of junk, so it was better to get more food and daily necessities.

Their most valuable possessions were their chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, and pigs. The chickens and rabbits were caged and moved out immediately, but the ducks and geese were caged and attached to the wall, so they had to be removed and driven back. The fire quickly spread to the pigpen, so the two pigs were also released. They were a little startled and have now disappeared.

Tao Sai thought about it and realized that the pigs were too big and there was no way to build a pigpen on the fourth-level "Deep Sea Fish". So she arranged two people to find the pigs, and kill them directly after finding them, leaving only the pork.

Others helped carry things.

Tao Sai took a moment to share with the Sun family, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you, I got the rice back from Boss Yang for you. Boss Yang was very generous and even gave us two wild boars."

"Really? That's great! Xiao Tao, you're really capable!"

Sun Haizhu couldn't stop smiling, and Sun Kai and Luo Qinqin were also very happy to hear it.

Even Aunt Qiuping showed a rare smile on her face.

It seems that the previous incident was indeed a big blow to her.

The cages were sealed, small items were put into backpacks and baskets, the grain bags were sealed, and all the agricultural products that could be taken from the fields around the yard were also taken.

Sun Haizhu was picking fruits near the wall with a large snakeskin bag, picking twigs, shallots, green onions, garlic sprouts, eggplants, tomatoes, pumpkins and cucumbers; Sun Kai also followed him, wielding a hoe and digging ginger, garlic, potatoes, peanuts and sweet potatoes in the ground.

Tao Sai glanced over inadvertently and found that Sun Siyao seemed to be worried about something, and she immediately guessed the reason.

She went up and touched the little girl's head, "Take your dog with you."

"Really?" Sun Siyao looked up at her, surprised and happy.

"Really. But you have to put the dog on a leash and be responsible for cleaning up the poop," Tao Sai said seriously.

"Okay! I will take responsibility!" Sun Siyao nodded seriously, then ran excitedly to her secret base.

The things in the dry fields were quickly packed up. The commandos first moved away most of the heavy things, including the rice piled on the small road outside and the two wild boars. Tao Sai directly opened a space wormhole for them and instantly teleported them to the large empty warehouse of the "Deep Sea Fish".

The other members of the Sun family were also easy to deal with. She first opened the illusion, pulled everyone into it, and then sent the bodies trapped in the illusion into the space vortex one by one.

Lan Xiaojia has placed the shelves and storage boxes on the deck. The crops are being exposed to sunlight, and the entire large warehouse has been emptied.

The luggage, snakeskin bags filled with rice and two wild boars were piled on the floor of the large empty warehouse. Some of the Sun family members were pushed out of the space wormhole by Tao Sai later.

They just thought it was a moment of trance, and under the influence of the shelter ship's special effect [blurred perception], they did not doubt the supernatural phenomena of the space wormhole and the instantaneous switching of scenes.

Because she had discussed this with Zhou Ning in advance, she called all the crew members over. Everyone warmly welcomed the new member and helped to pack up.

Zhou Ning arranged accommodations for them. Since there were more rooms available, they were given two rooms in the lower deck. Sun Haizhu and Aunt Qiuping shared one, while Sun Kai and his wife and daughter shared another. Each room had lockers for their luggage. As for the rice, flour, oil, and crops they brought with them, Li Yinzhu sorted and stored them.

With everyone's enthusiastic help, the Sun family quickly made their beds and sorted out their belongings.

That day, Sun Kai was exhausted from fighting, working in the kitchen, grabbing things from the fire, and digging the ground without eating a single bite. He lay in a spread-eagle position on the lower bunk.

Thank God, they had a place to sleep and a place to stay.

Very good!

Sun Siyao slept on the lower bunk on the other side. She tidied up her small quilt with cartoon patterns and found a switch next to the bed. She pressed it and the light on the ceiling of the room came on.

She pressed it again and the light went out again.

She shouted excitedly: "Dad, the light is on, there is electricity!"

"Yaoyao, stop pressing it, or you'll break the light!" Sun Kai said seriously.

"Honey, is this the air outlet of the air conditioner?" Luo Qinqin slept on the upper bunk, and the moment she looked up, she noticed the air outlet grille fixed in the corner of the ceiling.

Sun Kai stood up and took a look. It seemed to be true. The air vent grille was now in a closed state. There was a small screen on the grille shell, which should display the temperature.

He rummaged around and sure enough, he found the remote in the drawer of his locker.

Press the power button facing the air vent, the machine will make a beeping sound, and then the grille will slowly open, and the air will start to be delivered in through the air vent.

"It works!" Sun Kai couldn't help but get excited.

But he quickly turned off the air conditioner because it was not too hot at the moment and subconsciously wanted to save electricity.

"Wow, that's great!" Luo Qinqin clapped her hands excitedly.

After the blackout, Donghai was experiencing its hottest weather. Without air conditioning or fans, the room felt like a steamer. They woke up several times from the heat. Even fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans was completely useless.

They are back to the air conditioning era!

Luo Qinqin quickly regained her composure. She knew clearly that the power was out everywhere, and the electricity here must be coming from a generator. But how much electricity could it generate? With so many people on board and so many rooms, it was best to avoid opening them and save as much as possible.

"There's also a dehumidifier!" Sun Kai squatted down and studied the machine by the window. "It's easy to get humid on a ship. Xiao Tao and the others are so thoughtful."

At this time, someone knocked on the door. Sun Kai quickly got up to open the door. It was Zhou Ning standing outside.

Xiao Tao introduced herself to them as Xiao Zhou, who was in charge of everything on the ship.

Zhou Ning said, "If you need a shower, go straight ahead. There's a shower room at the end of the corridor. If you're needed, you can go to another floor. Every floor has 24-hour hot water and a hair dryer. If you need any supplies, just tell my mom. She usually has them all. You're welcome. You should have seen my mom before. She's the old lady in the floral dress who manages the supplies."

Sun Kai nodded, remembering her words, and said repeatedly: "Xiao Zhou, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Zhou Ning smiled politely, raised an eyebrow at the girl in the room, and then left.

After closing the door, Sun Kai felt like he had finally found his place. The room was a bit small, only a few square meters, but the facilities inside were all brand new. Looking out the porthole, he could see the water and the outside world without feeling depressed.

The living conditions here are impeccable and better than those at home.

After the novelty, Sun Kai calmed down and pulled his wife to discuss. If they wanted to live here, they must not give up or eat for free, but work hard and do what they can.

Luo Qinqin is a nurse at the community hospital. If someone is injured, she can help apply medicine, disinfect, and bandage. She is also a good cook and can help in the kitchen.

Sun Kai works in a grassroots unit in the community, so his major is definitely not useful here, but he does a lot of farm work at home, so he can help his father with breeding.

"Then what can I do?" Sun Siyao asked worriedly after hearing their conversation.

Sun Kai just thought it was funny, "Thank God you don't make trouble."

"Hmph!" Sun Siyao rolled her eyes at him, opened the door and went out.

She walked along the corridor to the staircase and up to the deck level.

As if Da Huang had smelled her scent, he came running from a distance, wagging his tail and rubbing against her. Sun Siyao rubbed him hard, then suddenly remembered what she had promised Sister Xiao Tao. She looked around and saw the aunt in the floral dress.

She didn't know how to address the person, as he looked younger than her grandmother, but she remembered her mother telling her that it was always right to address him as younger.

So she walked up and asked carefully, "Auntie, can you give me a rope? I want to use it as a dog leash."

When Li Yinzhu turned around, he saw the little girl who looked like a little angel. He felt happy as if he saw a flower.

"Okay, wait a moment, I'll find it for you."

Li Yinzhu went to the warehouse. Of course, they didn't have any special dog leashes. They hadn't initially planned to keep any, so they hadn't stocked up on such supplies. She found a colorful cloth rope in the locker. It was softer than nylon rope and wouldn't be too constricting if tied in a knot, but it would still hold it securely.

Li Yinzhu patiently took the rope and tied a knot around Dahuang's neck, then handed the other end of the rope to Sun Siyao.

"Thank you, Auntie," she said politely, a sweet smile on her face.

Li Yinzhu felt like her heart was melting.

The chicken coops and rabbit cages moved from the Sun family can be placed directly at the stern of the boat, together with their original chicken coops, and fixed with wire. In this way, the scale of this breeding area is increased several times.

Tao Sai handed over all the aquaculture affairs on the boat to Sun Haizhu. He patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Xiao Tao, I'm the best at it."

Sun Haizhu opened up some of the partitions between the chicken coops and installed lotus leaves, which can be opened and closed freely, ensuring that the roosters and hens have the opportunity to meet. After completing the reproductive process, the hens will lay eggs and hatch chicks.

According to the predetermined plan, the geese and ducks are kept on the working platform at the rear of the bottom hold for easy grazing.

Old Sun's ducks are all saltwater ducks, so releasing them to the seashore is no problem. He's made a plan: let the ducks out tomorrow, but he'll keep an eye on them and rush them back after the designated time. The first few days are crucial: teaching them to return to the cage and forming a habit; only then will they return on their own.

Lao Sun is serious about breeding. Although he does not have professional knowledge, he has rich experience, which is a priceless treasure that cannot be learned from books.

As for the food issue, Tao Sai can basically rest assured.

Lan Xiaojia is responsible for planting, Sun Haizhu's family is responsible for breeding, and Zhou Weixing can also fish. Although his skills are not very good yet, he is always learning and exploring, and occasionally he can create some surprises.

Everyone can do their job, and when problems arise, there is someone to solve them. Tao Sai is happy to be a hands-off boss.

She climbed up to the deck from the working platform in the lower cabin, stretched herself, unpacked a canvas chair, and huddled inside.

With a quick glance, she suddenly noticed the plastic storage boxes on the deck. These boxes happened to contain the lettuces she had first planted. At this time, the lettuces had grown big enough and had lost their tender color. The outermost leaves were dark green. There were four boxes in total, and each box contained eight nests.

"Xiao Jia, come here and take a look. Is this lettuce edible?" Tao Sai stretched out his hand and called out to Lan Xiaojia who was taking notes not far away.

Lan Xiaojia immediately came over to take a look and nodded happily, "Yeah, it's done, Sister Sai."

After receiving a positive answer, Tao Sai immediately stood up from the canvas chair in a good mood.

After waiting for a long time, they can finally eat the vegetables they grow on the boat.

Tao Sai walked a few steps to the kitchen compartment. Li Yinzhu was reading a cached cooking tutorial on her laptop. She said, "Auntie Li, the lettuce is ready to eat. How about we make some lettuce tonight?"

"Okay, lettuce can supplement vitamins. We haven't eaten much green vegetables recently, so it's perfect for replenishing some." Li Yinzhu agreed completely and closed the computer and asked, "Xiao Tao, how do you want to eat it? Blanched, stir-fried, cold salad, and even lettuce with oyster sauce? I can make anything. What do you like?"

Tao Sai was silent.

When the word lettuce is mentioned, the first thing that pops into her mind is actually barbecue. Barbecue wrapped in lettuce and dipped in sauce is so delicious when you take a bite!

"Auntie, can we have barbecue?" Tao Sai grinned.

"Ah?" Li Yinzhu was confused at first. How could the lettuce be suddenly pulled onto the barbecue? Then she understood what she meant.

"We have a new member joining us today, so of course we have to have a big meal to celebrate," Tao Sai added, "Our future will be even more prosperous!"

Although barbecue isn't very healthy from a health perspective, Li Yinzhu certainly wouldn't spoil the fun. "Okay, no problem."

They brought back two adult wild boars. They could use part of the meat and the other part was frozen meat in the refrigerator. The rest of the wild boar that could not be eaten was cut into small pieces with a knife and frozen in the freezer.

Seeing Aunt Li go to thaw the pork belly, Tao Sai suddenly remembered that she almost forgot something important. She quickly opened a space wormhole to the vicinity of Sun's house and found the commandos she left there to find pigs and slaughter them.

They found the two white pigs that were running around crazily, had already been killed, and moved them back directly.

Now they had two wild boars and two white pigs. Tao Sai called in some experienced people to help, boiling water, removing hair, and butchering the meat. They processed each pig carefully, leaving only the right amount of pork belly. The rest of the meat was cut into small pieces and put into the freezer.

On average, 20 kilograms of pork belly can be cut from each pig, and Tao Sai leaves 40 kilograms in the refrigerator for later consumption.

The remaining 40 kilograms and the 5 kilograms of thawed pork belly will be made today.

If you want to eat, just have a big meal!

The only regret is that we can’t grill beef or anything like that, but pork belly is pretty good too.

The news that there would be a barbecue in the evening spread throughout the ship, and everyone gathered around the kitchen, looking inside with drooling eyes.

Zhou Ning asked people to place tables, chairs and benches in the large empty warehouse in advance, the curtain was lowered, and the movie was started. She chose a festive and funny movie "Charlotte's Troubles".

Li Yinzhu is very satisfied with her new assistant Luo Qinqin.

The girl was quiet and soft-spoken, but very capable, and her knife skills rivaled hers. They each had a cutting board and a knife, and they worked simultaneously, slicing the pork belly in perfect unison.

The slices of meat are of uniform thickness, with fat and meat alternating, and each slice is almost flawless, as if it were cut by a machine.

I was so greedy when I peeked out the window.

Tao Sai and Zhou Ning, following Li Yinzhu's instructions, went to the warehouse and took out five smokeless barbecue machines. She had bought them from the electronics store last time at almost a free price. They could be used as soon as they were powered on, which was very convenient.

The warehouse is also well stocked with sauces, all in cans: sweet and spicy sauce, chili sauce, mustard sauce, Liupo chili powder, etc.

At the same time, Zhou Weixing brought his newly developed fishing friends, Mr. Lin and Mr. Lan, up from the bottom cabin operating platform, each carrying a large bucket full of seafood: prawns, clams, sea bass, yellow croaker, etc. - which can be grilled together with the pork belly.

Everyone was divided into five tables and sat down, with an average of ten people at each table, including the commandos, and each table had a barbecue machine.

Oil, various dipping sauces, various sauces, chili peppers, garlic, coriander, and chopped green onions are served on plates one by one. Shredded cucumbers, shredded carrots, and shredded green onions are served, as are washed lettuce leaves. Finally, the processed pork belly and seafood are served.

Tao Sai, unable to contain her excitement, scooped up a slice of marinated pork belly with tongs and placed it on the oiled pan. Soon, the meat began to sizzle with oil, its aroma filling the air. She continued adding more until a layer of pork belly was completely covered, then flipped it over when the time was right.

Tao Sai picked up a large piece of cooked meat with chopsticks, coated it in the dipping sauce, put it in the lettuce, and then garnished it with some shredded green onions and cucumbers and wrapped it up.

When you take a bite, the gravy and sauce surge in your mouth, the aroma of meat is everywhere. The fat part is a little greasy, but it is quickly diluted by the cool lettuce leaves. The more you chew, the more delicious it becomes, and the feeling of happiness is overwhelming.

Tao Sai kept picking up his chopsticks and eating heartily. There is nothing more joyful than eating meat with big mouthfuls.

She stood up and was about to reach out with her chopsticks to pick up the fish fillet diagonally across the broiler when she suddenly froze in place.

Breathing sound!

She heard breathing again, a breath that was not her own, but very close to her, so close that it seemed to be inside her body.

Tao Sai's scalp tingled. He put away his chopsticks and stood there in a daze, continuing to sense the unfamiliar breath.

"Taotao, what's wrong with you?" Zhou Ning, who was sitting next to him, was the first to notice Tao Sai's abnormality and asked with concern.

"It's okay, I might have choked, it's not a big deal." Tao Sai came to his senses, waved his hand calmly, and left the table, "I'm going to take a break."

She walked to the edge of the large warehouse, the sound of breathing still following her.

What on earth is it?

It started from the day when Minghao was chased to that wilderness. It didn't happen again in the past few days, but it just started again.

Had something possessed her? Some monster inhabited her?

Tao Sai was full of doubts. The breathing sound so close to her made her feel uncomfortable all over. She was eager to uncover the mystery.

She ran to the shower at the stern, stripped naked, turned on the overhead spray, and let the cold water wash over her hair and body.

The breathing sound is still there, which proves that this thing is no longer on her clothes or on her body.

It should be related to the game system. Tao Sai thought of this and opened his own [warehouse]. He searched the 1,000 cubic meter space with his consciousness, but still found nothing.

The same goes for the [Backpack], it only has ordinary game props.

What else could it be?

At this time, the rhythm of the long breathing suddenly changed. Long breathing usually occurs in the dream state, but now the breathing intervals are obviously shorter.

It... woke up?

“Eh—”

A sharp cry seemed to come out from his mind, and Tao Sai jumped up.