Chapter 30

Wang Peng lists some to-do items for himself every day.

He wakes up his son Wang Xing at 7 o'clock in the morning. After washing up, they go to the restaurant downstairs to have breakfast. The breakfast is rich, delicious and not expensive. He and his son can eat a lot every day.

After breakfast, his son and the Flying Tigers went out hunting, so he would walk around the shelter a few times to digest the food. Sometimes when he met a patrol team, he would chat with them and talk about the latest interesting things.

Today's hot topic is the newly opened clothing store. He didn't go to join in the fun due to his mobility issues, but his son Wang Xing had a day off today and said he would bring him a set of clothes.

Another hot topic is small bosses.

"The young boss was incredibly powerful. With a single swing of his hand, he knocked that high-level psychic, Xie Daoba, to the ground. My buddies were all stunned at the time. We've seen awesome people before, but we've never seen anyone as awesome as this. From then on, the young boss was my god!"

The patrolling soldier was very excited and even danced with joy when he talked about the exciting parts.

Wang Peng kept nodding in agreement. Even after telling the story several times, he could still feel the thrill of the moment.

"She is not only capable, but also very kind. Guess how much money we guys can earn for this job today?" The patrolling soldier, wearing a uniform black and white windbreaker, asked with a pout.

Wang Peng smiled: "20 crystal cores?"

The soldier shook his head, the corners of his mouth widening so much that even 98k couldn't suppress it: "Hey, 30! And it includes three meals a day!"

"You know, the food in the restaurant is really good, and most importantly, there's no limit on the food. You don't know my boss, the bus driver Deng Hailong, who's such a glutton. He shows off every day. With his appetite, only a small boss like us can afford it."

"Hey, the boss always says that the boss gave him a new life."

Not only did Ye Qing give him a new life, he also gave a new life to countless people in the shelter.

Wang Peng recalled the shock Ye Qing gave him on the first day he came here. It was at that time that he had new pursuits in life.

He kept muttering, "Yeah, the boss is super nice."

The soldier looked very proud, as if he was showing off his promising children. "Of course not! My five brothers don't want to leave after coming here. The boss also said that if you do a good job, your salary will increase. The expenses here are not high, and you can save all the money you earn."

Wang Peng smiled and said, who isn’t? People would just rush to such a good place.

They chatted all the way, and when they passed the main entrance of the shelter again, Wang Peng stopped, leaning on his crutch with one hand and waving goodbye to the soldier with the other: "I have something to do later, so I won't talk to you anymore. See you next time."

"Okay, I wish you a speedy recovery and see you next time."

After bidding farewell to the patrolman, Wang Peng arrived at the small clinic. As he passed through the lobby, he craned his neck to peer into the clothing store. It was packed with people, mostly women, who seemed to have found their own battlefield, each full of energy.

In the small clinic, Qian Fei had just finished treating an elderly couple in the late stages of radiation poisoning and handed them a box of prescribed medicine. "They're recovering well now. In another ten days or so, their symptoms will be back to the mid-stage stage."

The two elderly people shook Qian Fei's hands, extremely excited: "Really? That's great! Thank you, Dr. Qian. Dr. Qian is a very skilled doctor. We should give him a banner."

Qian Fei was embarrassed by the compliment and quickly waved his hands: "No, no, no, if you want to thank someone, thank my boss. The clinic and the medicine are all hers. I'm just working for her."

"Hey, the boss is definitely the biggest benefactor, but you should also be thanked. Without your help, the boss wouldn't be able to run such a large shelter by himself."

Qian Fei couldn't argue, so he just smiled and agreed: "Okay, I'll accept your kindness. Remember to take good care of yourself when you go home, and take precautions when you go out."

After seeing the old man off, Qian Fei helped Wang Peng to the nursing bed nearby with ease. He first lifted up his trouser legs to examine him, then took out a needle that had been soaked in medicine and inserted it into various acupuncture points on his body.

As he inserted the needle, he said, "The recovery is going well. The atrophied muscles are starting to come back to life."

Wang Peng also felt that his legs were beginning to feel better, and sometimes he would feel the blood circulation being more active. When he heard Qian Fei's words, hope finally rose in his heart that had been silent for decades.

A hot breath rose in his throat, and he couldn't control his excitement for a moment: "Then... Doctor Qian... Is it possible for Wo to stand up again?"

Qian Fei shook his head. Wang Peng's heart sank when he saw this, and his breathing became a little stagnant: "No... no possibility?"

Qian Fei shook his head again. "Under normal circumstances, the chance of recovery is zero, but with the boss around, it's not certain. Look, a clothing store has reopened just a few days ago. I believe the next upgrade to the small clinic will bring better equipment, so just wait and see!"

Wang Peng's heart had been beating up and down, but now he finally felt relieved. For some reason, he felt that Ye Qing could definitely do it.

*

Today is Tang Chao's first day of work. Ye Qing trusts him and puts him in charge of guarding the shelter. Two people are assigned to this position, taking turns on duty during the day and night shifts.

Although he has worked for many years, the salary of civil servants in Shanhai City is not high, and the consumption in the city is also high. In addition, his parents are old and sick, and he has not saved much money in more than ten years. For this reason, he and his parents rented a double room.

The daily rental for a double room is 40 crystal cores. Residents can enjoy a 10% discount, and employees can enjoy more benefits. After the 10% discount, there is another 50% discount, which means 18 crystal cores.

He earned 40 a day, and after deducting the rent, he had 22 crystal cores left, which was just enough for his parents to have three simple meals a day in the restaurant.

However, he has four days off a month, and he plans to go hunting in the dangerous forest with Deng Hailong and others during these four days, and use the money he earns to send his parents to a small clinic for medical treatment.

I heard that many elderly people here have reduced their radiation levels after taking Fu Kangning, and even Zhou Xiaohua, a high-level psychic who is often in danger, has reduced his radiation levels to the early stage.

Tang Chao put on the employee uniform he had just received yesterday, cleaned himself up in front of the bright and clean mirror in the bathroom, and walked out with a straight posture: "Mom and Dad, I'm going to work first. Remember to go to the restaurant for breakfast!"

The two elders were still in a sweet dream and only responded in a daze.

He chuckled and shook his head. The bed here was too comfortable. If it weren't for the fact that he had to go to work, he wouldn't have been willing to get up.

As soon as I went out, I met Deng Hailong and a few others from next door. They came in the same group and happened to be familiar with each other, so they chose to stay next door.

Deng Hailong slammed the door shut and rushed downstairs: "Fuck, it's so easy to sleep in. The bus leaves in 5 minutes. If I don't hurry up, I'll miss breakfast!"

This feeling of going to work reminded him of a story he had read a long time ago. The scene described in the story was his lifelong pursuit, and he didn't expect to complete it here.

Sometimes, only by letting go can you see a better scenery. He was very glad that he followed his boss here.

Tang Chao did not go down with Deng Hailong. He had to go to work at 8 o'clock. After having breakfast in the restaurant, he could take a leisurely stroll. This kind of leisurely life was something he had never dared to imagine before.

As soon as I arrived at the restaurant door, I saw Deng Hailong with his head half tilted back, his face covered by a bowl that was bigger than his face. He didn't even use a spoon. His cheeks bulged as he wolfed down the bowl of porridge. Finally, he licked a grain of rice on the wall of the bowl, stuffed a meat bun the size of a rice bowl into his mouth, and hurried out.

He mumbled something, and only vaguely heard him greeting Ye Qing: "Boss, I'm going to work!"

This was Tang Chao’s first time having breakfast in a restaurant. I heard it was Cantonese-style dim sum, which was not the same as the steamed dishes last night.

Last night’s dish was more suitable for people like Deng Hailong who like spicy food, but today’s dish is more suitable for him, just like his personality, silent and introverted but with his own principles.

He likes pastries such as water chestnut cake and radish cake very much. He was attracted by their appearance at first sight. They are small and exquisite yet delicious, especially when paired with a small pot of chrysanthemum tea. They are very fragrant when chewed in the mouth.

The restaurant had dozens of sets of tables and chairs, but it was still very full. He finally found an empty seat by the window and sat down.

The windows are two large floor-to-ceiling glass panels that let in plenty of light and allow you to see the open space outside the shelter.

Except for the bus stop, which is unique, the rest of the open space is no different from the world outside the radiation. However, because of the protection of the protective shield, the barrenness and desolation also seem so lovely.

There were many people who shared his admiration for the scenery of the refuge. As soon as he sat down, the people next to him began to chat non-stop about the day's interesting events. Due to his personality, he wasn't good at talking, so he didn't initiate conversation, but he loved to listen, and today was no exception.

A young woman with a cheerful and heroic personality was gnawing on a tiger-skin chicken claw. After sucking out the chicken claw meat in a few bites, she chatted with her companions. Judging from her attire, she must be from a hunting team.

The woman said, "It seems there are more people here today."

Her teammate replied, "Of course not. At least five groups of people showed up last night. It was such a huge crowd. Look, the building has already reached the 12th floor."

"Indeed, Boss, this is too fast. We have only been here for a few days!"

"It's not good to be fast. You see, when there are more people, new things will happen. A clothing store opened this morning. Luckily, the captain was kind enough not to let us go out on missions. We have to splurge today."

"Sister Meng, how much money do you have left in your pocket? You eat so much every day and even get up in the middle of the night to buy a bunch of snacks from the self-service counter."

The young woman known as Sister Meng chuckled, "You all found out about this. Some nosy person must have seen it and spread rumors. Last year, I made so much money I had no idea where to spend it, so I've been a bit extravagant lately."

"But I still have a little left, so I can buy a few clothes. After today, I have to start saving money. If I keep squandering like this, I'm afraid the captain will kick me out, haha!"

"Sister Meng can save money! Do you believe it? I heard that she even borrowed some from the vice-captain for the opening of the clothing store today."

Li Meng slapped her teammate on the back. "How dare you laugh at me? I'm not sure if I can save enough, but I still have to have ideals! It's also because the boss's stuff is so tempting. No one can resist it, okay?"

"Haha, that's right, it's a happy trouble."

Li Meng nodded and pointed to the open space outside, and said in a very mysterious tone: "Do you see the land at the door?"

"I remember when we first came here, it was only a few dozen square meters, but now it's over ten thousand!"

Li Meng: "Of course there is. I also heard that the boss is planning to keep the land for a big job!"

"That's a new trick, oh my god!"

Li Meng fell into a sweet dream: "I'm so looking forward to it. I hope there will be more fun activities."

"Hehe, no matter what it is, I like it. As long as it's produced by the boss, there's nothing wrong with it."

"That's right, who is the boss? He's my idol!"

The group of people next door did not hide their admiration for Ye Qing at all. This had never happened in Shanhai City before. At least in the 28 years he had lived there, he had never seen anyone with such high support for the city lord.

It seems that he really came to the right place!

"Hello, handsome guy next door, would you like some snacks? We ordered a little too much and can't finish it, but we don't want to waste it."

Before Tang Chao could react, a small plate of leftover pastries was brought over from the table next to him.

Food is an extremely precious commodity in the radiation world. Tang Chao's first reaction was to refuse. As soon as he raised his hand, Sister Meng blinked and smiled mischievously: "You're welcome!"

Then he hurried out with his companions, probably heading to a clothing store.

Tang Chao's raised hand froze in place. He belatedly remembered that the girl had just called him handsome, a very rare name in the end times. He couldn't help but blush as he had always been introverted.

After breakfast, he started his day's work. He sat in the booth specially prepared by his boss. The booth was only 6 square meters. It was not big but fully functional, with tables, chairs, cabinets, and office supplies.

He gently picked up a black water-based pen, opened a brand new notebook, and recorded his more than ten years of work experience in Shanhai City.

This is a new shelter, and many rules and regulations have not yet been established. In the early stage, the population is small and no negative impact has been seen. Once the population increases, chaos will follow. He has to lay the foundation for his boss before the shelter grows and develops.

Not long after we sat down, a group of people arrived. They wanted to enter the shelter but were stopped by the transparent protective shield. Now they stood there at a loss.

Although Tang Chao did not recognize the hundreds of people in the shelter, he quickly confirmed through the reaction of the protective shield that these people were not residents of Taoyuan Shelter. He picked up Ye Qingfa's detector and walked out.

"Who are you? What are you here for?"

The people answered in unison: "Former residents of Shanhai City, come to seek refuge with the young boss."

Looking at their faces, it's not difficult to guess that they are ordinary people living on the third underground floor. They are pale and skinny. Normally, they would never step out of the shelter unless they starve to death. But at this moment, there is a light in their eyes, which represents hope and the future.

Tang Chao guessed that these people probably couldn't buy tickets but wanted to come here, so they formed a group and walked here on their own.

He nodded, picked up the detector and checked each one. The machine beeped, indicating that the test was completed, and at the same time granted the person access to the shelter. He moved quickly and completed the test on dozens of people in two minutes.

After turning off the detector and looking back, I saw that everyone in the shelter was enthusiastic and in high spirits.

Tang Chao hoped that things would continue to be so happy.