Xu Lin did the math: there were 15 men and 6 women, all of whom were strong laborers. They went out hunting and gathering supplies every day, and this mountain was enough for them to make a living for several months. They could also raise some livestock and grow some grain, so sustainable development wouldn't be a problem.
However, some people just want to gain something for nothing.
The next morning, the sound of children crying could be heard outside the fence. The security camera footage showed two women carrying two children who looked to be about four or five years old.
Grandma Wu and Li Jingjing came out to see what was going on when they heard the noise. There was nothing they could do, since their house was close to the gate.
"Do you have any food? We adults don't care, but the children haven't eaten for two days. Please lend us some food for the sake of us fellow countrymen. I promise to repay you double when I have supplies," a woman said tearfully.
“We don’t have much food either. Instead of wasting your time, you should look for supplies on the mountain. We have sweet potatoes and potatoes; either one can fill your stomach,” Li Jingjing said.
“How could you do this? We saw it when we came. You picked all the fruit and dried goods on the mountain, and there were signs of digging on the ground. What’s wrong with you lending us some? We didn’t say we wouldn’t pay you back.”
“Don’t tell me we don’t have any supplies. Even if we did, we couldn’t lend them out. We’re supposed to help in emergencies, not in long-term poverty. You’re all capable people, why are you asking us for food? Your thinking is just wrong! Jingjing, let’s go home,” said Grandma Wu.
Li Jingjing and Grandma Wu turned around and went back to the mobile prefabricated house.
The child was still crying outside, and after crying for more than ten minutes, the two women realized that the people inside the fence had no sympathy, so they had no choice but to take the child and leave.
Going out to find supplies at this time would be tantamount to handing over one's possessions to others, so neither Sun Wei nor Zhou Pin's families went out. They had been busy collecting mountain goods before and hadn't had time to sort them out, so they decided to take advantage of the opportunity to process what needed to be processed.
Although Xu Lin had her own space, she still needed to explain the ownership of the supplies, so she and Zhou Pin busied themselves with it.
The first thing I made was dried peaches, because peaches don't keep for very long.
First, wash and peel the peaches, then slice them thinly. Put them in a bowl, add sugar and salt, and marinate overnight.
While pickling peaches, Xu Lin suddenly remembered that the wine she had been making a while ago should be ready. She opened the lid, and sure enough, a sweet aroma wafted out. Xu Lin filtered out the grape skins, poured the wine into a jar, and poured a little bit into a glass to share with Zhou Pin at noon.
The peaches need to be marinated overnight. The next day, boil the peach flesh in water until it is soft, then dry it in the sun or oven.
Next, Xu Lin started making blueberry jam. She washed the blueberries with flour, then crushed them with a spoon. She cooked them in a pot, stirring constantly, until it thickened. Then she added honey and lemon juice, stirred well, and turned off the heat.
Finally, the blueberry jam is ready. Pour it into a container and let it cool before using.
In the morning, you can take two slices of bread, spread blueberry jam on them, throw two blueberries on a plate, and pair them with a glass of milk for a proper Western-style breakfast.
Blueberry jam was ready, and lunch was ready too. Whenever Zhou Pin was home, he was the one who cooked. He brought tomato and egg soup, stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts, and broccoli with minced garlic to the table.
"These past few days have been unusual, so just make do with this. We'll give you a proper meal after they leave." Zhou Pin felt that two dishes and a soup were too simple.
“This is the apocalypse, you know. It’s already difficult enough to get a meal like this. So many people outside are starving,” Xu Lin said.
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