The Northwest Base has been under construction for half a year. The workers are all survivors who came here. The base operates on a work-for-relief basis. The survivors participate in the construction of the base every day and then receive food from the base.
Most of the infrastructure is relatively complete, and the rest is progressing steadily. For example, in the commercial street, more than half of the buildings have been built and merchants have been arranged to move in, while the remaining small part is under construction.
The two walked around the commercial street and got a basic understanding of the situation. The shops were mostly opened by the base to stabilize people's livelihoods and were almost all under official control. The staff in the shops were all employees, and there were almost no private shops.
She originally wanted to open a general store or a snack shop, but now it looks too conspicuous. The Northwest Base is not as well-developed as the Beijing Base. Opening a general store now would undoubtedly tell others "I have a problem".
At the Beijing base, Xu Lin made her first fortune selling luxury handbags. Later, she opened a general store and a seafood shop. These ventures couldn't be replicated at the Northwest base, which troubled her greatly.
“It’s okay, you can look for suitable jobs at the base, or ask Minister Sun to help you find one. If you don’t want to work, you can stay at home,” Zhou Pin comforted Xu Lin.
"I don't want to be a domesticated canary. Let me think about it some more," Xu Lin said.
After returning home, the two had lunch and had nothing to do, so Zhou Pin took out his tablet and invited Xu Lin to watch a movie.
"I've got it!" Xu Lin suddenly jumped up, startling Zhou Pin.
"I can open a bookstore."
"It's been two years since the apocalypse, and many survivors have psychological problems. Moreover, the people living in the base are busy with survival every day, and there are no other entertainment activities after work. Reading is a way to enrich their spiritual world."
"And I, I will open a bookstore where I can rent and sell books and desserts, to save the spiritual world of the survivors and enrich my material life."
"These are my thoughts," Xu Lin concluded in her closing remarks.
“Okay, but the bookstore shouldn’t be opened in our own name. We can contact Minister Sun to see if the base wants to invest in this project,” Zhou Pin said after a moment’s thought.
"You mean you want the base to publish a book, and I'll run it as the store manager?" Xu Lin reacted quickly.
“Yes, this is the operating model for commercial streets. If we go it alone, we will inevitably face risks. If the base participates, we can avoid a lot of trouble,” Zhou Pin said.
The two discussed the details for another afternoon, then spent dinner researching until midnight, and finally produced a plan overnight.
The next morning, after breakfast, the two took the proposal to Minister Sun's office. Minister Sun was taken aback when he saw the proposal presented by Xu Lin, and then picked it up to read it.
He frowned and slapped his thigh, but the two of them didn't bother him.
"Did you prepare this plan?" Minister Sun asked.
"Yes, that's my thought. I think most people in the base have solved their food and clothing problems, but the psychological trauma that the apocalypse has brought to people is immeasurable. It's not possible to provide mental health care to everyone right now, but we can save ourselves by reading."
"On the other hand, everyone works during the day and has nothing to do after work and dinner. Their spiritual world is too impoverished. Now that there are no mobile phones or computers, it is easy to breed crime. Reading just provides everyone with a spiritual sustenance."
"Our bookstore allows you to buy or rent books. You pay a deposit upfront, and the rental fee is very cheap, making it affordable for most people."
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