Chapter 77
Mu Nan felt that Qin Huai always thought about things more comprehensively than he did, so it was right to listen to him. It was not that he had no independent consciousness, but that he was born with a low IQ. Some people are naturally smarter, good at observation and thinking, and have strong logic in doing things. They may not make decisions that are absolutely correct, but the possibility of mistakes is much lower. Therefore, Mu Nan developed the habit of obeying Qin Huai unconditionally since he was a child. Anyway, Qin Huai makes the decisions on major matters, and he makes the decisions on minor matters.
Jian Chu was also asking Yu Zibai about this question, but he preferred to live in the villa area. He felt that if there were only a few households in a building, it would be safer. After all, every building had a fenced yard, which he could later convert into an anti-theft door and grow some vegetables in the yard. He would be able to do the repairs on the windows himself in the future. A single-family building surrounded the yard would give a sense of security. However, if they wanted to choose a villa area, they couldn't choose one close to the residential buildings, otherwise people would be able to see their yard clearly from the upper floors.
Xu Ming said, "It's better to live lower. Although there is a certain risk of robbery, if you really encounter such a situation, it's easier to escape in the villa area. You can only jump out of the window two or three floors high. It's better than living upstairs and being trapped in the house with no way to escape."
Yu Zibai said, "But the question is, can we decide where to live now? Now that we have moved in and everything is settled, the original owner comes back. What the hell?"
Xu Ming smiled when he heard that. "It's definitely not possible for you to live here for free. Since the military will make the arrangements, the housing problem must be theirs. I just don't know what the rules are, whether it's renting or buying. Besides, we are the first batch of team, we are risking our lives to explore the way for others, it's impossible that there is no benefit at all."
Jian Chu frowned. "If I want to buy it, I can get one. But now it shouldn't cost money. If I have money, I can just go to the ruins and dig up a sack. Maybe I can exchange it for food, but there is too little food now. It's not enough for me to eat. Tsk."
Yu Zibai: "If they want to migrate here later, won't they also have to walk the same route we walked? The consumption on the road should be about the same, but the first group may have more options, right?"
Qin Huai shook his head: "Not necessarily. Those coming from behind might be able to get a car."
Jian Chu said, "I see. It's the Ц鼍事 base, right?"
Qin Huai said: "Unless the entire base cracks and a big hole is formed and everyone falls into it, even if it collapses, these heavy vehicles will not be able to crush it. After all, there are many empty training grounds in the base, and the buildings are generally not high-rise. It won't take more than a night to clear the base and drive back."
Jian Chu couldn't help but say, "When I think about it, I suddenly wonder why we are working so hard. Why don't we wait for the second batch?"
Xu Ming: "The second batch may not be able to choose the location they want. The further they go, the fewer options they have. Besides, there are not many intact houses here. Not only will we have to wait until the military base is cleared, but I'm afraid they will start to move a large number of rescuers here. By then, there will be too many people, and I'm afraid we will have to build houses by ourselves. But it shouldn't be that fast. At least they have to set up another point to isolate people for a while. Otherwise, if they all come here, it will just transfer the plague."
Yu Zibai comforted him, "Although it was hard along the way, at least we got here safely. When the people behind us are on the road, we may already be in our future homes. I just hope that we will never have to go through this kind of hardship of migration again in this lifetime."
Mu Nan suddenly turned to look at Yu Zibai: "Why do I suddenly feel like you've set a flag for me?"
Because they had arrived at their destination, almost everyone relaxed, and even felt grateful for having survived the disaster and looking forward to the future just because they were able to make it here alive. They felt that they were already a big step away from the disaster, and all they had to do was follow the government's reconstruction and live a stable life. With hope in their hearts, even though they were tired, there was light in their eyes, and they could even chat and laugh with the people around them.
Mu Nan didn't have the energy to look forward to the future. He had been riding for such a long time and knew that he wouldn't have to travel so intensively tomorrow. He relaxed so much that he wished he could sleep for ten days or half a month. In a short while, he fell asleep next to Qin Huai.
When most people began to rest, Shi Yuanfei took a few soldiers to the villa area. Some of the houses were indeed occupied, but the people living there were probably residents of the area behind the vocational college. Some of them were from rural areas, and after life became difficult, those who had the conditions basically returned to their rural hometowns. Some had no hometown to return to, so they stayed here. As a result, their houses collapsed. Some of the school buildings could still be lived in, but they had lived in dilapidated houses all their lives, and now there was a free big villa, it would be a waste not to live in it.
When these soldiers were checking, some of those living in the house felt a little guilty, after all, they had also broken into the house. Some were honest and said they moved in because the house collapsed and they had no place to live. Some directly said that the house belonged to them. However, Shi Yuanfei could tell with just a quick look inside the house that these were not the original owners. The house was in a mess, and some of the renovated houses had been demolished beyond recognition. It was impossible for their own house to be ruined like this.
But he didn't say anything, just recorded it and left. The situation here needs to be reported to the military, and it's not something he can decide alone, so he should investigate the situation first, and then make a little plan.
On the second day, the leaders of each team who had held a small meeting explained the vacant houses that had been counted so far. They would definitely stay here temporarily, and if nothing unexpected happens, they would start rebuilding around this area. Not far from here, there was a solar power station that was almost completed. The land and some facilities were already there, and all they needed was manpower to clean up and rebuild. But their number of people was definitely not enough, so for now they just needed to find a place to settle down temporarily.
"At that time, we will definitely start repairing the surrounding living facilities, supplying water and electricity, and rebuilding farmland. These are planned above, so you don't need to worry about them. So the problem now is where to live and how to allocate these vacant houses. At present, the houses that can be directly moved into have been counted and a blueprint has been drawn. The villa area has two households in one building, three floors. The first floor is a garage, and the second and third floors are duplexes for living. The area is not large, more than 150 square meters, but because of the duplex stacking, the actual living area is very large. It is recommended that families with a large number of people can choose high-rise apartments. There are small apartments with one-bedrooms of more than 60 square meters, two-bedrooms of more than 90 square meters, and three-bedrooms of 120 square meters. Everyone can choose according to actual needs."
After Brother Xu finished speaking, he let them look at the simple drawings for themselves. After a while, he said, "Everything is out of order now. Everyone is groping, but order will always be established in the future. It's not that the house you choose today is yours. Let me remind you that whether you will rent or buy a house in the future, and how much it will cost, is still unknown. What is certain is that money is no longer valuable. There may be new ways of trading, such as a points system, a material exchange system, etc. If you choose a house of 100 or 200 square meters to live in, you will have to decide whether you can afford it in the future. If you can't afford it, you will have to give up the house you have finally sorted out. Think about it before making a decision."
Some people immediately complained. Why were they asked for money? They had worked hard all their lives and finally paid off the mortgage, and now their house collapsed. Who should they ask for money?
Hearing these complaints, Brother Xu laughed: "In the past, the government would not compensate for collapsed houses due to earthquakes. Force majeure disasters are exempt from liability. Moreover, now, the government has provided you with water, electricity, and cleaned up the environment around you. The manpower and material resources are all dropped from the sky. How can you live here for free? Who is willing to work hard if they want to get something for nothing?"
While others were discussing, Mu Nan asked Qin Huai, "Are we going to have a small villa? In addition to the garage on the first floor, there is a small two-story duplex upstairs. I don't know if it is rough or renovated. If it is rough without windows and nothing else, what should we do?"
Jian Chu also looked at Yu Zibai hesitantly: "What about us?" He didn't think that the two of them could afford a duplex. He felt that a one-bedroom and one-living room seemed to be enough. A house that was too big would be too tiring to carry.
Although we all know that living lower is a better choice, in reality, the choice still depends on one's own ability. If you choose the best one now, you will have to leave if you can't afford it in the future.
Xu Ming said: "Maybe we can share it."
Jian Chu turned to look at him: "Sharing?"
Xu Ming said: "I just looked at the blueprint. Although it is very simple, it can be seen that there are two entrance doors. One is the direct entrance from the garage, and the other is on the first floor. The first floor should have a porch of a medium size. The second floor is the main living room with a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. The third floor has a bedroom with a bathroom. If another door is installed on the second and third floors, the third floor will be separated, which is equivalent to living upstairs and downstairs, but sharing a door and garage. Of course, if you think this is too private, you can choose an apartment building with three households on one floor, but Qin Huai and his family don't seem to plan to choose an apartment."
Although Qin Huai even compared Zi Bai to someone younger, maybe it was because he was too calm. Every decision he made was not 100% certain, but it was made after careful consideration of all aspects. So if they wanted to choose this duplex house, Xu Ming had no doubt whether they could afford it. Any choice he made made people feel confident, perhaps this was the confidence brought by his excellent ability.
Jian Chu and Yu Zibai, on the other hand, were more in line with their age, with confusion and anxiety about the future, all kinds of uneasiness and uncertainty. However, Xu Ming thought that even if they would need to pay for rent in the future, the cost would certainly not be too high. At least in a few years, before they could fully resume work and production, as long as the government did not collapse, they would be able to eat by relying on their labor.
After listening to Xu Ming's words, Jian Chu looked at Yu Zibai. This was not a decision he could make alone. Yu Zibai looked at the blueprint and weighed the options for a moment, then said, "Okay, living in an apartment is also upstairs and downstairs. Living here with fewer people is actually safer. If the two families share the burden, it won't be too great. We can take a look at the actual environment first, but..."
Yu Zibai said as he looked at Xu Ming: "If we live like this, won't it be more convenient for us to go out and have fun?"
Xu Ming was amused by his far-sightedness: "You are thinking too far ahead. Marriage is a long shot. And I don't have any external pressure. If I don't meet someone I like, I may be single for the rest of my life. Besides, who knows whether a lifetime will be long or short? It was impossible to guarantee it before, let alone now."
The few of them had agreed that they would definitely choose the same building, so that if they built a protective wall in the future, they could still share a small garden. For now, there were no conflicts among them, nor were there any shortcomings that they could not tolerate from each other. They were all at a suitable and comfortable distance from each other. They thought that in the future, their relationship would either become closer or they would never become enemies. Living together was always better than coming into contact with strangers whose backgrounds and temperaments they did not know.
At this time, Wu Zheng came over and asked them, "Would you choose an apartment building or a villa?"
Jian Chu: "Let's choose a villa, what about you?"
Wu Zheng: "We'll also choose a villa. Let's go together later. I'll choose the one next to yours." After all, they are some people who get along well with each other. Although he can't choose his neighbors on the other side, at least half of them are people he can interact with. It's better than living among complete strangers. If it weren't for Niu Niu, they would have chosen an apartment, but it wouldn't be appropriate to live in an apartment with Niu Niu.
Seeing that the two brothers were also going to choose a villa, Jian Chu couldn't help but envy them: "Are those who have brothers so capable? We don't know what the rent and prices will be in the future, but they just choose a bigger one. I don't have the confidence to do that."
Wu Zheng said, "It can't be that expensive. Even if we rented this house before, it would only cost 10,000 or 20,000 yuan a month. Now, maybe it's just a matter of food. We have dozens of boxes of canned rice and flour, and even rock sugar, in exchange for some points. It shouldn't be a problem to rent a house for a year."
Jian Chu suddenly realized, and then was pleasantly surprised: "Oh, yes, we still have points, how could I have forgotten about this."
Mu Nan turned to look at Qin Huai: "I forgot about this."
Qin Huai smiled and said, "You just need to remember to eat in your little brain."
Some people are still struggling, while others have already made their decision. Those who have made their decision can choose by themselves. Some houses are occupied by people. Brother Xu reminds them not to have disputes with the people who lived there before, and to choose from the empty houses. If more than one person likes a house,
Someone asked: "Is there no way to solve it through discussion?"
Brother Xu glanced at the people and said, "Whoever wins gets to speak."
After getting to know Brother Xu, many people understood his style and did not take his words too seriously. However, if two people really set their eyes on the same house and both sides were unwilling to give in, the dispute would probably have to be resolved with fists.
In the past, the greening in this area should have been very good, and the buildings were a little far apart. It's a pity that it is bare now, without any cover. It looks like a house with a blank surface. Looking in through the glass outside, it is bare inside, with some cloth covering the outside or inside, which means that someone is living there. Qin Huai and the others didn't get close, because they didn't need to waste time knowing that there were people living there.
Mu Nan rode slowly beside them: "I think it would be enough to find a clean rough house. Some of the renovated ones may not be available until we get them. I'm afraid those who already live here have already seen this place through and through."
Qin Huai: "I'm checking the terrain here, looking for a place where it's easy to leave if something happens. And if we live in a more marginal place, we can build a wall to surround the whole house."
The group of people walked around and found a place close to the river, but it was so dry that there was no water in it. There was a four-lane road between the river and the residential area. There should have been a lot of green plants on both sides of the road, but unfortunately they were all killed by the sun. The dry dead trees fell to the ground and no one cleaned them up. It was so messy that even bicycles could not pass through.
Mu Nan stepped on the fallen tree and looked down at the river: "Brother, if we live here, will it flood?"
Jian Chu laughed out loud: "Flood? You are dreaming too much. There is no water for you to flood now. If it can really be flooded, life will not be so miserable."
Qin Huai shook his head: "It is unlikely that the water will flood up. If the river really overflows, the water will flow towards the river. If it can flood here, the low-lying areas below will become a river. If it can really flood here, I guess the people here would have migrated to higher places long ago."
Mu Nan looked at the apartment they had just chosen and asked, "Are we going to choose this one?"
Qin Huai nodded: "Let's take this one. There happens to be a side door here. The collapsed wall in front should be repaired by then. There is nothing damaged in the house. Although it has not been renovated inside, it seems to be self-decorated. It has ceiling and floor tiles. It is not rough and we need to build the walls ourselves. When the time comes, we will see where we can get curtains and furniture, and it will be almost done with a little installation."
Jian Chu was also very satisfied with the Ц龅陰剑 he had just seen. They would add a wall outside the house for anti-theft, and build a shed in the yard to open a vegetable garden. The only thing he didn't know was how the water supply would be and whether they could afford a vegetable garden. Although he didn't go into the house, he could see inside through the window. Maybe the house was relatively remote. It was obvious that the owner might not have even lived there after the house was handed over. There was nothing in the house, and the surrounding residents had never been in. The windows and doors were all intact.
But then he thought to himself, "How are we going to get in? We can't just break in without the key." After all, the door was damaged, so where would they find a new intact door to install later?
Xu Ming: "Just climb up. Look at the rooftop, it also has a glass door. If the door is locked, just break the glass door on the rooftop. You can find a way to replace it later. As long as you can get into the house, open the door from the inside and reset the password, it's very simple."
Mu Nan looked at them and asked, "Who's going to climb?" He had average athletic ability. The building had three floors and there was no place to stand around, so it was not easy to climb.
Unexpectedly, before Qin Huai could speak, Wu Zheng, who had been walking with them, said, "Let my brother come."
Everyone looked over when they heard this, and Song Jia smiled and said, "It's nothing."
Song Jia stepped back a few steps after he finished speaking. Wu Zheng walked to the bottom of the house, determined the position, and then took a horse stance. Song Jia took a running start, stepped on his brother's legs very lightly, and pushed hard, just like a trapeze artist, stepping on the wall to borrow strength twice, and successfully climbed onto the balcony on the second floor.
Mu Nan's mouth was suddenly so big that an egg could be stuffed in. He had only seen this kind of scene on some video websites before.
Song Jia tried the balcony door on the second floor, but it was locked. The balcony on the second floor was directly connected to the living room, and there was no way to replace it if it was broken. So he could only climb over from the balcony to the small terrace on the side, and then continue to climb up on the handrail of the small terrace. Although it took some effort and he had to hold a flashlight in his mouth to illuminate the way, he finally climbed to the rooftop safely.
Fortunately, the balcony door on the rooftop of the house that Qin Huai and his friends liked was not locked and was easily pushed open, so he went downstairs and opened the door for them.
All that was left was for Xu Ming to change the password. Fortunately, the door lock still had power, but it didn't matter if it didn't, Mu Nan had a mobile power bank. Xu Ming pressed the built-in switch and heard a long beep. He then said to Qin Huai, "Just enter the new password."
Jian Chu's eyes widened: "Is that all? Anyone can climb up and get into the house to change the lock." This seems too unsafe. It would be better to live in a rooftop apartment, at least no one can climb that high.
Xu Ming said: "This should be a house that has not been delivered yet. The door was installed uniformly and the password has not been changed yet, so it is relatively simple to change the lock for the first time. If you want to change the lock later, you have to enter the old password or remove the door lock. But if someone climbs in like this and steals something and leaves, who would change the password for you?"
Yu Zibai said, "It seems that we need to hurry up and install the outer protective wall. We can't leave it empty like this."
Mu Nan nodded: "Yes, it's too unsafe. I can't sleep well at night."
Qin Huai entered the password and fingerprint twice, and after trying it out, he was able to open and close the door successfully. Song Jia then went straight up to the rooftop from the house, flipped over to the other side, and opened the door to Jian Chu's house.
Mu Nan looked at the junction of the second and third floors, measured the width, and said, "It's too wide. Should this door be custom-made?"
Qin Huai knocked on his head and said, "Are you stupid? Just find some bricks and cement to build a wall here, leaving enough space for a door."
Wu Zheng's house was next to theirs, separated from Qin Huai's house by a corridor that could be used for traffic. If the windows on both sides were opened louder, even shouting could be heard. As for the house next to Wu Zheng, no one was there yet. Now that the residence had been chosen and the door lock had been changed smoothly, all that was left was for everyone to go back home and pack up their belongings.
Mu Nan sat in the living room on the second floor, looking at the bare house, and couldn't help but sigh: "Where can I find some furniture? If nothing else, I have to find some curtains at least."
Qin Huai: "Let's take a rest today. Tomorrow we'll walk around the area. We still need to find bricks and a security door. We need to build the outer wall as soon as possible. Do you want to eat?"
Mu Nan glanced at the unobstructed balcony. Almost every room had windows. The people living here were short, and it seemed that there were no curtains to block the view. Anyone passing by could see into the house. "How can we eat this? It would be bad if someone saw us."
Qin Huai pulled him directly into the storage room. The storage room was not small, but not too big either. There was enough space for a swimming pool and even some space for a small dining table. The best thing was that there were no windows in the storage room.
Mu Nan hurriedly filled the table with food, and would put away the unfinished food later so that it wouldn't be wasted.
Enjoying the coolness brought by the ice and eating delicious meals, Mu Nan sighed: "This is what it means to be alive."
Qin Huai smiled and said, "When the time comes, keep the living room simple. There's no need to put too many things. We can just spend most of our time upstairs. Even if Jian Chu and the others come over, they won't go upstairs easily, so there's no need to worry about them visiting us."
Mu Nan nodded repeatedly, thinking that this was a good idea, so that he wouldn't have to worry about neighbors coming over and some unexplainable items appearing in his house. "Brother, how long do you think we will live here?"
Qin Huai reached out and wiped the dust off his face, saying, "I hope it will be forever."
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