Chapter 80
Although there are ruins everywhere, bricks are not easy to get, and bricks that can be reused are difficult to find. But everyone knows that this is related to their own safety, so they have to try their best to find them. As for cement and other things, they plan to exchange them with the troops when the time comes. Since they are preparing to rebuild, they must have these reconstruction supplies, and they can just exchange some with points when the time comes, but before that, they have to prepare enough bricks to build a wall.
The place they chose was on the edge of a wall, so it was enough to build a wall on three sides. However, whether to surround only their own houses or to surround Wu Zheng's house as well became a problem that everyone was tangled up in. The biggest reason was that they didn't know who Wu Zheng and his family's neighbors would be in the future. If they didn't get along well, it would cause trouble for both families. But if they each surrounded their own house, it meant that they would have to find at least twice as many bricks. Otherwise, Wu Zheng would work with them to move bricks, but in the end they wouldn't even be able to surround their own house. What a pity.
In the end, everyone decided to fence it off together. If Wu Zheng and his friends’ future neighbor turned out to be a troublemaker, they could just knock down the wall and fence it off again.
Looking at the piles of old bricks being stacked against the wall, Song Jia couldn't help but say, "I hope our neighbors will be easy to get along with in the future. Otherwise, it will be troublesome to tear them down again."
Mu Nan comforted him: "There are still more good people than bad people in this world, don't worry."
Although he died because of a bad guy in his previous life, to be honest, the environment he grew up in was still very clean, without too much calculation, without too much malice, a simple and comfortable social circle, everyone was very polite, but it could also be that he has always lived in his own world, not very open with others, the relationship is shallow and there is no conflict of interest, so the people he meets are relatively simple in his eyes. But he thinks he is lucky in this regard, there are only two permanent neighbors on that floor, both are good people, and Wu Zheng and others who he met later are also good people. Anyway, for now, he has not made many friends with complicated people.
It took more than a week to transfer the supplies, and only later did they spend a lot of effort to flatten a road. After the road was made accessible, they could make three round trips in one night. There were no traffic lights, no other cars, and not many people, so they could speed through all the way. A distance that used to take almost two hours can now be covered in less than an hour.
The higher-ups directly placed a temporary camp for some soldiers at the power station. It is said that when they went there, the villagers also had an attitude of driving them away, and even said with a sense of righteousness that no one had cared about them after such a big disaster, and now that they had finally managed to save themselves, they wanted to come and steal things. How could such a good thing happen in the world?
Although the villagers were making a fuss, they also knew that these things would be taken away by the government in the future. They just wanted to use this fuss to get some extra benefits. Even when the soldiers fired warning shots, they did not take it seriously. They still thought in their minds as before, thinking that they had done nothing wrong and that you were just trying to scare them. They didn't believe that you would really dare to shoot and kill innocent people.
When the villagers saw them taking out guns, they became even more excited and shouted loudly. Those who made the most noise were finally shot dead. It was not that the higher-ups had to resort to such violent means, but sometimes it was really difficult to reason with a group of stubborn barbarians. And because of Qin Huai's reminders before, they knew that the place had been occupied by some villagers. They had investigated the situation there before. The man who was shot dead was the leader of these villagers. His family used to have some money, and later due to the bad weather, they stored a lot of food. After the earthquake, this man even exchanged food for women, and they were all girls of fifteen or sixteen years old, and there was more than one.
The purpose was to scare the tigers and make them fear the mountain. When encountering this kind of scum, if we don't beat him to death, would we still be wasting food by keeping him here?
The other villagers panicked after being so severely frightened. Finally, the soldiers led people to search the entire village, and found all the solar energy equipment hidden in the house. Some women and little girls who were imprisoned in the house were also brought out. Some people who were not afraid of death wanted to argue, saying that they exchanged rice for it and they volunteered. The soldiers could not listen to so much. If you make a big fuss, you will be shot. This place is not so deep and bad, and you are doing this kind of thing. Once they let it go, the order will be even more chaotic in the future.
With cars and equipment, the speed of migration from the epidemic area is faster. We need to transfer all the people who are not sick and are still healthy as soon as possible. Those who have passed the quarantine period and are not sick are also gradually moving to the residential area. Soon the houses here are almost full, and the new policy is coming soon. At present, a temporary point system is adopted. Small apartments range from 5 points to 20 points a month, and townhouses range from 15 points to 30 points a month. The most basic physical work here can earn two points a day.
It is actually quite cheap when you calculate it this way, but whether it is accommodation or food, unless you don't live here and don't eat in the government canteen, then of course it doesn't matter. If you want to live here, whether it is food or accommodation, you have to work hard to earn points. This is also to mobilize everyone to join the reconstruction team. The more people who move, the faster the reconstruction will naturally be.
Mu Nan remembered that when he came to the base in his previous life, the new currency policy had already been implemented. It was like going back to the last century. The salary was a few new dollars, and the rent ranged from a few to dozens of dollars. One new dollar could buy a half-pound tortilla. That was the price of goods. But at that time, it was swiped by ID card, and all the money and personal information were tied together. Unlike now, points are still issued in small slips with government stamps. I don't know when the new currency policy was implemented, but it should be this winter.
After the supplies were transferred over, Qin Huai bought some cement with them and surrounded the two townhouses. There were still some extra bricks from the ones they had found before, but not many, because Jian Chu and his team were leaning against the street wall, which was of average height. For safety reasons, they raised the wall they were leaning against a little bit and covered it with a layer of glass shards.
Gradually more and more people came to live here because the rent system had been introduced. For a house like theirs that was not very large and was located in a marginal area, 20 points a month was not much more, and even if there was only one worker in the family, it was affordable. However, it was said that there would be additional charges for water and electricity in the future. Anyway, as long as you were willing to work, you could definitely support yourself. Seeing that the rent was not high, many people began to choose the townhouses, and their neighbors also came to Wu Zheng's side.
People who come later don’t get to choose their own houses. At most, you can choose to live in a villa or an apartment, but you have to follow the arrangements as to where to live. Qin Huai had previously informed Brother Xu and asked them to be more careful when allocating housing and find someone who is easier to get along with.
During the migration, Brother Xu received a lot of benefits from them and ate a lot of their sauces, so he naturally agreed to such a small thing. He also paid special attention when allocating houses, and then four college students were allocated, um, four girls.
Mu Nan stood on the balcony on the third floor and watched several girls chattering as they moved things into the house. Thinking of Brother Xu's meaningful smile, he felt that... well, a few girls were indeed quite safe and looked quite harmless. Was it because all three houses were occupied by men that the extra care they received was this kind of welfare?
Qin Huai stood beside him and looked down with him. Seeing Mu Nan staring at that place without blinking, his tone was slightly cold: "It's so beautiful? Aren't you afraid of the heat to stare at it?"
Mu Nan sighed: "Do you think our little yard can still be peaceful?" It's not that he dislikes girls, but in the future, it will be very difficult for a girl, and she will attract a lot of coveted eyes. There are four of them living here, and some people with dirty minds will easily target them. Enclosing the yard like this has attracted a lot of attention.
Hearing Mu Nan's sigh, Qin Huai's face looked a little better. His first reaction was to complain. If he didn't understand, it would be even harder for others to understand. It was fine to be so stupid. Qin Huai pulled him into the house and said, "We have to live with it first. They just got here and we don't know their tempers. Anyway, stay away from them."
Mu Nan didn't think much about it and nodded in agreement, and even reminded Qin Huai: "You too, I don't want to split up the family just because of a new sister-in-law when I just settled down."
Qin Huai smiled when he heard this, and tapped him on the forehead: "I already said I don't have a sister-in-law."
Following Qin Huai back to the room, they were hit by a cold air as soon as they entered the room. They had previously gone to ask for their own things back, including the generator and even the membrane cloth. As for the food that was taken away before, since Jian Chu and the others came with them, it would not be good if they completely rejected it. After all, they had been together all the way, and later they were looking for things together, so they could be said to know each other inside and out. It would be a bit abnormal not to order some food to keep at home. However, they didn't want much, just enough to last for ten days or half a month.
Once the solar energy is installed, the air conditioner can be put into operation quickly. Qin Huai knew that there would be heavy snow later, so he installed the solar panels directly on the roof, and did not lay them directly on the balcony on the top floor as Yu Zibai planned. If there is snow accumulation, it will be too difficult to clean it if it is laid on the balcony. As for their rooftop balcony, Qin Huai plans to go to the military headquarters in a few days to ask if there is a sunshade that can be replaced. When the time comes, he will replace it with one on the roof, so that snow will not accumulate on the roof and require the trouble of shoveling snow.
The solar energy is currently shared by two families. Because it is all spread out, the area receiving sunlight is larger. In addition, Jian Chu and Xu Ming both live in the room and use wall-mounted units, which are not as difficult to power up as cabinet units. Therefore, the air conditioners of all three families can be used, and there is even some surplus electricity accumulated. However, Jian Chu and his family still want to replace the generator themselves. Since three families share one generator, they can only use it for air conditioning and dare not turn on other electrical appliances easily. They have asked the military before, and they are told that it can indeed be replaced, but it seems that they have to wait until all the circuits here are connected before they can see if there is any surplus to replace.
According to Jian Chu, once the air conditioner is turned on, he instantly rises from a poor peasant to a landlord.
After returning to the room to cool off, Mu Nan was still thinking about the new neighbors in their small courtyard. He asked curiously, "Didn't the school stop having classes later? The school has been closed for a long time. Why are they still together? Why haven't they gone home?"
Qin Huai: "Not everyone has a home to return to. Okay, stop thinking about them. Go take a shower. You're all sweaty."
Mu Nan said "oh" and walked to the bathroom with clean clothes. They had been completely free these two days, so they could wash cleanly every day without going out.
The business district had been turned upside down. Anyway, they took the initiative to buy everything they could use. Later, they couldn't find much useful things, so they hauled wood for several days. Mu Nan told them to keep some in case there was a power outage and they could still cook. So they stocked up together. As more and more people came, they no longer went to the business district as it was unsafe with so many people.
There was nowhere to turn, so Jian Chu and his friends joined the reconstruction team yesterday. They were always uneasy because they didn't have enough food, so they went to work without stopping. They could get a free meal and three points for working hard all day. The food in the cafeteria was not made with oil and salt, so the taste was not very good. However, the staple food was very large, so they could at least save two points after eating.
As for Mu Nan, according to his words, he was kept in captivity by Qin Huai, because Qin Huai also had to go out to work. However, Qin Huai was not going to move bricks. Now reconstruction in all aspects requires people. For example, house reconstruction not only requires moving bricks, but also requires people who understand some construction to provide guidance and planning. In addition to residential construction, the re-operation of the network naturally also requires people, otherwise where will the local area network come from and where will the new electronic ID card come from? And it’s just right that Qin Huai didn’t say anything, anyway, he is quite suitable for this field. Although he has never come into contact with this kind of software, this thing is also composed of codes. It is not difficult for Qin Huai to get started after reading some books and exploring it.
I guess Qin Huai had anticipated this. He bought a lot of books on communications when preparing supplies. He would read some books when he had nothing to do at home, and then make one or two simple software programs to practice.
Mu Nan admired Qin Huai very much for this, he was worthy of being his brother, others took one step and thought ten steps ahead, but his brother took half a step and thought a hundred steps ahead. Anyway, working in the network field was his brother's forte, a field he was good at, and he didn't have to work hard outside. It was a technical job for high-end talents. Although he is still an intern now, he will be promoted based on his ability. After all, it is not a matter of just making the software. Once it is done, it must be constantly updated and maintained in real time. Therefore, this job has an internship period. They will make sure that you are capable and not just someone who knows a little bit and comes here to make a living before you can be promoted.
During the internship period, you get three points a day, but you get two meals. The canteen is not the big canteen where you do hard labor outside. You eat with the signal soldiers. The food tastes a little stronger. If you don’t want to eat in the canteen, you can take some snacks or water home. There are many options. After becoming a regular employee, it is said that you get five points a day, which includes two meals. There will be additional subsidies and benefits every week or every month. Although it is not much better than the brick-moving outside, it is also very good. You just need to use your brain under the air conditioning, and there are other welfare subsidies. The current materials and conditions can only be like this. This is only for ordinary employees. If you are capable and promoted, the treatment will be better.
Who would be willing to go out and do hard labor when you can lie comfortably at home? As for realizing self-worth, for Mu Nan, staying at home safely and allowing his brother to work outside without distraction, and then waiting for his brother to come back and eat delicious meals comfortably, is his greatest value. Anyway, his brother doesn't let him go out to work, and he agreed without any reluctance. For a otaku painter, being able to paint leisurely at home is his greatest pursuit.
But he still doesn't have the conditions to paint now. It is said that the water is being repaired these two days. After the pipeline is repaired, the underground water supply will be dredged. When there is water, Mu Nan plans to go back to his old job and grow vegetables at home. Even if the house does not have floor heating in the future, they can turn on the air conditioner. At that time, they will raise the earthen pots a little bit and grow some vegetables. If the harvest is good, they will sell them. If the harvest is average, they will keep them for themselves.
Hearing Mu Nan's plan, Qin Huai expressed his support: "I'm going to work tomorrow. You can turn on the air conditioner in the living room outside. Be careful when assembling those shelves, don't hurt yourself. I'll see if I can get some wooden strips in a couple of days. Then I'll nail some shelves on the second floor and place some pots of soil. When the electricity is connected here, turn on the air conditioners upstairs and downstairs. If you can grow crops, grow them. If not, forget it. Remember not to open the door casually. If something happens, run out through the back door as soon as possible, okay?"
Although there is a wall around the courtyard now and there are patrol officers in the area, the world cannot be linked to safety for the time being, so all the necessary reminders must be given, for fear that if a crisis really happens, Mu Nan will not be able to react and will not know what to do. The neighbors next door have all gone to work, and there is no one to help him when something happens, so Qin Huai can only remind him several times a day to make it an instinct for him to make it his first reaction when encountering something to run, and nothing is more important than people.
Mu Nan responded without any impatience, and also reminded Qin Huai: "You have to build good relationships with the people around you. I plan to grow some tomatoes this time. If I can grow them successfully, you can bring them to your superiors in your unit. You will be grateful to the people who have helped you. You are not lacking in ability, so you will definitely be able to become a regular employee smoothly!"
Qin Huai rubbed his hair: "If I can't turn around, at most I can come back and you can support me. What are you afraid of?"
Mu Nan nodded proudly: "That's right, don't worry, I will always be your strongest supporter!"
The working hours are still at night, from 10pm to 5am, just in time to go out at night and come home at dawn. Before leaving, Mu Nan brought out a table of food for Qin Huai. This was the first time he sent his brother to work, so there had to be a sense of ceremony. Although he didn't drive, he was going out to work, so he didn't drink. Mu Nan picked up a lot of dishes for Qin Huai: "Eat more, I also put a few mung bean pastries for you, but they are sweet, because I'm afraid that the meat ones will go bad after a while outside. If the food in the cafeteria is not delicious, just have a few bites and come back to eat something delicious."
Qin Huai agreed to all the requests and ate whatever was given to him. It was not like he had never worked outside before, but the projects that earned him millions of dollars were not as rewarding as earning a few points.
After some delay, it was time to go out. Qin Huai didn't let him go downstairs, so as not to break into a sweat. He reminded him again to be careful at home, and then he went out with a bag on his back. In the bag were food, water, and a small weapon prepared by Mu Nan. Their home was not far from where they worked. It only took 20 minutes to get there by bike from the side door. It was in the office building of the power station. The office building was only four stories high, so it was easy to clean up the collapsed part. The part that didn't collapse could be used directly after tidying it up. As they were developing new software for the government, which even involved some communication repairs, they naturally had to work with the information engineering soldiers in the government's office building. The distance was not far, but they still had to pay attention to safety on the road. After all, he was alone, so he always had to bring some handy weapons.
After Qin Huai left, Mu Nan was not idle either. He started to tinker with his earthen pots. Planting them in the living room on the third floor would not be seen by outsiders, so he just used the racks for the earthen pots that he had bought before the end of the world. They were just spliced together. The earthen pots were the ones he had stored in the house over there. They were still warm when he took them out. Mu Nan used the things that others had prepared for him to fertilize the soil based on what he had found online and the guide he had asked when buying seeds. He planned to plant some peppers first, after all, he had experience with these and they were easier to plant, and then plant some tomatoes. Tomatoes were a little difficult to plant as they had high requirements for temperature, soil and water, but he had to try. Anyway, the heating would be on in the house in winter. It was said that they had floor heating. It seemed that there was a renovation here at the beginning. The floor heating uses electricity to generate heat, but he didn't know whether solar energy in winter could supply the electricity consumption of this area.
Seeds need to be cultivated. They need to be soaked in water first. Tomato seeds need to be soaked in cold water and then in hot water. Mu Nan followed the guide step by step and set the alarm. After soaking them in water, he began to loosen the soil. The soil in each pot needs to be loosened and mixed with nutrient soil. Peppers and tomatoes can mature in two or three months, but they seem to be annual plants. But it doesn't matter. As long as they can grow up successfully and mature, they can be taken out for seeds. Although he has a lot of them in his space, he still has to learn how to take out seeds.
Time flies when you are busy. When he finished loosening the soil and cleaning all the earthen pots in the room, several hours had passed. Although the air conditioner was on in the living room on the third floor, he was sweating a lot from working all the time. Mu Nan checked the seeds in the water and found that it would take several hours before the second soaking. So he turned off the air conditioner in the living room and went back to the bedroom to take a shower. Even if it was solar power generation, he still had to save electricity to avoid consuming too much power.
He came out refreshed and started to fiddle with the projector. He was a little tired lying on the bed with his laptop in his arms. There was no TV at home, so the projector came in handy. But before he could understand the instructions, he heard some noise outside. He was afraid that someone might sneak in when no one was around. Mu Nan quickly ran to the terrace on the second floor and lifted the curtain to look outside. He saw that it was Jian Chu and Wu Zheng who had returned. He was relieved and opened the terrace door on the second floor. When he went out, he was immediately shocked: "What are you doing?"
Jian Chu waved at him: "Come down quickly! We have meat to eat!"
Niu Niu from next door was jumping up and down around its owner. If Mu Nan was not mistaken, the animal that Wu Zheng and Yu Zibai were carrying in from outside had a crooked neck and a blood-red neck. Was it an alpaca?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
