Seeing that everyone was enjoying the meal, Chen Shunwei smiled and invited Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan to sit down to the side.
Shen Yanming told Chen Shunwei to eat first, but Chen Shunwei said, "I've almost finished eating. You've come all this way, let's chat for a while."
"Yes, yes, you guys keep chatting. I saved some boiled fish for you, you can eat it later." Wang Lai mumbled as he spoke, his mouth still full of meat.
Shen Yanming nodded and started chatting with Chen Shunwei. After a few words, they talked about the fire that had happened some time ago.
Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan returned home the day after the fire was extinguished, completely unaware of what had happened afterward. Only after hearing Chen Shunwei's account did they realize that so much had actually occurred.
That evening, Chen Shunwei and his group brought a bunch of people to the security room and security dormitory to rest. Of course, most of them, like Shen Yanming and his group, stayed in their cars for the night.
The next day, most people went home, except for the few whose homes had been burned down.
After the fire was extinguished, they returned home and were shocked to find that the walls were blackened, the windows were burned, there was no water or electricity, the furniture was gone, and the house was drafty. How could they possibly live there?
So they went back to the security room, but they couldn't exactly run the security room. There were only two single beds in the security room, not enough to accommodate so many people. The security dormitory didn't have any extra beds either. Last night, they just squeezed together and made do for one night.
They discussed it together, and some of them decided to go and stay with relatives, but most of them had nowhere to go.
Things are different now than before. Hotels and restaurants are all closed, so even if they have money, there's nothing they can do.
Another option is to rent a house at the housing management office for temporary accommodation, but the key problem is that all their supplies have been burned, and now they have no water, no vegetables, no rice, and no food. They really can't survive.
One of them thought for a moment, and figured that since so many people in the building lived alone or didn't have many family members, there must be a few empty rooms available. So, a dozen or so people went back to Building 6 in a large group, knocking on doors one by one, begging the other party to take them in for a while.
Those with hard hearts refused, while those with slightly softer hearts were morally blackmailed. They hesitated only slightly before being pushed into the room, listening to the various benefits promised by the other party. Little did they know, they had actually welcomed a powerful figure into the house.
At first, things were fine, and everyone behaved well. But as time went on, these people started to nitpick, complaining that the food wasn't good or asking for water to wash up, making the people who were trying to do good deeds feel disgusted.
If you suggest kicking them out, people will say you're untrustworthy. You promised them all the best when they moved in, but now that you've gotten the benefits, you're starting to complain about them.
In reality, the only benefit is some money. But in this environment, no matter how much money you give, you can't buy water and vegetables. Their stock is dwindling rapidly, and they can't get rid of their "gods" no matter what they do.
Chen Shunwei also told Shen Yanming that someone had actually knocked on their door that day. Chen Shunwei knew that Shen Yanming would definitely not let anyone stay at his house, but he couldn't say it outright. When the family knocked for a long time but no one answered the door, Chen Shunwei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Yanming thought about it and realized that he and Bi Qiaoan should have been in the space at that time. It was a coincidence that he managed to avoid it. However, even if he had been caught red-handed, Shen Yanming would not have allowed outsiders to live in his house.
"Has the cause of the fire been determined?" Shen Yanming asked.
"The family escaped. At first, they kept quiet, but they only opened up after being taken away by the guards for investigation. They said they bought a stove because it was too cold at home."
But they had never used a stove before and were completely unaware of the potential dangers. When the old lady went to sleep that night, she put the stove by the bed. As a result, when the old man turned over in his sleep, the blanket fell down and caught fire from the stove.
So the old man's skin was burned black, and he's still in the hospital. I heard he's beyond saving; it's a miracle he's alive.
Shen Yanming nodded, feeling a wave of lingering fear. Fortunately, he was careful when using the stove and always put it away in his spatial storage before going to sleep, which was indeed safe.
"But things will be better from now on. The heating has been turned on again. As long as we are careful, there shouldn't be any more fires, right?" Chen Shunwei comforted Shen Yanming when he saw that Shen Yanming's face was pale.
After chatting for a while, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan went home. On the way, Bi Qiaoan asked Shen Yanming, "Don't we need to go see Ji Kangyong? He's alone too. And Zhang Heping, I don't know if he's home lately."
Shen Yanming laughed, "Go ahead, bring them some food when you get back, they're probably together."
The two went home and got a bucket of boiled fish and a bucket of mutton and radish soup, then rang Ji Kangyong's doorbell.
"Hey, I knew you two would come! Come in!" Zhang Heping opened the door, his face beaming with knowing satisfaction.
Shen Yanming walked in with a smile, "Have you all eaten?"
"You've eaten? What, did you bring us food?"
"I brought some, but I don't know if you can still eat it."
"I can eat it all, every extra bite is a bonus!" Zhang Heping took the thermos, opened it, and exclaimed, "Wow, this is a fresh gift for the New Year!"
Zhang Heping took two bowls and poured soup for himself and Ji Kangyong. "Try it today, we can reheat it tomorrow and we won't have to cook. By the way, I'll come eat here tomorrow too!"
"Are you very free?" Ji Kangyong asked after putting the two thermos containers down.
"Stop arguing! The hospital is full of people suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. They're brought in every day, and recently there have been some with parasites. I don't know how they got these diseases. It's disgusting..."
"Illness enters through the mouth!" Bi Qiaoan said.
After being reminded, Zhang Heping remembered what they had been saying about eating meat. "Really? It was from eating meat?"
"It's hard to say, but it's definitely related to food. Maybe the water and food they stored were spoiled, or contaminated with insect eggs?" Shen Yanming added.
Shen Yanming's explanation was more convincing: "Besides, there has been no water for the past few months, and personal hygiene cannot be guaranteed. Who knows when they might get infected with parasite eggs."
Zhang Heping patted his chest. "Luckily, I was well-prepared. Otherwise, imagine how ridiculous it would be for a top-notch doctor like me to be infected with parasites..."
Um... that's a huge face!
Okay, whatever makes you happy!
Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan spent New Year's Eve with Zhang Heping and Ji Kangyong in a warm room, but in a corner of Shanghai, two pitiful grown men huddled together, shivering and crying, making a phone call to someone in Beijing...
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