Chapter 33
"Hey! Zhang Ming! It's you." Tong Shu smiled when she saw the person Zhu Cheng brought in.
"Xiao Tong, we meet again." Zhang Ming scratched his head sheepishly. "Your family has taken good care of us from the very beginning. I heard from Director Zhu that your family is hiring. I graduated from an engineering university, so I thought I could finally help out in some way."
"You're an engineering student? That's great." Tong Shu looked Zhang Ming up and down and nodded. She had always had a good impression of Zhang Ming. Although he and his girlfriend weren't locals and she didn't know them as well as the other residents in the same neighborhood, judging from their past actions, they were very upright people. Tong Shu felt quite at ease having him work for her family.
Another worker hunched over behind Zhu Cheng. Tong Shu peeked over and saw a man who looked to be about fifty years old. He was thin, but his eyes were clear and honest. He seemed rather introverted and stood there looking quite awkward.
"This is Master Zhuang, we all call him Old Zhuang." Zhu Cheng pulled the man over from behind and introduced him to Tong Shu, "Don't let Old Zhuang's quiet demeanor fool you, he's very meticulous in his work. He's helped us with a lot of water and electricity repairs in our community before."
Tong Shu nodded; she trusted the person Zhu Cheng had introduced.
The temperature inside the unfinished room was a bit low, and Tong Shu's throat felt slightly dry. She cleared her throat and said to Zhang Ming and Lao Zhuangtou, "Director Zhu should have told you, right? We plan to use this site to produce cotton products such as quilts and cotton-padded jackets. I'm currently doing preliminary preparations. Right now, the most urgent thing is to get the machines made, like these on the floor." Tong Shu pointed to the two piles of parts that were laid out separately.
“They’re not big machines, so they should be assembled in a few days. No one in my family knows how to do it except my dad, but he’s busy right now and has to look for new parts. That’s why I asked Director Zhu to find you two. I just want to get the machines made as soon as possible so that our community can have thick blankets and clothes.”
Old Zhuangtou's eyes reddened upon hearing this. He quickly rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, walked over to the parts of the embossing machine, picked up the blueprints hidden under a pile of nuts, and began to examine them carefully.
"Old Zhuangtou's mother was over ninety years old, and she passed away that night." Zhu Cheng leaned closer to Tong Shu and whispered, "He and his mother depended on each other for survival. That night, he covered his mother with all the blankets, but the old woman was already in poor health... Sigh... He still feels that he didn't dress his mother warmly enough."
Tong Shu watched the old man's retreating figure and sighed softly in her heart.
"Zhang Ming, Uncle Zhuang, thank you for your hard work these past few days. If you work for us, we'll provide three meals a day, and you'll be paid 300 yuan a day. You can take cash or pick up supplies of equal value from my shop," Tong Shu said.
Zhang Ming's eyes lit up immediately. Although he mainly came here to help the Tong family, he couldn't help but swallow hard when he thought about the dazzling array of goods on the shelves of Tong Shu's small shop. He had seen instant noodles when he went to exchange oranges last time, but unfortunately, they had stopped being produced after the natural disaster and were extremely expensive everywhere. He had been craving them for a long time!
"Wow! Such great conditions!" Zhu Cheng gasped. "If you had told me earlier, I would have quit my job as the community director and come work for you." He made a casual joke.
"Haha, you can come and work the night shift as a part-time job," Tong Shu replied with a smile.
"Forget it, I'm not getting any rest anyway, I'll just stick to my government salary." Community workers like Zhu Cheng and other public servants who are still on duty receive regular weekly supplies from the government, including food, clothing, and daily necessities. The benefits are quite good, so even with the successive natural disasters, many are still willing to stay at their posts.
Zhang Ming and Lao Zhuangtou were both reliable people. While Tong Shu and Zhu Cheng were talking, they had already picked up their tools and started assembling the machine according to the blueprints. Seeing that there was nowhere for them to use their skills, Tong Shu and Lao Zhuangtou left the room and closed the door behind them to prevent the cold wind from blowing in and affecting the two of them's work.
"Director Zhu, how about we have lunch here? I'll bring you an extra portion when I deliver their meals," Tong Shu said to Zhu Cheng from outside the door.
"No, no, I still have a lot of things to do. You guys go ahead with your work. I have some dry rations with me." Zhu Cheng patted his shirt pocket, revealing a square piece of compressed biscuit.
Kowloon Harbour Community is not just the one where Tong Shu and her family live. All the residential areas and houses within a few kilometers of it are located in Kowloon Harbour. After finishing his work here, Zhu Cheng still needs to go out and take a look around, so he really doesn't have time to stay any longer.
Tong Shu knew he was busy, so she didn't stand on ceremony with him. After saying goodbye, they went about their own business.
When Tong Shu returned home, Shu Hua was making lunch.
"Mmm—it smells so good!" Tong Shu sniffed and followed the aroma to the kitchen: "Mom, what are you making?"
All the heating equipment in the house was working hard. Fearing that too many electrical appliances would damage the generator, Shu Hua did not use the induction cooker. Instead, she bought a canister of gas from the island. At this moment, a pot of mutton was simmering in the iron pot on the stove. The fragrant aroma wafted out from the crack in the lid, making Tong Shu unable to resist reaching out to lift the lid.
"Go away! It's not ready yet." Tong Shu's hand was slapped by Shu Hua. "I made some braised mutton today. It's cold, and eating mutton will warm you up."
Tong Shu chuckled and rubbed the back of her hands together, then pointed to the hissing pressure cooker beside her: "What's in here?"
"Chicken stew with mushrooms. Stewing in a clay pot wastes time and gas; a pressure cooker is faster," Shu Hua said.
Tong Shu swallowed hard and asked, "Where did these chicks come from?"
"Why don't you ask where the mutton came from?" Shu Hua rolled her eyes at her: "It's all frozen from the supermarket. It can be eaten after being thawed by the store."
"Oh, oh!" Tong Shu scratched his head: "What a pity, there's no fresh meat to eat."
Shu Hua glanced at her speechlessly, her eyes seeming to say, "Don't you want to know what time it is?", then turned around, picked up a spatula to reduce the sauce on the mutton, and ignored Tong Shu.
Tong Shu realized she had said something foolish, and walked out with a smile. It was freezing cold outside, but she could still eat her mother's cooking at home and bicker with her mother. Tong Shu felt very happy.
"Oh right, Mom! Take out two extra portions of food and put them in a thermos. I'll deliver them to Building 3 later!" Shu Hua had turned on the range hood, which was making a lot of noise, so Tong Shu had to speak loudly.
“Oh! The worker has been found, right! I know!” Shu Hua responded loudly.
Tong Shu took some time to go back to the island. She first went to the service center, where she had barely filled one of the animals' faith point progress bars. She sighed deeply and walked heavily toward Nini's house.
"Island Master, good afternoon." The little fox was sitting on the carpet with its back to the bookshelf, reading a book. When it saw Tong Shu come in, it put down the brick-like book in its hand and came over to greet Tong Shu.
The little fox was wearing a large, puffy skirt, which, combined with its fluffy face, made it look incredibly cute.
The pattern looks familiar, though; I think I've seen it at Wang Jie's place before.
Seeing Tong Shu staring at her dress, Nini happily twitched her ears: "This dress was made for Nini by the seamstress, and Nini loves it so much!"
Now, the Tong family members are used to seeing the little fox that often wanders around the island. The women in the family like it very much and sometimes they will talk to it while they are working. This dress was made by Shuli for Nini in her spare time. Shuli used the leftover scraps to make gloves and a hat for her son.
Tong Shu ruffled Nini's fluffy head twice and stuffed a handful of raisins into her hands: "Has the crystal ball made any new prophecies lately?"
Nini's cheeks were stuffed full of raisins. She glanced at the snow-covered crystal ball and shook her head: "Hmm...no, Nini looks at it every day and will tell you if there are any changes!"
Tong Shu and Nini thanked it, poked its bulging cheeks, and left the cabin before it threw a small tantrum.
It looks like this cold snap will last for a while. Tong Shu was a little worried.
It's not a good idea for the whole family to stay at home all the time. We need to adapt to the temperature as soon as possible. Only by going out can we find more ways to complete our tasks sooner.
When they gathered for lunch, Tong Shu shared her thoughts with everyone, and they all agreed.
“If people stay in a safe environment all the time, their ability to cope with risks will decrease. They should go out and explore more,” Tong Songming said.
Qin Xiaoxiao, the most restless person, wholeheartedly agreed: "I want to go out and sell quilts and clothes! Just like selling vegetables!"
"Alright, put down your chopsticks and eat properly! You stay outside for an hour first, and don't say anything more until you've already gone back inside." Shuya slapped Qin Xiaoxiao on the waist, pressing the excited Qin Xiaoxiao back into her seat.
Qin Xiaoxiao stuck out her tongue and went to slurp her soup.
"Grandpa and Grandma should just stay at home and visit the island," Tong Shu thought of her over ninety-year-old mother in the old village and decided not to let the elderly take the risk.
Grandpa and Grandma Tong knew what was important and nodded. The best help they could give their children and grandchildren right now was to stay safe and sound and not hold them back.
"My parents help my second brother-in-law with the vegetable garden, and they pickle some vegetables and fruits outside, so they won't be bored," Shu Hua said with a smile. "Our family are all capable people, and everyone can be put to good use."
...
The family had a pleasant lunch together, and then went back to their own business.
Tong Shu picked up two insulated containers and went to deliver food to Building 3.
Because the apartment building where Tong's family lived was some distance from Building 3, they could only walk on the ice below. Before going out, she followed Wen Shaocheng's example and wrapped her feet in plastic bags. This way, she didn't feel the wind and cold when walking on the ice.
I heard from Director Zhu that Wen Shaocheng led a small team to the west of the city. I wonder what the situation is like there.
Tong Shu squinted at the west; the not-so-strong sunlight reflected off the ice, stinging her eyes.
I hope he's safe.
Tong Shu put on her goggles and thought to herself.
[Author's Note]
The Faith Points quest is a recurring element throughout the story; once you complete it, our article will be pretty much finished.
The game system that the female lead comes with—I don't know if you can tell, but it's based on a real-life game, and I didn't even change the basic settings too much.
Also, our major actually has a little secret too [starry-eyed]
Finally, thank you to everyone who has been reading. This is my first novel, and regardless of its quality, I want to finish it first and then revise it gradually. I welcome every reader to leave comments pointing out problems; I will record them and work together to improve it. Please feel free to comment; if any explanation is necessary, I will post it in the author's notes (which will appear a few days later with the backlog of drafts, to give everyone a clean and free reading space).
Lastly, thank you for the nutrient solution, thank you for adding this to your favorites, and thank you for finding this! [Sprinkling flowers]
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