However, since the apocalypse began, thanks to Lu Yuan's presence, the family has never lacked food, and in fact, they have more than enough. Xiao Shan's parents have already treated Lu Yuan as their son-in-law.
When they arrived at the gate of the steel factory's residential compound, several security guards were patrolling the community catching rats. There was only an old man guarding the gate, who was sweating profusely and fanning himself. He didn't even glance at Lu Yuan and his companion.
The trash cans in front of the gate were already filled with the corpses of various rats.
There is also a small supermarket in the community, but a long queue has formed in front of the supermarket. People wearing thin clothes are queuing up at the door, chatting idly and looking listless.
However, the people in this neighborhood were in much better condition than the people in Zone 3 where Lu Yuan lived, especially since their clothes were very clean and their faces did not have the red marks left by the sun.
While waiting in line out of boredom, several middle-aged women cast envious glances at the fresh vegetables and apples that Lu Yuan and his companion were carrying.
"Fresh vegetables? No shriveled apples? This... is it even possible to buy fresh vegetables and fruits like this now? I haven't seen anything green in ages!"
"Judging from this young man's appearance, he must work at some research institute, otherwise where would he get so much water to grow vegetables!"
"If I had known, I should have insisted a little longer and let my child apply to an agricultural university. My husband insisted that he follow in his footsteps and go to the steel mill. Now look at this young man, dressed so well, and he gets to eat organic vegetables!"
...
Lu Yuan didn't mind the pointing and whispering of passersby, but he regretted not choosing a transparent plastic bag to carry the vegetables when he saw the envious looks from those around him.
Xiao Shan's father, on the other hand, kept his head down as he walked, wishing Lu Yuan would be right in front of him.
Lu Yuan asked why she didn't dare to look up, and Xiao Shan's father replied.
"Sigh! It's full of acquaintances inside. If they see what I'm carrying, who knows what they'll say. Then the factory leaders might give me a hard time. Keep an eye on things! Turn right."
Lu Yuan could only stand in front of Xiao Shan's father and be pushed forward by him.
The two arrived at a three-story villa, and Xiaoshan's father stopped.
"Holy crap! Uncle, could it be that Section Chief Liu lives here?"
"What are you thinking? No, his house is in the building behind! I got sand in my shoe."
Xiao Shan's father said this while taking off his shoes and shaking off the sand, while looking at the nearby villas.
"This is where the factory's directors live, not where we lower-level employees live!"
The two continued walking and finally arrived at a seven-story building.
The seven-story building looks very clean, and its exterior still looks quite new after being washed by the heavy rain a while ago.
What struck Lu Yuan even more astonishing upon entering was that this seven-story building still had an elevator, and what was even more infuriating was that the elevator still had power, whereas in other residential areas, elevators were usually out of service.
After all, it has to bear a huge amount of electricity consumption. In order to save electricity, the city requires all elevators to be shut down. Except for some important units, I didn’t expect that such a community could escape the disaster.
They took the elevator directly to the sixth floor. After exiting the elevator, they saw a seven or eight-year-old boy playing on the ground. A cool breeze was blowing in the corridor, indicating that the central air conditioning was still on.
This made the two people, whose homes were frequently experiencing power outages, quite envious. Although Lu Yuan's family had already installed solar panels and Xiao Shan's family had installed two, they had still paid for their own solar panels.
The little boy was a bit timid; after glancing at the two of them, he tried to run home.
Xiao Shan's father looked at the little boy in the most kind tone he could and asked, "Little friend, is your name Liu Ben?"
The little boy looked up at Xiaoshan's father and said somewhat fearfully, "My name is Liu Ben, and my father's name is Liu Yunze. Are you looking for my father?"
"Yes, I'm your dad's colleague. Is your dad home?"
The little boy nodded, then took out his key, opened the door, and shouted inside.
"Dad, someone is looking for you. He says he's your colleague."
Then footsteps were heard from inside the room, and a middle-aged man with a receding hairline came out.
"Oh, it's Xiao Wei! You're here so early, come in quickly!"
The person who arrived was Section Chief Liu, dressed in very simple clothes, but he had the air of a leader.
"Section Chief Liu, I'm so sorry to have disturbed your rest over the weekend!"
"No, no, I was just making tea. Come, come in and sit down. And who is this young man?"
The other person pointed at Lu Yuan with his chin, and Xiao Shan's father quickly said, "Oh, Section Chief Liu, let me introduce you. This is my son-in-law, and the person who came to see you this time. His name is Lu Yuan."
The other person stared at Lu Yuan for a while, then said with a smile, "Hmm, you look quite energetic, young man. Your family must be doing well. Where do you work?"
Lu Yuan gave an awkward smile, but inwardly he was silently complaining.
These are questions you shouldn't be asking, right? Why are you acting like an elder in the family?
However, Lu Yuan still smiled and said, "Hello, Section Chief Liu, my name is Lu Yuan. My family used to run a seafood business, but it's temporarily closed now."
Lu Yuan's fortune truly started with seafood. Without various lobsters and king crabs, he wouldn't have his current villa. He might have had to return to his hometown because he couldn't afford the rent and live a difficult life with his parents in a cramped old house in the countryside.
"Oh, seafood? Seafood business might not be doing too well right now!"
"Yes, that's right. There's no water left, so there's no seafood. We've already come back. Here are some vegetables and fruits that I grew at home. Please try them!"
The other person's eyes lit up when they saw the green fruits and vegetables in Lu Yuan's hand.
"Oh dear, look at you all, coming here and bringing all this stuff! This is making things difficult for me! Come on in!"
Despite saying that, the other party quickly accepted the fruits and vegetables and led the two into their home.
The two were then led into the house. Lu Yuan gave a wry smile. If he hadn't brought anything with him, they probably would have had to discuss things at the door.
Indeed, in this era, you still need to rely on material possessions to maintain appearances; otherwise, you can't even get into your own home.
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