The impact and joy brought about by the opening of the supply and marketing cooperative continued to unfold in the days that followed.
It became the liveliest place in the shelter, besides the canteen.
After finishing work each day, it became a habit for everyone to visit the supply and marketing cooperative.
Even if you don't buy anything, just going in to look at the dazzling array of goods and smell the mixed fragrances in the air can make you feel happy.
The purchasing power of gold also filled everyone with enthusiasm for their work.
The three gold coins they earned after a hard day's work not only ensured they had enough to eat and wear, but also allowed them to indulge in some "luxury".
You could treat yourself to an ice-cold Coca-Cola when you're tired.
It could also be a weekend break where you get together with a few friends, buy a bottle of rye beer, and chat about anything and everything while enjoying crispy potato chips and grilled meat.
The girls would save up their allowance for a few days to buy a favorite rose-scented soap or a pretty blue hair tie.
These small items, which are readily available on Earth, become a tangible embodiment of happiness here.
Li Luoshen and her friends' new home was also quickly completed amidst this construction boom.
After the flooring was laid, the walls were freshly painted, and the wooden bed, table, and chairs, designed under Li Xiangbin's guidance and exuding the fresh scent of wood, were moved in, Qin Lan informed them that they could officially move in.
On the day of the move, all the new members were so excited that they didn't sleep all night.
Li Luoshen, Chen Jing, and Xiaoya were assigned to a row of small houses. The houses had two floors; the first floor had a small living room and a washroom, and the second floor had two bedrooms.
When Li Luoshen first pushed open the door to her own bedroom, her heart skipped a beat.
The room wasn't big, but it was very cozy.
A sturdy wooden bed was placed against the wall, covered with thick, sun-scented bedding.
There was a small bedside table next to the bed. What surprised her most was that there really was a spacious and bright glass window in the room.
Looking out the window, you can see the central square not far away, and further away, the tall and sturdy walls of the shelter.
She reached out and gently stroked the smooth windowsill, then touched the slightly rough but unusually warm quilt cover.
Tears, once again, streamed down my face uncontrollably.
But this time, it wasn't because of sadness or fear, but because of an indescribable happiness and peace of mind.
From this day forward, this will be her home. A real home that belongs entirely to her, a place where she can let down her guard and let go of all her weariness.
"Sister Luo Shen! Come and see!" Xiao Ya's excited voice came from downstairs.
Li Luoshen wiped away her tears and walked away.
Xiaoya and Chen Jing were standing in the center of the living room, holding a terracotta vase with several small, unidentified red flowers inside. They had found them on the hillside next to the construction site earlier that day and had specially picked them.
"Sister Luoshen, look, isn't it pretty if we put it on the windowsill?" Xiaoya asked, looking up at her with anticipation.
"Beautiful." Li Luoshen smiled from the bottom of her heart. "Very beautiful."
Chen Jing adjusted her glasses, a smile playing on her lips: "I used my salary from today to buy a tablecloth at the supply and marketing cooperative. Look."
She carefully unfolded a light blue cotton and linen tablecloth and laid it on the wooden table in the living room.
With just this simple change, the atmosphere of the entire room instantly became warm and elegant.
With a home, you have roots. With roots, people's hearts find peace.
After experiencing hellish hardships and initial fear, these twenty-one new women finally began to truly integrate into the large family called "Sanctuary".
Their lives have developed a stable and fulfilling rhythm.
At dawn, the bell rang, and they got up to wash up in their own bathroom.
The hot water system in the shelter remains the first miracle they experience every morning when they wake up.
Then, they would go to the central canteen for breakfast.
Breakfast in the cafeteria is simple, usually steaming hot white rice porridge or fragrant toasted rye bread, accompanied by some simple pickled vegetables.
Staple foods remain free and unlimited. For those who have just experienced hunger, this abundance of food is a source of daily energy.
After breakfast, they went to their respective work stations.
The infrastructure of the dormitory area has been completed, and their work has changed.
Under Qin Lan and Li Xiangbin's arrangement, they were assigned to different departments based on their respective strengths and interests.
Those with skillful hands were assigned to the sewing group, responsible for sewing new clothes and bedding for the shelter members.
Those with greater strength joined the transport team, responsible for carrying the ores and timber collected outside the shelter back to the warehouse.
Those as calm and meticulous as Li Luoshen were assigned a new task—to carry out meticulous planting in the newly reclaimed farmland of the shelter.
Lin Feng somehow obtained a batch of brand-new crop seeds that they had never seen before.
There is a plant that looks like a potato but has a higher yield and a softer, more glutinous texture called "snow potato"; there is a plant that is extremely cold-resistant and looks like a cabbage called "frost heart cabbage"; and there is also a vine plant that can produce nuts rich in oil.
Li Luoshen's job, along with several other women, is to take care of these crops that are crucial to the future of the shelter, under Lin Feng's guidance.
The work is demanding, requiring daily contact with soil. But Li Luoshen finds joy in it.
She loves watching the seeds sprout from the soil and grow into tender green seedlings under her care; she loves watching them grow strong in the sun, changing every day.
This feeling of nurturing life gave her an unprecedented sense of peace and fulfillment.
One day, while working in the fields, Xiaoya accidentally cut her calf on a sharp stone. Although the wound was not deep, it bled quite a bit.
This would have been a very troublesome thing in the old camp.
Without medication and clean bandages, even a small wound can become life-threatening due to infection.
Xiaoya herself was so frightened that her face turned pale.
Upon seeing this, Li Luoshen and Chen Jing immediately stopped working. As a doctor, Chen Jing examined Xiaoya's wound right away.
"Don't worry, the wound isn't deep, but it needs to be cleaned and disinfected immediately," Chen Jing said calmly. "Luo Shen, help her to the infirmary."
"good."
Li Luoshen, supporting Xiaoya, hurriedly followed behind Chen Jing, running towards the white building on the other side of the central square.
After Lin Feng learned that Chen Jing was an experienced surgeon, he entrusted her with the entire medical room without any hesitation.
In Lin Feng's words, "Professionals should shine in their professional positions."
Therefore, while the other women were still working hard on the construction site, Chen Jing had already put on the white coat specially made by Lin Feng, which was even higher than the medical standards of Blue Star, and began to organize and familiarize herself with every piece of medical equipment here.
The precision and materials of the scalpels, hemostatic forceps, and microscopes that Lin Feng personally "created" left even this surgeon, who was used to seeing top-notch medical equipment, in awe.
As soon as you enter the medical room, a familiar and reassuring smell of disinfectant hits you.
Xiaoya's originally pale and frightened face calmed down a little in this professional and orderly atmosphere.
"Don't be afraid, sit here." Chen Jing's voice was calm and gentle, with an undeniable professionalism.
She pointed to an examination bed covered with a clean white disinfectant towel.
Li Luoshen helped Xiaoya sit down and watched as Chen Jing skillfully put on medical gloves and opened a medical cabinet filled with various bottles and jars.
Saline solution, iodine, antibiotic ointment... all the medical supplies that are as valuable as gold in the wilderness are neatly stacked here, inexhaustible.
"It might hurt a little bit, just bear with it."
While gently comforting Xiaoya, Chen Jing used tweezers to hold a cotton ball and began to clean the wound on her leg.
Her movements were gentle and precise, and the wound, which was still bleeding, was quickly cleaned up.
Then, she took out some green ointment with a faint herbal fragrance from a small porcelain bottle and applied it evenly to the wound.
A cool sensation instantly relieved the burning pain, and Xiaoya groaned in comfort.
Finally, Chen Jing used sterile gauze and bandages to tie a neat and secure knot. The whole process was smooth and professional, full of aesthetic beauty.
"Alright." Chen Jing took off her gloves and smiled at Xiao Ya, saying, "The wound isn't deep, it's just a superficial injury. The ointment was made by Mr. Lin using special plants from here, and it has a strong anti-inflammatory and healing-promoting effect. Be careful not to get it wet these few days. Come over every day and I'll change the dressing for you. I guarantee you'll be jumping around again in three days, and there won't even be a scar."
"Thank you, Sister Chen Jing..." Xiaoya looked at her properly bandaged calf, her eyes reddening with gratitude.
She subconsciously touched the empty purse at her waist, and asked somewhat embarrassedly in a low voice, "Um... Sister Chen Jing, how many gold coins do you need?"
In her past experience, medicine was a hard currency that was more expensive than food.
Such professional treatment and medication will probably cost her several days' salary.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jing chuckled and flicked her forehead.
"Silly girl, have you forgotten the rules Mr. Lin set?"
She adjusted her glasses, her eyes behind the lenses shining brightly with pride: "In the shelter, medical care is the most basic right of all members. So, whether you are sick or injured, all examinations, treatments, and medications are free."
"All...all free?" Xiaoya and Li Luoshen next to her both widened their eyes in shock.
This news was even more impactful than the first time I drank Coca-Cola or the first time I received a dollar bill.
If food and shelter are the foundation of survival, then free medical care is the most benevolent and warmest safety net in this cruel wasteland.
Li Luoshen looked at her friend, the doctor who had once saved countless lives on the operating table but was powerless to save them in the apocalypse. Now, here, she had rediscovered her dignity and ideals.
She was wearing a white coat and standing in the clean and bright medical room, radiating light.
She knew that Chen Jing had found her place. And all of them had found theirs.
This little incident allowed all the new members to gain a deeper understanding and acceptance of the shelter's system.
Work creates value (money), money is exchanged for necessities (supply and marketing cooperatives), canteens guarantee basic survival, and clinics guarantee basic health.
Every step is meticulously designed. It motivates everyone to work hard and create a better life, while simultaneously upholding everyone's bottom line with the most benevolent system.
Here, as long as you work hard, you can live well and with dignity.
Even if you temporarily lose your ability to work, you can still survive and receive free treatment.
Of course, there is only one premise.
They must completely obey Lin Feng.
This is a reward for loyalty.
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