Zhao Yong and her family were lucky; there was a kettle left there. They used it to boil water, soaked two packets of instant noodles, and shared them among themselves.
After finishing their meal, Ye Yunjuan and Zhao Yong took Zhao Xixi to the restaurant on the first floor. The restaurant was open for business, similar to a university cafeteria. There were rows of window frames, with fragrant food displayed inside.
Zhao Yong led Ye Yunjuan and Zhao Xixi to the food counter. The food was decent; there was meat, vegetables, white rice, steamed buns, dumplings, and even soup. He then looked at the prices on the sign: meat dishes were 50 yuan per serving, vegetable dishes were 30 yuan per serving, dumplings were 40 yuan per serving, steamed buns were 10 yuan each, rice was 10 yuan per serving, and soup was 5 yuan a bowl. Very expensive indeed.
But thinking about the apocalypse, food was scarce, and they hadn't eaten such meals for a long time since the water, electricity, and gas had been cut off.
Seeing such food, even the very sensible Zhao Xixi couldn't help but swallow hard and whispered, "Mom, I want to eat."
"Let's eat here tomorrow." Ye Yunjuan thought about their savings. They could afford to eat one meal tomorrow, and then he and Zhao Yong would both find jobs. Their family's life would eventually get better.
After leaving the restaurant, they strolled around the park. The central area of the park was reserved for leaders, and it was guarded by special personnel. They were not allowed to even get close; they could only watch from a distance.
The second perimeter was the work area, which also included accommodations, presumably where the staff lived. It was guarded, and entry and exit required swiping cards. They asked the guards what kind of work was done there, but they were ignored. Looking around, they saw people with similar demeanors to the civil servants they had seen before, as well as some IT professionals. They roughly guessed that these were probably jobs maintaining the park's operation. In the second circle, there was a converted hospital and a school under construction. Seeing the school, Ye Yunjuan's eyes lit up; as a teacher, perhaps she could find work there.
The third enclosure is where they live. There's a large circle of these buildings, about ten or more. Judging from the lights, each building has a few people living there. It's estimated that as more people arrive, they'll all be full.
After their inspection, Zhao Yong and his team returned to their building. In the lobby on the first floor, they bought rice, flour, oil, salt, instant noodles, biscuits, bottled water, and rice water dispensers, spending over 1,000 yuan. Looking at the small pile of items in their hands and thinking about the money they had spent, they still felt a pang of regret.
Back at his lodgings, Zhao Yong told his parents about the situation, then locked the door, blocked it with a table, and checked all the windows in the room to make sure they were locked before going to sleep.
Blocking doors and checking windows were habits they developed when they were in the neighborhood, and they still maintain these habits now that they are in a safe place.
That night was the best sleep they'd had. The next morning, Ye Yunjuan and Zhao Yong went to find jobs from Boss Ding. Luckily, Zhao Yong, who knew archery, joined the patrol team, mainly responsible for security in the park. It was relatively safe since he didn't have to go out much, and he earned 5,000 yuan a month. Ye Yunjuan also helped with the school's preparations. Once the school was built, she could become a teacher; it wouldn't be a core subject, and she would earn 5,000 yuan a month.
Although prices are relatively high, they can receive 10,000 yuan a month, which is more than enough for them since they don't have mortgages, car maintenance, or other expenses, and they don't feel so anxious anymore.
At noon, I took the whole family to the restaurant on the first floor for lunch, and their hearts weren't so heavy anymore. The five of them ordered two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and five bowls of rice. They enjoyed a delicious meal.
Seeing Zhao Xixi's satisfied expression and the smiles on her parents' faces, Zhao Yong and Ye Yunjuan felt a sense of happiness.
In the days that followed, Zhao Yong and Ye Yunjuan worked as usual. Since there was electricity, they also charged their electronic devices. Zhao Xixi studied on her own, and Zhao's parents were busy with housework every day. It seemed that everything had returned to normal.
More and more people arrived at the ambulance, and the building where they stayed became increasingly crowded, almost full. As the number of people increased, the peaceful days they had known gradually disappeared.
With so many people, it becomes noisy and difficult to manage. Also, because the supplies here are relatively high, many people don't have that much money or any special skills. There are also some elderly, weak, women, and children who have finally made it here, and the men in their families have all died while protecting them.
During his patrol, Zhao Yong spotted a family. After much difficulty, they arrived at the entrance of the aid station. The man had brought his wife, children, and parents to the station, but then his illness flared up after being bitten by a zombie. He looked at his family with reluctance as he fought the virus within him, his eyes turning ashen and tears streaming down his face. He ran away into the distance, yet also felt a bloodthirsty urge to rush forward.
However, even the strongest love could not resist the invasion of the virus. He eventually turned into a zombie and ran over in a ferocious manner. His family members looked at him like this, tears streaming down their faces, stunned and unable to react.
Fortunately, the guard at the door acted quickly, shooting him in the head. The man fell about two meters away from his family. The child cried and called for his father.
Seeing this scene, Zhao Yong felt uneasy. Most families nowadays are like this: a husband and wife, two parents, and one child.
With the man gone, how will the family survive if the woman is left alone? His family is in the same situation; he must protect his family and himself. He can't let Ye Yunjuan be left alone to care for the children and her parents.
With the addition of elderly people and children, in order to prevent riots, the government provides free porridge once a day to the elderly and children in the family who are unable to work, but they can only barely keep alive.
Some families had some money, but not much, and dared not spend it recklessly. They could only afford to buy one steamed bun a day and barely survive on that one bun and the hot water in the dormitory.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhao still retained their kindness and simplicity from before the apocalypse. They quickly became familiar with their neighbors, an elderly couple with a grandson. The child's parents had been infected on their way here, but they were lucky enough to run into a rescue team and were brought back.
They had some savings, but the elderly couple were too old to find work and were running out of money. Mr. and Mrs. Zhao always gave them some food, thinking they could help as much as they could.
When Zhao Yong and Ye Yunjuan found out, they didn't say anything. After all, the other family was truly pitiful, letting the elderly woman and child eat only one steamed bun a day, or even go hungry all day. They couldn't bear it. Especially since the elderly woman often didn't eat herself to keep the child from going hungry; what would happen to the child if the teacher couldn't endure it? Their family was also grateful; they weren't greedy people. They often helped Zhao's parents, though they could hardly offer any real assistance. If they were truly greedy, they couldn't help at all; in this world, their power was very limited.
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