Back to Ye Yunjuan's side, they had been at the rescue center for over a month and received their first paycheck—10,000 yuan for both of them. The whole family was overjoyed to see the 10,000 yuan in their account. That day, they took their family and neighbors to the canteen for a nice meal, but it was surprisingly expensive—a normal meal cost 1,000 yuan.
While eating, Zhao's parents said, "From now on, let's cook at home to save money."
Zhao Yong and Ye Yunjuan repeatedly agreed. The neighbor and her grandson didn't say much, just kept eating, occasionally showing embarrassed smiles. But they hadn't eaten such a sumptuous meal in so long, and they couldn't resist no matter how embarrassed they were.
Ye Yunyi's family kept reassuring them, "It's alright, it's alright, eat as much as you like."
Aunt Tian, the neighbor, was very envious of Zhao's parents. Both of them were capable and had respectable jobs. Thinking about how she, an elderly woman and a young child, relied entirely on her savings and the help of Zhao's family to make ends meet, she felt sad and shed tears.
After offering some words of comfort, everyone went their separate ways.
For over a month, the vacant rooms in the ambulance were filled with people, and many more who had nowhere to stay had to pitch tents in the open. It's unusual for a small county to have so many people; after hearing the announcement, many from neighboring counties and the city fled here.
The earlier the stage, the easier it is to escape; the later the stage, the less way out there is.
As the number of people increased, maintaining security at the ambulance became increasingly difficult. Zhao Yong returned home later and later each time, always exhausted and sometimes with bruises.
Ye Yunjuan felt very sorry for him, but Zhao Yong would always smile and say, "Don't worry, I'm fine. You know I'm very skilled. No one can hurt me. Those bruises are from bumps, they're nothing serious." He also told Ye Yunjuan not to tell her parents or children.
Ye Yunjuan's school is pretty good. After all, children are the future. Not only does she continue to learn, but the school also provides a meal every day at noon. Although it's not the best, she can at least eat her fill.
So all the children were sent to school. Every morning, Ye Yunjuan would take Zhao Xixi and the neighbor's child, Tian Sicheng, to school together, and then pick them up after school in the afternoon.
The curriculum at the school has also changed significantly since the apocalypse. Before the apocalypse, the children focused mainly on academic performance. Now, in addition to academic courses, the children have more physical education classes, such as boxing and how to escape from zombies. The goal is to maximize the chances of these children surviving the apocalypse and being able to take on the responsibility of rebuilding their homes.
This shows that the person in charge of the base is responsible and visionary. Ye Yunjuan prepares her lessons diligently every day, hoping to teach the children everything she knows.
After their daughters went to work or school, Ye's parents would go downstairs together for a stroll. They originally wanted to find some temporary jobs, but Zhao Yong said that they had earned enough and should leave the opportunities to those who needed them more. So, apart from taking good care of their family and exercising, their lives were not much different from before the apocalypse.
The managers of the ambulance are kind-hearted. Even though the park is clearly overloaded, they are unwilling to give up any person who comes to seek refuge, which is why the number of people here is increasing.
However, with more people, supplies became increasingly scarce. The park management selected strong and able-bodied men from among the newcomers to form a guard team, leaving a small number of soldiers to protect the central area, while the rest were guarded by recruited personnel. The soldiers previously responsible for the entire park were reassigned to search for supplies.
At first, supplies were relatively easy to find. Each time the soldiers returned, they had a full haul, and there were few casualties. Every time supplies were brought back, those who were unemployed, penniless, and unable to survive were also helped, ensuring their survival.
Therefore, every time soldiers leave or return, it is something that everyone cares about the most. When they leave, people silently pray to see them off, and when they return, people line the streets to welcome them.
Each time they received assistance, the soldiers and the leaders of the aid station were praised and lauded. Gradually, the base leaders were placed in high positions and had to carry more and more people on a heavy burden.
Later, the zombie horde continued to grow, and supplies became increasingly scarce, with much of them rotting due to improper storage. Supplies became harder to find, and the soldiers faced numerous dangers when venturing out to search for supplies; each search was a near-death experience.
Gradually, inflation became severe, and even with a salary, it was impossible to buy decent food.
In the park, we also accepted the farmers' suggestions, cleared land for cultivation, and selected specialists to grow crops. However, crops take time to grow. Apart from some vegetables that can grow quickly, other staple foods also need time to grow.
People's food supplies are dwindling, and those who were previously receiving aid are no longer receiving it. As a result, riots frequently occur.
Unlike soldiers, who are disciplined and selfless, non-military guards began to form cliques, accept bribes, and gradually gained their own power.
The park leaders knew about this situation and wanted to bring the troops back for reorganization, but everyone opposed it. If the soldiers didn't go out, there would be no supplies. The few cornfields that were there were now ready to harvest tender corn, but even though many people were watching over them, the corn would still be picked from time to time.
Once there was a first, there was a second. Later, they even came to rob openly. After the soldiers returned with the supplies, they shot and killed the most troublesome person before things calmed down.
Zhao Yong was a member of the guard team, one of the first to arrive, and held considerable prestige within the group. To survive and protect his family, he needed to be strong, but he couldn't bring himself to be so shameless and despicable.
After refusing Xu Qiang's repeated requests to join him in bullying the weak, Zhao Yong became clearly targeted. Xu Qiang and his gang constantly sabotaged him, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Their mockery was one thing, but they even resorted to physical violence. Fortunately, Zhao Yong was genuinely skilled and had several brothers with a conscience, allowing him to narrowly win each confrontation.
The organization became increasingly corrupt, and even the top leader of the ambulance was gradually sidelined.
As the army went out to search for supplies, it suffered more and more casualties, and fewer and fewer people survived. Gradually, it became impossible to suppress this group.
Gradually, the buying and selling became unfair, and the distribution of resources became less transparent. Several lucrative positions in the park, such as the canteen, the crop area, and the hospital, were slowly taken over by Xu Qiang and his gang.
The school was a place they looked down upon. Although they hadn't stopped providing the children with lunch every day, the food was getting less and less, and the quality was getting worse. Teachers like Ye Yunjuan didn't receive much either, but they always saved their own portion to share with the children.
Those without power or influence are even worse off. They are forced to do a lot of work every day and are only given one bite of food to keep them alive. Their fate is like that of a captive.
Most of the people who should have been working in their posts didn't have to do any work because they joined Xu Qiang and others, and they lived a life of luxury in the chaotic world.
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