After two days of gathering supplies, the warehouse was full. Except for the fact that there was still no meat, everyone's life had changed a lot. Porridge had been replaced with mixed grain rice. Because of the abundance of seasonings, the dishes were also much more flavorful. In addition, steamed buns, mantou, and pancakes were also added, giving everyone more choices.
While harvesting fruits and vegetables outside, they also transplanted some fruit trees, such as grapes and raisins, and carefully brought back some seedlings to plant in the designated plot of land.
Ye's father transplanted all the seedlings that could be transplanted from his own land. He also transplanted some vegetables that the family had previously grown. Ye's father and his family also led everyone to help cultivate seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables.
During this time, they also found an agricultural researcher, a man in his fifties named An Yongkang, who looked just like a farmer. If it weren't for his professional advice during Ye's father's seedling cultivation and planting, no one would have noticed him at all.
Looking at the homeowner information, Ye Yunyi smiled helplessly. This Gao Zhibing only knew who was rich and who wasn't; he knew nothing about these skills.
From then on, An Yongkang took over the core responsibility for crop cultivation and technical guidance, while Ye's father and Zhao's father were only responsible for overall management. That evening, Ye's father and Zhao's father broke their usual routine and drank a little wine, feeling happy. They felt that the heavy burden on their shoulders could finally be lightened a bit.
The villa area is well-planned. The area near the river has been converted into paddy fields, which they planned to plant rice next year. Since that's not feasible now, they've planted lotus and fish in some areas and rapeseed in others. The small bridges and streams that were previously used for ornamental purposes have been preserved and can be used to irrigate the crops.
The fruit trees in the community have been preserved, but the land beneath them has also been used to plant easy-to-grow crops such as chives and scallions. Most of the land has been reclaimed. An Yongkang said that winter wheat and soybeans can be planted there, as these are staple foods and should be planted in large quantities. Vegetables are easy to grow, and even a few small plots or the edges of fields can be used.
They even set aside a special place to fertilize the land, and soon the fields and ridges were all lush and green. Even without going out to find food, everyone was able to be self-sufficient.
In addition to the public crops, everyone can also plant in their own yards. If you need any seedlings, just ask Teacher An for permission, and then Dad Ye or Dad Zhao will approve it.
After the food issue was resolved, the villa area stopped providing three meals a day. Instead, each family was allocated some supplies, and then they used their monthly salary based on their position to purchase or exchange for corresponding materials. This approach actually increased everyone's enthusiasm compared to before.
Wang Zixiang is really good at this. The rules he formulated are detailed, comprehensive, fair and just. It is often said that you can't control people, but you can control people with a system. It works every time.
Ye Yunjuan and Xu Qianqian transformed an abandoned villa area into a school, naming it Chaoyang (Sunrise), symbolizing a bright and promising future for the children, like the rising sun. The 18 children were divided into four kindergarten classes, ten primary school classes, and four junior high school classes based on age. One of the elderly residents, Shen Jianguo, a retired university professor, took on the responsibility of supporting the four junior high school students. Ye Yunjuan and Xu Qianqian were responsible for the kindergarten and primary school classes.
After that, the sound of children reading aloud filled the neighborhood. The children, who had been confined at home, had found companions and, after starting to study, returned to their original energetic state. Wang Xuanxuan and Zhao Xixi also resumed their studies, going to and from school every day, doing homework, and doing housework, keeping themselves very busy.
Regarding the two patrol teams, after the last battle, the guards finally realized their own shortcomings and actively trained under the guidance of Zhao Yong and Xiao Deng. Every day, besides their scheduled patrol duties to protect the villa area, they trained on the training ground.
While everyone was working in the fields, they watched them train and felt incredibly safe.
Later, the guard team also underwent some changes. After unified training, each team had some strong members and some weak members. Some were gradually eliminated, and a group of elite members were introduced.
Zhao Yong remembered that he wanted to build a loyal and brave team, so he selected 10 more people from the team. One team was managed by Xiao Qin and another by Xiao Deng. The guard team became three teams, and the training and responsibilities were also different.
After a period of training and assessment, Zhao Yong's personal guard was equipped with pistols, except for Xiao Deng and Xiao Qin.
Significant progress has been made in the construction of public facilities. Since the spring water cannot be used for daily needs, it is only used for food and drink. Each household can receive a bucket of water every day.
The solar power generators that Ye Yunyi and her group brought back were used in the school, the warehouse, the canteen, and they even took over a villa, which was converted into a bathhouse with river water and filtration equipment, so that people who had worked hard all day could take a nice hot shower. All of these were free.
The remaining solar power generators haven't been allocated yet; they can be exchanged for them later with wages. That's human nature—we can accept that no one has them, and we can allow public spaces to have them, but we absolutely cannot accept that everyone has them while we don't. It's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality.
Although it doesn't provide meals for everyone, the canteen remains open, primarily serving the security team, teachers, and researchers—those in key positions who protect the villa area, risk their lives to scavenge for supplies, teach and educate, conduct seed preservation research, manage statistics, and maintain the operation and development of the villa area.
But they also need meal tickets to eat, which are deducted from their wages. Ye Yunyi and the others usually don't eat out, but after Aunt Zhao came, she and Aunt Ye always tried to prepare delicious meals in different ways.
After everyone had eaten their fill, their faces gradually became rounder, and they felt more energetic. With no zombies lurking in the park, everyone would sit on the benches and chat for a while after finishing their work, just like before.
Before, everyone lived in their own houses and didn't know each other. Now, through working together, they have become familiar with each other, especially those whose family members are in the guard team, who are particularly proud.
There are so many topics to talk about: how the child had a day at school, what the outside world is like, how the crops are growing, and which boy and girl are interested in each other.
After school, the children would wander around, reciting their lessons, running along the country paths, their laughter echoing through the air. Dou Dou was also very happy; he often ran and played in the fields with Wang Xuanxuan and Zhao Xixi.
Ye Yunyi's pheasants began laying eggs and hatched their first brood of 18 chicks. Ye Yunyi donated this brood to the collective, where they were cared for by designated people. Everyone treated the chicks like precious treasures, caring for them even more than their own children. Ye Yunyi also hoped her rabbits would grow up quickly and have more offspring, believing everything would be alright.
Looking at all this, Ye Yunyi felt as if she had returned to her childhood, a time when everything was just like this, carefree and without worries. She thought of the description in "The Peach Blossom Spring": "The sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard from one another, the paths were interconnected, and the elderly and children alike lived happily in harmony."
Even though she is still busy dealing with various problems every day, she is happy to do so.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com