Chapter 53, Chapter 9: Female Supporting Character in an Apocalyptic Novel
In the end, he could only attribute the thriving growth of the moss in his home to this vine that had become a spirit.
After that, he became even stricter in his supervision and requirements of the vines.
Not only their homes, but the changes outside are also significant.
The oxygen concentrator was repaired, and the oxygen purity kept increasing, but neither Yu Wanwan nor Xu Qingzhou ever thought of raising the price.
As an abandoned area, people in Zone E don't even have a travel permit, let alone a job.
Their income is pitifully low, and some people have never even seen what a gold coin looks like in their entire lives.
When the original owner of the scumbag boyfriend was still alive, she never thought of making money off them; she only asked them to barter for goods.
Even after Xu Qingzhou took over, he didn't change this situation. Occasionally, when he encountered someone who couldn't afford supplies and was on the verge of starvation, he would secretly give them some encouragement.
After those who bought gas in Zone D discovered that the purity of the oxygen had significantly improved, yet the price hadn't increased, word spread quickly, and more and more people came knocking on the door.
Although the machine has been repaired and a batch of parts have been replaced, it is still an old machine that was once phased out but has persisted for so many years.
It could no longer sustain such booming business, so Xu Qingzhou had to adjust his strategy and start limiting the quantity each day.
The main reason why those in power could turn a blind eye and let him continue his oxygen-selling business was that his machines were outdated and posed no threat to them.
But now, more and more people are coming to him to buy oxygen, which has already touched the interests of some people, and of course they can't just stand by and watch him get up.
A conspiracy targeting Xu Qingzhou is quietly brewing.
The conspiracy unfolded swiftly.
That day, Xu Qingzhou went to the black market to buy spare parts, and Yu Wanwan was persuaded by him to come out and watch the shop for him.
Business has been booming ever since the oxygen concentrator was repaired, and today is no exception.
There was only Yu Wanwan and one machine at the oxygen station, so the oxygen supply was not very fast.
No matter how much you repair it, you can't change the fact that this machine is old. Its oxygen production speed is very, very slow, and it can't compare to those on the market at all.
Fortunately, the others didn't mind the long wait. There was a long queue outside the oxygen station, all of them people from Zone E who were dressed in rags.
Some of them carried water, some carried food, and others carried clothing and other supplies, all of which they intended to exchange for oxygen.
But it was different from how Yu Wanwan first met them.
At that time, their faces were numb and empty; they couldn't even muster despair.
Now, looking at this long queue, a tiny glimmer of light appeared in everyone's eyes.
Because they knew that the oxygen generator had been repaired, and as long as they worked hard enough and collected enough supplies, they could exchange them for the oxygen that would allow them to survive.
Unlike before, where exhausting oneself to obtain oxygen only delayed death at the cost of ruined health.
A repaired old machine gave them a glimpse of the future.
After filling a bottle with oxygen, Yu Wanwan handed it to the waiting person. Amidst his profuse thanks, she smiled, shook her head, and looked behind her.
"Next!"
One person left, and another person walked in, hunched over.
The oxygen tank she was wearing was very old; the paint had almost completely peeled off, and there was some kind of tape stuck to it.
But this person cherished it very much, and carefully took the oxygen tank off and placed it on the ground.
Because of the presence of oxygen generators, there are occasional gas leaks. In the oxygen station, people can briefly leave the oxygen tanks and breathe on their own.
The woman was thin and short, with dry, yellow hair. With trembling hands, she carefully took a mineral water bottle from the cloth bag hanging on her chest, touched it carefully several times, swallowed hard, and reluctantly handed it over.
"I only have this bottle of water. Can I exchange it for oxygen?"
Her voice was very soft and weak, and her cloudy eyes were full of anxiety.
"Can."
Yu Wanwan's smile remained unchanged as she took the water and placed it in the supply box on the counter, then took the tattered oxygen tank and went inside.
"Please sit down and wait for a while."
The woman breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't dare to sit down.
The stool was too clean, while she was too dirty.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Yu Wanwan finally came out.
She glanced at the woman who had been standing there, but didn't say anything. She went over and handed her the oxygen tank.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Like the others before her, the woman was extremely grateful to Yu Wanwan.
Yu Wanwan simply smiled, patiently listened to the woman's gratitude, and then gently saw her off.
Just then, the long queue suddenly stirred. Yu Wanwan's smile faltered slightly, and she looked up.
Several burly men pushed aside the people in line, and the already emaciated crowd was forced to lie sprawled on the ground.
Several people were unable to dodge in time, and their oxygen tanks hit the ground first, cracking open. Ignoring the pain, they hurriedly tried to plug the crack with their hands.
But no screams were heard, only occasional muffled groans from the crowd.
The scarcity of oxygen prevented them from even shouting, and they had long been accustomed to enduring it all.
Faced with this scene, the burly men laughed and joked, their exposed eyes filled with mockery and disdain.
The woman next to her was terrified, clutching the oxygen tank tightly, her whole body trembling.
"Miss Lin... what... what should we do?"
Yu Wanwan narrowed her eyes and patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"It's alright, you can go out now, they won't make things difficult for you."
The woman glanced at Yu Wanwan, then at the several fierce-looking burly men, and finally gritted her teeth, grabbed the oxygen tank, and ran out the door.
The burly man didn't stop her, pretending not to see her.
Those bastards in Zone E aren't even worth their attention.
The leader was a man with a scarred face; a deep scar ran from his chin down to below his eye, and even his breathing mask couldn't cover it.
He stood at the doorway, the iron bar hitting the ground with a dull metallic clang.
"Hey! When did you change owners?"
Scarface looked Yu Wanwan up and down with his eyes.
"That Xu Qingzhou is quite the ladies' man!"
The people behind her immediately burst into laughter, and some even whistled, lewdly staring at her.
Yu Wanwan's smile deepened, and she nodded seriously.
"I think so too."
To be able to meet her is truly a blessing, isn't it?
【Wanwan, they're talking about romantic bliss, not happiness!】
Why are you selectively listening to certain words?
Yu Wanwan snorted, turned her head away, and ignored Dao Guo.
Scarface was stunned for a moment, not expecting her to react this way, and his gaze towards her became somewhat strange.
No matter how you look at her, she's just a delicate and frail woman, at most prettier than the young ladies he'd seen in Block B. Other than that, there's nothing special about her.
He suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and grinned.
"This young lady is quite energetic! I like her!"
The iron rod was lifted up and slowly struck her palm, one strike at a time. Scarface lifted his eyelids and looked at her with a half-smile.
"Do you know whose territory this is?"
Yu Wanwan nodded slightly.
She raised her pale hand, pointed to herself, and her eyes curved slightly, revealing a faint ripple.
"mine."
Scarface's expression hardened, and he suddenly slammed his stick down on the counter.
"You fucking want to die!"
The counter was made of wood and was also dilapidated. After being hit by the iron bar, it could no longer support itself. The cracks on the counter surface widened, and with a crack, it split in two.
The things placed on it clattered and fell all over the floor.
Scarface sneered and raised his hand.
"Smash it for me!"
Alright!
The men behind them grinned maliciously and started smashing things without saying a word.
A series of clanging and banging sounds echoed in the store as old shelves were overturned, and oxygen cylinders scattered all over the floor.
A large amount of stored oxygen leaked out.
There was another person who swaggered inside; that was where the oxygen concentrators were located.
Since the oxygen concentrator was repaired, Xu Qingzhou moved it inside and forbade anyone else from entering or leaving.
Anyone who has come here for oxygen supplementation knows this and understands his practice; there's no objection.
This oxygen concentrator is the foundation of Xu Qingzhou's current income, and also the lifeblood of the entire E district!
They will absolutely not allow anyone to damage this machine!
"stop!"
"I'll fight you devils to the death!"
The people who were just moments ago trembling and cowering to the side, oblivious and preoccupied only with protecting their oxygen tanks, are now staggering and rushing into the store.
They were thin and short; one of them was no match for the strong man.
But there were too many of them. If one person couldn't hold on, three, four, or even five of them would block one of the strong men, using their hunched bodies to hold onto him tightly.
"You filthy trash! Don't touch me with your dirty hands! Let go!"
The iron bars pounded against their bodies with dull thuds, making them tremble in pain, but no one flinched.
"Oh shit!"
After driving away a few, more would come, making it difficult for the burly man to move. This annoyed him so much that he swung his iron rod even harder.
On their heads.
Yu Wanwan never expected this group of people to suddenly rush in, and was squeezed against the wall by the crowd.
As she gazed at the bustling scene in the shop, her demeanor softened, and her smile deepened.
Just as the iron rod was about to strike the man's head, Scarface suddenly stopped.
He turned his head and looked at the woman who had appeared beside him at some point.
She still had that same smiling face, as if that expression hadn't changed since they appeared.
At this moment, she held a silver pistol in her hand, the cold muzzle pressed against the scarred man's temple.
"Don't move!"
His tone was light and cheerful, without a trace of murderous intent; in fact, it could be described as gentle.
The scarred man, along with the other burly men, froze, no longer daring to make any rash moves.
The scarred man, as the leader, remained relatively calm, but after a pause, he suddenly grinned.
"Little girl, you think you can scare me with this? When I was fighting in the black market, you were probably playing in the mud somewhere! Do you even know how to use this thing?"
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