Since Shen Jie and Tang Wei found jobs, they stopped eating at home and didn't cook during work hours. The others were initially surprised, but the news quickly spread throughout both courtyards, and everyone started going out during the day to look for work.
No matter how hard I look for a job each day, the lottery will still come as scheduled.
As Shen Jie watched the hallway in the room becoming increasingly difficult to pass through head-on, and she could only squeeze through sideways, she sighed silently. She was already so thin, and she still had to squeeze through sideways; what would happen if she had to squeeze through even more?
Until this day, new people arrived. These last contestants were far from being able to live in the house, whether in terms of physique or weight.
Shen Jie and Tang Wei squatted in the courtyard, watching everyone bickering and discussing where to stay, and silently complained, "The passageway is gone too, what else can we do?"
Before the final contestants even moved in, one room in their large courtyard was already overflowing with extra people. At first, these people were trying to figure out a solution, but then, out of nowhere, they started blaming each other for who had more space and who was taking up less. Later, they even called in staff members to try and get them to settle things fairly.
As a result, the staff directly asked if there was no room left in the room. These people thought the staff could help, but in the end, everyone in the room was eliminated.
It can be said that this taught the other contestants in the courtyard a lesson. They stopped going to the staff and only thought about how to solve the problem internally and how to squeeze so many people into the room.
Shen Jie and Tang Wei heard that someone in the neighboring courtyard was even sleeping outside at night, having somehow gotten hold of wooden planks without asking the production team for permission. It was practically free, but they did it secretly, taking them down before dawn and only bringing them out at night after everyone else had gone to bed.
They overheard some gossip while doing laundry, saying they discovered it when they went to the toilet that night. This caused quite a commotion in the yard; they wouldn't allow anyone to occupy the public area, or they'd report it to the program crew.
Shen Jie and the others were arguing fiercely, trying to come up with various solutions, but the ground was only so big and couldn't possibly grow bigger out of thin air.
"This building has a pretty high ceiling."
A casual remark from someone in the courtyard instantly ignited a frenzy throughout the entire compound, with everyone filling out application forms to upgrade their bunk beds from two-story to three-story.
Tang Wei muttered to herself as she helped move the bed frame with the others, panting heavily as she complained to Shen Jie beside her, "Aren't these three layers too high?"
Shen Jie was also covered in sweat from exhaustion. "It does look a bit high, but the beds are all against the wall now, and the bed frames are all connected. You can easily roll over and get onto someone else's bed. So why worry about whether it's high or not?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Wei felt a chill in her heart. At first, although their four-poster beds were a bit narrow, at least they weren't connected to each other. Now they were all connected, but perhaps replacing them with three layers would create some separation between the bed frames.
The three-tiered bed frame was placed in the 20-square-meter room, against three walls, leaving a narrow aisle in the middle. Shen Jie looked at the arranged beds and quickly pulled Tang Wei to choose a bed frame on the side.
The head of the bed frame was connected to the foot of the bed on the other side. If you turned to the left, you'd see someone else's feet; if you turned to the right, you'd face the wall. She didn't want to be in that miserable situation. If this were her bed, she'd have no choice but to face the wall.
However, the two were a step too slow and missed out on the lower bunk. They had to choose the upper and middle bunks instead.
"You're so clever! I'm planning to sleep with my head near the window. What about you?"
Shen Jie watched Tang Wei packing her things on the bunk above her, wondering how the other woman had so much energy and still had the strength to chat.
"There aren't many people sleeping in the top bunk now. Do you sleep properly? Want to switch with me?"
Tang Wei rolled her eyes, then, remembering that Chen Jie couldn't see, said, "Don't you know whether I sleep properly or not?! I've been sleeping in the bunk above you for so long! And you're still asking! Humph!"
After packing their things, the two left the yard and each bought an ice pop to catch their breath.
Tang Wei complained, "It's so much more comfortable outside. There are so many people inside, I feel like I can't even breathe. I really don't know who came up with this show."
Shen Jie didn't react as strongly as Tang Wei. After all, her family's courtyard was much more crowded than this one, and there wasn't even a public courtyard. Every household made the most of every nook and cranny, and all sorts of odds and ends were piled up at the doorway, unable to fit inside.
The passageway was so narrow that passing by it felt like overcoming a level in a video game. Come to think of it, there really wasn't anyone even slightly overweight in their tenement; they were all quite slender.
Shen Jie had never thought about this before, but now that she started to think back, she realized that those who had moved away a long time ago and came back to visit everyone seemed to have gained some weight. This was more effective than any kind of miracle weight-loss pill; humans really could overcome any environment.
"I'm planning to buy a curtain sometime in the second half of next year. Do you want to buy one?"
Tang Wei had never stayed in a room with so many people before. She was calculating and worrying as she did so.
"I'll buy one too."
There are more and more people now. Tomorrow is the last draw. She really didn't expect that a thousand contestants could actually be squeezed into these two large courtyards. With so many people, a curtain is still needed in the room.
Many people in their dorm have found jobs these past few days. I reckon once all the contestants are assigned to their respective rooms, some will start clamoring for a share of the funding. But what's the point of drawing lots for the next ten or twenty days after all the contestants have already drawn lots?
[This is truly unbelievable! So many people! How can this courtyard possibly accommodate them all? (Surprised emoji.JPG)]
Hehe, I must say, this courtyard is quite lively at night. The No. 2 tenement courtyard has singing relays and all sorts of games. It's actually quite fun with so many people.
[Hehe, someone somehow got hold of playing cards and was just about to bring some of the show's currency to play, but all the currency was confiscated. The show's reaction was really fast; these people had just been dealt the cards. Impressive.]
【Huh?! There's this too?! How come I didn't see it?! I was watching cockfighting in the No. 1 tenement (*￣rǒ￣).】
Cockfighting?! Where did these chickens come from?! I don't see any!
[There were no chickens involved. Cockfighting was a game where a rooster would stand on one leg and charge at another person; whoever landed on the other leg lost. I used to be the king of cockfighting! No one around me could rival me!]
[I've noticed that these two courtyards have quite different styles. One is rather quiet, while the other is incredibly lively; they're even putting on a skit right now. Several couples are already showing signs of romance. I wonder if it's the atmosphere of this courtyard that's influencing me, but I also feel like couples of the same gender are starting to develop feelings for each other (facepalm emoji).]
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