Even climbing four stories took time. When they reached the top, several dark figures were swaying through the wind and snow up ahead.
Lao Gao shouted to those behind, "People ahead! People ahead!"
They tied the ropes and went to help. Soon, Lao Gao grabbed Brother Zhang and the others who were staggering and about to fall.
Relieved at the rescue, Brother Zhang's tense mind relaxed. "Seeing you means we will survive."
Lao Gao looked behind Brother Zhang. Some could still walk despite exhaustion, but others were lying on the ground, dragged along by the stronger ones. Walking in a blizzard was already hard, adding someone to drag made it worse.
This was why the journey, though short, was already pushing Brother Zhang's group to their limit. Lao Gao did not say much. Grabbing the rope around Brother Zhang's waist, he pulled them all toward the base entrance. One by one, everyone descended safely.
This task was complete.
Brother Zhang and the others had no serious injuries. The main problem was snow blinding them and cold exposure. A day or two of rest would resolve it.
The blizzard outside, however, showed no signs of stopping for a day or two.
With such strong snow, few people would come to the base, so the leftover capsule rooms nearby did not need immediate relocation. With a little free time, Lan Jin naturally wanted to understand the base where they would live for a long time.
First, they gathered to appreciate their luck. Luckily, they had not insisted on leaving. The blizzard and earlier ice rains were unbearable.
Then they began to explore the base.
Unfamiliar with this base, they prioritized shopping areas, supermarkets, and the cafeteria. They also deposited all base contribution points owed to them into Lan Qiaoqiao and Grandma Ling's residence cards before casually exploring further.
Lan Jin, having a child, first checked the base kindergarten. By afternoon, she had enrolled the child.
She expected Lan Qiaoqiao to cry when leaving her side, but surprisingly, the little girl accepted it well. She not only did not cry, she looked forward to school.
After one day, she chattered about the fun things at school.
Lan Jin summarized: good food, fun, close to home.
In the base, children were more precious than women. Kindergarten treated them well. Teachers never bullied children or treated them differently. It was free. Daily meals were varied and nutritious. Classes were essentially teachers playing with kids.
Lan Qiaoqiao, having never experienced such treatment, loved the kindergarten immediately. It was truly close to home. Due to location and few children, the kindergarten was inside the office building across the way.
The office building connected directly to residences. No need to go outside. Go downstairs, swipe the residence card, and enter. Only five minutes total.
As Lan Jin explored further, she discovered another surprise: the base had a psychologist.
On second thought, it made sense. After a catastrophe, many could not handle trauma. Even living in the base, past injuries were not easily forgotten.
Lan Jin, reborn, could endure disaster. Lan Qiaoqiao, however, remembered the hardships of her past life deeply. Despite Lan Jin's comfort and guidance, deeper issues remained unresolved. Lan Qiaoqiao no longer acted out violently but still repeated troubling phrases.
Claiming she did not care would be false. How to resolve it remained unknown.
In such moments, Ling Jiang and Lao Gao were indifferent. Not because the child was not theirs, but they believed Lan Qiaoqiao's behavior was fine.
Ling Jiang said, "Girls in the apocalypse need to be tough. No harm in being a little harsh."
Lao Gao agreed, "Stronger, tougher, better than being hurt and regretting later."
Huang Jinghe was conflicted, seeing both sides as reasonable.
Only Grandma Ling sided with Lan Qiaoqiao. "Nonsense. Tough is okay, but right values matter. Qiao Qiao is not cruel. She has trauma. If not corrected, small problems could become big ones."
Hearing about the psychologist, Grandma Ling eagerly made an appointment. The psychologist was rare, the sick plentiful, so the earliest appointment was five days later.
With that done, renting land for planting was next.
Base farmland was indoors, measured in square meters, not acres. They rented a medium plot, 40 square meters, costing 20 contribution points monthly, half upfront. Crops did not mature in one day. Seeds cost 30 points per pack.
No money meant no vegetables.
The apocalypse was harsh.
…
With the land rented, they began work. Grandma Ling, free from childcare, joined them in the planting area. Several times she almost went down to plant herself, but Ling Jiang stopped her.
Planting was deeply loved by Chinese people.
Grandma Ling did not actually plant. Lao Gao and Huang Jinghe, following her instructions, prepared the soil and watered it. Then Ling Jiang and Lan Jin sowed seeds.
Pest control and checks were handled by the base, so their daily work would mostly be watering.
Watering required technique. They could use tap water or add base-produced nutrient solution for faster growth.
The nutrient solution accelerated crop maturity without affecting taste or nutrition, but was expensive.