"Mom, you guys should take the rations and register at the underground parking lot first. Just stay there for a few nights. I already checked the rules; we can bunk with relatives during the Spring Festival, and the cafeteria is all-you-can-eat during that week. Eat as much as you want," Li Zhu said quickly before running off toward the villa.
"When you meet your mother-in-law, make sure you arrange for us to stay in that big villa, you hear? Even if we can't live there, at least get us a job!" his mother shouted after him.
"I know, I know! I will go check how they're arranging things now." He was already halfway gone, his figure disappearing into the gloom.
Old Madam Li shouted after him one more time, "Don't forget to bring us some food! Take as much as you can!"
But the man was long gone.
Honestly, he was fast when he wanted to be. Jing Shu had just opened the door when he came running over, panting from the sprint. "Wait, Jing Zhao, aren't we supposed to stay in the villa?"
His wife shot him a sharp glare. "Then go back if you don't like it."
Building No. 25 was already crowded with hundreds of people. Every single apartment was packed to capacity. The villa area was restricted by the security guards, so most of the newcomers were placed here in the high-rises. People kept coming and going through the halls, and many of them turned on their phone flashlights to see. They eyed the things piled on the cart with greedy, glowing eyes.
It was too bad the rules were so strict now. Anyone caught stealing food would be sent straight to a term of forced labor. Unless someone was literally starving to death at that very moment, no one dared to try a theft.
Jing Pan quickly pulled the covers over the luggage even tighter, looking nervous as she scanned the surrounding crowd.
Then a girl with straight bangs came jogging over from the management office, holding two large thermoses in her hands. She called out warmly, "Jing Shu-jie! These must be your relatives staying temporarily, right? Let me register them for the unit. Just show me your QR codes; I will scan them into the system. Oh, I'm the living coordinator for Building No. 25. You can call me Fatty Niu. If you have any problems at all, just come find me."
Everyone reached for their phones and showed their codes for Fatty Niu to scan. The management was incredibly strict here. Every temporary resident had to be registered for security and ration purposes.
The girl set the thermoses down with a friendly smile. "Here, I brought you some hot water too. If you need to refill them, go to the garbage station over there. It's two thermoses for one virtual coin. When you leave, just return the bottles to me. Each household only gets one."
In fact, one thermos was usually shared among twenty or thirty people per unit in the other crowded apartments.
Jing Pan glanced at her niece. When she saw the girl nod slightly, she quickly took the thermoses with a grateful expression. "Oh dear, thank you so much, that's really kind of you." She reached into her bag and stuffed a handful of cooked rice into the coordinator's hands.
The coordinator looked at Jing Shu again, and when she didn't object to the gift, the girl accepted the rice with a grin. "By the way, you can't go to the toilet anywhere you want here. You will have to go to the garbage station for that. Or you can use a basin in your room. The station even collects it and gives you virtual coins in return!"
Everyone stood there, stunned by the detail. Li Zhu muttered under his breath, "So many damn rules in the city."
After explaining a few more of the complex regulations, Fatty Niu finally left them. Her aunt whispered, "Why is she being so nice to us? Think she wants something?"
Jing Shu waved the concern off and told her uncle to move the luggage inside the unit. "She is the building manager. I helped her out once."
Everyone immediately understood the connection. Her uncle's eyes darted around the hallway. Clearly, his niece was a lot more capable than he had imagined.
Warm light filled the spacious, clean room as they stepped inside. The living room had a soft, luxurious sofa, a dining table decorated with fresh wildflowers, and spotless floors that reflected the glow of the stove fire crackling in the corner.
"Wow, there's even electricity! It's spotless in here. We're covered in mud; we will just dirty the place up," the woman said, shooing everyone back toward the door. "Go wash your feet first before you step in."
Under her niece's speechless stare, everyone obediently began to wash their feet and socks right there at the entrance. The aunt scrubbed the muddy shoes clean until several basins of black water were poured out before letting anyone enter the main living area.
"The road was nothing but mud pits," Wei Zheng complained as he scrubbed.
As soon as they finally stepped inside, the exclamations started again. Qiao Lian whispered to her husband, "No wonder Uncle's family always brought their own stuff when they visited us. I thought they were just being stuck-up. Guess I was wrong."
Jing Shu started assigning rooms to the group. "Wei Zheng, you and your wife and Shu'en can take this bedroom. Auntie, you and your husband stay in this guest room. Second Aunt, you and your family can have the master bedroom."
Jing Pan asked, "What about your grandparents? Do they have a place? We can sleep in the living room if they don't."
"They are staying in the villa."
"Alright then. We're good, we brought our own bedding anyway."
Li Zhu muttered, "Should we bring our family over to share the living room? The other apartments are packed, and this place is huge. It's a waste if it's just us."
His wife immediately twisted his waist, making him wince. "You want to turn this nice place into a pigsty or what?"
A dangerous glint flashed in the girl's eyes, but she didn't say anything directly to him. She turned to her aunt instead. "Grandma was worried you would get cold, so she set up two charcoal heaters for you. You can boil water on top of them too. And we have got extra power outlets, so you can charge your phones and watch TV."
"Oh, and here," she led them toward the bathroom, "the toilets don't work right now, so use this cat litter and portable toilet instead. When it's full, just leave it by the door. Someone will collect it."
"That's fine, that's fine, you have already done so much. You're spoiling us," her aunt said, her eyes red with emotion. She couldn't believe they were being treated so well. All these supplies were incredibly expensive on the black market, yet her niece shared them so freely. It was enough to make her tear up.
Qiao Lian picked up a few rolls of the soft toilet paper. "Each roll costs several virtual coins; there's no way we will use that much."
Jing Shu laughed. "The stones and sticks outside are all gone. What are you going to do, use your hands? It's New Year's, and we're eating together. You can't be that unsanitary. Besides, there are kids too."
Qiao Lian looked to her mother-in-law for guidance. The older woman wiped her eyes, stuffed one roll into her pocket, and handed the rest back. "One square per person a day. If anyone needs more, they will come ask me. No wasting."
Jing Shu could only sigh at the frugality. She understood the mindset perfectly. She had lived like that in her past life too, using scrapers instead of paper. Still, she worried they wouldn't clean properly or might even get their hands dirty. That would be even more awkward for everyone.
So she made a quick decision right then—this year's New Year meal would be served in disposable lunch boxes.
Thinking about it, supplies like paper and sanitary pads were running low everywhere. Who would have thought there would be so many women at home after the apocalypse? Su Mali had mentioned there would be a black market barter fair soon. She should stock up again before things got even worse.
"There's shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste in here. Take whatever you need," she added.
Good hygiene made everything easier for the whole house. After all, when she opened the door earlier and that wave of stink hit her, she hadn't been disgusted... but it sure killed her appetite.
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The character initially referred to as Li Zhuang (李壮) is now named Li Zhu (李柱). Author make that change.