Chapter 179: Chapter 179: Stabilizing Morale
Before, Song Yufang couldn’t get through the day without a cup of coffee.
She was used to going without now, but seeing so much instant coffee, she couldn’t help her excitement. "They actually have coffee!"
Zhang Yiwen’s English was also very good. He picked up a packet, examined it closely, and then shouted in excitement, "It’s not expired! It’s not expired!"
Besides coffee, there were sanitary pads, tampons, and a scattered assortment of spare cosmetics.
Song Yufang picked up a bag of tampons, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. It wasn’t that they were expired; she was worried they might be contaminated with bacteria. With something for internal use, you had to be extremely careful.
It was better not to use them at all than to take the risk.
There was a lot of furniture, too, especially the spa loungers—over a dozen of them—which could be unfolded and used as beds.
For the many guys sleeping in a small cave, these were a real treasure.
Everyone worked together, sorting and categorizing the items. Anything that needed cleaning was set aside, while anything too filthy to salvage was burned.
With Zhang Aihua and his group’s help, cleaning the hotel thoroughly was much easier once everything had been moved out.
They worked until dusk, by which time they had smashed open all the windows.
Jiang Si inspected every corner of the place before handing some rough sketches to Jiang Linhai. She wanted his opinion on the best overall layout.
Since they were going to settle down, they naturally had to do a proper job of it.
Zhang Aihua’s group had worked hard, and providing them with a meal in return was something Jiang Si’s group could easily afford.
Lu Zhifeng brought over the instant noodles, cookies, powdered drinks, and chocolate they had stockpiled earlier.
Jiang Si gave a small box to each person who had come to help.
To be able to eat snacks and instant noodles in times like these...
Zhang Aihua and his group were thrilled. This was exclusively theirs; they wouldn’t have to share it with the others back in the cave.
It was wonderful.
It was like their own private stash.
Jiang Si said, "We might need to trouble you again tomorrow. We have some things that need to be moved and sorted."
Everyone was happy to do it, knowing they would get another box of food for their work.
Zhang Aihua smiled. "Alright, what time should we be here?"
Jiang Si thought for a moment. "I’ll let you know."
"Okay."
Zhang Aihua and his group headed back, each clutching a box of food.
The people in the cave immediately swarmed them, chattering. "What did you get this time?"
Zhang Yiwen’s sharp eyes spotted the instant noodles and something that looked like chocolate. He tugged excitedly at Song Yufang’s sleeve, his face a picture of impatience.
Heaven knew how long it had been since he’d had any snacks.
He had just been dreaming about eating chocolate a couple of days ago, and now, his dream had come true.
Zhang Aihua glanced at the crowd and deliberately stressed, "This is the payment Mr. Qin gave us specifically for our work."
As soon as he said that, everyone understood. Zhang Aihua’s group had no intention of sharing.
It made sense. They had already brought back so much for the group; those who hadn’t contributed much should be satisfied with that.
After all, they had food to eat and water to drink now, without having to fight for it.
Everyone tactfully refrained from asking any more questions. Zhang Aihua gave Song Yufang a look, and she and their son immediately followed him into their small, private cave.
Zhang Aihua rummaged inside his jacket and pulled out a beautiful mirror, handing it to Song Yufang. Then, like a magician, he produced a frying pan from his coat that was as wide as his chest, followed by a miniature copper pot from his hat.
Song Yufang and Zhang Yiwen were overjoyed. They wanted to cry out in surprise but, worried the others would hear, they just threw their arms around Zhang Aihua and hugged him tightly.
Song Yufang carefully put the mirror away before looking through the snacks and instant noodles in the box. "They’re so generous," she said, "giving you all this food."
Zhang Yiwen, unable to wait a second longer, had already ripped open a chocolate wrapper. He broke off a piece, popped it in his mouth, and closed his eyes in bliss. "Oh my god, this is so good!" He didn’t forget to offer a piece to Zhang Aihua and Song Yufang.
Song Yufang and Zhang Aihua were reluctant to eat it themselves. With such a rare treat, they held the pieces in their palms, wanting to give their share to Zhang Yiwen instead.
Zhang Yiwen knew what they were thinking and put on a serious face. "Hurry up and eat it. Good things are meant to be shared as a family."
’He’s really grown up.’
’Saying such wonderful things.’
Song Yufang and Zhang Aihua carefully broke off a tiny piece and placed it in their mouths. The silky-smooth sensation brought them back to a time of luxurious indulgence.
The chocolate was delicious—rich, with a hint of bitterness, much like their lives now.
After the chocolate, Zhang Yiwen started wheedling, "Dad, let’s eat the instant noodles! I really want some instant noodles!"
Song Yufang said, "You just had chocolate. Let’s save the instant noodles for another day. Even for Jiang Si’s group, every bite they take is one less they have. They can’t make any more of this stuff."
Zhang Yiwen replied, "Who says we can’t make them? Once we grow some wheat, grind it into flour, and deep-fry it, that’s all it is, right?"
Zhang Aihua chuckled softly. "And you think we can grow wheat just by wanting to? There’s no sunlight in the cave; nothing will grow. Even the bean sprouts we’ve managed—every time we eat a batch, that’s one less we can grow, because we’re running out of beans to sprout."
He was smiling, but his face was etched with a bittersweet sorrow.
A pang of sadness hit Song Yufang as well.
’At least,’ she thought, ’we can still harvest seaweed and catch seafood. And with all these supplies, we’ll have enough to keep warm for a lifetime.’
’Surviving, for now, doesn’t seem to be a problem.’
’With slow and steady effort, we can make life better.’
For example, she had used seaweed to make nori crackers and crisps, which gave them a little something to snack on.
The fish was a bit gamey, but by simmering it with other seafood to create a rich concentrate, she could make a large batch of fish floss.
With no flour for noodles, they could even press fish paste into noodle-like strands.
All these things were small, wonderful steps forward for them.
Zhang Yiwen sighed with the gravity of an old man in a child’s body. "If only we could have a greenhouse."
Zhang Aihua ruffled his son’s hair. "We will. Your dad and the other uncles will go scavenging to see if we can find any plastic sheeting. If we do, we’ll have a shot at building a greenhouse."
"Besides," he added, "we still have those radishes. They should be ready to pull in a few more days. That’ll be another food source for us. I’ll have your mom make you shredded radish and shrimp soup. It’s way better than instant noodles."
Zhang Yiwen nodded. "Okay, I won’t eat the instant noodles today. I’ll have them tomorrow."
"Haha, deal."
Song Yufang suddenly grabbed his arm. "Hey, do you think we should set up designated times for group hunting and private hunting? Otherwise, some people might start to feel it’s unfair."
They put in so much work, but their individual rewards don’t always reflect that.
If people had time for their own private foraging, where they could keep whatever food or items they found for themselves, then no one would complain.
Zhang Aihua had considered this before, but back then, it wouldn’t have been good for group morale. Now that things were more stable, it was a viable option.
He nodded. "Let me think it through properly. Then I’ll bring it up with everyone."
"Okay."
