Chapter 290: Chapter 290: Soone Wants to Take Advantage
After sending people inside, their task was completed, and after bidding farewell to Feng Zhekai, they headed ho.
On the way, the two couldn’t help but reflect on the perilous events occurring during the extre night. Initially, they had thought that the perpetual day and night would be minor disasters, with the perpetual day indeed being relatively calm. But who could have imagined the extre night would drive people to madness?
As they discussed this, they realized one issue: the three years of apocalypse had exacted a heavy toll on many people’s ntal and physical health, likely making this period one of the highest mortality.
Those who had survived thus far were relatively robust in body and spirit, and probably more adaptable to the post-disaster environnt.
However, if survival so far had depended on familial protection or sothing else, their chances of living much longer were slim.
Discussing all this, they returned ho.
At the front gate, they saw two middle-aged won in decent clothes—around forty-five or six years old, one tall and one short, both rather dark and thin—furtively peering through a crack in the door.
Gu Pan approached quietly and, covering her mouth, patted the two won on the back, “What’s the matter, ladies?”
The slap not only startled them but really hurt.
The taller woman, still smiling, said to Gu Pan, “Young lady, we live just across the road.” She pointed in the direction.
Gu Pan nodded, “So you’re neighbors. What brings you here?”
The shorter woman spoke up, “It’s like this, we noticed that the lights in your house are always on, so we figured you must have a generator. It seems wasteful for only one household to use it, so we thought perhaps we could share it with you.”
Gu Pan decisively refused, “Sorry, but it’s not just our house using it. Our friends and several households share it, and resources aren’t exactly plentiful.”
The tall woman maintained her smile, “It’s tough for everyone during the apocalypse. We both have poor health and queuing daily at the lighting center is really taking its toll. You have sun-like lights, right? How about we pay to use it for two hours each day?”
Gu Pan knew she could never agree to this, as today it was them, tomorrow others could co, and choosing whom to refuse would only bring trouble.
Plus, a ho is a personal territory; friends might co over, but strangers freely entering was not appropriate, even within the context of the apocalypse.
Thus, she firmly refused, “Our family has its secrets, it’s not suitable for outsiders to co in, sorry.”
The tall woman sensed Gu Pan’s stern refusal and her tone beca unfriendly, “Young lady, it’s not nice to be selfish, right? Nobody has it easy now. If you help us today, maybe tomorrow you will need our help, right? The harder tis get, the more we should help each other.”
Gu Pan frowned, “Everyone has their own way of living, and our ho has its routines and thods. When we use electricity, resources are utilized to the max, so we really can’t assist you.”
Seeing that talking to Gu Pan was getting nowhere, the shorter woman turned her attention to Lu Ruisheng.
She sized up Lu Ruisheng and said, “Young man, you look handso and dignified. But isn’t your wife being a bit unreasonable? We’re neighbors after all, helping us should be simple for you, right?”
Lu Ruisheng had initially agreed not to engage with the won—that was their arrangent, with Gu Pan handling won and he, the n.
But now, with the won talking down about his wife right in front of him, he couldn’t hold back, “This is the first ti I’ve heard that allowing strangers freely into your ho signifies understanding. Who doesn’t have privacy during the apocalypse? Who doesn’t prefer a sense of personal boundary? My knowledgeable and reasonable wife makes happy even in my dreams, your attempt to drive a wedge between us is frankly quite low.”
This hit right at what the shorter woman was implying, her face could not conceal it, “You’re overthinking it, I was just speaking off the cuff.”
Lu Ruisheng responded, “We all know what you are hinting.”
After looking at the two won, he continued, “Moreover, we’re refusing for your sake too. Our ho’s lights aren’t professionally made, they might not work properly. Professional tasks should be left to professionals. We also have other ways to access professional lights, so don’t waste your ti here.”
This was clearly stated for their benefit, as Chen Shaonan’s knowledge and capabilities, along with Lu Jianguo getting professional help, ant the setup was safe to use.
The two won, upon hearing Lu Ruisheng’s words, seed thoughtful. Indeed, if the lighting wasn’t professional, they would just be wasting their ti and missing out at the center, which could be even more costly.
The taller woman thought for a mont, “If that’s the case, we believe you. How about this: we send over our chargers daily and you just help us charge them. That shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”
Gu Pan replied, “You’re a bit late with that request, our house already has a load of chargers from friends and family that we can barely keep up with, so we really can’t assist you.”
They had observed the house for several days, and every evening they saw many people entering and exiting, which seed to confirm this wasn’t a deception.
Though still not satisfied, they didn’t know what else to say and could only feign politeness as they said goodbye and left.
Their final show of courtesy was because the house had a generator, and in a real ergency, they might still need to ask for help. Being experienced and prudent, they understood the value of leaving room for future goodwill.
Watching the two leave, Gu Pan didn’t say anything. Although their integrity was questionable and they attempted to create discord, having seen much cruelty in the apocalypse, these minor events didn’t surprise her; she would just keep her distance in the future.
Lu Ruisheng opened the door, and they went inside.
Once ho, they drew the curtains before turning on the lights. During the day, they mostly stayed in the bedroom with blackout curtains, so from the outside, it didn’t seem like their lights were constantly on.
While idle, they rembered the underground entertainnt venue they had heard about. It was inherently dark down there; could it be unaffected during the extre night, or even busier?
Of course, they wouldn’t ask Lu Jianguo about this. Even if he knew sothing, they couldn’t involve him; protecting him was paramount.
So, they thought about the second-hand dealer they had previously traded with. He had ntioned that after reaching a certain amount in transactions, they would naturally be invited over. Thus, they planned to continue trading with him, hoping to quickly reach the threshold where they’d be invited.
They weren’t worried about verifying assets; truthfully, just bringing out a box of family planning supplies would be enough. These were all minor details.
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