Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Chinese New Year Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Chinese New Year Recently, people in the neighborhood went to fetch fish from the frozen lake in the park, and they indeed had so success, but after all, the number of fish in the city’s lakes was limited. When it was initially fine, but as more people went, they could no longer catch any.
They thought about going to the big river outside the city, but the snow blocked the roads, making it impossible to leave.
These days, the city had all sorts of people with all sorts of moods. Those who still had so valuable belongings secretly took them out to exchange for food.
Those who didn’t have valuable items and were timid, would go to search the places that everyone had already scavenged, hoping to try their luck.
Those who had nothing and were bold, began to steal and rob, as people were dying, their moral limits kept lowering.
Soon it was New Year’s Eve. Gu Pan and the others had agreed in advance to celebrate it together at Cheng Yang’s house. He said he’d been alone for too long and wanted to have more people around at ho.
They planned to use the generator a bit more today, running it until midnight. It was New Year’s after all, and today it had to be a bit special.
When it got dark, Gu Pan and the others gathered at Cheng Yang’s house. They were making dumplings tonight. It wasn’t just about liking the food or not; it was about being together which really brought out the festive atmosphere.
Of course, they would also stir-fry so dishes, roast at, and have a small hot pot, throwing formalities out the window. Being New Year’s, it indeed required so indulgence.
Gu Pan also brought liquor, carried in an insulated box.
Duan Shui mixed the dough, Lu Xuerong prepared the filling, and Gu Pan mixed cold dishes. She brought a spicy mix seasoning pack.
The vegetables were just cabbages, potatoes, and radishes, purportedly from a friend’s cellar, so no one would suspect, as other greens couldn’t be preserved for so long.
Then into the spicy mix, they added soaked seaweed, wood ear mushrooms, and gluten.
Just as they finished preparing it, Gu Pan asked Chen Lang to try so, and after tasting it, he couldn’t control himself, “Brother Cheng Yang, you have to try this. It’s the dream flavor.”
Cheng Yang, who was setting up the barbecue, ran over and after tasting it, his eyes sparkled as he looked at Gu Pan, “I can’t handle it, I can’t handle it. This flavor will suck my soul right out. I need another bite.”
Chen Lang also said, “I need another bite too.”
Duan Shui watched them, smiling, “You’re not waiting for dinner. You’ll all be full soon.”
Gu Pan also smiled and said, “Teacher Duan, it’s New Year’s. Let them indulge for one day.” Then she turned to Lu Ruisheng, “Ruicheng, help fry the chicken.”
Lu Ruisheng took the pre-prepared half-done fried chicken, “I’ll fry it; you don’t get splashed by the oil.”
Gu Pan didn’t argue and stood aside, “Then I’ll arrange the plates.”
As soon as the aroma of the fried chicken erged, Chen Lang jumped up, “New Year’s is really great. If only every day was New Year’s.”
Chen Shaonan smiled and said, “As a kid, when we were poor, every New Year was like this boy, happy to eat and drink. In recent years, as things got better, New Year’s didn’t feel special anymore, since we could eat whatever we wanted at any ti. I didn’t expect it to co full circle.”
Feng Zhekai said, “Yeah, sotis I really miss the old days when we weren’t rich, but people had good hearts, and life was earnest.”
The older ones started reminiscing about their experiences in the eighties and nineties, and it was quite interesting. Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng also really enjoyed listening.
Once the dough was ready, they gathered around the table and began making dumplings together, participating and aiming for good luck and rrint.
Gu Pan took out her tablet, cast the screen to the TV, and started playing New Year’s Eve galas from past years. At that mont, they truly wished they could go back to before the apocalypse.
At midnight, Lu Ruisheng, along with Chen Lang and Cheng Yang, went downstairs to set off fireworks.
The originally quiet neighborhood had people standing at their windows watching, as these splendid fireworks might be diminishing in number with each display.
That night, Gu Pan and the others let go of all their burdens and peacefully celebrated the new year.
Early the next morning, the families greeted each other over the intercom and then decided to go out for a walk together.
Walking around on the first day of the new year is also a custom, and of course, they wanted to seek so auspiciousness, especially in such tis when people tend to beco more superstitious.
Since they had eliminated Li Dong, Gu Pan and the others had beco well-known in the area, and their neighborhood had also beco safer, so the people in the community showed them great respect.
When they went out, everyone they t greeted them, nodding and bowing, afraid of offending them.
Actually, Gu Pan had never thought about ruling over others, but now, even without such intentions, people perceived them that way.
Until the fifth day, they did not go out to scavenge for supplies or train; they just took a complete break.
By the fifth day, the vegetables in their hos had grown quite tall, Gu Pan’s lettuce was two inches high, and Cheng Yang’s first attempt at gardening was also quite successful, especially the chickweed which was growing fast, ready to be eaten in about five or six days, of course, under Lu Xuerong’s expert guidance.
In the evening, Gu Pan looked at the thermoter in the house; the temperature had risen by two degrees from yesterday. She counted the days, concluding that it should be warming up soon.
She called Lu Ruisheng to discuss the upcoming epidemic in preparation.
The epidemic included bacteria from decaying corpses and trash in high temperatures, and the breeding of nurous red-eyed rats. Even if it did not lead to the plague, it could still act as a dium for disease. Coming into contact with or being bitten by these rats after they had consud corpses was lethal.
In their past lives, they were fortunate to have long-term supplies of highly efficient masks N95 and KN100 at ho.
Lu Ruisheng, dealing with a lot of dust in construction, would wear such masks at woodwork sites, so they had stocked up quite a few at ho. They wore masks every day back then, taking turns to sleep at night to avoid being bitten by rats, because contracting plague ant certain death.
This ti, they had stored plenty of rat poison, masks, gas masks, and protective suits in their “Space.”
Once the weather ward up, they planned to use their supplies to relocate the remaining two households upstairs and to take control of the area from the sixth floor up. Even though Li Dong’s people had left an entire building, nowhere was as comfortable as their own ho. Since they could defend this place, they naturally wanted to stay in their own ho.
Afterward, they blocked off the stairway on the sixth floor and sealed all the pipes with cent.
Then, they placed rat poison in the stairwells. They would avoid going out as much as possible, as it was very easy to contract the epidemic outside. With food and necessities available, it was safer to stay at ho.
After discussing the details and how to explain to their neighbors, they went to sleep.
The next day, the temperature had risen significantly, and the survivors, feeling the increasing warmth, were especially happy, and more people started going out.
Everyone began to discuss whether the normal climate was returning and if the apocalypse was coming to an end.
Early in the morning, Brother Cheng Yang called them on the intercom, saying that the temperature had risen nearly ten degrees in a few days, urging everyone to co downstairs to enjoy the warm sunlight.
Gu Pan quickly called everyone to gather for a eting in apartnt 901.
In 901, Gu Pan spoke first, “Everyone feels the rapid rise in temperature, right?”
Cheng Yang said, “Yes, maybe the apocalypse is ending. The temperature is rising by ten degrees a day, so in five or six days, it might be above freezing, and then spring will bloom…”
“It’s not as beautiful as you think,” Gu Pan interrupted him, continuing, “With how many frozen corpses and piles of garbage outside, and this much snow, once it all lts, it is bound to be a disaster.”
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