Chapter 996 - 981: Luo Baochun’s Odd Behavior (Part 1)

Chapter 996: Chapter 981: Luo Baochun’s Odd Behavior (Part 1)

Due to the lack of transport capacity, the entire stone-loading operation lasted for a day and a half. Even Old Xu himself couldn’t remember how many times they traveled back and forth between the stone storage site and the base.

But in any case, their team finally managed to transport all the red bricks from the stone storage site back.

And with this batch of bricks, the major construction plans at the base were finally set in motion.

Earlier, when Old Zhao, Wang Qiang, and Tang Xiaoquan decided on the village as the second shelter, they had gone out to gather supplies.

This included construction materials like yellow sand. Although the quantity wasn’t large, it was enough to get things started.

Building walls requires a water source, and to wall in the entire 20-household village completely, a significant amount of water is needed.

Currently, the water supply had long been interrupted, and the survivors used snowmelt and mineral water they had collected earlier for their daily needs.

So, relying on these sources for wall building would mean they couldn’t sustain their daily lives.

Fortunately, along their migration route, the survivors had encountered a pond.

The pond, filled from rain and accumulated snow, hadn’t dried up yet.

But since it’s stagnant water, using it for drinking was too risky, though it was perfectly suitable for mixing sand and building walls.

To bring back as much water as possible, Old Xu specifically instructed the carpenter, Yue Guishan, to make a tool that could carry water.

Due to Old Xu’s urgency, Yue Guishan, with little time, ingeniously dragged out the village’s most valuable piece of furniture—a chest of drawers.

Removing the obstructing drawers from the front, Yue Guishan opened a large mouth on the chest.

He then found an old camping tent and stripped off the top fabric.

The fabric was waterproof and, when spread into the chest’s cavity, could be used to store water.

After finishing this, Yue Guishan did some simple hammering and stitching and handed the finished product to Old Xu.

Together, they loaded the water storage tool into the trunk of the Jianghuai car, and it fit quite nicely.

The only drawback was that after loading this item, fitting any people into the trunk became a bit difficult.

"Wei Dazhuang! Wang Qiang! Hua Biao! Li Xiaoxin! You four come with me!" Old Xu, swift and decisive in his work, directly called over several individuals to get in the vehicle and set off.

With countless matters to handle and coordinate, Old Xu was undoubtedly the most burdened in the team.

He couldn’t help it; the events at the Yuhuan Gymnasium were an unforgettable pain. He did not want or could not let a similar incident happen again to his team.

The pond wasn’t very far from the base, much closer than the stone storage site by a considerable length.

It only took about ten minutes by car, though the bumpy country road certainly made the ride uneasy for the "passengers" inside the vehicle.

"Haha, Commander, once we stabilize, we’ll really need to fix the access road here," Hua Biao chimed in half-jokingly.

Yet, as the saying goes, those who speak might not intend their words to matter, but the listeners often pay attention. Hua Biao’s joke got stuck in Old Xu’s mind.

After all, as the proverb goes, "If one seeks wealth, first build a road," despite the fact that mere survival, not wealth, is what matters in these apocalyptic times.

But having a good road would definitely be beneficial for transporting supplies or evacuating in emergencies in the future.

Thus, Old Xu almost subconsciously nodded in agreement.

The car drove steadily, and shortly, the familiar pond appeared in Old Xu’s sight.

The pond was quite large, and based on its location, it was probably constructed by nearby villagers as a fish pond before the apocalypse.

Unfortunately, there were no fish left now, or else the survivors could have added some fresh food to their meals.

"Let’s get to work!"

Considering the weight and manpower problems, the survivors abandoned the idea of unloading the water container from the car.

As it was currently within their weight-bearing capacity, bringing it to full capacity would make it impossible for Old Xu and his team of five to lift easily.

Without taking the water tank out, the loading efficiency would be greatly reduced.

If anyone passed by at this moment, they would indeed be surprised by the spectacle of five big men’s efforts.

Back and forth, getting in and out of the car, Old Xu and his teammates repeatedly performed the mechanical task of holding a large basin.

Meanwhile, back at the base, Old Zhao had started preparations for wall building.

Since Bi Dahu and Yue Guishan had both worked at construction sites, Old Zhao specifically assigned them as foremen assistants. After a brief explanation, he tasked them with selecting personnel to mix mud and shake plaster.

The grand construction of the survivors’ base officially started with these minute steps.

"Hey, Dazhuang, how much more until the water tank is full?"

"About the length of a thumb!"

"OK, then that’s almost it, after finishing this round, we’ll wrap up and head back home."

The water tank had no lid, and with the bumpy road conditions, filling it completely would only lead to spillage and waste.

Plus, the sky was getting darker, so considering all factors, Old Xu issued the order to return.

The dinner was exceptionally delicious for everyone; it was a wonderful feeling.

Although survivors typically found meals particularly tasty after working, this sensation was quite different now.

Indeed, it was a different feeling because this was the first time they had genuinely worked together for their own home.

Taking advantage of dinner time, Old Xu arranged the tasks for tomorrow.

"Tomorrow, Old Zhao continues leading the team to build the walls. Dazhuang, Qiangzi, Hua Biao, Li Xiaoxin, Xiao Hu, and Xiao Luo, you come with me to check out the community. Oh, and Xiao De, you guide us there. Does anyone have a problem?"

"No problem!" Hua Biao and the others responded straightforwardly.

Derek, after comforting Demmi, also gave his affirmative response.

Only Luo Baochun seemed hesitant, mumbling unclear words.

"Xiao Luo, what’s wrong? Speak up." Old Xu, not one for pretentiousness, called on Luo Baochun, mainly considering the possible usable vehicles along the way and asking him for inspection and verification, so that if feasible, they could bring them back in one go.

After all, fuel is limited, so if possible, it’s better to do things in one go than to make two trips.

Luo Baochun seemed to have some unspeakable difficulty and, after hesitating for a while, finally expressed a bit of embarrassment, "Sorry, Old Xu, tomorrow I might not be able to go with you."

Glancing around, Luo Baochun’s words were somewhat unexpected.

Especially for Wen Quanxin, who had introduced Luo Baochun into the team, his response indeed made Wen Quanxin feel unpleasant.

It’s no wonder—since the team was formed, no one had ever actively refused to participate in an operation, so it was reasonable for everyone to be astonished by Luo Baochun’s actions.

"Hey, Fatty! What’s going on? Why can’t you go with the team?"

After battling in the apocalypse for a long time, people’s temperaments inevitably changed; Wen Quanxin, once an honest and easygoing child, now had more of a temper.

He didn’t think much of it and directly vented his dissatisfaction.

Faced with Wen Quanxin’s questioning, Luo Baochun, already embarrassed and looking for a hole to hide in, became even more flustered.

Seeing Luo Baochun blushing profusely, Old Zhao timely stepped in to resolve the situation. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)