Chapter 61: Window for Rent

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Window for Rent

Xu Xiaoka couldn’t help but complain, "This lady is really something. Why can’t she survive without a man? Besides, her son is right there. Hearing her crying and complaining every day will definitely have a negative impact on his mental health."

Chen Momo said, "Worry less about other people’s business and look at yourself more. Do you have enough money to spend? Have you found a boyfriend? Is your job settled?"

This rapid-fire questioning left Xu Xiaoka speechless, and she could only scratch her head awkwardly. It was true; she still had a bunch of her own problems to solve, so how could she afford to worry about others? Alas, she was really just worrying over nothing!

After moving into her new room, Chen Momo first tidied it up, transforming the space into a style she liked and was familiar with.

First was her favorite bedside lamp. She took out the lamp that had been with her for a long time from her dimension and placed it by the bed. This bedside lamp emitted a warm light, and every time it was turned on, it created a cozy atmosphere. Chen Momo often used it at night to read, play games, browse the news, or binge-watch TV shows.

Next were her bedsheets and duvet cover. Chen Momo had always used MUJI’s pure cotton four-piece bedding sets. She had one in pink and one in green. She took out the green set and changed all the bedding. Putting her favorite four-piece set on the bed would make it easier to fall asleep at night.

There was also a humidifier, which she had kept in her dimension. She turned it on every day to keep her skin moisturized. After spraying her favorite perfume into the air, the entirely unfamiliar space quickly turned into one she was completely familiar with. Staying in a familiar space was much more comfortable and relaxing.

After tidying up the room, Chen Momo decided to go out and take a look around. As she passed Chen Xiaobao and Xu Xiaoka’s room, she saw that of the pair, one was sleeping while the other was tinkering with a new invention. Chen Momo didn’t disturb them. She changed into her cold-proof suit and cold-proof mask, then stepped out of the room.

Chen Momo first went to the nearby recreation center. The recreation center was about a ten-minute walk from the living center and was also converted from a few large classrooms. The doors were automatic double-layered, cold-proof glass doors. Between the two layers of glass doors was a row of changing rooms, mainly for the convenience of people coming in and out to change their cold-proof suits and masks.

Chen Momo walked into one of the changing rooms, took off her cold-proof suit and mask, and locked them in a locker. Then, she walked into the recreation center.

The temperature inside was significantly higher, and a wave of heat hit her in the face. She saw that the recreation center was divided into different areas—a sauna, a billiards room, a badminton hall, a movie theater, a tea restaurant... The variety of leisure and entertainment activities opened Chen Momo’s eyes.

A well-built male coach walked over with a smile. He was holding a badminton racket, and sweat plastered his hair to his forehead. "Comrade, would you like to try playing badminton? It’s fifty base credits an hour, very cheap!"

Chen Momo smiled and declined. "Thank you, but I haven’t earned any money yet, so I’ll pass for now. I’ll come back and try it once I’ve made some money."

Although Chen Momo refused, the fitness coach wasn’t angry at all. Instead, he smiled and nodded. "No problem! You’re welcome at our badminton hall no matter when you come!" Then, he turned to the next person, continuing to invite others to try badminton.

Chen Momo wandered around the recreation center for a while. The leisure activities here were no worse than those before the apocalypse. But the only commonality was that they all required money. Whether before the apocalypse or during it, only the wealthy could live better.

Chen Momo thought, "Now that the most basic survival problem has been solved, I need to figure out how to make money as soon as possible." Even in the apocalypse, she had to ensure that her whole family could have good living conditions at all times!

Chen Momo took a lap around the recreation center and found several shops with "Hiring" signs posted outside. One of them was the tea restaurant.

The boss was a chubby middle-aged man with a crew cut. When he smiled, his small eyes crinkled into folds. He looked a bit like a host she had seen on some variety show, named Du... Du... Du Haitao! The more Chen Momo looked, the more she found that the boss resembled Du Haitao.

The middle-aged boss walked over and asked with a chuckle, "Hello, my name is Du Haitao. Are you here to apply for a job at the tea restaurant?"

Chen Momo was taken aback. "Your name is also Du Haitao? Before the snow disaster, there was a famous TV show host named Du Haitao."

Du Haitao smiled sheepishly. "That’s me. On the day of the snow disaster, I happened to have an event in Han City. I didn’t expect to be trapped here by the heavy snow, unable to leave. Fortunately, I survived the blizzard. After the base was built, I came here and opened a tea restaurant."

Du Haitao recalled that harrowing snow disaster. The heavy snow had swallowed his entire fortune, everything he had accumulated over years of hard work in the entertainment industry—the villas he bought were completely buried by the blizzard, the banks holding his savings collapsed one after another, and even his luxury cars were stolen by people taking advantage of the chaos...

After surviving that long and terrifying snow disaster, Du Haitao suddenly figured it out. Money and possessions were worldly things; living happily and healthily was all that truly mattered!

Snapping out of his terrible memories, Du Haitao continued asking Chen Momo, "Are you looking for a job?"

Chen Momo nodded. "I saw that this tea restaurant is hiring, so I came to get some details."

Du Haitao said, "Our tea restaurant pays 30 base credits an hour. It’s five hours a day from Monday to Friday, and eight hours a day on weekends."

After hearing this, Chen Momo felt it was too low. After all, the cost of living in the living center was very high. Working a part-time job would only provide a meager living, barely enough for food and clothing. So Chen Momo went to a few other shops that were hiring and asked around. The wages were roughly the same.

Chen Momo then left the recreation center and headed to the cafeteria to take a look.

It was past three in the afternoon, so there were not many diners left in the cafeteria. The chefs behind the counters were sitting on chairs, drowsy and half-asleep.

The cafeteria was massive, with over thirty counters in total, each serving different dishes. Naturally, the scarcer the dish, the more expensive it was. For example, rare ingredients like fresh vegetables and meat were dozens of times more expensive than ordinary dishes.