As evening falls, the sky darkens.
Even though it’s already summer, the temperature difference between day and night is great.
Over thirty degrees during the day, it can drop to the teens or even seven or eight degrees at night.
Water mixed with yellow and black drips onto the floor of the bathroom, the drain makes a sizzling sound as the water spirals down, usually caused by some congestion.
Ma Di holds a pair of scissors, cutting off his matted hair until only one to two centimeters remain.
A face full of runaway stubble is also shaven with a razor. Of course, the stubble had to be trimmed with scissors before shaving.
He took a full hour to wash.
An hour later, he dried himself off, put on soft, skin-fitting loungewear, and walked out of the room.
He caught Lai Dongsheng just as he came out, and Lai Dongsheng almost didn’t recognize him at a glance.
The transformation was too drastic.
Previously disheveled with matted hair and a dirty face that was unrecognizable.
Now, standing before Uncle Lai was a middle-aged man brimming with the air of a scholar, not handsome per se, but definitely with a literary bearing.
"Brother Lai, hello," Ma Di said.
It wasn’t until Lai Dongsheng heard his voice that he confirmed it was Ma Di. He smiled and said, "Hey, I almost didn’t recognize you. Alright, it’s about time for dinner. Come on, let’s go eat."
Ma Di nodded. When he was previously confined in the dark room, his meals were very basic, just enough to ensure he wouldn’t starve, standard issue stuff.
But the food of the people guarding him outside the dark room always made him envious.
Some animals were killed in the base a while ago, and they hadn’t finished eating them yet.
Ma Di followed Lai Dongsheng down the stairs, encountering other people from the base along the way. Many people looked at Ma Di with fresh eyes, sizing him up.
Lai Dongsheng introduced him to the others, saying that Ma Di had now joined the base.
Everyone had different expressions but extended their congratulations, welcoming him to the base as one of them.
Some people even enthusiastically explained the situation in the base to Ma Di, and learning that Ma Di was from Xin City, many people became even friendlier towards him.
The group arrived at the dining hall.
In the hall, with rows and rows of tables, there were no particular seats, everyone was the same, similar to a school setting where each person took their own bowl and went to the serving counter to get their food.
Today’s dinner consisted of cucumber salad, stir-fried winter melon with meat, and fried locusts with hot peppers.
The locusts from some time ago, after being deep-fried, had been preserved and lasted a long time, so they were brought out every now and then as a dish.
And surprisingly, the people in the base rather liked it.
Ma Di, holding the bowl he was given, got his meal. The rice could be added freely, looking at the white, plump grains of rice.
With emotions running deep in his heart, his stomach couldn’t help but grumble with hunger.
Li Yu also entered the dining hall and saw Ma Di sitting there. After getting his food, he sat down beside Ma Di and said with a smile, "How does it feel?"
Ma Di stopped eating and looked up at Li Yu with a smile, "Very good, like I’ve been reborn."
"Ha ha ha, just wait." Li Yu said to him.
Then he knocked on his bowl, the sound of steel striking attracted everyone’s attention.
The whole dining hall quieted down, looking at Li Yu.
Li Yu, seeing that everyone was quiet, spoke to everyone, "You’ve all seen this brother by my side, Ma Di.
You should all be familiar with him already, just that today, after cleaning up, he was almost unrecognizable."
Li Yu continued, "Ma Di used to be a researcher at XX Pharmaceutical Company, specializing in the research of the ’Antidote’ that treats the virus.
As of today, he has officially joined us.
Bai Jie, from now on he’ll be working with you. Later, you guys should discuss work matters.
Let’s welcome Ma Di’s joining."
Then he led the applause, and the rest of the crowd followed suit with a round of clapping.
Ma Di had left Xin City since college, studying in the north for university, graduate and doctorate abroad, and working in big cities after graduation until the apocalypse broke out.
Being away from home, drifting for so long, rarely returning each year.
On the way to the dining hall, he learned that most of the people in the base were from Xin City now. The same dialect and deep-seated memories surged in his mind.
The sense of familiarity and belonging immediately made him feel at ease.
At this moment, seeing everyone warmly clapping to welcome him, he didn’t know why, but the feeling of loneliness that had lingered since the death of his parents and family dissipated in an instant.
The taste of hometown, the people of hometown, after drifting for so long, he realized what he was incessantly longing for was home after all.
He was somewhat moved, not sure what to say. He just stood up and bowed to everyone.
Li Yu, as usual, came to the wall, where Dapao, Old Lü, Second Uncle, and others were present.
Second Uncle looked at Li Yu, silent for a while, then asked, "Did he agree?"
Others were unclear, although they knew Second Uncle was referring to Ma Di, they didn’t know what he had agreed to.