When dinner time arrived, Chen Xin, who had been busy all afternoon, returned to Qin Lan’s room to find her and go to dinner together.
"Ah Lan, what were you up to this afternoon?" However, Qin Lan wasn’t in her room, and Chen Xin had to wait for a while before she returned, which naturally made him curious.
"I was clearing some work I’ve accumulated over the past few days." Upon seeing Chen Xin waiting, Qin Lan felt a bit embarrassed but quickly explained her afternoon work without going into details: "Ah Xin, have I kept you waiting? Let’s go eat."
"I haven’t waited long, just got back. Let’s go grab dinner together." Chen Xin wasn’t curious about what Qin Lan did in the afternoon and simply called her to head towards the cafeteria.
With the absence of the political commissar and Uncle Ding at dinner, Chen Xin and Qin Lan felt more at ease and chatted about more casual topics.
But as they were chatting, a SWAT team member suddenly joined in, eagerly saying to Qin Lan: "Sister Lan, you’re finally back! When can you help us trade for alcohol from your friend? The guys are dying for a drink!"
"Ah! I forgo... remembered! Have you got everything ready? If so, I’ll go tonight." Qin Lan had obviously forgotten about this, but quickly covered up her slip of tongue.
Qin Lan had promised her SWAT teammates to help them find Mo Qingyan to trade for alcohol, but the task was forgotten after getting delayed at Chen Xin’s place for two days.
Luckily, this wasn’t an urgent matter, and since her SWAT teammates hadn’t gathered all the exchange items yet, it didn’t matter that Qin Lan forgot.
Now that it was brought up, Qin Lan only needed to help trade for the alcohol, which wasn’t a big deal. Mo Qingyan’s house was near the municipal office, and it was walkable even in this weather.
"We’ve had everything ready for a while, just waiting for you to come back, Sister Lan!" The SWAT member, hearing Qin Lan’s promise, didn’t mind her almost forgetting: "Since you’re going to trade the alcohol tonight, I’ll deliver the things to your place now!"
With that, the SWAT member hurriedly left the cafeteria, not caring about dinner.
Seeing him leave, Chen Xin chuckled: "Ah Lan, is your SWAT team really short on alcohol?"
"Not short exactly; it’s just that no one has had a drink for months." Qin Lan helplessly explained what had happened earlier and added: "I was supposed to help them trade for alcohol before, but got delayed at your place for two days, hence the delay."
"Oh~ Now I get it!" Chen Xin grinned mischievously upon realizing the situation.
Seeing the mischievous grin on Chen Xin’s face, how could Qin Lan not know what he was thinking? Her cheeks flushed, she kicked him under the table.
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry!" Chen Xin immediately stopped teasing her after being kicked and changed the subject: "So, are you planning to go to Dragon’s place tonight?"
"Yes, let’s go after dinner. Qingyan’s place is not far from the municipal office; we can walk there." Qin Lan nodded in agreement.
Chen Xin didn’t oppose, but while agreeing to accompany Qin Lan to Mo Qingyan’s, he thought of something else: "Is alcohol really in such short supply now? Even your SWAT team doesn’t have any?"
"It’s not completely gone, but most people haven’t had a drink since the disaster, even if some was stored before, it was used up in the first couple of months." Qin Lan explained, recalling what her teammates had told her about alcohol.
Hearing this, Chen Xin nodded in understanding. Official shelters and private shelters differ in terms of resource reserves and consumption.
"According to you, Ah Lan, then Little Dragon’s black market could have great potential!" From Qin Lan’s description, Chen Xin saw a business opportunity: "Growing grain to brew alcohol and trading that for resources could work out well."
But Qin Lan furrowed her brows: "That wouldn’t work, right? Food is already scarce, where would there be extra grain for brewing?"
"That’s not certain. To some people, you could ask them to skip a meal and they’d happily save up their grain to brew alcohol." Chen Xin knows well about some people’s passion for alcohol.
Flame Country people may not go to extremes like West Asia people drinking antifreeze or detergent for alcohol, but skipping a meal for a drink is something some would do.
Hearing Chen Xin say this, and thinking about her teammates eager for alcohol, Qin Lan couldn’t help but shake her head without further comment.
After dinner, they returned to Qin Lan’s room to gather their things, since if they decided to go to Mo Qingyan’s, they needed to put on protective gear.
However, upon returning to the room, they saw a cardboard box at the door and two SWAT team members chuckling awkwardly nearby. Qin Lan couldn’t help but shake her head: "Really? Are you worried I’d pocket your stuff?"
"Come on, Sister Lan, if you get us alcohol, this box of stuff could be a tribute to you!" One of the SWAT members hastily fawned over Qin Lan.
Qin Lan shook her head with a sigh: "Alright, leave it there, we’ll change into our gear and help you trade for alcohol. You can come pick it up later."
"Thank you, Sister Lan! Thank you, Sister Lan!" The two SWAT members kept thanking her, even offering: "Sister Lan, want us to help carry it out? The box is a bit heavy."
"No need, Ah Lan and I can carry it ourselves. Just wait to drink tonight." Before Qin Lan could respond, Chen Xin declined their offer.
Seeing this, Qin Lan merely thanked them for their kindness, and she and Chen Xin carried the box inside and closed the door.
With that, the two SWAT members could only turn and leave.
Inside the room, Qin Lan curiously asked Chen Xin: "Ah Xin, are you worried about others finding out Qingyan’s location?"
"It’s always good to be cautious. With so much alcohol at Qingyan’s, I’m worried someone might have bad intentions." Chen Xin nodded directly: "After all, it’s just her and her sister there, and if someone with ill intentions decided on them, they might not handle it."