Li Mei and Chen He made up a blended family.
There was no romantic involvement.
They just lived together to save on housing rent and conveniently take care of each other.
"This is really delicious." Tingting particularly loved fried rice with eggs, especially Auntie Li’s fried rice with eggs, which was her favorite.
Feifei proudly said, "My mom has great cooking skills, doesn’t she?"
"Yes, Auntie’s cooking is the best," Feifei agreed.
Li Mei smiled, "Tingting, Feifei, what would you like to eat for lunch?"
She had always been a housewife, and now more than ever, as the number of survivors in Sunshine District increased, there were more people available to work, unlike before when hands had been short.
She not only had to take care of the children but also tend to the crops and even keep an eye on the fishpond.
But now, she could wholeheartedly care for the children and, in her free time, watch over the vegetable garden.
The chives grew the fastest.
They would harvest one batch.
And in twenty-four hours, a lot would grow back.
Feifei mused, "Mom, I want to drink fish soup, nice white and fresh fish soup."
Li Mei replied with a smile.
She was very satisfied with her current life and her gratitude to Lin Fan was always buried in her heart, impossible to describe with mere words.
Tingting said, "Auntie, I want to eat spicy tofu."
Li Mei smiled. Making tofu was quite simple, as there were plenty of soybeans in the shelter, and sometimes, the women would work together to make tofu.
The elderly didn’t have good teeth and needed softer food, unlike the youngsters who could casually enjoy simple things like hotpot and instant noodles.
Chen He also smiled, deeply grateful to Li Mei. After all, she was the one preparing their three meals a day.
"Eat up quickly, you still have classes later," Li Mei urged.
Tingting was still very interested in her studies, while Feifei seemed somewhat helpless, having never thought that she would still have to study after the apocalypse.
Chen He curiously asked, "Tingting, how is your classmate Dongdong doing?"
The knowledge that Dongdong was a zombie, and the understanding of the dangers of zombies, were clear.
But all their trust in Dongdong was built on Lin Fan’s presence; they believed in Lin Fan, and so they trusted that Dongdong, the Monitoring Zombie, would not harm anyone, just like Officer Huang.
Tingting thought seriously, "Dongdong is really good. He never fidgets during class and seems to enjoy listening to the teacher. He just doesn’t like to answer questions and always sits still. Some classmates have tried to invite Dongdong to play, but he just gives us a look and then stares at the blackboard again."
Hearing his daughter say this, Chen He felt a bit nervous on the inside.
Goodness, the kids really are brave. If it were any adult in this situation, they would have been scared without knowing what to do.
Feifei said, "Tingting, Dongdong is just really focused on class. Even when it’s over, he thinks about what the teacher has taught."
"Yeah, you’re right, Sister Feifei," Tingting agreed.
Feifei was overjoyed to get Tingting’s approval.
She quickly finished her fried rice with eggs and grabbed Tingting’s hand as they both shouldered their backpacks and raced out of the house. When they got downstairs, Su Xiaoxiao called out to them, asking them to bring some bread to share with their classmates.
Chen He and Li Mei exchanged smiles, hopeful, "We just hope that these two sisters can grow up happy and healthy."
Li Mei said confidently, "They will."
"Mr. Lin, do you think I can make it over?"
He Qing asked with anticipation.
Having been told by Lin Fan that Sunshine Shelter had expanded enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people, or even more, his mind became active.
By now, if he couldn’t see reality clearly, that would be sheer foolishness, and calling it foolishness wasn’t even the right descriptor; without Lin Fan, he indeed had his own ideas.
But now, he had seen the light completely.
Assimilating was undoubtedly the wisest choice.
In this time, He Qing had pondered a lot about the future, possibly a vast human civilization based on Lin Fan, with systems and rules taking shape.
Of course, he knew he could never become the ruler of the entire shelter, but he was sure he had a corresponding status. Put simply, he believed he had organizational and leadership skills enough to be a mid-level leader.
The only thing that concerned him now was whether he could enter Sunshine District, especially since it had Officer Huang, who could distinguish wrongdoing.
Lin Fan said with a smile, "Mr. He, you’ve changed quite a bit during this time."
He Qing smiled. Of course, he had changed; he was now intent on being genuine and didn’t harbor any other thoughts.
In fact, he never imagined he could do such a thing.
To put it bluntly, it was like making a deal at a loss.
"Mr. Lin, I’ve been in the business world for decades, always remembering that the kind of people you follow will determine who you become. I know I used to only think about profits, but ever since I met Mr. Lin, my mindset has undergone a revolutionary change."
He Qing said earnestly.
Standing beside He Qing, Xu Yong also noticed that Boss He’s transformation was quite significant.
However, in his heart, the direction of Boss He’s change was the right one. To use the history of the Ming Dynasty for comparison, if Zhu Biao had lived, Zhu Di wouldn’t have coveted the throne, and that would have been the case for all princes.