At noon, Su Mo and her companions had a simple meal before they went next door to visit Feng Qi, who had been injured while helping them—it was only right to pay him a visit.
She brought along many teas as a little gift.
Feng Qi, already looking lively with a rosy complexion, nearly tumbled out of bed at the sight of the teas.
Su Mo knew he was not in serious trouble and exchanged a few words with Feng Yao.
"There are just a few days left until New Year’s, come join us for a meal," she said.
Feng Yao’s gaze flickered and suddenly he reached out his hand, "On the way here, I actually owe you a thank-you. You gave me a new choice."
"I haven’t made you regret choosing me," Su Mo extended her hand and they shook hands solemnly.
Watching their clasped hands, Lu Chen’s expression was cold, "That’s enough, let’s go."
When Su Mo returned home, she started preparing to properly celebrate the New Year.
During that week, Rong Bai visited once and brought both good and bad news; the good news was that the flu outbreak had been successfully contained and the refugee camp was returning to normal. The bad news was that the superpower users who had recently been on missions came back with very poor harvests of supplies, hardly enough to go around. There were complaints about throwing out the ordinary people who couldn’t do anything but eat, and some were considering checking out the situation in City Y next door.
If things continued , the first to starve would be the superpower users who were working hard but couldn’t fill their bellies.
The situation in City P had deteriorated severely.
Lu Chen also tried many ways, meticulously searching the detailed map of City P, but unfortunately, this fallen city was not suitable for long-term development.
Unless they could get a lot of planting soil for cultivation and breeding, they would have to migrate elsewhere.
The atmosphere before New Year’s was unprecedentedly gloomy. The conflict between ordinary people and superpower users was gradually intensifying. If it weren’t for Rong Bai’s efforts to maintain control, it would have been very difficult for such a large refugee camp to function.
"How about the situation in City Y?" Lu Chen sat at the table while Su Mo was busy in the kitchen.
Their small house was packed with people.
Jin Han, Rong Bai, Feng Yao, and their people had all arrived. Jianxiong even had to move two sofas so that everyone could squeeze into the living room to wait for the New Year’s Eve dinner. Even the table was patched together from several borrowed from Rong Bai’s place.
Everyone was gathered around the table, discussing.
"The situation in City Y isn’t much better than ours; they’re just next door, and their supplies are almost depleted," Rong Bai leaned on the table with a lackluster expression, looking like he hadn’t slept well for quite some time.
Drinking the beer on the table, Jin Han breathed out contentedly, then showed his gold teeth as he said, "The supplies distributed to ordinary people have been halved recently, and many are starting to have health issues."
"If it goes on , after the flu ends, famine is going to be next," Jianxiong, who was always out of touch, understood this principle, so how could they not?
But even the smartest people were at their wits’ end with the current survival conditions.
Li Qian flipped open the tab of a can and set it down in front of Zhao Changsheng, then opened another for himself, speaking gently, "You all forgot the main point. Gucheng City has fallen, right? Those refugees will definitely come here, won’t they?"
Zhao Changsheng’s gaze flickered, but eventually, he took a sip from the beer can.
Rong Bai, resembling a lifeless fish sprawled on the table, said, "Of course I know that, but they are still far away from us. Given the time, they won’t arrive so soon."
Jiang Yulian, holding Jiang Zhuoyang, was also affected by everyone’s mood, "When will there be an end to these days?"
Su Mo placed the freshly cooked dishes on the table and, seeing the gloomy faces around her, felt a weight in her heart but still managed a smile, "Didn’t we agree to celebrate the New Year today? Why all the long faces? Come on, smile a little. There’s always a solution to our problems."
She was right, after all. Pondering over insolvable problems wouldn’t change anything even if one racked their brains.
Everyone set aside the burdensome topic and began to chat about this and that.
Lu Chen saw her busy by herself, pulled out a chair, and walked into the kitchen, "Need any help?"
Su Mo was stir-frying potato strips on a high flame when she heard the voice behind her and smiled, "No need, Aunt Jiang has prepped all the vegetables for me. Cooking them is quick. Go out and join the others."
Lu Chen didn’t leave but stood by her side. His cool fingertips wiped away the fine sweat from her forehead due to the cooking and he wrapped one arm around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.
The coolness from behind was quite comfortable to Su Mo. She said, "If it were summer, I’d hang onto you and never want to let go."
His chest vibrated against her back as laughter spilled from his lips, "You’re welcome anytime."
Still smiling, Su Mo listened to the noise outside and whispered, "Do we really have a way to move so many people? And if we do move, where will we go?"
They were like a piece of duckweed in the apocalypse, drifting endlessly, without a place to settle.
They had thought P City would be their home, but the crushing realities might force them to set sail once again.
Lu Chen’s laughter faded as he massaged her waist gently and said in a deep voice, "Don’t worry, there’s always a solution."
Su Mo turned off the heat, put the plated potato strips into his hands, tiptoed up to plant a kiss on his lips, "Take these out. I’ll be done soon."
The table was full of dishes, with fish, meat, and vegetables.
Su Mo made sixteen dishes, including several fish dishes in various flavors. Of course, the only one she had perfected was the braised fish. She hadn’t made the Crucian Carp Soup for tire repairing.
In the big iron pot in the center, she also cooked a hotpot. Although it didn’t come out with any superpower enhancements, the spicy broth filled with vegetables and homemade meatballs looked very appealing.
Su Mo filled her cup with wine and raised it high, everyone stood up, and she laughed, "Here’s to a new year, where good things come in pairs, and everything is prosperous and thriving. May we overcome all hardships and difficulties."
Everyone clinked glasses and drank up.
At that moment, smiles blossomed on everyone’s faces. The gloom of the apocalypse was temporarily forgotten, as they simply saw themselves as ordinary people celebrating the New Year and enjoying a reunion meal together.
This time, Lu Chen didn’t hold back on the alcohol either and kept generously pouring.
They talked and laughed about the days before the apocalypse, roasted the most terrible movies, and played drinking games, lifting the spirits to the pinnacle.
Both upstairs and downstairs lived Rong Bai’s soldiers and Hu Yan’s group. Hearing the lively sounds, they felt a bit envious.
Meanwhile, many in the refugee camp were staring up at the star-filled sky, whispering Happy New Year to each other.