27

After a brief warm spell, the temperature began to drop again, this time with no signs of stopping.

However, the house remained warm and cozy.

Anne had somehow acquired a lot of furniture,

including a floor lamp, a thick plush blanket, a square low table, and two bean bag chairs.

The new mattress was excellent. Sleeping on it greatly alleviated my long-standing headache problem.

Chris, as the nominal captain and the actual laborer, continued to perform steadily.

He dismantled wooden boards from other beds, cut them to size, reinforced them with wire, and made two very sturdy ladders.

The height was just right for climbing from the car roof to the second-floor terrace. Despite his laziness, his craftsmanship was impeccable, far superior to mine.

We did not venture into other residential buildings, keeping them locked down for now. However, we did not spare any of the shops outside the community, searching each one thoroughly.

Most of the food was no longer edible.

We managed to supplement our stock of medicines and picked out some apples and oranges that looked good from a fruit shop. Even if they couldn't be eaten, saving their seeds was worthwhile.

Our biggest gain came from the agricultural supply store at the back gate of the community.

Besides seeds, we put in a lot of effort to haul back all the pesticides, fertilizers, potting soil, feed, and equipment we could carry.

Ever since we could bypass the lobby to go out, our travel frequency and efficiency had greatly improved.

No time of year was safer than a winter night.

All the zombies would return to the buildings early, allowing us to walk the streets unimpeded.

Often, we would move supplies outside during the day and transport them home at night.

To facilitate night missions, Chris made some simple mining helmets for us using glue, helmets, and lamps, freeing our hands completely.

Additionally, he custom-made a stand for my solar panels. However, this was a paid project outside of his regular working hours, part of our private deal.

In return, I moved the power generation equipment and the vegetable garden to the other two rooms on the 9th floor, dedicating the balcony to his rocking chair.

Judging by his sunbathing expression, he was quite satisfied with the trade.

Tonight, it was Anne's turn to cook.

I made a point of observing her.

Anne's cooking was excellent, especially her soups, unlike Chris, who always served us instant noodles and self-heating meals.

I watched as she put a little oil in the pot, waited for it to heat up, and then added the chopped bacon, stirring until it released a fragrant aroma. She then added cabbage, salt, and soy sauce in turn.

I handed her an egg. Anne skillfully separated the yolk from the white, beat the egg, and slowly poured it into the pot, turning the soup a tantalizing golden yellow.

"What's this?" I asked as she mysteriously pulled a bag from the cupboard.

"I found it," she whispered, "how is it?"

I took a look and saw it was a packet of concentrated soup base.

"I knew your soups were too good to be true. So you've been cheating," I exclaimed, feeling deceived.

"I'm just enhancing it," she quickly covered my mouth, "don't tell anyone."

Anne was very proud of her title as the kitchen goddess.

The stir-fried shredded potatoes were the first to be placed on the low table.

Her knife skills were impressive, with each potato shred cut long and evenly.

Soon, the rest of the dishes were served: a plate of dry-fried cauliflower, two portions of reheated braised pork from a can, and a large bowl of golden cabbage soup.

The three of us sat around the table.

The steam from the dishes warmed our faces, making us feel cozy all over.

I picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in my mouth. The balance of fat and lean meat was perfect. As I bit into it, the rich sauce flavor exploded between my teeth, instantly captivating my taste buds.

"By the way," Anne reminded me, "the kitchen just ran out of water, so remember to change the water barrel later."

"How did it go so fast?" I flipped through the ledger; we had already used eight barrels of water this week.

"Let me break it down for you," Anne counted on her fingers, "each person needs to drink 2 liters of water daily, 3 liters for washing up, another 3 liters for washing vegetables and dishes, and a bath once a week, with laundry every two weeks. We've been very frugal. The water just isn't enough."

We had come up with many ways to save water.

All the utensils were replaced with disposable ones to avoid wasting water on washing dishes.

We also started recycling water early on.

Water used for washing vegetables was reused for watering plants and mopping floors, and even the water from washing up was saved for flushing toilets.

But it still wasn't enough.

"If I remember correctly, there's a river around the community," Chris said, putting down his chopsticks. "This city has a well-developed water system. It should be able to meet our needs."

"Is the river water clean?" I asked,

considering the number of corpses that could have contaminated it.

"It should be fine," Anne agreed with Chris's suggestion. "We can filter and boil the river water for daily washing. Just don't mix it with our drinking water."

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