Chapter 52 p2
When they left the main street, Ji Yang saw that every household was drying vegetables. Many of them had been dried for several days and had become dried vegetables. They had shrunk severely, but they could be preserved for a longer time.
Everyone was busy, and the children were also helping. Their faces were covered in sweat, but they still did not stop. Life was difficult and hard, but they were all filled with hope.
In her previous life, no one had known that there would be extreme heat in the future. Even if they had consciously hoarded grain, they had not realized many things. Only a few people had thought of it, which had led to a serious shortage of vegetables later, and many people had gotten sick because of it.
In addition, most families had solar panels. This thing was also a rare sight in her previous life.
Everything was much better than in her previous life.
Xie Muzhi couldn’t see behind him. He felt that Ji Yang was leaning on him with a little bit of exhaustion. He estimated that she was tired. The soft touch on his waist and abdomen made him unnaturally tense his muscles, and he also sped up a little. There were many pedestrians on the road at this time. He flexibly weaved through the crowd and soon reached the first district.
The guard at the gate saw that it was him and immediately opened the gate to let him in.
The small electric scooter stopped, and Ji Yang got off.
Xixi also came down from the front and quickly sized up the surroundings. It was its first time here. The smell here was mottled, and many people were coming and going, but there were many familiar smells inside, so it was not afraid. The first thing it did was to sniff and mark.
“Go upstairs and wash up first,” Xie Muzhi picked up her heavy hiking backpack.
Ji Yang followed him up.
The second floor was still the same as before. She was taken directly to the room that had not been opened before. The first thing that came into view was a very pink decoration, with light pink walls and bright milky white floors. At a glance, it made people feel warm.
A closer look revealed that the room was not big, but it had everything. The 1.8-meter bed was covered with a thick mattress, and there was also a layer of soft padding on top, but there were no bed sheets and the like.
Next to the head of the bed was a dressing table, which was not empty. There were even a comb, hair ties, hairpins, a curling iron, a hairdryer, and the skincare products she usually used.
Against the wall was a wardrobe, and on the other side was a desk, as well as some storage boxes for daily necessities.
Xie Muzhi coughed lightly, a little embarrassed that his thoughts were so exposed, but also a little like he was showing off a treasure. “This is prepared for you. It was renovated together when we moved in. You go and wash up first. I’ve moved the original things from next door here. They are all clean. I’ll go and make the bed first. What color of four-piece set do you like?”
Ji Yang did not speak immediately. She subconsciously looked at the large window of the room.
The window was not covered with curtains, and the scenery outside could still be clearly seen.
The blue sky and white clouds were as usual. Next to it were a few two-story small buildings. Some had been built into three stories. In a short period of time, the green plants had already shown some results, and there were occasionally some small colorful flowers as decoration. In a daze, Ji Yang almost thought that she had left the apocalyptic world.
Seeing that she was not speaking, Xie Muzhi became anxious. “You don’t like it?”
He had not been to her room and did not know how Ji Yang’s room was decorated. The little bit that he had accidentally glimpsed when he had opened and closed the door seemed to be similar to this, but it was brighter and more spacious.
She usually liked to hug fluffy pillows or the fluffy Xixi at home. The living room and room she often used were all covered with soft carpets, so he had designed it this way.
Of course, the conditions were limited, and it was hot now, so he had removed the carpets and the like.
Ji Yang came to her senses and looked at the man in front of her, whose eyes were a little apprehensive. She suddenly smiled. “No, I’m very surprised, and I like it very much. For the four-piece set, I want a cool color tone, so it’s cooler.”
With that, she raised her arm and hooked it around the neck of the person in front of her. She stood on her tiptoes, and a loud “smack” kiss landed on his lips. Seeing the joyful and handsome face that instantly bloomed, she kissed him a couple more times and said with a smile, “Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I’m going to wash up.”
Xie Muzhi’s cheeks immediately turned red.
They had just gotten together, and it was only because of the heavy rain that they could spend a few days together. It was not easy for their feelings to become familiar, but in the blink of an eye, they had been separated for ten days. In the middle of it, due to the limited conditions, there had been no contact. When they suddenly saw each other, he was actually a little unfamiliar.
He was also afraid that Ji Yang would be distant from him because of this.
So, all the way, he had only dared to hold her hand.
But now, with this kiss, the sense of unfamiliarity immediately disappeared. He reluctantly held the person in front of him by the waist and asked in a low voice, “One more kiss?”
Ji Yang readily agreed, and soon her lips and teeth were carefully touched.
She vaguely felt that the lips that did not belong to her seemed to be trembling slightly, but in just a short period of time, after the tentative licking was not rejected, it quickly and wantonly invaded, making even Ji Yang unable to hold on, and her breathing became rapid.
At this time, Xixi had finished marking the downstairs and came to find its owner. It ran into this scene, and it was not as angry as the first time. It was just that this time it had no bed, so it circled around the two of them, its dog eyes looking at them curiously.
Who could still kiss like this?
Ji Yang turned her head.
Xie Muzhi’s pursuing lips landed on her side face. He still wanted to continue, but she covered his mouth. “That’s enough, that’s enough. I’m going to take a bath.”
Xie Muzhi said “mm” reluctantly, held the person tightly, and looked at the silly dog in annoyance before he let go. “I’ll go and get some water.”
The water had been prepared long ago, but it needed to be brought over here.
Ji Yang took this time to take out a change of clothes from her bag. Summer was good for one thing: it was convenient to take a bath. Since she was not going back tonight because she was mesmerized by the handsome man, she didn’t have to wear the long-sleeved pants for going out. She changed into a more comfortable loose short-sleeved T-shirt and shorts.
Xie Muzhi brought the water over and reminded her, “There are a lot of cockroaches and mosquitoes now. The sewers are all blocked. The government will disinfect once every morning and evening. If you do a good job of hygiene at home, there won’t be many of these things. It’s just that the water from washing can’t go down the sewer. Call me when you’re done, and I’ll take it down. It just so happens that there are vegetables planted on the first floor. This water can be used to water the vegetables.”
Ji Yang was surprised. “Where did the soil come from?”
You had to know that the base was elevated.
And now, most of the land might have been submerged.
Xie Muzhi: “The government collected a lot in advance. You can buy it for a very cheap price. If you don’t want to spend points, you can also go and dig on the mountains that haven’t been submerged. It’s just a little far. Most people choose to buy it directly.”
Ji Yang’s eyes lit up. That was quite good.
And she suddenly realized a benefit—the Changnan Base had not been submerged and was a certain distance from the accumulated water, so the number of crawling insects like cockroaches was not as many as in the Hu City base.
—
After a busy afternoon, Ji Yang’s hair had also been soaked with sweat several times, so she also washed her hair at this time.
Xie Muzhi had prepared a lot of water. She glanced at it and felt that it was also very clean, no different from ordinary water. She couldn’t even smell the disinfectant. It was much more than the water she had received at the base in her previous life.
She used it with peace of mind.
The shampoo and shower gel were also prepared by Xie Muzhi. The packaging was very simple, and the instructions were even simpler. The place of origin was the Changnan Base. It seemed that it was produced after the apocalypse. The ingredients were all very natural and simple, mainly soapberries.
This water could indeed be used to water vegetables.
After her bath, Ji Yang came out with her wet hair wrapped in a towel. She found that the bed had been made. The color was like a pinkish pearl, with a pearly white sheen. It was made of silk, and at a glance, the color looked like a large, irregular pearl.
Just looking at it made her feel cool.
The dog bed had also appeared. It was in the corner opposite the head of the bed. There was a snack rack and a car refrigerator on the desk. The air conditioner was also on, blowing cold wind. The dog was comfortably sleeping on the floor, too lazy to move.
Looking at it this way, the atmosphere of life immediately became richer.
It was a good little nest.
Ji Yang was very satisfied. Xie Muzhi was not here, and she was too lazy to go down. It was still very hot outside, so she directly took out her walkie-talkie. “I’m done washing.”
“Right away,” the other side replied.
Soon, the sound of footsteps was heard. Xie Muzhi came up to pour the water, and Ji Yang was blow-drying her hair. Her hair was already very long, reaching below her ribs. The thick long hair was a torture for summer.
Even though she was not short of water, in the coming continuous high-temperature weather, it was no different from wearing a scarf on her head.
As she was blow-drying, she thought of cutting her hair.
She couldn’t cut it herself, but there must be someone in this base who could cut hair. She quickly said, “Xie Muzhi, can you help me find a barber? I want to cut my hair.”
Xie Muzhi replied, “Okay.”
Ji Yang continued to blow-dry. The hair passed through her fingers, smooth, black, and shiny, without a single bit of the dryness from malnutrition in her previous life. She was quite reluctant to part with it. In her previous life, she had cut it during the extreme cold. At that time, there was not enough firewood, and it was troublesome to boil water. It was also too cold, and there was no hairdryer. After washing her hair, it could directly form a block of ice on her head. After trying it once, she had immediately found someone to borrow a clipper and had shaved it all off.
Since then, she had never had long hair again.
But in this life, with the conditions, she wouldn’t be a little bald head. A short hairstyle to cool herself down was enough.
After her hair was completely blow-dried and tied up, it was already more than ten minutes later.
The fragrance of the food from downstairs had long since drifted up. In the middle of it, Luo Laosan and the others had come back, chatted for a few sentences, and had a couple of bites to eat before they had left. The villa was quite quiet.
As for Xixi…
It had long since run down to play.
Ji Yang didn’t go down. She hid in the cool air-conditioned room and took photos as a memento.
Her long hair was about to leave her. At least for the next two years, she would not be able to have long hair. She had to take a few more photos.
Of course, what was also photographed was this room that was specially left for her. She had taken many photos. When she felt that it was about enough, the walkie-talkie happened to ring, calling her down for dinner.
Ji Yang was very active. When she reached the first floor, the fragrance went straight to her nose. “So fragrant!”
Xie Muzhi was carrying the last dish to the dining table. Hearing this, he smiled. “You eat first. I’ll go and get the rice.”
“Mm,” Ji Yang nodded repeatedly. The two of them and the dog were eating. The portion of these things was not small. Three dishes and one soup: oyster sauce lettuce, fried food, mushroom soup, and the heavyweight dish—chicken pot.
This thing was so fragrant. She had smelled its fragrance when she was upstairs.
Xie Muzhi had said he would fry mushrooms, but in fact, it was not just mushrooms. He had also fried some vegetables, such as eggplant, green beans, baby cabbage, enoki mushrooms, and fried chicken wings. A large basin was full. If she couldn’t finish it, she could put it in the refrigerator and freeze it. When she wanted to eat it, she could just put it in the oven for five minutes and eat the crispy and delicious food. It was like a small snack that she could eat at any time.
Ji Yang was so satisfied just by looking at it.
In life, there was nothing more than eating, drinking, and having fun.
There was no fun now, so it was eating and drinking.
She casually picked up a mushroom that was coated with batter and fried until the skin was golden brown. With one bite, a “crunch” sound was heard between her lips and teeth. Then came the crisp and tender mushroom, and the light layer of salt and pepper and cumin on the outside.
“Delicious!” Ji Yang did not hesitate to praise and also threw a piece to Xixi, who was looking on with anticipation. It just so happened that Xie Muzhi had brought the rice over. She also picked up a piece and handed it over. “Come and have a taste of what you made yourself. Is it good?”
“It’s good,” he had just eaten it, and Xie Muzhi immediately nodded.
It was clearly a perfunctory reaction, but he said it with extreme seriousness.
Ji Yang’s eyes rolled. She went to pick up a clove of minced garlic for him. “Here, have another taste of this.”
Xie Muzhi could eat things made with garlic, but he didn’t like to eat garlic directly like this. He would always deliberately avoid it. Sure enough, just as it was brought to his mouth, his face stiffened.
She had thought that he would directly move it away. Just as Ji Yang showed a smile, she saw him slightly lower his head and take the minced garlic, chewing it with his brows slightly furrowed, and then he said two words, “It’s okay.”
Ji Yang tutted. “Why isn’t it delicious?”
Xie Muzhi chuckled, then leaned over and kissed her on the lips. He then quickly moved away and nodded seriously. “It’s delicious like this.”
Ji Yang: …
They hadn’t seen each other for a few days, and he seemed to have become even better at flirting.
Ji Yang pinched his cheek in annoyance. “Alright, let’s eat.”
Xie Muzhi obediently sat down.
—
A good night’s sleep
The next morning, Ji Yang met the barber.
A thin and tall woman. Even though the conditions were difficult and her clothes were not very good, her ear-length golden short hair was still fresh and beautiful. When she saw Ji Yang and caught a glimpse of her tied-up long hair, she immediately asked enthusiastically, “What kind of hairstyle do you want? You’re very good-looking, and your hair is long enough. You can do a big curl, or a wool curl…”
Ji Yang was a little embarrassed and interrupted her recommendation. “Help me cut it short. I want short hair, about a little longer than a buzz cut is enough.”
The barber’s smile stiffened, and she looked at the long black hair with great heartache. “Are you really going to cut it short?”
Ji Yang nodded. “Yes, it’s too hot. Whatever is comfortable.”
The barber sighed, wet her hair, and didn’t have to wash it again. She directly started to cut. Xie Muzhi was watching from the side. When the first scissor went down, his eyelids twitched, and he belatedly felt that it was a pity. He quickly found a cloth and placed it on a chair next to him. “Put the cut hair here.”
“Okay,” the barber nodded in understanding.
At this time, with such good hair quality, it was really rare. It should be kept as a memento.
This girl looked quite rich, but she was willing to cut it off. It was really incomprehensible. She had served many rich people in this base. Even the older ladies were reluctant to cut it off. Instead, they would still do all kinds of hairstyles like before the disaster. It didn’t matter if it was difficult to manage. They had the ability to create good conditions for themselves.
Strands of long hair were cut off. Even though her hair was not dry yet, Ji Yang felt her head become lighter.
The final product made her eyes light up.
This barber’s skills were indeed not bad. After she had cut it according to the requirements, it was a little longer than a buzz cut, about two or three centimeters. The hair was cut in layers and was very layered. It was not specially permed, and after it was directly blow-dried, it was also fluffy enough. The three-seven bangs slightly covered her forehead, but the other places were not covered, revealing a beautiful face.
It just so happened that Ji Yang had a good appetite and had eaten a lot. Her cheeks were still a little fleshy. With this hairstyle, and her bright and clear big eyes, her age suddenly dropped by several years.
Ji Yang was happy. She still looked quite good without her long hair.
The barber also breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at her own finished product, she smiled proudly. “I’ve thinned it a little for you, but the outer layer of hair is not. It just happens to prop up the top of your head and make it more fluffy. If you pay a little attention when you blow-dry your hair, it will be much cooler. It is estimated that you will have to re-style it in two or three months. You can also find me then.”
“Okay!” Ji Yang even specially asked for the barber’s name.
This time, the door-to-door haircut was fifty points.
If it were a perm or dye, it would be another price. Xie Muzhi had already paid the money. The barber put on her tool bag and left with light steps. Although there were not many people who were willing to get a haircut in these times, most of them would just use a clipper. But just that small portion of demand was enough for her to eat and drink her fill and still have some left to buy grain.
She had earned another fifty today. She could buy a little more vegetables and dry them to eat later. There was also a family that had booked a styling for today in the afternoon.
This life is still quite hopeful!