"You don't need to go into the water. I have a water pump for washing cars here. The only problem is that the hose isn't long enough to reach the courtyard. Just wash it outside. Pull up a cloth while you're at it. It doesn't matter if the zombies see it. Let's go, San'er, let's connect the water pump and hose first!"

In reality, Hong Tao didn't dare to go into the water either. There definitely wouldn't be any zombies, but what if the fish mutated too and took a bite? But he had a solution. If he couldn't soak in a pond or take a shower, it didn't matter. It was summer and it wasn't cold anyway.

"Bro, is this the women's bathhouse? I'll guard this side later. Don't you dare steal it from me!" The two of them placed the water pump and connected the hose to the branches of two trees on the left and right. They used a canopy as a fence. While Jiao San tied it up, he issued a warning to Hong Tao.

"Look at you, the third young master of the Jiao family, reduced to guarding the women's bathhouse. Aren't you afraid of losing face if this gets out?" Hong Tao didn't really have that in mind. If it weren't for the fear of zombies coming, who would want to guard for others under the scorching sun? Not to mention Linna, he wouldn't even serve Yang Guifei.

"Losing face? It would be great if someone could lose face... I'll love whoever I want to love. Let's make ourselves comfortable first!" Jiao San shrugged indifferently, then stood further away and looked at the sunlight shining through the canopy, expressing his satisfaction!

"..." Hong Tao simply ignored him. They say that the environment changes people, but this was too fast. It had only been a few days and everything had changed so completely. It felt like he had completely let go of himself!

The first ones to come out to bathe were Linna and Zhang Tao. Hong Tao stood guard on the east side as agreed, while Jiao San took the position closer to the women's bathhouse on the west side. However, after watching for a few minutes, Hong Tao realized that Jiao San had miscalculated. His side was against the light, so all he could see was silhouettes amidst the glaring sunlight.

On the other hand, Hong Tao's side was more suitable. There were only two points connecting the canopy cloth and the tree trunk, and a gentle breeze blew from the lake, causing the cloth to billow like a sail. Then, a gap appeared, revealing everything. It was perfect!

In reality, Jiao San could also see the panorama through the gap, but due to the angle, he could only see the men's bathhouse. The effect was naturally different from this side.

"..." If they could see the inside from the outside, then naturally they could see the outside from the inside. A gust of wind blew, and Linna was smiling at him through the gap. Hong Tao could only look up at the sky and then waved at Jiao San, motioning for him to come over.

Since they were buddies, they couldn't be selfish. This girl was very smart. In order to survive and live better in the apocalypse, she had already started looking for someone to rely on. Obviously, he wasn't the best choice. For the long-term stability of the group, it would be better for her to communicate more with Jiao San.

Zhou Jinlan's cooking skills were indeed top-notch. She turned simple shrimp into shrimp balls. The frozen squid, fish balls, and large shrimp that they had scavenged from various refrigerators in the past two days, along with luncheon meat and Chinese lettuce, were cooked into a large pot of spicy hot pot. The color didn't look as bright as a restaurant's, but the taste was absolutely delicious, and the cooking time was perfect.

With such delicious food, shouldn't they have a few drinks? They could choose from over forty bottles of high-proof liquor. They could drink whichever one they wanted. One bottle for one cup, another bottle for another cup. If they couldn't handle it, they could just throw it away! Don't be stingy. There were too many bottles. They couldn't finish drinking them even if they drank every day. They didn't even bother bringing low-proof liquor home. There was no place to put it.

"After we finish eating, I'll take everyone to choose a house. The courtyard on the west side and the courtyard on the north side were both cleaned up a few days ago. You can choose whichever room you want to live in. If there's anything missing in the house, you can go to another house to get it. In the afternoon, I will check the circuit and pull the main line from the transformer to the courtyard. Once it's connected to the battery pack, we can have lighting and power. But for now, let's not use it openly. We don't have such a big inverter at the moment. We can use the lighting and TV, and there's no problem charging our phones, but let's not use anything else for now. If we burn out the inverter, we'll be left in the dark!"

After three rounds of drinking and five flavors of food, Hong Tao put down his cup and got to the main point. Suddenly, four more people appeared. There were enough rooms in the small courtyard, but he didn't want to arrange it like that. More people would come in the future. They couldn't all squeeze together. It wouldn't be comfortable or safe.

"Do we have water? Water for flushing the toilet?" Linna felt a bit disappointed that they couldn't live in this courtyard, but she didn't insist. She just raised a very crucial question. It would be a bit suffocating if it still smelled like being trapped on the top floor.

"Oh right, I forgot to mention. You guys probably haven't lived in a flat X house before. Some rooms have added bathrooms, while others don't. You need to go to the public toilets outside. I suggest choosing a room with a bathroom first. It's not very safe outside. The water problem is easily solved. We can get it from the lake behind. One bucket is enough for a day."

Hong Tao didn't criticize her for this request. Many young people hadn't lived in a flat X house before. They were born and raised in high-rise buildings. It wasn't being picky, it was just a matter of habit.

"Great, great. Before Jinlan and I got married, we lived in a flat X house for a while, right behind Xidan. Now, no matter what, we finally have a nest. We have to thank Comrade Lao Hong for this. Come, let's have another toast!" Director Liu was in a good mood at the dining table. He raised his glass frequently, and more than half of the toasts were thanking Hong Tao. Here he goes again."Well then, I won't refuse your compliments... But don't get too comfortable yet. Our current situation is only temporary. If we want to maintain it in the long run, we need to put in a lot of effort. I don't mean to dampen your spirits, but we are pressed for time and have a lot of work to do. Let's rest for today and tidy up the house. We'll gather here at six o'clock sharp tomorrow morning to assign tasks. Is that okay?"

Hong Tao was never one to refuse praise or a helping hand. But once he accepted the praise and the help, he wouldn't hold back his words or shirk his duties.

"Six o'clock... Isn't that too early?" As soon as they heard about work, everyone quieted down. The first to object was Zhang Tao.

"...I also think it's a bit early..." This time, Linna didn't take a firm stand, but followed Zhang Tao's lead.

"..." Liu Quanyou and his wife exchanged glances, but neither of them said anything.

"Hehe, if we still had nightlife, if we could still stay up late with the lights on, I definitely wouldn't ask you to get up so early. But things are different now. There's no internet, no nightclubs, no bars, not even TV channels or radio stations. In the summer, it gets dark at eight o'clock in the evening and light at four o'clock in the morning. Going to bed early and getting up early will become the norm. There's no choice!" Hong Tao understood Zhang Tao and Linna's opinions, but he couldn't support them. It's a matter of getting used to it.

"...Will going to bed so early cause insomnia..." Linna was still resisting. Among these people, she was probably the one who loved to sleep in the most, not getting up until noon every day.

"You might have trouble sleeping tonight, but starting from tomorrow night, you definitely won't..." Hong Tao grinned, revealing a sly smile.

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"Why..." Linna didn't understand.

"Because you'll be tired... I was so tired on the first day that I fell asleep on the sofa and didn't even dream until dawn. Hong Brother and I cleared out these two courtyards room by room, killing nearly a hundred zombies and making dozens of trips to transport things. Hong Brother did all the heavy work like moving batteries and gas cylinders, he was even more tired."

Chu Qiu, who had been quiet all along, finally spoke up. She should have been happy to have new people join them. She no longer had to face her landlord's sour face all day, had help with the work, and someone to chat with. It was a good thing. But she remained silent, not wanting to say a word unless Linna kept asking.

"..." Chu Qiu's words silenced everyone.

"Alright, working isn't that scary. You'll get used to it. Come on, let's go get our gifts and move into our new home!" As the leader of the group, Hong Tao not only had to steer the right direction, but also had to take care of the group's morale. He couldn't let them get too down, nor too excited.

With Jiao San's private advice, Linna moved into the small turret of Feng San's house alone. Unfortunately, there were no windows on the south and east sides of the turret, otherwise, she could chat with the people in the courtyard from the second floor.

This was also the root cause of the long-standing feud between Feng San and Hong Tao. When Feng San wanted to add a second floor, Hong Tao adamantly refused to allow windows on these two sides. The dispute even went to the local government's urban construction department, but in the end, Hong Tao won, and the two families became enemies.

Following the principle of sticking together for warmth, Liu Quanyou and his wife chose a house opposite Feng San's. There were originally three rooms here, with two more added as a kitchen and bathroom, more than enough for the two of them.