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“You have so many children?” Jiang Ci couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. This was the largest family she had seen in the apocalypse.
“Yes,” Zhao Ping replied, carrying a large bundle. When he saw Jiang Ci, he set it down. “They’re all well-behaved and won’t cause any trouble.”
“It’s fine. Our staff dormitories are quite soundproof. Besides, with so many children, the older ones can help with packing vegetables and earn points every day,” Jiang Ci said, looking at the girl that was five years old. Though she appeared thin and small, she was clean and tidy.
This level of care showed just how much effort Zhao Ping had put into raising them.
“I can help. I’m very strong,” the oldest girl quickly stepped forward and said.
Jiang Ci nodded. “Alright, then I’ll make arrangements for you. I won’t keep you from moving in any longer. Go get settled, and then come find me later to handle your identity cards.”
Zhao Ping nodded, picked up his large bundle again, and continued leading the eight children forward.
It was still early, and some of the staff who were still in the dormitory buildings proceeded to greet Zhao Ping and his group warmly.
The atmosphere here was much better than in their previous base.
In their previous base, dozens of people had to share a large communal sleeping area, and with such a large group, it was a given that not everyone would get along. Because Zhao Ping had so many children with him and as a result, occupied two sleeping spots, they often faced harsh words from those who disapproved.
But here it was different, and they were often met with smiles, kindness, and a warm welcome.
“Need any help?” A kind-hearted survivor stepped forward to offer their assistance, not waiting for Zhao Ping’s response before taking the packages from the children’s hands and heading upstairs.
Now, not only could the eight children stop their smiles, but even Zhao Ping eventually gave in, smiling bashfully.
Their home was on the third floor and was the unit at the very end. As soon as the door opened, the morning sunlight streamed in through the window.
The children cheered and ran towards the large window.
The youngest child turned to Zhao Ping, eyes full of anticipation, and asked, “Is this our own house? Will anyone else live here? Will they call Little Eight a burden anymore?”
Hearing Little Eight’s string of questions, Zhao Ping’s heart ached. He stepped forward and gently patted Little Eight’s head, “From now on, we’ll be the only ones living here. No one will ever bully Little Eight again.”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t protect you well enough,” Zhao Ping said as he crouched down to Little Eight’s level.
He had to earn crystal cores to support so many children and couldn’t always stay at home, so it was inevitable that he couldn’t keep an eye on everything all the time.
Little Eight shook his head, speaking with utmost seriousness, “No, Dad is the best dad.”
Zhao Ping’s eyes reddened as he gingerly hugged Little Eight.
The children were quite interested in the work could earn them points which Jiang Ci had mentioned. Although they didn’t yet know what points were, Jiang Ci had said they could be exchanged for food and supplies.
“Stay home and tidy up. I’ll go downstairs to handle the identity registration first, and then we’ll talk about the work,” Zhao Ping said before heading downstairs.
On the way, he encountered other employees, already dressed in their uniforms and ready to start work.
“My daughter is over there packing vegetables. There are several other kids there too, and it’s completely safe with another employee looking after them. Honestly, these jobs don’t really need our kids, but Boss Jiang has a kind heart. It’s like she’s given us a temporary place to entrust our children, so we can work with peace of mind,” said a survivor who had seen Zhao Ping and his eight children on the way, unable to resist sharing about his own child as well.
Zhao Ping was also quite moved. Boss Jiang was indeed a great boss, no wonder everyone was eager to be accepted into this workplace.
“Right, Boss Jiang even pays the kids, haha, they’re even earning their own keep.”
The atmosphere was relaxed and natural, with everyone talking about their children and their work, making Zhao Ping feel as if he had returned to the days before the apocalypse. Then, despite usually being a man of few words, he joined in the conversation.
Today he wore a mask but no hat, so the scars on his face were still visible, yet no one looked at him strangely, or rather, their gazes didn’t linger on his face at all.
This was a suggestion made by his teammate yesterday. Since he was going to work here for a long time, he couldn’t keep hiding his appearance forever.
“You can take it slow, start by taking off your hat.”
Soon, Zhao Ping understood why everyone’s gazes were unsurprised. A girl whose legs were amputated and was sitting in a wheelchair suddenly appeared before him.
She maneuvered the wheelchair with ease, and some even joked about racing her, their tones devoid of any awkwardness or pity, treating her just like any other normal survivor.
This was the unique thoughtfulness and kindness of the good-hearted people here. At that moment, Zhao Ping felt especially grateful for joining the dining city.
He found Jiang Ci outside the shop. Several newly recruited farm employees had also arrived and were waiting for Jiang Ci to finish her tasks.
Jiang Ci was busy neatly arranging the pre-packaged vegetables. Seeing this, a few survivors quickly stepped in to help.
Jiang Ci didn’t stand on ceremony with them. After instructing them on how to arrange the vegetables, she began selling the day’s vegetable packs.
These vegetable packs were prepared by the children of the dining city’s staff. Though they were just kids, it was clear they were meticulous, and each bag had an appropriate variety of vegetables.
Though of course, the most common item was potatoes—not that the survivors minded, rather they loved them too, as potatoes were delicious even with minimal seasoning.
Now that the convenience store had started selling condiments, the currency for exchanging supplies within it had shifted from gold and silver jewelry back to points.
Jiang Ci felt she had collected enough gold now. Even if she took it all to her own world, there was simply no way for her to exchange so much all for money, so when the time was right, she decisively switched the trading currency.
The survivors who had missed out on the cheaper goods were so filled with regret that their guts turned green with envy, yet they didn’t dare complain and continued to quietly bring their crystal cores to trade for supplies.
For now, the store only sold the most basic items like salt, MSG, and broad bean chilli sauce, which Jiang Ci had only recently started stocking.
This drove the survivors, who hadn’t tasted seasoning in nearly a decade, almost to madness. The condiments were snapped up almost instantly on the first day.
That day, many survivors savored the long-forgotten taste of seasoning. Paired with the vegetable packs they bought from Jiang Ci, even the simplest dishes that had been seasoned with just salt were devoured with relish, leaving not even a drop of soup behind.
Because Jiang Ci kept bringing out new goods from time to time, the people keeping an eye on her couldn’t figure her out and were left puzzled. Not only could they not trace the source of her supplies, but no one could guess when exactly that hotpot restaurant of hers had even first opened.
Survivors who harbored ulterior motives found no way in, and in the end, all they could do was try to build a good relationship with Jiang Ci.
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pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
The vegetable packs sold out as always. Those who arrived early left satisfied, each with a bag in hand, while those who missed out sighed, vowing to come earlier the next day.
Only after Jiang Ci packed up the small table did she begin processing the identity information for the new employees.
“The points your children earn will also be credited to this card, and there will also be a monthly meal subsidy…” Jiang Ci patiently explained the key details to the survivors.
“If your children want to help pack vegetables with the others, just let me know. There are employees there, as well as older children, and everyone keeps an eye out for each other,” Jiang Ci said.
By now, her vegetable packing area had practically turned into a dedicated daycare. The younger children all helped out there, watched over by a particularly patient employee she had hired. This was part of the staff perks Jiang Ci offered, ensuring her staff could focus on their tasks with peace of mind.
The meal subsidies for the new employees had already been deposited into their cards in advance, ensuring they could afford meals for the month.
Afterward, Jiang Ci took them to the farm.
As soon as they entered the farm, the survivors were astonished. The lush green grass, the rows of vibrant vegetables growing healthily, and the lively livestock all caught their attention.
After recruiting the new employees, Jiang Ci had filled the pens with chickens, ducks, geese, piglets, calves, and lambs. She had even spent points overnight to exchange for a fish pond and bought fish fry to fill it, making the farm bustling with life.
The warehouse was stocked with plenty of feed and hay. Jiang Ci temporarily entrusted the key to Zhao Ping, who appeared to be the oldest and most composed among them.
She suddenly understood why teachers in school tended to favor students with good grades. With Zhao Ping’s deep knowledge of agriculture, her trust in him had grown significantly.
On top of that, Song Jinchuan had told her that Zhao Ping’s facial scar looked like burns, and his patched-up old uniform still bore traces of its former glory. He surmised that Zhao Ping had probably been a firefighter before the apocalypse.
Survivors from professions like his naturally earned Jiang Ci’s goodwill. But she wasn’t naive. With the whole dining city under the system’s surveillance, if anything went wrong, the system would be more anxious than she was. So Jiang Ci wasn’t overly concerned.
Zhao Ping took the key, recognising its importance, and carefully placed it in his pocket.
Besides feed, the warehouse also contained farming tools.
“All of this you’re free to use,” Jiang Ci told them, “but nothing can be wasted, nothing leaves the farm, and nothing can be traded. If anyone breaks these rules, they’ll be blacklisted from the dining city permanently.”
The farm employees nodded eagerly. With such good conditions, only a fool would think of causing trouble.
It was their first day, so Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan worked alongside the employees on the farm, observing their practical skills.
As expected, everyone was quite skilled at farming. Today happened to be the day the vegetables were ready for harvest.
Jiang Ci had already informed them that the seeds in the farm were different from those before the apocalypse, with a much shorter growth cycle. The employees didn’t ask further questions, simply nodding and committing it to memory.
Once the vegetables were harvested, the employees would store them in the warehouse. Jiang Ci would collect them every few days and take them to a designated area in front of the employee dormitory, where the children would weigh and bag them into vegetable packs.
And just like that, the entire production chain was complete.
the translator has nothing to add ◡̈
