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Instead, the bathhouse was divided into various pools of different sizes, all of them for different functions. Jiang Ci saw milk pools, massage pools, as well as ordinary hot water pools.
For Jiang Ci, her favorite was the private hot spring area. Although it was more expensive, it allowed her to soak alone or with her family without any interruptions from outsiders.
Besides the pools, there were also sauna rooms, shower rooms, and areas for dining and resting. Each person had their own room and locker for them to change into their clothes ensuring full privacy, with no one able to enter unless they had lost the key.
Although it was called a bathhouse, Jiang Ci felt it was more like a hot spring. The timely appearance of this bathhouse seemed to be perfect when paired with this harsh winter.
Survivors began to start trickling into Gourmet City in larger numbers three days after the severe cold hit. By then, the convenience store in Gourmet City had already started selling cotton clothes and quilts, down jackets, and down comforters.
The survivors, clad in clothes and hats made from mutated beast skins, lit up with excitement when they saw the cotton clothes displayed in the glass windows.
The employees of the gourmet city were already wearing lightweight and extremely warm down jackets and served as walking advertisements. This contrast made the survivors even more eager to get their hands on the new clothes.
As a result, when Jiang Ci woke up, she found the usually busy convenience store even more packed with people. The number of survivors eating nearby had decreased, as everyone was in a rush to buy clothes and quilts.
This scene was within Jiang Ci’s expectations. She checked the store’s inventory and prepared to have Xie Ling and the others deliver more goods over to stock up in the afternoon.
Some survivors, upon purchasing the clothes, immediately shed their mutated beast skins and put on the new garments from Gourmet City. Regardless of whether it was cotton or down, they quickly felt a warm sensation spreading through their bodies.
Jiang Ci even caught sight of a newborn baby being dressed in a lightweight down jacket, its cheeks turning rosy as it smiled at her.
Jiang Ci gently pinched the baby’s cheek. In this post-apocalyptic world, children this young were a rare sight.
She remembered that she had previously asked the cotton factory to make cotton hats. When adjusting the size, one of the smaller sized hats had been deemed defective and had been stored into her space.
She quickly took it out and placed it on the little baby’s head.
The baby’s mother, holding her child, smiled through her tears and thanked Jiang Ci repeatedly before turning to leave.
The bathhouse was particularly popular among the survivors. Although those in Gourmet City as well as Jiang Ci’s base could take showers, most people in the post-apocalyptic world still didn’t have the luxury of being able to bathe frequently, and when they did, they couldn’t use hot water. After all, they wouldn’t waste resources on something that insignificant.
Thus, the appearance of the bathhouse caused a stir among survivors who hadn’t had a proper bath in years.
Chen Xuan was one of those who went to the bathhouse with her teammates. Since bathing wasn’t very convenient, she had cut her hair short for easier maintenance. Because it hadn’t been washed for so long, her hair had almost matted into that of a hedgehog.
Among her teammates, there was only one other girl, who also had short hair. The two bid farewell to their other teammates after agreeing on a meeting time, and entered the women’s bathhouse.
As soon as they stepped into the lobby, they both let out exclamations of awe. The lobby was reminiscent of pre-apocalyptic bathhouse decor, but with an added touch of warmth, truly giving one a sense of being at home.
There were still vacancies in the women’s bathhouse, so they handed over their crystal cores at the front desk and then each received a key.
At the doors of the changing room, Chen Xuan and her teammate parted ways, each entering to change. They had chosen a private bath, one that only the two of them would use.
Although it was a bit more expensive, the privacy and comfort made it worth it.
After changing into their bathrobes, the two walked hand in hand towards their chosen private bath.
“Doesn’t this feel like back then in our school days, when we used to go shopping in the street arm in arm?” her teammate remarked with a hint of nostalgia.
Chen Xuan nodded. It wasn’t just similar, the feeling was undoubtedly the same. Ever since the apocalypse, she hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long time.
The private bath wasn’t as small as they had imagined. In fact, it was quite spacious. Besides the bath, there was a shower area, a resting space with a sofa and coffee table, and even a TV mounted on the wall.
Next to the bath, Chen Xuan noticed a small tablet for ordering food. After placing an order on the tablet, staff from Gourmet City would deliver it upon receiving the order.
Apart from the crystal cores they handed over upon entry, all other expenses could be settled when they returned their keys upon leaving.
“Xuanxuan, this place is amazing!” her teammate, Xiao Tian, exclaimed after walking around, her whole being almost radiating with excitement like a little girl.
After the apocalypse, they had long stopped seeing themselves as naive little girls. They had to be strong in order to survive and protect their loved ones, friends, and companions.
But here, the two felt as if they had returned to the pre-apocalyptic days, the atmosphere similar to the frequent gatherings held with close girlfriends.
After walking around the room, they went to the shower area to clean themselves off first.
When hot water came gushing out, they were even more thrilled. Heaven knew how long it had been since they last had a hot shower. They had long become accustomed to their smell of their own body odour, and since everyone smelled just as bad as the other, no one had any grounds to judge each other.
When they rinsed off for the first time, the residual water had turned black. Upon seeing this, the two of them looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Then they washed themselves a second and third time, the two of them thoroughly and joyfully washing themselves clean.
Only when the water turned clear did they step out of the shower and immerse themselves in the hot spring pool.
As soon as she dipped herself in the water, Chen Xuan let out a comfortable sigh. The pool had a sulfur smell, quite similar to the hot springs she had soaked in before the apocalypse.
“Xuanxuan, look, you can even change the type of water in the pool here,” Xiao Tian said, pointing to a button next to the bath.
There were several buttons labeled “Milk Bath,” “Salt Bath,” and so on.
“Want to try it?” Xiao Tian glanced at Chen Xuan beside her, her fingers already itching to press the button.
“Sure,” Chen Xuan nodded, shaking the water droplets from her short hair. “Let’s try the milk bath. I wanted to try it before the apocalypse, but my mom said milk was too expensive to waste like that.”
Upon mentioning her family, Chen Xuan fell into a momentary daze. Her parents had unfortunately been infected and passed away when the apocalypse began. It had been nearly eleven years now, and it seemed like they hadn’t been in her thoughts for a long time.
Just finding the will to live day by day was exhausting enough, so no one could afford to continuously dwell on the past.
But now that she had suddenly remembered them, she felt a pang of sadness and regret. If only her parents were still here, they would probably like this place a lot too.
While Chen Xuan’s thoughts drifted, Xiao Tian had already pressed the button for the milk bath.
Soon, the water in the pool began to bubble gently, and a milky white stream slowly flowed out from one side of the wall, while the clear water on the other side gradually drained away.
In no time, the air was filled with a sweet, milky fragrance, with the pool having already turned a complete milky white.
After marveling at the novelty for a while, the two soon felt hungry and decided to order some food using the small tablet next to them.
The meals that could be ordered here were linked to the nearby shops. Once an order was placed, the restaurants would receive the message and prepare the food for delivery.
The staff working at this kind of bathhouse wouldn’t deliver the food inside, but would leave it at the entrance. Female employees would deliver to the women’s side, and male employees to the men’s side.
When their food arrived, Chen Xuan and Xiao Tian were surprised at how fast the service was, much quicker than going to the restaurant and waiting in line.
After finishing their meal and soaking in the bath, they went to enjoy the sauna for a while. When they came out, their male teammates were already waiting for them at the entrance.
“The two of you are so slow,” said Han Yu, a tall, long-legged man in the group. His voice trailed off, and his dark face reddened, unbeknownst to anyone.
He hadn’t expected that Chen Xuan, who usually acted like a tomboy, would look… so pretty after cleaning up.
Chen Xuan didn’t notice his hesitation. She waved at her teammates and walked over. The group then headed to a barbecue stall, planning to pack some skewers and beer to take back to their base.
*
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:
Everything was proceeding as Jiang Ci had anticipated. Just then, an unexpected person showed up at her door.
“Boss Jiang, please, save the base leader.” Jiang Ci looked at the man before her. She remembered him as the one who had accompanied the leader of A City’s base when she had made the visit there.
Back then, he had been dressed in camouflage clothing, armed, and standing proudly beside the base leader, a stark contrast to the tattered, bloodied man before her now. That was also why Jiang Ci hadn’t recognized him at first.
She had only recognized him when she saw the unconscious person leaning on his back—the base leader. Of all the people who had once followed him, only he remained now.
It was already dark, and the man had directly knocked on the gate of her small courtyard.
Jiang Ci let out an exclamation in surprise, urging him to quickly carry the commander to the hospital.
“The hospital?” Fan Zhipeng was still dazed, but under Jiang Ci’s guidance, he walked toward the building whose direction she had gestured in.
When had such a hospital been built here? Fan Zhipeng looked up at the grand structure before him, a stark contrast to those other dilapidated buildings.
But he didn’t have time to dwell on it. The person on his back was still unconscious, so he hurriedly carried him into the hospital.
The man on his back was no ordinary survivor, after all, he had once been a leading figure of the entire nation, so Jiang Ci didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she accompanied them in handling the formalities and called for a doctor to examine him.
The hospital was nearly empty at this hour. Lu Dongmei arrived and, after a quick examination, found knife wounds, abrasions, and bruises on the base leader. It seemed he was quite severely injured.
Lu Dongmei’s expression turned grave. She called for an assistant and began treating the wounds. Jiang Ci had stocked the hospital with some Western medical equipment, as they occasionally encountered such injuries.
The traditional Chinese doctors she had recruited were versatile, capable of handling both internal and external injuries.
The base leader was immediately rushed into the operating room since he had several deep gashes that had reached the bone and needed immediate attention.
“You should get your wounds treated too,” Jiang Ci said to the man who had been staring at the operating room.
Fan Zhipeng looked down at the dried bloodstains on his body and nodded.
He left quickly and returned just as fast, his body now bandaged with gauze, his whole face wrapped up except for his eyes and nose.
“How did things suddenly get so bad? He was fine the last time I saw him,” Jiang Ci frowned as she looked at him.
Fan Zhipeng’s dark eyes grew even colder and more somber. “It’s Chen Hanjiang. He conspired with Sun Yimin, who’s always been against the base leader, to seize power. Some of the people who were with the base leader turned against him while others died in action.”
At this, Fan Zhipeng’s expression darkened. Those who had succumbed to death were brothers who he had fought alongside with.
“Chen Hanjiang is the logistics director who targeted you before. They were well-prepared. The conspiracy didn’t just involve our base, but other bases as well. That’s why we were caught off guard,” Fan Zhipeng explained, noticing Jiang Ci’s puzzled expression at the names.
Jiang Ci suddenly understood. So it was that sarcastic logistics director.
Although he had been reprimanded by the base leader back then, Jiang Ci had indeed sensed his growing resentment. It wasn’t surprising that someone with such a narrow mind would do something like this.
“What are your plans now? Did you bring any crystal cores with you?” Jiang Ci inquired. While she had no problem supporting two people, she wasn’t the type of selfless saint who expected nothing in return either. After all, she was still a businesswoman.
“I brought some, but not much. We might have to trouble Boss Jiang for a while. We really have nowhere else to go,” Fan Zhipeng said, his emotions shifting from anger to a hint of embarrassment. He genuinely felt he hadn’t brought enough crystal cores and was now imposing on someone else’s hospitality.
“How much did you bring? Let me calculate it for you. Living here won’t cost much,” Jiang Ci said straightforwardly.
Fan Zhipeng took out his money pouch and shook it empty, spilling out a small pile of crystal cores.
“We left in a hurry, so majority of our crystal cores are still in the safe. I didn’t have time to take them. Don’t worry, Boss Jiang, I’ll definitely repay you,” Fan Zhipeng said, his face flushing with shame.
Jiang Ci shook her head. “No, that won’t be necessary.”
Her gaze was fixed on the single eighth-level crystal core among them. Just that one could be exchanged for a hundred million points, enough for them to live here for a long time. So, was he really not just humble bragging? There were probably even more of that caliber in the safe at their base. These damned rich people.
“We operate on a point system here. The crystal cores you have can be converted into points, which will last you quite a while,” Jiang Ci said. “You can stay at my base for now until your base leader fully recovers.”
Fan Zhipeng nodded. “Thank you, Boss Jiang.”
Since it was just a matter of stitching up the wound, they didn’t have to wait long before the base leader was wheeled out and taken to the ward.
“I’ve already administered the necessary medication. Here are some pills. Make sure to give them to him at the times I’ve written down,” Lu Dongmei instructed Fan Zhipeng, who was standing nearby.
Fan Zhipeng looked at the pile of pills in front of him and nodded, indicating he understood.
“You haven’t eaten yet, have you? There’s a cafeteria here, or you can order food. Just let the nurse know what you want,” Jiang Ci told Fan Zhipeng.
Fan Zhipeng nodded again and thanked Jiang Ci once more.
Seeing that the base leader’s condition had stabilized, Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan prepared to head back and rest.
Fan Zhipeng saw them off at the hospital before returning to the ward. Although it was a room with three beds, for now, it was just the two of them.
the translator has nothing to add ◡̈
