The Smell of Home in the Small Courtyard

Alexander objected, "A man remains youthful until death."

"I'll look for it," Alice chuckled lightly and actually found some anime wallpaper.

Alexander happily took the wallpaper, planning to decorate his room.

"Big brother, what style do you want?"

"Just plain white." He didn't like anything flashy.

Alice handed him the wallpaper and went into the courtyard. She installed lighting along the walls and placed decorative flower pots in the corners.

Then she entered the kitchen, taking out kitchenware and arranging salt, oil, soy sauce, and vinegar.After an hour of cleaning up, the small courtyard finally had the feel of a home.To celebrate moving into their new home, dinner was still sumptuous.Four dishes and one soup: steamed fish, crispy roasted pork, stuffed bitter melon, stir-fried blackfish with oil, and shredded chicken soup.

The fragrance filled the courtyard as the family sat down to eat. Just as they were about to start, there was a knock on the door.

Alice went to open it, seeing an old woman with a child standing there, holding a plastic bag with three buns inside.

"I'm your neighbor; I live in Number 65. You just moved in today, right?" The old woman spoke while glancing into their courtyard.

Alice didn't fully open the door, just a small gap. She stepped outside and casually closed the door.

"Yes, do you need something?" Alice asked calmly.

The old woman's expression stiffened for a moment. There's a saying that goes, "Don't slap someone who's smiling." Perhaps she didn't expect Alice to be so indifferent.

She handed the plastic bag to Alice with a friendly smile, "We made some buns at home today. Since you just moved in, we're now neighbors. I brought you a few to taste, and my son works in the office building. If you ever need help, you can come to us."

Alice didn't take the buns; she didn't want to establish any connections. Politely, she declined, "You can keep them. We have enough food at home."

"It's okay, a few buns don't cost much." The old woman insisted, trying to push the bag into Alice's hands.Alice took two steps back, avoiding the old woman's hand, and straightforwardly said, "Thank you for your kindness, but our family doesn't like to socialize. We prefer to keep to ourselves behind closed doors."

After saying that, Alice opened the door, walked in, and closed it firmly.

The old woman's face instantly darkened. She spat on the ground, muttering, "Hmph, what a thing! Giving face and not taking it."

The child standing beside her said, "Grandma, I want to eat meat."

"Good boy, Grandma will make sure you get to eat meat."The old woman took the child home, deliberately slamming the door loudly on the way in.

The old woman's daughter-in-law, Florence, was startled. Seeing them return empty-handed, she raised her eyebrows and asked, "Why did you come back empty-handed?"

They were the first to arrive and the first to move into the small courtyard. Whenever neighbors arrived, they would go over with something in hand, trying to get close and also grabbing some food from others.

In the past, as long as the old woman mentioned her son working in the many people would try to flatter her. They often received food items like steamed buns, sweet potatoes, and sometimes even exchanged them for cured meat or sausages. It had always worked well for them.However, today, it seemed to have failed.

"The people next door are very arrogant. They don't care about us at all," the old woman complained.

Previously, as long as she mentioned her son working in the office building, many people actively tried to get on her good side, often bringing gifts. This way, they could exchange some cheap items for better food. This tactic had never failed before.

"Let them taste our might," Florence, a plump woman, who attracted attention wherever she went, said viciously. Being able to eat well in the apocalypse was definitely not simple.She squinted her small eyes, speaking with a fierce tone.

"You have to vent your anger on my behalf," the old woman complained discontentedly. "My son is working hard outside to earn points for the family. All the good stuff has been eaten by them. I can't just feed a useless person."

Florence had been mocked by her mother-in-law several times, but she wasn't angry. As long as she could eat and drink well, a few scoldings were nothing. In this day and age, could you eat dignity for dinner?

She took it easy and was willing to run around for her mother-in-law. "Mom, I will definitely get revenge for you. But what are we eating tonight?"old woman threw the three cold buns onto the table and said, "Just eat this. Don't even think about touching those cured meats. We have a long way to go, and what will you eat after finishing them?"

Florence curled her lips, knowing well that her mother-in-law didn't want to eat meat in her husband's absence.

...

The next day, as Alice finished washing up and prepared breakfast, she sensed that something was off.She immediately looked toward the wall and saw a man crouching there, sneakily peering into their courtyard. As soon as he realized he had been spotted, he swiftly ran away.

Blanche happened to walk out and witnessed the scene. She furrowed her brows, "Are we being targeted just after arriving?"

"Isn't this normal?" Alice had already anticipated this day.The apocalypse magnified the evils of human nature. Despite the seemingly peaceful facade of the base, there were hidden and filthy activities.Without mentioning the attention they drew by eating meat, just driving in with a car made them a target for some people.

"We need to reinforce the courtyard. We can't let them come and go freely," Alice contemplated.

Atticus overheard their conversation and suggested, "We still have the iron wires from the last time we exterminated mutant rats. Connect them to electricity, and it should work."

No matter how they reinforced it, it was easy for someone to destroy it. Electrifying it would make people afraid to approach.

Alice thought it was a good idea and raised her eyebrows, "Alright, let's do that."

After the family discussed and came up with a plan, they had breakfast.

Today was another day of eating pre-prepared food. The Allen family father and son had meat buns, while Alice and Blanche had pan-fried dumplings, accompanied by milk.

After satisfying their hunger, they began to get busy. The neighbors around them saw them setting up iron wires and approached, asking, "What are you doing?"

Alice replied, "We discovered someone peeping around this morning and felt that it wasn't safe. So, we're reinforcing the surroundings."

The woman who asked laughed at them naivety, "What's the use of surrounding it with a few thin iron wires? Someone strong can easily tear them apart."