Purchase Restriction

In the end, Alice bought a bowl of sweet potato sugar water, costing five labor credits.

The boss was reluctant to add sugar; the sugar water was only slightly sweet, fearing that people would detect the sweetness. After leaving the mall, Alice turned and headed to the supermarket.

Outside the supermarket, there was a long line stretching for tens of meters, all waiting to buy rice. Anyone with more than five labor credits in hand had come.

Due to the purchase restriction, staff members were responsible for weighing the rice. The card-swiping machine could identify whether the cardholder had bought rice here before, so no one could take advantage of the situation.

At that moment, a woman had just swiped her labor credit card, and the machine made a beeping sound, "You have already swiped your card here, please do not use it again."

The staff member looked at her with a stern expression, "The purchasing rules are posted outside. Each person is limited to one kilogram, and you have already made a purchase. Come back tomorrow."

The woman was exposed in public and left in embarrassment. The staff member shouted to the people in line, "Those who have already bought rice today can leave. The card-swiping machine can identify you. Don't entertain any illusions, don't waste your time in line."

And a reminder to everyone, take care of your cards. If lost, report it promptly."Several people left the queue one after another.

"They are truly insatiable. One kilogram of rice is enough for a day, yet they still want to compete with us."

"They shouldn't have been reminded. Let them wait for one or two hours, then tell them they can't buy. Give them some punishment, and they'll behave."

"I heard that the base brought back hundreds of thousands of tons of rice. We shouldn't worry about food for the next few years. Moreover, the research institute is already studying cultivation. Let's wait for good news."Having witnessed this scene, Alice didn't linger and walked into the supermarket. The supermarket had a much more abundant supply of goods, but they were not cheap.

On the shelves, there were steamed buns and mantou for sale, priced at two labor credits each. There were still quite a few left, probably because people calculated that it was more cost-effective to keep labor credits for buying rice. Alice didn't lack labor credits; she had nearly 800 on her card, so she didn't need to calculate every penny.

Alice thought the steamed buns looked good, so she decided to buy all twenty of them and also bought ten mantou. Surprisingly, the supermarket even had "half-bottle" items for sale, obviously scavenged from outside. Items like peanut oil, rice wine, vinegar, etc., all had varying quantities left, but they were not cheap.

Finding these items was not easy at the moment, so no one minded that they were leftovers from others; having them was already good enough. Alice also bought an unopened pack of red dates and salt before heading to the checkout. In total, these items cost her ninety labor credits, with salt being the most expensive at twenty credits per pack.

Carrying her purchases, Alice walked home and couldn't help but glance a few more times at the ice houses on the way. The ice houses were not big, somewhat low, with two or three people living in each. The entrance was blocked by a wooden board.

When Alice returned to the apartment building, she noticed a crowd gathering near it. She overheard someone mentioning a fire. Looking up, she saw black smoke rising from the building they lived in, concentrated on the top floor.

Alice didn't dare to take the elevator, so she quickly ran up the stairs and reached the fourteenth floor. She discovered that one of the households was on fire, with a dozen people trying to put it out.

She continued up to the fifteenth floor and found Allen's family standing at the stairwell, looking down. She breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Is everything okay at home?"

The black smoke outside gathered at the top of their building, and her heart sank when she first saw it."Everything's fine. The fire was on the fourteenth floor, and we still don't know the cause," Blanche explained.

Not long after, the fire on the fourteenth floor was extinguished, and the crowd dispersed. Everyone assumed it was an accident with fire or electricity usage. Nowadays, everyone kept heating supplies at home, and excessive use of circuits could easily lead to malfunctions. No one took it to heart.

Alice heard from Hurley again about a week later. The official base account announced a message: they would be constructing a temperature-controlled greenhouse to completely enclose the entire base. As long as people stayed inside, they wouldn't feel the cold. The materials for the greenhouse were ready, and construction would start in a few days.

This news instantly stirred the entire base; it was excellent news.The base said that once the temperature-controlled greenhouse is completed, the base's temperature will be maintained at around 20 degrees, and production can quickly recover."

"I heard that the temperature-controlled greenhouse was developed by Hurley from the research institute. This is really a blessing for the entire base."

"Hurry up and build it. I'm freezing to death here. You don't understand the feeling of living in an ice house. Once the temperature-controlled greenhouse is done, I can go back to living in a tent."

"We're eagerly waiting for the temperature-controlled greenhouse to be unveiled. Don't make us wait too long!"

"Thanks to the hard work of the researchers!"

Alice, upon seeing this message, couldn't help but smile. Hurley indeed developed it.

The other members of the Allen family were also pleased. Alexander grinned, saying, "I've been almost frozen silly every morning on my way to work. With the temperature-controlled greenhouse, I can finally take off my heavy down jacket."

"I'll check if they need help. I'm willing to work for free."

Seeing everyone looking forward to the temperature-controlled greenhouse, the base wasted no time and started the construction after planning the method of enclosure. Many people volunteered to help, fostering unity and cooperation.The official personnel at the base were deeply moved and distributed dry rations and water to everyone who came to help. As a result, more people came, and the construction of the temperature-controlled greenhouse proceeded at twice the speed the base had anticipated. The originally planned two-week construction was completed in just one week.

At the moment when the temperature-controlled greenhouse was completed, everyone could clearly feel the temperature rising. Half an hour later, some people were so warm that they took off their thick coats, and the indoor thermometer detected a temperature of 22 degrees.

Of course, this temperature would decrease by about three degrees with the onset of a snowstorm. The snow on the ground began to melt into water, flowing out through pre-dug channels.

Seeing the jubilation, the base officials reminded everyone, "Outside is still a world of ice and snow. Remember to wear warm clothing when you go out."

Overjoyed, people nodded in agreement. Alice also felt her body warming up, so she took off her coat, experiencing a lightness she hadn't felt in a long time.

After spending some time outside, Alice found it boring and went back inside. The melting snow on the roof kept dripping water. Blanche tried several times to clean it with a mop, but it wasn't easy.

Atticus brought out all the water buckets at home to collect the dripping water, solving the problem. With temperatures around 20 degrees, it was relatively comfortable. After the snow melted, Blanche began gardening on the balcony and rooftop.

The temperature-controlled greenhouse used transparent materials, so it didn't block sunlight, making it perfect for gardening.

"The soil outside has softened. Later, I'll go collect some. The rooftop is so spacious; we shouldn't waste it," Blanche said.

When they purchased the top floor, they also bought the rooftop space, so they didn't have to worry about others coming up.Blanche's idea was supported by the entire family. It wasn't that they lacked vegetables to eat, but if it made her happy, everyone was on board.