Chapter 45

The community's cooling center was one of the earliest to open. Although the community itself was old, its location was good, surrounded by large shopping malls. Every evening, workers were busy installing solar panels and setting up large air conditioning units to cool the high-temperature server rooms. Once a mall was finished, it was quickly opened to the surrounding community residents.

Many people from their neighborhood were using the cooling center. Originally, some hadn't planned on going, as it was unbearable inside their homes due to the high temperatures. However, with no one at home during the day, it was hard to know if someone had broken in. The heat was tolerable, but running out of food would mean starvation.

After the recent apocalyptic raid, many people were on edge. Staying home during the day didn't feel safe. Although the raiders had been captured and were about to be executed, there was a fear that others might imitate them. It was safer to go to the cooling center during the day, hide the food at home as best as possible, even though there was limited space to do so in their apartment buildings. Unlike rural areas with cellars or backyards for burying things, food was less important than life.

The cooling center was located in a mall not far from the neighborhood. This mall had been newly established just before the haze crisis. Since it was a high-end mall with many big brands yet to move in, it was quite empty. The government repurposing it saved a lot of work, so it was opened quickly.

Most people from their community chose to go to the cooling center during the day, arriving before dawn and returning home after dark. This way, their homes wouldn't be empty all day, and they could at least catch a breath. The first batch of people who entered the cooling center posted photos on WeChat. The mall's shops had been cleared out, and small spaces were divided with partitions. These spaces varied in size: some could accommodate three or four people lying down, while larger ones could fit five or six. Each partitioned area had a lock but no ceiling. These smaller spaces were charged separately. Other areas, such as the top floors, were open seating. People brought their own mats, chairs, or folding beds, and the floors were filled with people, offering no privacy.

Despite the quiet, with no industrial noise and almost no cars on the road, Mu Nan felt the neighborhood was even quieter when most people went to the cooling center during the day. It had that empty, hollow quietness.

Lying on the bed, Mu Nan stretched lazily and looked at the heavy curtains. He didn't want to move. He used to dream of days when he could lie around like this without worrying about food or drink while working on his comic scripts. But now that such a life had arrived, he realized how torturous it could be.

Seeing Qin Huai sitting in the living room with a small stool, preparing to make steamed buns and flower rolls with clean water and flour set aside, Mu Nan rolled over in bed, wiggled a bit like a caterpillar, and moved to the edge of the bed closer to Qin Huai. "Brother, if we could go out now and everything was back to normal, what would you be doing at this time?"

Qin Huai glanced at the clock on the wall in the living room, it was 4 PM. "At this time, I'd be in the office preparing for overtime. Operating and maintaining software, developing new markets, promoting and advertising—these tasks are never-ending. I might order some takeout, work until 9 or 10 PM, then invite a few colleagues who are also working late to have a late-night snack and drinks. After that, I'd go home, shower, and sleep."

Mu Nan asked, "And if there was no haze, no apocalypse, and everything went as you planned—when I graduated and you came back to find me and took me to City B—what would we be doing right now?"

Qin Huai smiled. "Right now, you'd probably be at home drawing. I'd ask you what you wanted for dinner, you'd pick some dishes, and I'd look forward to getting off work. On my way home, I'd pick up the groceries, we'd have dinner, I'd take you for a walk, and you'd probably complain about the heat and be reluctant to go out. I'd lure you out with a trip to the supermarket to buy snacks. After shopping and walking, we'd return home, and you'd continue drawing while I worked from home. Around 11 or 12 PM, you'd get hungry, so I'd let you have a little late-night snack. Then we'd shower and go to bed. The next morning, I'd make breakfast, drag you out of bed, watch you eat, and then head to work. You'd go back to sleep, and I'd have lunch delivered to you from a clean restaurant. The afternoon would come, and it would repeat like this."

Listening to Qin Huai's description, Mu Nan smiled. "Thinking about it like this, even though the days are repetitive, it sounds pretty nice."

Seeing Qin Huai preparing the dough, Mu Nan propped his head up and asked, "Are you making flower rolls or steamed buns?"

Qin Huai looked at him. "What do you want to eat?"

Mu Nan thought for a moment, then took out a liter of sweet milk from the space. "Let's make milk-flavored steamed buns. This milk is delicious enough on its own, no need to add sugar."

Qin Huai poured the flour into a bowl and asked Mu Nan to slowly pour in the milk. As Mu Nan did so, he clicked his tongue lightly and said, "We're being so extravagant."

Qin Huai laughed. "It's for ourselves. If we have the means, it's not extravagant."

Both Mu Nan and Qin Huai were quite skilled at making dough and steamed buns now. Despite his skill, Mu Nan felt that his results were never as good as Qin Huai's, whether it was due to a lack of strength or a psychological factor. Watching the dough effortlessly conform to Qin Huai's hands, Mu Nan couldn't help but comment, "It looks so simple when you do it, but when it's my turn, it feels like I'm making something entirely different. Will the steamed buns have a flavor now?"

Qin Huai replied, "There's no particular smell. With the windows and doors tightly shut and thick film covering them, and with everyone in the building at the cooling center, the neighbors can't smell anything unless they're cooking strong-smelling dishes."

Mu Nan watched him knead the dough for a while and then said, "Brother, I want to drink cola."

Without looking up, Qin Huai said, "Sure, we'll split it in half."

Even though it was only half a bottle, Mu Nan was content. A sip of the icy, refreshing cola was one of the few comforts in the hot and long summer.

In stark contrast, their neighbors were currently staring at the few remaining packets of instant noodles, with a look of reluctance on their faces. Anyone who had eaten instant noodles for a month straight would probably be sick of it. Even just the smell made them feel nauseous. But with nothing else to eat, they had no choice. Even in the past, when they were so poor that they didn't even have a cent, they never lived like this. It was surprising to find that as adults, with college degrees and the ability to earn money, they were living worse than during their bleakest childhood days.

Yu Zibai sighed and put away the packets of noodles. Jian Chu looked up at him and asked, "Aren't you going to eat?"

Yu Zibai shook his head. "No, let's cook. We have some dumplings left. Let's fry them and eat with rice. Eating noodles all the time is really getting old."

Jian Chu looked at Yu Zibai and suddenly asked, "Will you go back?"

Yu Zibai reflexively asked, "Go back where?"

Jian Chu pressed his lips together, and Yu Zibai realized what he meant. He smiled in a way that was both reassuring and self-deprecating. "Do you think I have a place to go back to?"

His mother had passed away early, his father had remarried, and he had a younger brother who was ten years younger than him. The new family was a real family, while he felt like an outsider. Even though his mother had set him up with a house and some savings before she died, his father hadn't provided him with any support for tuition or living expenses. He had even tried to transfer the house his mother left him to his younger brother. In such a situation, going back wasn't a viable option. With the current circumstances, even if he went back, he might not even have a meal.

Jian Chu said with a mix of joking and probing, "If things really get tough, how about I break into a store? I'm quite skilled at lock picking."

Yu Zibai responded in a way that surprised Jian Chu. "Sure, you break into the store, and I'll be the lookout and carry the stuff."

He knew Jian Chu was feeling uneasy. The first time they met, Jian Chu had been fighting with a group of thugs. Yu Zibai saw Jian Chu, a skinny and cleanly dressed person, starkly contrasting with the flashy gang members. He thought Jian Chu was being bullied. Just as he was about to help, Jian Chu had snatched a wooden stick from one of the thugs and turned the tables, robbing them of all their money.

Although Jian Chu hadn't formally trained, his fighting skills seemed to come from extensive experience. As a result, he had some injuries, and when Yu Zibai saw him standing at the corner of the street, he had just given him a dirty look before walking away.

The second time they met, Jian Chu was a freshman and became Yu Zibai's junior. After getting to know him better, Yu Zibai learned about Jian Chu's family situation. He helped him find part-time work so he could support himself and kept him from doing anything illegal. Whenever Jian Chu tried to solve problems with violence, Yu Zibai would give him lectures. Perhaps because of this, Jian Chu was both close and afraid of him, worried about doing something on the edge of the law that would upset Yu Zibai. To Jian Chu, Yu Zibai probably seemed like a rigid and inflexible senior.

Strict adherence to laws and principles is suitable only in times of peace. If life must be lived this way, what principles remain unbreakable for the sake of survival? Maintaining some principles is possible, but only until life forces a person to abandon them.

The fluffy white steamed buns came out of the steamer, and Mu Nan grabbed one with chopsticks, blowing on it while eating. As he chewed, he commented, "I think next time, we should add a bit more sugar. The milk flavor is good, but the sweetness is a bit lacking. You have to chew a bit to taste the sweetness."

Qin Huai said, "If you want something sweeter, I can make you sweet-filled buns."

Mu Nan shook his head. "That would be too sweet."

Qin Huai laughed at his picky tastes. "You complain about extravagance, but you're the one who's picky."

Mu Nan was about to retort when a sudden crying sound from outside startled him. The bun he had been holding fell off the chopsticks. Mu Nan quickly picked it up, deciding that food shouldn't be wasted. Fortunately, it had fallen onto the bed, so it wasn't dirty. After placing the bun back on the chopsticks, he asked, "What's going on?"

The crying sound seemed very close, almost right outside their room.

Qin Huai said, "I'll go check. You stay inside."

Mu Nan wasn't willing to stay put. He was about to follow when he remembered the bun in his hand. He quickly stored it away to keep it hidden. Not even a single bun should be exposed.

The crying wasn't coming from right outside their door, but since it was on the same floor and only separated by a courtyard, the sound was quite clear inside their room.

The source of the crying was from the neighboring apartment, separated by the courtyard. At the door, a woman in disheveled clothes and messy hair was kneeling on the ground, crying and begging. The middle-aged man she was begging was looking distressed, trying to push her away, but he was reluctant to be too harsh, which made him even more uncomfortable.

Qin Huai turned around and pushed Mu Nan back inside the room. "Eat your bun."

Mu Nan asked curiously, "What's going on?"

Qin Huai said, "Probably a relationship issue."

In these times, when even food is scarce, it seems excessive to be dealing with relationship problems.

Usually, if something like this happens, there would be some updates in the group chat. Even though many people from their community had gone to the cooling center, there were still plenty left behind. Given the commotion, it was clear that it wasn't just their family who had heard it. Mu Nan took out his phone to see if anyone knew what was happening.

He found out the whole story.

The woman was from the 20th floor, the one above them. Around eight or nine in the morning, she had asked for help in the group, saying her husband had suddenly developed severe stomach pain and wanted to trade instant noodles for some painkillers. At that time, most people were asleep, and even if someone saw the message, they didn't have any painkillers at home.

Even if they did have them, it was unlikely they would trade them. Instant noodles could be picked up every three days, but painkillers were hard to come by. Pharmacies were closed, and buying medicine required going through the community and getting a hospital appointment. No one was allowed to stockpile medicine, and those who had it kept it tightly guarded for emergencies.

So, while some people in the group replied with sympathy, they were unable to help. The woman then tagged the community and asked for the community's phone number, as it seemed the only option left was to seek help from the community. The response from the community wasn't known, but after that, she stopped posting in the group. It was easy to guess that, in broad daylight, no one could go out. Even if you could endure the heat, your exposed skin would burn within minutes, leading to sunburns or blisters, which were painful and torturous. If you underestimated your endurance, you could even faint from the heat, which could be life-threatening. So, the community probably replied that they had contacted the hospital and would arrange transportation as soon as the sun set.

Clearly, her husband couldn't wait until evening. Around one in the afternoon, the woman sought help again in the group, saying her husband's pain was unbearable, and she needed urgent assistance.

During such hot weather, with many not having air conditioning like Mu Nan's family, and with everyone feeling faint from the heat, no one had the time to help others. The group was flooded with the woman's pleas for help but received no response.

Unable to get help, the woman turned to the resource exchange group, which included residents from other buildings as well. In this larger group, people were more responsive. They offered advice, suggested giving her husband more water, turning on the air conditioner to cool down, and some even attempted remote diagnosis to determine if it was appendicitis or something else.

By around six o'clock, the woman posted in the resource group again, desperately asking for help, saying she couldn't find any community workers, and that her husband was near collapse, having vomited blood twice. She sent voice messages full of despair and photos of her husband's blood.

The group leader then stepped in, first calming the panicked woman and then posted, "If he's vomiting blood, painkillers won't help. It's unclear whether it's just a stomach bleed or a digestive tract bleed. There's no other option but to get him to the hospital."

This was obvious to anyone. If someone was vomiting blood, they couldn't just wait at home and take medicine; they needed to go to the hospital.

The group leader continued, "It's past six now. In two to three hours, the sun will set. See if your husband can hold on a bit longer. If not, we're close to the hospital, and there are no cars on the road. Driving fast would only take two or three minutes. If you can find gasoline, I can drive you there."

 The group leader's response garnered admiration from many in the group. It was seen as a noble act to step up in such a difficult situation.

However, the woman had no car and thus no gasoline. The community did have a car, but it was a five-minute walk away, making it impossible to get the car to her in time.

Desperate, the woman begged in the group: "Does anyone have gasoline? I will pay any amount! Please, just share a bit of gasoline so I can drive to the hospital. I'll reimburse you when I get to the community center, even double or triple the amount! Please help me, I don't know what to do. I beg you!"

The group leader responded quickly: "Everyone, if you have any gasoline, please share. Today you help others, and tomorrow someone might help you. This resource group is meant for exchanging information and supplies. If you're not using the gasoline for a car, it's of no use. Once this lady gets her husband to the hospital, she'll buy more from the community and return it to you."

Despite this, many people said they didn't have cars, so they couldn't offer any gasoline. Some might have had gasoline but were unwilling to share. The situation stalled.

At that moment, someone suggested, "If no one has gasoline, does anyone have an electric vehicle?"

This prompted several people to ask if anyone had an electric vehicle. The group leader tagged someone in the group and said, "Master Fan, I remember you have a vehicle that runs on both gasoline and electricity. If it's convenient, please help this lady."

Master Fan was a driver who had used an electric vehicle since the gas stations closed. He worked a few hours each night, earning just enough to stock up on supplies. Although several people in the neighborhood used electric vehicles, Master Fan was the only one in their building with such a vehicle. The group leader had previously ridden with him and remembered him, hoping he would lend a hand.

Master Fan either didn't see the message or chose not to respond, so he didn't acknowledge it. The desperate woman clung to this slim chance of help, so she got Master Fan's address from the group leader and went directly to his door. This was the scene Qin Huai had witnessed.

Mu Nan, listening to the commotion outside, heard people in the group continuing to discuss the situation, with some criticizing the lack of help and calling others cold-hearted.

Mu Nan said, "I dislike this group leader."

He knew this group leader was a man in his thirties who lived on the eighth floor. Before the earthquake, he had already given the impression of being someone who could lead and manage things. After the earthquake, when aftershocks were uncertain and some areas had collapsed severely, the government set up tents for displaced people, and this group leader took charge of organizing aid. His team grew from a few people to dozens, and they later conducted resource raids on collapsed buildings.

At that time, Mu Nan, who had not joined any team and only searched through debris with other scattered residents, had found that items he uncovered were often seized by those organized groups claiming the territory as theirs. He was powerless to resist and had to endure silently, though he definitely harbored resentment toward those people.

The group leader's approach meant that while those who received help might be grateful, others watching might view him favorably. However, those in need of help felt morally coerced. Helping might inconvenience oneself, while not helping could lead to feelings of guilt if someone died because of it. It was a truly unfair situation.