Chapter 211

Near noon, the RV was loaded with all kinds of supplies. The biggest harvest was breaking into a clothing store. The warehouse was piled with down jackets left over from last year. The style was indeed nothing to write home about, but the cold-protection effect was quite good!

Zhang Su picked a suitable size in the store and put it on. In the temperature of around zero degrees, it was quite warm. Even if it dropped another ten degrees or so, it would be enough.

Counting the quantity on the spot, there were a full hundred or so. With this batch of supplies, they could satisfy the winter clothing needs of everyone in the entire camp.

"How's it going?"

Zhang Su walked to the excavator and looked at the messy wiring inside the opened cover. He felt a headache. The wiring inside the computer case made him not know where to start, let alone in the current situation; he felt like just ripping it all out.

"Brother Su, the problem has been figured out. Starting it isn't hard, as long as there's fuel. But it won't be easy to drive it away; we need an electric welder!"

Immediately after, Guo Dachao explained the basic situation, letting Zhang Su roughly know what the electric welder was for.

"Where are we supposed to find an electric welder in such a short time? What about that one over there? Can't we take parts from that excavator and swap them over?"

Zhang Su rubbed his head and pointed to the excavator of the same model across the road.

Fixing an excavator required an electric welder. If the electric welder they found later was also broken, fixing the electric welder would require some other machine—it was an infinite nesting doll...

Guo Dachao shrugged: "The engine of that excavator exploded. But you're right, the parts can be used, but we don't have the equipment to lift the excavator, so we can't take it apart."

Wang Xin spread his hands: "The voltage was unstable, it burned out when we were building the wall..."

Zhang Su jumped into the car and took out the walkie-talkie: "Hey, hey, Wang Longzhong!"

"Eh, Little Brother Zhang, I'm here. Any instructions?"

"Right, ask if United Village has one. That thing shouldn't be rare!"

"This damn... alright."

Wang Longzhong's response speed was very fast. The walkie-talkie hung on his chest, and he responded whenever called. He was clearly much more competent than Wang Xingui.

Zhang Su had black lines all over his head. The voltage at Tianmayu was already unstable, and that electric welder was just something the homestay owner had bought to do some handiwork—a very ordinary product. It was reasonable that the quality wasn't good.

Just as he was standing by the RV talking, the other walkie-talkie in the car rang!

Wang Xin recalled: "That's right, I saw Teacher Yu use it before, but I heard Liu Tianji say it was already broken."

"Electric welding, electric welding... I remember, did the camp have a small electric welder before?"

"This old guy is so anxious, is he plotting something..."

"Fine, look for it while you're cleaning up!"

When conditions are sufficient, many difficulties are not difficulties at all. Without a gantry crane or a lift, the problem becomes huge.

"Does your village have an electric welder?"

Zhang Su asked straight to the point.

"Electric welder... go look in the village, there should be one. We haven't used it before."

"Boss Zhang, you definitely aren't saying you aren't coming over today, right? Hey, hey."

Zhang Su looked at Zhao Dezhu and the others. He hadn't participated much in the construction of the camp's defensive fortifications, but he seemed to have seen it in a fleeting glance.

"Broken? How did it break?" Zhang Su asked suspiciously.

Wang Longzhong answered uncertainly.

Zhang Su muttered as he took the walkie-talkie and pressed the talk button: "Old Village Head, you guys aren't leaving that soon, why are you in such a hurry? I'm busy here..."

As soon as Ma Changshou heard the other party say they were busy, he caught the drift and hurriedly said: "What is Boss Zhang busy with? Is there anything I can help with?"

Zhang Su thought for a moment and said casually: "I was planning to trade for a few sheep from you, and I'm here welding a sheep pen!"

"Welding a sheep pen? How can such a small matter be considered busy? I have an electric welder in my village, and he provides door-to-door service with his own equipment. He only charges a meager fee. Does Boss Zhang need it?"

Ma Changshou immediately felt confident and was very much looking forward to making some profit from Zhang Su.

A smile appeared on the corner of Zhang Su's mouth, and the people around him also smiled knowingly.

"No need, no need, it's almost finished. This afternoon, I'll come over to your side in the afternoon, around the same time as last time!"

Zhang Su responded to Ma Changshou.

"Alright, alright, we'll welcome you!" Ma Changshou didn't dwell on it and happily said some polite words.

Zhang Su turned around and said: "Let's go, back to the camp to eat the New Year's hot pot. This afternoon we'll go get the electric welder, and tomorrow we'll bring fuel over to drive the big excavator back. A big New Year's gift!"

"Uh..." Guo Dachao scratched his head a bit scrawnily: "Brother Su, it'll probably be tough to fix it in one day. We need to give it more time."

Zhang Su made a strange expression and said: "Why so serious? A few more days is fine. Let's go, back to the camp!"

"Let's go, let's go!"

"Going home!"

"Haha, I'll notify Qingqing and let them prepare in advance!"

Half an hour later, Zhang Su and his group returned to Tianmayu.

The dining room was overflowing with fragrance, and the window glass was covered in mist. The table was already set with sumptuous ingredients. With the supply from the greenhouse, the variety of vegetables was very rich: lettuce, coriander, crown daisy, and bitter chrysanthemum. As for meat, it was relatively monotonous, with only raw sliced pork, but in the current environment, that was a top-tier choice!

Three copper pots were burning charcoal, bubbling and frothing. The red oil base was fresh, fragrant, and spicy, and even the mist was in the shape of happiness.

On another table nearby, there was a slightly smaller pot, also with a red soup base, but no charcoal had been added. Around it were shabu-shabu vegetables and meat slices. That was left for Zhong Xiaoshanyi and Zhao Xue, who were on duty in the monitoring room.

"Brothers and sisters!"

Zhang Su sat in the main seat of the central dining table without hesitation and raised his cup, using tea instead of wine: "I won't say much more. I only wish for everyone to live well and walk toward the light step by step!"

"Live well and walk toward the light!"

Everyone stood up and raised their cups together.

Originally, Zhang Su had arranged for Teacher Yu to say a few words to elevate this New Year's feast, but Yu Wen politely declined, the reason being that no matter how beautiful the words were, they weren't as fragrant as hot pot, so it was best to let everyone enjoy themselves.

"Start eating, be as comfortable as you want! Be careful not to burn yourselves..."

After drinking the tea in his cup in one gulp, Zhang Su waved his hand and started the feast, giving instructions to everyone like a concerned head of the family!

"Before the disaster broke out, I had just eaten hot pot. I didn't expect two or three months to pass in a flash. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if it was because I didn't use a coupon when I ate hot pot that time that this disaster broke out..."

Liu Tianji picked up a chopstick of Chinese cabbage, blowing on it while talking.

"Forget it, no matter how much of a butterfly effect it is, it wouldn't butterfly into this, right... It's so fragrant, hiss-hoo!" Wang Xin risked burning his mouth and couldn't wait to stuff the meat slices into his mouth.

"My god, it's really too delicious. After eating a meal like this, Old Zhao, even if zombies are gnawing on you, I wouldn't be able to bear putting down my chopsticks to save you!" Lu Yubo said to Zhao Dezhu while eating.

"Damn you! Same here. By the time you're almost eaten by zombies, I'll be done eating and have the strength to bury you!"

Zhao Dezhu had been quite happy picking food for Yu Qing, but after hearing Lu Yubo's words, he immediately started a war of words.

"Hubby, why aren't you eating? Here, take it, meat!"

Zheng Xinyu picked up a chopstick of scalded meat and put it into the sauce bowl in front of Zhang Su, only to find his gaze wandering and his attention not on the food at all.

"Without realizing it, so many people have come together..."

Zhang Su picked up his bowl and took a bite. His eyes lit up—it was truly fragrant. The long-lost 'technological' (hot pot seasoning packet) was still the authentic taste, and one bite left a lingering fragrance on his lips and teeth!

"What have come together? I don't understand." Zheng Xinyu shook her head while eating vegetables.

Zhang Su said softly: "Don't you see? Bozai and Lanlan are together, you know about Zhuzi and Teacher Yu, Guo Dachao and Yang Wenjie, Little Chen and Pei Lan, Zhang Ya and Wang Xin are also together..."

"Oh, you mean this... It's normal for two people who like each other to get together. You already have me and Sister Xiaoshanyi, don't tell me you're envious of others, pfft!"

Zheng Xinyu rolled her eyes playfully.

"That's not what I meant..."

Zhang Su grinned and said: "Now in the camp, when the men see others finding partners, the remaining bachelors will definitely be envious. Envy will turn into jealousy, so we have to hurry up and poach the young girls from United Village!"

"It's really not bad hanging out with you, you even help your subordinates find wives, hehe..."

Zheng Xinyu laughed mischievously, stuffing her mouth full of vegetable leaves.

"It's not as simple as finding a wife. Alright, eat!"

Sleep, appetite, survival, and sex are the four most basic human desires. Instincts engraved in the genes will make humans unconsciously pursue them one by one.

This is a very realistic problem. Using hard-handed means to control people's most basic desires is not a long-term plan; only dredging and guidance are useful, which can be reflected in every war.

From struggling to survive to upgrading to a stable life, after being full and warm, one will inevitably think of lust. This is not a bad thing; passing on human civilization includes the difficult project of reproduction. If this matter is not balanced well, trouble will arise at some point in the future.

Everyone enjoyed the sumptuous New Year's feast immensely. It's no exaggeration to say that good food makes people happy, especially in the current environment, which highlights its importance. The cohesion of the entire team rose to another level.

After resting for a while in the camp, at around two in the afternoon, Zhang Su called Zheng Xinyu, who strongly requested to go out for a walk, as well as Guo Dachao and Zhao Dezhu, to go to Xidaying Village for a trade.

Bringing Guo Dachao was because he was a professional and could play a role when discussing the electric welder, while bringing Zhao Dezhu was mainly to let him feel the harshness of the environment more and dispel his impulse to have children!

(End of chapter)