[edited]

Absentminded, he lost terribly in the game.

If it weren’t for betting on melon seeds, with Zhang Chao’s condition, he’d have lost everything, even his underwear.

In the afternoon, the Zhong family came to visit. They are bringing specialties from their hometown—fried pancakes.

They returned some melon seeds and peanuts to the 18th floor, it’s neither extravagant nor stingy, ensuring the Zhong family didn’t lose out.

In the evening, they had dinner, watched dramas, and took the dog downstairs for a walk.

The first day of the Lunar New Year passed like this, without any exercise.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the food quality plummeted, with Laoganma fried potatoes and minced meat sauce noodles.

It was really boring. 1803 started exercising. Doudou and Coke trained each other, while Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen sparred.

Outside was freezing cold, and the 18th floor was just a tiny space, and they got bored very quickly day after day.

On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, the year officially began.

1803, bundled up, they planned to go out for some fresh air. Everyone was almost going crazy from being cooped up. “Anning, are you going out?”

After three years of the apocalypse, Jiang Ning had already gotten used to it. “It’s too cold.”

Not long after the three of them left, the walkie-talkie rang, “The cold-resistant potatoes are sprouting.”

It was really boring, even the sprouting of potatoes could pique Jiang Ning’s interest. “I’ll come over right away.”

Arriving at the balcony of 1801, the potatoes in the planting pots were sprouting, with a hint of green at the tips.

After counting, about seventy to eighty percent had already sprouted, and it was estimated that in a few days, they would all sprout. The survival rate was still good.

This was related to the soil. The soil here was loose and fertile.

In contrast, the Zhong family’s soil was inferior. It was brought in from outside. It was hard, sticky, and lacked fertility. Even with Grandma Zhong’s farming skills, the seedlings were still weaker.

“Should we add more light now?”

Jiang Ning shook her head, “Wait a few days, until the leaves come out.”

Zheng Weili and others came back in the evening, they were seemingly hesitant to say something.

Since they didn’t say anything, Jiang Ning pretended not to notice and threw a piece of pork bone into the pot while stewing all the radishes.

Today was the last group meal. Tomorrow they would each eat their own food, and she could finally eat the food she had stored in her space; she was almost drooling.

After dinner, Zheng Weili finally spoke up, “Anning, I want to apply for the security patrol.”

Today there were new recruitment notices, they not only add various positions, but the municipal government even established a procurement department, such as purchasing firewood or charcoal.

Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him to fish.

Distributing relief food is not a long-term solution. The municipal government is trying to guide the people to self-reliance.

There are farming, mining, logging, and various technical occupations.

Zhong Ping’s words still had an impact on 1803. Natural disasters will not end in a short time, and no one knows what they will face in the future.

During this New Year, the three of them had thought a lot and decided to face reality.

If they carefully managed their hoarded supplies, they could last for two years without any problems. But what about after two years?

If the environment continues to deteriorate, supplies will be even harder to obtain, and it won’t be possible to rely on hoarded goods indefinitely.

Moreover, three healthy adults staying indoors every day would make them sick.

They couldn’t do manual labor, and they didn’t have any technical skills. After much thought, they concluded that joining the security patrol team was the most suitable option.

It was a bit dangerous, with only 8 pounds of grain per month, but the advantage is that food and accommodation were provided. They also had two days off each month, and the grain they received could be saved up.

However, they had to work both day and night shifts.

Even if it wasn’t said, 1803 understood clearly in her heart that not everyone was the same.

Even if Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen stayed home without working, they had the ability to support themselves, but 1803 couldn’t. She had to plan ahead.

The security patrol was very dangerous, but everyone had to find a way to make a living. Jiang Ning couldn’t reveal her space to support them, and she didn’t have the ability to support them either.

“Going to work is fine, but be careful.”

She’s not going to work, she’ll never work in her life.

Zheng Weili breathed a sigh of relief, “I’ll go fill out the form tomorrow and see if I can get hired. If I can, then it’ll be up to you and Brother Shen to guard the 18th floor.”

1803 didn’t contribute much, so she would make up for it with some grain later.

Jiang Ning didn’t say she wanted to or didn’t want to, she would wait until everything settled down.

The next day, the three of them went out early to fill out application forms and attend interviews.

After half a year of exercise and training to the extreme, Zhang Weili had turned into a muscular man.

Security patrols were dangerous and required agility and quick reactions, so the competition for positions was much lower than for other occupations.

Despite Lu Yu trailing behind on the 18th floor, once he arrived at the security patrol team, he became a highly sought-after candidate. The interviewing officers and the security team leader were very satisfied, “When can you start?”

“Anytime.”

The three of them successfully passed the interview but unfortunately they were not assigned to the area where Jinrong Community was located, and they had to stay far away.

They would start work the day after tomorrow, so they had to leave early tomorrow.

Jiang Ning helped the three of them pack, “Did you all get assigned to the same team?”

“The same area, but we’ll be divided into teams after reporting for duty.”

Crossbows, knives, steel plate bulletproof vests, and even firearms were brought along, just in case.

It wasn’t easy for ordinary people to obtain firearms, so Zheng Weili and her companions brought them along just in case, but they wouldn’t use them unless it was a matter of life and death.

Jiang Ning agreed with this caution and reminded them, “Although it’s allowed to carry weapons now, guns are still not allowed. Remember to hide them well. If they’re discovered, they’ll be confiscated.”

The three of them discussed and decided to each carry two bullets, leaving the rest to Jiang Ning for safekeeping. “If anyone dares to mess with the 18th floor, you don’t have to be polite.”

Afterwards, Jiang Ning took out several boxes of uncommonly used medicines, “If you can exchange these for grain, you can help us bring some.”

Jiang Ning didn’t refuse, “Okay, I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

The next day, before dawn, the three of them quietly left.

They’re afraid that if people see there are fewer people on the 18th floor, they will have thoughts that they shouldn’t have.

With their departure, the corridors fell silent, and the 18th floor became eerily quiet.

Not only was Jiang Ning not used to it, but even Coke was also restless; it often went to the door to listen to the outside world.

With only Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen having combat capability, the work on the 18th floor needed to be rearranged.

The electric door consumed electricity every day, and Jiang Ning didn’t want to pedal the bicycle, so she took over the electricity supply.

She placed the electric storage box in the space to charge; it not only supplied power to the door but also provided power to Huo Yishen’s solar lamp to supplement the light for the potatoes.

To avoid attracting attention, Huo Yishen installed blackout curtains on the balcony and provided supplementary light during the day.

The potatoes were doing well, sprouting leaves even in temperatures below minus fifty degrees Celsius.

“Sister, brother handed over the task of taking care of the potatoes to me.” Doudou was extremely diligent and happy, saying, “I bring them into the house every night so they won’t freeze.”

Those were eyes eagerly seeking praise. Jiang Ning didn’t hesitate to give it, “Yes, our Doudou is amazing.”

With Zheng Weili and the others gone, Jiang Ning had a good life, eating and drinking as she pleased, without having to guard against unexpected visitors knocking on the door or constantly checking the house for anything suspicious.

Perhaps prompted by Huo Yishen, Doudou no longer ran around looking for dogs or rabbits as before.

If there was something, Huo Yishen would communicate through the walkie-talkie.

For example, when the dumplings were finished.

Huo Yishen proactively asked, “Do you want to make dumplings?”

Jiang Ning thought for a moment, “Sure.”

In the future, the environment would only get worse, so it was a good idea to stock up whenever there was spare time.