Chapter 86

Chapter 86

A sudden heavy snowfall caused temperatures to plummet by over ten degrees. Just a brief opening of the window left Cheng Zhiyu shivering uncontrollably.

Cheng Mo quickly closed the window and took Cheng Zhiyu's hands, warming them in his own.

Cheng Zhiyu frowned. "It's so cold. The base is likely in for trouble. No, I need to go out and check."

Cheng Mo's brow furrowed.

Cheng Zhiyu continued, "I'll put on thicker clothes. There are garments and shoes made from mutant cotton in the cabinet. Could you get them for me?"

Hearing this, Cheng Mo immediately retrieved the clothes from the cabinet. The mutant cotton fabric felt warm to the touch, and because it provided continuous heat, wearing them instantly brought warmth.

Cheng Zhiyu's stiff fingers felt much better, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the mutant cotton was effective. The warehouse was now well-stocked with bedding and clothes made from it, more than enough for their needs.

He immediately headed downstairs to leave. Downstairs, Cheng Mama and the others had clearly been awakened by the cold. Seeing Cheng Zhiyu descend, Cheng Mama shivered, asking, "Zhiyu, where are you going? How did it get so cold all of a sudden after the snow?"

Cheng Zhiyu quickly explained and urged his mother to put on the mutant cotton clothes.

Cheng Mama suddenly remembered, "Oh, I almost forgot! I'll change right away."

Cheng Zhiyu and Cheng Mo went outside, where many households already had their lights on.

The snow was incredibly heavy; in just a short time, it was already ankle-deep, making walking difficult.

Cheng Mo shifted into his beast form and told Cheng Zhiyu, "Get on."

Cheng Zhiyu quickly climbed onto his back, thinking that if anyone saw them... but then he reconsidered—no one would dare to ask.

If he chose not to explain, no one would dare to question him.

With Big Black, their speed increased significantly. In no time, they reached the broadcasting room. Cheng Zhiyu opened the door, tapped the microphone, and first reassured everyone to stay calm. He announced that the base had stored mutant cotton blankets and clothes, which could be acquired with contribution points.

While these were emergency supplies, they couldn't be given away for free. For the base to thrive, they couldn't foster a habit of laziness.

If people knew everything was free, some would inevitably shirk their duties, which would be unfair to those who diligently worked without cutting corners.

Moreover, the contribution points required wouldn't be excessive. The base had been busy with construction recently, and most diligent households had accumulated enough contribution points to exchange for bedding and clothes.

Initially, everyone at home, watching the heavy snow and the sharply plummeting temperatures, felt an overwhelming sense of panic.

The heated brick beds, warm when they went to sleep, were now stone cold. They usually burned firewood—mostly dry branches and wheat stalks left after the harvest—to heat them.

Previously, these had kept the beds warm, but with the sudden drop in temperature, they were utterly useless.

At such low temperatures, sleep was impossible, and waking up to it was terrifying.

Fortunately, Cheng Zhiyu's calm voice came through the broadcast. His lack of panic and clear explanation of the situation inexplicably brought a sense of calm to everyone.

"Right, I also helped make bedding from mutant cotton before. It's incredibly warm. I even got too hot when I used it at night," someone immediately recalled.

"That's fantastic. In this dreadful weather, it's a good thing Captain Cheng was prepared. I feel much more at ease now."

"Who was it that said making those things was useless? Good thing we didn't listen. I remember everyone worked for two weeks making bedding and clothes from mutant cotton. There should be plenty."

"I didn't say that. Anyway, let's stop with the chatter. Come on, let's head to the designated place to exchange for blankets and clothes."

"Let's go slowly together. Didn't you hear Captain Cheng's warning? The roads are very slippery. A fall could be serious."

"Right, right. We'll go slowly."

Meanwhile, after finishing the broadcast, Cheng Zhiyu breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to organize the distribution.

Outside the door, Lin Kang's voice exclaimed, "Wow, what is this?"

Big Black was lying outside the door. When Lin Kang saw such a large dog, he was so startled he nearly fell on his backside.

Big Black gave Lin Kang a cold, indifferent glance, paying him little mind.

When Cheng Zhiyu emerged, Big Black immediately approached him, gently nuzzling him.

Seeing this, Lin Kang patted his chest and stammered, "This…"

Cheng Zhiyu smiled and explained, "This is my Big Black. By the way, you know the situation now. Hurry up and make arrangements."

Lin Kang snapped out of his surprise and nodded, no longer dwelling on it.

The distribution point was set up at the warehouse, where supplies were stored. In an adjacent empty warehouse, Cheng Zhiyu had people making ginger soup. Those waiting in line could go there first to drink some ginger soup and warm up a bit. Otherwise, waiting outside in the cold would surely lead to frostbite.

Soon, people began to arrive, accompanied by Superhumans to prevent any accidents along the way.

Everyone exchanged contribution points for bedding and clothes in an orderly fashion.

"Try to get one set of clothes per family member. The sizes vary, and the required contribution points differ accordingly. They may not all fit perfectly, so you can have them altered later," the person in charge of distribution explained. "As for bedding, families with fewer members can take fewer sets. There are many people in the base, so try to ensure each family has at least one set of bedding."

The person exchanging supplies quickly nodded and said, "Okay, my family has five people. We'll take two sets of bedding—one for my parents and one for the rest of us. My child is young, so one set is enough. We also need five sets of clothes."

After providing the approximate heights and weights of their family members, the staff handed them the appropriate sizes.

"Put on the clothes first," someone reminded them. "Don't catch a cold on the way back. There's ginger soup next door. Go have a bowl."

The person nodded, too moved to speak. In such times, everyone felt uneasy, but being cared for in this way made them feel inexplicably warm, almost bringing tears to their eyes. They repeatedly expressed their gratitude.

Those waiting in line behind them felt the same. Some, after receiving a few words of concern, began wiping away tears.

They felt that their base was truly wonderful—working through the night for them.

The distribution point was brightly lit, and the same was true at the livestock farm. The animals were shivering from the cold. The breeders, dressed in clothes made from mutant cotton, hurriedly began tending to them.

Previously, the animals could withstand temperatures as low as minus ten degrees Celsius at night, likely because their constitutions had strengthened due to the post-apocalyptic environment.

But now, with another ten-degree drop, they could no longer endure it and were almost frozen solid.

Everyone quickly used bedding made from mutant cotton as curtains to block the cold wind outside and laid mutant cotton in the animals’ pens.

Han Tingting was especially worried about the pregnant sow, which was over two months along and due to give birth in about a month.

Nothing could be allowed to go wrong.

Thankfully, after some effort, the pigpen finally warmed up.

Although sealing it off meant the air inside didn’t circulate well, it was better than letting the animals freeze to death.

The geese had come inside from guard duty, gathering with the chickens and ducks, huddling in nests made of mutant cotton to keep warm.

The woman who tended the chicks entered the chicken coop, which was no longer as warm as before. The chicks huddled together, shivering from the cold, and a few had already frozen to death, which upset her greatly.

She quickly called her son to lay down mutant cotton. The chicks seemed to sense something and hurriedly waddled over on their short legs to the warm, red cotton. Soon, they stopped shivering and dozed off on the cotton.

Seeing this, the aunt let out a sigh of relief. She looked at the bodies of the few frozen chicks, sighed, cleared away the bodies, and cleaned up the room.

After cleaning the room and replacing the food with fresh portions, the aunt checked on the chicks again. The fuzzy yellow chicks were huddled close together, already asleep with their eyes closed.

Clearly, with the mutant cotton, the room had become warmer.

The aunt touched the warm mutant cotton and smiled. This was truly a good thing.

Outside, the breeder and a few others were busy getting the livestock settled. Seeing that the animals were in good condition and would be okay for now, they finally felt relieved and left.

The breeder, bundled up in his coat, walked to the door of the chick room and called inside, "Mom, are you done? If you're finished, let's hurry back."

He definitely had to go home with his mother. With the snow so thick on the road, he was worried she might slip and fall, which would be bad in such cold weather.

A fall in this cold could be really bad.

Mom responded, she did one last check to ensure nothing was missed, and then stepped out.

The temperature outside was bitterly cold. Mom quickly closed the door behind her, afraid the cold wind would blow in and freeze the chicks.

But she herself was shivering from the cold.

The breeder hurriedly handed her the clothes he was holding and urged, "Mom, put this on quickly."

In just that short time, Mom’s fingers had gone numb. Without another word, she quickly took the clothes. As soon as she held them, she felt the warmth. Once she put them on, the cold wind was cut off right away, and her whole body warmed up.

"Oh my, is there mutant cotton in this?" Mom asked, feeling the warm clothes as she walked back with her son.

"Yeah," the breeder nodded. "Didn't the base start trading for cotton clothes and bedding?"

Mom nodded. She had heard the broadcast, but asked, "Weren't you busy taking care of the livestock outside? Who got these clothes?"

The breeder smiled. "We didn't have to go get them. The people in charge heard we were all at the breeding farm and probably didn't have time to pick them up, so they sent someone to deliver them directly. The bedding was delivered to our home too."

"That's such a bother for them," Mom said, though she couldn't help but smile. "I'd been worried that if we went to get the clothes and bedding after finishing up, it might be too late and they'd stop exchanging. I didn't expect the people in charge to be so thoughtful, delivering them directly. By the way, what did these clothes run?"

Mom, accustomed to frugality, always liked to ask about prices.

But the breeder smiled and said, "We're both employees of the breeding farm now. The clothes are part of the job benefits—didn't cost any contribution points."

Mom was surprised. "I just started, and I already get them?"

The breeder nodded. "Yes, but if the rest of our family wants clothes, they'll need contribution points. As for bedding, each person gets one free."

"That's only fair," she said, feeling pleased that they had saved on contribution points for themselves. Not bad!

Beaming, Mom said, "Let's eat something good tomorrow!"

Though "something good" just meant heartier meals, for people in the post-apocalyptic world, that was already a good life.

Outside, many people had nothing to eat or drink, and every day, someone died of hunger.

They were living a life they hadn't dared to imagine.

When they returned home, Mom’s grandson was already wearing mutant cotton clothes, his cheeks all rosy, looking like a little penguin.

Seeing this, Mom asked her grandson, "It's so late—why aren't you asleep?"

The grandson replied, "Mom said she was worried about you two, so we should wait until you got back to sleep."

Mom turned to her daughter-in-law and said, "You really shouldn't have. What could happen to us? The child is growing—he shouldn't stay up late. Besides, isn't it cold sitting here?"

Though she sounded like she was complaining, she was smiling, not really blaming her daughter-in-law. Her daughter-in-law was just concerned about her and her son—how could she really be upset?

The grandson immediately said, "It's not cold, Grandma. I'm so hot, but Mom won't let me take off my clothes."

"Your mom is right," Mom said. "Don't you dare take them off! You have no idea how cold it is outside. If you take them off, you'll turn into an ice pop!"

The grandson shivered in fear and didn't dare mention taking off his clothes again. He hadn't really wanted to take them off—just wanted to unzip it a little.

Now, he was too scared to even unzip them.

Seeing this, Mom felt relieved. It was definitely not a good idea to take off the clothes. She had nearly frozen stiff earlier without them, though now she was starting to feel a little sweaty.

These clothes were so warm!

As employees of the breeding department, each of them got one free blanket. Mom’s husband had passed away, so she slept with her grandson, while her son and daughter-in-law slept together. They had just enough bedding.

Back in the room, they quickly shut the doors and windows tight, laid out the mutant cotton bedding, and prepared everything before risking taking off their cotton clothes.

Even then, they shivered from the cold and hurriedly slipped under the covers as fast as possible, instantly feeling warm.

Mom patted her grandson’s back, rocking him to sleep, feeling grateful. Thank heavens for Captain Cheng—otherwise, who knows how tough life would have been.

They might not only have frozen to death but likely would've starved by now.

People in the outer areas felt anxious when they heard the broadcast. They had only been there for two months and were afraid there would be no mutant cotton clothes or bedding for them.

"This damn weather, why's it gotta torment us like this?" someone wiped their tears.

"Just when our lives were starting to get better, it has to mess things up for us again. It's so cold—does it want to freeze us to death?" someone said despairingly.

"Didn't they say we can exchange for mutant cotton bedding? I've sewn bedding before—it's really warm. Can we exchange for it too?"

"We've only been here two months. Even if they let us exchange, how would we have the contribution points?"

Since arriving, they had been scrimping and saving, but with so many shortages, their contribution points vanished like water—they couldn't save any!

Now, without contribution points, how could they exchange for anything?

Just when they had finally started to feel life was improving, that as long as they worked hard, they could at least get enough to eat—

they still couldn't stand up to nature's wrath.

As they were talking, they saw Liu Pingan approaching. Shivering, they looked at each other and said, "Let's ask Liu Pingan. Captain Cheng is his nephew!"

This suggestion was met with unanimous agreement.

Some had previously thought that since Liu Pingan’s nephew was the base’s top leader, Liu Pingan would live a better life. But instead, he had moved to the outer areas, doing the same work as them, not seeming any better off. They had assumed Liu Pingan wasn't very close to his nephew.

Now, seeing Liu Pingan, they felt somewhat relieved. At least he was in the outer areas, so they could still get some information from him.

So, they gathered around, all talking at once.

Liu Pingan looked surprised. "Why haven't you gone to get clothes? Your faces are turning blue from the cold."

"We don't have enough contribution points. How can we exchange?" they said miserably, huddling to keep warm.

Liu Pingan smacked his forehead. "No wonder you didn't go. Captain Cheng already said that, given the special circumstances of those in the outer areas, you can get what you need now and pay later, working off what you owe gradually through work."

In front of others, he didn't play up his status as Cheng Zhiyu’s uncle and instead called him "Captain Cheng."

Their eyes lit up with excitement, and they asked excitedly, "Can we really get it on credit?"

"Oh my god, that's awesome! Let's hurry over before they run out."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go! It's great that we can put it on credit!"

"We gotta thank Liu Pingan for telling us the news!"

"Definitely, way better than us just guessing blindly here."

Liu Pingan shook his head, "They'll definitely announce it over the loudspeaker."

Sure enough, just as he finished speaking, the broadcast made the announcement.

The inner area had almost finished collecting their share, and it was now the outer area’s turn.

It wasn't about showing favoritism; everyone going at once would slow things down, so it was more efficient to do it in groups.

After hearing the specific details from the broadcast, everyone felt even more at ease, with no worries about paying on credit.

No matter what, getting our hands on the clothes and bedding first was the priority. Without them, we'd probably freeze to death—why worry about credit now?

Besides, Small River Base was different. They're always hiring, and as long as they were willing to work hard, they could always earn contribution points.

When they arrived at the warehouse, it was all lit up, and there was hot ginger soup waiting for them. A sip of the soup made them feel much better.

Soon, they headed back carrying their new clothes and bedding.

Bundled up in the warmth of the cotton, they were all smiling.

On their way back, they were even joking and laughing.

They all agreed how fortunate they were to have left those mountain valleys and come to Small River Base. Otherwise, they would have either starved to death before the snow came or frozen to death after it did.

Now, life felt full of hope.

Meanwhile, Chi Hongyi and the others living in their building also received their bedding, delivered to them.

As people the base looks after specially, they didn't even need to go get it themselves.

Chi Hongyi stood by the window, wearing her cotton clothes, too scared to open it. The cold temperature still made her nervous, so she watched the people coming and going in the snow through the glass.

With the cold snap hitting, even large bases would probably have people freezing to death. But at Small River Base, everyone was still cheerful, their faces full of hope for life.

Chi Hongyi exhaled, her breath fogged up the glass, and she slowly smiled.

It's really great. Small River Base is wonderful, so different from other bases.

"Ah-choo!" Cheng Zhiyu, signing papers with a pen, suddenly sneezed.

Cheng Mo immediately leaned over, frowning as he felt his hand, "Let me check, you getting sick?"

His hand was warm. After feeling his forehead and confirming he didn't have a fever, Cheng Mo relaxed.

Cheng Zhiyu said, "Probably someone's talking about me behind my back. I don't feel unwell."

"Who's talking about you?" Cheng Mo frowned.

Cheng Zhiyu waved him off, "Get out of here, I'm busy."

Cheng Mo gave him a sulky look but withdrew his hand.

Feeling Cheng Mo's resentful gaze, Cheng Zhiyu steeled himself and finished signing the remaining documents.

Afterward, he let out a sigh of relief and smiled, "I can sleep in tomorrow."

Just as Cheng Mo was about to complain, he lit up, "Really?"

"Yeah, what did you think I was doing?" Cheng Zhiyu yawned. "Since I'm already here, I figured I'd just finish the work."

He didn't mention that with the snow not letting up, it would likely be too deep to make it in easily tomorrow.

But hearing he didn't have to wake up early, Cheng Mo was clearly happy. Ever since Cheng Zhiyu became the administrator, he had been getting up early every day.

Once Cheng Zhiyu was up, Cheng Mo didn't want to sleep either, so he hadn't slept in for a long time.

Cheng Zhiyu had repeatedly said, "You don't have to get up with me. Sleep if you want."

But Cheng Mo couldn't fall asleep once Cheng Zhiyu left.

Before heading back, Cheng Mo changed into his animal form. Cheng Zhiyu climbed onto his back, without his feet touching the ground.

Cheng Mo started off walking slowly. Cheng Zhiyu lay on his back, taking a deep breath—such a huge dog was incredibly satisfying to snuggle up to.

Just as he was marveling at it, the originally slow-moving Big Black suddenly got excited and raced home at full speed.

Cheng Zhiyu didn't dare sit up and just buried himself in the fur, not worried about the cold wind stinging his face.

His voice muffled, he said, "Slow down, don't accidentally bump into anyone."

On the road, people were walking slowly because of the snow when a black shadow swept past like the wind—whoosh—and was gone in an instant.

Everyone: "?" What was that just now?

It was so fast they couldn't even see it clearly.

Once they reached their home's courtyard, Cheng Mo immediately shifted back and pulled Cheng Zhiyu upstairs.

Cheng Zhiyu: "?"

Inside, Cheng's mother heard the noise, came out wrapped in her clothes, and relaxed when she saw it was them. "Go get some sleep now."

They agreed and entered the room. Cheng Zhiyu was pressed against the door before he could react, and Cheng Mo leaned in, his passionate kiss carrying the chill of the wind and snow.

The kiss was especially intense, and Cheng Zhiyu even broke a sweat, thinking to himself, "Was it really necessary? I just took a deep breath while lying on his back."

"You're not focused," Cheng Mo pulled back, his eyes fixed on Cheng Zhiyu, filled with dissatisfaction.

Cheng Zhiyu quickly wrapped his arms around Cheng Mo's neck. "I am focused."

Then he leaned in to kiss him.

Cheng Mo, satisfied, smiled and kissed him back passionately.

In the end, they only kissed and didn't do anything else. Cheng Zhiyu had been busy most of the night and was too tired—sleep was the priority.

It was too cold to take a bath, so Cheng Mo used his Water Power to quickly clean him. Before Cheng Zhiyu even noticed, he was already fresh and dry.

He quickly slipped into his pajamas and slid under the warm covers.

Cheng Mo's eyes darkened as he slid in from the other side, pressing close to Cheng Zhiyu and pulling him into an embrace, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Cheng Zhiyu coughed lightly, "Um, are you serious?"

He had only asked Cheng Mo to help him wash using Water Power, and now he's getting all excited again.

Cheng Mo nuzzled into his neck, murmuring, "I don't mean to, but I just can't help myself when I see Zhi Yu."

Cheng Zhiyu: "..."

Cheng Mo said pitifully, "Zhi Yu, you wouldn't dislike me, right?"

Cheng Zhiyu: "...Could you stop pretending?"

Cheng Mo denied it, "Where am I pretending?"

Cheng Zhiyu was speechless. Didn't he know Cheng Mo well enough?

Cheng Mo gently rubbed his head against him, his ears popping out as he put on an innocent face, "Everything I said is true."

Cheng Zhiyu's heart raced: "..." Now you're playing dirty!

Cheng Zhiyu's throat moved as he cleared his throat, "Um... Let me help you. We can't sleep like this anyway."

In the end, Cheng Mo returned the favor.