Chapter 43 — Everyone’s a Little Hoarder
After washing up and scrubbing off all the putty stuck to his skin, Luo Xun filled the rooftop water tank with freshly purified water—thanks to a setup he’d built before the apocalypse, he didn’t even need to climb up there to refill it.
He also set aside a small bucket of clean water next to the water dispenser. Since their home still had electricity, they could use it just like before.
“We can take instant noodles or rice to trade,” Luo Xun said, “but it’s better to exchange stuff that actually lasts. These all have expiration dates, and we can’t eat that much anyway… Oh, and tomorrow we can ask Li Tie—they got a bunch of stainless-steel pots and pans last time.”
When they’d scavenged the supermarket, Li Tie’s group had grabbed a pile of metal tableware. They’d left their dorms in such a hurry they hadn’t even brought their own utensils—just emergency rations.
It wasn’t a problem when eating at the base cafeteria since dishes were provided, but back in their own unit it became a hassle: five grown men and only two lunch boxes, taking turns to eat. So last time, they’d swept through the kitchenware aisle and stocked up.
They’d been smart too—skipping fragile porcelain and glass, and grabbing sturdy metal instead. They really had saved quite a few stainless items.
Luo Xun was silently calculating what they could trade when Yan Fei poured a bit of cold water on the idea: “What if they find out you’re building floor heating and want one too?”
Luo Xun froze. True. If they wanted one, he wouldn’t stop them—especially since Yan Fei would be the one doing the work anyway. And honestly, their group of five would benefit from it more than him.
“Then… let’s just focus on collecting materials tomorrow,” he decided at last.
Yan Fei chuckled, stepping forward to rest a hand on Luo Xun’s shoulder. “We’ll see what we find. I already sorted through the metals we collected—some are stainless steel. We didn’t use them before, but they’ll work for the heating pipes. If we get a bit more tomorrow, we’ll have enough for the other unit. But what about this one? Want to renovate here too?”
This apartment had already been renovated before the apocalypse. To add floor heating, they’d need to tear up the flooring, lay pipes, then reinstall everything—including moving every piece of furniture. A huge job. But doing it now, while they were already working next door, would save trouble later.
Luo Xun’s expression twisted in hesitation before he finally shook his head. “Let’s wait. This house still isn’t really ours…”
He always worried that the real owner might come back one day. Technically, the property hadn’t been finalized before the apocalypse—the complex hadn’t been completed yet, so no one had real deeds, only vouchers. But still, an owner was an owner. If someone showed up with proof, it’d be a problem.
As for why the previous residents—a family of three—never met the owner last time around, well… even if the landlord had survived, considering how unreasonable and thuggish that family was, they probably would’ve bullied their way into keeping the place anyway. Who would have paperwork ready while fleeing for their life? Half the base’s residents didn’t even know where their IDs were anymore.
Without realizing it, Luo Xun had followed Yan Fei upstairs. Only when they reached the bedroom did he stop short, stiffening. It wasn’t his fault—he’d developed a condition: every time he saw the bed lately, he felt… uncomfortable.
After all, these past few days—well. Every morning when he woke up, he found himself in Yan Fei’s arms.
Maybe it was from working too hard during the day. Maybe it was because the northern wind outside made the warmth beside him impossible to resist. Either way, each morning he’d wake up nestled against Yan Fei’s chest, arm slung around that firm, sinfully perfect waist.
And if he stayed calm enough before getting up, he might even sneak in a little squeeze or two. The feel was honestly divine.
So yes, Luo Xun was living in a constant state of inner conflict—embarrassed, tormented, self-reflective, and yet secretly… looking forward to it.
He had, of course, considered the obvious question: why was his head always on Yan Fei’s arm, instead of the other way around? Didn’t that make it seem like Yan Fei was the one doing the hugging?
But Luo Xun knew his limits. He wasn’t that attractive. If he had even half of Yan Fei’s looks and build, maybe he’d believe the man was making a move—but no, he was just an average-looking, shorter guy that nobody would notice in a crowd. There was no way someone like Yan Fei, a walking definition of tall-dark-handsome, would look at him that way.
…Unless Yan Fei just happened to be the kind of person who needed to hug something while sleeping. Yeah, that had to be it.
Carefully climbing into bed on his side by the window, Luo Xun decided he’d stay awake a little later tonight and finally get to the bottom of this mystery. Tomorrow was a rest day anyway—no harm in losing a bit of sleep.
But before he could even count to three, his head hit the pillow and he was out cold.
Yan Fei raised an eyebrow, watching him.
This guy was really exhausted lately—he could fall asleep in seconds. Judging from Luo Xun’s flustered looks these past mornings, he clearly suspected something about their sleeping arrangements… but had no proof yet.
Not that Yan Fei cared. So what if he got caught sneaking the man into his arms every night? If Luo Xun didn’t notice, he’d just keep sleeping innocently. But if he did notice… well, then he’d stop pretending and actually make a move.
Renovations or not, he could always bribe Li Tie’s group with weapons to finish the job later.
Pulling back the blanket, he slid naturally into bed and wrapped an arm under Luo Xun’s neck, tugging him close. His other hand pulled up the quilt—and then, quite naturally, slipped under Luo Xun’s shirt to rest on his back.
Luo Xun unconsciously burrowed closer, looping his arm around that same lean waist, sighing in his sleep. He didn’t notice the hand on his back slowly sliding down, tracing the line of his spine—
Yan Fei narrowed his eyes, chin resting on Luo Xun’s head. Maybe I should just eat him now.
He’d been thinking about that every night lately. At first, he’d only wanted to keep Luo Xun close because of the warmth and sense of home the man brought him. But ever since they came back from that last outing, things had changed. Every touch, every night spent holding him—it made Yan Fei realize something shocking.
He really might be bent.
Still, now wasn’t the time. A few more days, a good opportunity… and then he’d tell Luo Xun the truth—and make him his, once and for all.
***
The next morning, Luo Xun stood before the bathroom mirror, utterly defeated. He’d planned to stay awake and catch Yan Fei in the act, but the moment he lay down—boom, lights out. He hadn’t fallen asleep that fast even before college entrance exams!
Maybe dying and living again had drained his spirit or something. That must be it.
After washing up with extra aggression, he stepped out of the bathroom.
Yan Fei was already dressed—in a tight black turtleneck wool sweater that hugged his frame perfectly—and waiting at the table with breakfast.
They had wontons that morning, ones Luo Xun had made and frozen before the apocalypse. There weren’t many left now, and once they were gone, they’d have to start living off dry rations.
They didn’t talk much, just ate quietly, then went next door to knock on Li Tie’s door.
Wang Duo opened up, yawning. “You’re early. We’re not even ready yet.”
The room already looked better—cleaner and whiter after the first layer of putty, though still uneven in spots. Li Tie was wrestling with his messy hair; Wu Xin was patting lotion onto his acne-covered face (which only made Luo Xun wince in secondhand pain); and He Qiankun was munching on a brick of dry instant noodles, waving casually in greeting.
When Luo Xun explained that they wanted to build floor heating but needed more stainless steel, all five men’s eyes lit up.
“Underfloor heating?!”
“That’ll make the place so much warmer!”
“We could even turn our rooms into greenhouses!”
“But… won’t it take a lot of stainless steel? Where are we supposed to get that?”
The excitement lasted only a few seconds before they sobered up again. It was a great idea—they hadn’t laid down floors yet, so it was the perfect time to install heating pipes—but the materials would be a challenge.
But even stainless-steel materials still had to be traded for something. Unlike Luo Xun, Li Tie’s group didn’t have much food stored at home—they couldn’t afford to exchange their rations for materials. They did have a few base points, but those would soon be needed for food!
Luo Xun thought for a moment before suggesting, “Why don’t you guys wait and see how things go? The flooring can only be installed after the walls are completely finished anyway, and since we’re working slowly, it’s better to decide later whether or not to lay it down.”
Li Tie and the others looked at one another and nodded. He was right. They wanted to finish quickly, but as a group of inexperienced amateurs, it would probably take them a month or two just to finish their own apartments! Who knew—by then, maybe they’d find another way to earn more points and could buy materials from someone else in the base.
After discussing it, everyone got ready to head downstairs.
Before leaving, Luo Xun and Yan Fei packed two backpacks full of instant noodles and other things to trade.
Li Tie’s group, on the other hand, took their points to the base’s official food exchange counter to buy meals. The food there was plentiful and fairly priced, but points were the only accepted currency. The open market outside was another story—everything depended on how sharp your tongue was and how clever your bargaining skills were.
Yan Fei lifted away the steel sheet covering one of the two elevator doors, revealing the buttons beneath, and pressed one. When the elevator arrived, everyone stepped in, and after entering, he sealed the steel plate tightly again.
It was inconvenient—no one except Yan Fei could open those makeshift “doors”—but it was a necessary precaution. With so many items stacked in the stairwell, they were afraid outsiders might sneak in and steal something while everyone was busy.
During this time, Luo Xun discovered something unexpected—all seven people on their floor seemed to be serious homebodies. In the three days they’d been cooped up, not a single one had shown any desire to go out. If it weren’t for 1601’s food shortage, Luo Xun suspected they’d rather sleep all day than step outside.
Of course, Luo Xun was the same. The only one who seemed restless was Yan Fei—but at this rate, Luo Xun was sure he’d soon be “assimilated” too.
In high spirits, they went downstairs, and once they stepped outside, it was clear that the base population had grown.
A seven-story building was already taking shape behind the demolished row of houses nearby. Seeing the progress, Wang Duo laughed and said, “At this rate, they’ll finish building that house before we finish our renovations!”
Luo Xun chuckled. “You might be right. It’s winter—construction’s already hard, and since we’re trying to do things carefully—well, slowly—it’s not impossible they’ll finish before us.”
At the gate, they picked a spot to regroup later, then split up—Li Tie’s group of five went to the official food counter, while Luo Xun and Yan Fei headed toward the market.
Just outside Hongjing Residential Complex, the streets were crowded with small vendors. Makeshift stalls lined the sidewalks, and people wrapped in layers of quilts slept under shop eaves.
It was still winter, bitterly cold even without snow. Many of these people had clearly just arrived at the base. Housing was limited, and some units were reserved for ability users or wealthy tenants who could pay in supplies. Others had simply taken advantage of the chaos, forcing out previous residents to occupy rooms themselves—leaving many with no choice but to sleep on the streets.
Luo Xun wasn’t unsettled by the mess. In fact, he felt this was exactly what an apocalypse base should look like.
As they walked, he eagerly inspected the stalls. With the influx of refugees, there was an astonishing variety of goods—from food and clothes to kitchenware, tools, and all sorts of items of dubious use or origin.
Some people had worked in warehouses or logistics before the apocalypse and escaped with whatever their trucks were carrying. If it was food, great—they’d eat it slowly. But many had fled with things that couldn’t be eaten or worn, yet still insisted on hauling them all the way to the base.
They passed a van with its trunk open, packed full of socks and underwear. A man stood on a rock shouting:
“Come look, come look! Pre-apocalypse, pollution-free, pure natural underwear! One pack of instant noodles gets you one pair! Two packs of biscuits for one pair! One of the base’s steamed buns gets you two pairs—don’t miss your chance!”
Another van was selling plastic household goods—soap racks, towel holders, laundry hangers, wastebaskets, buckets—all at bargain prices.
As they walked, Luo Xun noted the incredible variety of items: daily necessities, materials, jewelry… everything except food.
No surprise there. Clothes and shoes could last a while, but food was constantly dwindling—and after nearly starving once, everyone now understood exactly how precious it was.
So while the vendors shouted cheerfully and people browsed curiously, few were willing to trade away their rations. Even scavenging teams lucky enough to bring food back usually sold out within minutes.
Even if most people weren’t starving anymore, no one trusted the future. Everyone had turned into hoarders, transforming their homes into nest-like storerooms packed with supplies.
Thank you for reading 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
