Chapter 137: Huang Zhi, Move in with Us
"By the way, did you go out for something?"
Unwilling to hear more thanks, Meng Ci changed the subject.
Zhang Mingtian was taken aback and replied in a low voice, "I just went to check on the other households in the building to see if anyone was still alive."
After noticing that the temperature had risen today, Zhang Mingtian went upstairs first and knocked on Meng Ci's door, but no one answered despite his persistent knocking.
At that moment, Zhang Mingtian was worried, but his rational side told him that Meng Ci and Shen Que were so capable that nothing would have happened to them.
So he went downstairs to check on the other households.
Meng Ci wasn't familiar with the others, but he thought of Huang Zhi and his group, after all, they had fought side by side before, so he asked.
Zhang Mingtian sighed, "Wu Can lived next door to me; he lived alone."
"Before the severe cold hit, he gave me a key. I opened the door just now and found that he had frozen to death."
Zhang Mingtian's voice choked up again as he spoke.
After all, they had been in the security team together for several months, and they had fought tigers and patrolled together, so there was some camaraderie.
Before the severe cold hit, Zhang Mingtian had thought about how dangerous it was for Wu Can to live alone. After hesitating for a while, he invited him to move in with him.
But Wu Can refused and even told Zhang Mingtian not to be so kind, lest he bring trouble home.
Thinking about this, Zhang Mingtian felt even more sorrowful.
Zhang Mingtian first checked on Wu Can and found him lying in bed, covered with a thick blanket, a smile on his lips, lifeless.
Zhang Mingtian regretted that if he had insisted more at the time and let Wu Can move in, he wouldn't have died.
"As for Huang Zhi, he is still alive."
"But his parents have already frozen to death, and the only one left in the family is a six-year-old child."
Huang Zhi is thirty-three years old. His wife had already frozen to death during the first cold snap.
After that, he took his family away from the refugee camp, working diligently, sometimes even working twenty-four hours straight, just to keep his family alive.
But his parents still froze to death.
As for the other households, one family had all frozen to death, while the others were still alive.
Upon hearing this, Meng Ci and Shen Que felt a deep sense of sorrow.
"By the way," Zhang Mingtian suddenly said.
"Wu Can once said that if he didn't make it, he wanted me to divide his things into three parts, giving one part to you, one part to Huang Zhi, and keeping one part for myself."
"Brother, wait a moment, I'll go and divide them now."
Zhang Mingtian then took off his gloves and fumbled in his pocket for a key, turning to look at the door next to him.
Meng Ci refused.
"There's no need. We have food. You and Huang Zhi can divide Wu Can's things between yourselves."
Although it seemed inappropriate to divide someone's belongings right after their death,
in the apocalypse, if they didn't do this, others would take the items.
Zhang Mingtian insisted, "No, Wu Can said to give you a share, so you must take it."
"These are his last wishes, and they cannot be ignored."
Seeing Zhang Mingtian's insistence, Meng Ci followed him inside to take a look.
In the end, Meng Ci only took half a bag of coal and two flower pots filled with soil.
The soil in the flower pots was frozen solid, with some vegetables still in them.
Meng Ci mainly wanted the soil in the pots to grow vegetables.
Seeing that they had taken so little, Zhang Mingtian also picked up half a bag of flour and half a bag of rice, offering to bring them up to Meng Ci and Shen Que.
Meng Ci firmly refused, stating that they had enough flour and rice and didn't need any more.
Back home, the stove was burning brightly, making the room warm. They put down their things and quickly warmed themselves by the fire. Once they felt warm, they took off their outer clothes, towels, and gloves.
Then they took out some ingredients, with Shen Que responsible for cooking.
While Meng Ci brought out the flower pots he had used for growing vegetables from his spatial ring, watering them and handling the new pots he had brought up, planting some more greens.
Downstairs, when Huang Zhi heard Zhang Mingtian knocking on the door, he dressed himself and his child warmly before opening it.
"Brother Zhang." Huang Zhi looked pale and spoke weakly.
Zhang Mingtian didn't enter the house, sighing deeply.
Seeing the child he held, listless like a rag doll, Zhang Mingtian felt a pang in his heart.
"Huang Zhi, has Ning'er recovered yet?" Zhang Mingtian reached out to touch Huang Ning's head.
Huang Zhi shook his head.
Zhang Mingtian sighed and explained his purpose.
"Before the severe cold snap, Wu Can said that if he didn't make it, we should divide the things in his house among our families."
"Meng and the others took some charcoal up there, and the rest was divided between our two families."
Zhang Mingtian discussed with his family before coming to Huang Zhi. Now that Huang Zhi was raising a six-year-old child with mental health issues, life must be tough for him.
Considering Huang Zhi's usual good character, Zhang Mingtian suggested that Huang Zhi move in with them, so the two families could support each other.
Song Meixuan and Zhang's mother thought about it and agreed.
Moreover, Song Meixuan was pregnant, and Zhang's mother was too old, leaving only Zhang Mingtian as the able-bodied adult. If danger arose, protecting them would be challenging.
Therefore, both agreed to the idea.
Zhang Mingtian shared his thoughts, "Huang Zhi, if you're willing, you can move in today. If not, we won't force you."
Hearing Zhang Mingtian's proposal, Huang Zhi was deeply moved.
"I'm willing, I'm willing."
Now, he was a single man with a young child, going to the security team every day to earn a living, and the child's future was uncertain.
With Zhang Mingtian's help, Huang Zhi felt immensely grateful.
Still, Zhang Mingtian analyzed the pros and cons to avoid any future regrets from Huang Zhi.
"Think about it again."
"You know my situation; I have a wife and a mother. If you come, you will be the one making sacrifices."
Huang Zhi shook his head, "No problem."
In Huang Zhi's mind, these were not issues.
Moreover, with two women in Zhang Mingtian's household, they would likely be more attentive to the child's care.
Huang Ning's mental health might improve with the warmth and care.
Since Huang Zhi agreed, Zhang Mingtian didn't say more. He returned home and told Song Meixuan and the others, then started helping with the move.
As Song Meixuan was nearly six months pregnant, she stayed at home with Huang Ning, while Zhang's mother helped move lighter items.
Because the weather was still cold, Zhang Mingtian decided to move the stove from Huang Zhi's house to a slightly larger room.
He placed the stove in the center of the room, set up three beds using bed boards, and partitioned the space with curtains.
The cold temperatures meant that living together would reduce the consumption of coal and firewood and allow everyone to support each other.
With the combined resources of three households, life in Zhang Mingtian's home would be more comfortable.