Chapter 216: Big Brother, This Is My Leader
"Zhao Jingyu, thank you for your kindness!"
"We're going out for a few days, and these items will spoil soon."
"It's better to leave them here and deal with them when we come back."
Meng Ci already had plenty of fish and shrimp in his storage, so he didn't need to take anything from Zhao Jingyu.
"Alright!"
Zhao Jingyu frowned, then thought for a moment before grabbing two packs of banana breakfast buns and stuffing them into Meng Ci's hands before heading down to the first floor.
Once they reached the ground floor, Meng Ci asked the question that had been bothering him since they arrived.
"This house is well-built, but why did you put up a wall here?"
Originally, the staircase to the second floor and basement was designed to be directly aligned with the front door, with no obstructions.
But now, a thick wall had been erected, making the space feel cramped.
Meng Ci figured the designer wouldn't have such bad taste.
Zhao Jingyu snorted and replied, "Blame Liang Xiu!"
At first, Zhao Ting planned to install central air conditioning throughout the house so that people wouldn't feel too hot inside.
However, Liang Xiu thought that electricity was scarce in the apocalypse and advised Zhao Jingyu not to waste it.
After all, there were two bedrooms on the first floor, and the kitchen and living room were fully equipped, so there was no need to use the second or third floors.
"Wouldn't it be a waste to install central AC everywhere?"
Of course, Liang Xiu added that it was just a personal suggestion and it was fine if it wasn't adopted.
Zhao Jingyu naturally understood Liang Xiu's intentions, so he had the central air conditioning reconfigured so that only the first floor would be cooled.
Then Liang Xiu felt that the staircase leading to the second floor might affect the air conditioning, so he had the wall built.
"It's really ugly!" Zhao Jingyu said with a look of disgust.
Meng Ci wasn't surprised to hear that it was Liang Xiu's idea.
"Although it's ugly, it makes sense."
"And in the apocalypse, it's best to keep a low profile."
"Also, the things in your basement should not be shown to others anymore, and you must not tell anyone how many points are in your card."
"In such a dangerous world, if someone knows you're wealthy and harbors ill intentions, it would be easy for them to act against you."
Meng Ci gave this advice because he appreciated Zhao Jingyu helping him with the rabbits.
Zhao Jingyu glared at Meng Ci and huffed, "Of course I know that."
"Like I wouldn't," he added.
"I'll take you to the basement because you are Liang Xiu's close friends, and I genuinely want you to pick some items."
Zhao Jingyu looked annoyed. He had opened up to Meng Ci, only for Meng Ci to think him foolish.
Then, seeing the pumpkin cakes and banana buns in Meng Ci's hands, he already wanted to take the items back and not give them away.
...
Seeing Zhao Jingyu like this, Meng Ci casually replied, "Alright, alright, alright! It's good that you understand!"
"I am the fool."
After wrapping up the conversation, Meng Ci and Shen Que bid farewell to Zhao Jingyu and headed home.
The two planned to rest at home first, then head out with Eggplant and Hawk to venture.
Meng Ci didn't plan on telling Zhang Mingtian and Yun Jingcen either.
"Big brother, big brother!"
As the car entered the villa area and passed a pile of sand, stones, and bricks, Meng Ci and Shen Que suddenly heard a familiar voice calling out.
Through the rearview mirror, they spotted a man waving.
"Big brother, big brother!"
It was Zheng Yan, they realized.
Shen Que slowly stopped the car, and Zheng Yan quickly ran over.
Seeing Meng Ci lower the window, Zheng Yan leaned on it, squatting down with a bright smile.
"Big brother, I knew it was you two when I saw this car!"
Meng Ci frowned, recalling that his car's license plate and emblem had been removed, and some parts of the exterior had been smeared with dirt or cement for camouflage. How could this guy recognize it?
Seeing Meng Ci's expression, Zheng Yan became glib.
"It's because we're on the same wavelength, big brother!"
"Hey, hey, hey!"
As soon as Zheng Yan finished speaking, a large hand grabbed his neck and pulled him away from the car, forcing him to stand upright.
"Boss, boss! Spare me!"
Without looking back, Zheng Yan grabbed the hand around his neck and quickly pleaded.
Meng Ci raised an eyebrow when he saw the man approach and heard Zheng Yan call him 'boss.'
Looking at this "boss," he stood nearly six feet tall, with a sturdy build, neat short hair, and dark skin—clearly someone capable of finding a grain mill and oil press in the apocalyptic world.
They had traded several times but had never formally met. Since they were finally meeting face-to-face, it would be rude not to step out and exchange a few words.
With a click, the door opened.
Meng Ci and Shen Que got out of the car together.
The 'boss' released Zheng Yan's neck and turned his attention to them. With a nod, Meng Ci and Shen Que got out of the car together.
Zheng Yan sat up straight, rubbed his neck, and shot a glare at his boss.
As someone who knew both parties, Zheng Yan had no choice but to set aside his boss's violent behavior and do his best to introduce them.
"Big brother, this is my boss, Lin Jun," he said.
"Boss, these two are the guys we've been dealing with," Zheng Yan continued.
Zheng Yan winked and gestured with his face, and as for the items of the trade, it was naturally not appropriate to mention them explicitly.
"They are called..."
When it came to their names, Zheng Yan suddenly faltered, realizing that although he had met these two during the extreme cold period, he still didn't know their names.
"Hello, I'm Lin Jun," Lin Jun said, extending his hand first to shake hands with Meng Ci and Shen Que.
Meng Ci and Shen Que shook hands in turn, introducing themselves as well.
Lin Jun nodded. "I've heard from Zheng Yan that he recognized two big brothers, and I was quite curious."
"Now that I've met you two, I can see you're indeed extraordinary."
Earlier, Zheng Yan had returned with cigarettes and condoms, saying that the other party needed a grain mill and an oil press. These items weren't exactly survival essentials, and Lin Jun was worried Zheng Yan might get ripped off.
He was even more upset when he heard Zheng Yan had casually given away his points card to the other party.
While no one could actually withdraw points from the card, it could still be used to frame someone or cause trouble. In a world without surveillance, the points card left at the scene would be incriminating evidence, and Zheng Yan would find himself unable to defend against such accusations.
To get the card back, Lin Jun had to track down an oil press, spending a considerable amount of time repairing it and bringing it to the trade location.
Initially, Lin Jun wanted to go with Zheng Yan to the meeting, but Zheng Yan refused, saying he'd already promised his big brothers and couldn't bring anyone else along.
Seeing Zheng Yan's insistence, Lin Jun had no choice but to give up.
Before leaving, Lin Jun reminded Zheng Yan again to bring the card back.
To his surprise, Zheng Yan came back only with cigarettes and condoms and had not retrieved the points card.
Zheng Yan said they wouldn't give him the card back until they got the grain mill.
Furious, Lin Jun had no choice but to continue searching for the grain mill.
Luckily, Zheng Yan's big brothers kept their word.