Chapter 217: Big Brother, You Are Truly Wise
"I'm really curious about what kind of leader could find something like a grain mill."
"Meeting you today, you're just as impressive as I thought." Meng Ci said solemnly.
Lin Jun wasn't much of a talker, and soon the only sounds were from the construction materials being moved nearby.
Seeing this scene, Zheng Yan spoke at the right moment.
"Big brother, look!" Zheng Yan pointed to the construction site nearby.
"Thanks to your items, my leader earned a lot of points, and he was able to build this villa."
"And our leader said he's building it with two floors, one of which is for me to live in!"
A satisfied smile spread across Zheng Yan's face.
"I'm soon going to be a man with a house, and then I can marry and have children, reaching the peak of life."
Meng Ci was deeply skeptical about Zheng Yan's talk of marrying and having children.
He noticed that when Zheng Yan mentioned marrying and having children, Lin Jun's eyes showed a strange emotion. Coupled with what Zheng Yan had said earlier about how good Lin Jun was to him, it was likely that Lin Jun had ulterior motives for him.
However, this was between the two of them, and Meng Ci didn't want to say much.
He just hoped Zheng Yan wouldn't freak out when he found out the truth.
From his appearance, Lin Jun seemed like a righteous person, and the area where they were building the house was relatively close to Meng Ci's villa.
Meng Ci fumbled in a bag on the passenger seat and took out two packs of cigarettes, handing them to Lin Jun.
Lin Jun did not accept them but instead signaled Meng Ci with his eyes to state his request first.
When Zheng Yan spotted the cigarettes, he quickly snatched them and slipped them into Lin Jun's pocket.
"This is some good stuff. You should put it away fast! What if someone else sees and tries to snatch it!"
After stashing the cigarettes, Zheng Yan leaned in closer to Lin Jun, shielding him from view, and glanced around to make sure no one was watching.
Then, Zheng Yan said to Meng Ci, "Big brother, if you have any requests, just mention them."
"We'll definitely help you out."
"If I can't handle it, my boss will take care of it."
Lin Jun didn't seem bothered by Zheng Yan's closeness and even seemed happier because of it.
Meng Ci said, "It's not a big deal."
"We're planning to head out for a while, maybe a month or two."
"Since we live pretty close by, we were hoping you could keep an eye on things for us."
As he spoke, Meng Ci pointed to their residence, which was less than 200 meters away in a straight line.
"Sure thing!" Zheng Yan agreed.
"Don't worry, big brothers. I'll check in every hour."
"I absolutely won't let anything go wrong with your home."
Zheng Yan slapped his chest and promised.
"No need for that."
Hearing Zheng Yan say he would check every hour, Meng Ci knew he was exaggerating, but it also showed that they were just asking for a casual favor.
Besides, it was polar day now, and under the bright light, many shady troublemakers wouldn't dare to make a move.
Lin Jun, hearing this, took the cigarettes out of his pocket and handed them to Meng Ci.
"I can help with the favor, but keep the cigarettes."
Zheng Yan, seeing Lin Jun's action, widened his eyes and cursed in his mind that this guy might be out of his mind!
Did he even realize how much food or points two packs of cigarettes could get them?
He had spent all his points on the land and probably couldn't even afford to get married now.
Meng Ci didn't take them. "You keep it."
"After all, I prefer a fair trade."
"Alright." Lin Jun put the cigarettes back in his pocket. He had originally thought about making a friend by helping without taking anything.
If they didn't want to, no big deal. He'd just treat them like any other client and charge for the service.
Seeing the boss put the cigarettes away, Zheng Yan was already fantasizing about how much he could get with these two packs of cigarettes.
After the matter was settled, Meng Ci and Shen Que drove away.
Zheng Yan kept waving at the car until it disappeared from sight, before he finally pulled his hand back.
"Boss, how do we exchange these two packs of cigarettes?"
"Sigh, now that there's more grain and meat, we can earn even fewer points, but the water fees and land costs haven't decreased!"
"How can we exchange them to make it worthwhile?"
Zheng Yan kept nagging and talking non-stop.
Lin Jun actually had a plan in mind and, seeing Zheng Yan babble on, shared his thoughts.
"Some time ago, when I went out to look for a grain mill, I met an expert at digging wells. We could offer him a pack of cigarettes."
"And have him dig a well for us here."
Lin Jun had heard that someone in the Zhao family's villa had dug a well, so he wondered if they could dig another well here.
So, he had been saving points to buy land here.
And a few days ago, when choosing the land, he even asked the well-digger to check the location before finally settling on this spot.
Lin Jun only bought a hundred square meters of land, which was more than enough for just the two of them.
First, they'd build the walls, and once the well was done, they'd figure out how to build the house.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yan's eyes lit up.
No wonder you're the boss! With a well, they could have free access to water and even exchange items. This was indeed a multi-benefit solution!
"Boss, you are truly wise!"
"I'll follow you to the ends of the earth!"
Zheng Yan wasn't shy at all and, in one swift move, jumped onto Lin Jun's back, without a second thought.
Lin Jun had one hand behind his back, holding Zheng Yan, for fear that he might fall.
It was currently the polar day season. After resting for a few hours, Meng Ci and Shen Que packed the important items in the house into their space and headed out.
They swiped their cards and left through the eastern gate.
Currently, only around two million residents remained in M City, with only about 500,000 people in the West Mountain Wilderness area.
Meanwhile, around 100,000 residents lived within the base.
After all, the houses were limited and couldn't accommodate too many people.
The other 400,000 lived outside the base.
Some people set up simple tents near the base, making it convenient to commute to work every day, while others lived in buildings that hadn't collapsed yet. While these buildings were farther from the base, they offered much more safety than tents.
As for the remaining 1.5 million people, most were in the M City refugee camp.
It was said that this camp was the largest in M Province, located 300 kilometers east in Town M.
Before the apocalypse, the trip would have taken only three to four hours to drive there on the highway. Now, after enduring various disasters, it would likely take much longer.
However, they weren't in a hurry. They could take their time, and who knows what they might find along the way.