Wang Qiang, who just finished lunch, lay on the wooden bed that had just been moved back to the room and hadn’t been tidied up yet, without a care in the world.

This time, they managed to bring back a total of five wooden beds of various sizes. If you were to say what furniture was most abundant in the whole house now, it would undoubtedly be these old, faded wooden beds. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Don’t be fooled by their neat arrangement now. Moving them earlier was really a big effort for Lao Zhao and the others.

Due to the size of the beds, it was obviously impossible to use the Jianghuai truck for transportation, so manual carrying became the only option.

These wooden beds, handmade from high-quality wood, are definitely much heavier than those beautifully decorated beds you buy for regular homes. It was a real hardship for the three survivors.

Again and again, with each move, by the time they got to the third bed, it was like watching turtles crawl, starting and stopping along the way.

Tang Xiaoquan let out two burps; even though he hadn’t done any of the heavy lifting, just accompanying them was exhausting. He looked over at Wang Qiang, lying next to him staring at the ceiling, and with a mischievous urge, he nudged Wang Qiang, who looked ready to nap after a full meal, saying:

"Hey, what’s up Qiangzi? You look all wilted. Weren’t you the one last night making all those grand speeches like ’so long as we can save time, who cares about the effort’? Now look at you, like a little lamb."

"I..." Wang Qiang gave up the impulse to get up and argue; the loss of energy forced him to continue lying there in defeat, but lying down didn’t keep his mouth shut: "Forget it, don’t be such a wise-ass sitting on the side. After all, you were just loafing around all morning. How about you chop wood this afternoon, and I stand guard. How about that?"

"Hmm, I have no problem with that, but honestly Qiangzi, given your current state, I’m a bit worried you’ll end up confused. You know standing guard requires high concentration, it’s not just mindlessly exerting effort. I’m not saying you can’t do it, it’s just not the right day. So this afternoon, I’ll continue to take on the hardship of standing guard." Tang Xiaoquan said it in such a serious tone, but inside he was amused, especially as he watched Wang Qiang’s eyes widening with frustration.

Lao Zhao was in the kitchen washing dishes, which should have been left to Tang and Wang to do, and indeed the two did demand as much, especially Tang Xiaoquan. After all, both Lao Zhao and Wang Qiang had worked hard all morning, and as soon as Lao Zhao returned, without resting, he hurried to make lunch for them both.

This made Wang Qiang and Tang Xiaoquan feel too guilty to let Lao Zhao handle the post-meal chores.

However, the latter forced the two out of the kitchen, using the excuse that neither of them could clean the dishes properly. Lao Zhao wasn’t the type to fuss over trivial matters; in this post-apocalyptic world, having food and drink was already a luxury, who cares if the dishes are clean.

The reason he didn’t let Tang and Wang do it was, to put it bluntly, out of a senior’s care for the younger ones.

This is probably a longstanding habit formed in this courteous nation of China. No matter how these young people born in the ’80s grow up, in the eyes of the elders, they are still children. So, staring at the cold water, Lao Zhao felt it was better for him to take on the hardships alone rather than letting the kids who had suffered so much go through it.

A smile was on Lao Zhao’s face, showing no sign of complaint about his dual role as a leader and caretaker, especially since the playful banter from the two clowns outside was the best spice of life.

"Zizz, zizz!" Just as Lao Zhao kept his ears open to the commotion outside, the hand-held radio on the kitchen counter suddenly crackled to life: "Hello, Qiangqiang, this is Yang Xue, do you hear me? Over!"

"Clang!" A porcelain bowl was dropped into the sink as Lao Zhao hurriedly wiped his hands on his clothes to rid them of water.

Wang Qiang and Tang Xiaoquan continued their lively banter, oblivious to Lao Zhao’s entrance until Yang Xue’s voice came through the radio again: "Wang Qiang? What are you doing? Why aren’t you talking? Over!"

The argument in the room came to an abrupt stop. Wang Qiang stared at the radio in Lao Zhao’s hand for a good 5-6 seconds without moving, Lao Zhao smiled and pointed at the radio, softly saying, "Room check!"

Wang Qiang finally snapped out of it. He sprang up from the bed, grabbed the radio from Lao Zhao, quickly turned it on, and stammered, "Yang... Yang Xue, it’s me, I’m Wang Qiang, the message is acknowledged, over!"

"Why did it take so long for you to respond, what were you up to? Over!"

"No, the radio was with Lao Zhao, I just got it, hehe! Over!" Wang Qiang laughed awkwardly as he spoke while walking towards the bedroom.

"Oh, I see! Alright, in that case, I forgive you. What have you been busy with all morning? Tell me about it! Over!"

Seeing that she didn’t press further, Wang Qiang finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Hehe, we did something big this morning, but I have to keep it a secret for now. You’ll find out when you come here later. Over!"

Thinking about Yang Xue seeing the "Ocean Room" he personally made for her, Wang Qiang felt a warming glow inside.

"Move in? Is there a plan to move from the villa? Over!"

Yang Xue’s tone carried a hint of confusion. Wang Qiang thought it over and it made sense, this girlfriend of his was never one to worry about things, so her cluelessness about his intentions was understandable. He roughly explained: "Not necessarily, but if the threat from the bandits is big, we might have to move here. Over!"

"Oh, I see! Is it far from the villa? Over!"

"Yeah, quite far, a few hours’ drive! But it’s just as good as the villa, at least it’s very safe!" Wang Qiang exaggerated the position of the village; this backwater couldn’t possibly compete with the villa’s superior location. However, Yang Xue didn’t seem to care about this, she replied in a calm tone: "Oh, I know, then just take it easy, have some rest after lunch, I’ll contact you later, over!"

"O-over!" The sudden cold tone from the other side left Wang Qiang puzzled about where he had gone wrong, but his worries were quickly dispelled by Yang Xue’s caring nature. Her calling twice a day showed that she was keeping him in mind. To Wang Qiang, who’s experiencing his first love, this was indeed sweeter than sugared plums. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)