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Wen Jing, at best, could only be considered an underdeveloped young girl. She was so captivated by Li Nan's words about a bright future that she couldn't help but say, "I believe you!"
Li Nan smiled, "It's just boasting, nothing to take seriously. However, roads are made by people; dreams may indeed come true!"
Wen Jing had cried all her tears and wiped her face with her palm, revealing an expression that was hardly better than crying. She said, "Now I have no more worries. If the future can truly be as good as you say, I am willing to stay here and help you all build the Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa!"
Li Nan stood up and grinned, "It's not about whether you want to or not; you must participate. The camp doesn't support idle people—this was true in the past, is true now, and will be true in the future!"
At that moment, in the large iron pot nearby, the oil had already been rendered. Zhao Si had found a strainer from somewhere and fished out the minced meat and bone scraps. He then turned around and said, "Nan Ge, the lamp oil is ready!"
Li Nan leaned over to take a look. Goodness! The fat rendered from five or six plump men filled more than half a pot—wasn't that a bit too watery?
Animal fat becomes liquid under high temperatures. Once the fire is turned off, it cools down and solidifies within a couple of hours. Ultimately, this human fat is not much different from the lard produced in rural areas. Once it solidifies into a block, inserting a wick would probably turn it into a lamp. Such simple lighting tools are not useless in the apocalypse.
Wen Jing also encouraged everyone; the lamp oil was ready. The remaining tasks could wait until the camp was completely moved over for further construction. It was getting late, so Li Nan waved his arm, signaling everyone to rest in the front building.
Fortunately, Li Nan and his group had brought some food with them to last for a day or two. As darkness fell outside, everyone shared their food before finding their own rooms to sleep.
Although there was no immediate danger in the Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa anymore, vigilance could not be lowered. Li Nan arranged for several brothers to take turns keeping watch to ensure everyone's safety.
Li Nan spread out a blanket on the floor of the office during the day and fell asleep there while everyone else slept on the second floor.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, Li Nan was awakened by sunlight streaming through the window. As he opened his eyes, he noticed a shadow outside below the window holding a stick and gesturing around without knowing what they were doing.
Li Nan got up and realized that it was Wen Jing outside. He didn't expect this tomboy to wake up so early at such a young age.
Wen Jing sensed someone behind her and suddenly picked up a stone from the ground and threw it. Li Nan reacted quickly; he dodged just in time as the stone struck the desk in the office.
Wen Jing chuckled, "I didn't expect your movement to be quite fast!"
Li Nan laughed, "If my movement were any slower, I wouldn't have survived this long! By the way, what are you practicing? It looks a bit dizzying."
Wen Jing replied, "This is Western swordsmanship. I come from an athletic background and specialize in fencing!"
Li Nan suddenly realized that when they first met in the cave, Wen Jing's movements were impressive; she was indeed a trained athlete.
Li Nan then asked, "How old are you this year?"
Hearing this, Wen Jing seemed displeased and said, "What do you mean how old? I'm a professional fencer; I've been in my career for eight years!"
"How old are you really?" Li Nan continued to ask.
Wen Jing pouted, "Eighteen!"
Li Nan shook his head inwardly, thinking, "An eighteen-year-old girl, yet she develops like a twelve or thirteen-year-old child."
Upon hearing Li Nan's mumbling, Wen Jing immediately shouted, "What are you talking about?"
Li Nan closed the office window and replied, "I didn't say anything; just focus on your sword practice!"
In truth, Wen Jing understood Li Nan's words clearly. Seeing him close the window, she lowered her head and thought to herself, "Eighteen? Why do I look like I'm not even eighteen?"
Wen Jing raised her left hand and placed it on her chest, feeling completely flat with no place to exert any force!
Wen Jing sighed softly and turned to practice her Western fencing.
The sky was clear, and Li Nan called everyone to set off back to the camp. However, he did not dare to leave the stall at Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa unattended.
Fatty stayed behind with four brothers, Wen Jing, and Zhao Si at Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa, along with the rescued Ragged Man. The rest of the group returned with Li Nan to bring everyone from the camp over before starting major construction.
To simplify things, let’s focus on Zhao Si, who remained at Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa. He kept his eyes fixed on the Ragged Man's room, which Fatty noticed and immediately confronted him, asking, "What are you up to sneaking around all day?"
Zhao Si shrank his neck and pleaded, "I’m not trying to do anything. I just naturally look suspicious. Please spare me, Fat Brother!"
After a scolding, Fatty didn’t say much more, only warning him, "Don’t let me catch you doing anything. If that person in the room dies mysteriously, I will come looking for you first. Understand?"
Zhao Si nodded, hunching his body like a shrimp.
Fatty turned away and ignored Zhao Si.
Once Fatty had left, Zhao Si couldn’t help but swallow hard and cursed inwardly, "Damn fat bastard."
*********************************
Around noon, a convoy arrived at the entrance of Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa. A woman got out of the vehicle and was delighted by the scenery before her. She immediately said to the man beside her, "With this place, our lives will be much more secure in the future!"
The man moved closer to the woman and said, "Mo Xiaohui, from now on this will be our home and everyone’s home. I, Li Nan, will definitely turn this place into a prosperous haven with thriving people—a paradise in this apocalyptic world!"
The woman nodded, her face radiating happiness.
People gradually got off the vehicle, including Li Dapeng, Qin Lang, Qin Old Man, Lin Hai, Bitter Melon, and others. All forty or so civilians from the camp came over, bringing whatever they could carry. However, although the old camp was in ruins, they still couldn't move everything in one trip, so this relocation process would take at least two days.
Li Nan first welcomed everyone into Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa and introduced them to each other. Finally, he brought out Wen Jing and Zhao Si to introduce them to everyone.
To Li Nan's surprise, Mo Xiaohui did not show any jealousy upon seeing Wen Jing. Instead, she instinctively held Wen Jing's hand, seemingly very fond of her.
Li Nan thought this made sense; from an appearance standpoint, Wen Jing looked like an undeveloped young girl, so Mo Xiaohui naturally wouldn't feel any inexplicable jealousy. He smiled and said, "As long as you’re not jealous, that’s good!"
After the introductions, everyone got acquainted. The forty or so civilians crowded into Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa and praised the place enthusiastically. Li Nan instructed Bitter Melon and others to register the houses and rooms here and allocate them according to the number of people to ensure everyone was satisfied.
Once everyone was settled, Li Nan led a group of brothers back to the old camp. The main food supplies had yet to be transported back; this was a pressing matter!
With winter approaching, Li Nan only had three or four tons of food salvaged from the ruins. This amount would definitely not be enough for the people in Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa to survive the winter. Therefore, it was urgent to find more food and develop Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa.
However, there were priorities; construction could wait a bit, but food could not be delayed for even a moment.
Upon returning to the old camp, Li Nan first loaded the food onto the vehicle and then gathered some pots and pans along with other miscellaneous items to bring back to Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa.
At the end of his tasks, Li Nan's gaze fell on the tank at the entrance of the camp. This vehicle was responsible for the destruction of the camp; however, Li Nan both hated and loved it. If he could get this thing operational again, it would surely be a powerful asset!
The next day, Li Nan called Fatty and a few others to return to the camp with the purpose of repairing this tank to restore its former glory.
After a day of tinkering, the tank that had been driven by a rat finally became operational again. After much effort, they managed to bring it back to Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa.
Although working on this vehicle was quite labor-intensive, seeing it standing intact before the entrance of Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa gave Li Nan considerable confidence. With this powerful machine here as a deterrent, people's morale would stabilize significantly!
After two busy days of moving, everything was finally settled. That evening, a bonfire was lit at the Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa to celebrate the housewarming.
Everyone was smiling and happy. Being in the Peach Blossom Hot Spring Villa certainly felt much safer. Although the future remained uncertain, at least for now, everyone felt at ease!
The bonfire, made from a pile of old tree roots, burned brightly. There were no beers, no fireworks, and no delicious food. Everyone wore ordinary clothes, and although their hands and mouths were empty, their faces radiated happiness. In this apocalyptic world, where even survival could not be guaranteed, having a safe place to avoid danger was already a reason to celebrate.
Some people smiled broadly while others covered their mouths and cried. At this moment, any expression was valid. Life was simple now; living another day was a gift from God that everyone should be grateful for!
Li Nan sat by the bonfire, quietly watching the flames. Behind him were Mo Xiaohui, Lingdang'er, and Wen Jing. The three women huddled together, chatting non-stop as if they shared a common language.
At that moment, Bitter Melon sat down next to Li Nan and asked, "What are you thinking about, Nan Ge?"
Li Nan picked up a short wooden stick and tossed it into the bonfire. "Winter is coming soon, and we have no food. How are we going to survive?"
Bitter Melon smiled and replied, "Don't worry, Nan Ge. We'll solve things one step at a time. Where there's a will, there's a way. The food issue isn't urgent yet; we can hold on for another month or so!"
Li Nan nodded. "That's all we can do for now. I hope there will be a way when we reach the mountain!"
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