Natural Disaster: Back to the End of the World

Part 33

The next morning, as soon as Yao Ziqing opened his eyes, he noticed that the jade pillar he had been monitoring with his spiritual power was active. He quickly grabbed a clean silver bottle and went into the space. Sure enough, a drop of the white, viscous liquid was about to fall from the very tip of the jade pillar. Yao Ziqing positioned the bottle underneath and captured the drop. Soon, a creamy white, sticky liquid dripped into the bottle. The sweet fragrance spread around, and it seemed to contain a vibrant vitality. Just smelling it made him feel like if he were a tree, he would immediately bloom and bear fruit.

The liquid did not cling to the walls of the silver bottle but rolled around inside. The round, milky-white drop rolled back and forth with the movement of the bottle, looking quite cute. Yao Ziqing sealed the bottle and left the space.

As soon as he opened the door, a blast of warm air mixed with food aromas swept away the room's coolness. The air was so hot and stuffy that it was almost unbearable. He felt he could stay in the air-conditioned room forever. Even with his heat-resistant constitution, he was struggling, so others must be feeling much worse. Yao Ziqing shut the door to keep the cool air in and saw Fang Jinlei busy preparing breakfast. He curiously glanced at the door to the third brother's room and asked, "Where's my third brother? Still not up?"

"He's up. I called him and he left," Fang Jinlei replied.

From the aroma, Yao Ziqing knew Fang Jinlei was making steamed buns. Steamed buns can be eaten hot or cold, and with a bowl of sweet potato porridge, it was refreshing and wouldn't make one lose their appetite in the heat. Seeing that Fang Jinlei was busy, Yao Ziqing didn't linger in the kitchen. He went to the living room, shut all the doors, and turned on the air conditioner to make sure it was cool enough for Grandma when she woke up for breakfast.

Not long after Grandma got up, Fang Jinlei brought breakfast to the living room. Grandma lightly scolded Yao Ziqing with a smile, "You don't know how to help, just waiting to eat. You've always known to take advantage of Jinlei's good temper since you were little!"

Yao Ziqing smiled, ladled a bowl of porridge for Grandma, and popped a piece of steamed bun into Fang Jinlei's mouth. "Eat up, don't be polite!"

Grandma tapped his forehead again and said, "When will you make breakfast yourself and let Jinlei not be so polite?"

Yao Ziqing rubbed his head and winked at Fang Jinlei. Fang Jinlei swallowed the bun, and seeing Grandma and Si'er laughing and joking, his appetite increased significantly.

Taking advantage of the cooler morning sun, Yao Ziqing asked Fang Jinlei to take him to see a house in the town center. The house was located in the town center, just a short walk down an alley. It had a front yard, a main room, and a back room with a back door. However, the back door faced a plastic factory, which had a foul odor, so the door was rarely opened.

There were very few residents in the area, and the houses were quite old. Since there were few people, no one reported the plastic factory, even though such factories are not allowed in residential areas due to environmental pollution. Yao Ziqing was satisfied with the place. As long as he helped receive packages during the day, and if it was close enough, he could go home at night. Finding a reliable gatekeeper who is honest and doesn't talk much would be the challenge.

Fang Jinlei took Yao Ziqing to the house owner. The house had been vacant for many years and was quite old, so the owner wasn't expecting to make much money from renting it out. He just hoped for compensation if it got demolished someday. Seeing that Yao Ziqing didn't mind the environment, the owner agreed right away. The rent was a mere thousand yuan per month, which was just a nominal fee. The house, including the front yard and back room, covered over 200 square meters, which was quite spacious. Yao Ziqing paid for a whole year in advance and wrote up a simple agreement. The deal was settled.