Sang Yunpu rose from his wheelchair and told Sang Luoluo to rest off to the side. After some thought, he said, "After lunch, go train with the Guard this afternoon. It's too dangerous out in the wild. If you train more, I'll feel a little more at ease."
"Mm." Sang Luoluo had been thinking the same thing. In this wasteland world, it was far too dangerous outside the base. She wanted to join the training too. The harder she worked now, the better her chances of surviving outside the base.
When Sang Luoluo heard that he was going to cook, she laid out the pots, bowls, ladles, and pans, filled a bucket with water, then took out some oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. These were all things she had produced herself in her space before. Even in the world three hundred years ago, counterfeit goods had been common, and even soy sauce could contain all sorts of additives. Later, she had deliberately looked up tutorials, grown the raw ingredients in her space, and made everything herself.
Seeing the oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and other seasonings laid out on the counter, Sang Yunpu winced at the expense. "How many points must all this have cost?"
He checked them with his wristwatch. They were all radiation-free.
"Don't worry, just eat," Sang Luoluo said. "You can get them on the black market. Secret missions pay a lot of points. Brother, now that we can afford it, we should eat better."
Sang Yunpu plugged in the refrigerator, and Sang Luoluo took out two old hens and put them in the freezer compartment below. There were also potatoes, two bunches of leafy greens, and a little scallion, ginger, and garlic.
Sang Yunpu watched her take things out one after another. "You found all this on the black market?"
Sang Luoluo ignored the slight unsteadiness in his voice. "Not all of it. That's confidential."
"You... how many points did all this cost?"
Sang Luoluo thought for a moment, then tried to reason with him. "Just the usual market price. We can afford it. The whole point of earning points is to spend them."
Sang Yunpu started cooking, adding mineral water and nutrient solution to a pot.
Sang Luoluo saw this from beside him but did not stop him.
Seeing him pick up only a small piece of potato, Sang Luoluo said, "Brother, I want meat. How about chicken stewed with potatoes?"
Sang Yunpu wanted meat too. He could no longer remember what it tasted like.
After an internal struggle, he finally took a chicken and two potatoes out of the refrigerator. In front of Sang Luoluo, he chopped off a little less than half the chicken, then put the rest back in the refrigerator.
Sang Luoluo rejoiced inwardly. She was finally getting meat.
It was Sang Yunpu's first time making this dish, so he specifically looked up a recipe for chicken stewed with potatoes online. There was no shortage of recipes online, and he was no stranger to cooking, so he followed the steps.
Meanwhile, Sang Luoluo laid out bedding for Sang Yunpu beside her tent, then had nothing else to do.
Sang Luoluo wanted to help in the kitchen, but Sang Yunpu refused to let her lift a finger and shooed her out.
Forty minutes later, lunch was ready.
The aroma of chicken stewed with potatoes wafted out. The range hood had drawn away most of the smell, but the enticing scent of food still lingered indoors.
Sang Yunpu had chopped the chicken into tiny pieces and mixed them among the potato chunks, stewing everything until very tender. His cooking turned out to be surprisingly good.
Sang Luoluo ate until her lips glistened with grease. Partway through, she washed two large apples, cut them up, and set them on the table. She also put a few in the refrigerator.
By the time Sang Yunpu tried to stop her, it was too late. After finishing the dish and munching on an apple, Sang Luoluo was so stuffed that she burped. She could not drink any of the soup made with nutrient solution.
The moment she finished eating, she hurried out the door.
Sang Yunpu looked at the remaining plate of apples. Unwilling to waste any, he ate them all. Not a trace of grease or scraps remained on the plate of chicken and potatoes either.
What a filling meal. Looking at the nutrient solution, as clear as water, he suddenly did not feel like drinking it.
No wonder she had run off.
Sang Yunpu chuckled.
He put the soup made with nutrient solution in the refrigerator, then began tidying the house.
He washed all the pots, bowls, ladles, and pans, then put all the mineral water on top of the refrigerator.
He was tall to begin with, so standing on a stool was enough for him to secure the air conditioner in place. He also put its power supply within easy reach.
Then he began joining the solar panels together. He reinforced the steel plates, made a simple switch, and placed the panels outside the window. The sun was just right outside. With a pull of the switch, the solar panels opened up to face the sun. Another pull adjusted their angle. They could also be extended and retracted freely without obstructing the view through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Sang Yunpu could not have been happier working on all this. They had never had the means back in the shantytown. Now they had moved here, and although the apartment was rented, it was very secure and sturdy. He suddenly felt that his sister had done exactly the right thing. Spending 1,500 points to rent this place had been wise.
The solar battery soon had surplus power that could supply the air conditioner, kitchen, and other appliances.
This way, they would not have to pay extra electricity fees, saving another sum of points.
He turned on the air conditioner, and the indoor temperature soon dropped to a comfortable twenty-six degrees. Then he got to work on the rest of their household things.
The washing machine was in a suitable spot. He secured its inlet and outlet, and then clothes could simply be put inside to wash without any worry. Its capacity was enormous too, enough to hold plenty.
He immediately put the newly bought clothes and bedsheets in to wash.
Then, with some time free, he took the light bulb they had bought and, following a picture he found online, made a pretty night-light shaped like an upside-down flower. He secured it underneath with a wooden bracket, glued it to the wall, and ran a cord to the power strip.
He covered the appliance cords with wooden conduits, hiding them behind so they could not be seen at all.
Looking contentedly at the home full of appliances, Sang Yunpu felt deeply satisfied.
The more he worked, the more energized he became. By the time he finished, the laundry was done too. For now, he could only take it out and hang it in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. They needed a movable drying rack here.
He made a note of that, noticed some dirt on the floor, cleaned it up, and went out with the trash.
Sang Luoluo had left in such a hurry that she knew nothing of what was happening at home. The walk to the base's Guard took only a little over ten minutes. By then, she no longer felt so stuffed. Following the navigation, she found the training facility.
There was hardly anyone here. The Guard members were all out on missions. Sang Luoluo learned that they only trained at the facility during their downtime after returning from completed missions.
Only the instructor was here, responsible for guiding the Guard members through training.
As soon as Sang Luoluo entered, she saw just how large the training facility was. It occupied an entire separate building, with fighting rings and all sorts of machines, in a style rather like an arcade. Every few steps brought her to a new activity.
Sang Luoluo could not really make sense of any of it. Ahead, she saw a muscular young woman with something of a muscle Barbie look. The muscles on her abdomen made Sang Luoluo envious.
The woman noticed her and looked her up and down. "Here to train?"
"Mm."
Sang Luoluo showed the information on her wristwatch.
The young woman's voice was powerful. "My name is Qingtian. You can call me Sister Tiantian. I'll be training you from now on. You have a mission in three days, right? Three days of training won't accomplish much, so let me see your aptitude first. Follow me."
Sang Luoluo followed her and changed into the training outfit Qingtian gave her. Everyone had their own outfit and separate locker. She did not know what material the clothing was made of, but it absorbed sweat without feeling hot. It was comfortable and ideal for exercise.
"Come here. Let me see how fast you can run," Qingtian said.
Sang Luoluo walked over and was pushed onto a treadmill. The treadmill was actually integrated into the floor; what she saw now looked like ordinary flooring. Then she put on a lightweight eye mask.
A moment later, Sang Luoluo saw a virtual world. She seemed to be standing in the wilderness, surrounded by unfamiliar surroundings, but fortunately, the terrain was open. Everything looked extremely realistic.
The next moment, a giant cat appeared in front of her and lunged at her, baring its teeth.
Then she heard Qingtian urging her from outside. "Run! What are you standing there for? Waiting to be eaten?"
Sang Luoluo took off running, sprinting as fast as she could. Soon, she was panting. Fortunately, she had some experience running in the wild, and she forced herself to keep going for half an hour before stopping.
The simulated scenery before her eyes stopped, and everything returned to normal.
She heard Qingtian say with some distaste, "Your constitution is terrible. Drink more nutrient solution to build yourself up. Your running speed puts you at the very bottom of the Guard. Practice more, and you can improve it."
Sang Luoluo nodded, her head covered in sweat.
Qingtian gave her five minutes to rest before continuing to the next activity.
Chapter 40: Capable. Brother, take good care of yourself at home. I'm off...
Sang Luoluo had sweated heavily. Taking advantage of the break, she pulled out a bottle of mineral water, gulped down half of it, then put it away.
She got up to train in the next activity.
This was another simulation, but it was much harder this time. She was in a dense forest, surrounded by towering trees, shrubs, and weeds, with large flying insects and running mutant animals chasing her.
She dodged and ran at speed, struggling for two whole hours.
She died countless times in the virtual world.
Her hair was soaked through with sweat.
Watching the various readings from Sang Luoluo's tests, Qingtian propped her chin on one hand and said with some distaste, "These numbers put you at the very bottom of the Guard. Can you use a gun?"
Sang Luoluo nodded. "A little."
She had a little practical combat experience too.
"Rest a bit, then we'll test your marksmanship."
"Okay." Sang Luoluo hurriedly used the break to drink half a bottle of Spirit Spring water to replenish her stamina. The Spirit Spring water was quite effective at relieving fatigue. After a brief rest, she felt she had some strength again.
After an entire afternoon of exertion, Sang Luoluo felt her legs trembling a little as she held the gun. Still, that was all right. She could manage aiming a laser gun.
Her aim was good. Sang Luoluo could hit practically all the stationary targets ahead.
Seeing this, Instructor Qingtian used a remote to make the distant targets move slowly. Sang Luoluo kept firing at them.