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Therefore, even in the most urgent situations before, they had never gone through this door; this time, it's an exception.

The small door opened silently, and after the convoy entered, it was closed tightly again without a sound, eliminating any chance for mutated monsters that might be hostile to humans to sneak in.

The car drove into the grain warehouse, where Lou Quan and his men were already waiting.

The three kids chatted with Huo Lan and the others for a long time in the afternoon, without taking a nap. Later, they got tired of chatting, ate something, and then fell asleep.

The car drove very smoothly the whole way; they were still asleep.

When they arrived, Tao Qiu and Lou Yu didn't wake them up, planning to drive them home later.

As the adults got off the bus, Lou Quan stepped forward and said sincerely and warmly, "Thank you all for your hard work. Welcome home."

Zhao Tao handed the sealed document to Lou Quan, saluted, and declared with great enthusiasm, "I have lived up to the commander's expectations and successfully completed the mission!"

Lou Quan patted him on the shoulder. "Well done, no wonder you're a superhuman from our base."

Zhao Tao grinned foolishly, "Thank you for the compliment, Commander."

Lou Quan then encouraged and comforted several other trusted confidants before finally approaching Lou Yu and the others.

Lou Quan's gaze fell on Tao Qiu, and he smiled as he extended his hand, "Today marks our first official meeting. It's a pleasure to work with you. Hello, Mr. Tao Qiu, welcome to the Yong'an Base."

Tao Qiu politely shook his hand. "Commander Lou, hello. It's my good fortune to be able to come to Yong'an Base. I hope our future cooperation will be as pleasant as this one."

Lou Quan's smile deepened slightly. "Of course, this is our shared wish."

Lou Quan had already seen the original documents sent from the other side before, but he still opened the sealed bag and personally checked it to make sure it was correct before handing it over to Tao Qiu.

"This is your and the children's birth and life record at the Yongkang Base. If it's convenient, I suggest you memorize it, so that you'll have something to answer if anyone asks you about it later."

Tao Qiu took the document but didn't look at it at that moment. She simply nodded and said sincerely, "Thank you for reminding me, we will."

The truck started unloading. Lou Quan took a moment to glance at the quality of the wheat, his eyes lit up, and he smiled with satisfaction.

Turning his head, his smile became even more genuine as he looked at Tao Qiu.

"It's too late today, so I won't keep you any longer. Everyone should go back and rest. Tomorrow evening I'll host a welcome dinner for Mr. Tao Qiu and the children. Everyone can come and have a simple meal, okay?"

Since he had already spoken, no one could refuse, and they all expressed their intention to attend.

After a long day of travel, everyone was exhausted, especially Zhao Tao and his group who had just returned from the Yongkang Base.

After the handover was completed, they all prepared to go home.

Huo Lan suggested to Tao Qiu and Lou Yu, "The new house is cold and empty, do you want to stay with us for a few days first, and then move over when you have time?"

Chen Lin also stepped forward to persuade them, "Yes, everyone is tired from their journey. The facilities in the new house haven't been used yet. It's not as convenient as where we are."

Liu Qi'an said, "You two adults are fine, but we can't let the child suffer. It's been so cold lately. Come to our place for a hot bath, some hot food, and a good night's sleep. Isn't that better than anything else?"

What they said made sense, so Tao Qiu and Lou Yu agreed, and both cars drove back to Lou Yu's team's house.

The car was parked in the yard. The car door opened, and Huo Lan leaned over to get into the car and picked up the Second Cub, who was closest to the door.

Second Cub, perched on Huo Lan's shoulder, groggily opened his eyes and mumbled, "Godmother, have we arrived?"

"Yes, we're home. Wake up, baby, have dinner, take a bath, and then go back to sleep, okay?"

"Hmm..." Second Cub mumbled a response, but his mind was still a bit foggy, and his eyes were fixed on a corner of the yard.

The Eldest Cub and the Third Cub are to be divided? Don't let Tao Qiu and Lou Yu hold you; your little brain is still in the process of rebooting.

John and his family ran to open the door and turn on the lights first. After entering the house, they fetched hot water for the three boys to wash their hands and faces, keeping them quite busy.

The kids were fully awake now. They got off the sofa, looked up, and observed the human houses they had only seen in cartoons and TV shows—houses completely different from caves—their big eyes full of curiosity.

Huo Lan asked them, "Would you like Auntie to show you around?"

The three boys nodded vigorously, their eyes full of eagerness.

Huo Lan left with the three children, and Lou Yu and Tao Qiu went to tidy up the guest rooms. His bedroom bed wasn't big enough for everyone.

Liu Qi'an went with Huo Lan and the others to join in the fun, Chen Lin and John went to the kitchen to make a late-night snack. Before leaving, Tao Qiu told them that they could take any of the vegetables and fruits in the car.

The house, which had been quiet for two days, came alive again. All the lights were turned on, and the enticing aroma of food soon wafted from the kitchen. Children's innocent laughter echoed from inside and outside the house, occasionally mixed with the voices of adults.

The base's nightlife is mainly concentrated in the black market area; ordinary people, after a busy day, generally rest at home in the evening.

During this time of day, the streets quiet down, and the people inside are mostly resting but not asleep.

This neighborhood consists of detached houses with individual Lou Yu. The families living near Lou Yu and his team's residence could hear the voices and smell the aroma of food, but overall it wasn't noisy, just enough to let people know that there were quite a few people in their homes.

The neighbor in the house on the left was reading a book. When the aroma of food wafted over, he couldn't help but swallow hard.

He muttered to himself, "What kind of dish did they make? How come it smells so good?"

He wasn't the only one with this doubt; the neighbors who smelled the fragrance all thought the same thing.

At this moment, they all thought it was because they were hungry, and knowing that Chen Lin from Lou Yu's team was a good cook, they felt that the aroma was different from before. They had no idea that it was because the ingredients of the dishes had been changed.

Aside from their bedrooms, Huo Lan and Liu Qi'an took the kids on a tour of the entire house. The kids kept asking questions, which the couple patiently answered. The whole process was quite enjoyable for both adults and children.

Tao Qiu and Lou Yu also cleaned the guest room and made the beds neatly, so they could move in soon.

Chen Lin was an experienced chef and cooked very quickly. By the time the group of people who had been cleaning the guest rooms returned to the living room, the food was almost ready.

Fortunately, their team was large, and they had initially bought a large dining table; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to fit four more people.

The children were seated, and the adults followed along, serving dishes and rice; the scene was incredibly lively.

The dishes were served one by one, including both meat and vegetables, all stir-fries and soups, with steaming hot rice as the staple food.

After two days together, everyone got to know each other. Once seated, there was no need for formalities; everyone simply picked up their bowls and started eating.

The three kids each have their own little bowls and spoons, sitting between their two fathers. If they want something to eat, they just have to say so, and Tao Qiu and Lou Yu will get it for them.

The ingredients for the dishes on the table included fruits and vegetables taken from the back of the truck, as well as produce from the farm. The former were eaten first, while some of the latter were left over at the end.

Everyone ate their fill before putting down their chopsticks. Tao Qiu used tissues to wipe the children's mouths and hands, while Lou Yu helped his teammates clean up the table and kitchen.

Since they had just finished eating and couldn't immediately take a shower and go to bed, Huo Lan arranged for Tao Qiu and the children to rest and play in the living room.

Lou Yu was halfway through his work when his teammates urged him to come out and spend time with his husband and children. He sat down on the sofa and hugged his Second Cub who rushed towards him.

Lou Yu glanced at the two vehicles in the yard, or rather, the crops inside.

"The new house has a cellar where we can put all these fruits and vegetables. Humans' sense of smell is nowhere near as acute as that of mutated monsters. As long as they don't get close, they shouldn't be able to smell them."

Tao Qiu nodded and explained her plan, "Keep some here for Huo Lan and the others, and then divide it into several portions to give to the others at tomorrow's welcome banquet. They are all your colleagues and friends, so consider it a gift from our family."

"Okay, I'll prepare it tomorrow."

After they had rested enough, Lou Yu went to the car and took out a set of clean clothes for Tao Qiu and the kids, then took them upstairs to take a bath.

Both upstairs and downstairs have bathrooms, but the one upstairs is used less often.

The hot water was heated in advance. The bathroom wasn't very big, so they went in to shower in batches. Tao Qiu took the Second Cub and Third Cub, Lou Yu took the Eldest Cub.

By the time they finished showering and came out, it was already very late.

Huo Lan came over and asked them if they needed help, and the Second Cub Third Cub, freshly washed and smelling wonderful, rushed into his arms.

"Godmother, do I smell nice?" Second Cub kept rubbing his face against Huo Lan's.

"Fragrant, you two are such sweet little darlings." Huo Lan patted their heads, looking at their rosy cheeks, and really wanted to take them both back to her room.

However, considering it was their first day at the base, and fearing the children might not adapt well, she decided it would be better for them to sleep with their parents, so she refrained from expressing her opinion.

Lou Yu said to Huo Lan, "We don't need anything else here. You should go wash up and rest; you've had a long day."

"Alright." Huo Lan walked away, turning back every few steps.

On their first night at the base, Tao Qiu and Lou Yu couldn't sleep separately from the kids, so they followed the agreement made when tidying up the rooms: Tao Qiu would sleep in the big bed in Lou Yu's bedroom with the three kids, while Lou Yu would sleep in the guest room.

Everyone went back to their rooms, most of the lights were turned off, and the house became quiet again.

In Lou Yu's bedroom, Eldest Cub nestled next to Tao Qiu, sniffed the blanket, and said, "It smells like Lou Yu's dad."

Upon hearing this, Second Cub and Third Cub buried their faces in the blankets, then looked up a few seconds later, their eyes shining with surprise as if they had discovered something.

Second Cub: "It really is! It smells like Lou Yu's dad!"