Chapter 16: The Oblivious One

Chapter 16: The Oblivious Ones

The next day, the snow had reached the windowsill of the third floor. The family on the second floor had moved to the corridor on the fifth floor, though they weren’t as harmonious as those on the fourth floor. The elderly lady in apartment 501 only agreed to restore their power supply after receiving payment.

Still, no one dared to act too harshly; everyone felt the disaster was nearly over and it was best not to offend anyone.

In the afternoon, Guan Pan received a call from her close friend Dong Mingyue. Before Guan Pan could say a word, Dong Mingyue excitedly blurted out, “Panpan, you really are my lucky star. You know my mother-in-law is so concerned about appearances. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so eager for us to have a child, just afraid of gossip behind our backs. These past few days, because our family stockpiled more supplies, my mother-in-law has gained quite a bit of face in our building. Even though she gave away a lot, the old lady finally looked at me with kindness. You know, I haven’t seen her smile so brightly at me in all these years.”

Guan Pan’s brow furrowed tightly as she listened. She had warned her in advance not to give away supplies, but now that it had come to this, she could do nothing more. Despite their close relationship, it was the end of the world, and she lacked the ability to manage her friend’s entire household. She had done all she could.

So, in the end, she just reminded her once more, “I heard this cold wave will last a long time. Even if the snow stops, it won’t be easy to find food. You should be frugal and try not to let your mother-in-law give away supplies anymore.”

Dong Mingyue didn’t seem very concerned. “It’s fine. The government won’t just abandon us. My mother-in-law says that neighbors rarely need our help like this, so if we give them food now, they’ll remember it forever. Once the government distributes rations, people won’t need our help anymore.”

Guan Pan was silent for a moment, then stopped trying to persuade her. There wasn’t much more she could do. “Then take good care of yourself.”

“Okay, Panpan, don’t be so anxious all the time. When the weather gets better in a few days, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

“We’ll see then.”

Dong Mingyue felt a little disappointed but said goodbye and hung up.

Lu Ruisheng, having overheard Guan Pan’s words, guessed much of the situation. He handed her a cup of hot water. “You’ve done all you can.”

Guan Pan took a sip and replied, “Indeed.” Then she picked up the phone again. “I’ll call Zhenzhen to check on her.”

Lu Ruisheng sat beside her quietly.

Guan Pan called Tian Zhenzhen.

Soon, Tian Zhenzhen answered, “Honey, I haven’t dared to bother you these last few days, thinking about your newlywed bliss and how your husband, Mr. Lu, hasn’t been busy lately. You must be having plenty of ‘exercise’ in bed, right?”

Guan Pan laughed at Zhenzhen’s teasing. “Sister, can you be serious? With the world like this, how could I be thinking about that all day?”

“That’s your mistake. What kind of weather can stop the collision of dry wood and fire?”

“Stop joking. I have serious questions. You haven’t given away your food, have you?”

“Impossible. I’m not stupid. Besides, I’m a girl living in an apartment building. If I flaunted my supplies, I’d be in trouble. I hide them well. You know, a friend of mine who’s into metaphysics told me that even when the snow stops, the disaster won’t end. Though I don’t believe it, I’m still stocking up more.”

“Zhenzhen, your metaphysical friend might actually have some skill.”

“No, why would you believe in metaphysics now?”

“I’m just joking. By the way, when the snow stops, will you be going back to your parents’ place?”

“Yes. I’ve actually been quite scared at night these past few days. Once I can go home, I’ll go immediately.”

“Then have your dad and brother come pick you up. And if you really encounter danger, don’t sacrifice your life for possessions.”

“Got it. Don’t worry. You’re still the one who cares most about me, Panpan. By the way, has Mingyue contacted you? Her mother-in-law is living with them. Whenever I call her, she talks about one thing or another. I don’t dare to call anymore.”

“She just called me. She said the supplies I gave her made her mother-in-law very happy. She’s been giving food to neighbors and has gained face.”

“What?” Tian Zhenzhen’s voice rose a little. “This cursed weather has lasted nine days, and she’s not worried about starving? How can she be so reckless? I told you, marrying Wang Bin was a mistake. He’s not reliable. The marriage apartment was bought by her family, and now her mother-in-law lives there. She even gives away the stuff her friends gave her just to curry favor. What kind of people are these?”

“You shouldn’t get angry. We’re not kids anymore. Even if we care, we can’t live with her forever. We’ve said and done all we can. The rest is up to her fate.”

“That’s true. Anyway, I’m never marrying or having kids. I’ll live free and easy. My brother has a son, so there’s no need for me to carry on the family line.”

“Lu Ruisheng and I will just take things as they come. We don’t have so many rules.”

“Mr. Lu is a good man. I’m relieved you married him.”

“Yes, meeting him is the luckiest thing in my life.”

“Enough, you’re starting again. I don’t want to listen to love stories. I want to watch romantic dramas. I have ten brothers on screen waiting for me to grace them with my presence. Bye!”

Listening to the busy signal, Guan Pan smiled and set the phone down. She looked at Lu Ruisheng. “Tian Zhenzhen really is an optimist.”

“We help as much as we can, but in the end, who knows how long we’ll be able to? Communication might be cut off in a few days.”

“Exactly. The apocalypse really depends on one’s ability and fate. We survived more than three years in our past lives, which was impressive, but that was because you had strong combat skills.”

“This time, not only do we want to survive until the end, but we want to live well.”

After discussing such heavy topics for a while, they turned back to the metaphysical friend Tian Zhenzhen mentioned. They both had some belief in it, after all, with their spatial abilities, metaphysics might indeed exist.

That evening, Guan Pan suddenly felt like drinking. So they had barbecue, pulling ready-made skewers out of their space storage, each with a can of beer, chatting casually about all sorts of things as they ate.

If it weren’t for the blizzard raging outside, no one would suspect this was the end of the world.

By the tenth day, the snow finally stopped, and the wind died down. But the temperature outside had plummeted to minus sixty degrees Celsius—the very limit of human survival. At this temperature, exposed skin would freeze instantly.

Still, with the snow gone, people felt a glimmer of hope, thinking the worst was over. No one imagined the extreme cold would last for months.

At noon, from the upper floors, people saw soldiers clearing snow. Seeing camouflage uniforms sparked hope, and despite the cold, windows were opened as people cheered.

The snow was too thick to clear completely. De-icing agents could only clear main roads.

Then a broadcast announced that the city had placed de-icing agents at the entrances of every residential community. Residents were organized to clear a path from their building entrances to the community gates. Since de-icing agents were limited, if supplies ran out, manual clearing would continue, urging everyone to unite in disaster relief.

Soon, the head of building 401 posted to all residents: After discussion with the homeowners’ committee, a relay-style snow removal would be implemented. The building closest to the community gate would send people first to dig snow tunnels to the gate, then clear the path to the next building’s entrance. That building would continue clearing further, and so on, building by building. The committee negotiated with property management to waive six months' fees for the first group to come out, and the last building would volunteer service for six months.

Everyone understood the first group would have the hardest time and the last group the easiest, as the last building wouldn’t have to clear snow at all. This compensation method was acceptable to all.

Guan Pan’s building was in the second row—not first, not last—so they would follow along naturally.

(End of chapter)