Chapter 256


    Cooper''s antics almost made Ste spray her coffee withughter as he and Rosie seemed


    increasingly in sync.


    The first floor living room was simple, furnished with items from Sunrise Sanctuary, appearing in


    and unassuming.


    Noticing Dn''s restraint, Ste suggested, "Rosie, didn''t you mention wanting to nt something


    in the backyard? Why don''t you take Dn along?"


    Rosie, a sweet-faced, bubbly little girl with twinkling eyes, reached out to take Dn''s hand, "Dn,


    I''ll take you to plow thend and nt vegetables."


    Dn, meeting such an amiable and cheerful girl for the first time, rxed a bit, "Okay." He set


    down his backpack and followed Rosie into the backyard, with Cooper tagging along to ensure


    Rosie was safe.


    Before long, theughter of the two children filled the air.


    When Ste went to check on them, she found Rosie instructing Dn on how to till the soil, "Dn,


    you''re doing it wrong."


    She didn''t interfere and instead went to the greenhouse to nt some lotus roots.


    She filled a pot with water and soil, stirring it before nting a couple of lotus roots. She didn''t have


    many lotus roots stored from before the apocalypse and they were mostly used for cooking, so she


    hoped the nting would be sessful.


    As Ste emerged from the greenhouse, Jasper was about to head out, "I''m off to Eastwood Eden


    to see if Patrick can make the door."


    Initially, the n was for all three of them, plus Cooper, to go, but they needed an adult to stay


    home with Dn around.


    Ste cautioned him, "Things are getting chaotic out there. Be careful on the way."


    Yesterday, while exercising on the rooftop, Ste coincidentally encountered a wealthydy taking a


    stroll. When the wealthydy saw the towering exterior walls and the cement-stered houses, her


    smile instantly vanished, reced by an expression barely able to conceal a strong sense of


    disdain.


    "Ever since this apocalypse, any Tom, Dick, or Harry cane here. I fear there will be no peace in


    the future."


    "You said it. We were promised safety by the authorities, but look at the state of things now. All sorts


    of riffraff can buy houses here."


    "You all won''t believe who I bumped into earlier. That Austin, the second-hand dealer. What has the


    worlde to? Even he can afford to live here."


    "It''s all because you all give him too much business. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have the means to live


    here. He''s sucking the blood out of us."


    Ste noted their faces through a telescope. Now three years into the apocalypse, and these people


    still looked down on others. They were still able to lead a fine life only because of their wealth. If


    they were tossed out, they wouldn''t survive half a day.


    Ste was disgusted by their behavior; they even had bodyguards for a simple walk in the vi area.


    By noon, Austin came to pick up his son for lunch. Seeing Dn covered in mud and dust, he first


    looked surprised, then burst intoughter, "It''s rare to see you getting dirty, son. Good job."


    His son was extremely introverted. Even when Austin invited his subordinates'' children over to y,


    Dn would barely utter a word, let alone y in the mud.


    Dn was reluctant to leave. "Dad, I haven''t finished tilling the soil. I still need to nt potatoes and


    sweet potatoes."


    "Go have lunch first," Austin patted his son''s head. "We have a garden at home too. You can nt


    potatoes every day."


    After sending his son off, he turned to Ste, "Dn has mild autism. He''s shy and barely speaks.


    How did you manage to bring him out of his shell?"


    For years, they had tried various methods, but to no avail.


    "You may have overprotected him," Ste pondered. "I didn''t do much. It was just Rosie ying with


    him and Cooper messing around."


    "It''s rare that he gets along with someone so well. What do you say if Rosie spends more time with


    him?"


    Ste didn''t refuse, knowing that Rosie also needed friends.


    After everyone had left, she asked Rosie, "How do you get along with Dn?"


    "Dn''s very nice."


    "Do you want to y with him again?"


    Rosie thought for a moment, "Ste, can I?"


    Ste understood her concern, "You can make friends, but remember to be cautious. Don''t blindly


    trust someone just because you''ve spent a lot of time together."


    "Okay, I''ll y with him sometimes."


    Jasper arrived right on time, and the three of them, along with Cooper, sat down to eat.


    "Patrick says the door can be made from oak. It''s stable, resistant to impact, and the wood is hard.


    It''s perfect for a door," he informed.


    Ste wasn''t familiar with oak.


    After dinner, they went into Arcadia to select wood. After a lot of knocking and tapping, they picked


    the sturdiest ones they could find.


    After Jasper delivered the wood, he came back to pick up Ste to head to the apartment area.


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    The apartments were for backup. Although they didn''t n to renovate them, the basic doors and


    windows were essential.


    The residents of the fifth and sixth floors hadn''t moved in yet, but there were sounds of activity,


    probably the families of Monkey and others.


    With practicees perfection. In less than half a day, they had installed the doors and windows.


    To be safe, they first installed iron bars on the windows before fixing the ss panes.


    Upon entering the room, there was another room inside.


    Ste was not ustomed to the small space. Mark and others would have to share rooms. The


    difficulty was foreseeable. Living in close quarters could lead to conflicts, but it depended on how


    Mark resolved them.


    As they locked up and left, they heard footsteps above. A woman in a floral dress appeared.


    Seeing her face, Ste paused. Apart from the wealthy district, Ste couldn''t recall thest time


    she had seen a woman with makeup.


    The woman had bright red lips, a svelte figure, a beautiful face, andrge eyes that reflected


    shrewdness and audacity. Being able to live so mboyantly in the apocalypse was no easy task.


    Either she was very capable herself, or she had found a strong man to rely on.


    Ste nced at her fair and delicate hands, having an idea of whose wife she was.


    The woman also examined Ste, looking quite surprised.


    Ste didn''t linger and went downstairs.


    .....


    The renovation of Austin''s house progressed quickly, and the ss of the two houses was also


    installed. They erected the steel frame, set up the ss roof, and covered the whole rooftop.


    The two ss rooms, each about a hundred square feet, were spacious. Despite some of the


    wealthy residents looking down on them, they were still amazed by the rooftop ss rooms.


    Surprisingly, someone came to inquire, but Ste pretended not to hear, not uttering a word.


    Austin, ever the business-minded one, was looking to make a deal with the wealthy folks in town.


    He asked Ste if he could secure a supply of ss. If she had any, he''d prefer to get it from her.


    Sure, Arcadia had plenty, but Ste wasn''t interested in profiting. "Nope, you got thest batch," she


    told him.


    Austin still took the deal, but he made sure to charge a hefty price. He wasn’t stupid. He could


    always spot that air of superiority those people carried around. There was no way that he was not


    going to profit from it.


    He also brought back some electrical wires, but Ste wasn''t in a rush to install them. These were


    consumable items, and the days were still long and safe. They could wait till the dark days to set


    them up.


    "Are you guys free the day after tomorrow?" Austin invited, "I''m throwing a housewarming party.


    Come over for a drink or two."