Chapter 286
Months whisked by in the blink of an eye, and just like that, it was Christmas.
Jasper had a knack for making wreaths, and Ste talked him into making a few, which she gleefully
stered on the door.
Little did they know, Austin caught sight of them and requested two more for himself.
No matter what the weather was, the mastiff came every day, having be a fan of Cooper. The
two dogs often sparred at the gate.
Now, the mastiff didn''t even see himself as an outsider, edging closer and closer to Jasper. If it
wasn''t for the pat-down they gave him before letting him in, Ste would have suspected him to be
Bran''s spy. Finally, they handed it a Christmas wreath, which it trotted off with.
Ang''s gynecological issue was cured, but her depression remained rooted. It was something she
needed to keep an eye on. She buzzed the walkie-talkie, inviting Ste and Jasper for Christmas
dinner.
Their ce was crowded, barely enough room to turn around.
After more than six months of bonding, Ste felt they were gradually returning to their old selves,
so she proposed, "Your ce is too packed. Even making a soup requires closing the windows.
How abouting over to my ce?"
Ang and the others readily agreed, promising toe over on Christmas Eve.
The mastiff trotted off with the wreath, and surprisingly, returned with a bottle of red wine. Without a
doubt, this had Bran''s name written all over it. As long as he wasn''t causing trouble for them, Ste
couldn''t care less, lest he got overexcited.
On the 24th of December, the security team informed that someone was looking for them. Ste
guessed it was Amber.
The Moore family was insistent on repaying the medicines with grain, and this was their third
repayment.
Ste thought for a moment, handing her a pair of rabbits, two chicks that had hatched half a month
ago, and a few easy-to-grow herb sprouts.
Out of the first batch of chickens they raised, a total of six survived, two of which were roosters.
Ste kept one for breeding, and the other was ughtered. The hens had not only startedying
eggs but had given birth to the first batch of chicks.
Rosie, who had hand-fed the chickens, secretly wiped away her tears when one was ughtered.
But when she tasted the chicken leg that night, her dimples revealed her delight, "Ste, this
chicken is so delicious."
Surviving extreme weather made the chicken taste a hundred times better than the ones they
initially hoarded from the supermarket. Moreover, the chicks that hatched from the eggsid by the
hens seemed to be much stronger.
The remaining fertilized eggs were all stored in Arcadia. Not just chicken eggs, there were duck and
goose eggs too, multiplying and hoarding simultaneously.
Amber brought over 10 pounds of grain, not expecting to be able to take home baby rabbits and
chicks. She was delighted, but also felt like she was increasingly indebted to Ste.
Mikey apanied her. Three years had matured the once naive boy. He had be a lot more
mature, albeit a bit too skinny.
But then again, who wasn''t skinny these days? The Moore family had stable jobs and living
conditions, which should be better than most people.
"Is Katie doing okay?"
"She''s fine. She can''t stand being idle. She''s ced all the vegetables she''s grown on the balcony.”
The research institute was fenced off, much safer than the outside. Each household was finding
ways to survive; cing the potted vegetables under the sun during the day, and bringing them in
when it got cold. In short, everyone was trying their best to survive.
After exchanging greetings, the Moore family waved goodbye.
Upon learning that people wereing over for Christmas, Dn seemed displeased, "Dad, I want
to spend Christmas with Rosie. We promised to have a big dinner together."
Austin didn''t even blink, "Kid, who goes to someone else''s house for dinner on Christmas Eve?"
"But aren''t those adultsing over to our house?"
Well, well, the kid had learned to talk back.
Austin was pleased. His son was finally showing some spunk, unlike before when he would never
oppose anything he said, bottling up his thoughts, good or bad.
"Rosie''s house is having guests too," Austin exined to his son, "Anyway, you see each other
every day. How about inviting them for dinner after Christmas?"
Dn pouted, "Okay, I''ll tell Rosie tomorrow."
"You''re always talking about Rosie. Don''t you want to y with other kids?"N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.
Monkey and others all had children, yet he never saw Dn taking the initiative to invite them over.
Could he be harboring some ideas?
He observed his son, who seemed normal. Maybe their closeness was just friendship. Rosie was
adorable and soft, anyone would like her at first sight. This neighbor was a good pick.
Ste had chickens, ducks, and geese at home, and plenty of quails. They had eggs to collect every
day.
Ste couldn''t help but think of the Christmas dinner on the 18th floor. Almost four years into the
disaster, and they were still able to gather for Christmas. Wasn''t that a kind of happiness?
They ughtered a chicken and a duck, and baked about 5-6 pounds of quail eggs.
Just as they finished breakfast and were about to start cooking, Ang and the others arrived. The
security booth confirmed their identities before letting them in. Seeing the exquisite vis, they felt
incredibly shabby and almost turned tail and ran.
Thankfully, the sight of the bunker building allowed them to breathe a sigh of relief.
After not seeing them for a few years, Cooper looked stunned at first but quickly recognized them,
"Woof!"
"Cooper!" Cody pounced on him, hugging his head and eximed, "Good boy, you''ve gotten
bigger."
Rosie came out to greet them, her dimples making her look charming and cute, "Cody, Lukas,
Ang."
"Wow, Rosie, you''ve grown so tall."
She jumped into Ang''s arms, "Yes, I''m almost nine."
Every day was tough in the post-apocalyptic world, yet time flew by.
The four of them brought gifts, a pack of cigarettes, and two bottles of whiskey. The cigarettes were
expired, but they could still fetch a good price in the post-apocalyptic world, and whiskey was
equally sought after.
Cody and Lukas couldn''t resist showing off, wearing their new clothes to the gathering. Especially
Lukas, he started grooming himself whenever possible. And it worked, he didn''t look as rough as
when they first reunited. He looked a bit cleaner and more vigorous.
During theirst barbecue gathering, these two were down and out. But now, they seemed lively.
Ste''s condoms must have worked.
Ste couldn''t resist augh. The two men didn''t mind the jest andughed along. All was
understood without words.
After inviting them in, Ste put them to work, fearing they might feel awkward as guests. She
handed the task of ughtering the chicken and duck to Cody and Lukas. She took out the soaked
soybeans, put them in the blender to make soy milk, and asked Ang to help her make tofu.
"Ste, you used to make this on the 18th floor. I didn''t expect you to still know how."
"I''ve even sprouted some alfalfa seeds. We can toss them into a sd for lunch."
The atmosphere was lively, everyone engrossed in their tasks, asionally reminiscing about the
good old days on the 18th floor.
After half a year of nurturing, Ang''s health had improved considerably, her body filling out, no
longer the skeleton-like figure she had been when they reunited.
Although Kitty was still reticent, the sight of the jovial group touched her heart. To have such
camaraderie in a post-apocalyptic world was indeed precious. Perhaps, deciding to stay and cease
wandering wasn''t a bad idea after all.
Kitty looked at Cody who was goofing off in the distance. Even though he wasn''t the macho type, he
brought her an unparalleled sense of ease and rxation.