Li Jian turned around and shouted a woman's name several times into the building, "Liu Mei, Liu Mei! Come down quickly!"
Soon, a woman with long hair rushed over. Li Jian handed the child to her with solemnity, "From now on, take care of this child. Treat her as your own daughter who passed away. Ensure she faces no mishaps. She is our hope, understood?"
The woman named Liu Mei had recently lost her own daughter. As she looked at the infant in front of her, she excitedly embraced the child tightly, unwilling to let go.
A faint, carefree smile appeared on Zhang Ye's lips. "It seems I can relax now, right?"
Li Jian nodded repeatedly, "Yes, you can rest assured."
Zhang Ye didn't say anything more. He had done what he could for the infant. Whether she lived or died, Zhang Ye no longer had the energy to care.
He glanced at the emaciated Li Jian and then looked at the 18th floor in front of him. Suddenly, he asked, "How many people are still alive in this building of yours?"
Li Jian cautiously answered, "There are still 66 people."
"66?" Zhang Ye suddenly laughed happily. "This number is quite auspicious. It looks like I'll have good luck recently!"
Li Jian could only force a smile.
Zhang Ye asked again, "Next, how do you plan to survive? I won't provide you with any food, by the way!"
Li Jian hesitated for a moment before saying, "We will find a way! We have survived until now and encountered many difficulties."
"As long as people are alive, there is hope. There is always a way out. I firmly believe in that!"
Zhang Ye chuckled mischievously, leaning in beside Li Jian with a tempting expression. "The issue of food can be easily solved. Have you seen the buildings I burned down? There's enough provisions inside to sustain you for quite some time!"
Li Jian's expression changed. He shook his head firmly, "No, we won't go that far. Once we make a wrong start, our ultimate fate will still be destruction."
"Instead of that, we'd rather preserve our human dignity and die with a clear conscience."
Zhang Ye looked at Li Jian with some surprise. He admitted that he was somewhat impressed by the man in front of him. In such difficult times, there were still people who could maintain their integrity. There had to be, he supposed, though Zhang Ye hadn't expected to encounter such a person himself.
"If not for experiencing this painful disaster, it's hard to truly see a person," Zhang Ye smiled faintly and said to Li Jian, "Honestly, I admire you. Because you have the ability to keep yourself and those around you alive, even in the face of the apocalypse."
"On this point, I am far inferior to you."
At this point, Li Jian gathered his courage and made another attempt, "Zhang Ye, I have a request..."
"Stop!" Zhang Ye raised his hand to stop him. "I know what you want to say, but there's no need to say it again. I won't help you. I don't have that kind of spare time."
Li Jian asked in confusion, "Why? You were willing to provide 300 portions of food before. Now, the number of survivors in the entire community is almost the same. With your abilities, you could manage the entire community and lead everyone to survive successfully!"
Zhang Ye sneered, "All beings suffer. I am not a Buddha; I can't save so many people."
"Even if I did save them, they might not be grateful. I understand the principle of gratitude and grudges."
"In times of chaos, taking care of oneself is already quite difficult. I don't have such lofty aspirations and a broad mind. I just want to live well on my own."
The last glimmer of hope shattered. Li Jian's face became somewhat grim. Although he spoke eloquently about the road never being completely cut off, it seemed very difficult for them to survive much longer given the current situation.
Zhang Ye looked at him and suddenly said, "Being human, everything depends on oneself. You, in a way, have moved me. You make me believe that there is still a glimmer of humanity in the apocalypse."
"So don't say I'm not giving you a chance."
Zhang Ye pretended to reach into his large pocket and after a bit of rummaging, he pulled out a bag of corn seeds.
He threw the corn seeds on the ground and continued digging into his pocket. Before long, wheat, rice, soybeans, potatoes, sweet potatoes... seeds and tubers of more than a dozen crops appeared in front of Li Jian.
"This is your chance. You can try planting crops to feed yourselves. Of course, you can also eat them. It's up to you how you handle it. I can only help you up to this point."
Zhang Ye didn't know how to farm, so he gave Li Jian many seeds and tubers. In his view, it was like throwing two fish into a pond and waiting for a few years to harvest a school of fish. He was waiting for a miracle.
If Li Jian and the others could really survive, it would mean that the heavens truly favored those who maintained their integrity. If they died, so be it.
Having done all this, Zhang Ye turned around casually, waved his hand without hesitation, and left Building 18.
Li Jian stood in place dumbfounded. Looking at the seeds and tubers scattered on the ground, he felt a bit at a loss. Could these things be planted in minus sixty or seventy degrees Celsius?
At this moment, a white-haired old man suddenly ran out of the corridor.
He hurriedly picked up the seeds and tubers from the ground, regardless of the cold, and stuffed them into his arms.
"Quick, collect these seeds. Once we plant them, we won't have to worry about food!"
Li Jian's eyes lit up when he saw the old man. This retired professor specialized in crop research at the Agricultural College and was now 75 years old. Only in Building 18 could an old man like him survive until now.
"Professor Ge, can you really grow these crops? In such cold weather, can you still grow them?"
Professor Ge shivered and said, "There's a chance, there's definitely a chance! We have to give it a try. Even if the hope is slim, if we succeed, we can survive!"
Li Jian suddenly realized and quickly joined him, stuffing these precious seeds and tubers into their clothes for warmth.
...
After doing all this, Zhang Ye returned home.
At this moment, he felt extremely relaxed. Finally, the grievances in the community were over. As long as he completed the next thing, he could embrace the beautiful Zhou Keren and have ten or eight children.
Zhou Keren had just finished changing Uncle You's medicine and walked out of the room while untying her mask. Seeing Zhang Ye lazily lying on the sofa, she asked, "Is everything done?"
Zhang Ye nodded, "I'm a bit hungry. Go cook something!"
"Alright, what do you want for lunch today?" Zhou Keren walked to the kitchen, put on an apron, and prepared to cook.
Zhang Ye walked into the kitchen with a smiling face, reached out from behind, and embraced her.
"I want—to eat—you!"
"Ah! What are you doing? Uncle You is still next door!"
"It's fine. The soundproofing in the house is excellent. He won't hear us!"
"I still have to cook. Can't you wait a bit?"
"You do your thing, and I'll do mine. It won't delay you."