Li Pan was a child born before the disaster who had experienced both the Natural Disaster Period and the Post-disaster period, and her relatives had also passed away during the natural disasters.
Her parents were both military personnel who had awakened Combat superpowers and subsequently sacrificed their lives on the front lines.
She and her childhood friend, Wang Xuedong, were neighbors in the same compound, having known each other since they were young; their families' situations were quite similar, as Brother Xuedong's parents also took care of both of them until they too sacrificed their lives on the front lines before he turned four.
Brother Xuedong, who was three years older than she was, had awakened the Mutated Fire Element. His fire was extremely powerful, much more so than that of a regular Fire Power superpower user.
After they both became orphans, they were raised by their fathers' comrade-in-arms. Because she was a girl and had the Wood Element, she was arranged to farm the land and didn't have to face the terrifying Mutant Beasts.
Xuedong, on the other hand, joined the army and went to the front lines, where soldiers were allocated more food and Contribution points than logistics personnel, which was entirely sufficient to support the two of them.
Later on, the uncle who had taken care of them went to the front lines and never returned.
So there she was in the base's planting area, working diligently and without deception, her superpower abilities stood out, and every year she managed to exceed the grain farming targets, stumbling her way to adulthood.
Six years quickly passed, and she was now twenty-three years old.
The base had been under military management for many years, and all laws and regulations had long been established, prohibiting unauthorized movement between bases. The laws were very harsh — rioting, breaking the law, or stealing would result in being captured and sent to the mines to do the most exhausting and laborious work.
The people who survived until after the disaster were not fools.
Even in farming, one had to keep order, and they couldn't afford to have petty thoughts of stealing or hoarding grain. Allocation of food was based on your harvest. Besides that, each month's rations were distributed according to work progress and skill level. Now it was digital currency used for shopping in stores, where all basic materials were quite complete, just expensive.
Almost everyone ate coarse grains; these really were mixed grains without white flour mixed, with sorghum-like coarse grains intermixed with bran. The bran was actually meant for livestock, difficult to swallow and could suffocate, leaving you gasping and thumping your chest.
Better-tasting were the high-yield potatoes, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins. The sweet potatoes were not the sweet kind from before the disaster that became syrupy when baked; that variety couldn't meet the high-yield standards necessary to feed so many. Instead, it was the white-hearted sweet potatoes that were bloating, with coarse fibers and high yields, tasting much better than coarse grain bread.
Superpower users were voracious eaters, each one a big eater in their own right.
After her parents passed away, it was always Brother Xuedong and Uncle Qian who looked after her. The saved rations were given to the two of them to eat. Later, when Xuedong was in charge of the military's food, although he also ate coarse grains, soldiers on the front lines, risking their lives to protect home and country, were given a quota to supply their families with grain.
Beyond food and drink which the troops managed, soldiers could also receive ten pounds of Food Tickets and a small allocation of fruit and vegetable tickets, which could be given to their families.
The quantity of ten pounds of grain was calculated according to the amount of rice and flour. Choosing rice and flour meant it would hardly be enough, but if you ate mixed grains, you could get about twenty pounds.
These were Food Tickets, as well as fruit and vegetable tickets, both with their allocated amounts.
Do not underestimate these things; they could feed one or two people at home. Others working on base could also earn some food, albeit through hard work. Feeding a household wasn't too difficult.
After Uncle Qian sacrificed his life, Wang Xuedong was only left to support Li Pan, a young girl, which was more than enough with all these resources. Combined with her continuous work on the base farm, she also had ten pounds of Food Tickets and a small allocation of fruit and vegetable tickets every month.
The two orphans supported each other through the post-disaster years, lasting five years.
Since Brother Dong mainly ate and lived at the barracks, Li Pan couldn't finish all the food and vegetables on her own.
Any surplus fruits and vegetables she couldn't eat were sold, keeping just a small part for the two of them to indulge occasionally, while the majority were exchanged for living supplies and Medicine.
Medicine was developed by the medical team above; it was quite effective for restoring superpowers and treating injuries and illnesses, but was not absolute.
However, this stuff was expensive, and not everyone could have one. She didn't go hunting and didn't need it, but Xuedong did, and some living supplies also needed to be exchanged using points and goods.
These days, besides mobile phone digital currency transactions, most materials could be traded through a bartering system.
For example, winter clothing, bedding, furniture like tables and chairs had to be exchanged with money or food, and Medicine also was exchanged with money and Contribution points.
Li Pan exchanged rice and flour for potatoes, sweet potatoes, and a small amount of mixed grains to eat. She grew her own vegetables and fruits in pots. Although it was a modest amount, it was enough. The remaining tickets were exchanged for Medicine which she provided to Brother Dong for his use.