The Zhou family's farm was not far from Jiazhou City, just a half-hour drive away.
Seeing the newly bought penthouse, Ai Bing was stunned. She whispered to Zhou Lin, asking how much the house cost.
"It's not like it's in Deep City. My mom said it's less than five million yuan. By the way, we can register the property ownership at two o'clock. Are you sure you want to lend me the money?"
If Ai Bing had any hesitation before, it disappeared the moment she stepped into this 380-square-meter house on the seventeenth floor, with a 150-square-meter rooftop garden. She was determined to have her name on the property deed!
If it were in Deep City, just this house alone would make Ai Bing never let Zhou Lin go. Marriage was a must!
"Write the IOU first, and I'll transfer the money to you later."
The reason she needed some time was that Ai Bing's savings weren't much, just about two hundred thousand yuan. Despite mingling with wealthy second-generation kids, they weren't foolish—dining and shopping were fine, but they rarely gave her much cash. She also had her own expenses, so having this amount saved up was quite impressive over the years.
To maximize her stake in this house, Ai Bing decided to use all her credit cards and online platforms. She planned to make a good impression in front of Zhou Lin's parents and then slowly recoup the money from Zhou Lin once they returned to Deep City.
Previously, she didn't really understand Zhou Lin's family situation. Now, deciding to seriously pursue a relationship with Zhou Lin, she intended to control his finances in the future. Whether Zhou Lin could earn that much money or not... well, wasn't his parents' money also available?
Ai Bing's calculations were indeed sharp, but even the cleverest fox isn't a match for the hunter. When she told Zhou Lin that seventy thousand yuan was no problem, Zhou Lin already knew she was going to borrow the money.
However, since online loans take time to process, Ai Bing suggested they go to the property center the next day.
"That's fine, but my mom and I need to buy some supplies for the farm this afternoon. Want to join us?"
Hearing "farm," Ai Bing immediately thought of feed and manure and shook her head. Zhou Lin didn't mind, suggesting she explore Jiazhou's shops and try the local food, and they'd meet up later.
"What are we buying today?"
"Ten gas cylinders, as much cured meat and sausage as we can get, various frozen goods, all kinds of seeds, chicken, duck, and goose eggs..."
"Listen, I'm old and can't remember much. You do the talking, I'll find the places. Deal?"
"Deal!"
Cheng Yali was familiar with these items because of the farm business. They had connections with most suppliers and could even call ahead to have the goods ready for pickup, making the process quick.
Despite the dirty pickup truck, it outperformed family cars for loading goods. They bought a ton of cured meat and sausages, a ton of rice, flour, and grains—though it still wasn't enough. Buying too much at once would arouse suspicion, so Zhou Lin asked Cheng Yali to place orders at multiple locations and have the deliveries made near the residential area.
"Why not deliver directly to the house? It's exhausting to move everything ourselves."
"If possible, I don't even want people to know who bought it." Zhou Lin wiped his sweat. "Mom, think about it. When the city runs out of food, what will those who sold us the grain think and do?"
"What will they do? They wouldn't rob us... would it get that bad?"
Zhou Lin nodded. "It'll be worse than you can imagine—more chaotic and brutal."
Cheng Yali paused. "Should I call your grandfather?"
"Go ahead." Zhou Lin nodded. "If necessary, ask him to stay with us."
Zhou Lin had strong feelings for the three elderly relatives in the family.
Growing up, when Zhou Caijun and Cheng Yali were busy with work, Zhou Lin stayed either with his maternal grandparents or his paternal grandparents. Even during school holidays, he went to the countryside until high school studies became demanding.
After his grandmother passed away, his grandfather lived with Zhou Lin's eldest uncle in Cheng Yali's hometown.
His paternal grandparents lived in the county countryside, close to Zhou Lin's aunt's family.
Cheng Yali had discussed the situation with Zhou Caijun the previous night. They decided that talking about it openly might not be believable, so they subtly reminded Zhou Lin's uncle and aunt and planned to take it step by step.
"When will communication be disrupted?" Cheng Yali asked.
"Soon after the heavy snowfall begins, base stations will frequently fail. The country will try to repair them, but in minus dozens of degrees Celsius, it's a life-and-death struggle. Connectivity will depend on luck."
"I'll discuss it with your dad tonight. Your uncle's family has many people; even if they have some stored food, it won't last long. We might need to bring your grandfather over."
"We need to hurry." Zhou Lin nodded. "In two days, the highways will be difficult to navigate."
As they discussed and collected goods, they realized it was already dark—only 5 PM.
Having ensured they'd picked up everything they needed, Zhou Lin brought Ai Bing and Cheng Yali back to the farm, finding Zhou Caijun still busy.
"There's half left. I'll finish it tomorrow. I've settled the workers' wages." Zhou Caijun whispered to Zhou Lin, "It got dark early today."
"Tomorrow will be later, and it will get dark even earlier. Dad, humanity's good days are numbered." Zhou Lin said somberly.
Caijun patted Zhou Lin's shoulder. "Tomorrow, you should pick up Lili. I've arranged for her leave and informed her to pack her things tonight, though I didn't tell her the reason."
Thirteen-year-old Zhou Lili attended a boarding school and needed family to pick her up.
Zhou Lin agreed. "Alright, I'll take Lili straight to Lanshan. Mom has ordered many things to be delivered there tomorrow."
After a day of hard work, everyone except Ai Bing was exhausted and went to bed early. Meanwhile, in an underground research facility in the capital of Summer Country, dozens of people anxiously awaited the results of a climate simulation.
"It's out!"
A few minutes later, a researcher monitoring the data announced loudly.
Climate simulation required immense computational power and sophisticated algorithms. Only Summer Country and the Beautiful Country had such capabilities.
"What's the result?" someone asked.
"The results have been pushed to your terminals. Please take a look..."
As everyone lowered their heads to check the tablets, an elderly man in a general's uniform at the center of the conference table said sternly, "Let me remind you, what you're about to see is the highest state secret. Leaking it will be considered treason!"
However, no one looked up at the general's words. Almost everyone was stunned by the simulated results.
"Is this... real?"
"Impossible. Global darkness... is it the end of the world?"
"How much time do we have left? Less than ten days? What can we do in ten days?"
"The Fire Seed Plan, General Zhang. Should we execute the Fire Seed Plan?"