Chapter 736: Chapter 736: Passing the Winter

Evelyn coughed. "Liam, do you remember Jonas Lucas?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah, I remember. What about him?"

"You two should have a lot to talk about. Why don’t you go find him for a chat?"

Liam was confused. "I’m heartbroken, why would I go looking for him? I don’t even know him that well."

"He’s heartbroken too."

Liam paused. "What a coincidence. How did he get his heart broken?"

"More or less the same as you."

Liam clutched his chest. "That’s awful. But I’m not in the mood to talk about post-breakup feelings right now. I just want to cry."

"Well, try not to get your tears in the bowl. Not even a dog would eat leftovers seasoned with tears."

Liam cried even louder. "Even the dogs hate me."

***

After his heartbreak, Liam was depressed at home for several days. A week later, something in him must have snapped. He took Evelyn’s fishing rod and went to fish by the lake. From then on, he was no longer pining for love, but instead threw himself headfirst into the fishing brigade.

"Just when I was starting to dial it back, Liam goes and gets hooked. Fishing really is addictive," Evelyn mused.

Evelyn suddenly felt a sense of kinship. Because of this, she gave the fishing rod to Liam, wishing him smooth sailing on his fishing journey.

"Fishing is even more intense than mahjong. Once you’re addicted, you’ll ignore food, drink, and even your own family. Mosquitoes are no match for you; you won’t even budge when they’re biting you all over," Quincy said, unable to comprehend such a hobby.

But ever since Liam got hooked on fishing, the pain of his heartbreak had vanished completely. Now, even if his ex showed up in front of him, he probably wouldn’t even bat an eye.

It was even more effective than becoming a monk.

The small courtyard had become quite lively with all these goings-on. Micah Manning from next door would also come over to chat and do crafts with everyone. She was her own person, and her mom was her mom. Everyone really liked Micah. Although the old lady had no filter, it didn’t affect Micah’s relationship with the group.

At the end of October, Liam couldn’t go fishing anymore because a light rain started to fall in Eldoria. The temperature also dropped from over ten degrees Celsius to just five degrees.

Winter was coming, and Evelyn hardly left the house. Although the base had electricity and water 24/7, many neighbors were still preparing for a rainy day, buying coal and wood from the base. They figured if the power went out, repairs would take time. Besides, winter would be difficult to endure without a charcoal fire at home. That was why the residential buildings used to distribute charcoal for heating, but a major carbon monoxide poisoning incident had occurred the previous year.

This year, to help residents stay warm, charcoal was no longer distributed. Instead, the residential buildings handed out thermal blankets. They worked on the same principle as electric blankets but were better, lasting for half a month on a single charge. The heat wasn’t very high, but they were reasonably warm. Plus, every household was given an electric heater.

"Everyone’s going to the community supermarket to buy Napa cabbage and daikon radishes. Should we buy some too, just to keep up appearances?"

"Sure. Let’s take the three-wheeler and get a full load. Ronan and I can go." Evelyn hadn’t been out in days. She wanted to take this chance to breathe some fresh air before hibernating for the winter.

Ronan changed into a thick down jacket. He drove while Evelyn sat in the passenger seat. The moment they got to the supermarket, they were dumbfounded by the line in front of them.

"That’s so many people."

Ronan helped Evelyn adjust her windproof hood. "You should go back first. I’ll wait in line. You can come back in an hour."

But Evelyn wouldn’t have it. "This experience is kind of fascinating. I want to wait in line with you. Besides, I’m not cold at all. I actually find this quite novel."

The woman behind Evelyn had brought her daughter, and they were discussing what vegetables to buy. In front of them, an old man wanted to buy some white liquor but got an earful from an old woman.

"All you ever think about is drinking! When we eat, you can just go hug your bottle of booze!"

"Don’t be so prejudiced against it. I’m not buying it because I’m an alcoholic. It’s freezing in the winter! A sip of liquor warms your whole body up. This stuff can be a lifesaver."

The old woman was successfully convinced by the old man. The two decided to buy five liters of white liquor.

Evelyn leaned against Ronan. "We should buy some too. The sweet potato wine is pretty good."

Ronan naturally had no objection. "Just don’t drink too much."

A few days ago, after she and Wendy got drunk, they were caterwauling in the courtyard. Evelyn’s singing even made a neighbor’s kid cry.

Evelyn was mortified just thinking about it.

"I swear, I’m never drinking again."

Ronan looked at her with amusement. Only Evelyn herself knew if that vow would actually hold.

After waiting in line for an hour, it was finally their turn. Evelyn bought five hundred and fifty pounds of Napa cabbage. The base’s production was very high now, so there was no need to worry about being a burden. Plus, their neighbors were all around them in line, and everyone knew they had a lot of people at home. Buying too little might make them suspicious.

She also bought five hundred and fifty pounds of daikon radishes, and two hundred and twenty pounds each of sweet potatoes and potatoes. The three-wheeler was already full, but Evelyn bought a few other vegetables before the two of them drove home.

"You bought so much? Wow, the potatoes grown at the base are huge!"

As soon as they got back to the courtyard, everyone gathered around to help unload the truck. Wyatt was stunned as he looked at the yellow-fleshed potatoes in the sack. "These are even bigger than the ones we grew in the space! It’s incredible!"

"Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cassava not only grow large when planted in sandy soil, but they also become very starchy and delicious. And these yellow-fleshed potatoes have been improved—this is the fourth generation. To feed over ten million people, of course they have to plant the biggest varieties."

After they carried the vegetables to the kitchen cellar, Zoe looked up at the snowflakes drifting down from the sky and squealed with excitement.

"It’s snowing! It’s snowing!"

"Look at you, your little face is all red from the cold. Get back inside and put on a coat. You’ll regret it if you catch a cold," Wyatt said as he pulled Zoe into the house. The others also hunched their shoulders, rubbed their hands, and quickly ran back to their rooms.

"It’s colder this year than last, and the snow has come early. Last year, it didn’t start snowing until mid-November. Looks like it’s going to be a long winter."

Just then, there was a knock on the courtyard gate. It was pushed open from the outside, and Rhys Chase and Ryan Rowe walked in, carrying their luggage.

"We’ve come to spend the winter with you."

"You two have good timing. A little later and the snow would have blocked the roads."

At that moment, a cry rang out from a neighboring courtyard.

"You little shit! How dare you shove snow down my collar! Get back here! See if I don’t beat you half to death today!" a man shouted, chasing a mischievous, fleeing child with a fire poker in his hand.

The child only knew that it was snowing again. Snow meant no chores, no studying—just staying at home to sleep, warm up by the fire, and eat.

Once the snow piled up, they could even have snowball fights.

The adults watched the snow fall heavier and heavier, and began to worry about their livelihoods for the coming year.

"A heavy snow promises a good harvest."

"Let’s hope so."

"It’s freezing! Let’s go inside, go inside!"

Evelyn grabbed Ronan’s hand and placed a snowball in his palm.

The long, hard winter had just begun.

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