Rebirth: Exclusive Love in the End of the World-Chapter 77 - Solving the Housing Issue

“Coming! Do they charge a fee for making the card?”

“It’s free.”

It was another series of exchanging forms, collecting forms, filling out forms, and verifying information, with each person receiving a green card. Printed on the cards were the name and the crest of Beicheng Base, with an account code at the bottom right corner.

This green Life Card was the most common type of resident card within the base. Initially, the resident card came with 100 points that could be exchanged for food and water at the supplies exchange, enough to meet basic living needs of one person for a month, similar to receiving social security, but regardless of how much was used, the points would reset to zero at the end of each month. This was probably to prevent people from accumulating wealth.

If one wanted to earn more points, one could work within the base such as in transportation, repair, medical, or as a technical officer. Depending on the job, the monthly points varies. Besides, one could also pick up tasks at the labor service center for personal business or base assignments.

Apart from that, there were also orange cards for the organized troops, silver cards for the Ability Team, and gold cards for senior officers. Cards of different colors offered different discounts when exchanging supplies.

Once they had figured out all these miscellaneous details, the next issue they had to sort out was housing.

The accommodation service’s staff, seeing that Han Yi and his friends had decent looks and clean clothes, unlike the other disheveled people, knew they came from wealthy backgrounds and immediately enthusiastically introduced several housing options—

There were standalone villas and regular apartments in the East District, brick houses and steel-wooden houses in the West District, convenient dorms and simple tents in the South District. The North District was designated for military affiliates.

Of course, the housing wasn’t free; it required goods in exchange, and they had to pay rent monthly. The simple tent and convenient dorms were like refugee camps where one could rent with just a few points; the convenient dorms were actually containers converted into rooms, similar to train hard sleepers with three-tier bunks on either side lined up in a row, the environment both stuffy and moist.

Han Yi and his friends decided not to live separately and chose a standalone villa. Han Jiaojiao had never seen a villa in the base before and found it quite novel. When they arrived, they realized that the standalone villa… was actually a small building built by the local villagers, three-stories high, with red tiles and white walls, surrounded by a large square courtyard. Everyone entered the courtyard, feeling somewhat amused.

Of course, these self-constructed village buildings couldn’t compare to the aesthetics of city villas, but they were solid without a hint of cutting corners, made from genuine materials. The structure was simple with large square rooms in all four cardinal directions, a hall in the middle, a kitchen behind the hall. The second floor was just like the first without a kitchen, and the third floor was half storage room and half terrace. The yard had a smooth concrete floor with just a small corner of dried soil, likely used by the prior owner as a vegetable garden.

Han Jiaojiao ran in and out excitedly, marveling at everything. Especially the kitchen, which was really big! And it had a big stove! It was the first time Han Jiaojiao had seen such a wood-burning stove, and she stared at it for a long time, almost climbing inside to take a closer look.

Yan Xiao couldn’t help but tease her, “Stop looking, we can’t even use that thing. We have an induction cooker, a rice cooker, even a generator.”

Han Jiaojiao wistfully said, “I’ve heard that rice cooked on a wood fire smells especially good…”

Yan Xiao shook his head quickly before she could continue, “None of us here knows how to use a stove! Don’t make me suffer!”

“It’s not just for me to eat alone,” Han Jiaojiao said begrudgingly.

“Miss, where am I supposed to find firewood for you?”

Yan Xiao had barely finished speaking when suddenly a pile of broken furniture was thrown into the kitchen from outside! Han Yi’s cold voice drifted in from outside—

“The furniture has been replaced, burn all these old ones.”

Yan Xiao gritted his teeth as he stared at the pile of old furniture and fiercely said, “Han Brother, you really are my brother! You are my blood brother!”

Han Jiaojiao grinned at Yan Xiao and ran out, unable to contain her joy.

“Brother! Which room are we staying in?”

“The southern room on the second floor.”

The house was large and spacious, with festive chubby baby New Year pictures pasted on the snow-white walls.

Han Yi threw the furniture and luggage into their respective rooms. As for the specific arrangement, it would need further setting up. Yan Xiao and Bai Kairui busied themselves with tidying up the house, while Han Jiaojiao eagerly decorated the room she would share with her brother.

From today, they no longer had to sleep outside anxiously. From today, they would cook, clean, and wash clothes. From today, they would finally have a home…

In the apocalyptic world, having a home was such a blessing.

When the house was nearly tidy, Lu Changyuan and Xiao Jian, who had gone out to gather information, also returned.

Both of their faces looked troubled.

“How are things outside?”

Lu Changyuan gave a bitter smile and sighed, “Indeed, there are no free lunches in the world. Though it’s free to enter the base, living here requires points everywhere. The rent for this house we’re living in now costs ten thousand points a month.”

Bai Kairui couldn’t help but ask him, “What happens to those who can’t pay the rent?”

“They are sent to the South District, where renting a tent or a container only costs twenty points. You can rent one with the 100 relief money issued each month.”

Yan Xiao began to worry, saying, “So do we have to work here too? I don’t want to move bricks by the cement walls.”

Xiao Jian sneered at him, “With your skinny arms and legs, not sure any foreman would even want you.”

“Hey! Xiao Jian, are you possessed by Miss Han or what?!”

Han Jiaojiao glared at Yan Xiao, “Why drag me into this? You’re naturally skinny.”

“Working won’t do, the points come too slowly and are too few,” Lu Changyuan pulled out a cigarette, lighting one for himself, “Although materials can also be exchanged for points, it’s not a long-term plan. We need to take on missions.”

“Missions?” Yan Xiao and Bai Kairui almost simultaneously exclaimed.

“Yes. Just now Xiao Jian and I went to the labor center to check, most of the official tasks are related to scavenging materials and the reward points are high, there are private tasks too, but mostly they involve looking for relatives and friends, which relies on luck.” Lu Changyuan slowly took a drag, blowing out a ring of smoke, “Either way, we have to try a few times, otherwise staying here and depleting our supplies can easily arouse suspicion.”