A night passed, and the base was misty, with fresh air carrying a faint scent of osmanthus.
Early the next morning, Li Yu woke up as usual and ran in the mountains.
The morning mist was swirling, and it was slightly cool.
As he ran, the cool wind whistled past his ears, and the surrounding trees moved quickly.
He liked running because it made him feel his blood surging, and with each breath, he felt a strong sense of being alive.
When running, he didn't need to think about anything, just keep moving forward.
His mind was clear, all thoughts vanished, and there was no worry or anxiety.
Perhaps this was why Li Yu liked to run.
As time slowly passed, the entire base seemed to come alive, with more and more people emerging.
Cooking smoke rose from the residential area, filling the air with the scent of life.
Li Haoran and Li Haoxian, who had been on duty all night, dragged their tired bodies to relieve Ding Jiu and Wang Cheng.
Lao Xie and others, who had just arrived yesterday, lay on comfortable beds all night, though many couldn't sleep because everything before them seemed too unreal.
They woke up early in the morning and saw Li Yu running back from outside, followed by a string of little tag-alongs—the younger children from Li Yu's family.
"Good morning, General Manager Li," Shang Xue'er greeted Li Yu as he ran towards her.
"Morning," Li Yu slowed his pace, beginning to walk slowly as he replied.
"Good morning, General Manager Li!"
"Morning."
"Good morning, General Manager Li!"
"Morning."
Along the way, he met many of Captain Lü's people, who saw steam rising from Li Yu's head and him covered in sweat, clearly having just finished his morning exercise outside.
They all greeted him proactively.
Breakfast was fixed: coarse grains, some soy milk, and white congee.
The base actually raised many chickens, ducks, and fish, with some eggs produced daily, but most were given to the children who were growing.
There were also four dairy cows that Li Yu had introduced from the alpine grassland, which could provide some milk.
Eggs and milk were partly rationed to children, and if there was a surplus, it would be supplied to others in the base.
This was a base rule, so when Lao Xie took these items with his daughter Xiao Jing, the surprise was evident not just in his expression.
Captain Lü's people, seeing this scene, further recognized the base.
Even Li Yu drank soy milk and ate steamed buns, yet they provided milk and eggs to the children of these new arrivals from outside.
Before the apocalypse, these things were, of course, nothing to mention, but now it was the apocalypse, which made them incredibly precious.
Last night, Captain Lü's daughter slept with Li Yuan, and both of them had dark circles under their eyes this morning, looking like they hadn't slept all night.
Seeing this, Li Yu said helplessly, "Xiao Yuan, didn't you sleep all night?"
Li Yuan looked down at Xiao Fei, and Xiao Fei also looked at Li Yuan.
The two looked at each other, exchanged glances, and then both laughed.
This...
Li Yu no longer bothered with them, then picked up some breakfast, which also included some milk and eggs.
Injured personnel generally received better nutrition; this was also a rule in the base.
Li Yu walked towards the medical room to deliver these items to Captain Lü.
Upon reaching the medical room, Captain Lü was still sleeping face down, but his complexion had improved significantly.
As Li Yu approached, his footsteps were slightly louder, and before he even reached him, he saw Captain Lü open his eyes.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he asked, "General Manager Li, where is my daughter?"
Li Yu smiled and said, "She and that girl Li Yuan probably made a ruckus all night, so they got up late.
They're having breakfast now and will come over with Xiao Yuan shortly."
He then placed the breakfast on the table and sat on a nearby stool, asking, "Do you feel better now? Eat something first."
Captain Lü was stunned when he saw the eggs, milk, and steamed buns on the table.
"You have all these things!"
So he asked, "General Manager Li, does everyone in your base have these things? It's truly, truly beyond my imagination!"
When they were in Liberation City, they had thought about raising some poultry.
Chickens and ducks were fine, but for large animals like dairy cows, Liberation City simply couldn't accommodate or afford them, because cows eat grass, and where would they get grass in a city base like Liberation City?
Li Yu smiled and said, "In our base, we don't actually raise many.
We only have four dairy cows, and a bit more eggs, but not everyone can eat them daily.
Only injured personnel or children under 16 can eat these things every day."
Captain Lü said in surprise, "General Manager Li, you, you don't even have these, yet you give them to me."
"It's nothing valuable.
Eat quickly and get well soon, so you can help out early," Li Yu smiled, then prepared to leave the medical room after speaking.
Captain Lü couldn't help but call out, "General Manager Li, do you want to gather my team members later? I want to tell them something."
"No rush, let's talk when you're feeling better," Li Yu knew what he wanted to say, but there was no rush now.
It was better to wait until Captain Lü's body had recovered more.
In the base, there were often large gatherings every now and then.
With so many supplies accumulated earlier, they had enough to eat for a very long time.
Before the apocalypse, the early stored supplies were calculated for 50 people for 100 years.
However, after the apocalypse broke out, they also collected many types of supplies from outside, including various daily necessities and some clothing, etc.
Therefore, although the various supplies in the base had also increased significantly, coupled with the fact that the base now also planted some crops and other things, if it was just about food, they had no need to worry about it at all.
The last large gathering was two months ago.
It had been so long since a gathering; it was time to have another one.
So Li Yu briefly discussed this idea with his mother, who was also very supportive.
Although each gathering was particularly hard work, when she saw her family members, and those who considered the base their home—essentially one big family—she genuinely felt happy.
"Okay, I'll talk to Lai Dongsheng's wife then and ask for her opinion.
She used to be a great chef!"
"Alright, you two decide," Li Yu smiled, then walked towards the wall.
On the wall, his third uncle was lying on a chair.
Normally, even if it wasn't his third uncle's turn for duty, he would often come to the wall to stroll around.
