Lan Jin understood this very well. Not only would this girl pester her endlessly, but once she gave in to corruption, she might even persuade the men in the building to seek revenge for her. And given her current state, there was no doubt—Lan Jin would be the sole target of that vengeance.
Had Lan Jin seen fewer things like this in her past life? Certainly not. She would never let herself fall into such a trap.
To prevent future trouble and reduce complications, the best solution was to suppress it at the start and get rid of the problem immediately.
Lan Jin looked at Ling Jiang and thought that she and Lao Gao were surprisingly accepting of this situation. Curious, she asked, "Your past days here must have been rough. The things you told us before about what goes on in this building must have been a toned-down version. Otherwise, your attitude would be very strange."
Just now, even Huang Jinghe was a little shocked by her actions. But these two were completely indifferent. Their expressions suggested that Lan Jin should not waste words with the girl, but just throw her off right away.
After Lan Jin threw the girl off, these two even looked like she was someone who could be taught good manners…
It was complicated.
Ling Jiang paused before replying, "You noticed. But there's no way around it. I said before, people in your building are far more well-behaved than those in other buildings."
Lan Jin took a deep breath, "Well-behaved? So what kind of life did you have before?"
"Anyway, it wasn't a life anyone could call living. Otherwise, not just us two, even my grandma wouldn't accept it. She's an old lady who had to adjust her mindset for a long time to accept things calmly."
Hearing this, Lan Jin couldn't help but feel moved.
...
But today's matter was not over yet.
Although no one said it out loud, soon the girl's incident spread throughout the building. No matter which of the four had started it, their reputation as troublemakers rose to a new level.
Yet, even so, those who wanted to cause trouble still went looking for it.
That meant Lao Gao.
Yes, one week had passed. Wasn't it time to ask about the kayak that had floated away with the current?
However, when Lao Gao went looking for Su Han, he found no sign of Su Han anywhere in the building.
At first, Lao Gao thought maybe Su Han was hiding. But after searching the entire building again, there was truly no trace of Su Han. That was a problem—where was she?
Then, using some methods, Lao Gao heard from others that Su Han had long been taken by a few people. He had already been thrown into the floodwaters and no one knew where he had drifted.
Thinking about it, the way people solved problems now really was quite similar. But losing the kayak was what frustrated him most. Unable to find the source, Lao Gao vented his anger loudly in the hallway before going home.
Still, venting was just venting. What could it do? No one really cared.
After all, Lao Gao himself had said, whoever borrows something should return it. The kayak was not theirs to borrow, so even if there was a problem, it could not be blamed on them.
...
The kayak was gone and that was that. Lao Gao had expected this.
But for them, finding supplies was just as urgent.
Looking outside at the water level rising to the 12th floor—
Lao Gao seriously did not recommend going out to search for supplies. There was another big problem: Lao Gao looked at the rain outside and really felt that things were going badly. He then gathered the other three to his home for a small meeting.
Lao Gao said, "I'll be honest. My home's supplies will last at most another month. But I don't suggest going out to find supplies. Look at the situation outside... I've never heard of any place where it rains so hard for a whole month. The water has already flooded up to the 12th floor.
If the rain continues for another month or two, the whole building will be flooded. Our place is at a relatively high elevation. Those low-lying areas have probably already been submerged."
Ling Jiang was also anxious. "My home had some food before, but not much, and it was all stockpiled by my grandma. There are two of us, so it will last about a month at most. You don't need to tell me. I'm also worried seeing the rain outside.
But if you want me to go out, honestly, I'm scared. Food is important, but life is more important. At this water level, going out is like sending yourself to die."
Don't be fooled by their talk of having a month's worth of food. Most people had already cut back from three meals a day to two during the poisonous fog period. When they were eating two meals, it was during a time when everyone could still move around freely. If any trouble happened, those two meals would be reduced to just one.
So when they said a month's worth of food, it wasn't much at all. They were barely holding on with careful rationing.
But Lan Jin and Huang Jinghe were exceptions.
When it came to supplies, the two of them exchanged a meaningful glance. Maybe they didn't have much else, but their families really had food. Not to mention Lan Jin had already prepared supplies in her space beforehand.
But that brought up another issue—whether to say it or keep it secret.
After hesitating for a while, they could not bear to watch their allies starve. So Lan Jin was the first to speak.
"If it's just food, we don't have to panic for now."
Hearing this, the others were surprised, then guessed, "You have food stored at home?"
Lan Jin nodded to Huang Jinghe, who explained, "My parents told me during the insect plague that the higher-ups predicted heavy rain was coming, so we were told to stockpile extra food.
The supply station is controlled by the authorities, and since my parents are in the military, they had some convenience. When cash was still usable, Sister Lan and I took out all our money and bought food and water. So for just food, you don't have to worry for now."
Lan Jin quickly added, "But you also know, when we could withdraw money from the bank, there were limits. Although prices didn't rise, the amount of supplies you could buy was limited. Even if we had cash, buying things was one thing, but how much you could get was another.
So if we only need to survive the rainy season, the four of us should be able to manage for a few months."
Lan Jin's words were not lies. Bank withdrawal limits and supply purchase limits were facts. Even if they had cash, it didn't guarantee getting everything they needed.
Though they could not bear to see their allies starve, they also could not be too honest. Sharing supplies was possible, but they could not reveal everything. No matter what, their own safety had to come first.