Lao Gao had no objections, but he pointed out that the rain had finally stopped. "Since it's clear now, shouldn't we think about going out for supplies?"
Ling Jiang asked, "Is it safe to travel on the roads now? With this low temperature, the water should have frozen into thick ice. If we can get out there, I bet everyone will be searching for supplies. We can't afford to delay. If we wait too long, there might be nothing left to find."
Lao Gao sighed. "Even with this cold, such deep water won't freeze solid enough to walk on overnight. It'll take a few more days at least. If we do head out, we should wait. And when we go, we shouldn't just look for food. We also need something that can generate heat. Relying on electricity isn't the best idea. If we can get a stove to burn charcoal, that might be better."
Huang Jinghe said, "Charcoal would work for both heating and cooking. But… getting charcoal won't be easy. And the trees are all underwater. Even if we could chop them, it'd take forever without tools."
In short, everything was difficult.
"Anyway, hear me out," Lao Gao said. "I actually have an idea. Wood isn't only found outside. We've got plenty of it right here in the building."
Everyone blinked in confusion. Then Lan Jin's eyes lit up. "You mean… beds and wardrobes?"
"Exactly," Lao Gao said with a grin. "This building might not have much else, but we've got plenty of big furniture that can't be taken away. If we break it down, there's no reason we can't burn it."
It was a surprisingly good idea. No one needed those pieces anymore, and letting them sit there was a waste. Besides, even if they didn't use the wood now, someone else eventually would. Better to collect it first. And with most people still focused on food, gathering wood now would be much easier.
But to get the wood, they'd have to enter other apartments. Lan Jin looked at Lao Gao. "You don't mean to tell me you know how to pick locks?"
Lao Gao shook his head. The other two did the same. So… no one could open a lock. How would they get inside?
"Getting in doesn't always mean picking a lock," Lao Gao said. He gave them a brief explanation, but they didn't understand until he went home to fetch some tools. At apartment 3201, he demonstrated. Within minutes, not only was the door open—it was completely removed.
"I didn't expect you to have this skill," Lan Jin said. She wasn't exactly praising him, more surprised that he could do it at all.
Lao Gao shrugged. "Doesn't matter how. We're in now."
Ling Jiang sighed. "Told you. He can do anything… except study."
Huang Jinghe raised an eyebrow. "You always say that. Now I'm curious—how bad is he at studying?"
The answer was a long silence.
If he didn't even get numbers on a test, it was probably worse than just "bad."
Ling Jiang explained, "It's not that he's stupid. He just doesn't care about school."
Lan Jin and Huang Jinghe both smirked. "We can tell."
…
Since they already had access to 3201, they searched it thoroughly. There were indeed a few wooden pieces of furniture.
Thinking about it, that wasn't surprising.
When contribution points were first introduced, community staff went door-to-door collecting unused items. Back then, most households traded in whatever they didn't need. That's why you didn't see much furniture around.
But later, contribution points had to be exchanged at a specific time and place, and no one came to collect them. When people left for the base, they didn't have time to dismantle or carry big things like beds, wardrobes, or even room doors.
So finding them now was normal. And if they checked every apartment in the building, they'd have a lot of wood.
Lao Gao's eyes lit up. "I knew there'd be plenty left. If we sweep the whole building, we'll have enough to last until the ice is thick enough to travel on."
"Then we shouldn't waste time," Huang Jinghe said quickly. "Let's start taking it apart now."
Just as they stepped out of 3201, Grandma Ling approached. "I hear you're collecting wood. I know how to make charcoal. Burning raw wood indoors isn't just smoky—it's poisonous. If you're going to collect it, put in a bit more work and turn it into charcoal. Bring up anything you can carry."
Her tone was encouraging, but Ling Jiang frowned. "Grandma, what are you doing out here? You should be under the electric blanket."
"It's so cold. If that generator stops, the blanket cools right away. I'd rather get up and move around."
She was soon escorted back inside by Ling Jiang.
Lao Gao and Huang Jinghe turned to Lan Jin. "Sister Lan, you should get Qiao Qiao and Nana settled. We'll start soon."
"Alright."
…
They began collecting wood from the lower floors upward. They knew the water level had reached the 23rd floor, but not exactly where.
After checking, Huang Jinghe said grimly, "Good thing the rain's stopped. The water's nearly at the top. If it had rained another day, it would've reached the 24th floor."
Ling Jiang frowned. "Strange. It rained nonstop before, but once it got cold, the rain stopped too."
They didn't dwell on it.
When they began dismantling doors, Lao Gao's behavior puzzled everyone. Before breaking each one, he knocked politely, waited a moment to make sure no one was inside, and only then started taking it down.
There was nothing wrong with that, but it felt overly polite for something as blatantly intrusive as this. Still, no one argued. He was the one doing the work.
The big front doors were easy for him to remove, but the wooden furniture inside was another story. Wardrobes were manageable—just pry and knock a bit, and the thin panels came off. But the master beds were far tougher.