The sight of a few people lying scattered across the ice was nothing new by now. Besides, they were a fair distance from Building 12, so there would be no need for any cleanup afterward.
When everyone finally returned to Lao Gao's place, Lao Gao began asking about the heroic deeds they had just pulled off.
The biggest surprise was without a doubt Nana.
"That dog was wasted before. Never thought he could be this useful," Lao Gao said.
Still, he admitted that Lan Jin's choice to keep Nana home as a guard dog was smart. "Good call. I was worried before that if we all went out, Nana wouldn't be able to hold the place. But now… no need to worry at all."
But Lan Jin's strength… that was something else.
Suddenly, Lao Gao thought back. Forget about the height from the 31st floor to the 24th — just the parabolic distance alone. Someone with less strength wouldn't have been able to throw that far. He stared at her, wide-eyed. "So, Sister Lan, you're really strong, huh?"
Lan Jin tried to play it off. "I think most moms have pretty strong arms."
Even before she started drinking spiritual spring water, she had been no pushover. Of course, she couldn't compare to her current strength, but still.
Ren Xing never handled much of the household work, and Lan Jin couldn't keep the child locked inside all day. Whenever she took her child out, she had to carry big bags and bundles. Add to that the fact that her little one couldn't walk far and always ended up being carried the entire day — no mom like that stayed weak for long.
Besides, the situation earlier had been sudden. In a rush, strength always seemed to spike. Put all those factors together, and her excuse wasn't completely unbelievable. Whether the others bought her story or not, Lan Jin had no idea. Either way, the topic quickly shifted.
After wrapping up the earlier discussion, they turned to the situation at the black market.
When Lao Gao and Huang Jinghe went out earlier, they combined what they heard over the walkie-talkie with what they saw and quickly pinpointed the market's location.
"It's actually just behind that big supermarket across the road — in the building even further back. Honestly, any farther and the walkie-talkies wouldn't reach. But it's sitting exactly in that range," Lao Gao said. "We were lucky. The silly thing is, we'd passed it several times before when hauling lumber, but never once noticed."
They had seen some transactions there, though not many. Lao Gao had already figured out the trading spot and general schedule. "But I have to say… the people there are a bit ruthless. I doubt we could trade much food for what we have."
In harsh cold, charcoal was valuable, yes, but when it came to food, nothing else mattered. People had survived the freezing temperatures before — it wasn't pleasant, but they'd made it through. Without food, though, they'd starve. Trading charcoal for an equal amount of food seemed nearly impossible.
"But—" Lao Gao spoke between heavy breaths, until Ling Jiang gave him a glare that forced him to speak properly. "While looking for the black market, we overheard something. There's also a street market nearby. Not far from the black market. It opens around noon. No currency, just bartering, and in small quantities. I think with our charcoal, we might do better there than at the black market."
A street market?
They hadn't even fully explored the black market yet, and now there was a new place to consider.
Still, whether black market or street market, it was all new to her.
"Let's check the street market tomorrow. We can keep an eye on both,"
Before doing anything else, though, the broken security door had to be fixed. Lan Jin reminded them, "If we don't repair the 31st floor door, we can't leave home without worrying."
Even with the dog, there were only the elderly and children at home. And her own child and the dog weren't actually left in the house — she kept them in her space when she went out.
"Let's fix it now. But can that door even be repaired?" Ling Jiang asked.
"If not, we'll replace it. I've got tools. This building has plenty of doors we can salvage parts from," Lao Gao said. He grabbed his tools and led the way to the 31st floor.
They worked together to lift the security door upright. After Lao Gao's tinkering, it seemed even sturdier than before. "I tore out the damaged sections and replaced them with new ones. Reframed the edges too," Lao Gao explained. In this cold, the adhesive didn't even need drying time — it froze solid on its own, making the door firm and unyielding.
Huang Jinghe suggested, "With this kind of cold, if we splashed a bit of water on it and let it freeze…"
Sure, it would be sturdier, but if the freezing went wrong, they'd trap themselves inside.
"No need. This is enough. Worst case, we can take a downstairs door and add another layer in the hallway. But honestly, some people can't be stopped no matter how many doors you have. Best to stock up on food and avoid going out at all."
With the door fixed, they returned home to rest.
When Lan Jin brought Qiao Qiao home, the little girl was still sulking over what had happened earlier, puffed up with indignation and refusing to talk to her.
"Qiao Qiao, are you mad at Mama?" Lan Jin coaxed.
Qiao Qiao gave a sharp little "hmph" and turned away.
"I just didn't want you to get hurt. You're still too little. When you're bigger, Mama will take you with me," Lan Jin said gently.
Another "hmph" from Qiao Qiao, still ignoring her.
After two more tries with no success, Lan Jin's patience snapped, and a brief round of tears and scolding followed. Once the storm passed, peace returned.
Really, it was just boredom.
Lan Jin cradled Qiao Qiao and softened her voice. "Mama's only worried you might be in danger. Did you see how many people were out there?"
Qiao Qiao sniffled, wiping at her eyes. In a small, pitiful voice, she complained, "But I want help Mama."
"Yes, yes, Qiao Qiao is the best, the strongest. But Mama can handle it for now. When I really need you, I'll call you. Is that okay?"
Was it okay? Of course not.
But seeing Lan Jin's still-gentle tone, Qiao Qiao knew she'd pushed far enough. Any more, and she might end up in trouble again. So she gave a reluctant nod. "Okay… but Mama don't forget me."
"Never. I could never forget you."
Once Qiao Qiao was asleep, Lan Jin, exhausted from her so-called busy day, collapsed into bed.
The next day.
The weather was bitterly cold. The four of them chose to head out at midday — both for the warmth and because Lao Gao had heard that the street market only opened during the warmest hours.