Lao Gao recounted from the moment they had blocked the door downstairs, all the way to when they were trapped on the rooftop, injured, and finally escaped into the space. Then he told how they had dealt with the people on the rooftop afterward.
How they had escaped wasn't the main point. The important thing was that Lan Jin had used the space to save them. Now, telling Ling Jiang about it was, in effect, the first time the space was openly revealed to the three of them.
Lan Jin didn't go into too much detail. After all, the space belonged to her. She wasn't going to be forced into revealing everything.
Moreover, everyone present was smart. They understood what could be mentioned and what should not. No one pressed further.
Still, the space had been exposed. There were so many supplies in it. Lan Jin wasn't stingy, but she also wasn't completely generous. Half of the supplies were bought with her own money, while the other half had been gathered at the risk of venturing into poisonous fog.
So she said, "I can share the supplies in there with you…"
Before she could finish, Lao Gao interrupted. "You don't have to share if you don't want. You got all of it yourself. Just like now, everyone gets supplies by their own efforts. You've already been generous healing our injuries with the spring water. We also have our own food."
Though it wasn't much, Lao Gao didn't mind looking for more supplies outside. There was no need to force anyone, as that could damage the bonds they had built. Honestly, the four of them supporting each other up to now was already hard enough. There was no reason to let a few supplies ruin the relationships they had cultivated.
Lao Gao also considered himself sensible. Supplies were important, yes, but spring water was even more crucial. Since Lan Jin had been willing to heal them with it, she surely wouldn't hold back in the future either. There was no need to let a little food come between them.
Huang Jinghe nodded in agreement. "Yes, we all have food. Even knowing you have a space with supplies, we have no intention of taking any."
Lan Jin shook her head. "Don't worry too much. I'm happy to share supplies, but there's no hidden meaning. I'm not the kind of person to live off others. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone out with you to look for supplies before. There will still be chances to find more. My space just has a wider variety. If it helps keep everyone nourished, why not use it?
This world is, frankly, the apocalypse. Good health speaks for itself, I don't need to explain that. Before the space was exposed, I wouldn't have brought these out. Now, it doesn't hurt me to share them, so why not."
Lao Gao sighed. "We're just afraid you'll overthink. It might feel like we're forcing you to give things up, but we aren't. Things will stay as they were. But knowing you have this ability is a good thing. It saves us trips when looking for supplies."
Lan Jin nodded. "Alright then, follow my lead." She glanced at the coffee table, then brought out a variety of supplies from the space: staple foods, fruits, vegetables, and prepared dishes. Back then, these would have been ordinary, but now every item was rare. The quantities were moderate—a bag of rice could last a month, vegetables and fruits for around two weeks.
Her "moderate" meant two meals a day. In the apocalypse, even one meal a day was a luxury. Counting two meals a day, the supplies were already decent. After half a month, she could bring more. No need to expose everything at once and risk spoilage.
Speaking of supplies reminded them—they hadn't eaten breakfast. Lan Jin said, "I have ready-to-eat food in the space. Everyone must be hungry. Whatever you want, I'll bring it out."
Lao Gao didn't hesitate. "Do you have hotpot? I've been craving it for ages."
"Yes."
Lan Jin smiled and brought out a hotpot with a divided broth, ready for both spicy and mild. Lan Qiaoqiao and Nana came out with it.
Lan Qiaoqiao had been taught never to expose the space. She rarely saw anyone else in it. Today, she not only saw Huang Jinghe and Lao Gao inside the space, but now saw them again after coming out.
Timidly, she ran to Lan Jin's embrace, whispering with a puzzled tone, "Mama."
Lan Jin comforted her. "It's fine. Brother and Auntie already know about the space. No need to hide it anymore."
Seeing Lan Jin's relaxed expression, Lan Qiaoqiao let go of her usual caution. She looked at the hotpot excitedly. "Mama, hotpot!"
"Yes, hotpot for lunch today. We'll eat together."
Lan Jin first had them place the supplies on the floor. Then she brought out more prepared vegetables and meats from the space and asked Ling Jiang to bring Grandma Ling over.
The space didn't just hold vegetables and meat; there was cooked rice and ready-to-eat dishes. After taking some out, Lan Jin explained, "During the poisonous fog at the beginning, I made a lot of food and stored it here. After a full year, most has been eaten. The space can cook, but it's still not as convenient as cooking outside."
She didn't hide anything. They had seen the vehicles in her space, so she explained the cooking possibilities in the RV too.
Cooking in the RV was just never as convenient as outside.
"So time in the space is frozen? You can prepare food and store it, then take it out anytime?" Huang Jinghe said. "No wonder when you bought boxed meals before, you said you couldn't finish them but still bought extra. I thought it was for the fridge. Now I get it—you put it directly in the space and eat whenever. Very convenient."
"Yes. For a while, I mostly ate boxed meals. Large portions, good nutrition, and the chef's skill was excellent. So I always kept one portion for later."
But when it came to skill, Ling Jiang insisted her grandmother's cooking was best. Hearing this, she said, "My grandma cooks better than the cafeteria. If we want ready food, we can just cook ourselves on the stove."