It had to be said, Ling Jiang's suggestion was really good. Even without troubling Grandma Ling, Lan Jin could do it herself. The space was already exposed, so why not take advantage of this opportunity to make more food for the space? Even if not for later, they could grab it at any time now to eat.
Besides, even if Lan Jin did the work, the others would still come to help. Together, they could probably make a lot of food in just a few days.
The most important part was that the crazed people weren't sensitive to taste. Even if the smell of cooking spread, it wouldn't affect them much. As for the people who had already expelled the worms, what could they do if they smelled it? They wouldn't dare to come back.
Lan Jin agreed immediately. "I like your suggestion. I have many big barrels in my space. We can cook everything in large pots, put it in the barrels, then store them in the space to keep warm. Later, we can portion them out into boxes. Then, whenever we want to eat, we just take a box."
Lao Gao said, "Portioning into boxes wastes too many containers. Just leave it in the barrels. When we want to eat, we scoop it into bowls. It's a bit inconvenient, but it saves resources."
Lan Jin didn't know what to say. There really were plenty of supplies in her space, so there was no need to save so strictly. But since these people were trying to save resources for her, she didn't argue. "Then we can just use two or three bowls and swap them. No need to bring a bowl every time I serve. Just trade back and forth."
In such a short time, Grandma Ling came over. Ling Jiang didn't have time to explain everything to Grandma Ling, but even if Grandma Ling didn't understand, she didn't ask unnecessary questions. When the hotpot was ready, she immediately started washing small greens. "Ah, these greens are so fresh. I've been craving these for a while."
Huang Jinghe chuckled. "Before, we didn't even care about greens. Now, seeing them, we can't resist."
Of course, meat was just as beloved.
Everyone enjoyed the hotpot immensely. Even though they had eaten self-heating hotpots before, nothing could compare to the real thing.
The small greens were devoured quickly. Ten or more baskets of vegetables, each filled with the big baskets Lan Jin used for washing, were completely gone. It was easy to imagine how hungry and capable they were.
After finishing, everyone felt a bit embarrassed. "Sister Lan, did we eat too much? Do you still have greens left?"
Lan Jin smiled. "Eat first, then plant more. I bought plenty of seeds, and they grow fast. Twenty-four hours and they're ready."
That was fast. With growth like that, there was no worry about running out of vegetables.
Lunch finished, but there was no time to rest.
The rooftop door, walls, and the 32nd-floor safety door all needed repairs. Without that, the place was far from safe for living.
Lan Jin said, "I have cement in my space, but no bricks."
Lao Gao exhaled. "Cement is enough. I can take bricks from the walls."
The abandoned rooms had walls that could be removed. Without cement, they couldn't be pieced together. Now that they had cement, it was perfect. Lao Gao had never expected Lan Jin to buy cement as well.
Lan Jin laughed. "I didn't know what to buy, so I bought a little of everything. Not a lot, but enough for us."
Originally, Lao Gao planned to use tools to dismantle the walls. Then he realized his own strength was more than enough. Standing by the wall, he pushed with his hands and the entire wall collapsed. He then separated the bricks manually, breaking them into individual pieces before starting to build the wall with cement.
Once the wall was rebuilt, they installed a sturdy-looking security door.
Ling Jiang observed for a while and asked, "You installed someone else's door. We don't have the key. What if the rooftop door is closed and locks us outside? We can't leave someone at home to open it. Even if my grandmother could do it, that's too much trouble."
Lao Gao patted his pocket and pulled out a key. "Do you think I'm that foolish? I got the key before installing the door. Otherwise, what if no one's home and we lock ourselves out? Then we'd have to break the wall again."
Ling Jiang asked, "Where did you get the key?"
"There are so many people downstairs. Someone always has a key. Try them one by one until it works."
In truth, Lao Gao had selected the most solid door among the options.
Now it was cold. With the door installed, the cement had basically frozen and hardened. Opening and closing the door had no effect on the wall.
One afternoon was just enough to repair the rooftop. By the time it was finished, darkness had fallen. Knowing the surroundings were temporarily safe, even though the fire exit doors weren't yet repaired, they slept well that night.
The next day, they got back to work.
Lao Gao said, "This new door downstairs can't be used. I'll take another from below to install on the 32nd floor. I also want to repair the 31st floor and block another door. Two doors will be safer."
Ideally, he would have installed doors on all lower floors, but that was too much work. The design below the 31st floor didn't suit additional doors.
No one opposed the suggestion. The work was troublesome, but safety came first.
They busied themselves again.
Repairing the 32nd-floor door was easier. After checking the bricks removed yesterday and installing a door from downstairs, it was complete.
For extra safety, Lao Gao used thickened cement, giving the wall extra durability.
The 31st floor required more wall repairs than the 32nd. This work took the entire day.
Lao Gao collapsed on the sofa. "This is only possible because I'm strong. Anyone weaker wouldn't finish such heavy work in a day, no matter how tired."
Everyone knew this. Being strong was truly useful.
With safety ensured, cooking became the next priority.
They had agreed to make plenty of food for storage in the space. With other tasks done and nobody daring to go outside, it was time to focus on cooking.
Rice, porridge, and other dishes were made, though Lan Jin already had some in the space. No one complained about having extra food.
However, how to cook all this without Lan Jin saying anything was a difficult puzzle.
It wasn't that they didn't want to cook—it was impossible. All previous tools had been converted to contribution points, and there were hardly any usable tools in the house.