The auntie's mouth twitched slightly. Having no other choice, she grasped Chen Momo's hand, plastering on the signature smile of an eager neighborhood auntie. "Nice to meet you. Welcome to our Guan Shan Community, comrade. We're happy to have you and your child living here!"
The enthusiastic Neighborhood Committee auntie led Chen Momo into the office of the Sub-district Office Director.
A man in a suit was seated at the desk. At the sight of Chen Momo, he looked up.
The moment she saw Gu Rongjin in person, Chen Momo was slightly taken aback. "He's way more handsome than in his photo!" she thought.
Perhaps it was the stark difference between a static image and a living, breathing person. Chen Momo carefully scrutinized Gu Rongjin.
His fair complexion featured chiseled, sharply defined facial features, making his side profile exceptionally handsome. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, perfectly adding a touch of enchanting allure to an otherwise staunchly righteous face. He looked like the perfect blend of good and evil.
Such a high-quality face seemed entirely out of place in a grounded, grassroots Sub-district Office.
The auntie spoke up warmly. "Xiao Gu, they just moved into our community. Please issue a proof of residence for them."
A proof of residence would be highly useful in the apocalypse. With it, one could claim supplies distributed by the community. It was better to get it issued in advance, just in case.
"Comrade, please help me issue a proof of residence to verify that I live in the Guan Shan Kou Community," Chen Momo said. "I recently joined a new company, and they require all employees to provide proof of address."
"Please provide your ID card. Did you bring your household registration book? I also need relevant details about your company and proof of your employment there."
Gu Rongjin fired off a rapid string of questions with an expressionless face, as if he were conducting a strict background check. Behind the gold-rimmed lenses, his deep, unfathomable, hawk-like eyes periodically swept over Chen Momo, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Chen Momo quickly found herself unable to withstand it. She had no choice but to put on a smiling face and try to smooth things over. "Comrade, I just need a simple proof of residence. Does it really have to be this complicated?"
Since all her information was fabricated, there was no way she could answer all his questions flawlessly!
Gu Rongjin replied sternly, "If you submit proof to your company that you live in the Guan Shan Kou Community and something happens to you, your company will come looking for the Sub-district Office. Therefore, I have a duty to thoroughly verify your true circumstances before issuing this certificate."
Chen Momo was speechless.
Just as the atmosphere reached a stalemate, a soft, sweet voice suddenly chimed in. "Mister, Mommy and I live in Room 1608, Building 5 of Dongfang Garden. Please write us a proof of residence. Thank you, mister."
Gu Rongjin looked toward the source of the milky voice. He saw a little boy, not even as tall as the desk, clinging to the corner of the table with both hands. The child tilted his innocent face up, looking at him with eyes full of utter sincerity.
That pure, innocent little face was like a miniature sun, instantly warming up the entire office.
Gu Rongjin couldn't help but chuckle softly. He hadn't even noticed the little boy until now!
"Tell me, where do you live?" Gu Rongjin looked at Chen Xiaobao. His voice softened by several degrees, as if he were afraid of startling such a naive and adorable little flower of the nation.
"Mister, I live in Room 1608, Building 5 of Dongfang Garden," Chen Xiaobao answered in his babyish voice. "My name is Chen Xiaobao, and my mommy is Chen Momo."
Gu Rongjin smiled gently and nodded. "Alright, I understand."
As he spoke, he smoothly filled out the proof of residence for Chen Momo and stamped it with the official seal.
Chen Xiaobao immediately offered a sweet, heartwarming compliment. "Thank you, mister! You're so nice."
Chen Momo couldn't help but sigh inwardly. "The adult world is too cruel! A child's world is so much simpler. Acting cute is all it takes to get a proof of residence."
Taking the document from Gu Rongjin, Chen Momo seized the opportunity to ask, "Comrade, could you give me your phone number? If there's any issue with this certificate, I can just call you."
She wanted to get the future base commander's phone number in advance and close the personal distance between them!
Unexpectedly, Gu Rongjin rejected her firmly and decisively. "No. If there's a problem, you can directly call the office landline."
After saying that, he resumed his work, his attitude silently stating, "Show yourself out."
Chen Momo looked at her son for help.
The little guy shared a telepathic connection with his mother. Without waiting for Chen Momo's hint, Chen Xiaobao made his move.
Clinging to the corner of the desk with two chubby little hands, he stared at Gu Rongjin with a pair of big, dark, adorable eyes. "Mister, can you give Xiao Bao your phone number? If Xiao Bao gets lost nearby and can't find his way home, I'll call you."
Coming from the mouth of such a cute little flower of the nation, it was impossible to find a reason to refuse. Not to mention, the wall behind Comrade Gu Rongjin bore large red characters that read: "Serve the People."
Sure enough, Gu Rongjin compromised once again. "Alright, I'll give you my number."
He jotted down a string of numbers, tore off the paper, and handed it to Chen Xiaobao.
"This is my phone number. If you can't find your way home, just give me a call, and I'll take you back."
When speaking to Xiao Bao, Gu Rongjin's gentleness made him seem like a completely different person from before.
Chen Momo facepalmed. The adult world was just too difficult!
Leading her son out of the Sub-district Office, Chen Momo breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, she had successfully acquainted herself with Gu Rongjin. As for getting closer to him, it didn't seem like it would be that easy right now.
Gu Rongjin was a retired special forces soldier, so his defenses against others were bound to be extremely high. Earning his trust easily was definitely out of the question. However, for the sake of her and her son's future life in the base, even if Gu Rongjin was a tough nut to crack, she would slowly gnaw her way through!
Chen Momo settled her son into the passenger seat. Just as she was about to start the car, she noticed that her Wuling Hongguang minivan was almost out of gas.
"Right, gas!" Chen Momo slapped her forehead. She had almost forgotten to hoard fuel!
She quickly drove to a nearby gas station and filled up the Wuling Hongguang's tank first. After arriving home, she found a syringe, attached a tube to it, and began siphoning the gasoline out of the tank to fill an empty barrel. Once the tank was mostly empty, she drove the minivan back to the gas station to fill it up again.
She repeated this process over and over. As soon as a barrel was full of gas, she tossed it into her spatial dimension for storage.
Chen Momo thought about it for a moment. Having just gasoline wasn't enough. So, she began using the same method to stockpile diesel, motor oil, and other fuels, filling barrels and placing them into her space as well.
At the same time, the amount of water stored in her space was steadily increasing. Every time she filled ten buckets of water at home, Chen Momo would transfer them all into her space in one go.
At noon, six days before the apocalypse was set to arrive, Chen Momo had just transferred ten full buckets of water into her space when she heard the doorbell ring.
Chen Momo's heart skipped a beat. "Could my day-and-night water collection have aroused suspicion?" she wondered.