61: Got two frozen pigs

Facing Tian Ming's inquiry, Qiu Wuhui's voice came from the walkie-talkie: "Boss, Iron Dude and I went out together. We are now just outside the Shelter's gate. Due to the heavy snow, some of our Materials Group personnel went to help build the city wall. Since I had nothing to do, Iron Dude and I went out together. This trip was quite fruitful."

"Then I'll come over and see what exactly is this good harvest?" Tian Ming said.

Arriving at the entrance of the Shelter, they saw Iron Dude holding a huge sled with a door panel on it, carrying two pigs frozen solid, and in a cage, there were several live poultry: one rooster and four or five hens. Besides these, there was also an old man, a couple, and their two children.

Several strong men from the Materials Group carried the two pigs down. Qiu Wuhui said with a laugh, "Build a shed for these chickens and raise them. With a rooster, the eggs laid should be able to hatch chicks."

Seeing Tian Ming arrive, Qiu Wuhui quickly ran over and said, "Boss!"

Looking at Qiu Wuhui's spoils, Tian Ming was also a little surprised.

"Where did you get these from?"

Qiu Wuhui excitedly said, "Just in the village east of that Shelter. It's less than two kilometers from here. Originally, I was planning to go into the city. But the snow on the road was too thick, so Iron Dude and I went to explore the village, and then we found these people and these things. There are still more; I plan to get a few more sleds to pull them back tomorrow."

The old man walked over. He looked over sixty, but he was still full of spirit. He bowed to Tian Ming.

"My name is Li Changsheng. These are my son, daughter-in-law, and my grandchildren. We couldn't stay in the village anymore; there's no electricity, it's too cold, and we can't find firewood. I hope the Boss can save my family's lives."

"So many people in your family weren't infected?" Tian Ming was also curious.

Li Changsheng's face showed a hint of pain as he said, "My old lady turned into a monster and was hacked to death by me. The village was full of old people and children. My son is not very promising; he built a large greenhouse in the village and grew some vegetables. We still have a lot of cabbages in our vegetable patch. The temperature has been too low these past two days, and the cabbages might freeze to death."

Tian Ming sighed and said, "Natural and man-made disasters. Since you've come, just live well."

Li Changsheng nodded heavily, looking at Tian Ming gratefully.

"Gouzi, make arrangements. This couple should be good at growing vegetables; assign them to Su Rou. As for the old man, let him raise chickens and engage in animal husbandry," Tian Ming said to Gouzi, who was standing nearby. Gouzi, meanwhile, was drooling over the two frozen pigs.

Hearing Tian Ming's instructions, he immediately snapped back to attention.

"Yes, Boss!"

"Old man, please follow me. I'll arrange your dormitory," Gouzi called out, leading the people inside.

A Metal Zombie walked over and growled softly at Tian Ming. Tian Ming placed his hand on the Metal Zombie's shoulder, and the Metal Zombie's cold body immediately became scorching hot.

The weather was too cold, and the Metal Zombie's activity had greatly decreased. They now resembled robots; in the cold weather, their mobility also worsened.

"Thank you, Master," the Metal Zombie Iron Dude said respectfully. Since evolving into a Metal Zombie, Iron Dude's usual activity energy came from the metal ions within its body. A zombie's body was like a primary battery. Tian Ming's ability could instantly activate this primary battery, even allowing Iron Dude to no longer need to eat.

"Qiu Wuhui, tomorrow, go and bring back all those cabbages. Take more people and bring Iron Dude to protect you. If there are other people in the village, bring them all to the Shelter."

Qiu Wuhui patted his chest and said, "No problem, Boss!"

The two frozen pigs were moved to the kitchen. Over a dozen strong men from the Materials Group were busy boiling water, scraping hair, and generally having a great time.

They hadn't eaten fresh meat in three whole months. Although these pigs were frozen to death, their freshness was definitely much better than canned food, and canned food wasn't something they could eat whenever they wanted.

Soon, the pigs were cleaned thoroughly, and braised pork was added to tonight's menu. In the work shed, people who hadn't seen meat in a long time, smelling the aroma of pork during dinner, gritted their teeth and spent 800 grams of food tickets to get a portion of braised pork.

"Meat! There's actually braised pork! How long has it been since I last ate meat?" In the cafeteria, a middle-aged man, with mud stains from building the city wall still on his face, admired the glistening oil of the braised pork, sniffed it, and put it into his mouth.

The man's face showed an expression of extreme enjoyment. This braised pork was the best braised pork he had ever eaten in his life.

When hungry, everything tastes good. Inside the Shelter, these people had more or less experienced the taste of hunger.

Tian Ming quietly watched all this. He also got a portion of food and sat in a corner of the cafeteria. However, no one dared to sit with him; he occupied a table by himself. He could have eaten in a private room, but eating alone behind closed doors was not very interesting.

"Hi, Boss!" Shen Yuan and Zhang Mengqi sat opposite Tian Ming.

They both held their lunchboxes and chose not to eat in a private room. Zhang Mengqi's complexion was much better, though her figure was still thin.

Tian Ming asked, "How is it? Are you getting used to it here?"

Zhang Mengqi nodded slightly and said, "It's all thanks to the Boss. If it weren't for the Boss, I would probably be a dead person now."

Although the conditions here could not compare to life before the Apocalypse, for Zhang Mengqi, who had experienced hell, such conditions were already heaven.

Tian Ming smiled and said, "Eat more, recover quickly. Life must go on."

Zhang Mengqi nodded slightly, while Shen Yuan said, "Boss, I have an impolite request."

"Are you trying to make me work overtime with you again?" Tian Ming asked, frowning.

"Hehehe, Boss, you're a genius. I heard from my brother that the parts you're making now have super high precision. I have a few complex, irregularly shaped components. I hope the Boss can spare some time to come and help me with them," Shen Yuan said with a giggle.

"It's getting dark. Get some rest early. You're still young, constantly staying up late. If you keep this up, you'll burn yourself out sooner or later," Tian Ming refused without hesitation.

Shen Yuan pouted and said, "Then you go to the precision instrument company and get two high-precision machine tools over here. I'll process them myself."

"Can't get them. They're so heavy and consume a lot of power. Do you really think our Shelter has that much electricity to supply you?" Tian Ming refused without hesitation.

Shen Yuan picked up her bowl, stood up, and pulled Zhang Mengqi.

"Sister Mengqi, let's go. Let's eat somewhere else. This Boss is impossible to deal with; it's 'no' to this, 'no' to that."

Zhang Mengqi looked a little embarrassed but was still pulled away by Shen Yuan. Tian Ming didn't mind and continued eating his meal.

"Brother, want to save tickets? Save a hundred grams, and I'll give you one gram of interest every day." A short man, carrying a shabby bag, constantly walked around the cafeteria, occasionally striking up conversations with people who were eating.

The man's sneaky appearance immediately caught Tian Ming's attention.