Chapter 704: Lunch Break Among Steel and Sweat

During the disaster years, electricity was scarce. Electric rebar cutters were abandoned and replaced with hand tools.

“Uncle Huo made this with a jack and steel plates,” Xia Qing said, turning to Huo Lei and giving him a big thumbs up.

After watching Xia Qing cut rebar for two hours and still move her fingers easily, Jiang Ying quietly flexed her own hands and arms, hoping she wouldn’t be too shaky at lunch. She chimed in, “Uncle Huo, is the cutter’s frame made from angle steel taken off the high-voltage transmission towers?”

“That’s right. How’d you figure that out?” Huo Lei looked surprised, not expecting this young woman to know such details.

Jiang Ying explained, “Before my brother joined the army, he’d take me scavenging for scrap all the time. We once dug up the tower’s foundation and knocked out this kind of angle steel from the concrete.”

At the start of the disaster, an earthquake collapsed Jiang Ying’s house. The next year her father was beaten to death trying to protect their family’s grain. They only survived because the military soon took over the area and started building a Safe Zone. Without that, not one of the three in her family would have made it.

After the army arrived, things settled down a little. Jiang Ying’s mother looked everywhere for work. Eight-year-old Jiang Ying followed twelve-year-old Jiang Hu around to collect trash, piecing together things from scraps to exchange for credits.

The siblings kept scavenging until the sixth year of the disaster, when Jiang Hu got a free screening and his ID badge turned green. That let him take on jobs to earn more credits. Life finally got a bit easier.

Jiang Ying’s nose stung as she lowered her head, not daring to think further.

Xia Qing picked up the thread. “You really are a pro. This is by far the easiest cutter I’ve ever used.”

Since coming into the territory, Huo Lei had mellowed out a lot. He laughed and replied, “Credit goes to the quality of the materials. With steel this hard and a blade this sharp, it takes little effort. I’ll sharpen it again after lunch. Why don’t you tie the stirrups this afternoon and I’ll take over the cutting?”

Zhao Ze pulled off his protective mask and, wiping his sweat, came over to talk to Xia Qing. “Sister Qing, let’s push to get the rebar beams done and set up before three this afternoon. That way we can pour the concrete for both the ground floor slab and the beams at the same time. Aim to finish by six. I’ll tell Brother Yue and see about adding three more people this afternoon, sound good?”

To guard against insects and earthquakes, the floors, walls and roof all needed layers of rebar before pouring concrete over them.

“Sounds good.”

Xia Qing agreed with Zhao Ze’s plans. Once the concrete cured for two days and they could confirm nothing went wrong, they’d keep building. So after finishing today’s work, they could actually take two days off before coming back.

With Xia Qing’s go-ahead, Zhao Ze hollered, “Everyone take a break! Time to eat! We’ll start back at one-thirty.”

“Sister Qing, how does this look now?” Shi Du had adjusted the stirrup hooks and asked Xia Qing to check.

“Looks good.” After checking, Xia Qing joined the rest heading to the canteen in Territory Fifteen.

After lunch, they could rest here or head back to their own territory to relax for a bit.

Back when she worked with the Construction Team, Xia Qing would always find a shady, quiet spot to nap after lunch before starting again in the afternoon. But building houses in Territory Fifteen wasn’t as exhausting as work in the Safe Zone, so even if she skipped her nap today, she wouldn’t feel tired. She decided to go home, take a quick shower, change clothes, and come back. The shirt she wore closest to her skin was already soaked through.

Lunch today was Yellow Lantern Wild Boar stewed with string beans. The boar was hunted by Yue Haiying’s team, and the string beans were grown in the greenhouse.

The chef in Territory Fifteen used to be an army cook and was great at making meals in big batches. The delicious smell drifted over before they even reached the shipping container that had been turned into a canteen.

After washing her hands with everyone, Jiang Ying, still worrying about how she’d manage to carry food, was relieved when Tan Qi had already gotten a tray for her. “Sister Qing, Sister Ying, over here!”

“Thanks.” Jiang Ying followed Xia Qing to a clean wooden table and took the chopsticks Tan Qi handed her. She meant to say Tan Qi gave her too much food, but then noticed Xia Qing’s portions were double hers, both in dishes and staples. Suddenly, she felt her nose sting again, nearly tearing up.

Strength-Based Evolution fighters had big appetites. Her brother was the same way—he always had to eat a ton to get full. That’s why he joined the army in the first place.

“The food’s amazing today, hurry up and eat! If it’s not enough, we’ll get more,” Tan Qi chirped, lively as a little bird. She urged her two sisters to dig in, then chewed on her chopsticks while eagerly waiting for their reactions.

Pretending not to notice Jiang Ying’s shaky breathing, Xia Qing took a bite of the stewed meat and honestly said, “This is delicious—the flavors go deep.”

The chef here was far better than Xia Qing, and not just by a little. If it weren’t for needing to keep the territory’s secrets safe, she’d have tried to poach the chef for her own territory in a heartbeat.

Jiang Ying’s fingers ached too much to pick up food properly. She lowered her head, scooping up a mouthful with her chopsticks. Her taste buds lit up. In a soft voice, embarrassed, she asked, “Such tasty food, and it’s only fifty credits a month for all you can eat—am I paying too little?”

Xia Qing smiled. Not just her looks—Jiang Ying’s personality was a lot like Tiger’s too: not much of a talker, straightforward. The fact she recognized the angle iron frame at a glance meant she might even know how to fix up a bicycle.

But she’d only just arrived and still seemed a little shy. Now wasn’t the best time for these questions.

Tan Qi’s eyes formed crescents as she smiled. “That’s already a lot! We don’t get meat every day. Only when Uncle Yue and his team score edible game do we have it. Uncle Yue’s been out hunting a lot lately—he’s been in such a good mood.”

Truthfully, Yue Haiying wasn’t happy about hunting, but because Zhang Hongda had finished making the antidote, he was in a good mood. He wasn’t actually hunting for fun, but because Zhang Hongda’s second detox treatment required two people to help.

Xia Qing polished off two servings, four mantou and a bowl of mung bean soup before leaving Territory Fifteen, belly completely satisfied.

Tan Qi and Jiang Ying walked out with Xia Qing, since they were returning to the Inspection Team dormitory for their break. Tan Junjie had given the dorm next to his to Jiang Ying; once the new house was finished, she’d move in with Tan Qi.

Once Xia Qing left them, Tan Qi lowered her voice. “Yingzi, tired?”

“Tired, but honestly, I feel really secure here.” Everyone working here was either a territory leader or her brother’s old squad mates—people she could trust. It was way better than the Food Factory in the Safe Zone. Jiang Ying made up her mind: she had to get used to this place, learn to farm, and then bring her mother over.

Her mother had taken Jiang Ying’s spot at the Food Factory, pulling in ninety credits a month.

Tan Qi nodded in understanding, her head bobbing enthusiastically. “Exactly, that’s it!”

Pressed for time, Xia Qing didn’t pass through the Northern Barrier at noon, but took the passage between the two territories back to her own.

As soon as she stepped into the passage between Territory Six and Territory Fourteen, Xia Qing heard movement on the stubbly grass inside Territory Fourteen. She pretended not to hear, kept walking, and got ready to fight just in case.