“Just endure it for one more day.” Gary Moore was hungry, too.
He had wanted to go buy food, but Mandy Donovan forbade him and Etta Moore from going.
All he could do was convince his younger brother to hold on a little longer.
Fortunately, Etta Moore was very obedient.
He rubbed his stomach and agreed, “Alright!”
‘So obedient.’ Mandy Donovan closed her eyes and searched in her Space.
She needed to find something with a subtle smell, suitable for sneaking a bite, and filling.
After a careful search, she found half a plain steamed bun that she used to dislike.
She secretly maneuvered the bun into her hand, tore off a small piece, and pressed it into a tight little lump.
When no one was looking, she stuffed it into Etta Moore’s mouth, then gave him another piece.
“For your brother.”
“Mmph!” The tip of his tongue registered the sweet flavor of the food, and Etta Moore, starving, swallowed hard.
Copying Mandy Donovan, he quickly stuffed the piece in his hand into Gary Moore’s mouth.
He didn’t dare to chew properly.
As the food rested on his tongue, his mouth watered uncontrollably.
‘What is this?
It smells so good… so sweet… so incredibly good…’
Gary Moore jumped in surprise.
He looked over and saw that both his younger brother and Mandy Donovan were subtly chewing on something.
He started moving his own mouth in small motions.
It was better than anything he’d ever eaten.
‘I definitely married the right person,’ he thought.
「On the afternoon of the third day, the train finally arrived.」
After getting off the train, Mandy Donovan took in the view outside.
Yellow sand stretched as far as the eye could see.
The buildings were also an earthen yellow, blending in so well with the sand that they weren’t the least bit conspicuous; she didn’t even spot them at first.
The train station stood like a lone island in a sea of yellow sand.
Though it stood out, it exuded a sense of bleak solitude and indescribable despair.
Not a single speck of green!
The world around them was nothing but shades of earthen yellow.
A hazy yellow sky, murky air.
‘This… this is what the registrar back in the Old East District called a good place?’
Even the worldly Mandy Donovan was perplexed!
“This is a city?” Etta Moore asked, dumbfounded.
“Back in the Old East District, the gathering zones were right outside the city.
There aren’t even any mutated plants here.
Where are we supposed to forage?”
If there’s no foraging, how do we get food?
Gary Moore’s lips trembled.
He bent over and scooped up a handful of sand.
It trickled through his fingers, loose and unbound, just like his spirits.
Pushing down his dismay, he first aimed his wristband at the sand to scan it.
DING!
[Yellow Sand.
Low-level contamination.
No value.]
The color finally drained from his face.
“This… this place is no better than the New Southeast District, is it?”
“We’re here now, so let’s make the best of it.” Mandy Donovan patted Gary Moore on the head.
She left another saying—’there’s always a way out’—unsaid.
“I’m going to buy a house.
You can give me your share of the points later.
It’s still early, so you two should go register for jobs.
If we have jobs, points, and a house…
if other people can live here, then so can we!”
There was no going back now.
Gary Moore glanced at the train, already crowded with passengers who looked desperate to flee this place.
Without a word, his face pale, he finally led Etta Moore away to register for jobs.
Mandy Donovan asked around and found the property rental and sales office.
A screen on the wall scrolled through various property listings for rent and sale—white text on blue bars.
A familiar, almost nostalgic feeling washed over her.
“District A, 14 sq.
meters, 6,500 points.”
“District F, 5 sq.
meters, 3,000 points.”
…
People beside her were also looking at the listings.
When they found a property they liked, they would jot down its listing number and go find an employee.
Mandy Donovan watched for a while, calculated her points and the brothers’, jotted down a few numbers, and went to find an employee.
“I’ve seen a few houses I like, but I only want to buy one.
Can I get more information on all of them?”
“Sure,” the employee said, turning their monitor toward her.
“Just enter the listing number for the property you want to view.
When you’re ready to buy, I can handle the transaction.”
In the end, Mandy Donovan chose a 30-square-meter house, which consisted of a 3-square-meter bathroom, a 2-square-meter kitchen, and a 25-square-meter bedroom.
It cost 12,000 points.
She had enough to pay for it all herself and transferred the points immediately.
At 4,000 points each, Gary and Etta Moore could afford their share.
If they didn’t contribute, the house would belong solely to her.
Key in hand, Mandy Donovan headed to the house.
The new house was completely empty.
In her past life, she wouldn’t have given a place smaller than a studio apartment a second glance.
“At least the living conditions are better than the welfare center’s!”
After inspecting the layout, she used her wristband to send the new address to the brothers.
The bathroom had no window; the kitchen had a small one.
The bedroom window was slightly larger, but only just.
Mandy Donovan immediately started planning the boxy, 25-square-meter space.
The 25 square meters would be partitioned into three small rooms.
The largest, a 10-square-meter space next to the kitchen, would become the bedroom.
They’d build a heated earthen bed, and with the stove in the kitchen, the bedroom would warm up first whenever they cooked.
The remaining fifteen square meters would serve as a balcony and storage area.
Dividing the rooms, building the heated brick bed, and constructing the stove would all require adobe bricks.
Coincidentally, she had just learned how to fire bricks online.
They just needed to get it all done before the weather got cold.
Until then, the three of them would have to make beds on the floor.
“This is our home?
It’s so big!” Etta Moore exclaimed the moment he walked in, spinning around with his arms outstretched.
“Wow, I have a home!”
“Yes, this is our home.” After the two had finished looking around, Mandy Donovan pulled them over and held out her wrist.
“The house cost twelve thousand points.
You each owe me four thousand.”
Etta Moore raised his wrist.
“I was expecting it to be five thousand each.”
After receiving their points, Mandy Donovan’s smile became a little more genuine.
“So, are your jobs sorted out?”
“We won’t know for seven days, but it should be fine.” The initial disappointment upon seeing New Sharn District was largely washed away by the joy of having a home of their own.
Gary Moore glanced into each room.
“We’ll need to buy beds, right?
New ones must be expensive—”
“We’ll sleep on the floor for a few days.
Leave the layout to me; you two will help.” ‘With such a cultural disconnect, the know-how for building heated brick beds probably died out.’ Mandy Donovan pointed to the 2-square-meter kitchen.
“This will be our kitchen, and that’s the bathroom.
From now on, we can bathe at home.
You’ll have to get clean before you crawl into bed.”
Bathing.
The word felt so distant.
Gary Moore was stunned.
“They said New Sharn District is extremely short on water.
The ration is 50ml less than in the Old East District.
How can we possibly bathe in a situation like this?”
“I’ve never taken a real bath in my entire life.” Etta Moore gazed wistfully at the 3-square-meter bathroom.
“But how can we wash if there’s no water?”
‘The house has no running water, but it does have a drain,’ Mandy Donovan schemed silently, not wanting to play a game of twenty questions.
“I forgot to collect our rations.
Did you two get them?”
Gary Moore held out his empty hands.
“Only the Family Head can collect them, and I don’t have your authorization.”
“I’ll authorize you now.” Mandy Donovan opened her wristband, found the authorization settings, and granted the brothers permission for certain tasks.
“Thanks for making the trip!”
“It’s no trouble at all.
How many days’ worth should I get?” Gary Moore asked.
“Seven days’ worth.
We need to get the house ready before your jobs start.” Mandy Donovan handed each brother a key.
“Hurry back, and don’t talk to any strangers, got it?”
‘I feel like I’m supposed to be their roommate, but I’m worrying like their mother.’
“Are we really sleeping on the floor?” Etta Moore flopped onto the ground and rolled from side to side.
“I said I didn’t want a bunk bed, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want a bed at all!”
“You’ll get a bed.
We’re just sleeping on the floor for now.” Mandy Donovan hauled Etta Moore to his feet.
“Let’s see what we have in our bags.
We can lay it out on the floor and make do for a few days.”
“And another thing,” Mandy Donovan said, pinching Etta Moore’s grimy little face.
“In our home, bathing won’t be a luxury.
You have to be clean to go to bed.
If you aren’t, you’ll be sleeping on the floor as punishment.”
“Really?” Etta Moore rubbed his cheek where Mandy Donovan had pinched him, his eyes filled with longing.
“I heard bathing uses a lot of water.
I’ve lived my whole life without ever seeing what ‘a lot of water’ even looks like.”