Snowstorm: I'm Super Rich in the Apocalypse-Chapter 151 - Adapting to the Base Environment
Chapter 151: Chapter 151 Adapting to the Base Environment
Chapter 151 -151 Adapting to the Base Environment
Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng left the registration office and drove to the nearby exchange center.
At the entrance, Lu Ruisheng watched the car while Gu Pan went inside to find someone to weigh their goods.
There were quite a few people inside the exchange center, which was fairly large. Upon entering, there were exchange counters directly opposite.
The counters were labeled with different types of services, and they found the housing exchange counter, designated for large transactions, mainly to assist those who brought supplies to the base.
They found an employee and explained their situation. A man in his early forties said to Gu Pan, “I’ll get the calculator, you can just wait outside for me.”
Gu Pan agreed and went out first, joining Lu Ruisheng to wait together.
The male employee came out shortly after, and seeing that they had quite a lot of goods, treated them courteously, “How much do you plan to exchange?”
Gu Pan, not lacking in supplies, thought of exchanging more to get a better house, so she said, “Keep one bag of rice, and exchange the rest of the grains.”
The employee called over some laborers to move the grains, weigh them, and then calculated, “You can exchange for one thousand five hundred contribution points; are you sure you want to exchange everything?”
Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng, not knowing the housing and commodity prices yet, glanced at each other.
Then Gu Pan asked the employee, “Excuse me, how much is roughly the annual rent for a better apartment?”
The employee understood that they were new and needed more information to decide. In fact, many people exchanged a portion first and exchanged the rest after getting familiar with the base. It was rare for someone to exchange everything at once like them.
However, seeing the two of them young and probably newly married, inexperienced in managing life, the employee still explained earnestly, “The high-rise is more expensive; a two-bedroom on the third or fourth floor typically costs around one hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty contribution points per year. Single-story houses are cheaper, fifty points per year.”
Seeing that the rent was cheap, but the base was different from the outside world – here one could work, and therefore, the costs of living essentials like food were low, all priced by the base’s standards, not comparable to the outside.
Gu Pan calculated in her mind, a better apartment would suffice for a year at one hundred and fifty, and with one thousand five hundred, it was enough for ten years, which seemed reasonable. Although she had her eye on a villa, it was still better not to be too extravagant when unfamiliar with the circumstances.
She looked at Lu Ruisheng, “I think it’s acceptable.”
Lu Ruisheng agreed and told the employee, “Okay, then let’s exchange it all.”
Seeing their straightforward decision, the employee did not hesitate and issued them a slip, “Go to the trade center’s finance department to make the exchange; large amounts require the director’s approval.”
Lu Ruisheng took the slip, thanked the employee, and then went with Gu Pan to the finance department.
Upon arriving at the finance department, they waited in line for a while, and then it was their turn.
The director brought out a stack of Contribution Points Cards for them, with the largest denomination being one hundred points, followed by ten and one, the smaller denominations being less common.
They took twelve one-hundred-point cards and the rest in ten-point cards for convenience.
After getting their Contribution Points Cards, they went to the housing trade center.
Entering, a female salesperson sized them up and said, “First, take a look at the rental notice on the wall, then find an employee to show you the houses.”
She watched different individuals come and go every day, but it was rare to see anyone with such good condition, with complexion, spirit, and figure undiminished from before the apocalypse, so she couldn’t help but take a few extra glances at them when she saw them.
Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng didn’t mind these trivial matters, and their spirits were outstanding wherever they went, so it was normal for others to take a longer look at them.
They walked over and looked at the rental notice on the wall.
The base had no buying or selling, only rentals. A bungalow consisted of two bedrooms and a kitchen, with the toilet outside—an outhouse—ranging from forty to fifty contribution points per year.
The price of the six-story buildings varied by floor.
The first floor was the cheapest, around eighty contribution points per year, the second floor was around a hundred points, the third floor around one hundred and twenty points, the fourth floor above one hundred and forty points, the fifth floor around one hundred and thirty points, and the top floor around one hundred and ten points.
The apartment buildings all had two bedrooms, without a living room, one bathroom, one kitchen, and were around sixty square meters in size. The difference lay in the sides they faced—east or west—or the location within the base, which led to some fluctuations in price.
Gu Pan always felt that life now was a bit like a production brigade, ensuring everyone’s living standards were not too disparate.
The small size of the accommodations was understandable given that space in the base was limited. It was impossible to create too many large apartments as they couldn’t accommodate so many people.
The details were written very clearly, so it was easy to choose. They found a rental agent, a young woman in her early twenties, somewhat dark and thin, but very lively.
She said to them, “My name is Chen Lu, you can call me Xiao Chen. What kind of apartment would you two like to rent?”
Gu Pan said, “We’d like to see the apartments on the fourth or fifth floor; the best location would be with a good view, preferably at the edge of the floor.”
She liked a residence that made it easier to escape in case of danger, a perhaps unconscious consideration and habit developed after the apocalypse.
Hearing that they were after good floors and locations, Chen Lu said enviously without any guile, “You can tell you’re capable people just by looking at you. In the apocalypse, look how good your complexions are. Wait for me a moment, I’ll get the keys.”
After saying that, she smiled and explained a few things to a colleague before taking the keys and leading them to view the apartments.
Lu Ruisheng was driving, following the directions given by Chen Lu.
Gu Pan sat in the back with Chen Lu, which also made it convenient to ask about the situation here.
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However, Chen Lu didn’t need to be asked; she had an endless stream of things to say, introducing them to the surrounding environment and information along the way, “You made the right choice coming to the base. No matter how good it is outside, it’s not safe. I won’t say anything else about the base, but sleeping here at night is reassuring. See those greenhouses up ahead? They contain vegetables; although not many, people in the base can buy them once a week. Also, there’s a deep well in the base with clean water, even better than the tap water we used to drink, and there are factories that produce essential goods. There’s also a research facility that studies alternative food medication, so in case of another disaster, we can still survive without food.”
Listening to Chen Lu’s incessant chatter, Gu Pan thought this girl was really suited for sales.
When they arrived at the apartment complex, Lu Ruisheng locked the unexchanged grain in the car and then removed the key before going up the stairs with them.
Chen Lu brought them to the apartments near the villa area and whispered to Gu Pan, “I brought you here first because it’s quieter than the front, and the rent is only slightly more expensive. Overall, according to your requirements, this place is more worthwhile.”
Gu Pan, looking at the enthusiastic Chen Lu, smiled her thanks, “Thank you, you’ve been of great help today.”
Chen Lu said, “Don’t mention it, that’s my job. I’m also lucky; I helped an elderly person who was an agricultural scientist, and that’s how I got to enter the base. My little act of kindness at that time landed me such a great benefit. I truly am grateful, and I hope to help more people.”
Gu Pan looked at her and smiled, “You’re a really good person.”
Chen Lu smiled back, “You’re also good. It’s comfortable talking to you.” She continued, leading them up to a building where they could see the commercial district, “This one has a great view.”
