Early in the morning, Cheng Jun woke up.
After making her bed, she drew back the curtains.
The morning sunlight was warm, accompanied by a gentle breeze that lifted her spirits as it blew in.
Opening her door, she faced Shen Yi's room across the hall.
Cheng Jun looked at his tightly closed door but chose not to knock, instead bending down to retrieve clothes from the laundry basket.
According to their previous division of labor, she was responsible for washing clothes.
Shen Yi had specifically placed a laundry basket by his door where he would put his dirty clothes for her to collect.
They had agreed on respecting each other's private spaces, never entering the other's room without permission.
Cheng Jun took both her and Shen Yi's dirty clothes downstairs.
Placing all the clothes in a basin, she briefly sorted through them and let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness there's no underwear..."
In all her life, this was her first time washing someone else's clothes, especially a man's.
The thought of hand-washing someone else's intimate garments made her uncomfortable.
Logically, in this world, there were enough clothes left for them to wear one and throw one away.
But in reality, it wasn't that simple.
Finding the right size was a challenge - they couldn't just grab any random pieces. Like the first t-shirt Shen Yi had brought her was too tight across her chest.
Additionally, many clothes were moldy from improper storage, and even those that weren't moldy were covered in dust.
They still needed washing before wearing.
Both options were equally troublesome, so washing clothes was indeed reasonable.
She unscrewed the lid and used a water scoop to wet the clothes.
Two large white plastic buckets stood by the door, filled to the brim with water Shen Yi had brought back by car yesterday.
The water came from an artificial lake, looking deep and clear.
Since they weren't sure if it was potable, they used it only for daily chores.
It served for washing clothes, mopping floors, washing faces, and bathing.
Seeing the clothes were thoroughly soaked, Cheng Jun poured in a bag of laundry detergent.
Once the water became sudsy, she began scrubbing the clothes.
Given their current circumstances, Cheng Jun wasn't too particular - she washed both their outer garments together.
Only upon washing did she realize how labor-intensive it was.
Before long, Cheng Jun's forehead was beaded with sweat, and she wiped it with her arm.
Modern technology had spoiled her; before 'crossing over,' she had only hand-washed her own underwear.
Outer garments and pants were always machine-washed - she'd never done them by hand.
Now, the water-soaked outerwear was both wide and heavy, and her arms ached after just a few minutes.
"I'm so useless, I can't even wash clothes properly..."
Feeling dejected, she lightly punched the water in the basin, creating ripples.
Before crossing over, though Cheng Jun had been lazy, she had her pride.
But now, none of her previous skills were useful here - there were no companies to manage, and she couldn't draw food into existence.
She felt even less capable than ordinary people, unable to handle even simple tasks.
After a moment of self-pity, her fighting spirit returned, and she gritted her teeth, returning to scrubbing with renewed determination.
At this moment, Shen Yi came downstairs and stood beside her.
After one glance, he said:
"You used too much detergent."
"Huh?"
Cheng Jun turned to look at him with confused eyes, her upturned nose dotted with soap bubbles.
Seeing her expression, Shen Yi couldn't help but chuckle,
"Alright, leave it for now and wash your hands. Let's have breakfast."
Shen Yi's laughter made Cheng Jun curl her toes in embarrassment, thinking to herself,
"No wonder... I was wondering why there were more and more bubbles as I scrubbed... It must be the detergent's fault, I always used this much before."
She sat down at the dining table as Shen Yi brought over breakfast.
Breakfast was relatively simple.
Shen Yi had fried some luncheon meat and instant bacon, heated two cups of milk, and prepared two slices of bread.
"Let's make do with this for now. It's a shame we couldn't find eggs, or we could have had some sunny-side-ups,"
Shen Yi said as he pushed the milk towards her.
Eggs had a short shelf life, and most that Shen Yi found were either spoiled or rotten.
The warm milk made Cheng Jun feel better, and she shook her head, saying:
"It's fine, this breakfast is already quite luxurious."
"Eat while it's hot. I'll help you hang the clothes later."
Shen Yi put the luncheon meat between bread slices and devoured half in a few bites.
"We're lacking vegetables. We can supplement meat with canned food, but for vegetables, we only have dehydrated ones or canned tomatoes,"
Shen Yi said after taking a sip of milk to wash down his food.
For many days, they'd hardly seen any green vegetables on their table, as most vegetables in the market had rotted away.
Being in the city center, they couldn't be self-sufficient, as vegetables and fruits had previously relied on transportation.
"I was thinking, in a couple of days, I could drive to the city outskirts to look for greenhouse farms. We might find fresh vegetables there."
"If we find some, we won't have to worry about our vegetable supply anymore."
Shen Yi discussed his plans with Cheng Jun over breakfast.
Cheng Jun's eyes flickered as she pondered, then hesitantly said:
"The outskirts are unknown territory and far away. It's too dangerous for you to go alone... Even if you find vegetables, transportation back and forth would be inconvenient."
Unwilling to let Shen Yi risk himself, she suggested a safer alternative.
"Why don't we grow our own? We might not find vegetables, but seeds should be easier to find. There's an empty plot by the artificial lake that we could clear for our use. Being close to water would make irrigation convenient."
"Though I don't know how to farm... do you?"
Cheng Jun felt awkward, feeling like an armchair strategist who could only talk but not act.
Shen Yi didn't mind, his eyes lighting up at her suggestion,
"Don't worry, I know how. That's a good idea - growing our own is safer, and harvesting would be convenient. I'll go look for seeds this afternoon."
Shen Yi's family home had a vegetable garden in the backyard, and he often helped till the soil during his visits.
Regarding growth cycles, he had some understanding from helping his mother plant seeds.
Generally, broad-leaf vegetables like Chinese cabbage, spinach, and lettuce grew the fastest, taking about 20 to 30 days to mature.
Things like tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers took longer, around three to five months.
For future vegetable independence, gardening had to become a priority.
As someone from a nation of gardeners, what was wrong with growing vegetables in the apocalypse?
"Great, once we find seeds, we'll plant them, and you can teach me."
"No problem, it's actually quite simple."
Nodding, Shen Yi finished his breakfast like a whirlwind, downed his remaining milk, and went downstairs.
Cheng Jun ate her bread daintily but efficiently, soon standing to clear the table.
After washing and wiping the dishes, she hurried downstairs too.
By then, Shen Yi had already changed the water and started rinsing the clothes.
"Let me do it, that's what we agreed."
Cheng Jun quickly approached to take over the clothes.
She wanted to handle whatever she could manage, not wanting to trouble Shen Yi with everything.
She was consciously trying to develop her independence and shed her pre-crossing habits.