The family was tired after a long day and went to bed early.
With the temperature stable and no sign of a significant drop, they slowly relaxed and no longer took turns on night watch.
As soon as the time came, they turned on all the electric heaters to warm up. Gu Chaobei went to the backyard to fill the coal for the underground heating system, ensuring it would burn through the night, and then returned to his room to sleep peacefully.
To save energy, they were still sleeping on the floor in the dining room. It was an extraordinary time, and no one was too concerned about niceties.
However, before falling asleep, Gu Qingcheng suddenly felt a little itchy. She scratched her neck and exclaimed, feeling a bit embarrassed to find some grime.
Gu Qingcheng then suddenly realized that due to the extreme cold, she hadn't bathed for several days.
Although the air was fresh and there was no dust, dead skin cells shed daily. Over time, without cleansing, pores could become clogged.
No wonder she felt so uncomfortable and itchy.
Gu Qingcheng couldn't sleep; she wanted to take a bath.
Seeing that everyone else was asleep, she got up and ran back to her room to prepare for her bath.
She browsed through the mountain cat supermarket and found a home sauna barrel.
Its appearance was no different from an ordinary wooden barrel. The only difference was that the opening of the barrel could be sealed. A person would sit in the hot water tub, zip it up, leaving only their head exposed, like enjoying a sauna.
A simple home sauna barrel. Gu Qingcheng thought this item was perfect for their current situation, so she bought one for herself first.
She poured hot water from the storage cabinet into the bath barrel, added a few drops of rose essential oil, placed a towel and soap on a stool within easy reach, then took off her clothes and got into the barrel.
Soaking in the warm water felt incredibly comfortable. The fragrance of the rose essential oil permeated her skin, as if she were in a rose garden, her whole body perfumed with flowers.
After soaking for a while, she began to scrub herself, feeling as if she was rubbing off an entire layer of skin. The texture of what she was rubbing off was no joke.
Gu Qingcheng didn't stop until her hands felt smooth and made a "squeaky" sound when touching her skin.
After scrubbing, the water was obviously unusable. She directly kicked out the wooden plug at the drain hole at the bottom of the barrel.
The water flowed out through the drain hole and the pipe, leading outside the door. Once the dirty water was drained, she kicked the plug back into place and drew more hot water from the storage cabinet.
The second barrel of water was clean. She added rose essential oil and soaked comfortably for another 10 minutes, feeling all her bones relax, before finally immersing her head in the water for a rather awkward hair wash. She drained the hot water again and refilled for a third barrel...
If she didn't wash this way, the hot water on her body would quickly turn cold, and catching a cold would be bad.
Then, she reached for her bath towel, quickly dried herself, jumped up swiftly, and put on her clothes.
Fortunately, because her body was still warm and she moved quickly, she didn't feel cold at all.
Additionally, the side rooms were always heated by the underground system, maintaining a temperature of about eight degrees Celsius, which was bearable.
Feeling refreshed after her bath, she took out her hairdryer and blew her hair dry, then ran to bed feeling clean and comfortable.
The dining room was much warmer than her own room. With the addition of electric heat pads, charcoal basins, and the underground heating system, it reached about ten degrees Celsius, enough to be covered with just a thin blanket.
As Gu Qingcheng snuggled into bed, she found a small creature lying by her pillow—Kele.
Kele was sleeping soundly, belly up, legs in the air, completely relaxed as if having no defenses against humans.
What a cute long-haired cub!
Gu Qingcheng stroked its soft belly.
Looking at its adorable sleeping posture, she too drifted off to sleep.
They had underestimated the hardship of the previous day. The next morning, Gu Chaobei's biological clock also failed him. By the time they woke up, the sun was high in the sky.
"We'll just collect what we can, we still have time."
Gu Qingcheng woke up to see her parents looking guilty and comforted them.
"If we're late, the soldiers might already be all over the city," Hu Lanfang mumbled, feeling very guilty.
"We are collecting supplies to live better, not to be chased around in a panic. If it comes to that, it's meaningless," Gu Qingcheng said.
Hu Lanfang thought about it and agreed.
Gu Chaobei laughed, "We all need to learn from Qingcheng and stay optimistic."
The four of them ate breakfast together.
For breakfast, they had preserved egg and lean pork congee, with each person having a fried egg and a warm meat patty.
The rule was that whatever was taken out had to be eaten; no waste.
After eating, the three of them prepared to go down the mountain.
They asked Miguo to stay on the mountain.
Miguo was eager to go.
Gu Qingcheng comforted him, saying that Kele and Wangcai also needed to be looked after and that the home couldn't be left unattended. She promised to take him next time.
Miguo reluctantly stayed behind.
Collecting iron blocks was not an easy task, and with the population in the city slowly increasing, they were concerned about potential encounters. They decided to observe carefully before deciding whether to let Miguo participate.
The three of them descended the mountain smoothly. This time, their target was Chengnan Street.
With the experience of collecting in Chengxi, they coordinated very well.
However, during the collection process today, Gu Qingcheng also felt a growing sense of unease.
She noticed that most houses on Chengnan Street seemed to be locked, which was quite unusual.
When the extreme cold had suddenly descended, it was around seven in the evening. Most people had not yet closed their doors and windows. The doors were usually left ajar and not locked.
Why were so many doors on Chengnan Street locked?
Could it be that the homeowners had returned?
Given this situation, Gu Qingcheng did not directly break in. If she found a locked house, she would avoid it.
Otherwise, if there was a homeowner inside, in broad daylight, she would be considered a burglar.
After all, the Great Zhou dynasty was still holding on, and social order had not yet collapsed. Prince Xia still firmly controlled Jinsha City.
If she were caught red-handed and brought before Prince Xia, it would be quite awkward.
After checking a few houses and finding that at least one-third of them were locked, Gu Qingcheng blew two short whistles to signal for assembly.
Gu Chaobei and Hu Lanfang, seeing their daughter blow the whistle so soon, were quite worried and quickly walked out from where they were collecting.
Seeing their daughter quietly sunbathing under the eaves, seemingly without any major issue, they were relieved.
Gu Chaobei, true to his style, had tied iron pots and spoons with a rope. This time, his haul also included several iron barrels.
Seeing his daughter, he said cheerfully,
"Qingcheng, great meat. The mansion we just passed, the owner was in the business of making galvanized iron barrels. There were dozens of finished barrels at home, and at least 500 catties of galvanized iron sheets as raw material. You and I should go collect them together; I really can't carry them all."
Hu Lanfang exclaimed enviously, "Old Gu, you really have good luck. I only collected seven pots, but the people on Chengnan Street are truly wealthy. One household has seven large iron pots."
Gu Qingcheng quickly shared her feelings about the new situation.