Chapter 48: Progression

Three day has passed since Xiaoqi had became the co-mayor.

The wall was fully completed with stairs behind the walls, allowing the militia to stand on the stair and shoot outward.

Despite Xiaoqi hating working in the security room, the administrative building was going to take at least two week to build. With half the crew being split to building the road to connect the two entrances and simple log cabins as originally planned.

Yanyan was also called upon to be Xiaoqi's assistance as she became overwhelmed with the workload.

Fortunately, the plans that Xiaoqi and Xiaoyun set up to reduce inflation was able to be implemented, albeit not as smooth as the two hoped as people unwillingly trade in their massive amount of old food stamp for the little amount of new food food stamps to buy foods.

Combined with massively wage cuts that made many unhappy, it leading to massive pile of complains building up against Xiaoqi when Xiaoyun checked the mailbox. But when Xiaoyun showed her the mail, Xiaoqi simply refused to budge. Earning her the nickname 'The Iron Lady' among the town people.

Beside that, Xiaomi soon felt in love working in the store. Being able to gossiping with the customers every time they walked in the store was the best thing Xiaomi could wish for. She was instantly hailed as a 'saint' as she leniently allowed people to loan food stamp for the food.

But the truth was the loan was just one of the plans that Xiaoqi implemented to incentivize everyone to work harder, which Yezi has described to be inhumane loan traps.

Also, during the three day, more cars had came by to trade with the town. Some are even familiar faces that had already traded before. This time the trading was all done by Yezi as it became his only job left beside sending people to scout outside. Surprisingly Yezi was an amazing trader as he negotiated prices much better than Xiaoyun.

Several families and lone survivor also asked to join, which Xiaoqi accepted gladly accepted it as the town desperately need more worker.

Oddly enough, the human trafficker seem to have stopped sending anyone to the town as there is zero sign of them showing up. Almost as if they are facing some trouble or planning something big.

---

Another day pass, and it was finally Friday. The day where Yiyi and Yezi having their wedding.

Unlike Xiaoyun's wedding, he only invited Xiaoyun's family and ten people.

The wedding went very smoothly, beside Xiaoyun having to take all the alcohol away from Yezi to avoid Yezi getting completely drunk.

"Geez Yezi was almost just like you on our wedding night." Yanyan commented as the five of them walk back home.

"Yeah, but at least he wasn't completely drunk to the point of being unable to walk." Xiaoqi added.

"Good thing Xiaoyun took all of it for him..." Yunyun was carrying Xiaoyun on her back.

"Is alcohol really that bad?" Xiaomi and Lily both looked extremely curious.

"You two are not drinking until you became an adult." Yanyan warned them.

"Mom always have to be party pooper. Hmph!" Xiaomi and Lily ran back inside the house.

"Qiqi and Yunyun, we can't drink any alcohol when pregnant okay?"

"Yeah yeah we know." Yunyun drops Xiaoyun back on the sofa.

Xiaoyun suddenly stood up and yelled.

"I got an idea! I know how to solve the electricity problem!" Xiaoyun seem to had sober up a little.

"What is it?" Xiaoqi was worrying about electric grid for the whole day now, even during the wedding.

"The RV! I-it has s-solar panel and b-battery!" Xiaoyun fell back down onto the sofa.

"Finally he came up with a good idea." Xiaoqi sighed.

---

The next day, the two went to the empty field and created an massive pile of solar panel and battery. But Xiaoyun got no clue on how to connect them, or even connect it to the grid.

"What do we do now?" Xiaoyun asked.

"Um... let me check the occupation paper." Xiaoqi took out her document.

"Teacher nope, construction worker nope, barber nope. Found it, electrician named Li Dian. What a fitting name." Xiaoqi replied.

"Well then lets find him." The two walked to the construction crew at the administration building.

"Jingming, do you have anyone named Li Dian?" Xiaoyun asked.

"Qijian, do you know anyone named Li Dian?"

"Yeah, he working on the road right now."

"Well you guys will need to go to the wall then."

"Thank you." The two embark to the wall.

After twenty minute walk, the two finally got to the wall.

"Man I miss my car." Xiaoyun complained.

"Unfortunately its in a scouting mission. Too bad." Xiaoqi replied back.

"Yeah whatever. Let get back to business."

"Hello, is anyone here named Li Dian? I have a job for him!" Xiaoyun yelled out.

"Yes mayor I'm here." an middle age man walked up.

"You are an electrician?"

"Yes I'm an electrician. Is there anything that needs me?" Li Dian asked.

"Well you don't need to work in the construction now. You are now a full time electrician! Your job is to maintain the generator and a bunch of solar panel." Xiaoyun explained.

"I had seen thee generator... but where are the solar panel?" Li Dian asked.

"Just follow us." The two walked back to the stacks of solar panel.

"Here it is. Can you connect them to the battery and the main grid?" Xiaoyun asked.

"Um... I think I can. The electric grid is just right there... But there is so much here solar panel and battery here. Its going to take forever for myself to install it. Can I call in some of my friends? Just three people." Li Dian asked.

"Sure, you can tell Qijian that I sent you. Your pay is going to be... Qiqi how much can I pay him?"

"If it is a one time payment for four people, it going to be fifty-six food stamps over a week. And as for Li Dian's wage it going to be fourteen food stamp a week." Xiaoqi replied.

"Well you heard her. Here's the food stamps." Xiaoyun moved his hand inside the bag and gave him exactly fifty five.

"Thank you than you iron lad——Ms.Xiaoqi and Mr.Xiaoyun. I will go now." Li Dian left the field.

"Well that one problem solved... I think he was trying to call your nickname in the town? Iron lady?" Xiaoyun stretched his arms and laughed.

"Yeah yeah whatever that means. Lets go back to the security room, Yanyan still waiting for us." Xiaoqi stretched out as her face looked a little embarrassed.

"Why are they calling me Ms instead of Mrs? Maybe they are just new... right? But it does sound nicer..." Xiaoqi thought in her mind.

---

Back in the security room, Yanyan was recording all the sales done today as well as all the loans that had been paid.

Yanyan was wearing almost the exact same as Xiaoqi, with boring blazer and suit pants. However her cloths was a lot tighter as it barely fits her.

"You guys are back, I assuming the electricity issue is solved?" Yanyan was still busy recording.

"Yeah its done, let me do the other half." Xiaoqi sit back down and started helping.

Xiaoyun carefully left the room without the two noticing.

"Whew I'm free!" Xiaoyun started strolling around the town.

There were several new log cabin that can one family can live in, alongside the different mansions that store multiple families.

With the still in construction administration building five minute walk away from Xiaoyun's home.

"Man the town has changed so much..." Xiaoyun mumbled to himself.

"Yeah, a lot more buildings now." Yiming suddenly appeared behind him.

"What do you think Major Yiming? Do you think joining us was a mistake?" Xiaoyun asked.

"I would of never believe if someone told me this was all done under three month since the outbreak with less than sixty people." Yiming replied without answering the question.

"Right... almost three month has passed now." Xiaoyun realized how fast time has been passing.

"They are almost in their second month of first trimester..." Xiaoyun accidentally spoke out his mind.

"What second month? What trimester?" Yiming looked confuse.

"Its nothing. Just ignore it."

"Anyway, how have we still not find a doctor?"

"Well, doctor are not that common... Beside, Mrs.Yanyan is almost like a doctor." Yiming replied.

"Yeah but she can't give—— s-she only a nurse." Xiaoyun almost slip up again.

"We will find one eventually." Yiming commented.

The two were back at the main entrance.

"Let see how much of the road has been completed." The two started walking on the road.

As the two walked on concrete road, they eventually walked to the construction site at the middle.

"Look like it isn't finish yet, time to go back." The two walked all the way back to the entrance.

"Well I'm going back to work now." Xiaoyun waved goodbye and entered the security room quietly.

"Hey! Where had you been?" Xiaoqi asked.

"I-I was just taking a walk break." Xiaoyun explained.

"Sure you are, taking a hour walking break." Yanyan joked.

"I really mean it. I was just walked pass from the administration building to the road site at the middle of the wall part." Xiaoyun tries to explain himself but both of them didn't believe it.

"Whatever, come help me with this stack of paper." Yanyan waved Xiaoyun to come over.

---

Another two week has passed.

Exactly three month has passed since the outbreak, its almost halfway to November now.

The weather is getting colder as daylights became shorter and shorter.

The cities outskirt seem to have a mass exodus as people started moving out looking for food.

Many people joined the town as they eventually stumble upon the town, but none of them were from the inner cities, only from the city outskirt.

It's almost as if the inner city is a death zone that no one can enter.

The scouting mission Yezi sent out could also see many cars driving onto the highway, almost as if people wanted to get to the countryside away from the city.

Beside the outside, the town has grown almost to one hundred people. The road was completed allowing both entrances to be directly travel to. As well as the administration building was finished connected with the electric grid.

The log cabin plan massively expanded upon as as more people meant more demand for housing. It lead to the point Xiaoqi had to made a completely new work group just for chopping trees.

Li Dian also completed all the solar panel and battery to the grid, and he suddenly became the most popular person in town as everyone asked him to connect the cabin with power, which Xiaoqi granted permission with a upfront cost of hefty food stamp cost, as well as monthly electric bills.

The town itself was growing perfectly as Xiaoqi planned it all out. However in the defense side...

"We need to increase the militia to at least fifty people." Yiming suggested.

"What? That way too high." Xiaoqi refused.

"And the ten original one need to work full time as soldier rather than militia. As well as a hospital." Yiming added.

"That ten people out of the labor pool, and fifty people losing their valuable labor time. That a little too much... I can accept to build a hospital, that was on the agenda anyway."

"Also isn't the one hour mandatory training enough? We just need a defensive force right?" Xiaoqi pleaded.

"Hm... Yiming is right. Yezi's group has been detecting more and more zombies started to move out of the cities in massive hordes. With even special ones as well. The civilian department needs to serve the military until the apocalypse is over." Xiaoyun sided with Yiming.

Yiming seem happy that Xiaoyun sided with him.

"Fine, but you will have to convince the people to join the militia as well as convince the ten to be full time soldier. Here's the salary you can give them." Xiaoqi handed Yiming a piece of paper with the salary number and food stamps.

"Thank you for your understanding Mrs. Xiaoqi." Yiming left the room.

"Darling I'm sorry I had to do this." Xiaoyun apologized not siding with her.

"Its okay, I understand, I'm not some unreasonable women okay?" Xiaoqi relaxed on the chair as all the work is finished.

"Darling, what do you think of this new building?" Xiaoyun sat down on the sofa.

"Well it sure pretty big. Downstairs is now the grocery store. No, more like a general good stores with so many different items."

"And upstairs here has a separate room just for us, and outside the room is an office block almost built just like the company... We probably should hire some people to start managing all the workload." Xiaoqi suggested.

"Yeah... only three of us managing a town is not enough."

As Xiaoyun finish speaking, Yanyan walked in with two cups of coffee.

"Your coffee." Yanyan handed the two coffee on the table.

"Yanyan do you like doing this job?" Xiaoyun suddenly asked.

"Um... I am going to be real with you two, I don't like sitting in the office all day. I want to go back to the garden or a hospital." Yanyan replied back.

"Well what a coincident, you won't be needing to work here anymore. We are just planning to build a hospital. And few days ago we a group of doctor and nurses just joined us. The hospital are currently under in construction." Xiaoqi chimed in.

"Yeah, when the hospital is built, you can be the head nurse." Xiaoyun suggested.

"Me? The head nurse? No no that should be depend on who has more experience." Yanyan refused the title.

"Well the census tells us that the doctors and nurses are only in their late twenties. You definitely have more experience than them." Xiaoyun explained.

"Fine..." Yanyan folded.

"Anyway lets go home now, work is over." Xiaoqi finished the coffee and left.