138: Chapter 138 Welders Eat Snow Bear Meat! Three Thousand Beds Done in Ten Days

11:30 AM.

Second-Floor Public Living Area.

An iron pot sat on the induction stove in the kitchen.

This iron pot had followed them since the Lv.1 era; its outer wall was coated in a deep brown patina from the flames, but the cast iron at the bottom remained thick.

Bubbles gurgled in the pot.

The aroma of Snow Bear meat mixed with the sweet freshness of Cabbage leaves, wafting through the air kept at a constant twenty degrees.

Lin Wan stood before the stove, stirring the bottom of the pot with a long-handled steel ladle.

"It's almost ready."

She turned her head toward the kitchen doorway.

Han Zhengqing stood outside the door, his graying hair combed neatly, his work clothes stained with iron oxide powder left over from last night's welding.

Thirty-nine people stood behind him, lined up in two rows—all Welders and Mechanics from the Engineering Team.

"Engineer Han, come in and sit," Lin Wan beckoned.

"Wash your hands first." Han Zhengqing turned to the people behind him. "Everyone, go wash your hands. Don't use your gloves to wipe the grease off your faces. The faucet is at the end of the hallway."

The thirty-nine people filed into the hallway.

Han Zhengqing was the last to walk to the faucet and turn it on.

Clear water flowed out, its temperature slightly lower than the room temperature.

He put both hands under the water and rubbed them.

The old scars on his hands turned a pale color in the water—marks left by thirty years of welding. Layers of arc burn scars covered the entire area of skin from the base of his fingers to his wrists.

After washing his hands, he walked back to the kitchen and sat down at a folding table.

Two folding tables were pushed together, covered with a layer of gray insulation padding used as a tablecloth.

Forty people squeezed onto both sides of the tables; since there weren't enough stools, some remained standing.

Lin Wan walked over carrying the iron pot, followed by a young woman helping her, who held a stack of stainless steel bowls.

"One bowl of soup for everyone, the meat and Cabbage are inside," Lin Wan said, placing the iron pot in the center of the table. "There are also Nutrient Bars; everyone take one."

She began to ladle it out bowl by bowl.

The Snow Bear meat was stewed until it was soft and tender, and the Cabbage leaves had soaked up the fat from the broth, turning a translucent light yellow.

Han Zhengqing took the first bowl and lowered his head to sniff it.

"This meat..."

"Snow Bear meat," Lin Wan continued ladling. "The City Lord had it cut from the cold storage."

"The City Lord ordered it?"

"He said you all welded a hundred and twenty beds in eleven hours yesterday, so you should have meat for lunch."

Han Zhengqing held the bowl without moving his chopsticks, staring at the meat and Cabbage inside for several seconds.

A young Welder next to him was already slurping it down.

"Engineer Han, why aren't you eating?"

"What do you know?" Han Zhengqing flicked the rim of the bowl with his fingernail. "I worked in The City-State for thirty years, and I could only get a piece of meat this big at the year-end banquet."

He picked up his chopsticks, put a piece of Snow Bear meat in his mouth, and chewed twice.

"Tender."

"No gamey smell."

"This meat was handled well; the blood was drained clean."

Lin Wan smiled as she listened.

"The City Lord has strict standards for handling meat blocks—how thick to cut them, how long to soak them, there are rules for everything."

"He manages that?"

"He manages everything."

Han Zhengqing took another mouthful of Cabbage and chewed.

"Was this Cabbage grown in a greenhouse?"

"Yes, the fifth harvest."

"Fresh." Han Zhengqing nodded. "It tastes better than the ones from the sixth-floor greenhouse in The City-State."

He put down his bowl and looked at the people at the table.

Everyone was eating with their heads down; no one spoke.

The pot of soup hit the bottom much faster than Lin Wan had expected.

"Is there more?" a Mechanic asked, holding up an empty bowl.

"Yes." Lin Wan brought out a second pot from behind the stove. "The City Lord instructed to stew a bit extra."

"The City Lord is very thoughtful." Han Zhengqing pushed his bowl over for Lin Wan to add another ladle. "Young lady, tell the City Lord that a hundred and twenty beds is just the beginning."

"What do you mean?"

"Thirty thousand people are moving in; three thousand beds is the baseline." Han Zhengqing tapped the table with his chopsticks. "At the current speed, forty people welding a hundred and twenty a day, three thousand beds will take twenty-five days."

"Can you speed up?"

"We can." Han Zhengqing glanced at the team behind him. "Bring in all the other hundred and seven people and split them into three shifts. If the materials can keep up, we can get it done within ten days."

"Are there enough materials?"

"The spare steel plates and angle irons on the iron wall can last for three days." Han Zhengqing counted on his fingers. "After that, we'll need to recycle steel from the collapsed areas of The City-State."

"I'll tell the City Lord."

"One more thing." Han Zhengqing lowered his voice. "The ventilation duct design for the second floor is very good, but if the living area expands to three thousand people, the air intake of the existing ducts won't be enough."

"Does it need to be modified?"

"We need to install four sets of Auxiliary Vents."

"Materials?"

"The materials for ventilation ducts are simple; thin steel plates rolled up will do. We can use the scrap steel recycled from The City-State."

"Alright, I'll pass that along as well."

Han Zhengqing picked up his bowl and drank the last drop of soup.

"Young lady."

"Yes?"

"Your City Lord is a man meant for great things."

"He certainly is."

"I'm not just talking about his skill in fighting wars." Han Zhengqing placed the empty bowl on the table. "I'm talking about this—stewing meat for the Welders at lunch. I worked in The City-State for thirty years, and I was never treated to a meal by the City Lord even once."

He stood up and patted the iron powder off his work clothes.

"Finished eating. Let's get back to work this afternoon. There are still sixteen partitions left to install in Area C of the second floor."

"Can we finish this afternoon?" the Mechanic next to him asked.

"If we can't, we'll work overtime tonight." Han Zhengqing walked toward the door. "If we work overtime, we'll come back to ask the young lady for another bowl of soup."

Lin Wan watched him walk out, then turned to clear the dishes from the table.

Her communicator rang.

"City Lord."

"Was there enough soup?"

"Yes, they finished two whole pots."

"What did Han Zhengqing say?"

"He said three thousand beds can be done in ten days, but they need to recycle steel from The City-State. Also, the ventilation ducts need four sets of Auxiliary Vents."

"I'll coordinate the steel recycling with Lin Xiao."

"Have Han Zhengqing come up with a proposal for the ventilation modification and submit it to me for approval."

"Okay."

"Did you eat lunch yourself?"

Lin Wan stopped what she was doing.

"Not yet."

"Eat first."

The communicator hung up.

Lin Wan looked at the empty bowl in her hand, then leaned down to take out a small covered pot from under the stove.

She had saved a bowl for herself: two pieces of Snow Bear meat and four leaves of Cabbage.

She sat by the folding table and finished it quietly by herself.