Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 3: market

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After Dr. Lin drew the circle, he picked up the pen, looked at Shang Jianyao, and said with a smile:

"It seems to be based on the slogan of the 'Salvation Army'?"

Shang Jianyao gave a "hmm" and said solemnly:

"Dr. Lin, I think you misunderstood my situation a bit, taking some normal things as evidence of illness."

Dr. Lin straightened his body slightly, and a smile appeared on his white face:

"What do you think is a misunderstanding?"

Shang Jianyao was silent for two or three seconds as if organizing language:

"You can't understand that pure, noble sentiment, what it means to be a person who is out of bad taste."

Dr. Lin pursed his lips tightly, as if it took a lot of effort to keep himself from laughing.

She pushed the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled:

"Indeed, in this day and age, where can there be room for idealists? Even the 'Salvation Army' has fallen."

The doctor paused and said:

"I can try to understand you, but you have to tell me, how did you come up with this idea? What made you feel this way?"

"It's nothing, that's what I think." Shang Jianyao sighed and smiled, "Doctor Lin, you are the most gentle and temperamental woman I have ever met. I have something to tell you."

Dr. Lin raised his eyebrows slightly and said:

"I have… "

Before she finished speaking, Shang Jianyao added:

"I thought you could be my spiritual mom, but it's a shame to find out now that our minds are in two completely different worlds."

"Cough cough cough." Doctor Lin seemed to be choking on his own saliva.

She immediately picked up the ceramic cup next to her, took two sips, and said to herself as if she had nothing to say:

"Hey, this month's tea ration has run out again."

Before Shang Jianyao could speak, she lowered her voice and asked mysteriously:

"Have you heard sounds that others can't hear, or seen things that others can't see?"

Shang Jianyao shook his head quite firmly:

"No."

Dr. Lin observed Shang Jianyao's expression for a few seconds, then turned to ask about something else.

After more than ten minutes, a sweet female voice sounded from all floors at the same time:

"It's the hourly time.

"Current time, six o'clock in the afternoon."

"It's time for the radio." After the voice stopped three times, Dr. Lin rubbed his brows and said, "Let's be here today."

She thought for a while and said:

"Since you have no problem sleeping and you haven't seen anything that others can't see, then I won't prescribe the medicine, and I will come back for a review at the same time next week."

"Okay, Dr. Lin." Shang Jianyao stood up and walked to the door.

After he opened the door, he suddenly turned around again and said:

"Thank you, Doctor Lin."

Dr. Lin responded with a smile:

"you are welcome."

When Shang Jianyao went out and carefully closed the door, Dr. Lin sighed and said to himself with a slight smile:

"How polite."

While sighing, she picked up the folder on the table and flipped through the records inside:

"Name: Shang Jian Yao.

"Age: 21 years old.

"Date of Birth: September 8, 25 New Year's Eve.

"Family situation: Father Shang Shi'an, a leader-level employee of the D7 group, disappeared together with the entire 'old tune group' in the 37th year of the new calendar; his mother, Zhang Ruxin, an ordinary D3 employee and a primary school teacher, died of illness in October, the 40th year of the new calendar, and the cause is suspected It is excessive sadness; from October 1940 to September 1943, Shang Jianyao grew up in the corresponding orphanage on the 495th floor and was admitted to the university's electronics department.

"Situation explanation: In May 46th of the new calendar, Shang Jianyao took the initiative to apply to become a confidential experimental volunteer and participated in the 'C-14' project. His reason was that he hoped to gain powerful strength and investigate the truth of his father's disappearance.

"Experimental results: failure, no change compared to the control group.

"Sequelae manifestations: Intermittent confusion in logic, resulting in a certain jump in thinking, and the rest is normal.

"Extra: Genetic testing normal...

"Comprehensive judgment: moderate psychosis (suspected delusional disorder, to be seen)..."

Dr. Lin looked at it for a while, and finally wrote:

"Results of reexamination on July 10, 1946 of the new calendar: the symptoms have not improved, but they have not been aggravated, there is no tendency to violence, and no aggression has been shown, and it can be considered to be harmless for the time being."

6:00 pm is the company's stipulated closing time. Except for certain project groups that require overtime and certain 24-hour shift positions, all employees will leave the "management area" located on the 5th floor of the building, and the 6th to 45th floors of the building. "Research area", "factory area" (and maintenance area) on the 46th to 145th floors, "inner ecological area" on the 146th to 345th floors, and back to the "living area" with a full 300 floors.

Because of the limited energy quota and the possibility that both husband and wife and elders in the family may be at work, many employees choose to eat in the "supply market" on each floor.

This place is divided into two parts, one part supplies sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice, flour, meat, vegetables and fruits from the "Inner Ecological Zone", as well as materials such as cloth, sugar and salt from the "factory zone", and the other part supplies All kinds of cooked food are affectionately called "staff canteen".

The cost of eating in the cafeteria is higher than making it at home, and the taste is not very good, but considering the energy quota that everyone lacks, and the exhaustion of a day's work, this seems to be a better choice.

And this is also the tendency passed down by the company's top management - hoping to reduce energy consumption through unified meals.

When Shang Jianyao returned to the 495th floor, it was almost 20 minutes before the cafeteria opened at 6:30-because some posts need to be cleaned, disinfected or other necessary things after work, so, to be fair, the board of directors stipulated that, The opening time of the canteen is half an hour after the official closing time.

For those employees who return to their respective floors before 6:15, the "Activity Center" next to the "Supply Market" is the best place to spend the rest of the time, where they can gather and chat about life and work under the lights. All sorts of things inside, and with a clear sense of superiority mentions the people outside struggling to survive.

Some employees will hurry up and sell things that they no longer need at home in exchange for more contribution points. Therefore, every night from 6:00 to 6:30 and 7:00 to 8:30, the lobby of the "activity center" There will be a small market inside.

As soon as Shang Jianyao walked in, he saw the director of the "activity center", Chen Xianyu, Mr. Chen sitting on a small bench that made creaking noises from time to time, with a bunch of strange objects scattered in front of him.

"What is this?" Shang Jianyao squatted down and picked up a rectangular object with a metal casing and a black screen.

"Who knows? It's quite sturdy anyway. It can be used to smash people, or to be bulletproof." Old Man Chen poked his chest.

"Where did it come from?" Shang Jianyao asked while playing with it.

Chen Xianyu cleared the phlegm in his throat and said:

"The youngest son of my comrade-in-arms, he is also serving in the 'Security Department'. He just came back from an old world city ruins, hey, time flies so fast, I watched him born and watched him grow up …”

After recalling for a while, Mr. Chen added with a smile:

"Anyway, it's been screened, and the company doesn't need it, so it doesn't need to be handed in. So, he put it on the old man's consignment. You know, I don't have to go to the cafeteria, someone will cook for me."

He manages a lot of employees.

Shang Jianyao glanced at the cobweb-like cracks on the black screen of the item, and thought for a while:

"How many contribution points?"

"It's not expensive or expensive, 500 points." Chen Xianyu quoted a price at will.

Shang Jianyao slowly put down the item and muttered:

"10 pounds of meat."

After saying the word meat, he and Chen Xianyu swallowed saliva at the same time.

Shang Jianyao swept his eyes and picked up another item:

"Is this a watch?"

"Yes, the watch has a complicated mechanical structure inside. It can still be used until now. It can be used as long as it is adjusted." Chen Xianyu's eyes lit up, "How about it? Do you want to think about it? It will light up by itself at night, and you can see clearly without turning on a flashlight. Old man, let me tell you, in the entire company, there can be no more than 100 people who can have a good watch. If you have it, you don't need to Relying on the radio to tell the time, you don’t have to come here to watch the wall clock, you will become the envy of the residents on the entire floor, maybe a little girl will take the initiative to find you to fall in love…”

On the watch in Shang Jianyao's hand, the silver strap has been cracked and rusted in many places, and on the dial that looks like a gem, the second hand jumps one after another, and glass shards are everywhere.

"How many contribution points?" Shang Jianyao asked calmly.

Chen Xianyu paused for a while before speaking:

"Sixty thousand."

Shang Jianyao put down the watch with lightning speed, as if it was very hot.

With a monthly salary of 1800 points for D1 employees, it takes almost three years to save enough without eating or drinking.

Chen Xianyu didn't expect that the businessmen would buy them. He just joked with the young man. He then pointed to the pile of metal round cans placed in the middle and said:

"Would you like to buy this

"Good stuff, military canned food!"

Shang Jianyao picked up a can, and saw that the plastic film on the outside was torn, and the logo became extremely blurred, and only vaguely could see the words "braised beef" and "500g".

"How is it, is it heavy? This shows that it has a lot of weight!" Chen Xianyu said with a splash of foam in his mouth, "Old man, let me tell you, this kind of military canned food is delicious, and it is a delicacy that I will never forget in my life. Much better than the shrunken cans from The Salvation Army!

"If it wasn't for my comrade's child who dug up a whole box this time, you might never be able to eat it. The price is 60 contribution points, which is very cheap, right? You go to the 'supply market' to buy a pound of raw pork. 50 points, and it doesn't include any seasonings, no one can make it for you, and you may not be able to buy it! Also, ahem, after this can is finished, you can still hand over the metal shell to the 'Material Management Department' for some contribution points, Is it worth it?"

Shang Jianyao looked at the old man, and when he finished speaking, he suddenly asked:

"How long is the warranty period?"

"How do I know the expiration date? I don't know how to convert the years in the old world." Old Man Chen widened his eyes, "Anyway, the new calendar is only 46 years old, so you can eat it."

As he said that, he showed the expression of memory:

"When I was in the 'Security Department', I once went out to perform a mission and lost supplies and almost starved to death. Fortunately, I found a military warehouse and found this canned food. At that time, they expired for an unknown number of years. Is it okay if I eat it? It tastes great."