Mid-Autumn Festivals

After another month and a half had flown by, the other side of the entrance was finally complete.

It was much slower this time due to some of the workers being pulled away to build the wooden houses for themselves.

Soon, July quickly flew by alongside August as the end of the month approached.

Xiaoyun and Yezi were both sitting at the dining table, waiting for the food to be cooked by Leyan.

"So if we want to connect the two walls, Jingming said it's going to take at least two months?" Yezi asked.

"Yep, he told me there are just way too many trees. Since we don't have a chainsaw or excavator of some sort to dig the root, it might take even longer." Xiaoyun replied.

"That's a lot longer than I expected... Oh well. Not like we have anything else for them to do. Might as well let them start removing the forest then."

"Yeah, about that... I was thinking of moving some of them away from building the wall. At least half of them."

Seeing Xiaoyun looking a little hesitant to say it out, Yezi got a little intrigued.

"Why? Is there something else we need to build?"

"Well, everyone wanted their own houses. Even if we spread them among the different mansions, it's still awkward for multiple families living in one house.

So I was thinking of building several wooden houses between the empty gaps of the mansions, like those individual houses in the rural area.

Then we can give incentives to more important workers like Jingming and Qijian by giving them the mansion, as well as the more hard-working ones." Xiaoyun explained.

Yezi thought for a second, then shook his head.

"We should get our defense done first before something like houses. We still don't know when the zombies are going to wander from the city to here."

After thinking for a bit, Xiaoyun backed down and agreed to Yezi's idea. He knew the danger of the zombie threat was greater than the luxury of comfort.

"You're right. Let's continue with the wall, then."

As the table fell into silence, Yezi suddenly brought up some news to him.

"I almost forgot to tell you about this. You know it's almost the Mid-Autumn Festival in three days, right?"

"Oh really?" 

"Yeah, really. I was thinking of planning to throw a celebration to cheer everyone up and give them a break since they have been working so hard for the past few weeks."

"Sure, go for it. I can provide whatever you guys need for the celebration... Hey, you guys, do you want to help plan the Mid-Autumn Festival?" Xiaoyun yelled across the kitchen.

"Of course we do!" All of the girls yelled back in unison from inside the kitchen.

"Okay, okay. You guys will talk with Yezi later."

---

Three days have passed.

It was finally the day for the Mid-Autumn Festival, in the middle of what used to be an empty grass field, now filled with tables and chairs.

Before all the tables was a small stage, and behind it was the backstage area that had a ton of smoke coming out.

"Sister Mimi, where are we sitting?" Lily asked as she nervously held onto Nami's hand, walking through the massive crowd at the entrance.

"We are sitting... near the front right there!"

As the two finally settled down at their table, the crowd of people was also beginning to settle down into their seats.

"Geez, Nami, what took you two so long?" Yueyue curiously asked as she had been sitting there for a while now.

"Lily just had to go to the restroom... Anyway, where is Mom?" Nami curiously asked.

"She's helping to cook in the back. You can check if you want. It's still a while before it starts." Yuqi answered, looking a little bored in her seat.

"Okay!"

Nami and Lily quickly got up from their seats and headed over to the backstage area, where a ton of people were cooking food on a massive wok.

More importantly, Leyan was standing right in the middle, holding a massive wok in one hand before a propane stove.

"Hey, Mom!" Nami waved.

"Oh hey, Mimi." Leyan waved back.

After standing there for a while, Nami and Lily both ran out of the backstage area, their faces blushing red.

All because all the women backstage were chattering with Leyan.

"Miss Leyan, you have such a good son. I wish my son were like yours, able to bring so much food from the city and be such a good leader," one of the women commented.

"Xiaoyun is really smart, too." Huayi complimented.

"Yeah... I am so lucky to have him as my s-son." Leyan nervously stuttered as she almost dropped her spatula on the floor.

"Is your son single? He looks so young, so he probably is, right?" the second woman asked curiously.

"Um... I don't know... I-uh, I think he is single." Leyan nervously replied as she swung the wok up.

"What a coincidence, my daughter is also single. I think they will make a great match." The second woman spoke again.

"Hey, my daughter is also single. I think they are an even better match. Also, isn't your daughter still in middle school?" The third women chime in.

"Yeah, so what? We can always betroth them and marry later," the second woman argued back.

"Ma'am, what do you think about me? Can I marry your son?" The fourth woman asked directly.

"S-sorry, you guys need to ask him directly... I-I can't arrange that." Leyan replied as she tried her best to focus on cooking.

"Come on, you're his mom, right? He has to listen to you for marriage." The first woman argued.

Leyan didn't say anything back but only smiled back as she didn't want to reply to any more questions.

---

Meanwhile, Xiaoyun, Yezi, and Renqin were sitting together at one of the waiting tables in the very front.

"Wait, why didn't anyone tell me that I was going to have a speech?" Xiaoyun asked in a slightly irritated tone.

"Come on, it's not that hard to say some encouraging words. Yuqi told me that you're used to public speaking, right?" Yezi replied.

"Well, she isn't wrong... But that's beside the point. You can't just tell me to make a speech less than ten minutes to prepare."

Xiaoyun thought back to the speeches he had given at the yearly company meeting and public relations with Songming in front of journalists.

"Hey, Xiaoyun, have you thought about making yourself the mayor? This would be the perfect time to announce it." Renqin suddenly suggested.

"What? Mayor?" Xiaoyun asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah, what's wrong? Somebody has got to lead, and you're already leading, so you might as well make it official." Rinqin explained.

"I think Renqin's idea is genius. I never thought of that at all. You really should be the mayor." Yezi added.

"Yezi, don't you want to do it? I don't really want to do this... I just want to relax at home and enjoy life."

Seeing Xiaoyun with a strong refusal on his face, the two looked at each other for a second, then turned back to him.

"People want a young, strong leader. I'm too old and chubby... Besides, all the food is from you. Everyone here knows what you have done for this town.

There is no other option other than you. If you are worried that I'm jealous, brother, I am not jealous of it at all. Trust me, you don't want me to be the leader."

Yezi patted Xiaoyun on the shoulder, showing genuine support for him. But his face still looked a little hesitant.

"Renqin. Aren't you the elected leader of your group? You don't want to be a leader?" Xiaoyun asked, looking over to Renqin as his last hope.

"Of course not. The group has already disbanded a long time ago. They all live by themselves, so I'm just a free man.

Also, I literally just suggested that you be the leader. Why would I say yes to that now?" Renqin answered, chuckling a little.

With no other choices, Xiaoyun slowly came to acceptance as the burden of responsibility was now on his shoulders.

"Fine... I guess I will be the mayor then."

---

It was finally time, as the clock hit seven.

The food was now served on each table, with everyone seated in their assigned seat as Xiaoyun and Yezi stood on the stage.

"Hello, is this working? Okay, hello, everyone! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! " Yezi said on the microphone.

The crowd started clapping as their face all filled with excitement. The food on the table was just too big a luxury not to be happy over.

"I hope everyone can enjoy the food today. Can we get a round of applause for the chefs?"

Yezi stated as he pointed toward the chef, who had just started sitting down. The crowd immediately clapped again.

"Besides the celebration of this holiday, I want to announce something. Let's give a round of applause for our leader, Xiaoyun!"

After Yezi handed the microphone over to Xiaoyun, he quickly ran back down to his table.

"Good evening, everyone. I just want to say thank you to everyone for their hard work. The wall and all the improvements to this town couldn't have been done without you all.

You all should be proud of it. Let's give applause to all the hard workers! Thank you all once again!"

The crowd clapped louder and louder until it slowly died down.

"I assume everyone knows me, but I am going to introduce myself again. Hello, my name is Chen Xiaoyun.

I was just a university student before this outbreak. I was all alone in this world, being an orphan ever since I could remember."

A heavy mood appeared among the crowd, as they never knew Xiaoyun was an orphan until now.

Some also looked a little confused, as they had learned from Yezi that Xiaoyun was living with his family in the mansion.

"But luckily, just a day before the outbreak, I was able to meet my loved ones. Without them adopting me into their family, I probably would have never been here."

As Xiaoyun waved at Leyan's table, the crowd showed a slight sign of relief, as it appeared to be a happy ending.

The confusion also quickly cleared up as some of them realized Xiaoyun was 'adopted' into Leyan's family, not 'blood' related.

"I'm really thankful for them. But more importantly, I'm thankful for Brother Yezi. If it weren't for him helping me, I wouldn't even be here at this stage.

I would probably be back at home, rotting on the sofa all day, and never thought of going this far out to help people in need."

Yezi smiled back at Xiaoyun, feeling honored to be mentioned in the speech. Several people were even yelling 'Me too' after mentioning his name.

"Let's talk about something more important for now."

Xiaoyun paused for a second, then continued.

"I know some of you might be worrying about things like whether we have enough food, since we are clearly using a lot of food just for this festival.

But I just want to announce that we have an entire inventory full of food. As proof, I'll now show you all a video."

Xiaoyun clicked a few buttons on a remote, which turned on the projector aimed directly in front of a large cardboard wall.

After waiting for a few seconds, a video finally appeared.

Yuqi was in the 302 mansion, where a massive freezer was full of food and cans stacked on top of each other.

"Hello, everyone! I'm Yuqi. Today is Sunday, just two days before the Mid-Autumn Festival!

As you can see, we have enough food. I have already counted the inventory three times. If we keep at the same pace, it is enough for us to last at least several months straight."

The moment Yuqi finished talking, she stood still until she spoke up again.

"Nami, Yueyue, video done?"

"Sorry."

With the video coming to an end, the crowd couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as Yuqi looked a little embarrassed in the crowd.

"Ahem, now is everyone assured that we have enough food?" Xiaoyun asked out loud.

"Yes!" Everyone yelled back and cheered in excitement.

"That's good... I'm also happy to announce that we made a food stamp that can directly trade food at 302 every morning and afternoon!

No longer will you need to rely on only having one can of food or just being the hardest working worker."

"How do we get the food stamps?" One of the people in the crowd asked.

"Through work! In the past, you guys had a minimum of one can of food guaranteed. Would you be happy if someone got food without working?"

Seeing the crowd fall into silence, Xiaoyun knew the plan he and Yezi had made over the past few days had the people's support.

"From now on, all work will pay an equivalent amount of food stamps. For example, Mr. Jingming and Mr.Qijian will receive twelve food stamps per day——"

"How much is each food stamp worth?" Another person in the crowd interrupted.

"Each food stamp can be traded in for a can of vegetables, two food stamps for one can of meat, three food stamps for food in the freezer.

Two people working is enough to feed at least five people in the family. Considering everyone here is two parents with a kid, only one person working is still enough.

Although I encourage everyone to work, and for the elderly who are alone, you can go to 302 to discuss your situation." Xiaoyun added.

"Thank you, sir!"

As the crowd started clapping again, Xiaoyun let out a small sigh of relief inside his head as everyone looked mostly happy with the plan.

After the crowd finished clapping, he could see Yezi giving him an eye signal as if signaling him to make the next announcement.

With a small shake, he picked up the microphone again, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"One last question I want to ask everyone. Is everyone happy with where they are right now?" Xiaoyun suddenly asked.

The crowd fell into silence, but soon one of them spoke up.

"Yes! Without you, sir, we would have been dead!" Lingang yelled out in support within the crowd.

"Yeah! Without you, we all would be dead!"

The six that Xiaoyun had rescued in the mansion all yelled in support, their face filled with happiness.

"Thank you. But I want to ask everyone here: Are you happy with me? I know we have only known each other for three weeks.

Here, let me ask you this: Have I mistreated anyone here or forced anyone to work?" Xiaoyun asked as he put down the microphone.

"No, sir. You have been the most generous person I have seen!" an elderly man yelled in the crowd.

"Yeah!" The crowd started cheering for Xiaoyun.

"Thank you, thank you." Xiaoyun bowed down in gratitude.

After the crowd calmed down, he continued with his speech.

"Can we have a moment of silence for people who have fallen? I know some of you have lost family members from this outbreak.

I'm not even sure if any of my classmates or friends are alive out there. We may not see them again, but they will always be in our hearts."

The crowd fell dead silent. Not a single person spoke up as the only sound was the cold wind breezing through the table.

"Let's not drown in sadness. They wouldn't want us to be sad if they were here. We must continue to carry on with hope."

As he raised his hand into a fist, the crowd clapped and cheered louder than ever before. But before the microphone was put down, he could see Yezi's eye signal again.

"I have one last question for everyone. Would you guys support me becoming the mayor and leader of this small town?"

Xiaoyun finally said it out loud all at once, then put the mic back down and waited for their response. But the crowd fell into complete silence until somebody spoke up.

"Sir, you had been the leader the whole time... isn't it a bit late to ask that?"

The entire crowd nodded in agreement, with people murmuring among each other, all showing a confused face towards Xiaoyun's question.

"Oh... Well then. Thank you, everyone!"

As Xiaoyun scratched his head in awkwardness with the microphone in the other hand, the entire crowd burst into laughter.

"Have a happy Mid-Autumn Festival. Please enjoy yourself!"

Xiaoyun quickly put down the microphone again and ran down the stage to his table as the crowd clapped one last time.

"Ha. Looks like there was no reason even to say that out loud." Yezi joked as Xiaoyun's face was full of embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

As Xiaoyun turned his attention to the food on the table, the girls' attention was completely different.

"Xiaoyun! That was amazing!" Nami said, her eyes glazing with admiration.

"Thank you."

"I'm glad you went with the food stamps... I was getting worried that people would refuse it." Yuqi murmured, picking up a shrimp with her chopsticks.

"They were willing to work extra hard when Qijian selected three people for a reward. It shows they are willing to work harder."

"You're right. It's human nature to want to improve their lives..." Yuqi replied as she dug into the rice.

"But how about the elderly and the young? What if they don't have a family that can support them?" Yueyue suddenly brought it up.

"Yueyue, do you think they can survive in this environment? Have you not noticed all the elderly and younger kids that made it here are with healthy adults?" Leyan reminded.

"Oh, right... But then what's the point of saying that last part then?" Yueyue murmured as he thought back to what Xiaoyun mentioned about going to 302.

"Ahem, let's stop talking about business. It's a day to celebrate!" Xiaoyun interrupted the two from talking about it any further.

"Let's cheer!" Huayi lifted her wine glass in excitement.

"Cheers!"

Everyone on the table lifted their wine glasses, except for Nami and Lily, who cheered with soda in their glass as they were still a little too young to drink.