transaction

Why?

Because it's useful.

Isabel dragged her exhausted body along, and Eugene glanced at the time. It had been a whole hour of fussing around; no wonder he was so tired.

Heading upstairs, the dog sniffed at him again.

Why did someone else's scent linger on him? And why lock himself on the first floor?

Unfortunately, dogs don't ask questions.

The dog circled Eugene, wagging its tail vigorously.

Eugene understood and chuckled, "Alright, alright, let's take a walk. You're not a Snowdog, so why aren't you afraid of the cold in the garage?"

He led the dog downstairs to the garage.

To his surprise, it was quite crowded compared to the emptiness of the past few days, but it was all elderly folks.

With the power out and the house not heated, there was nothing for the elderly to do. So, they might as well gather in the underground garage; it was spacious, and they could chat and even come up with solutions together. After all, two heads are better than one, they might just figure something out.

Seeing Eugene approaching, an elderly man immediately perked up and rushed over, blocking Eugene's path.

Eugene was taken aback, "Is something the matter?"

The old man, Uncle Louden, coughed and said, "You're Little Eugene, right?"

Eugene couldn't help but smile; right away, it was "Little Eugene." That's quite the demeanor to carry.

"I'm Eugene," he replied casually.

Uncle Louden hmphed through his nose; of course, he recognized Eugene. How else would he have stopped him? He looked at Eugene arrogantly and said, "We were just discussing the future of the neighborhood, and we all agree that this natural disaster won't be short-lived. So, we need everyone to work together to get through this tough time."

Eugene didn't speak, just looked at Uncle Louden.

It was obviously an opening statement.

*cough* *cough* Uncle Louden coughed again; it seemed to be a common habit among officials to cough a couple of times before speaking. Then he continued, "Firstly, we need to avoid wasting resources! Little Eugene, you probably have a lot of food and bottled water, right? Bring them out for us to manage. We'll distribute them as needed. When this disaster is over, we'll definitely report your contribution to the party and the country. Your credit won't go unnoticed."

Eugene couldn't help but laugh, "Uncle Louden, are you taking me for a fool? Handing over food to you for centralized distribution? Why don't you give it a try? Who's going to hand out their food and clean water now?"

"You might as well just rob us!"

Uncle Louden was both angry and embarrassed, almost fainting from rage. It took him a while to point at Eugene with trembling hands and manage to speak.

Having been retorted like that, the other elderly folks backed off.

"Young man, don't think you're so great just because you have a little money. You can't disrespect your elders!"

"kid, we've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. Listen to Auntie's advice, apologize to Uncle Louden quickly, and do as he asks. Don't go against the party and the country, or you'll suffer the

These old people surrounded Eugene, all talking at once.

Eugene looked at an elderly woman and nodded, "I'm 27 this year, and you're at most 70. Even if your age is three times mine, I eat three bowls of rice a day, so you must eat at least one bowl of salt a day?"

It was just a metaphor, for heaven's sake!

That old lady was left speechless, feeling that Eugene was simply beyond reason.

"And you..."

Eugene retorted one by one, leaving these elderly folks half-dead with anger, unable to speak for a long time.

No words, huh?

Eugene smiled and walked with the dog in tow.

The dog had been impatient for a while; wasn't Eugene supposed to take it for a walk instead of chatting with these old folks for so long? Now that Eugene finally agreed to go, it immediately ran off in joy.

After the dog had its fun, Eugene was tired enough. But he saw it as a form of exercise, a chance for a good run.

Back home, after freshening up, he got ready for dinner.

Out of habit, he checked his phone and saw a bunch of friend requests pending. He was about to ignore them when he suddenly noticed a familiar profile picture.

Cathy!

Ha, couldn't resist, could he?

He didn't tease the woman but accepted the request directly.

If you're a man, might as well be generous.

However, despite accepting, Eugene didn't immediately send a message.

Isn't it customary for the one seeking a favor to speak first?

After half an hour, Cathy finally sent a message.

"Can you provide me with some food and drink?"

Eugene left her hanging for half an hour too before replying, "Sure, but..."

Now Cathy immediately responded, "I can sleep with you, but you have to agree to my condition!"

Geez, she's demanding the world; I'm just trying to be fair.

Eugene replied just as promptly, "Come over, let's discuss it in person."

"I'll find a chance," Cathy replied.

Eugene chuckled, put his phone aside, while the dog tilted its head, looking at him with curiosity, as if full of question marks in its eyes.

"Improving the menu, so little brother can have some seafood," Eugene explained to the dog.

The dog looked even more puzzled; its dog face was utterly clueless.

Eugene had dinner, opting for barbecue tonight. He specifically took out three lamb kidneys. Naturally, the dog enjoyed the feast alongside him. In times like these, the dog would eat better than 99% of people.

So many people were going hungry.

After a while, Eugene received a message from Cathy.

"I'm here."

Eugene smiled and said to the dog, "You stay here, buddy, I'll be right back."

The dog wagged its tail and lay down, seemingly understanding that whenever Eugene went to the basement alone, it would take a long time. It might as well take a nap.

Eugene went to the basement, first checking through the surveillance.

Although his combat skills were top-notch, being cautious had become a habit.

Eugene opened the door and entered alone.

Huh, this outfit looked familiar; wasn't it what Isabel wore before?

Ah, it must be Cathy, then.

Because Isabel came over at the end of May; would she prepare winter clothes?

So naturally, she could only wear Cathy's clothes.

It seemed that this winter outfit was the warmest; Isabel chose it, and Cathy chose it too. It was quite amusing to think about.

Eugene closed the door.

For a moment, the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

Of course, Eugene wasn't in a hurry at all. It wasn't him starving or dying of thirst.

Cathy bit her lip and said, "I want 100 pounds of rice and a case of water. You also have to help me move them to the 16th floor."

She had to carry the last floor herself.

Eugene raised a finger, "Accompany me once, and I'll let you have a hearty meal here, drink as much water as you want, and when you leave, I'll give you a few packs of instant noodles and a bottle of water."

Cathy refused, "Then I'll leave."

She was about to open the door, but Eugene showed no intention of stopping her.

Cathy gritted her teeth, halted her steps, and turned around, "50 pounds of rice and half a case of water."

She halved her request directly.

Eugene shook his head, "Based on your performance, I might give you more instant noodles and water when you leave."

"If you don't agree, just leave," he said casually.

Cathy followed, her red lips pursed tightly, her body motionless as if under a petrifying spell.