After registration was done, Shen Fei led them to their accommodations — what appeared to be an ordinary residential complex. At the entrance to the compound, they also ran into a few people hauling luggage, apparently having just moved in.

Shen Fei explained: “This area was only recently sorted out and prepared as a residential zone. There are people living in every building — but not many per building. Regulations say no more than five per building, so most of the residents here are in family units.”

Everyone walked and asked questions: “No more than five, to disperse population density?”

“That’s right. And it’s not just housing that has limits — travel has limits too. Every road section has traffic wardens, and large gatherings of people in one place are absolutely prohibited.”

Shen Fei stopped, took out a key, and opened the door. He explained pleasantly: “Maintaining the current state of the city has been enormously difficult. We hope everyone understands and follows the rules.”

The door swung open to a three-bedroom apartment — tastefully decorated, the furnishings revealing the refined taste of the previous occupants.

“There’s also a room in Building 6 — also a three-bedroom, roughly the same layout, but at the other end of the complex. About a hundred-some meters away. Who wants to go there?” Shen Fei asked.

It seemed they were serious about dispersing population density — five people per building wasn’t enough to set their minds at ease; even building-to-building distances were over a hundred meters.

Bai Youwei didn’t want to move again and chose this three-bedroom unit. So Shen Mo, Teacher Cheng, and Pan Xiaoxin moved the luggage in together.

Tan Xiao had woken from unconsciousness, but his injuries hadn’t yet healed. He sat listlessly on the sofa, in no condition for physical labor.

Shen Fei quietly counted the people.

Bai Youwei and the child could share a room. The badly injured one clearly needed a bed to himself. That left Shen Mo to share a bed with the old man.

He couldn’t help sighing internally. His older cousin could easily have gone to stay with his uncle — a room to himself would surely be more comfortable than squeezing in with an old man. But thinking about it the other way, this cousin of his had always been the most responsible and dependable among his siblings and cousins, so choosing to stay behind and look after these people wasn’t really surprising.

Shen Fei watched Shen Mo go back and forth carrying luggage, and couldn’t help but say: “If there aren’t enough rooms, I can help you open up another one. Don’t worry — there are very few people in the city now, and plenty of places to live. You’d just need to fill out an application form at the registration office…”

“No need.” Shen Mo interrupted him. “We have enough room here.”

Shen Mo looked over at Yan Qingwen: “Do you all need an extra room?”

Yan Qingwen shook his head too. “No need. Su Man and Li Li’s families are here in Shanghai — they’ll be staying with their families. The three of us have more than enough room.”

“All right, I’ll take them over to their place.” Shen Fei said, then turned to Shen Mo: “Mo-ge, I’ll take them first and come back to take you to Uncle’s.”

Shen Mo gave a mild nod. “Sure.”

The two groups split. Only the five of them remained in the apartment.

Teacher Cheng helped Tan Xiao to bed to rest, then worked with Pan Xiaoxin to unpack the luggage and tidy the rooms.

Shen Mo took Bai Youwei on a walkthrough of the apartment, looking at the bedrooms and the bathroom.

Just as Shen Fei had said earlier — aside from no electricity, the place was quite nice.

Shen Mo pulled open the refrigerator door, looked inside, and said: “The appliances all look new — probably bought not long ago. Want to move them into the dollhouse? There’s no electricity here; they’re just decorative sitting here.”

“Move them tonight.” Bai Youwei said carelessly. Then she glanced at the expression on his face and added: “You’re about to see your father, and you don’t seem excited at all.”

Shen Mo paused slightly, looked at her. “What about you? If you see my father, you’ll probably see your mother too. Aren’t you excited?”

Bai Youwei let out a yawn, utterly languid. “I’m excited.”

—