Marriage and divorce were also possible on the lighthouse, though significantly different from before the apocalypse.
The lighthouse had abolished traditional marriage customs. Since there was no "property" involved, a man and a woman could link their accounts and share their ID cards, which served as the sole proof of their legal union.
Divorce had also become much simpler. All it took was to cancel the sharing and divide their jointly owned assets.
Upon learning this, Xu An found the method quite feasible. After all, in the apocalypse, the concept of "real estate" from the old society no longer existed, making the division of assets between the two parties straightforward.
People no longer had to scheme and plot against each other as they did in the old society, only to end up with nothing.
Time flew by, and three months passed in the blink of an eye.
One day, Xu An was practicing her combat skills at home when her communicator suddenly pinged with a message.
Xu Yan also came over, "Nannan, did you receive the message too?"
"Mhm, if everyone received it, it must be a notice from the lighthouse."
【Notice: The lighthouse will land in three days and remain stationary for 30 days. All residents are requested to arrange their time reasonably and return to the lighthouse promptly. No extensions will be granted after the deadline!】
Xu An looked at the message on her communicator and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Finally, this day has come."
Xu Yan and Xu An exchanged glances. She knew exactly what her daughter meant.
Three months ago, Xu An had sought out "Mouse" to ask if it was possible to discreetly eliminate someone on the lighthouse, but she had received a negative answer.
She had no choice but to ask for his help in keeping an eye on that woman, to be informed immediately if she left the lighthouse.
"The floods outside should not have completely receded yet. The lighthouse will likely choose higher ground to land. Once we're down, we'll deal with that woman first before going out to scavenge for supplies."
"Okay."
The mother and daughter had not been idle during the past three months. They had thoroughly researched the exchange list on the lighthouse and finally understood the rare metals they couldn't comprehend before.
Notably, Xu An's pasture in her space was also beginning to take shape. If they could capture a few wild boars or roe deer when they descended, it would be good to raise them.
As they were discussing, she decided to head out. Although Xu An had enough food in her space to last for several lifetimes, she made sure to go out and purchase food at least once a week to maintain appearances and bring it back in front of everyone.
The grain stores displayed on the screen were as ubiquitous as 24-hour convenience stores before the apocalypse.
Xu An was quick. In less than half an hour, she returned carrying five catties of rice and ten catties of potatoes.
Just as she swiped open the main door to their building, a panting female voice called out from behind her.
"Little girl, wait for me, wait for me..."
Immediately after, a middle-aged woman pulled open the glass door from behind Xu An, gasping for breath, and reached out to grab Xu An's sleeve.
Xu An darted sideways, evading the woman's outstretched hand. Her brows furrowed, and her body tensed with defensiveness.
"What do you want?!"
"Oh, don't be in such a hurry. I'm a resident from the floor opposite yours. I need to talk to you about something."
Xu An's frown deepened. "I don't know you!" she said, turning to leave.
"Hey... hey... what's wrong with you, little girl? I came all the way from across the hall to find you, and you're just going to leave without letting me finish..."
The woman glared at Xu An, chattering on and condemning Xu An's "wicked behavior."
Xu An's gaze had long since turned cold, but she couldn't act on the lighthouse. To prevent this woman from pestering her incessantly, she forced herself to suppress her anger and said impatiently, "Spit it out, what is it you want?"
Her barrage of words was abruptly interrupted. The woman paused for a moment before reacting, her eyes darting around.
"Oh, little girl, I see you're living with your mother, aren't you?"
"You two women living alone, it's not very safe. The lighthouse is about to land, and I thought maybe you and my son could team up... to look out for each other."
"Isn't it said that a man and a woman working together makes the work easier? That way, we two old ladies can have each other for company at home."
If Xu An couldn't understand what this woman meant by her words, she'd truly lived a pointless life.
A vicious face flashed in Xu An's mind. She said coldly, and with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "What, is your son also divorced with no children?"
The woman looked confused. "What are you talking nonsense about! My son is young, promising, and handsome! He's never even been married, let alone divorced!"
Xu An was speechless and retorted directly, "Oh, but I'm divorced and have two kids!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xu An ignored the woman and turned to leave.
This time, the woman did not stop her. As if intimidated by the chill emanating from Xu An, she shrank her head and remained silent. However, her gaze clearly indicated disbelief.
She stared at Xu An's departing back with ill intent, plotting something unknown.
The woman's name was Zhang Chun. She was among the first batch of people transferred with her husband.
However, her husband was mediocre, merely an ordinary researcher at the institute, barely enough to maintain their livelihood.
Zhang Chun accidentally saw that a household across from them was using new curtains developed by her husband's research institute. She heard that these curtains were not sold to the public, and the limited batch was exclusively supplied to high-ranking families.
Since this household could obtain these curtains, they must have an unusual background, which piqued her interest. She began to deliberately spy on Xu An's home.
The more she looked, the more captivated Zhang Chun became. The household across the way had a simple population, only two women. Moreover, they could afford to keep a dog. The occasional glimpses she caught of the interior showed it to be neat and bright, even furnished.
She recalled that the apartment had been empty before the current residents moved in.
After all, the furniture in the apartments in Dawn City was almost entirely brought from their own homes before the apocalypse. Only those with considerable means could afford to buy furniture themselves.
This made her think of her son.
Her son, Zhou Jianhua, was just turning 30 this year. Her husband had managed to secure a leisurely and well-fed job for their son.
However, Zhou Jianhua was unmotivated. He quit after three and a half days, declaring that once the lighthouse landed, he could find enough supplies to last them for a year just by searching around.
Zhang Chun firmly believed her son's words.
After catching a glimpse of Xu An's face by chance, she felt that the young girl across the way was a perfect match for her son.
This prompted her to try to approach Xu An, offering an olive branch. In her opinion, what could two women who couldn't even lift a chicken do! They should quickly latch onto her son's coattails; he could share any good finds with them.
This was why Zhang Chun had made this trip, only to be met with such ingratitude!