18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

The hustle and bustle began as everyone started preparing for the Christmas feast.

After lunch, during a lull, Angela and the others toured two glasshouses, filled with chickens, ducks, geese, quails, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, vegetables, and a rooftop herb garden. "Angela, in the future, we should also get a villa here. We can be neighbors with Stella and Jasper, and have chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep, all of it."

Cody, not to be outdone, declared to his girlfriend, "Kitty, I'll work hard too."

Stella almost laughed but managed to hold it back, "Do you guys want chicks or ducklings? You can take some home after dinner."

"No, thanks." Angela said, "We all have jobs. We don't have time to raise them. When we finally get our own villa, we can ask you then."

Everyone continued preparing the feast, with a hearty chicken broth, spicy duck, sausage stir-fry with bell peppers, and two baskets of vegetables.

Just as they were about to sit down for dinner, there was barking outside. It was the mastiff, who had come pulling a small cart. In the cart was a lamb leg and ten pounds of fresh beef, still smelling of blood. Cooper's eyes lit up at the sight.

Within the cart was also a card with flamboyant handwriting: Miss, Merry Christmas.

Stella didn't know how to feel. Bran was really getting into this.

The mastiff looked at her with drooling anticipation.

She was not gonna send things in return, as she knew he still had tricks up his sleeve.

Stella took out a knife and cut a large chunk of meat for the dog. After getting approval from Cooper, the dog gulped it down.

The fresh meat was taken inside, cut into several plates of beef and lamb rolls, with the leftovers stored in the fridge.

At five in the evening, the feast began. It was delicious, a taste they hadn't had in four years, and it felt like their souls were ascending.

Each had a bowl of chicken soup, and they all felt warm.

Cody was constantly looking after his girlfriend, "Kitty, this is your hometown dish, try it."

Kitty's eyes lit up. She didn't expect Stella's cooking skills to be so good. Even she, who was born and raised in the area, couldn't compete. She finally understood why Cody and the others spoke of Stella with such admiration. Stella really was an interesting person. As they ate and chatted, Stella brought out a bottle of wine, "This is a bottle we found in an office building a while back, never had the heart to drink it. Merry Christmas, guys."

"Stella, I want some too."

"You can only have a small sip." "Woof!"

"You too, only a small sip."

After finishing the main dishes, they started with stew-adding various ingredients into the pot. Since Stella couldn't take out the preserved stew spices, she had prepared a homemade version. The taste was very good, not much different from the big brands. They all ate until they were sweating.

As they chatted, Angela brought up buying a house, "The third phase is complete, and we plan to buy a house and settle down."

Their memories of the base weren't very pleasant. Whether in the past or now, they felt Griffith was more suitable for them, and they wanted to settle down here. However, the houses in the third phase were more expensive than the first and second phases, the prices were simply skyrocketing.

Swan Hill and Griffith were merging, and the future would be a back-to-back management model. Both scientific research and security would be much better than other cities.

The earthquake warning was timely, many survivors lived, and survivors from other cities were pouring in. So housing prices were climbing.

The eternal night was coming, followed by smog and acid rain. Renting a house always had the risk of being evicted; if they had the ability to buy, they should try.

Stella was very supportive, "That's a good thing. You should do it as soon as possible."

They were all capable of earning, especially Angela, who felt life had opened a new door for her after her illness was cured.

With new goals, there were new prospects, cheers!

After eating and drinking until around six, they were full and satisfied.

Stella brought out some peanuts and nuts, "These were grown by Rosie, you guys should try them."

"Wow, Rosie is so talented."

Hearing these, Rosie blushed and tried to hide behind Stella.

In addition to praise, Angela and the others also prepared gifts. The gifts were candies. Not only did Rosie get one, even the dog got one.

She hadn't received a gift in a long time, and Rosie smiled with joy.

Stella found an old Christmas movie downloaded from years ago, and they all revisited the prosperous times of the past.

After watching the movie at ten, Jasper drove the four of them home, worried about their safety on the road.

Rosie cleaned up inside and out, and Stella found her a set of new clothes from Arcadia. Not only did Rosie get some, she also prepared some for herself and Jasper.

Just as she was finishing her bath, she heard the sound of a car. Stella prepared bath water for Jasper as well.

After drying her hair, she heard Jasper close his sister's bedroom door. Then he dimmed the bedside lamp and started kissing Stella.

"Stella, thank you."

Stella was confused, "Hmm?"

"Thank you for giving me a home, and for taking such good care of Rosie."

Love was a chemical reaction.

Apart from his charisma, Jasper's responsibility and tolerance also played a big part. He was strict with himself, but never made demands of Stella. Even when their opinions differed, he would respect her decision. Regardless of whether he was right or wrong, he would always defend her in front of others. These things seemed simple, but how many men could do them?

Stella knew she had a sharp personality, and before the disaster, there weren't many men who could stand her. So, if Jasper could do all this, she should be the one thanking him.

However, women's magazines said that sometimes men shouldn't be praised, as it could lead to arrogance and complacency.

With that thought, Stella decided to abandon her words. She held onto his neck, her eyes twinkling with mischievous anticipation, "So, how are you planning to thank me?"

Jasper kissed her, reaching out to grab something from the bedside table, "How much do you want?"

Ah... no, he didn't used to be like this. When did he learn this!

They slept until nine in the morning, Stella got up in a daze. The siblings had already made breakfast and had dressed the dog in a handsome suit.

Before they could even finish breakfast, Austin came over with his son, "Merry Christmas."

The generous Mr. Austin handed out goodie bags filled with beef jerky, enough for both Rosie and the dog.

No sooner had he sat down than Smoky and Snowy came over with their offspring, surrounding Mr. Austin and all looking up at him in unison.

"Haha, hahaha." It seemed like the gifts were not enough.

He had already had a get-together with Monkey and others the day before. After the snubbing incident, Austin had given up on trying to get in good with the wealthy folks. He'd do business when there was some, and take it easy when there wasn't. Supplies were getting increasingly scarce, but he had his ways of getting goods and wasn't worried about going hungry. So, even during the big holiday, he had no plans to pay visits. He brought his son and a live fish to the neighbor's for a meal.

The fish was huge, about fifteen to twenty pounds.

Stella was surprised, "Where did you get a live fish?"