Cave Refuge

Ever since Dong Tianyu began his cultivation, he had been constantly expelling impurities from his body, through the first three levels of Qi training. This was slowly transforming his body into a pure one.

As a result, his irregular lifestyle which led to a potbelly had disappeared. His rough facial skin, caused by neglect, had become smooth and delicate. Although he wasn't as ethereal as those legendary cultivators, he looked very spirited at first glance.

Added to the fact that Dong Tianyu only met his parents every now and then, it was no surprise that Mrs. Thompson was shocked by his changes.

Mrs. Thompson looked at Dong Tianyu's clean clothes and a meaningful smile spread across her face:

"Son, have you found someone out there?"

Upon hearing these words from his mother, Dong Tianyu immediately guessed her thoughts. "No, at this stage, I'm comfortable all by myself. How could I afford to support someone else?"

Since the catastrophe, the lifestyle of the survivors seemed to have regressed back to the 1950s or 1960s. Although there was enough to avoid starvation, they didn't have many possessions to freely dispose of.

Some might argue that in the 50s and 60s, necessities like housing were taken care of by the officials. Factories took care of childcare and healthcare, so daily life didn't incur many extra costs.

While they are correct, it can't be denied that during that era, despite the government and factories covering the important things, daily necessities still needed to be bought by oneself.

Entering the new century, the life of the citizens had seemingly flipped. Acquiring daily necessities was no longer a problem. Housing, healthcare, and childcare were the burdens that weighed down most ordinary people.

After the flood, Mrs. Thompson wasn't very clear about conditions in other cities, but in West City District of Pengcheng, or even the whole of Pengcheng, life seemed to have regressed back to the 50s or 60s.

The survivors no longer needed to worry about housing as they had in the past. Even if their former residences were submerged, the officials would arrange new residences for them.

However, these survivors, were just like those ordinary people who used to live in traditional Chinese quadrangle courtyards, three families might live in a three-bedroom residence.

When it came to food, officials rationed out three months worth of food per person. As long as you didn't waste, and rationed properly, four months' worth of meals wouldn't be a problem.

Unlike in the past where factory employment was a prerequisite for work, many salvaging teams were looking for more members, provided your guts were strong enough.

Physical equality between men and women had also been established in this time. Due to the natural pressure resistance of female bodies, deep-sea diving tasks were often undertaken by women, who were like the ancient pearl divers.

After these female divers bundled up the underwater items, the men on the ship would haul the goods from the water onto the salvage boat.

Perhaps there were other situations elsewhere, but within the salvage teams, the value of women had truly been recognized just like it was in the 50s and 60s.

Mrs. Thompson knew her son well. Dong Tianyu once bought cheap socks online, just so he didn't have to wash them every day. Instead, he threw away the pair after wearing them for two days.

Cleaning socks wasn't as simple as just rubbing them in water a few times. If you didn't use soap and only washed them with clear water, they couldn't be fully cleaned. After drying, the socks would become hard.

Compared to spending a few dozen Yuan on a pair of pure cotton socks, personal experience shows that buying disposable socks from Pinduoduo at 30 Yuan for 30 pairs, tastes better. Since you change them often, foot odor wasn't an issue.)

Exactly for this reason, Mrs. Thompson was surprised to see her son with very clean clothes. She thought there must be someone living with Dong Tianyu who helped clean and cook for him.

What Mrs. Thompson didn't know was that the attire Dong Tianyu wore was a basic Magic Artifact that could regulate temperature and the outer garment was just like his socks, discarded when they got dirty.

Now, even if Dong Tianyu changed clothes every day, he'd have enough to wear for at least a year. This was just considering the opened clothing packs that had already been sized for him.

His clothes were extra clean today because he was visiting his parents. Usually, he didn't change clothes as often.

Truth be told, in the Refuge Centre, Dong Tianyu basically didn't wear his thermal cloak. If it weren't for his sense of shame, he wouldn't be wearing basketball shorts either.

(You don't need to buy household clothes or air-conditioned clothes in the summer. A set of basketball clothes that cost around ten Yuan is enough. Just buy a size or two larger for comfortable and loose wear at home.)

Upon hearing that her son was still single, Mrs. Thompson had an idea. At their age, when chatting with friends, inevitably the topic of children came up. Their marital status and whether they have grandchildren were also a priority.

Moreover, the conditions of the daughters in the families of the new friends Mrs. Thompson made were pretty good. The families who had been able to move into the same building as the Command Post were likely in decent financial situations.

Maybe in the past, when facing the children of high-ranking officials, Mrs. Thompson would have felt inferior, like she was "punching above her weight".

But after all this time, she had realized that the Thompson family's assets had become quite substantial. If before the catastrophe, they were merely a small household

The Thompsons were now akin to the privileged families of the past, albeit without any official positions, businesses, or influence. Yet, they had a hefty fortune.

Even if the couple had not salvaged everything from the warehouse, Dong Tianyu had enough supplies stocked up. Not only could he comfortably provide for a wife but Mr. Thompson could also afford a concubine.

Of course, this is an exaggeration. Regardless of Mr. Thompson's thoughts, Mrs. Thompson would never agree.

But without exaggeration, with a pair of ham from Dong Tianyu's warehouse as a dowry, the Thompsons could, unabashedly, propose marriage to any family in the building, without losing face.

However, this was due in part to the top official in this building being just a mid-tier official in Pengcheng, and the fact that this official's grandson had already been born.

So, Mrs. Thompson was confident in finding a match for Dong Tianyu. After all, it was reminiscent of the early 60s during the famine, when as long as both parties agreed, the cost of marriage was very minimal. Most men were reluctant to marry, with very few women unwilling to get married.

After all, during those desperate times, taking a wife was essentially adding an additional burden to the family.

This was a stark contrast to the times before the disaster when men were compelled to marry due to the pressure of continuing the family lineage, while women were reluctant to get married.

However, many men gradually threw off the pressure from their parents and they began to lose a sense of responsibility towards continuing the family lineage. Suddenly, they found this kind of life enjoyable.

Without a girlfriend, the cost of meals was significantly lower. They could eat whatever they wanted and occasionally enjoy high-grade restaurant food like the females.

On weekends, they no longer needed to make travel plans. Staying at home, air-conditioned, and playing some games was just fine. Even spending some money in games wasn't problematic as long as they didn't get too carried away, which was much less than the cost of dating.

With such lifestyle, they didn't have to starve and could gradually pay back their accrued credit card debt from their dating days.