Chapter 131: Hearing for Fallen Women (1)

"My goodness, that 'Planned Marriage and Childbearing Law' of yours is just too terrifying." As a young woman, she found the topic of giving birth somewhat embarrassing, and the idea of being treated like a breeding machine felt truly daunting. She leaned against Sun Yuze as she spoke.

"Too many humans have died," Sun Xiaoshan said with a helpless sigh. "It's not just the women who have to bear children; men have to endure at least nine months of abstinence a year. Do you think that’s easy?"

"Huh?" Being naturally sensitive to such matters, Lu Cuifeng threatened, "What are you planning?" She fixed her gaze menacingly on a certain part of Sun Xiaoshan’s body.

"No, no, don't," Sun Xiaoshan panicked, rushing to explain. "I’m not planning anything! I'm already overwhelmed. Everything is paralyzed, and we have to rush to repair things and restore normal production... there are too many zombies... and so many places are rebelling..."

Deep down, Sun Xiaoshan felt a surge of defiance, determined to show her that he still had a weapon that worked perfectly well! The Sun family’s marksmanship was, after all, invincible!

October 1, 2015, was the National Day before the apocalypse. According to pre-apocalyptic custom, every tenth year was a grand celebration, meaning the next one should have been in 2019. Given the state of the world, there was no grand celebration this year.

The Special Committee broadcasted its achievements across the board: the reclamation of the two mega-cities, Beijing and Tianjin; the recovery of all areas north of the Haihe River basin; and the salvation of countless lives. The Committee called for all humanity to unite, eliminate the zombies, and safeguard the future of the human race.

This day was also Sun Xiaoshan’s wedding day. With the exception of Li Qiang, who was away on a campaign, all members of the Special Committee’s leadership attended the ceremony.

Li Qiang sent his blessings via video from the front lines, gifting a month’s worth of military pay as a wedding present. Being a few years older, Sun Xiaoshan was someone Li Qiang looked up to; he greeted his new sister-in-law and wished them a happy marriage. He notably did not wish them an early child, as that was already guaranteed by the "Planned Marriage and Childbearing Law."

As companies run by survivors began to resume operations, the Special Committee started issuing wages. With money in hand, survivors could purchase supplies from these reopened businesses. These goods were mostly salvaged from various regions, with very little need for new manufacturing. It was estimated that the remaining supplies would last the less than 10% of surviving humans for at least a decade. Consequently, the Committee focused its production efforts on heavy industry and munitions, while the scientific research department prioritized the development of new weaponry.

Commodity circulation required a universal equivalent. In the apocalypse, it was clear that food was far more important than gold or diamonds, and it naturally assumed the role of currency.

Banks had vanished. For large transactions, carrying huge numbers of steamed buns was impractical and difficult to store. Thus, one had to go to the cafeteria to issue "steamed bun checks" for transfers; in a sense, the cafeterias acted as the issuers and custodians of the universal equivalent. These steamed bun checks were beautifully designed by survivor artists and printed on banknote paper using color printers.

The use of grain as a universal equivalent had occurred once before in the early days of the Republic. At that time, hyperinflation made it difficult to issue currency. The specific type of grain depended on the location of the government; since the government had just emerged from Shaanxi, millet was used as the unit of measurement. Whatever needed to be done, one would pay a certain number of catties of millet.

Located in the north, the Special Committee naturally used flour-based products as their currency—not noodles or fried dough sticks, but the finished product: steamed buns.

The conversion rates between various grains and steamed buns were complex. Several companies spotted a market gap and developed "grain conversion calculators," which became incredibly popular; for a time, almost everyone carried one.

The grain coupons issued by the Special Committee were widely accepted in commercial activities. One could often hear bargaining in the commercial districts: "How many buns for this Hugo Boss suit?"

"No haggling, 15 buns, sir."

"Too expensive, 10 buns."

"12 buns at the lowest, no haggling, sir."

"11 buns at most, or I’ll go buy a Gianfranco Ferre suit instead."

"Deal, sir!"

Li Qiang was an active-duty soldier. Whether before or after the apocalypse, his personal items were provided by the state, and his military pay was deposited elsewhere. With no banks in the apocalypse, his pay was kept at the cafeteria. Currently, all expenditures by the Special Committee were settled in food. Per regulations, Li Qiang’s daily pay was 6 buns, totaling 180 a month. Of all the departments under the Special Committee, the military received the highest pay.

To make a grand impression, Li Qiang had someone deliver 180 steaming hot buns in bamboo steamers. It felt far more substantial than a few lightweight paper coupons. Sun Xiaoshan was left between laughter and tears, forced to contact the cafeteria to arrange for them to be stored as a deposit.

Giving gifts was generally difficult. In the apocalypse, supplies in stable areas were extremely abundant—with so many people dead, there was a surplus of goods. Furthermore, the people were keeping a close watch on those in power, and everyone remembered the difficulties caused by the corrupt behavior of officials both before and during the apocalypse, making them highly vigilant.

As Li Qiang marched along the railway line toward the Northeast, he often found himself in skirmishes with survivor camps immediately after finishing off zombies. Exhausted, the survivors did not see them as the People's Liberation Army coming to liberate them; they felt that the officials were merely "coming down from the mountains to pick peaches," ready to exploit them once again.

For survivor bases with a better attitude, the Special Committee did not force assimilation but instead absorbed and assimilated them slowly, as they had done in Cangzhou. However, many places that had been severely ravaged before or during the apocalypse fired upon them immediately, and camps held by corrupt officials fought to the death, as they were sworn enemies of both the people and the central government.

The United Front Work Department was swamped with work, preparing to send key personnel to the Northeast. After returning from Cangzhou, Ye Liusun felt that his chance to shine had arrived again; he insisted on leading the team despite his fatigue, ignoring all efforts to dissuade him.

In the bridal chamber, Sun Xiaoshan put his "Sun family marksmanship" to full use. Seeing Lu Cuifeng lazily unable to get out of bed, he was immensely proud. "Now you know the Sun family marksmanship is pretty good, right? Hehe!" He was promptly met with a pillow thrown directly at his face.

Within half a month, Lu Cuifeng became pregnant, and Sun Xiaoshan prepared to head to the Northeast to inspect and repair industrial equipment.

With the firm implementation of the "Planned Marriage and Childbearing Law," pregnancy rates among women rose sharply, and both men and women were struggling through the hardship.

It was generally acknowledged that men found it difficult to suppress their physiological desires. Companies specializing in male products began to thrive, producing inflatable dolls modeled after various pre-apocalyptic female celebrities, the most high-end of which were electric.

Various adult films began to circulate, and incidents of rape and other vicious crimes emerged. This upward trend caught the attention of the public security department.

The Ministry of Public Security raided a reopened nightclub that provided services from fallen women, but when the case went to trial, the National People's Congress intervened.