Along the way, people kept greeting him.
He always responded positively, and his hearty laughter echoed in the streets.
"Hey, Uncle Liu, are you out for a walk again today?" Amin smiled and waved to an old man with a cane.
Uncle Liu opened his toothless mouth and nodded with a smile:
"Ah Ming, are you taking your new friend to live?"
"Yes, Uncle Liu, please take care of yourself!"
Amin responded without stopping.
After walking a few steps, another young girl came towards him and said with a smile:
"Ah Ming, why are you so busy today?"
Amin blinked and replied playfully:
"Look, there are a few new friends here, I have to make arrangements for them!"
The girl covered her mouth and chuckled, nodded to everyone and left.
In this way, Amin greeted people he knew along the way and brought everyone to the hotel.
His enthusiasm and good popularity seemed to add a bit of rare warmth and vitality to this slightly cold doomsday base, and also made everyone feel more at ease in this strange place.
Under the dim and flickering light, a two-story building stood quietly. This was the hotel that Amin mentioned.
The exterior of the small building is dilapidated. The erosion of time is like a pair of ruthless hands, leaving dense marks on it. The walls are covered with mottled and peeling paint, just like silent scars, silently telling the vicissitudes of the end of the world.
Amin led everyone into the hotel.
Inside the store, a few customers were sitting on slightly worn tables and chairs, some talking in low voices, some staring blankly at themselves.
The business of this hotel is not very hot. After all, for people who stay in the base for a long time, most of them have their own built or assigned residences, and the price of the hotel is not cost-effective for long-term residence. It is only suitable for short-term stayers like us.
The space on the first floor is not spacious, with several rows of bunk beds, separating the rooms for 8 and 4 people respectively.
The door of the room was half-open, revealing the simple furnishings inside. The bedding was neatly folded, but it was grey in color and had an old feel.
Amin walked straight to the counter. Behind the counter stood a fat middle-aged man, who was the owner of the hotel.
The boss had a kind smile on his face, but it seemed as if the smile was covered by an invisible veil, revealing a hint of fatigue.
A-Ming greeted the boss familiarly:
"Boss Zhang, these are new friends at the base. Please arrange some rooms for them."
Boss Zhang nodded, quickly glanced at everyone, and said:
"No problem. But there are some people living in the multi-person room on the first floor now, which may not be very convenient. There are a few double rooms and single rooms upstairs, and the conditions are relatively better. What supplies do you want to exchange for the room?"
After thinking for a moment, Lu Jingcheng turned sideways and skillfully rummaged through the backpack behind him.
His movements were quick and steady, and soon he took out a few cans of food and packets of instant noodles. These supplies, which were rare in the end times, were gently placed on the counter with a dull sound.
He raised his eyes to look at the boss, with a questioning look in his eyes:
"Is this enough?"
Boss Zhang's eyes lit up instantly, and a hint of surprise flashed across his tired eyes:
"That's enough! These are rare and valuable things. All right, I'll arrange the best room upstairs for you."
Everyone followed Boss Zhang closely and climbed up the narrow stairs that would shake if you exerted the slightest amount of force.
The wooden stairs made a creaking sound, as if telling the vicissitudes of time.
The corridor upstairs was shrouded in dim light, and the light seemed to be covered by an old filter, appearing dim and hazy.
There was a faint musty smell in the air, which was the smell left by long-term dampness and enclosure, adding a bit of dullness to the space.