Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 133 Exchange

Li Laosi nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, young lady! I'll keep tonight's events a secret, I won't tell a word even if you beat me to death! I'm leaving now, I won't waste your precious time!" After saying that, he got on the dilapidated tricycle and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Xu Xiaoyan stood quietly at the entrance of the shed. Only after confirming that Li Laosi had truly gone far away did she slowly close the wooden door. She even picked up a sturdy-looking wooden stick from the corner and carefully locked the door from the inside.

She frowned slightly, looking at the shed full of firewood in front of her, which was almost impossible to walk on. A sense of worry rose in her heart. The firewood almost filled the entire shed. Her space was limited. After the previous collection and storage, it was now close to saturation. There was no way she could put all the huge and space-consuming firewood in there in a short time.

She took a deep breath. Fortunately, judging from the current market response, firewood was not a scarce commodity in this Starlight Base. Its price was so low that almost no one wanted it. Therefore, she decided to temporarily store the firewood in this remote and inconspicuous rented shed. Even if some foolish thief broke in, seeing the shed full of "broken wood," probably no one would be willing to spend the time and effort and take the risk to steal these things that seemed "worthless" at the moment.

The most urgent task at present is to trade away the fresh oranges that are taking up a lot of space as soon as possible! Although these oranges are also hard currency, their strategic importance is obviously a level lower than the fuel that may save lives in the future. They must be converted into cash as soon as possible, or more accurately, "repackaged" to make room for these fuel reserves that seem cheap at the moment but are actually a matter of life and death.

With a slight thought, Xu Xiaoyan suddenly saw a metal shopping cart appear in the limited space of the shed. This was a tool she had brought from the chaotic supermarket in Xuan County and had carefully stored in her spatial storage without much use. Now it could finally be put to use.

To avoid attracting attention and causing unnecessary speculation and trouble, she took out a large, thick black plastic bag and wide transparent tape from her storage space. She squatted down and began to carefully wrap the entire shopping cart, except for the top opening, including the metal frame, mesh basket, and wheels, tightly with the black plastic bag. Then she wrapped and secured it with layers of wide tape.

Her movements were skilled and focused. Soon, an ordinary supermarket shopping cart was completely transformed, its original shape and material concealed. It looked more like a makeshift, unassuming, huge black storage box or mobile basket used for moving things.

After everything was ready, she began the actual "returning" process. As her mind raced, she saw the disguised shopping cart being filled with plump, brightly colored fresh oranges at a visible speed.

Finally, she took out a plain, inconspicuous scarf and covered the top of the pile of oranges completely, obscuring the dazzling golden color. Without lifting the scarf, no outsider would know that this seemingly ordinary, even somewhat clumsy, "black box" contained a whole truckload of fresh fruit.

After checking the lock on the shed door again and confirming that everything was in order, Xu Xiaoyan pushed the carefully disguised shopping cart toward the trading market.

At this moment, a faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the eastern horizon, and the number of people in the trading market gradually increased. Various sounds began to converge. Unlike most people, Xu Xiaoyan did not instinctively rush to join the bustling and fiercely competitive food area.

She pushed her shopping cart and headed straight for the relatively quiet and sparsely populated section of everyday goods.

The problem of firewood supply has been initially solved, but firewood alone is far from enough! She clearly realized that a safe, controllable, and efficient combustion tool was essential! Otherwise, lighting an open fire for warmth in a closed, poorly ventilated tent, carriage, or room would be tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst, and the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning could silently take a life in one's sleep.

She pushed the cart, her eyes intently searching through all sorts of junk, old furniture, and discarded hardware, not letting any possible clue slip by.

After searching for a long time, her eyes swept over a pile of rusty iron sheets, broken pottery jars, and crooked woodenware... Finally, she stopped in her tracks in front of a dimly lit, inconspicuous corner stall right next to a wall.

Her gaze was fixed on a simple, square box-shaped object made entirely of black and gray sheet metal, next to which was a detachable chimney pipe.

"That's it!" Xu Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat. She stopped her shopping cart and carefully examined the unassuming but practical and reliable metal box. She spoke to the tall, thin stall owner, who sat on a small stool and looked somewhat tired, trying to keep her tone calm: "Excuse me, sir, is this... a stove for heating?"

The middle-aged man, who had been listless and drooping his head, suddenly perked up when a customer came in and inquired about the iron lump that had been sitting untouched for so long. He immediately stood up, a warm smile spreading across his face, and began enthusiastically introducing the product: "Young lady, you have a good eye! You clearly know your stuff! This isn't just an ordinary iron box; it's a genuine multi-functional smokeless stove! Look at the riveting, the welds!"

He pointed to the connection point of the stove body, "It can burn firewood, as well as coal briquettes and coal blocks, it's very adaptable! The most important thing is, look at this design, it's extremely airtight! Besides the small chimney for ventilation, once the stove door is closed, it's completely sealed, no smoke will leak out! You can light a fire in your tent or small room, it's warm and safe, you don't have to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning or anything! You can sleep soundly! It's definitely a great product, I used to rely on it when I was camping!"

Smokeless! Airtight! Safe! These keywords struck Xu Xiaoyan like a hammer blow, instantly and precisely addressing her core needs! This was exactly the key tool she had been dreaming of, capable of solving the biggest safety hazard in future heating! Her eyes lit up, and she suppressed the surging excitement and the cry of "This is it!" Maintaining a cautious and inquisitive expression, she hurriedly asked, her tone perfectly urgent, "How much does it cost to replace this stove? What's the price?" She needed to confirm if she could afford it.

Seeing the other woman's interest, the middle-aged man was secretly pleased. He held up two fingers, hesitated for a moment, then bent down another, saying, "Fifteen catties of dried goods, like wood ear mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms, or... something of equal value, or about... a hundred catties of fresh goods." He paused, seemingly wanting to increase his offer, and added, "Young lady, I'm not lying to you. I spent quite a bit of money on this stove when I went camping in the wild, so the quality is absolutely guaranteed..."

"This price is indeed quite high," Xu Xiaoyan frowned. "Boss, this price... is a bit expensive. Food is so precious these days. A hundred catties of fresh goods is a bit too much..." As she spoke, she casually and naturally lifted a corner of the plain-colored scarf covering the shopping cart, revealing underneath piles of bright yellow, fresh oranges that exuded a refreshing fruity aroma!

At the same time, she quickly covered the scarf back with her hand and lowered her voice to make sure that only the two of them could hear, creating an atmosphere of secret transaction. "Look, this whole truckload of my oranges is top-quality fresh oranges, about ninety pounds. How about I trade this whole truckload of oranges for your stove? You can definitely make a better deal by selling these oranges individually than by keeping this stove."

The tall, thin middle-aged man's eyes widened instantly when he saw a shopping cart full of fresh oranges of excellent quality and tempting color. His pupils dilated involuntarily, his Adam's apple bobbed violently, and he subconsciously swallowed. The allure of fresh fruit was immense, and the value and potential profit represented by this cart of oranges instantly overwhelmed his psychological defenses.

His face showed an extremely conflicted and struggling expression. His gaze darted back and forth between the dark tin stove and the shopping cart covered with a scarf but seemingly radiating golden light. He was clearly having an intense internal struggle.

Ultimately, the craving for food and the weighing of practical benefits completely overwhelmed his insistence on the stove's intangible value. He gritted his teeth, a look of pained yet resolute expression flashing across his face. "Fine! You're straightforward, girl, so I won't beat around the bush! Consider it making friends! Ninety pounds of oranges, this stove, and this section of the chimney—take them all!"

The deal was done! A huge weight lifted from Xu Xiaoyan's heart, and a surge of joy welled up inside her. But on the surface, she only nodded slightly. She immediately stepped forward and helped carry the heavy, cold-to-the-touch tin stove and the several sections of chimney parts that could be assembled together to her shopping cart. Meanwhile, the middle-aged man couldn't wait to start counting and moving the bright yellow oranges. His face beamed with joy, as if he had found a great bargain. His previous hesitation had long since vanished.

Xu Xiaoyan didn't linger. She managed to secure the heavy smokeless stove to the disguised shopping cart, pushed it, and quickly left the stall. She then walked through the gradually bustling crowd and returned to the secluded shed she had rented.

She closed the door, inserted the wooden stick, and with a thought, quickly stored the smokeless stove and its chimney into her space. With this, the safety factor against the severe cold in the future would be greatly improved!

Without stopping, she immediately repeated her trick, transferring a large number of fresh oranges from her spatial storage, filling the empty shopping cart to the brim once again, and then carefully covering it with the plain-colored scarf again.

This time, she changed her strategy. Instead of focusing on finding specific heating stoves, she began a thorough search and precise trading, pushing her cart and quickly navigating the relatively quiet non-food areas of the market.

After completing each transaction, Xu Xiaoyan would immediately move to a different area, never lingering near the same stall or aisle for an extended period to avoid attracting attention. She would specifically target those stall owners who seemed to have the right products and honest-looking faces to communicate and negotiate with.

Using this guerrilla strategy of "hit and run" and the ever-tempting hard currency of fresh oranges, she began to exchange them for various supplies on her list from scattered, inconspicuous stalls:

In a stall piled high with old hardware, rusted parts, and miscellaneous items, she discovered a more robust and heavy indoor cast iron stove with a precision-sealed cover and air regulating valve. Although it was heavier than the previous smokeless stove, it seemed to be more efficient and safer. After a brief bargaining session, she successfully traded thirty kilograms of oranges for this "big guy" that looked more durable for long-term use.

She traded two kilograms of oranges for two rubber hot water bottles from an old man who sold scrap rubber products and tire inner tubes. Although the bottles were a bit old and dull in color, she carefully inspected them and squeezed them repeatedly to make sure there were no leaks and that the rubber still retained its elasticity. Filling them with hot water and stuffing them into the quilt made them the simplest way to keep warm.

At a stall selling antique-style trinkets and old ornaments, she happened to spot a small, exquisitely crafted brass hand warmer with simple engravings. Although this kind of hand warmer required specially made charcoal blocks or charcoal as fuel, which was not as convenient as firewood, she thought it might come in handy in extreme situations or when she needed to carry a heat source with her. So she traded it for the "high price" of five kilograms of oranges.

On the edge of a larger area specializing in various stoves, she found a traditional coal briquette stove that, although old and covered in grease, had an intact firebox, complete grate, and was fully functional. To her surprise, the stall owner also had dozens of stockpiled, slightly damp but still usable honeycomb briquettes in the corner. After some consideration, she used ten pounds of oranges to buy both the coal briquette stove and the pile of honeycomb briquettes.

Even in an area selling old furniture, broken planks, and miscellaneous items, she found an old-fashioned fire table that could be folded up with a grooved iron plate in the middle. Although it was bulky and extremely inconvenient to move, she imagined how warm and comfortable it would be to sit around it, with blankets covering her legs and her feet tucked under the table, covered with thick quilts! In the end, after some difficult communication and the temptation of oranges, she successfully persuaded the stall owner with twenty-five pounds of oranges and bought the fire table.

Xu Xiaoyan is like a tireless buyer. She replaces almost everything she thinks might be useful, that can provide heat or preserve body temperature.