Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 156 Hen

The two were clearly taken aback by her sudden appearance of these items, let alone that they were meant for them. Xie Yingtang's pupils constricted slightly, while Wang Xiao stared wide-eyed at the bottle of wine and five packs of cigarettes on the table. They knew perfectly well the value of these items.

Before they could refuse or ask questions, Xu Xiaoyan continued, "Niu Niu has been given up for adoption by her family. Brother Xie, you have more connections than me and know more people. Try to exchange these for points as soon as possible. Don't be reluctant to part with them, and don't think about keeping them. Now is not the time to worry about these material things."

Her gaze shifted to the gloomy sky outside the window, and she lowered her voice, "Once you get the points, don't worry about anything else. Immediately go and find a better place to live. The first priority should be a place with a heated kang bed! Or at least one with reliable heating, thick walls, and sturdy doors and windows. Then, use the remaining points to buy as much coal as possible and stockpile it!"

She turned back and looked intently at them. "I have a feeling that this cold snap might be different from the cold waves we've experienced before. It might last for a long time. At that time, a warm, stable shelter and enough fuel might be the boundary between life and death."

She paused for a moment. "Nothing is more important than survival. These cigarettes and alcohol are just sitting here; they'll only be of maximum value if they're exchanged for the supplies you urgently need. When it's time to use them, we must not be stingy or hesitate!"

Xie Yingtang's throat bobbed noticeably. He looked at the cigarettes and alcohol on the table and then at Xu Xiaoyan. He wanted to decline, to say, "This is too expensive," to say, "We can't always take advantage of you," to say, "You need to stock up yourself too"... But all his words got stuck in his throat when he met the unwavering determination in Xu Xiaoyan's eyes.

In the end, Xie Yingtang's refusals all turned into a heavy sigh, and then he nodded heavily. "Xiao Yan... I can't thank you enough for such a great kindness! We... we are indebted to you again."

Wang Xiao suddenly raised his head. This usually carefree young man's eyes were noticeably red. He sniffed hard, as if trying to suppress the emotions welling up inside him, and then gave a heavy "Mmm," his voice muffled. "Xiao Yan, don't worry! We'll definitely get it done quickly! We won't waste any time!"

Xu Xiaoyan breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that they had finally accepted the money. She had done all she could. The rest was up to them. She hoped they could seize this last possible window of opportunity before the temperature dropped.

She gave them a few more detailed instructions, such as paying special attention to the neighbors when moving houses, storing coal separately to avoid attracting unwanted attention, and keeping an eye out for any new official announcements. After giving them these instructions, Xu Xiaoyan got up to leave, and Xie Yingtang and Wang Xiao saw her to the door.

"Go back quickly, hurry up," Xu Xiaoyan said finally, waving to them before turning and stepping into the even darker staircase.

Xie Yingtang stood by the door, watching her figure quickly disappear around the corner of the stairs. He turned back into the room and said in a deep voice to Wang Xiao, who was still in a daze, "Don't just stand there. Pack your things and we'll head out right away. Let's go to Lao Hei's place first. He has connections everywhere. Let's see if we can sell the stuff as soon as possible."

Xu Xiaoyan walked back alone along the road she had come from. It was darker than when she had come. A few lights were lit up on both sides of the outer city street, and faint light shone from some windows facing the street, reflecting swaying figures.

Some vendors who were still open during the day were hurriedly packing up, tightly binding their remaining goods, afraid that someone would take advantage of the chaos to steal them. Occasionally, one could see one or two homeless people huddled in the shadows of a corner, or people who looked blank and didn't know where to go. In the distance, one could hear the sounds of arguing and children crying, but these were quickly swallowed up by the louder noise of the marketplace.

Xu Xiaoyan quickened her pace, eager to get back to her small courtyard, which was under reinforcement, as soon as possible. She put her backpack back on her back, put her hands in the pockets of her down jacket, and kept an eye on her surroundings as she walked.

As we were walking, an unusual commotion and disturbance suddenly arose near a crossroads ahead, mixed with excited shouts, hurried footsteps, and the frantic sound of flapping wings.

Xu Xiaoyan looked up and saw about seven or eight people, men and women, shouting and chasing after a hen that was panicking and desperately flapping its wings to try to escape! The hen's feathers were yellow and white but looked a bit dirty and messy, obviously quite frightened. Under the uncoordinated encirclement of the crowd, it darted left and right, clucking and kicking up a cloud of dust and scattered feathers.

Behind the chasing group, an elderly woman with gray hair, wearing a bulky old green cotton-padded jacket, chased after them while shouting shrilly, "Stop chasing! Those are my chickens!" Her voice was very shrill.

However, the people chasing her ignored her completely, and one of them even turned around and yelled, "Bullshit! You're just spouting lies! This chicken has been wandering around outside for a long time, it's ownerless! I was the first to find it! Whoever catches it keeps it!"

"That's right! Whoever catches it gets to keep it!" Someone immediately chimed in, their eyes fixed on the exhausted hen, as if they could already see a bowl of hot chicken soup for dinner.

Xu Xiaoyan paused, observing the farce with a cold eye. Such scenes of scrambling for meat were not uncommon these days, especially in resource-scarce areas like the outer city. A live hen meant a steady supply of eggs or a meal of meat, which was quite tempting.

She shook her head, having no intention of participating, and simply planned to quietly walk around the edge of the noisy crowd and continue on her way.

Unexpectedly, things often turn out this way in life—you may not want to cause trouble, but trouble may find you on its own.

The hen, chased to the brink of despair and nearly exhausted, seemed to develop a survival instinct amidst the chaos. Its small eyes frantically scanned its surroundings, discovering that people were blocking its way in almost every direction. Only in Xu Xiaoyan's direction was the crowd relatively sparse, and she was simply standing calmly by the roadside, showing no intention of grabbing it. Her body posture was even turned to the side, as if she was preparing to leave.

Perhaps in the hen's simple understanding, this became the only "way to live"!

After being nearly pounced on again, the hen let out a sharp squawk and, with its last bit of strength, flapped its not-so-strong wings and swooped low toward Xu Xiaoyan! Its target seemed to be the relatively open gap next to Xu Xiaoyan.

Xu Xiaoyan was focused on the road ahead, intending to cross quickly, when suddenly, she felt something heavy, furry, warm and smelly, slam into her arms with considerable force! The impact made her stagger slightly to the right and back half a step.

Immediately afterward, a clear "ripping" sound came from her left forearm—the sound of fabric tearing! At the same time, she felt a slight stinging and pulling sensation—in her panic, the hen's sharp claws hooked onto the sleeve of her down jacket, and in the struggle, it tore a tear in the fabric that was at least ten centimeters long! A few grayish-yellow feathers were still stuck to the edge of the tear, trembling slightly in the wind.

"..." Xu Xiaoyan was speechless for a moment. She looked down at the conspicuous and brand-new cut on her arm, then at the culprit in her arms who was still thrashing about in fear, feathers flying everywhere. A surge of anger welled up in her heart. What kind of mess was this? An innocent disaster! This down jacket was one of her carefully selected winter gear, of very good quality, and she never expected it to be ruined by a chicken foot!

But she reacted quickly, her anger not clouding her judgment. Before the disoriented hen could struggle to escape again, she precisely and forcefully grabbed the hen's wings with her right hand and lifted it up. The hen immediately let out a series of sharper clucking sounds, its wings flapping futilely in the air.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding crowd of pursuers erupted in uproar. Some, seeing that the hen was already firmly in someone's grasp, sighed regretfully, shook their heads, and thought it was hopeless. They turned and dispersed to continue looking for other opportunities. But others, seeing the meat that was almost in their mouths fly away, were unwilling to give up, and their eyes turned hostile.

One of the slovenly-dressed middle-aged men, who had been at the forefront, suddenly approached when he saw Xu Xiaoyan, a young woman, grab the hen. He reached out to snatch the hen from Xu Xiaoyan's hand, muttering incoherently as he tried to create some semblance of fact: "Girl, this... I saw this hen first, I've been chasing it for ages... Look, isn't it..." His hands were dirty and black, with grime under his fingernails.

Xu Xiaoyan almost laughed out of anger at his righteous shamelessness! This world really has all sorts of weirdos and scoundrels! In broad daylight, it's already in her hands, and he still wants to snatch it by force?

She nimbly dodged the man's outstretched dirty hand, simultaneously hiding the hen behind her back and meeting his glaring gaze. "How dare you! It's already in my hands, and you still want to steal it? Are you out of your mind? You've been chasing it for so long? You could have chased it all the way to Mars, and this chicken is mine now!" She deliberately spoke loudly so that those who hadn't completely dispersed could hear her.

The man was taken aback by her rapid-fire rebuke, seemingly not expecting this seemingly quiet young woman to be so forceful when she started yelling.

He met Xu Xiaoyan's fearless gaze, and then glanced at her other hand as it unconsciously reached for her backpack. His previous bullying and cowardly attitude immediately diminished.

He chuckled awkwardly, withdrew his hand, and muttered under his breath, "How can you talk like that..." but his body took two or three steps back unwillingly. He didn't leave completely, but shrank into the shadows nearby, clearly still observing, perhaps wanting to see if there was any other advantage he could take.

At this moment, the middle-aged woman in the green cotton-padded jacket finally caught up, panting. When she saw Xu Xiaoyan carrying a hen, she hurriedly said, "Little girl, little girl! Please, please have mercy! This chicken is mine. Please, give it back to me! I'll bow to you!" As she spoke, she actually made a gesture as if to bend down.

Xu Xiaoyan didn't speak, and her face was expressionless. She simply raised her left arm and clearly showed the old lady the long, conspicuous tear on the sleeve of her down jacket, which had been hooked by a chicken claw. Some of the down was already leaking out of the tear and fluttering gently in the evening breeze.

The older woman froze when she saw the fresh gash. Her anxious and pleading expression instantly vanished, replaced by a conflicted look. Her eyes darted back and forth between the hen and the tear. She hesitated, perhaps thinking Xu Xiaoyan was young and easy to talk to, and tentatively said in a much weaker tone, "This...this...the hen was being naughty and got hurt...Young lady, look, how about...how about I sew it back up for you? I'm pretty good at needlework, I guarantee it'll be undetectable..."

Xu Xiaoyan shook her head, the movement small, but her refusal was very clear. Her tone was calm, but with an unyielding firmness, and she directly gave two options: "No need to mend it. Let's not even talk about whether this chicken is yours or not. Even if it is, there are only two solutions: First, compensate me with a brand new down jacket of the same brand and style, and you can keep the chicken; second, since this chicken has torn my down jacket, it will naturally have to pay off its debt with its own body."

Upon hearing this, the older woman frowned deeply, her face showing embarrassment and a hint of dissatisfaction. She looked at Xu Xiaoyan's down jacket and asked, "How much does your down jacket cost?" She probably still held onto a sliver of hope that it might not be expensive.

Xu Xiaoyan didn't say much. She took out her phone, turned on the screen, and quickly opened the base trading forum app. She quickly entered keywords such as "long down jacket" and "Laodeng brand" into the search bar.

The page refreshed quickly, displaying numerous results. Ordinary no-name or older-style long down jackets were priced at around 1.5 to 2.5 points for brand new ones; while the "Laodeng" brand that Xu Xiaoyan was wearing was a well-regarded outdoor brand, known for its superior warmth and durability. It was clearly priced on the forum, with brand new ones costing 3 points and good-condition secondhand ones costing around 2.5 points, and the quantity was very limited.

She turned her phone screen towards the older woman, showing her the product page priced at 3 points, and pointed to the brand logo on her sleeve, saying clearly, "This is an old brand, clearly priced at 3 points on the forum. I don't want more, just pay this price."

"Three points?!" the old woman exclaimed, her eyes wide. Seeing that there was no hope of compensating with points, she simply plopped down on the cold, dirty ground, not caring about the filth anymore. She pounded the ground with her hands and began to wail at the top of her lungs, her voice shrill and pitiful. "This is outrageous! This is too much! Robbers! All I did was accidentally scratch it a little with a chicken claw, and they want me to pay for a brand new one! This is trying to kill me... I can't live like this anymore... My chicken... Waaah..."

She cried uncontrollably, her sobs carrying far through the evening streets, immediately attracting more passersby to stop and watch. People pointed and whispered among themselves, some looking at the old woman with sympathy, while others curiously scrutinized Xu Xiaoyan, who was carrying a chicken and had a blank expression, trying to find out what had happened.