Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 158 Replacing the Hen

He immediately leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said with certainty, "It's perfectly normal that they're rare on the forum! These things are difficult for most people to survive in their current living conditions, and they're troublesome to keep. They're also conspicuous. Anyone who actually has a few is keeping them as treasures, either secretly raising them in a corner, or they've already been reserved by people with connections and resources. They never end up on the open market! This is the hardest currency of hard currencies!"

He rubbed his hands together, looked at Xu Xiaoyan with eager eyes, and directly proposed a solution: "Look, if you trust me, Old Chen, don't bother asking around about this hen, and definitely don't try to exchange it yourself. You wanted 2000 jin of cabbage, right? I'll make the decision, I'll give you an extra 350 jin! We'll use those 350 jin of the best cabbage hearts to exchange for this hen! You'll get a total of 2350 jin of top-quality cabbage hearts! How does that sound? This price is absolutely fair; go ask around, no one can offer a better deal than me!"

This offer is indeed quite generous. She couldn't bear to share a relatively enclosed shelter with a live chicken, not to mention the potential noise, smell, and hygiene issues. Rather than keeping it as a burden and a potential risk, she preferred to exchange it for a substantial amount of vegetables—2350 catties of cabbage hearts, enough to feed her for a long time.

"Okay," Xu Xiaoyan nodded. "We'll do it your way." She handed over the sack containing the hen, while making sure to confirm and emphasize the terms of the transaction again. "Then it's settled. After I confirm that there are no problems with the project acceptance, before the platform pays the final payment for the project, I want to see the cabbage with my own eyes, and the quality must be as you said."

Manager Chen took the sack, his face beaming with joy. He patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry! In this business area, my word is my bond! If even a pound of cabbage is missing, or if even one cabbage isn't as good as I described, you can refuse to pay all your points on the platform! I, Old Chen, will accept the loss without hesitation!"

Hearing that he had even used the final payment for the most important project as a guarantee, Xu Xiaoyan was finally relieved. "Okay, then I'll trouble you to take care of this hen first. It's settled then."

At 10 a.m. on the fifth day, Xu Xiaoyan's door was knocked. When she woke up from her deep sleep, the first thing she noticed was that the clanging, drilling, and metallic sounds that had been going on for several days above her and outside had completely disappeared.

She immediately snapped out of her daze, put on her coat, and, accompanied by Steward Chen, opened the newly renovated and reinforced door leading to the backyard. The sight that greeted her invigorated her.

The project is complete! The silver-gray stainless steel shed frame has been fully erected and covered with thick composite panels with insulation layers. The joints of the panels have been waterproofed and sealed. The entire two-story structure completely encloses and extends her original bungalow and backyard, forming a sturdy and enclosed extra space.

The metal surfaces gleamed with a cold, hard, and reliable sheen in the faint winter morning sunlight. The external staircase against the wall was already installed, complete with a simple canopy and sturdy handrails. The treads were designed to be non-slip. The entire building looked solid and orderly, fully meeting her previous requirements for "robust, sealed, and fast".

Before she could carefully go up the stairs to check the interior details and construction quality, the familiar "putt-putt-putt" engine sound of a diesel tricycle came from outside the gate on time, coming from afar and finally stopping at the gate.

Manager Chen's father, an old man with gray hair but vigorous and nimble hands, arrived on time to deliver goods on a tricycle equipped with a sideboard. The tricycle was piled high with large, clean, and breathable net bags containing Chinese cabbages, each one cleaned thoroughly, leaving only the most tender and firm heart, with the few remaining tender leaves on the outside also fresh and green, making them look excellent.

The old man didn't say much, but he smiled kindly at Xu Xiaoyan, greeted her, and then, under her guidance, he and his son began to move the 2350 kilograms of cabbage hearts from the truck to the newly completed warehouse area on the second floor.

Xu Xiaoyan followed him up and watched as the old man skillfully stacked the cabbages neatly in the designated area. The cabbages emitted a fresh and unique aroma, instantly filling the new space, which still carried a faint smell of metal and wood.

Xu Xiaoyan carefully inspected the quality of the cabbage, and then quickly surveyed the interior of the second-floor shed. The roof was well-sealed, the walls were sturdy, and the reserved ventilation openings were equipped with closable baffles. Overall, she could not find any fault with the construction quality.

Seeing that the quality of the goods and the project were as guaranteed by Manager Chen, Xu Xiaoyan didn't delay any longer. She immediately took out her phone, logged into the Linchuan Trading Forum platform, found the project order and the cabbage transaction order with Manager Chen, confirmed the remaining payment for the project in addition to the deposit she had previously paid, and the payment for the cabbage, and completed the payment.

Seeing the notification that the points had been successfully credited to his account, Manager Chen smiled with satisfaction and relief. He gave a few more instructions on routine maintenance, and then drove away with the old man in their empty tricycle.

After seeing them off, Xu Xiaoyan immediately turned around, carefully locked and checked the courtyard gate and the inner and outer doors of the house to ensure safety, and then quickly went up to the warehouse on the second floor.

The 2350 kilograms of cabbages were quietly piled up in the warehouse on the second floor. Although the weather had turned cold, these cabbages could be preserved for a while in this relatively sheltered warehouse thanks to the natural low temperature. However, Xu Xiaoyan knew very well that even the best natural conditions were subject to change. Over time, they would inevitably dehydrate and rot. There was no place that could compare to her space.

With a thought, the neatly stacked cabbages in the second-floor warehouse vanished instantly. However, this emptiness reminded her of another urgent matter. She immediately took out her phone; it was close to noon, earlier than she had expected.

She remembered the various buckets and tanks she had ordered yesterday from the trading forum, originally scheduled for delivery tomorrow morning. Now that the second floor was empty, it was the perfect time to receive and store these items. She contacted the seller and sent a message: "Hello, I am the buyer with order number ending in XXXX. The original delivery time was tomorrow morning. Would it be convenient to move the delivery time to now? I am ready to receive them. The address remains the same."

Within two minutes, the seller replied readily: "Sure, I've finished delivering all my morning orders and I have some free time. I'll arrange for someone to deliver it to you right away. It should arrive in about half an hour." This relieved her.