Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 269 The Deal is Agreed

"It would be better if," she changed the subject again, "just stayed in Zone C and used the points or resources you got from me to live your own quiet life."

When I have nothing to do, I tinker with that little food cart and make some simple dishes. I don't do it to make money, I just do it for fun. I'm self-sufficient and it saves me from having to put up with other people's attitudes and getting annoyed.

Finally, she leaned back slightly, looking at the old man with clear eyes:

"In my opinion, no matter what the final outcome of this swap deal is, you two are sitting on the sidelines, and you won't lose out no matter how you look at it."

They received tangible material compensation, and perhaps a knot in their heart could be untied...

You've long harbored suspicions about your son's recent estrangement and family conflicts, but you've been unwilling or afraid to delve into them, haven't you, Grandpa?

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he looked into Xu Xiaoyan's eyes, which seemed to see through everything.

Remembering the grievances and frustrations his wife had suffered at their son's house, those words stuck in his throat again, and he didn't know where to begin. Only heavy breathing echoed between them.

This suggestion is too direct, and too... to the point.

However, before the old man could sort out his chaotic thoughts and make any response—

"Old Ge! Switch with her!" A loud shout suddenly came from the driver's seat of the dark blue car behind the two men!

The noise was so loud that it even drowned out the lingering arguments at the entrance of "Honghu" in the distance.

The driver's side window had been rolled down again, and the old lady who had been resting with her eyes closed was now sitting up straight.

He pressed one hand firmly against the car window frame, and half of his body eagerly leaned out.

His face no longer showed any of the indifference and fatigue from before; instead, it displayed a kind of reckless excitement and a kind of "what's the use" kind of determination.

Her eyes were wide open, slightly red from excitement, as she stared intently at her husband. Her voice was urgent and loud, carrying an unquestionable commanding tone:

"Change it! Old Ge! Do as this girl says! Change it immediately!"

She gasped for breath, her chest heaving with excitement, as if she had finally found an outlet for her emotions.

"That son of a bitch! She's just relying on her youth and good looks."

Isn't she always nagging and complaining in front of our son, crying and wailing, and trying to find ways to say that our son is biased?

What did she mean by "Why did you only get a car for your parents, but not for mine?" Ha! Go to hell!

The old lady's scolding was merciless, with profanities flowing freely, a stark contrast to her previous aloof and distant intellectual image, revealing the shrewish nature of everyday life.

"Who do her parents think they are? They dare compare themselves to us? Our son back then..."

She stopped abruptly at this point, seemingly referring to some old stories or family secrets that were inconvenient to share with outsiders, her face turning slightly red.

But his anger did not diminish at all; on the contrary, it surged even more fiercely because of the interruption.

"...Anyway, this car makes me angry just looking at it!"

Seeing it reminds me of that vixen's face, and how my son has been ignoring us lately! Change it! Perfect!

Her gaze pierced through Xu Xiaoyan, then returned to her husband, and she said decisively, "Let's take that girl's food cart and try it out on our son!"

Let's see if he's really fallen for that vixen's charms, if his brain's completely muddled, and if he still has any regard for us, the two old folks who raised him!

Xu Xiaoyan was stunned by the sudden, battle-ready roar, her mouth slightly agape.

Only one thought remained in my mind:

Goodness... This old lady didn't say a word to me in the car but directly confronted me. It seems she was really "polite" to me, or rather, she didn't take me seriously at all.

"Ouch!" The old man's shoulders twitched as his wife yelled at him. He quickly turned around, waving his hands and making a shushing gesture.

His face was filled with extreme embarrassment and the anxiety of "not washing one's dirty linen in public," and his voice was distorted with worry:

"Keep your voice down! Keep your voice down! We're still outside! What are you yelling about! What kind of vixen and son of a bitch are you saying in public like that?"

If others hear this, what will we look like! Will we have no face left? We'll be a laughingstock!

He tried to appease his wife's anger by talking about "face" and "what others think," but it was clearly ineffective.

"What a joke? Bah!" The old woman didn't buy it at all, or rather, her pent-up resentment had made her disregard all sense of propriety.

She completely ignored Lao Ge's weak and ineffective words of comfort, reached out and forcefully pushed open her car door with a "snap," her movements so swift and decisive that she didn't seem like an old woman at all.

She walked up to Xu Xiaoyan in a few steps, looked Xu Xiaoyan up and down, and lingered for a moment on her young face, simple clothes and backpack.

Then, the old woman spoke, her voice lower than when she had been shouting, but still crisp and direct, getting straight to the point without any pleasantries or preamble:

"Little girl," she stared into Xu Xiaoyan's eyes, "you just said you wanted to switch to our car that can run in Zones B and C. Okay, I agree."

She paused, then changed her tone, "Now, tell me, how much 'sincerity' can you offer? How many points?"

Or, do you have something decent, something you can show off? Just talking about it isn't enough.

Xu Xiaoyan knew that the most crucial moment for negotiation had arrived.

She didn't immediately give a specific score; giving too many would be a loss for her and might expose her as being too eager for quick success or "foolish with too much money."

If you quote too low a price, the other party will not agree and may even feel insulted, leading them to terminate the transaction directly.

So, without saying a word, she quickly took the backpack off her shoulder and, in front of the two elderly people, fully unzipped the main compartment.

Then, she slightly opened the backpack with both hands and handed it forward so that they could all see the contents clearly.

"Grandma, Grandpa," Xu Xiaoyan's voice was steady and honest, carrying a sincerity that said, "I'm showing you all my cards."

"To be honest, I don't know the exact value of your car either; there's no price listed on the market."

Moreover, the value of this cross-regional access is difficult to measure using ordinary points.

She gestured for the old woman to check herself, saying, "This is the most valuable thing I have on me right now. Take a look, and if you think it's enough, we can exchange it."

If you feel it's not quite right, tell me roughly what it is, and I'll see if I can think of another way.

The main compartment of the backpack didn't contain many items, but they were neatly arranged.

The most eye-catching items are two exquisitely crafted flat boxes with fine embossed patterns on their surfaces, giving them an air of considerable value.

These are the two boxes of individually packaged, premium-quality deer antler slices that were taken from the complete deer antler gift box.

Next to the box lay a well-packaged cigarette from a well-known brand, its gold-stamped logo clearly visible, sealed tightly without a single wrinkle.

There was nothing else besides that.

The old woman didn't stand on ceremony at all; she reached out and slipped her hand directly into Xu Xiaoyan's backpack.

She first picked up a box of deer antlers, deftly opened the metal clasp on the lid, and glanced at the neatly arranged, intact, and warm-colored deer antler slices inside.

He gently weighed the box again, then closed it and carefully put it back in its place.

Then, she picked up the cigarette and carefully examined the seal and brand logo on the outer packaging, even bringing it close to her nose to smell it.

Then, her fingers quickly and skillfully groped and pressed through the remaining space inside the backpack.

It seemed they were checking the backpack fabric for any unusual thickness or hidden compartments, confirming that apart from the two main items and some odds and ends, there were no other "hard goods" hidden inside.

After the inspection, she withdrew her hand, her face expressionless. Then she turned her head and exchanged a very brief glance with Lao Ge.

Old Ge's face still showed hesitation and complexity. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but the old woman had already nodded decisively.

"The stuff is alright," the old woman's assessment was concise. "The deer antler is top-quality and well-preserved."

The cigarettes are a reputable brand, unopened, although…” She glanced at her dark blue car:

"...In terms of rarity and actual value of authority, it certainly can't compare to our car."

But in Zone C now, it's considered a really good item, and can be exchanged for a lot of scarce resources or hard currency points.

She paused, looked at Xu Xiaoyan, and made her final decision:

"Alright, it's so-so, enough to replace it. We'll take the loss and consider it... a good deed, so we won't have to be bothered by this car anymore."

She handed the backpack back to Xu Xiaoyan quickly.

"Old Ge," she turned to her husband again, her tone reverting to the commanding tone typical of family conversations, "Stop dawdling, change it! It's settled!"

Then, she looked at Xu Xiaoyan and said, "Let's go, don't just stand here. Let's go and get the transfer done. You know where to register these kinds of privately swapped vehicles, right?"

She glanced with disgust at the still somewhat noisy entrance to the "Honghu" company.

"This place is a mess, it looks unlucky. Let's get this done quickly so it'll be quieter. Did you bring your car keys and all the paperwork?"

Xu Xiaoyan suppressed her overwhelming joy and a slight sense of disbelief, quickly took the backpack, zipped it up, and put it back on, nodding vigorously:

"Okay! I know the place! I have all my documents with me—my car keys, permits, registration forms—with me! Let's go get it done right away!"

Xu Xiaoyan led the two elders of the Ge family, each with a different expression, through the "living room" waiting area in front of the management office.

Then, they walked straight to the hidden metal door that blended seamlessly into the wall.

She didn't wait blankly like she had the first time she came.

Instead, he went straight up to the door and gently pressed a small, dark-colored, palm-sized, smooth sensor area with his index finger knuckle.