Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 344 Daytime Heatwave

She walked to the window, peeked out through the gap in her scarf, and then she understood.

The sun was shining directly on her wall. Her room, 502, had a south-facing window, and at this time, the sunlight streaming through the glass turned the entire room into a giant greenhouse.

She turned around, took out a bottle of mineral water from her backpack, unscrewed the cap, tilted her head back, and gulped it down.

The water flowed down her throat, and the cool sensation spread from her throat all the way to her stomach. She gulped down the whole bottle of water in one go, and only then did she feel alive again.

As I put down the empty bottle, my stomach suddenly growled loudly, quite clearly in the quiet room.

She quickly rummaged through her storage space, finding braised pork and rice balls that had been prepared earlier, all in a food storage container.

She ate the rice balls and meat in one bite, devouring all three rice balls and the whole box of braised pork in a whirlwind.

After eating and drinking her fill, she stood up, walked to the window, and looked out through the gap in her scarf.

The neighborhood was quiet, the ground was empty, with only a few cars parked there, and almost all the windows in the rooms were covered with various things.

Some people used curtains to cover the windows completely.

Some windows were covered with wooden boards, with boards nailed to the window frames, leaving only a few narrow gaps for light to pass through.

Some were even bricks, stacked up one by one, almost blocking the windows completely. Did they not want windows at all? What ruthless people!

The heat outside was intense, and you could feel the scorching sun even through the curtains.

Xu Xiaoyan squatted in the corner, sweeping the last bit of ash into the dustpan. Sweat slid down her forehead and dripped onto the ground, forming a small dark patch.

Just as she was about to get up to empty the ashes, a voice suddenly called out from outside the window, "Hey—is anyone there—does anyone have any small steamed buns?"

Xu Xiaoyan paused for a moment.

The voice came from the front, young and a little hoarse. It was about one or two buildings away, so it wasn't very clear, but every word was distinct.

"I'll trade you three dry biscuits! Three! Very dry ones, the kind that won't spoil—"

Xu Xiaoyan straightened up, walked to the window, and opened the curtains a crack.

The sunlight was so bright that she squinted. On the third floor of the building diagonally opposite, a window was wide open, and she could vaguely see a figure peering out from the window.

Xu Xiaoyan lowered the curtains and stood there for a while.

As a woman, she certainly knew what steamed buns were. She had stockpiled a lot of this daily necessity in her space, but so what? They were not relatives or friends, so there was no need to take the risk. Why become a target just to flaunt her wealth?

Currently, the military is in charge, and things seem peaceful on the surface, but what about behind the scenes? How many people are in each family, and how much stuff each family has hoarded are all unspeakable secrets.

"Is anyone there? I just need to exchange this bag," the girl was still calling out, her voice trembling with a hint of tears.

Xu Xiaoyan lowered her head, and it was quiet outside for a few seconds.

"Is nobody here...?" Then came another round of shouts, over and over again, like a broken record.

Xu Xiaoyan squatted down and slowly poured the ashes from the dustpan into the trash can.

The girl shouted for about five minutes, then her voice gradually subsided and finally fell silent.

Around 7 p.m., the sun finally set, and shadowy figures began to move around downstairs.

First, groups of two or three men carrying pots and pans walked out of the residential area, presumably to exchange water.

Then came a few elderly people, carrying small stools and benches, chatting while fanning themselves, and then more and more people joined in.

Xu Xiaoyan drew back the curtains, letting in the last bit of sunlight.

The phrase "being active at night and resting during the day" used to be something from movies, but now it's become a common practice in our neighborhood.

During the day, it's at least 40 or 50 degrees Celsius, not to mention at noon. Without air conditioning, no one can stand it. It only comes alive when the sun goes down.

She thought that although she lacked nothing, she still needed to integrate into the crowd and learn about the latest policies. If she stayed in her room all day, everyone would know that she was up to something. Only by going out frequently could she avoid arousing suspicion.

With that in mind, she tidied her backpack. Before, for convenience, she'd just tossed bottled water in, but now it was better to be discreet and use a thermos instead.

As for food, she thought for a moment and decided to put something lightweight in. There were some dried biscuits in the space, so she put ten in and threw in a few packets of compressed biscuits. Then she zipped up the zipper and weighed the contents.

It's alright, not too light or too heavy, looks decent.

As for anything else... if you need it, just find a secluded spot and take it out under the cover of your backpack.

She slung her bag over her shoulder, and when she pushed open the door, a hot, rancid smell wafted from the hallway.

Xu Xiaoyan closed and locked the door, then turned and walked downstairs.

As she reached the corner on the second floor, she encountered an old woman carrying a tattered cloth bag as she climbed up. As they passed each other, the old woman glanced at her, her gaze lingering on her backpack for a second.

Xu Xiaoyan neither dodged nor quickened her pace, but continued walking down the street normally.

When she got downstairs, she stood at the entrance of the building, watching people come and go.

Someone laid out a plastic sheet on the open ground and placed a few things on it: two slingshots, a glass bottle, and a folding bed. It was unclear what they wanted to exchange it for.

A few people were gathered around, haggling in hushed tones. Under the streetlights in the distance, a group of younger men were squatting in a circle, seemingly dividing something up.

As she walked towards the entrance of the residential area, passing the withered sycamore tree, she heard two women talking under the tree:

"...They said a car would be coming tomorrow, but I don't know what it will be carrying."

"What else can we pull? Military supplies, of course. They'll prioritize their own people first."

"What about our side?"

"Just wait, what's the rush? You won't starve."

Xu Xiaoyan slowed her pace and walked past them, glancing at one of the women out of the corner of her eye. She recognized one of the women; she seemed to live in the building next to hers. She had met this woman briefly last night. The other woman was unfamiliar; she had never seen her before.

She didn't stop and continued walking forward. Soon she arrived at the entrance of the community. She heard children talking in the guardhouse. She turned her head and glanced inside. It seemed that a family of five was living there.

Xu Xiaoyan hadn't gone far from the gate of the residential area when she saw seven or eight people talking loudly ahead of her, walking rather hurriedly, as if they were in a hurry to do something.

One of the men spoke the loudest: "Really? They're moving so fast! I have to go check it out; if I go early, I can buy some good stuff!"

Another woman chimed in, "I also heard it just started tonight. Anyway, it's only a kilometer, so it's not a loss to walk over and take a look."

"Let's go, let's go, don't dawdle, or we'll miss out on everything."

Buying things? She watched the group's backs as her feet involuntarily followed them.

After walking a few steps, she slowed down again, not wanting to be too obvious. The people in front of her were clearly a small group, and suddenly cutting in would easily cause trouble. She followed at a distance of about ten meters, but her ears were always perked up.

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