Chapter 36

Not wanting Mu Nan to focus too much on what happened just now, Qin Huai found something for him to do as soon as he got home: "Take a look at the rice you got. If it's okay, we can keep it for ourselves. If it's not, you can keep it. This kind of two-pound vacuum-packed small package will be convenient for trading with others in the future."

Given the current situation, the trend of trading food is certain. Although they may not have anything to trade with others, there is always a chance of something happening. Trading with others using things distributed by the government can save a lot of trouble.

Mu Nan knew without even looking that the rice was just ordinary rice, and it even had some coarse grains mixed in it. It was obviously prepared by the government specifically for distributing supplies. "It should be pretty ordinary. You see there are coarse grains in it. They are just to make up the quantity. Just put the things you received aside and save them. The noodles are not tasty either, they taste like mushrooms."

Mushroom flavor and seafood flavor are considered the least popular in the instant noodle world. Of course, there must be a small group of people who like to eat them, otherwise there would be no market and these two flavors would not be made. But most people don’t like them. The panic buying of food before the lockdown and the crazy stockpiling afterwards meant that people would not buy these two flavors unless they had no choice.

I didn't expect that they would be attracted by these two flavors. These are free supplies distributed by the government and people have no choice.

Some people couldn't help but complain online, saying that if they eat this, it's really not tasty. If they don't eat this, their families will be running out of food. The government doesn't think about them at all. Can't they try to distribute some food that is popular among the public?

Some people are quite lucky. They probably have many people in their family, so each person gets one. A family with four or five people can get several bags. The flavors they get are either stir-fried pepper or braised brown sauce, so they post on social media to show off. They are so lucky.

Mu Nan sighed, his luck has never been very good. Well, that's not the case. In other things, such as daily life, playing games, lottery and so on, he is always the top unlucky person. It may be just because he has used up all his life's luck to meet Qin Huai and get the space. Thinking of this, he feels that he is definitely God's favorite son, and there is no escape from being a European emperor.

Qin Huai came out of the shower and saw Mu Nan leaning on the bed and browsing her phone. He smiled and asked, "What are you looking at? Is there anything interesting?"

Mu Nan held the phone and turned the screen towards Qin Huai: "Look at other people's houses, they all have spicy pepper and braised flavors, how lucky they are."

Qin Huai: "Shiitake mushrooms are also OK. Don't use the seasoning packet. Just take out the dough and add the seasoning to cook. Nowadays, many people may not have much food at home, but they should still have some seasoning. Except for salt, you can see that the online supermarket has a larger purchase limit on pepper and MSG. The seasoning packet can be used as a soup packet in the future. Although there is not much of those dried vegetable ingredients, they are still vegetables after all."

If Qin Huai hadn't said it, Mu Nan really wouldn't have thought it would be like this. Maybe he couldn't think straight and thought that mushroom instant noodles could only taste like mushrooms.

"Let's keep it for now. We won't eat it anyway. What are we going to eat later? Or we can have shrimp and cold noodles from the restaurant we used to go to. I bought a lot of shrimp later, but it's a pity that shrimp is so expensive. If I hadn't saved the money you sent me over the years, I could have bought some more things with the savings. At that time, I was thinking about whether I should sell my house and live with you to get some money to buy supplies."

Old houses like theirs are not easy to sell. Although the location is good, the environment is very bad. Even in the central city, it cannot be sold at a high price. A big part of the reason why Mu Nan gave up the idea of ​​selling the house was that it was too troublesome, such as transferring the ownership and finding a buyer. If he had that kind of time, he might as well go to places with high food production to purchase goods. It would be faster to get a loan than to sell the house.

When Qin Huai just came back, Mu Nan rarely mentioned the past, mostly planning for future stockpiling, and the most he told him was what he could buy to protect their lives in the extreme situations he had dreamed of in the future. Now listening to Mu Nan occasionally mentioning the past, talking about some things that happened when he bought supplies and stockpiled, and about his past with his comic editors and comic readers, although he still rarely mentioned life at school, Qin Huai was very happy to be able to do so. The distance was not alienated in a day, and it was also not shortened in a day.

Seeing the little expression of him taking the shrimp out while carefully peeking at him, afraid that he would not let him eat, Qin Huai's heart softened, but he still had a heart of stone: "Put the braised ones in."

Mu Nan looked miserable for a second.

Qin Huai smiled and said, "You are allowed to have two servings of steamed shrimp."

The little sad face smiled instantly.

The shrimp and cold noodles were obviously not enough for the two of them, so Mu Nan took out a plate of cold edamame, a plate of stir-fried lotus root shreds, and a large portion of soup dumplings. The ice-cold beer was from Qinhuai, and the Happy Magic Water was his own.

I found a lively variety show on my notebook. The two of them sat on small stools and happily sucked shrimps around the small round coffee table. "Brother, can you turn on the small fan? It's a bit hot."

They don't set the air conditioner too low. If you don't move much, the temperature is just right. But eating is sometimes a physical activity, especially eating shrimps. Plus, you just came back from outside and just took a shower, so your mind hasn't calmed down yet, and the heat in your body naturally hasn't gone down. So turning on a small fan is just right in such an air-conditioned room.

Qin Huai got up and turned on a small fan, the old USB fan that was slightly larger than the palm. He placed it in front of them so that they could eat while blowing. It was not too cold but just enough to relieve the heat.

Shrimp are naturally delicious only when they are shared. Mu Nan did not rush to eat the cold noodles, but peeled all the steamed shrimps and placed them on the plate, so that if Qin Huai wanted to eat them, he could just dip them in the sauce without getting his hands dirty. However, Qin Huai only ate two or three shrimps out of consideration. If he really wanted to leave one uneaten, Mu Nan would definitely stuff it into his mouth.

Seeing that Mu Nan didn't even let go of the shrimp heads, Qin Huai said, "There's not much shrimp roe, don't bother with it."

Mu Nan sighed softly: "Apart from shrimp meat, this is the most delicious thing. I'll finish it one by one." He loved eating it before, and he couldn't afford to waste it now. After all, this was considered as eating one less portion each time.

Qin Huai thought, a shrimp is nothing but the shrimp head besides the shrimp meat, but seeing that Mu Nan picked it carefully and was careful not to eat the dirt in the shrimp head, he just let him do it.

After a while, the sound of the elevator door opening was heard in the corridor. Judging from the footsteps, it should be a person. Mu Nan's hands were dirty from peeling shrimps, so he asked Qin Huai to ask in the group whether Xu Ming had returned and what happened to the person just now.

Soon Xu Ming took Yu Zibai's bag from his house, returned home and entered the air-conditioned room, then sent a voice message: "The girl was severely burned. Her shoes fell off when she was chasing the dog, and her feet were cut by gravel on the road. She was running barefoot. I could only give her a simple emergency treatment. I found her a pair of shoes and rode my bike to send her home."

Jian Chu asked in the group: "Is the perpetrator one of ours?"

Xu Ming: "Probably not. The girl lives in our neighborhood. She said that many cats and dogs in the neighborhood have been killed recently, so she was a little worried that people in the neighborhood might see her walking the dog and target their dog. That's why she wanted to take a walk outside and go home as soon as possible. But she didn't expect that the dog would be snatched away by two people on a motorcycle while she was walking. It should be a vagrant crime, and she probably got the idea when she saw the dog."

It was a big golden retriever, and it was obviously a well-raised one. Even after removing the hair and bones, there was still a lot of meat left. There was only a little girl walking the dog, so it naturally attracted a lot of attention. For the criminals, encountering such a thing was a blessing from heaven, and they would be wasting their luck if they didn't try to snatch it.

In order to get a bite of meat, who cares what the dog means to the girl? This is the world today.

Mu Nan looked at the shrimp in his hand and suddenly felt that it didn't smell so good. "I can only say that it's a good thing that we don't have a pet at home, otherwise it would be too painful if something like this happened."

Qin Huai picked up a piece of shrimp and handed it to his mouth: "Eat it quickly."

They quickly let go of this little episode. There were too many misfortunes nowadays. If they kept them all in their hearts, then life would be completely useless. So Mu Nan was a little depressed for a while, and then he ate up all the food with greater enthusiasm. The more at this time, the more he had to eat well, because only by eating well would he have the strength to face a more difficult tomorrow.

They were eating the takeaway that Mu Nan had bought earlier. After they were done, they packed up the lunch boxes and put them in the space. After they were accumulated, they would find a chance to throw them out when no one was around. Otherwise, if they threw them out now, they were afraid that some people would rummage through the garbage. Although this was a bit overly cautious, it always didn't hurt to be a little more careful.

When they finished eating, it was almost twelve o'clock. They calculated that the water should be coming soon. Just as they were thinking this, they heard the faucet in the kitchen ringing. Although they still have water supply for one hour every day, the water is really too little. When it is a little better, there will be a small trickle of water from the faucet. When it is not good, the water drips out drop by drop. Sometimes it takes an hour to fill a basin of water. But even so, Mu Nan's family collects water at a certain time every day. The faucet is not turned off. There is a basin or a bucket underneath, and the water is automatically collected when it comes.

Because water is in short supply now, even though Mu Nan has stored a lot of water, he dare not waste it under such circumstances. So since the water restriction began, he and Qin Huai basically stopped washing clothes. Anyway, they only need one pair of shorts at home, and put the clothes they wear when they go out directly into the space, planning to wash them in winter. As for short-sleeved shirts or vests of similar styles, they directly wholesaled tens of thousands of them. They bought them from factories, and each piece cost less than ten yuan. The price of a vest made of simple fabrics can be as low as three or five yuan. When winter comes, they take out the clothes accumulated in the summer and wash them in batches. After washing, they can wear them next summer. Fortunately, the space is constant, otherwise, after accumulating them for a year, the clothes may not be wearable.

The two of them have their own space, but they still live a very thrifty life. When they saw someone in their group complaining about the purchase limits and high prices in online supermarkets, they were afraid that the situation would become more difficult in the future, so they still bought a lot of goods. Although ID card authentication is required and there are limits on what each person can buy, at least a family of three can buy three portions. So every day there are still quite a few people coming in and out of their community carrying things bought from the supermarket, so Mu Nan and Qin Huai also bought some. Now while there are so many people buying, they will not be so conspicuous.

Almost everything in the online supermarket is limited in purchase, even non-food items like clothes and slippers have purchase limits, while other items like rice, flour, grain, oil, and salt are sold out as soon as they are put on the shelves, even if the quantity is limited. This online supermarket has been running for a few days, and everyone has figured out the time. The products will be updated at 12 noon every day, and grain, oil, etc. will be put on the shelves at that time. But if they are sold out, you have to wait until the next day to go online to buy them.

At this time, the advantage of having young people at home is reflected. If there are only elderly people at home, then they really cannot compete with young people for this thing.

Mu Nan didn't compete with them for those things. He avoided all the hot-selling ones. He already had them anyway, so there was no need to snatch the opportunity from others. So he mainly looked online for some snacks that were expensive now and dispensable to others, such as biscuits and chocolates, spicy strips and potato chips, instant cereal milk powder, and even milk tea and eight-treasure porridge. These things could fill the stomach, but after all, they were not full meals and were expensive, so not many people were buying them at the moment.

The current situation is that although life is difficult, it is still normal. Of course, those who are restless and start to do some illegal activities have increased because of the current difficulties, but most people have not reached that point yet. Prices are high, but the money can still be used. Many people have been laid off, but some people are still working. Many shopping malls have closed, but supermarkets are still operating normally under the control of the government. Therefore, although many people think that it is the end of the world, the national government is still there, and the order is not too chaotic. In their hearts, they still feel that as long as they survive this difficult period, things will get better later. Even if the climate in the future is like it is now, people can always find a way to survive after adapting. Therefore, most people now have not reached the point of grabbing anything they can eat. The main focus of hoarding is still on daily staples such as rice, flour, grain and oil.

After adding a bunch of items to the shopping cart, Mu Nan took them to Qin Huai for review: "Take a look at these things. Delete the ones that you think are inappropriate. Pay for the ones that are worth buying. I bought this with your phone, and I'll buy it again with mine later. You can only buy once a week, so why don't we buy it together and pick it up together."

Qin Huai took a look. There weren't many things, but the prices were high. Even if he only bought the limited quantity, it would still cost several thousand yuan. A box of chocolates that used to cost thirty or forty yuan now costs almost two hundred yuan. No wonder not many people buy these now. They are too expensive to be worth it if they don't fill you up.

Qin Huai felt that these things were nothing special. Since they were displayed in the supermarket, they were for people to buy. So he looked at other things, added some daily necessities, and made up a total of 5,000 yuan before placing the order.

When Mu Nan was browsing the supermarket with his mobile phone, he saw people in the community group tagging all members, so he quickly said to Qin Huai: "The water truck is here. Should we also start supplying water from the water truck? Should we go down now?"

Qin Huai took a look, then got up and put on his clothes: "Let's go down. Others are short of water. Although no one may notice, it's better to follow the crowd. It happens that there are two large buckets at home. Let's take them down together."

Mu Nan was still very active in getting water. He could leave as soon as he put on his clothes, but he couldn't help but sigh: "I have to take a shower at least once after going down."

But they are very water-efficient when taking showers now. They just use a water spoon to pour over their bodies twice and that's it. They also need to hold a large basin under their feet to collect the water. The water from the shower is used to flush the toilet. It's just hot and sweaty, and they haven't done anything dirty, so there's no need to wash too carefully. But they add some Liushen floral water to the water, which is cool and removes sweat odor. After flushing the toilet, the bathroom will be fragrant. Apart from anything else, floral water is still very useful in preventing prickly heat. Because many men can't wear clothes because of the heat, Mu Nan sees many people with patches of prickly heat on their backs and necks, which makes him feel itchy.

Qin Huai walked in front with the bucket, and Mu Nan followed behind and sent a message to the small group on their floor. Although he didn't know whether they saw the big group or not, it was just a matter of moving his fingers to give them a reminder.

Their neighbors indeed did not see the messages in the community group. There are a lot of messages in the community group every day. In addition to community notifications, many people like to talk in it. So if the sound is not blocked, the message reminder sound can ring all day long. Therefore, messages like this that require immediate action may not be received accurately every time.

When Yu Zibai and the others came down, Mu Nan and Qin Huai were already at the front of the line. Although the community was notified immediately, those who lived on the lower floors or simply gathered downstairs to chat also notified their families immediately. So when Mu Nan and the others came down, there was already a long line.

There are also regulations for the water truck to get water. They can still provide one hour of water supply every day, but the water supply is very low, so they arranged another water truck. So just like collecting food, water is collected once every three days, and each person can get 10 liters of water each time. When the water supply is completely cut off here, we will make new arrangements.

When getting water, you also need to register with your ID card and swipe it on a machine. The machine is connected to a computer, which is probably some specially developed software. After swiping and displaying your identity information, you can see the time to collect water. This prevents someone from taking shortcuts and collecting water repeatedly.

Nowadays, ID cards still need to be used with the help of some different apps. For example, when you swipe the ID card to receive water, you can only see the information of the water you received; when you swipe the ID card to receive supplies, you can only see the information of the people who received supplies. After the earthquake, the country began to replace ID cards. After that, you only need to swipe the ID card to see all the information you have used, and you can also enter virtual currency. There is no real currency anymore. You can only swipe the ID card to spend money, and you can only swipe the ID card to make money. If you have any bad information and your reputation is damaged, it will affect your use of currency.

Although the government has tried its best to reduce the occurrence of some crimes, the difficult times are still enough for many people to take risks. But it is already very good to be able to do so. You have to know that the foreign countries at that time were so chaotic that more people died from man-made disasters than from natural disasters.

Ten liters of water may seem like a lot in a bucket, but it takes three days to consume it before you can get another one, so it's actually not that much. When Mu Nan was queuing, he saw a group of people next to him. They seemed to be there specifically to buy water. They bought water directly from those who had large families or who had water storage at home. The price they offered was quite high, one hundred yuan per liter. For the ten liters of water they received, that was one thousand yuan, paid directly in cash.

Mu Nan saw that within a short while, the group of people had already traded several barrels of the old water dispenser, which were placed on the tricycle behind. They were probably also doing the business of pouring water. The people who were distributing water not far away didn't care. Anyway, the water was given to you. Whether you take it back or exchange it for money is your own business. If you die of thirst without water, you deserve it.

Watching them make another transaction, and the trader walking away briskly with a stack of money and an empty bucket, Mu Nan couldn't help but say, "I wonder if those who sold the water will regret it in a few days."

This kind of water dumping has not yet become a trend, it is just some opportunistic things done by some scattered people, so the authorities are currently laissez-faire. Mu Nan knew that the government suddenly dispatched forces to liquidate a group of people, seized a lot of stored water ready to be sold, and expanded part of the treasury resources.

Qin Huai said: "At least now they feel that they have made a profit."

Isn't it profitable? A 500ml bottle of mineral water in the supermarket is now 25 yuan, and one liter of water has only two bottles, so for 50 yuan, you can double your profit by reselling it, and it's free. If you don't have enough water, you can go to the supermarket to get more. It's profitable no matter how you do it. After calculating the amount carefully, of course you will choose to sell it.

The people behind them also sighed: "I guess they have enough water storage at home, so they don't care about this little bit. Whatever money they can get can be used to buy other things. In our community, there may not be many people who lack water. There used to be a water supply station behind that place. The big barrels of water were 12 yuan a barrel. When the weather started to get hot, sales soared and later rose to 20 yuan a barrel. Because this place is close and it is convenient to buy, many people stored a lot of water at home at that time, in case it was too hot one day and the water supply was cut off."

Mu Nan asked, "Is the water station still open? Is there any water for sale now?"

He also knew about that water station, but at that time he was afraid that if he bought too much and stored it at home, it would be remembered by someone with ulterior motives, so he didn't buy too much. He only bought two or three buckets every few days. Later, it was so hot that he couldn't go out during the day. He called several times, but they were out of stock, so he stopped buying.

The man said, "It closed a long time ago. I heard that the boss regretted it so much. He always said that if he had known it would be as hot as it is now, he should have stocked up a warehouse of goods. Now a bucket of water sells for more than a thousand yuan, so a warehouse would make a lot of money."

Those big buckets usually hold 15 to 18 liters. Considering the current water price, selling a bucket for one thousand is more than enough.

Someone else followed and sighed: "If I had known earlier, I would have bought more. Now I can support my family by selling water." The tone of their voice revealed a huge regret as if they had missed out on a windfall.

How could we know things in advance? If we did, we would not sell the water we have stored no matter how much money we were offered.