Chapter 034: It is better to open up than to block

The sun was hanging high in the sky, this was the last sun we could see before the end of the world.

Jingshu's family came to Aijia Supermarket for the 17th day in a row. S-shaped queuing barriers were placed at the door since the day before yesterday. The parking area was crowded with people queuing up. A few people came out and a few people went in to maintain order in the supermarket and avoid causing chaos.

Jingshu and her family waited in line for more than half an hour but still couldn't pass the security gate.

"Mom, don't collect the rice, let's go home. It's 30 degrees Celsius in the middle of winter, the sun is scorching, and there are so many people and the air is not circulating. Look, several elderly people have already suffered from heatstroke." Jing's father was wiping his sweat. There were people queuing around him. Fortunately, his daughter had foresight and brought two high stools for the elderly. Everyone around them looked at him with envy.

"This is the last day to get free rice. If you hold on a little longer, you'll get air-conditioned supermarkets." Apart from feeling hot, Jingnai was in good spirits. This made Jingnai feel very strange. She could feel that her health was getting better and better.

As for Jing Ye, he was having a great time chatting with a young man in his twenties.

Master Jing: I can talk about money with anyone except my son.

Jingshu was squeezing pomegranates with her eyes closed in the space, holding a large glass of refrigerated watermelon juice in her hand, sipping it with a straw. Jing's father asked why he hadn't finished drinking it for half an hour, which made him greedy. Jingshu stuck out her tongue and then handed it to Jing's father to finish it.

Another ten minutes passed before the family passed the security check and entered the supermarket. It was packed with people. It happened to be Saturday and almost the whole family, young and old, were there. Some were asking prices, some were chatting, and some were crying for snacks. If they met acquaintances, they would chat for a while. The supermarket loudspeaker was playing a recording of people buying and leaving quickly.

At this moment, people still had relaxed smiles on their faces, thinking about buying more food to stock up on the last day. Those who had received the free rice would basically carry another bag of rice.

With a food quota of 500 yuan, you can buy six or seven 10kg bags of ordinary rice. For an ordinary family with vegetables and snacks, and occasional restaurant meals and takeout, a 10kg bag of rice will last them for several months.

Most people think that buying six or seven bags of food will last them a year, but without side dishes or snacks like vegetables, fruits, and melons, the food will definitely be eaten up very quickly.

The supermarket has a sign: All items are available in unlimited quantities! They are very confident, but the prices are not low.

There are long queues in the pork, beef and mutton areas. The prices have been rising higher and higher these days. People are afraid that they won’t be able to afford them if the prices continue to rise in a few days, so they are thinking of buying a few more kilograms.

The prices in the aquatic and seafood area have also increased a lot. After all, you can buy live fish and raise them for half a month so that you can eat fresh ones at any time.

Logically speaking, a month without sunlight would have little impact on meat and seafood. However, as vegetable supplies decrease and prices rise, demand will naturally shift to meat and seafood, and even side dishes and snacks. As demand for these items increases, prices will naturally rise as well.

Snack foods have increased in price by about 10%, and instant noodles have even increased in price by a few cents.

There are more people in the vegetable area, and everyone buys baskets of food, but no matter how much is taken, it will be replenished in an instant. The country made preparations for several months in advance and cracked down on corruption for several months, just because they are afraid that people will stock up on food and encounter shortages, and then merchants will drive up prices, causing market chaos, which will cause panic and collapse.

It's better to ease than to block. When disaster strikes, Chinese people always like to stockpile food, right? So, stockpile, stockpile until you feel safe. Stockpile until no matter how much you buy, there's always enough, just like usual. Then everyone will naturally feel at ease.

There was an entire warehouse full of Chinese cabbage, and people were buying it by the sackful. Cabbage is durable, long-lasting, and nutritious, so of course many people bought it.

"This is so shameless. A whole cabbage costs 12 yuan, but it was only 2 yuan before." Jingnai can't read, but at least she knows numbers.

"Don't they say we can't drive up prices?" Jingye hears on the news every day that such things should be reported.

Jing's father shook his head: "Vegetable prices have been going up over the past ten days. The daily price increase is normal. It goes up by a few cents a dollar every day. It's going up. Just wait and see, the price will be even higher in a few days."

12 yuan is really cheap. In a few months, it will be hard to find one that costs 1,000 yuan.

After receiving the rice, they walked around the supermarket again. Firstly, there were too many people to check out and they had to wait for a long time. Secondly, they found that there was nothing to buy. So Jingshu and her family went home to pack up the things for Jing's grandmother and grandfather. The old couple went to Jing

Come and stay at my third aunt's house for a few days.

Actually, it is to separate Jing's father and Jing's grandfather for a period of time...

The old people have all experienced the famine years. They called the three aunts a few days ago. Grandma Jing asked them to store more food and order more vegetables to prevent disasters. If there is no snow in winter, the harvest next year will definitely be poor and the price of food will rise.

Aunt Jingpan said that she was in the town and was growing vegetables at home. She had exchanged apples for a batch of grain in the past few days and asked Jingnai when she would come home so that she could bring some grain.

Second Aunt Jingzhao said that she also wanted to stock up more, but she was short of money.

Grandma and Grandpa Jing were so embarrassed with the hands-free mode on, because Jingshu and her family were all there. After hanging up the phone, Jingshu's father asked Jingshu to transfer 100,000 yuan. There was no other way, Jingshu had to borrow the money from Jingshu's withdrawal to buy gasoline and other supplies.

Third Aunt Jinglai is temporarily staying with her daughter in a two-bedroom apartment in Wucheng. She has been going shopping every day these days, saying that she has bought shares for Grandma Jing and Grandpa Jing as well, so that the elderly can come and live with her.

"Grandpa and grandma, you should come back and live here after a few days."

"Okay, I'll help you start the live broadcast after the Dark Day is over. You've lived here for so long, you should go see your third aunt and your cousin Wu Youai." The old couple packed their simple luggage, took a few jars of pickles and canned food, and asked Jing's father to deliver the spicy beef jerky.

Jingshu also packed some tortoise jelly mixed with diluted spiritual spring water for the elderly, and asked them to eat a little every day. Since they were close in this life, and there was spiritual spring water to transform their grandparents' bodies, they would never die again this time.

Jingshu was the only one left in the empty villa, rocking on a lounge chair in front of the fish pond. Jing's father had set up a parasol. Jingshu was drinking shaved ice yogurt and basking in the sun, throwing down the bait from time to time and watching the ferocious fish snatching the food... It was so comfortable.

Maybe, this is really the last time I see the sun in this life.

Jingshu felt a little disappointed. She lay there until the sun went down before she closed the tempered glass cover completely to prevent it from raining tonight. She also took a lot of photos as souvenirs before cooking. Dinner was chicken stewed with mushrooms, braised kelp and black pork chops, and stir-fried lettuce. The portions were very large and the whole family ate it all up.

Jing's mother has been in a bad mood these days and went to bed early. Jingshu thought that Yu Caini must be making things difficult for her at work again.

Jing's father freed his hands and put the pots and pans into the automatic dishwasher. He would praise Jingshu for her thoughtfulness every day, otherwise this would be his job.

After checking the water source, food, poultry, etc. for the last time, Jingshu began to practice the Rubik's Cube Space all night. She really couldn't sleep. In this life, she wanted to witness the arrival of the end of the world.

Later, people designated January 1, 2023, the day when the sun disappeared, as the first day of the apocalypse.