17. Post-Apocalyptic Vendor

The flour was stored in an underground warehouse near the former flour mill, which was originally used to store moisture-proof raw materials.

Upon receiving this news, Wang Xiaowei turned and left.

"How are you, bro!" Wang Xiaogang stood at the door, shivering from the cold.

"We found out." Wang Xiaowei pointed to the half-full bag of flour in the corner. "Let's take it and go."

Wang Xiaogang peeked into the bedroom and said, "Then he..."

Wang Xiaowei shoved him impatiently, "Why ask so many questions? Let's go!"

"Oh..." Wang Xiaogang didn't dare to ask any more questions, picked up the flour bag and followed behind him.

Back home, Wang Xiaogang rushed into his grandmother's room, beaming with joy as he brought out flour. "Grandma, we have something to eat! Look!"

The old lady slowly turned her head, her cloudy eyes shining brightly, and patted his head affectionately.

"Brother, where did this come from?" Wang Xiaoqin came over, staring at the snow-white flour with his mouth watering.

Wang Xiaogang chuckled, "Let me tell you..."

Wang Xiaowei strode in and sternly shouted, "Stop talking so much! Hurry up and cook! Can't you see Grandma is hungry!"

After the siblings left, Wang Xiaowei closed the door, squatted down by the bed, let out a heavy sigh, and said in a weary voice, "Grandma..."

The old woman reached out her withered hand and touched the wound on his face. "Grandma knows everything, good boy, I don't blame you."

Wang Xiaowei could no longer hold back and buried his face in his grandmother's cold hands, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

...

When Wang Xiaowei and his brother arrived, Fu Yunong was chopping wood with a machete, her movements much more agile than before, and her accuracy in striking the wood had clearly improved.

The two brothers made several trips back and forth, carrying up five sacks of flour, totaling 250 jin; there were also two sacks of rice, totaling 100 jin, piled up in the corner of the living room like a small mountain.

Fu Yunong looked at the pile of grain and couldn't help but marvel at it, asking them how they found it.

Wang Xiaowei frowned, looking like he didn't want to talk much, but Wang Xiaogang couldn't hold back and told them everything like a flood of beans.

The underground warehouse wasn't far from the residential area. Braving the biting cold wind, the two brothers found it, only to discover that the entrance had been half-collapsed by the snow, and it took them a lot of effort to get in. Afterward, the two brothers took turns carrying the grain back piece by piece, first moving it to the security booth at the main gate of the residential area to hide it, and then carrying it downstairs from the security booth as it was getting dark, and finally carrying it back up.

I was busy for three whole days!

He spoke with great enthusiasm, but cleverly omitted the fact that the two brothers had a hearty meal in the warehouse and secretly hid two large sacks of grain.

Shi Dong, who was leaning against the side with his arms crossed, gave him a meaningful look after listening.

Fu Yunong didn't notice these details. She took out a box of painkillers from her pocket and handed it to Wang Xiaogang, saying, "Please give this to the owner of this grain."

Wang Xiaogang subconsciously looked at Wang Xiaowei, and only when he saw him nod did he reach out to take it, but Wang Xiaowei snatched it away, his face still expressionless.

Watching the two brothers disappear, Fu Yunong asked with some worry, "Won't they tell anyone?"

"No," Shi Dong said firmly.

In a sense, they are in the same boat; if they are exposed, they cannot hide either.

On the other side, as soon as he stepped out of the building, Wang Xiaowei suddenly looked up, the medicine box crumpled in his hand, his eyes filled with malice.

Why didn't he know about this grain sooner! Now look what's happened, so many supplies have been handed over to others for nothing, it's infuriating!

...

This 350 jin of grain, based on Fu Yunong and Shi Dong's appetite, is enough to feed the two of them for four or five months. Rice is easy to cook, whether it's rice or porridge; flour has even more uses, it can be pulled into noodles, boiled into dumpling soup, or baked into pancakes. As for steamed buns and dumplings, which require fermentation, Fu Yunong admits that she doesn't have the skills, and the conditions for fermentation are not right now.

The food arrived at just the right time, and the two hit it off immediately, deciding to have noodles for dinner. Fu Yunong was from the south and wasn't very familiar with the steps of making noodles, but fortunately Shi Dong knew the process, so she took the lead.

As night fell, a pot of fragrant, steaming hot hand-pulled noodles was finally ready. The noodles were chewy and springy, the eggs nestled inside were tender and flavorful, and the greens were crisp and refreshing; taking a sip of the broth sprinkled with scallions and drizzled with sesame oil, the chill in your body instantly dissipated.

This dinner, including vegetables and eggs, only cost 5 points, but Fu Yunong only had 3.5 points left in her system balance. After thinking for a moment, Fu Yunong decided to exchange ten level-one crystal cores for 100 points first, and then decide what to do next.

Perhaps because the weather eased a bit after the snow stopped, Xiao Linfang brought more and more people to exchange supplies. At first, they were just survivors from this community, but later even survivors from outside the community came after hearing about it.

As more people exchanged their tokens, a change quietly occurred: many survivors simply stopped leaving and settled in an empty room within the neighborhood. Gradually, the neighborhood became more and more populated with survivors, and it even gained some liveliness.

Fu Yunong stood by the window, watching the scattered figures moving about downstairs, her heart filled with mixed emotions. This change was neither good nor bad. More people might offer mutual support and greater resilience, but it also meant more hidden risks.

She looked away, glanced at Shi Dong who was practicing boxing, composed herself, and quickly joined in the training.

I need to get stronger!

Over here, Xiao Linfang and Chen Yin walked back together. When they were almost at Chen Yin's place, Xiao Linfang suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at her seriously, "Yin, I'm planning to move to Building 20. Do you want to come and live with me?"

Chen Yin felt a surge of joy, but then her smile faded and her voice lowered, "Sister, you know I still have a husband to take care of..."

Xiao Linfang looked directly into her eyes. "Ayin, listen to my advice. Sometimes, letting go of others is also letting go of yourself. Life is long, and we must eventually move forward."

Chen Yin's face turned pale instantly, and her whole body tensed up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "What do you mean by this?"

Seeing that she was on guard, Xiao Linfang gently patted her shoulder and turned to leave.

Chen Yin stood frozen in place for a long time until Xiao Linfang's figure completely disappeared before she wrapped her clothes tighter and stumbled back to her residence.

She pushed open the door; the room wasn't much better than the outside. A chill seeped in through the cracks in the door, and the only brazier had long since gone out. Ignoring the cold, she went straight to the bedside.

The man on the bed was fast asleep, hastily bound to the bed with strips of cloth, eating, drinking, and relieving himself all on the bed, his face as pale as a sheet.

Chen Yin sat on the edge of the bed, Xiao Linfang's words echoing in her ears, "Letting go of others is also letting go of yourself..."

She stared at the man's dirty face, the hatred in her heart burning like a fire, yet behind this hatred lay an indescribable weariness.

She's a clean woman, yet now she's feeding him those things every day. Is she torturing him, or is she torturing herself?

The man seemed to sense something, and suddenly opened his eyes, staring at her with a look of fear, making muffled sounds in his throat.

His appearance ignited Chen Yin's anger. She grabbed a wooden stick and began to smash it against the man! One blow wasn't enough; her eyes were red as she continued to strike him again and again!

The man convulsed in pain, his face turning from pale to bluish-purple, and finally his eyes rolled back.

"Go to hell! I curse you for all eternity!"

Chen Yin threw away the wooden stick, grabbed a pillow from the side, and slammed it down on the man's face, pressing the edges of the pillow down firmly with both hands.

The man struggled violently, the strips of cloth binding him making the bed frame creak. After an unknown amount of time, the struggles weakened and weakened until finally, there was no more movement.

In an instant, Chen Yin felt as if all her strength had been drained away, and she collapsed to the ground.

She looked at her trembling hands, tears streaming down her face like broken strings, but she felt a huge weight lifted from her heart, a sense of inexplicable relief.

After sitting there for a while, her expression suddenly changed, and she rushed out the door: She had to find Xiao Linfang quickly and destroy his head!

The next day, the temperature was still freezing cold, but the sky actually cleared up!

"Wow~~" Fu Yunong pressed against the window, her eyes shining like stars.

This was the first time she had ever seen the sun in this world. Looking out, the sky was an exceptionally pure blue, and for a moment, she almost thought she had returned to her original world.

Shi Dong watched her excited appearance from the side, his expression becoming somewhat serious; this was too abnormal.

Since the disaster, the sky has been shrouded in gray haze year-round, often displaying a sickly and eerie color even in summer. This pure, clear blue has never existed before.

Seeing Fu Yunong so unusually happy, Shi Dong silently suppressed her worries. Oh well, she'd deal with it as it came.

Since more people came to exchange supplies, Fu Yunong simply put up a sign:

Trading hours: 13:00-14:00

Civilized transactions; those who provoke others will bear the consequences.

At trading hours, she would remove the obstruction at the top of the stairs, place a long table at the door as a counter, and sit inside to trade through the door.

Whether the survivors have a way to tell time or whether they might miss it is none of her business.

Perhaps because the weather was unusually clear, the people who came to exchange their money today all had a happier look on their faces.

"Sister Fu, five cigarettes, please!" A middle-aged man with a full beard walked over and generously handed over two level-one crystal cores.

Fu Yunong opened the drawer, took out a cigarette case and tossed it to him, "Six cigarettes, the extras are a gift for you."

The man grinned, revealing two rows of yellow teeth. "Sister Fu is so generous!"

Next came a tall woman who clutched the crystal cores and asked somewhat awkwardly, "Sister Yu Nong, do you have any sanitary napkins? If so, I'd like a pack, and half a pound of salt... Is that enough?" As she spoke, she handed over two level-one crystal cores.

Fu Yunong paused for a moment, then nodded. "Enough."

She took out a large bag of sanitary napkins from her backpack and handed over a 300-gram bag of salt, saying, "This is the only size of salt available right now, take it."

Amidst the woman's grateful gaze, Fu Yunong put away the crystal core. She hadn't lost money on this deal, but she hadn't made any profit either.

"Do you have any cold medicine? I need medicine for a cold." A familiar voice rang out.

Fu Yunong looked up and saw Wang Xiaogang, whose hands were trembling from the cold. He carefully handed her two level-one crystal cores.

Fu Yunong handed over three packets of medicine and casually asked, "Who has a cold?"

Wang Xiaogang was flattered that she would take the initiative to talk to him, and quickly replied, "Yes, she is my sister. She caught a chill yesterday."

Fu Yunong nodded and casually handed her a piece of ginger about the size of a thumb, saying, "Boil some water for her to drink."

Wang Xiaogang was stunned for a moment, then quickly asked, "How many crystal cores do we need?"

Fu Yunong waved her hand, "It's a gift, next one."

Wang Xiaogang's eyes lit up, and he was about to say something when a large hand suddenly pushed him away.

"Hey, is this enough for one night's sleep with you?"