Chapter 25: Borrowing Food

After these two bad guys went downstairs, they were halfway there when they started to think about Lan Jin again. They stared at the passageway on Lan Jin's floor, itching to get there. The woman whispered in the man's ear, "Hey, I heard that a woman is raising a child in this house. I guess they have a lot of supplies at home. How about we..."

"Wait a minute, or come back in the evening," said the man.

The woman thought about it and felt that it was not appropriate. She said, "It's too quiet at night. Any movement can be heard clearly. We can take advantage of the commotion now. Even if we fail, it won't attract too much attention."

I have to say that what the woman said really makes sense. If they really want to do something, they can just quietly make a noise at night, and the whole building will probably know that they are borrowing supplies from outside.

It would be fine if the supplies were not distributed today, they would still have an excuse to make, but they ran out to borrow the supplies that were just distributed this morning, and they went to borrow them so late at night. I am afraid everyone would feel bad about it, and then their family’s life in this building will be difficult in the future.

After discussing it, the two decided not to go downstairs for the time being and to explore the way to the 32nd floor.

So, just after Lan Jin replied to Huang Jinghe's message, the two men knocked on her door.

"Is anyone home? I'm the neighbor downstairs."

The tone and attitude were much better than when she went upstairs. Unlike upstairs, she didn't just knock on the door without saying anything and then started cursing. But actually, think about it, Lan Jin is an adult after all, and there is a big difference between her and the teenager upstairs. If something really happened, she wouldn't be so easy to fool, so her attitude at the beginning was very good.

The other person's attitude was so good, it would be bad for her not to open the door, so she opened the inner door without taking two steps. After looking at the two people outside the security door, Lan Jin asked, "What can I do for you?"

The woman outside the door originally planned to say that she was from the community and came into the house to register, but she didn't expect that the person in the house was the one who had just stood behind her in line to receive supplies. In this way, the other party would definitely know that she was not from the community, and the previous strategy could only be changed to... no strategy.

"Hello, I'm your downstairs neighbor. We're here to ask a favor." The woman said sheepishly, "Well, we have a large family, and the supplies the community provided aren't enough. I see you're raising a child alone, and the child can't eat much, so you must have extra food. So, we'd like to borrow some from you. We're not asking for anything for nothing. We'll definitely buy some and pay you back when we can get out."

Lan Jin sneered, "No, we just distributed the supplies this morning. Have you finished eating them now?"

The woman said, "No, no, it's just too little. There are many people in my family, so it's not enough. I want to borrow some first."

"These supplies are rationed per head. I can't stop you if you want to eat a week's worth of food in one day. Coincidentally, I just finished eating a week's worth of food. You can go borrow some from others."

Lan Jin didn't give the two of them time to reply before slamming the door shut.

The two people who were turned away were very upset. The man cursed directly at the door: "Fuck, what does this woman mean? She dared to give me a cold shoulder. If she doesn't want to lend it to me, then don't lend it to me. You really gave her face."

The two people who originally didn't care whether they could borrow the money or not, now felt angry and became more determined to break into the house in the middle of the night. The woman pulled the man aside and said, "Let's come tonight. The tools are still there."

"Of course it's there, but she has a dog at home, so it might be difficult to do." Although the man was angry, he still did not forget these obvious little details.

But as soon as the man finished speaking, the woman lowered her eyebrows and smiled, saying, "You didn't see it clearly just now, but I saw it. Her dog is only three or four months old, a puppy. What use is a puppy? I will wrap it in a cloth and knock it unconscious. I can even eat dog meat when I take it home."

When it comes to meat, the man and woman are both very greedy. Come to think of it, life is good nowadays, who can go without meat for half a month? They have been locked up for so long, so they must be greedy when they hear about dog meat.

The woman smiled again and said, "These supplies are distributed once a week. We just distributed them this morning, and the community staff won't be here until next week. Even if something happens tonight, it won't be discovered until next week. There's no surveillance in this safe passage, so who would know it was us after a week? By the way, if you still have time, let's also take care of the people upstairs..."

The man agreed with what the woman said. Having made up their minds, the two decided to swallow their anger for the time being. Then they returned home in a happy mood and light steps. They immediately prepared the tools they would need in the evening.

After the sound of the door closing, Huang Jinghe nervously sent another message to Lan Jin.

Huang Jinghe: [Sister Lan, what's wrong? Why did you open the door?]

Lan Jin: [They knocked on the door in a very nice manner. If I don't open the door, it will arouse suspicion. Be careful tonight. I chased them away, and I'm afraid they'll come to pry open the door tonight.]

Huang Jinghe said solemnly: "Okay, Sister Lan, I will be very vigilant. If you need anything, remember to call me at any time. I can hear you from upstairs. If it is not convenient to call, just send me a message."

No, she doesn't need it. If Huang Jinghe really comes down, it will be difficult for her to do anything.

Lan Jin: [No need. Even if you hear a sound, don't come down. Protecting yourself is the most important thing.]

Huang Jinghe: [Okay.]

Although Huang Jinghe agreed verbally, since he already knew that these people would take action at night, he could not sit idly by.

He first sent a message to his parents, telling them what happened today, and also told them what Lan Jin reminded him. He didn't expect his parents to reply, he just wanted them to know his situation. Unexpectedly, his parents called him without delay.

"Son, are you home now?"

Huang Jinghe said excitedly, "Dad, Mom, I'm at home, on the top floor of the apartment I bought. Dad, Mom, you don't know, if it weren't for Sister Lan, I'm afraid I would have been fooled by these people."

Although the couple was worried about their son living alone in such an environment, they really couldn't go over to help at this time. "If this Sister Lan you mentioned is okay, you can show some kindness. You both live alone on the 32nd and 33rd floors, and she has a child to take care of. It's okay to help each other, but you must decide whether the other person is worthy of help. Mom and Dad can't go back now, and we can't help you judge. You can only take good care of yourself."

"I will, Mom and Dad." Huang Jinghe said.

(End of this chapter)