Chapter 58
Now that electricity was available, they finally enjoyed the coolness brought by the air conditioner. However, this happy mood did not last long because it was broken by the Zhang family who came back.
Because the Zhang family next door had returned, Jian Chu and the others came from the balcony. They were afraid that any noise they made in the corridor would attract the attention of the Zhang family. Especially if they were leaving soon, they had to be careful. If they knew that no one was at home, wouldn't that be like opening their door wide and letting people come in to move things?
Although he didn't know when Jian Chu and the others would come, Mu Nan was always on guard. He almost habitually put some things that shouldn't be outside into the space, such as empty watermelon boxes and empty Coke bottles. So even if Jian Chu and the others suddenly knocked on the door, he could open the door at any time to let them in.
As soon as he came in, Jian Chu said, "Your brother is very foresighted. He changed all the staple foods. You don't know how bad the food in the cafeteria is. There are even stones in the rice. But I understand the situation now. It's impossible for me to wash the rice for you. It's just that the taste of the food is really hard to describe."
Although it is good enough to have vegetables to eat now, dried vegetables like wood ear and shiitake mushrooms are not available for purchase, but the taste is really bad.
Mu Nan smiled and said, "I'm afraid you'll get tired of eating too many steamed buns, so Yu Zibai wants to change your taste."
Mu Nan felt that if it weren't for the fact that he had so much food in his space that he looked down on the big pot meals in the cafeteria, Qin Huai would probably order a meal like Yu Zibai to change his taste. No one could stand eating steamed buns every day without any salt.
Thinking of this, Mu Nan suddenly realized: "No wonder the government stopped distributing rice and only distributed instant noodles. At least there are noodles and seasonings in the instant noodles, and the dried vegetable packets always have some vegetables and one or two slices of meat. If you meet those families who really can't afford to eat and can only rely on government supplies to survive, and even eat white rice without any oil or salt for several months, how can they bear it?"
Jian Chu pursed her lips and hummed: "I think it's just because instant noodles are easier to store."
Yu Zibai looked at Qin Huai: "What are we going to do today?"
The two people who were talking on the other side turned their heads to look over. Yu Zibai said, "It's not that I don't allow you to go out, but now that the Zhang family is back, if we all go out together, our house will be emptied out, and that would be really bad."
Qin Huai said: "Indeed, I discussed this with Nan Nan yesterday. With the current temperature and the death toll, I think the plague will break out sooner or later, so we should take advantage of these two days to find more supplies and try not to go out when the time comes."
Yu Zibai said, "I think so too. Therefore, the food and water we already have at home must not be taken away by anyone. Otherwise, if you go out, you will die. If you don't go out, you will also die."
Jian Chu sighed. He knew that if he insisted on going out together at this time, it would be too willful. Although he felt that four people would definitely gain more than two people, he was also afraid that if they gained something outside, their family would be emptied out. So he looked at Mu Nan and said, "Then we should stay at home?"
Mu Nan nodded: "Keep it."
Qin Huai saw his unhappy expression and patted him on the head: "Don't worry, we will come back the same way we went there, and not a single hair will be lost."
Seeing that the two of them were packing up and getting ready to go out, Mu Nan put a bottle of water in Qin Huai's bag, just like last time, and filled a thermos with ice. Since there was electricity at home, he didn't have to hide the ice from Jian Chu and the others.
Jian Chu suddenly felt that he was not as careful as Mu Nan. He had never thought of pretending like this to Yu Zibai. The water he brought to Yu Zibai was completely frozen, but the temperature outside would probably melt soon. "I'm going to get some ice cubes like this when I get home, and I'll also need to find a thermos cup."
Yu Zibai: "The thermos is in a cardboard box in the closet in my room. You can find it later."
Qin Huai pulled Mu Nan aside and said, "Give me one of the intercoms we agreed on last time, and contact me immediately if anything happens."
Mu Nan nodded and put a walkie-talkie in Qin Huai's bag. Although they had not tried the walkie-talkie remotely, when they bought it, the speaker said that it could reach up to five kilometers if the surrounding environment permitted. Now the surrounding environment can be said to be quite empty, with no electronic equipment, and it is not known whether the signal can reach that far.
Seeing Qin Huai packing his backpack, Mu Nan asked, "Is this okay?"
Qin Huai said: "Don't worry, I will find a way out. If you have anything, just contact me directly. Don't worry about anything."
After Qin Huai and Yu Zibai left, the two of them had nothing to do. Mu Nan gave Jian Chu the things that had been divided yesterday: "This is yours. Yesterday he said he would leave a bed for Xu Ming. I also gave him a few bottles of this face cream."
Jian Chu felt hot when he saw these things: "I regretted moving them yesterday. You can't eat or drink these things. Just looking at them will increase your calories involuntarily. What's the point of moving them back?" Now I can't even take a shower. I can only wipe my whole body with a little water. After washing, I wish I could keep my body fresh all the time. Who would put cream on their body? I have never done this before, let alone now.
Mu Nan couldn't say that it would be cold soon and all these things would be used, so he could only say: "Keep them. These creams used to be branded products and very expensive. Maybe they can be put on sale in the future. No matter what time it is, there will always be some people who are not short of money or food, and they may be willing to exchange them."
Although Jian Chu thought that anyone who wanted to exchange food for these things at this time must be crazy, they had moved them up with so much effort, so they couldn't just throw them away. So after packing up, Jian Chu planned to drag them directly from the balcony to avoid being discovered by the noise in the corridor. "Do you think they can hear the sound of the air conditioner at my place?"
The Zhang family on Mu Nan's side definitely couldn't hear it because they were too far away.
Mu Nan shook his head: "I don't think I can hear it. Isn't your air conditioner installed on the balcony? Only my family can hear it, or those upstairs and downstairs. I don't know if anyone upstairs or downstairs has come back."
Jian Chu said, "When they came back yesterday, I thought our floor had been robbed. I don't know if they have all come back. There is no water or electricity upstairs. Do you think they will come down again?"
Mu Nan: "I don't know, maybe they just came up to pack their things. When they came back, my brother looked at the door and said he didn't see Grandma Zhang."
Jian Chu sat for a while and then planned to go over. Now that the air conditioners were on in both places, it was more comfortable to stay at home. However, before leaving, he said, "If you get hungry later, you can come to me. I can help you cook anything you want." He still remembered that Mu Nan seemed to be unable to cook, but other brothers were busy outside, leaving their younger brothers at home hungry.
Mu Nan said, "No need, I'll wait for my brother to come back and eat together. If you're hungry, just eat some biscuits."
Jian Chu nodded: "Okay, come and knock on the door if you have any problem. I'll go over first."
As soon as Jian Chuyi left, the room instantly became quiet. Mu Nan had nothing to do, so he turned on the computer and played a movie. He put another intercom at hand and made sure it was turned on so that he could be the first to hear anything. Then he took out a grapefruit and a large round take-away box from the space. Qin Huai didn't like fruit very much. Grapefruit was one of the fruits he liked, but he was always too lazy to peel off the bitter outer layer and would rather not eat it. Now that he had nothing to do, he might as well peel a few grapefruits and put them in the refrigerator to cool later. It would be more comfortable for Qin Huai to eat them when he came back.
Mu Nan peeled a whole lunch box full of grapefruits. Of course, the grapefruit peels could not be wasted. He had done some guides on the Internet before. Grapefruit peels can be used to make grapefruit candy, honey grapefruit tea, and even detergent. A large bottle of dishwashing liquid can be bought for less than ten yuan, and a whole box can be even cheaper. There was no need to bother with the grapefruit peels. After all, what he was doing was not a hobby, but to maximize the use of limited resources. Therefore, he planned to store the grapefruit peels in the space first, and take them out to make grapefruit candy when the weather got cold. He even bought individually packaged sugar coatings for this purpose. When food was scarce, a grapefruit candy would be a walking currency.
After messing with the pomelo, Mu Nan looked at the time. Less than two hours had passed. He smelled the lingering scent of the pomelo peel in the room and looked at the walkie-talkie at hand. He really wanted to ask about the situation over at Qin Huai's end. But it was better not to use this thing if it was not needed, lest it make any noise outside and attract attention. Now that the communication was cut off, walkie-talkies were in short supply. It would not be worth it if he was targeted because of them.
In order to prevent himself from being idle and thinking about all sorts of things, Mu Nan got up and cooked. He planned to make some sushi, which has rice, vegetables and meat. When we were locked up at home during the epidemic, because everyone's living conditions were still good, we could basically buy whatever we wanted to eat, so the things we stocked in the space at that time were all cooked dishes, some heavy-tasting dishes. Even if others smelled the various dishes from your home every day, they would not think much about it, at most they would sigh that the food was so good every day. So he did not waste the time to make some food that was not strong in smell but could fill the stomach.
At this moment, because the Zhang family, who was not very stable, had returned to the floor, he could only stay at home. Sitting and waiting was a waste of time, which was just right for making sushi. The rice was the ordinary rice they ate, and the ingredients in it included some Japanese food he bought, as well as kimchi bacon and other things he made on his own. The rice vinegar, seaweed, and bamboo board were placed one by one. When the rice cooker made a ding sound, Mu Nan poured out all the cooked white rice and cooked a new pot.
Spread seaweed, fill with rice, wrap it with kimchi and other cold dishes, roll it with a bamboo board and pinch it hard. After a long roll is formed, cut it into equal sizes. Mu Nan tasted a piece himself. It was just the right size to put in his mouth, but not too full. The sourness of the rice was just right, and the ingredients inside were also very appetizing. He nodded with satisfaction, and his hands-on ability was improved.
This thing is so convenient to eat secretly when you can't eat openly in the future.
When Mu Nan's second pot of rice was just coming out of the pot, Qin Huai and Yu Zibai had already returned downstairs to the community. They went to the mall today and gained a lot.
When they got there, there were already quite a few people searching the mall. The top floor of the rubble had been almost cleared away. Originally, the top floor of the mall was a cinema, a restaurant, and some snack bars. Although they didn't know if the items inside had been cleared out before the mall closed, they thought that they might find something if they searched. Therefore, those who didn't have family members to save or didn't want to touch the bodies kept circling around the mall.
When Qin Huai and Yu Zibai arrived, they saw a group of people gathered at a certain spot, looking through the books very enthusiastically. They probably found something there, so most of them gathered there. Qin Huai took a look and said, "Let's look for it somewhere else. There are so many people over there, and I'm afraid they can't handle the weight. Are you familiar with this mall? Do you know the general locations of some stores?"
When he left, the shopping mall was still under construction. He had asked Mu Nan at home before, but Mu Nan said that he had never been there much, except for going to the supermarket in the mall on a whim. He basically bought everything he wanted online. It was too difficult to expect a geek like painter to go out alone, so Qin Huai was relatively unfamiliar with the layout and structure of the shopping mall.
Yu Zibai said, "I'm quite familiar with this place, but in its current state, I can't recognize where is which. I only know that at one end of the mall, there should be a movie theater on that side, and a supermarket on this side, and there are some restaurants and some jewelry stores in the middle."
Qin Huai said: "It all depends on luck. Whatever you find is what you find. It's good luck if you can get something." After all, the mall has been closed for a while, and the food and drinks inside must have been moved away long ago.
It should be said that their luck was quite good. After less than half an hour, Yu Zibai suddenly lowered his voice and called to Qin Huai: "Qin Huai, come here."
Qin Huai walked over, and Yu Zibai pulled open a pressed stone slab. Under the stone slab was a snack cabinet. He could reach out and grab a handful of individually packaged snacks. The ones he just grabbed were hawthorn slices and plums. Yu Zibai knew this brand. Jian Chu liked their popcorn the most. A small bag of 100 grams cost nearly 20 yuan. For someone who needs to work to earn tuition and living expenses, this is already a high-end consumption, but every time he gets his salary, Jian Chu can't help but buy a few bags to satisfy his cravings. He doesn't like snacks very much, but because Jian Chu loves to eat, he will buy some when there are occasional discounts. So when he turned over the sign of this store just now, he was secretly expecting to find some food, but he didn't expect his expectation to come true.
Qin Huai quickly reached out to help move the rocks on top, and looked around. Because there was a harvest over there just now, most people gathered on the other side, and there were not many people on their side, so he said: "Look down there more. I brought some black plastic bags. If there are not enough, put them in the bags."
Now finding something edible is already a big harvest. It doesn’t matter whether it is a snack or not, as long as it is eatable, it is a good thing.
The two of them searched quickly. Some of the food cabinets were blocked, so some were damaged, but the snacks inside were all good. Some of the food bags were broken due to excessive squeezing, and the inside was rotten. The two of them cleaned out the ones with intact packaging and filled two backpacks, and also filled all the plastic bags they brought, and piled them all on the cart. Even so, they haven't searched all down there yet. If they dig deeper, there will definitely be more.
Qin Huai said: "Let's go back first and try again."
Yu Zibai also felt that this was an opportunity, so he went back without any delay, hoping that when they came back, the entrance to the cave would not have been discovered by anyone.
The stuff filled a trailer, and the two people took turns carrying it upstairs, one in front and one behind. After going upstairs, they went directly into Qin Huai's house, because there was a big iron gate at the door of his house, so they could put the stuff at the door first without having to go into the house. These things were turned out from the ruins, and although no one should have died in this area, there was a lot of dust and gravel on the packaging, so they just put them at the door and cleaned them up before taking them into the house.
When Mu Nan heard the noise at the door, he thought someone was coming. He didn't expect them to come back so quickly. He quickly closed the kitchen door and put away everything on the small table. Then he heard the sound of the iron door being opened. He realized that Qin Huai and the others had returned. He glanced around the house and saw that there was nothing that shouldn't be there. He hurriedly ran to open the door: "Brother!"
Qin Huai said: "Put the things here first, and bring me some plastic bags. We found a food store."
Mu Nan asked, "Do you want a plastic bag or a snakeskin bag?"
Yu Zibai was surprised: "There's also a snakeskin bag? Then I must take the big one!"
Mu Nan returned to the house and took out a bunch of bags from the cabinet: "Take them all, small snakeskin bags, large snakeskin bags, and black plastic bags, are they enough?"
Yu Zibai took the bag and stuffed it directly into his bag: "That's enough, are you guys okay at home?"
Mu Nan shook his head: "It's okay, there's no movement from the Zhang family, are you guys going to go again? Or should we go together?"
Qin Huai said: "No, you guys stay at home. They will probably notice us coming back. It's better to have someone guarding the house."
Seeing them dumping the things they found directly on the ground at the door and turning around with the cart ready to go downstairs, Mu Nan said, "Why don't you go in and cool down and drink some water? The ice must have melted, I'll change some for you?"
Qin Huai: "No, the ice hasn't melted yet. Call Jian Chu over to clean it up together, and you can divide it among yourselves."
Soon the two of them left again. Mu Nan sighed, closed the iron gate, then opened the balcony door and knocked on the balcony glass of Jian Chu's house.
Jian Chu quickly popped his head out of the house: "What's wrong?"
Mu Nan: "They just came back and brought some things up. Come over here and let's clean it up together."
Jian Chu hurriedly came out of his house, closed the balcony door, and entered Qin Huai's house: "They came up? I didn't hear any movement."
Mu Nan: "I was probably afraid that the Zhang family would hear me, so I spoke very quietly. The things are at the door. Wait a minute, I'll spread a mat on the floor, and we'll get the things in and clean them up slowly."
When Mu Nan was taking the mat, Jian Chu opened the door and saw that the aisle was piled with food like a mountain. "Did they find a treasure shop? This is my favorite snack brand!"
Mu Nan laid out the mat and moved all the things outside in. Because they were all palm-sized bags of snacks, they were all scattered on the ground, covered with dust. Mu Nan filled a small basin with water and put two rags in it: "Come on, wipe each bag one by one. After all, it's not good for food to be covered with dust. First, clear out the ones you like to eat, and divide the rest in half."
The two who were forced to guard the door at home finally found something to do, and the two who returned to the mall saw that no one came to their side, and it seemed that a candy store was found over there, and everyone was gathered there. So the two of them once again removed the rubble that had blocked the way before they left and continued to dig inside.
Yu Zibai said: "It's so hot, the sugar should have melted."
Qin Huai: "Those candies should have outer packaging. It doesn't matter if they melt. As long as the packaging is not damaged, you can directly drink the syrup by mixing it with water or freeze it when the weather gets cold and it will solidify again."
The two of them said a few words and then stopped talking. Although the harvest made them full of energy, they were also really tired, so they tried not to talk and save energy. When they couldn't find anything else, they changed direction. Yu Zibai said, "I remember there was a Japanese goods store next to this snack shop."
Qin Huai had no idea what the word "Japanese products" meant: "Japanese products?"
Yu Zibai said, "They are some things imported from Japan, like facial masks and cosmetics for girls, some Japanese snacks, and some Japanese brand clothes. I remember once I passed by the door and took a casual look, a pair of socks cost 128." The price made him dare not take another step into the store.
Qin Huai said: "Then let's continue digging. Today's harvest is pretty good. Even if we don't dig anything, this trip is worth it."
The store next door had obviously been cleaned after closing, so there was nothing on the counter. Instead, there were some squeezed boxes in the back that looked like a warehouse. Qin Huai looked inside with a flashlight and saw some cloth-like things from the damaged parts of the boxes. He didn't know if they were clothes or something else, but since he had found them, he decided to dig them up.
The things that were dug out from the first box made Yu Zibai blush a little: "It looks like a girl's underwear."
Qin Huai glanced at it indifferently: "Put it aside for now, and take it back if you can. Maybe you can even exchange it for some food when you set up a stall."
Seeing Qin Huai so calm, Yu Zibai's embarrassment soon dissipated, and he began to continue searching without distraction. He found several boxes, including men's underwear, which made Yu Zibai very happy. After all, they got a lot of clothes and pants last time, but there were not many underwear, and this thing was a consumable. Now with such a box, they don't have to worry about it in the next few years.
Seeing that time was almost up and their trailer was almost full, the two men stopped and prepared to go home. However, as soon as they got off the rubble, they were stopped by a group of people. The people who stopped them took a look at the things on their trailer and said bluntly, "This side is our territory. Of course, we are not stopping you from searching, but you must hand over at least half of what you find."
If Mu Nan was here, he would definitely recognize the person who stopped them. He was the cousin and lackey of the previous trading group leader. He was also the person who robbed him in the previous life when he saw that he was alone and had found a lot of things.
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