Upon hearing that the other party was short of food, Yang Shuyun's husband immediately offered his help: "I have plenty of food at home, I can give you some!"
Chu Xiang looked at the person on his phone whose online name was "Songshan Beishi". The name seemed familiar.
He opened the group chat from the last transaction and sure enough, this person was in it: "So you were here last time. No wonder you said you lived very close. Maybe he's in this neighborhood too?"
If that's the case, it's quite an unexpected bonus!
Chu Xiang didn't rush to reply; he'd wait and see how things went before making a decision.
He walked to the balcony door, and as soon as he pushed it open a crack, a biting gust of wind blew into the living room through the gap.
"The temperature seems to be much colder than yesterday."
The low bushes downstairs were completely covered by snow, leaving no trace. The snow depth was probably already one and a half meters.
The snowflakes in the air were huge and heavy, falling straight down. Looking into the distance, the view was almost completely blocked by a white curtain.
The streets were deserted, a stark contrast to the bustling streets of yesterday. The overwhelming whiteness cast a pall of terror over everyone, and no one dared to venture out to search for food.
"Everyone is stuck at home, and it seems like there really is no other way."
Looking at the dwindling amount of food left, Chu Xiang felt a pang of resentment: the food he had painstakingly brought back was being consumed very quickly by the two of them, multiplying the pressure on him.
"Pan Xin was just reaping the benefits without lifting a finger, so it's only right that she pays a price." Chu Xiang could always find a plausible reason for his shamelessness.
If the last transaction was forced by circumstances, with debtors pressing him, he had no choice but to do it. But this time, he was already wavering even before things had reached a dead end.
Having tasted success once, they'll soon want to do it again, constantly lowering their standards until they reach a point of no return...
Just then, Chu Xiang heard Pan Xin calling from the bedroom: "Chu Xiang, is there anything else to eat? I'm so hungry."
Seeing that the other person didn't respond, she raised her voice and continued, "I remember there are still a few eggs in the refrigerator, Chu Xiang? Did you hear me?"
Chu Xiang paused for a moment, then relaxed and said in a relaxed tone, "Okay, I'll go fry it now. I'll make you egg noodles for lunch."
The little guilt I felt in my heart vanished instantly.
"We might have to rely on Pan Xin to make a living from now on, so we'd better take good care of her!"
Subsequently, Yang Shuyun's husband received a private message asking, "Besides money, how much food can you offer?"
This stumped him. He glanced at his wife, who was still on the phone with their daughter, and sneaked into the kitchen, hoping to find something he could take without being discovered.
Dried bamboo shoots, eggs, radishes, potatoes, glass noodles...
He jotted down some details here and there, not daring to write down too much of the quantity for each type, and then sent them to the "group admin".
Chu Xiang's eyes gradually lit up as he looked at the list sent by "Songshan Beishi". He hadn't expected that there would be so much food.
It seems that as long as Pan Xin is around, we won't have to worry about food anymore...
Suddenly, a lot of cursing and swearing came from outside the balcony, like neighbors upstairs and downstairs complaining: "Why is the power out!"
Chu Xiang rushed to the living room, only to find that the power was out and the air conditioner had stopped heating, causing the temperature in the house to drop rapidly.
He checked his phone; it was minus twenty degrees Celsius outside. He panicked instantly: "No way, the power's going out in this kind of weather?"
The internet exploded at this point, as food was already scarce and now the power outage had compounded the problem!
Everyone was in an uproar, and a chorus of curses erupted...
Wang Feifei was having lunch. Today's lunch was pan-fried chicken cutlet and pork rib and yam soup, served with fragrant rice. She was enjoying her hot meal when she noticed that the neighborhood group chat was in an uproar.
"Oh, there was a power outage."
Wang Feifei stopped eating, not because she was worried about the power outage affecting her life. She didn't have many electrical appliances at home, and even if there was a complete power outage, there was solar and wind power generation, coupled with a super large battery pack, so the power was sufficient.
I just realized that we hadn't had time to water the stairwell yet, and we'd still have to use the elevator to go up and down. I should have prepared in advance.
However, based on past experience, this is just an early, intermittent power outage, not yet a complete power outage, and the power will be restored soon.
Sure enough, the call came back on ten minutes later.
But this accident has put even more pressure on people who were already worried: what if the temperature keeps dropping and there isn’t enough electricity?
It's minus twenty degrees Celsius outside! If the power outage lasts too long, there's a risk of heat loss.
Panic gripped the community. Every time you opened your phone, you'd see similar requests for help in various groups: "Do you have any spare blankets?" or "Do you have any unused down jackets?"
Warm clothing became scarce commodities, even surpassing food in demand.
Soon, specialty stores selling thermal clothing or sleeping bags also suffered. In broad daylight, their doors were forcibly pried open, and people brazenly stole clothes and sleeping bags, showing no restraint even in the city center.
Most of the police force is now concentrated in the east of the city. When there are many emergencies, they are simply unable to attend to them, and criminals are becoming increasingly rampant.
In the supermarket, Chen Nian was also shocked by the news. He had thought about the possibility of a power outage, but he never expected that a power outage would bring about a "man-made disaster".
Chen Nian and his father stood guard over the supermarket, which was full of supplies, their hearts filled with trepidation.
Because one of the sports brand stores that was robbed was only about 500 meters away from their supermarket in a straight line.
The snow restricts people's movement, so if there is a robbery nearby, it means that the perpetrators are not far away and are very likely to come searching for them.
Chen Nian made a simple lunch, but when he called his father several times, no one came. He searched around the supermarket and finally found his father squatting motionless at the entrance.
He slowly approached, about to ask what was going on, when his father turned to look at him, put his index finger to his lips, and said in a low voice, "Shh, don't make a sound."
Chen Nian then heard rustling sounds coming from the doorway, as if someone outside was using tools to shovel snow...
He was immediately shocked!
"Could they be here so soon?"
Judging from his expression, his father guessed what he wanted to ask and nodded.
Fortunately, the supermarket was located in a low-lying area, and the snow-covered roller shutter door was a meter and a half deep. There was also a truck blocking the entrance, which greatly slowed down their speed.
They dug for a long time before finally reaching the bottom, revealing the lock on the roller shutter door, followed by the sound of someone picking the lock.
It seems they won't give up until they get their hands on it.
Chen Nian was furious. He got up and found two handy tools in the supermarket. He handed one to his father, and they remained quietly squatting by the door.
As soon as the robbers come in, crack their skulls open first!
With a "click," the lock was pried open!
Chen Nian and his father were hunched over, their muscles tense, holding tools in their hands, yet even more nervous, their palms sweating profusely...
Listen carefully to what's happening outside; if the roller shutter door is breached, only the glass door will remain...
In Chen Nian's hand was a thick steel bar with a hook; he would take action immediately if they dared to come in.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
