Chapter 5 Plan
Qiao Yu thought about it for a moment, then began browsing information about the mountain villages surrounding City S on his phone while eating. Most of City S's agricultural products came from the surrounding towns, so if they wanted to buy large quantities of grain, the towns were clearly the best choice.
Qiao Yu first looked at some advertisements for agricultural trade investment promotion on the Internet, and then checked the market prices of several large agricultural trade towns. In the end, she chose a small village with the best cost-effectiveness and one that she had a deep impression of - Luling Village near Y City.
The reason why she had an impression of this village was that she happened to have a college roommate who came from Luling Village.
That roommate, Yao Lingling, often brought homemade dried fruits and meats to share with the others. She often explained that their village was a prime location for feng shui, boasting abundant harvests for everything grown and raised. However, due to poor transportation and lack of fame, they could only supply the surrounding towns and villages. However, the towns and villages were small in population, and some villages had their own land, so demand for produce was low. Almost every year, many fruits and vegetables remained unsold and uneaten, ultimately rotting in the fields. Even after years of advertising, wholesalers would ultimately shy away due to transportation issues. These were precisely the qualities Qiao Yu valued.
Luling Village, located in the south, enjoys a favorable climate and simple folk customs. Nearly every household cultivates crops and livestock, producing fresh fruits and vegetables even in winter. Most importantly, Luling Village is relatively isolated. Compared to more developed villages with close ties to the outside world, Luling Village, constrained by transportation, has little contact with the outside world. Therefore, the village must have abundant food reserves.
Furthermore, besides grain and vegetables, meat was also a major concern for Qiao Yu. As the apocalypse approached, both plants and animals began to develop diseases. Pigs, as omnivores, were the first livestock to be affected. African swine fever had already broken out in many areas in November, making pork particularly expensive this year. The price was more than double the normal market price in previous years, making pork practically unaffordable for many people. However, because Luling Village had limited access to the outside market, pork prices remained relatively stable, saving Qiao Yu a significant amount of money. While pork was still edible, she had to stock up quickly. By the end of January, even if she could find live pigs, she wouldn't be eating them easily.
Qiao Yu decided to start from Luling Village.
Qiao Yu returned to his phone's desktop and opened the chat app. The top dialog box indicated twelve unread messages from a contact named Tang Ran.
Qiao Yu paused, then clicked on the chat box, indifferently looking at the funny videos and clothing pictures Tang Ran had shared with her. She watched her say this one was funny, "Take a look!" and that one was pretty, "It suits you!" She also watched him ask, seemingly confused and apprehensive, why hadn't she replied in the past two days? Was something wrong?
Tang Ran was Qiao Yu's high school classmate, and they kept in touch after entering college. Qiao Yu once thought they were best friends, but later discovered that their friendship was nothing more than a transaction. She received comfort from Tang Ran, and Tang Ran received her various gifts and connections.
It doesn't matter whether it's fair or not, nor is it difficult or sad. Thinking of the woman in her previous life who was full of jealousy and hysterically shouted at her, "You are not worthy of Jiang Zhan", Qiao Yu's eyes were filled with indifference.
Qiao Yu didn't reply. He clicked back and found the chat window with Yao Lingling in his address book. It was winter vacation now. Yao Lingling would stay in a restaurant near the school every holiday to work. She should not be at work at this time. Qiao Yu sent a message tentatively, and sure enough, he received a reply soon.
Yao Lingling seemed enthusiastic, but also a little surprised. She first made a surprised expression before typing, "Qiao Qiao? Why are you looking for me so late? Is there something wrong?"
Qiao Yu didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point, saying that a friend of hers had a problem with the inventory in her supermarket and wanted to wholesale fresh fruits and vegetables and meat from Luling Village. The demand was huge and she wanted as much as she could get, and the price was negotiable, but the prerequisite was that she had to go and see the goods first, so she hoped Yao Lingling could make an introduction for her.
Yao Lingling sent a happy emoji back and typed, "Really? No problem! I'll call the village right now. Wait a minute."
Qiao Yu finished the rest of his breakfast in a few bites. When he came out after washing the dishes, he heard the message ringtone of the chat software.
I took the phone and unlocked the screen. It was indeed Yao Lingling: Qiao Qiao, I have contacted the village chief. He said that you are very welcome to come and see the goods. It just so happens that I have a day off next Tuesday. If you are free, I can take you to our village to have a look?
Qiao Yu closed the interface, opened the ticket purchasing app, carefully checked the ticket date and time, and typed a reply: "Okay, thank you for your help. I see there's a 5:30 train next Tuesday morning. If the time is okay, please send me your ID number and I'll book the ticket."
Yao Lingling was probably not very busy at the moment, and she replied almost immediately: There is no problem with the time, but you don’t have to worry about the ticket. You should just send me your ID number.
…
The two of them went back and forth for several rounds, and finally, after several insistence, Qiao Yu got Yao Lingling's ID number and booked the train ticket.
With the food supply issue resolved, Qiao Yu's anxiety was finally alleviated. Today was Wednesday, and there were still six days until his trip to Luling Village. Qiao Yu decided to hurry up and get some daily necessities, medicine, and clothing.
Qiao Yu wanted a lot of things, and they were all very diverse. Regardless of whether ordinary shopping malls had everything, the sheer volume of purchases alone would easily arouse suspicion. So, whether considering the product or privacy, online shopping was the best option.
Qiao Yu opened her favorite shopping app and searched for several top-ten online stores with good reputations and shipping locations close to her. She chose four women's and four men's stores, and regardless of the style, she bought ten pieces of each in the recommended sizes. Although it was winter, online shopping offered the benefit of seasonality: nearly every store had clothes for all four seasons, the only difference being the quantity.
Qiao Yu then searched several stores specializing in winter outdoor down jackets and summer short-sleeved T-shirts. After the apocalypse, the climate would be extremely extreme, with no distinct seasons. Daytime heat and nights freezing cold. Therefore, thick down jackets and cotton short-sleeved shirts would undoubtedly be the most practical clothing. As for footwear, Qiao Yu consistently opted for hiking boots and sneakers from outdoor stores.
After buying clothes and shoes, Qiao Yu began to scour various outdoor gear stores. Before experiencing the apocalypse, Qiao Yu wasn't an outdoor sports enthusiast; her knowledge of outdoor gear was limited to hiking boots and backpacks. But now, no one understood the practicality of outdoor gear in the apocalypse better than she did.
Qiao Yu searched for several outdoor gear stores with established brands, high ratings, and nearby shipping locations. Following her clothing purchase routine, she bought 10 to 20 of each item from each store, with the exception of cassette stoves and gas canisters. Portable and compact, cassette stoves are the most convenient tools for outdoor cookouts, while gas canisters are essential for fuel, so naturally, the more the better. Qiao Yu bought 50 cassette stoves from each store and then sold out all the gas canisters, prompting a queue of merchants to message her, asking if their orders were correct.
Qiao Yu responded to each request and told the store that they hoped to ship the goods as soon as possible, preferably using expedited express delivery. The sooner the better. Faced with such a generous customer, the store readily agreed, promising to ship the goods that same day and strive to get Qiao Yu the goods within five days.
In addition, Qiao Yu also placed orders for a large amount of mineral water, medicines, daily necessities such as paper towels and sanitary napkins. He also bought 5,000 pc buckets and several thousand sets of disposable lunch boxes, bowls and chopsticks, etc., all of which were marked for expedited delivery.
In the following days, because she had purchased so many things online that she needed to sign for them in person, Qiao Yu didn't leave the house except to pick up her car. Fortunately, Qiao Yu lived in a villa area where the houses were relatively far apart, giving her more privacy and avoiding attracting onlookers.
It's just a pity for the security guard who is in charge of registration at the door. He sees several large trucks of express deliveries delivered to Qiao Yu's house every day. While he is struggling to register, he sighs that the world of rich people is really hard to understand.
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