After discovering it was instant noodles, Zhao Xiaoyan's mood noticeably dampened. At that moment, both she and Wei Dalei hadn't thought of certain crucial issues.
However, Chen Mu was ecstatic.
"Is this useful?"
At first, Zhao Xiaoyan felt a little guilty, thinking that she had led everyone astray, but upon seeing Chen Mu's joyous expression, she became rather puzzled.
"Not just useful, it's like solving almost all our problems in one go."
"Huh? Instant noodles?" Wei Dalei was confused.
"It's not the instant noodles themselves," Chen Mu, with his shrewd mind, was now so excited that he seemed a bit overwhelmed. He patted Wei Dalei's shoulder and said with a smile, "It's the seasoning pack inside that's the real treasure."
"The seasoning pack... Right!"
The two of them instantly understood.
Zhao Xiaoyan wasn't stupid; she simply didn't pay much attention to instant noodles since she rarely ate them. As for Wei Dalei, he was just too lazy to think.
But after Chen Mu's reminder, even the dimmest person woke up to the truth.
"The seasoning pack can replace salt," Zhao Xiaoyan said, also getting excited.
With real salt being entirely out of reach, the seasoning pack from instant noodles was indeed a perfect substitute. Moreover, the seasoning powder was not food itself, so the consumption was minimal. Just one small pack could feed everyone for a long, long time.
"Not only that."
Chen Mu slowly approached the cardboard box of instant noodles. Despite his ecstasy, he didn't relax his vigilance towards his surroundings. As he walked, he said:
"This brand of instant noodles usually comes with three packs of seasoning:
"One powder pack, mainly composed of edible salt, monosodium glutamate, white sugar, and some spices;
"One oil pack, mainly made of palm oil, beef sauce, and chili;
"And finally, the vegetable pack, containing various dehydrated vegetables, including cabbage, carrots, scallions, eggs, beef granules..."
Before Chen Mu could finish, Wei Dalei exclaimed, "Wow, boss, how do you know all this so well?"
"The ingredients list is written on the packaging," Chen Mu pointed to a scattered pack of instant noodles.
Wei Dalei: "..."
At this moment, Zhao Xiaoyan also came to her senses and said excitedly, "This... this is too abundant! I always said instant noodles are healthy, but my mom never let me eat them."
Perhaps thinking about her family, Zhao Xiaoyan's mood visibly dampened. However, since the apocalypse, the topic of family and parents had been discussed many times in the class. Hope, sadness, despair—various emotions had been experienced. It had to be said that humanity's adaptability was stronger than one could imagine.
Besides, before receiving concrete information, whether loved ones had definitely encountered a disaster was still unknown.
Chen Mu didn't have this concern. If he had to mention someone closest to him, it would probably be Wei Dalei, who was currently right beside him. Thus, he didn't need to experience that kind of sorrow.
However, he could understand the emotions of Zhao Xiaoyan and others, so he quickly took over the conversation and smiled, "I don't know if they are healthy or not, but for us, there's a huge advantage. Vegetables are prone to rot, but once dehydrated and sealed, they can last for years if properly stored."
"But it says six months for the shelf life," Zhao Xiaoyan pointed to a small line of text printed in the corner of the cardboard box.
"The shelf life of food is a legally required time frame that companies must follow. However, many things can last far beyond that period," Chen Mu explained. "Besides, even if it's just six months, it's more than enough. We can't keep living a life of hiding and scavenging forever."
During this time, Chen Mu had frequently discussed this issue with Tang Jing, and their opinions were very much in agreement—that humanity would eventually return to the top of the food chain and reclaim control of this world.
Of course, there was no need to dwell on these things with Zhao Xiaoyan at the moment.
They walked further inside for a while.
Chen Mu just noticed that the room was not only filled with instant noodles but also included some rice vermicelli and seaweed packs for making soup, basically a variety of instant foods. Most of them were piled up quite high, except for the instant noodles which were placed at the bottom, probably because they were used more frequently.
Perhaps due to the long-term storage of instant noodles, there was a distinct smell pervading the room, which explained why Zhao Xiaoyan could smell it from afar.
"I'll give it a try to see if I can carry it," Wei Dalei said as he approached a partially opened cardboard box near the door. It was a standard pack of 24, with about four or five packs missing.
Instant noodles were not very heavy.
Wei Dalei obviously thought he could carry one pack.
However, before he could do anything, Chen Mu stopped him and said, "We don't need the noodles, just the seasoning packs."
"Right, we can't store the noodles for long, and they're heavy. There are also many substitutes with better cost-effectiveness. The seasoning packs are the key," Zhao Xiaoyan agreed.
A seasoning pack that could provide oil, salt, and vegetables simultaneously was indeed incomparable to mere packs of noodles. Although Chen Mu also felt it was a bit of a pity, if they had a whole box of instant noodles in their storage, they wouldn't have to worry about food for at least a year or two.
"What should we do then? Only take three seasoning packs with us?" Wei Dalei, who was always lazy to think, asked.
"We can dismantle several packs of instant noodles, take out the seasoning packs from inside, and then drag them back in an empty bag," Chen Mu suggested after some thought.
If Tang Jing were here, she might come up with a better plan, but for now, this was the best idea Chen Mu could think of.
"But dragging them all the way back might wear out the bag," Zhao Xiaoyan expressed her concern.
"No worries, I'll repair it along the way," Chen Mu had obviously considered this issue beforehand.
"I'll go get one bag to try it out first."
Wei Dalei took big strides and walked into the cardboard box.
The weight of a single pack of instant noodles was acceptable, but those who had bought a whole box knew that the instant noodles were stacked vertically in tight rows. It was quite difficult to take them out, even for someone as strong as Wei Dalei.
Chen Mu went to the side of the cardboard box and placed his hands on it.
In the next moment, the box split open a small seam.
The seam wasn't long, but it effectively relieved the tight hold.
"It moved!"
Wei Dalei exclaimed excitedly, followed by the rustling sound of plastic bags.
Before long, a complete pack of instant noodles was dragged out.
They followed the same method and successively retrieved three packs of instant noodles.
"Let's take a break," Chen Mu immediately called a halt.
"I'm not tired at all." Wei Dalei clenched his fist as if he had an endless supply of energy to expend.
"It's not about you being tired; I'm getting tired," Chen Mu said. The crack on the cardboard box was now several people's length. For Chen Mu, the effort might not have been too much, and saying he was tired might be a bit of an exaggeration. However, adhering to the principle of safety first and ensuring they could open the "Golden Bell Shield" at the fastest speed if needed, Chen Mu made Wei Dalei stop for a rest.