It was costly, but people still bought it; otherwise, they would just starve to death.
They were fortunate. At the checkout, someone had taken extra supplies and was arguing with the cashier despite being advised against it.
Jhiang Yuan watched as someone who looked like a paramilitary policeman approached and shocked the middle-aged man with an electric baton, then dragged him out.
The sales clerk acted as if it were nothing, simply waving his hand, "Next."
Wow, that startled her, but that electric baton was really something. What should she do about wanting one?
After a smooth checkout, Jhiang Yuan felt that there wouldn't be any chaos this time. Everything seemed so well-organized, with so many people lending a hand.
In her previous life, she hadn't gone out to buy supplies; it had been Xia Chaoyang and Bai Mengmeng who went.
She had provided the money, and they split the goods evenly. She wondered if it was the same today.
"Jhiang Yuan, is that really you?"
Damn, speak of the devil, and he appears!
"Great, what did you buy? Share some with us!"
"Why should I, get lost…"
Jhiang Yuan was irritated; Xia Chaoyang had some nerve to ask her for supplies.
"Jhiang Yuan, I lost my credit card and can't get it now, and there's no money in my WeChat. Mengmeng has almost run out of money too.
Please share some with us, and when I get my card replaced, I'll pay you back."
Thinking he could replace his card? Keep dreaming.
"No, leave now, or I'll call for help."
"You can't do this; after all, we used to be married, right?"
Xia Chaoyang looked distressed; he had been waiting here for ages. If he couldn't get money or food from Jhiang Yuan now, they would really be at their wits' end.
"Sister Jhiang Yuan, please share a bit with us. If not, could you lend us some money? We'll pay you back double later."
"Shut your mouth. You look like you're 40, and still you call me 'sister'.
Not only is something wrong with your brain, you should get your eyes checked too…"
Actually, Bai Mengmeng didn't look that old, but she was indeed older than Jhiang Yuan. The way she kept calling her 'sister' was annoying enough to slap her.
"What are you doing? Stop bullying Mengmeng."
Xia Chaoyang pushed Jhiang Yuan disdainfully, causing her to stagger back quickly.
She thought she was going to fall flat on her face, but a pair of strong hands steadied her, stabilizing her stance.
A sneak attack, you little trash!
"Are you okay!" She hadn't expected to run into Song Yi here, who even helped her.
"I'm fine, thanks!"
Jhiang Yuan looked up and saw Jhiang Xingzhi driving up, his reassurance increasing as he shut the car door.
"Xia Chaoyang, you want money, right? I'll tell you where it is."
Xia Chaoyang still wanted to ask who this man was, as he seemed familiar with Jhiang Yuan, which made him suspicious.
Jhiang Yuan couldn't have moved that fast, could she? Already finding someone else?
But the lure of money was stronger; it would have been better to speak up earlier, rather than lose face here.
There wasn't time to consider this man's situation further, and besides, this guy looked pretty sturdy; he wouldn't be an easy opponent.
Jhiang Yuan slowly approached with a smile in her eyes and suddenly pulled out a small bottle from her right pocket, furiously spraying Xia Chaoyang.
Before leaving the house, she had deliberately equipped herself with pepper spray.
Then, she fiercely lifted her knee towards his groin in a brutal strike.
Xia Chaoyang's eyes, irritated, covered them with his hands, not even recovering before another excruciating pain shot through his lower body.
That agonizing sensation was something only those who had experienced it could truly understand.
"Serves them right!"
Jhiang Yuan was in a great mood, and winked at Song Yi before quickly grabbing her bag and dashing to her car, driving away briskly.
Song Yi's mouth twitched as he stared at Xia Chaoyang curled up on the ground in pain, alongside the sobbing Bai Mengmeng, feeling his body tense up.
This woman was fierce and ruthless!
There were especially many people out shopping today, and after two days of quiet, the neighborhood was bustling again.
However, the power was still out.
Going home meant climbing the stairs—a nightmare for someone like Jhiang Yuan, who needed breaks just to run eight hundred meters.
Fortunately, the physical training over the past few days had somewhat helped.
"Did you guys go out to shop? Were there many people?"
As Jhiang Yuan reached the 19th floor, she heard someone speaking and looked up to see the woman from the 20th floor who had knocked on her door earlier.
"Quite a few!"
Seeing that Jhiang Yuan didn't want to talk, Jhiang Xingzhi casually replied.
"Can you share some of the groceries you bought with me? I'll pay."
"No, you should go buy your own. We barely have enough for ourselves!"
The woman pouted. "Then are you going out again tomorrow? Could you pick up some for me?"
Jhiang Yuan was dumbfounded—she herself wasn't crippled, and she even had a strong man at home. How hard could it be to shop for groceries?
Now at the 20th floor, she stared steadily at the fool: "Sure!"
"Great, what time are you going tomorrow? I want to buy some fruits and vegetables, and some rice too, 20 pounds should do..."
Jhiang Yuan waited amusedly for her to finish. "The fee for running errands is twenty thousand yuan."
"What?"
"Are you having trouble hearing?"
After saying that, Jhiang Yuan leaned in closer and shouted, "Running errands fee, twenty thousand, heard that?"
"I'm not deaf! Why are you shouting? Besides, have you gone mad with poverty? Twenty thousand yuan, are you trying to scam an idiot?"
"I think you're just lazy enough to blow bubbles out of your nose. I don't even want to bring stuff for you for twenty thousand, idiot!"
"Who are you calling an idiot?"
Jhiang Yuan reached the 21st floor and slammed the safety door closed with a "bang."
So noisy!
"Finally back home, I was worried all night. Come here quick, let's disinfect."
Qin Yue sprayed disinfectant on the father and daughter, unable to do otherwise; with so many viruses and bacteria around, one had to be cautious.
Jhiang Yuan didn't rush to change her clothes. She had seen what seemed like two Green Bean Flies in the hallway earlier and had to deal with them quickly, taking the insecticide out again and giving it a thorough spray.
Conveniently, Song Yi also arrived back home carrying quite a few packets of instant noodles.
The two nodded briefly at each other, neither speaking.
Once home, she hurriedly took off her clothes, drenched in sweat, her hair sticky and clammy.
Jhiang Yuan quickly took a shower and washed the clothes she had taken off, then went to see Xiao Nuan.
The two from downstairs had been so annoying; she was well aware that in a few days, these two families would probably bother her again.
Unbelievably young, yet so shameless.
Whatever happened to decency?
They must be the ones who slipped through the cracks of nine years of compulsory education!
If they became even more demanding, what should she do? The time had not yet come when she could do whatever she wanted; everyone still had their limits.
But who knew how long those limits could hold?