"Jhiang Yuan, do you know where my credit card is?"
So Boss Xia had discovered his credit card was missing, too bad, he still didn't know that she had already maxed it out for him.
"If your credit card is gone, just go and get it reissued. Why ask me?"
Having said that, Jhiang Yuan turned off her phone and dipped the shrimp paste Qin Yue had given her into the sauce, delicious!
To get a credit card reissued, you need an ID card, and even the fastest reissuing of an ID card takes half a month. Xia Chaoyang estimated he would never use the credit cards under his name again in this lifetime.
There was another fierce battle that evening. However, bottled water was much lighter than rice and flour, and it took just over half an hour to finish handling it all.
Now, the most important things were weapons and medicines. Although she had purchased some at the outdoor supplies store, she still felt it was not enough.
As for medicines, the common ones didn't matter too much; she could buy plenty of special medications.
She started up her phone again, turning to the almighty power of online shopping. Sure enough, there's nothing you can't buy, only things you don't think of.
Fever medicine, cold medicine, painkillers, anti-itch ointments, insecticides, Florida Water, alcohol, cotton swabs, including gauze, penicillin, syringes—anything she thought might be useful, she ordered them all.
With a little over a week to go, there would be no problem getting the deliveries. She grabbed her parents' phones and did the same routine, and that was about enough.
In the end, Jhiang Yuan still bought three vats for her mother—two for pickling sauerkraut, and one for salty vegetables.
They were all first-rate big pots, the kind that could pickle over two hundred pounds of cabbage.
September 8, seven days until the apocalypse breaks out.
The weather had been getting hotter these last couple of days. It was already 33℃ when one woke up in the morning, and by noon, it had reached 38℃, leading many people to complain about the 'Autumn Tiger' heat in their friend circles.
The meat delivery arrived on schedule, and after helping to carry it upstairs, Jhiang Yuan took Xiao Nuan out with her.
With so much stuff, Qin Yue couldn't handle it alone, so they kept Jhiang Xingzhi at home as well.
All those meats and bones needed to be washed, cut, put into vacuum bags, and then frozen. It wasn't a simple task.
She bought the seeds her mother had been longing for, not just for vegetables, but also flowers, as well as all the tools, soil, rooting powder, and stackable plant racks needed for balcony gardening.
She then ran to the supermarket, telling the manager to prepare a welfare package for the staff for October 1, and to give her a group purchase discount.
She ordered ten boxes of laundry detergent, laundry powder, a variety of drinks, fruit juice, Coke, Sprite, and also bought plenty of tissues and toilet rolls, instant noodles, sausages, fruit canned goods, meat canned goods, Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, pickled vegetables, and so on.
She had already bought quite a lot online, and with these additions, she guessed she wouldn't be able to use up or eat all of it in ten years.
Of course, her van didn't have enough space, so she called for a four-meter-two one.
The security guards in the residential complex were puzzled as Jhiang Yuan's family had been buying quite a lot these past days, and they had no idea what she was up to.
She explained that they were originally prepared for delivery to the mountainous areas, but due to some recent issues with the company and the shortage of staff, they had to keep them at home.
After slipping a pack of cigarettes to one of them, she passed through easily.
Nevertheless, Jhiang Yuan was still nervous. Their frequent purchases had been noticed, and although innocent of a crime, possessing a jade invites trouble—she understood this principle well.
When she got back, she discussed this with her parents and told them to be more cautious in their actions recently.
By now, they had more or less bought everything needed. After a simple meal, Jhiang Yuan headed out again.
Since Xiao Nuan was taking a nap, she was left at home for the parents to take care of, which made it more convenient for Jhiang Yuan, being on her own.
This time, she came to a village in the city located in the Western Suburb, a place she had found on a forum that was a front for something else.
She spent a considerable amount on three Tang Swords, two mountain-splitting axes, and a red tassel spear.
The entire trade was conducted while wearing a hat and a mask, but the atmosphere was still terrifying, and her calves were still shaking uncontrollably by the time she sat in the car.
She then made another trip to the mall, this time buying whatever caught her eye.
Beautiful clothes, skincare products, storage boxes, an electricity-generating treadmill, badminton rackets, basketballs, footballs, home dumbbells, skipping ropes, and other items like combs and thermos flasks filled half the car.
Passing by the farmers' market, she bought several bags of soybeans and mung beans, and even potatoes, onions, and carrots—two bags each.
There was hardly any space left in the house, with the living room, dining area, and even the bedroom filled with stuff.
Her parents were still busy in the kitchen, while Jhiang Yuan moved large boxes up to the attic, placed them on the shelves, and then labeled them.
They kept busy until nine o'clock in the evening, and even dined on takeout—the water-boiled fish she used to like so much from a certain restaurant.
"The biggest problem now is fresh vegetables and fruits, they're not easy to preserve," Qin Yue also felt a sense of powerlessness. "For some simple leafy greens, we can grow them ourselves, but fruits are a different story."
"In addition to dried fruits and vegetables, I've bought quite a lot of canned goods. Besides, we should freeze more, for now, that's all we can do." "We can pickle some vegetables, and make jams out of some fruits..."
As soon as Qin Yue said this, she suddenly felt there was still so much to do, sigh!
In the novels, those who were reborn would have a space to keep things fresh.
Jhiang Yuan fiddled with all her bracelets and necklaces but nothing changed, she had to resign herself to her situation!
September 9th, 6 days until the apocalypse.
The family's life became more regulated. Every morning her father would take her mother straight to the market, buying everything in sight, including fresh vegetables, eggs, and a whopping thousand pounds of smoked sausages and meat.
When her parents returned, she and Xiao Nuan went out, visiting malls, supermarkets, bookstores, maternity stores, and pharmacies, coming back with several bags full of purchases each day.
Besides that, she raided the deli stores in the West City—an array of roasted chickens, ducks, braised beef, pig's feet, and chicken claws were bought in abundance daily and vacuum sealed, then tossed into the freezer.
In the afternoon, everyone usually didn't go out, staying home to organize things.
Dinner was always had outside, choosing their favorite meals, then walking around the neighborhood, familiarizing themselves with the surroundings.
Qin Yue was meticulous; she removed all the labels from the clothes, washed and dried them, then rolled them up by category and put them in the closet.
September 14th, 1 day until the apocalypse.
In the morning, her parents went out to procure the last batch of fresh vegetables and fruits. After they came back, she left Xiao Nuan at home and went out alone.
She still had 1.3 million on hand, exchanged 1 million for gold bars at the bank, and withdrew the remaining 300,000 in cash.
She filled up the car with gas for the last time and took a last look at the bustling metropolis, which in two months' time would no longer be thriving, only decay and gloom everywhere.
Now, apart from the two bedrooms used for sleeping, every other room in the house was filled with supplies.
The family sat together quietly enjoying a meal of dumplings, savoring the last moments of peace.
As long as they took good care of themselves, there would be no problems living off these supplies for ten or eight years.
It seemed that in the end, her heart had calmed down. She wasn't very scared or excited.
After dinner, everyone hurriedly washed up and went to bed, all waiting for tomorrow to come.