September 5, 10 days until the apocalypse erupted.
The craftsmen arrived at 7 a.m. to install the doors and windows, with over twenty of them crowding in. Jhiang Xingzhi stayed at home to oversee, while Jhiang Yuan took Qin Yue and Xiao Nuan to the light textile market.
Down quilts, cotton quilts, cool summer quilts, bedding sets—anything they saw that could be used, they bought it all.
The prices here were much cheaper than in department stores. Qin Yue even bought many tightly-woven fabrics, as well as cotton fabric for making clothes, sewing needles, thread, thimbles, and the like in significant amounts.
Jhiang Yuan also made a detour to an outdoor store. She told the shop owner that her friend was going to Antarctica to study penguins and requested to be equipped with practical items.
Sleeping bags, bright flashlights, wool hats and gloves, water-resistant fleece jackets, knee-high anti-slip rain boots and insoles, and 100% UV protection sunglasses were all specifically requested.
The shop owner carefully added tents, inflatable boats, compressed biscuits, moisture-proof mats, climbing ropes, rock pegs, safety ascend-descend devices, and eventually a multifunctional outdoor survival kit. Everything was top-of-the-line.
Jhiang Yuan glanced over the items—high-powered binoculars, compass, flint, drones, and so on...
Indeed, well suited for the wilderness, she had everything packed up and taken away...
Additionally, she purchased four sharp daggers and four military shovels.
Why four? Because she included Xiao Nuan. In the apocalypse, she would need to grow up too.
The quality of the goods was truly excellent and the prices beautiful. This single trip cost over a million, but Jhiang Yuan didn't mind at all. At a crucial moment, these could save lives and couldn't be compromised.
The van was packed full. Qin Yue sat in the passenger seat holding Xiao Nuan. Since the apocalypse was impending, she wasn't worried about getting a ticket for violations.
The craftsmen worked quickly, and by the time they returned home, the job was just finishing!
The surveillance installation team also arrived, choosing discreet corners. They adjusted each location and the control panel and screen were integrated and fixed at the entryway.
Jhiang Yuan promptly handled the final payment. Though the workers were puzzled about the purpose, fortunately, they asked no questions.
The solar panel installers and water purifier assembly were done simultaneously on the balcony. Jhiang Xingzhi monitored the positioning closely, trying to cluster them, leaving some space perhaps for growing vegetables later.
In the afternoon, none of them went out; they had nearly seen all the apocalypse-themed movies there were.
Jhiang Yuan also downloaded many novels. She only read the first halves but indeed found many plot holes. One must admit the imagination of online novel writers is truly vast.
The refrigerator delivery also arrived, placed directly in the attic. The ceiling height there was not too shabby, a full 2.4 meters, with no problem accommodating their stored supplies.
She also continuously ordered various everyday items: toilet paper, soft towels, wet wipes, sanitary pads, and plenty of different types of books as well.
The list was edited and edited, growing longer and longer!
September 6, 9 days until the apocalypse!
A number of deliveries arrived. After linking Qin Yue's mobile number with hers, she had her mom take Xiao Nuan to the courier pick-up point.
Her dad drove his cherished car, taking her to the largest grain and oil wholesale market in West City.
They ordered 30,000 pounds of rice, 20,000 pounds of wheat flour, 100 barrels of peanut and melon seed oil, salt, vinegar, grain oil, chicken essence, and other seasonings all starting from 20 boxes each.
A rough calculation showed that one cubic meter could contain 1,600 pounds of rice. After buying these items, the attic was still less than half full.
There were also many sellers of dried spices nearby so they bought all sorts—Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, whole spices, cinnamon, and more.
In addition, I bought quite a few of everything visible, such as vermicelli, dried tofu skin, dried kelp, shrimp shells, and hot pot meatballs.
For fewer items, I carried them back myself; I arranged for the store owner to deliver the grains and others at 10 PM because any earlier might disrupt the normal use of the elevator.
Jhiang Yuan dared not stop; after delivering the items home, she didn't even eat but hurried out again.
She purchased quite a lot of simple shelves and some screws needed for assembly.
Once home, Jhiang Xingzhi didn't go out again but stayed in the attic assembling shelves while Qin Yue retrieved numerous packages; the living room was piled with them everywhere.
Before the rice delivery arrived, Jhiang Yuan made another trip to a nearby telecom business hall and bought ten tablets, twenty power banks, three spare mobile phones, and a hundred USB drives.
The store was bustling with joy, and the duty manager personally brought over tea and a fruit platter.
Her requirement was simple, all the tablets and USB drives had to be filled with movies, TV shows, e-books, and the like.
Of course, half of them were animated series and children's song and dance videos that kids would like.
Although they didn't understand her urgency, they still eagerly went to download everything.
At eight-thirty in the evening, Jhiang Yuan arrived home with Xiao Nuan, charged all the power banks, and then enjoyed watching a variety show while eating dumplings stuffed with pork and cabbage made by her mother.
At ten-thirty, the grain and oil delivery arrived as promised; the owner had called two cargo trucks.
For safety, she directly tipped one thousand yuan and had them unload at the ground floor of her unit block.
The three of them pulled carts and worked non-stop until three-thirty in the morning to haul everything upstairs!
Although it was exhaustingly satisfying, she felt very secure.
With nine days left until the apocalypse, the three of them couldn't get up at all and slept until noon, only getting up because Xiao Nuan said she was hungry, forcing Jhiang Yuan to leave the bed.
She wasn't in good physical condition, and her intense exertion from the day before had left her unable to lift her arms, feeling as though her legs were filled with lead.
But she couldn't rest yet; there was still so much to do and buy.
After making a cup of milk powder for Xiao Nuan and ordering some takeout, she went to wake up her parents and then went to freshen up.
In the afternoon, Jhiang Yuan and Jhiang Xingzhi went to a nearby water station and ordered one hundred bottled waters; she had measured the space beforehand, arranged all the bottled waters at the bottom of the shelves, and planned to use the upper space for other things; they also had rain collectors and a water purifier, one hundred bottles was perfectly sufficient, and she also scheduled the delivery for 10 PM.
They then visited the cold chain wholesale market for meat, buying five hundred pounds each of pork and beef, two hundred pounds of lamb, and about two hundred pounds each of chicken, duck, fish, and shrimp, all to be delivered early the next day.
On the way back to the city, they stopped at a pet store and bought quite a bit of cat litter, an idea gleaned from novels since not having water to flush toilets would indeed be a problem.
They also stopped at a hardware store to buy two large bags of cement and a pack of putty powder, and swept through every maternity and pharmacy they passed.
Instead of cooking, they picked a well-regarded hotpot restaurant downstairs. Qin Yue had also been receiving parcels all day, exhausting work.
Looking at the steam wafting from the hotpot, Jhiang Yuan felt a stir of longing, knowing she wouldn't be able to enjoy such delicious food in just a few days.
Before she could even reflect on that thought, her phone rang.
It was Xia Chaoyang calling. Wondering what he wanted, Jhiang Yuan answered the phone with a look of disgust, but she still answered.