Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 318 Awakening

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but something seemed to be stuck in her throat, and she could only make a series of muffled sobs. She swallowed hard before she could finally speak.

"Miss...do you still have any of your candied hawthorns?" She spoke haltingly, her voice thick with sobs, each word seeming to be squeezed out of her throat.

After she finished speaking, the woman's tears began to fall like rain, the tears mixing with the dust on her face, forming streaks of mud.

Looking at her tear-streaked face, Xu Xiaoyan's anger subsided somewhat, but she was still a little irritated.

"That's all," she said, trying to keep her tone calm. "They're all sold out. Didn't you see? The stall's all packed up. Where am I supposed to get you candied hawthorns now?"

The woman's tears welled up again. She wiped them away haphazardly with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more tears streamed down her face. She stood there, looking helpless, her lips trembling, wanting to say something but unable to utter a word.

"Big sister," she softened her tone, "didn't you come by this afternoon? I asked you if you wanted to buy anything, but you didn't. Now this is..."

Upon hearing this, the woman cried even harder. She covered her face, her shoulders heaving, and it took her a long time to finally stop.

"I...I..." she choked out, "I don't have a phone...I went back to ask my husband to come and buy some...but he wouldn't come...my child has been wanting to eat candied hawthorns..."

"Big Sister" Xu Xiaoyan said helplessly, "It's not that I don't want to sell to you, it's just that I'm really sold out. Look at my stall, isn't it empty? I'm closing up shop because I have nothing left to sell."

Upon hearing this, the woman seemed to lose all her strength. Her hands fell to her sides, and she stood there with her head down, her shoulders trembling again.

Xu Xiaoyan suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh right, go check over there. I heard they sell candied hawthorns there too. It's not just my stall in the South District market. Hurry up and go find one, and buy a skewer for your kid to try."

"That one isn't fresh, and it's more expensive," the man said.

Xu Xiaoyan frowned immediately. Good heavens, where did this weirdo come from? She kept saying that her child wanted to eat it. Shouldn't a normal person just buy a skewer and shut the child up? Why is she being picky? This person must have something wrong with her brain.

She immediately closed the window, reversed, and chose a less crowded side road to drive towards the exit, shaking off the chasing figure. These days, anything can happen, I'm speechless!

Xu Xiaoyan drove home.

The small truck sped through the passageway, its windows half-open, letting in the wind that carried the unique smells of the underground city: the smell of cooking oil, dust, and an indescribable stench of sweat.

After making several turns and passing through several passages, the car finally arrived at Parking Lot 23 in the East Zone.

She parked the car in the designated parking space, turned off the engine, and engaged the handbrake.

She had been busy all afternoon, boiling sugar, stringing fruit, coating it with sugar, collecting money, talking, and smiling. Now that she had stopped, she felt her back ached and she couldn't even lift her arms.

But Xu Xiaoyan didn't care about any of that. She took out her phone and opened the account interface.

The numbers on the screen jumped for a moment, then stabilized.

1243.67.

She leaned back in her seat, looked at the number, and slowly a smile crept onto her lips.

That's enough. At least the living and training during this period of time is enough.

She remembered the one-on-one private coaching she had signed up for, which was supposed to be about self-defense, but she wanted to check if there was any survival skills training available, including wilderness survival, first aid, and which acupoints to attack that would be most dangerous.

As for what happens after the training...

talk later.

She stared at the number, but something else came to mind.

Today at the South District market, she felt she was quite eye-catching, especially when making candied hawthorns. The sweet aroma wafted far and wide while she was boiling the sugar, attracting a large crowd. Later, she did something like "buy ten skewers and get a free watermelon," which drew even more people over.

Will these people remember her?

Definitely.

Especially those who live in the southern district and frequent that area, they might recognize her if they see her again at the market.

"Hey, isn't that the girl who sells candied hawthorns?"

"Her candied hawthorns are delicious, and the fruit is fresh."

It sounded like a good thing, but she knew in her heart that in a place like the underground city, being too famous was not a good thing; the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.

The South Market is so big, with so many people, including many rich people, but also many hooligans. Those idlers who make a living by extortion love to target the vendors with good business because they know you have money and they know you are easy to bully.

She earned so many points this afternoon; if someone were to target her or have designs on her…

She shivered.

No, we need to rein it in.

At least for now, we can't be so ostentatious anymore.

She thought about it and made a decision in her mind—she wouldn't go to the South District tomorrow. Although it was a quick way to make money there, the risks were also high.

From now on, I'll mostly go to this little night market near my home. It's less crowded, and the customers are mostly regulars, so it's safe.

She stopped making candied hawthorns; the aroma of boiling sugar could travel far. Instead, she decided to sell snacks—pre-packaged foods like potato chips, shrimp chips, and preserved plum candy—ordinary and unremarkable.

As she was thinking, she suddenly smiled.

Laughing at myself.

Back in Xuan County, she hated this kind of "low-key" and "trouble-avoiding" way of life the most.

She was twelve or thirteen years old at the time, working in a small restaurant. She was busy every day, but she felt at ease.

What is her personality like? She's straightforward, says what she thinks, and never hides anything.

If a customer gives her a hard time, she'll stand up for herself; if a colleague bullies her, she'll argue back; if the boss tries to deduct her wages, she'll slam her fist on the table and walk out.

At that time, she felt that this was how people should be. Why should she hide? Why should she conceal herself? Why couldn't she earn money openly and honestly? She lived an upright life and worked honestly, so who could do anything to her?

and after?

She's learned her lesson.

Why did she become so obedient? Of course, it's because she's seen too many people who refuse to back down end up what happens to them.

There was an old man who sold pancakes. He refused to pay "protection money" and had his leg broken. He was never seen again.

A young woman selling clothes got into an argument with a customer, and the customer's men blocked her in the store, smashed her stall, and beat her up.

There was also a young man who sold fruit. Because his business was so good, he was envied and had paint splashed on him in the middle of the night. The next day, no one dared to buy his products, and he left after half a month. No one knows where he went.

Are these people wrong? No! If you are weak, you have to endure it; if you are strong, you can stand tall.

Xu Xiaoyan took a deep breath, put her phone away, and got out of the car.

If you enjoy stories about surviving the apocalypse by stockpiling supplies, please bookmark: Apocalypse Stockpiling Survival Story