Madness After the Apocalypse-Chapter 2: Stockpiling supplies

Time was running out, so Annan quickly made a list of supplies in her phone's memo and hurried out.

In the community, elderly people were gathered in small groups, chatting leisurely.

Young couples strolled hand in hand beneath the tree-lined paths, their faces radiant with happiness.

Annan couldn't help but sigh. How long had it been since she'd witnessed such harmonious, beautiful scenes?

Sadly, in just a few days, such serene moments would be a thing of the past.

She quickened her pace and headed to a nearby car rental agency, where she rented a light-duty truck and drove straight to the largest wholesale market in Linbei City.

Her first stop was the grain and oil section, where she began stockpiling staples.

In times of disaster, even if you have nothing, as long as you have enough rice and water, you can survive.

She purchased 500 bags of rice, each weighing 50 kilograms, 300 bags of various flours, 1,000 pounds of potatoes and sweet potatoes, 500 pounds of corn, 500 pounds of various beans, and 500 pounds of oats, buckwheat, and other grains.

These supplies would sustain a family of three for 70 years.

Though Annan was alone, she bought extra. The surplus could be used to trade for other essential resources.

In the apocalypse, food was currency.

By the later stages of the floods, even a bag of moldy rice could be traded for a night with a young woman.

Vegetables and fruits were not tradeable, as fresh produce, even with the space's preservation, would arouse suspicion in the years following the end of the world.

Having witnessed the betrayal of Wei Wenbin and Qian Ying'er, Annan knew that she could never let anyone discover the secret of her space.

After hoarding the staples, she moved on to buy oil—500 barrels, each five liters, of soybean, peanut, corn, sunflower, sesame, and olive oil.

Next, she headed to the condiments section.

She bought 600 pounds of salt, 300 pounds of various sugars, 600 liters of soy sauce and cooking wine, and 600 liters of various vinegars, including aged, rice, and white vinegar.

Other seasonings such as chicken essence, MSG, chili powder, pepper, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and fennel were stocked up to 300 pounds.

She also picked up a variety of semi-prepared condiments: hot pot base, barbecue seasoning, meat marination mixes, sauerkraut fish seasoning, and various sauces.

She used her light-duty truck to transport everything to a remote area outside the city, away from surveillance, and stored them in her space.

She made eight or nine trips back and forth before finishing.

Just as she was about to go for meats and vegetables, her stomach grumbled loudly.

Only then did Annan remember that she had been so focused on stocking up that she hadn't eaten all morning.

As someone who had endured extreme hunger during the apocalypse, Annan decisively paused her shopping spree to tend to her hunger.

She walked to a nearby street lined with food stalls and was immediately dazzled by the variety.

Fried chicken shops, bubble tea stores, barbecue joints, Sichuan restaurants, crab pots, handmade noodles...

This was not just a street of eateries—it was the dream she had longed for throughout her four years in the apocalypse!

Annan chose the restaurant with the widest variety of cuisines and walked in.

She ordered eight dishes and one soup:

Peking duck, Sichuan mapo tofu, Northeast-style guobao pork, West Lake vinegar fish, Dongpo pork, garlic baby cabbage, spicy chicken, dry-fried green beans, and a pork, lotus root, and yam soup.

The young waitress who took her order looked shocked.

"Miss, are you really ordering so many dishes... for just yourself?"

Annan remained calm. "I'm meeting some friends. They haven't arrived yet. Please, bring out the dishes first."

The dishes came quickly, a balanced mix of meats and vegetables, salty and sweet, and generous portions.

Half an hour later, Annan, her stomach content and full, set down her chopsticks.

Only she knew how much she had longed for such delightful dishes during the apocalypse!

Not even these delicacies, rich in flavor and color, could compare to the bitter struggles she faced just to secure a stale loaf of bread during those days.

For a long time, she had been forced to eat dirt.

Not the online joke of "eating dirt because I'm poor," but the harsh reality of consuming the earth itself.

It was dry, difficult to swallow, and left her constipated. Many people even perished from the suffocating effects.

But if she hadn't eaten, she would have starved to death even faster.

Annan understood the preciousness of food more than anyone else. She waved to the waitress.

"My friends won't be joining me, could you please pack everything for takeout?"

Carrying the packed boxes back to her truck, she quickly stored them in her space when no one was looking.

Though she wanted to stock up on more snacks, the wholesale market was closing soon. She decided to return and buy vegetables first, planning to return later that evening.

Back at the wholesale market, Annan headed straight to the meat and egg section.

She bought 8,000 chicken eggs, 4,000 duck and goose eggs, and 3,000 quail eggs.

For meat, she purchased 500 pounds of pork, 300 pounds each of beef and lamb, 500 chickens, 500 ducks, and 300 geese—all processed and ready to go.

She also bought large quantities of chicken feet, wings, duck tongues, necks, and intestines to prepare as cured delicacies later.

Before the apocalypse, Annan's favorite treat was watching dramas while snacking on spicy duck parts.

Reborn, she was determined not only to eat well but to enjoy every moment of life.

Next, Annan went to the seafood section.

She bought 1,000 fish of various kinds, 500 pounds of shrimp, 300 pounds of shellfish like clams, oysters, and cockles, and some squid and octopus.

With the meat and seafood stocked up, she moved on to the vegetable and fruit section.

She bought 2,000 pounds of leafy greens, including spinach, chives, lettuce, and celery, 1,000 pounds of various melons like cucumbers, winter melons, and pumpkins, and 800 pounds of cabbage to detoxify.

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For other vegetables, she bought 1,500 pounds of tomatoes, eggplants, bean sprouts, radishes, and green beans, and 800 pounds of mushrooms like shiitake, enoki, and wood ear mushrooms.

In the fruit section, Annan only selected her favorites.

She bought 6,000 pounds of apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, oranges, lemons, peaches, grapes, lychees, durians, watermelons, and cantaloupes.

Although some of these fruits were out of season, she knew she wouldn't have another chance to buy them in the future.

The market was teeming with variety. By evening, Annan had spent the entire afternoon buying food, driving it to her truck, and storing it in her space, repeating the cycle.

After all the food was secured, she immediately headed to the city's largest clothing wholesale market.

She didn't need to buy much clothing—her wardrobe was already well-stocked. She only needed to replace some old pieces.

In the apocalypse, style didn't matter; comfort and practicality were key.

She bought 300 pieces each of spring, summer, and autumn clothing: shirts, pants, skirts, as well as 300 pairs of shoes, including sandals, slippers, sneakers, and dress shoes.

She focused primarily on winter clothing, as thick garments would be just as vital as her own flesh when the extreme cold arrived.

Since it was summer, winter clothes were cheap, many offered at half price.

She bought down jackets, wool sweaters, thick cotton pants, hats, scarves, cotton gloves, and thick winter boots, snow boots, and wool socks.

Finally, she stocked up on essential daily items.

Toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent—she bought extra of everything.

She bought 50 sets each of thick blankets, pillows, sheets, and pillowcases.

Additionally, she stocked up on pots, pans, trash bags, scissors, lighters, disposable meal boxes, and other miscellaneous items.

Annan wandered around, buying large quantities of whatever she saw.

The most important of all were sanitary supplies—she filled an entire truck with toilet paper, sanitary pads, and other necessities.

Remembering the swarms of mosquitoes during extreme heat, she also purchased insecticides, mosquito coils, floral water, and realgar powder.

For the extreme cold, she made sure to buy heat pads, hot water bottles, and other warming items.

She bought everything she could think of, yet still felt it wasn't enough. After all, she only had a few days to prepare for the coming decades, and it was nearly impossible to cover everything.

But by the time the market closed, she had no choice but to wrap up her shopping for the day.

She spent the evening transporting everything to a remote area, storing it in her space.

After a long day of hard work, Annan was exhausted and finally had a moment to rest, sitting in her car with her eyes closed.

"Vibrate—"

Her phone suddenly buzzed.

She pulled it out, opened WeChat, and frowned as she saw the message.