Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 151 Ordering Coal

Seeing that the matter was not serious, the base management staff only offered a few routine words of advice. The group of people who had originally gathered to watch the excitement dispersed in twos and threes when they found there was nothing to see. She carried a sack on her back, preparing to go home. Inside was eighty catties of fresh wild boar meat that she had just traded for two bottles of high-quality liquor in good condition from a hunting team.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she reached her own door, she was recognized by the plump woman next door. The woman was wearing a bulky old cotton-padded jacket with large red and green floral patterns. The jacket seemed to be quite old, with oily sheen on the cuffs and hem.

When she saw Xu Xiaoyan carrying a bulging, obviously heavy sack, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. But that surprise was quickly replaced by a sharp emotion mixed with jealousy and dissatisfaction. She seemed convinced that the sack contained something good, and immediately rushed forward with a movement that was somewhat agile for her size. Her thick, rough hands were like iron clamps, and she grabbed the sleeve of Xu Xiaoyan's thin coat tightly.

"Hey! It's you! You're the tenant here!" The plump woman raised her voice, spitting almost onto Xu Xiaoyan's face. Pointing her other finger at the construction site in Xu Xiaoyan's yard, her tone aggressive, "Let me tell you, your family has been banging and clanging away these past few days, making a racket and disturbing our peace! My grandson is crying in fear, and my husband is about to have a heart attack! You have to compensate for this damage! Otherwise, this isn't over! Don't think you can get away with making a fuss!"

Caught off guard by the sudden tug, and burdened by the weight on her shoulders, Xu Xiaoyan staggered, her brows furrowing tightly. She tried to shake off the other person's hand, but it held on tightly. Just as she was about to speak, another figure stepped in from the side even faster!

It was Manager Chen! He had actually been keeping an eye on things. Xu Xiaoyan was his employer, generous and quick to pay for projects. It was a rare good job he had recently received. He was afraid that this shrew who had appeared out of nowhere would cause trouble and scare or anger this young client. If the project was stopped halfway through, not only would the points he had earned be lost, but the construction period and manpower would also be wasted. When he saw the fat woman not only blocking the road but also grabbing Xu Xiaoyan, he was furious and rushed over immediately.

With a flick of his large, fan-like hand, Manager Chen precisely grasped the plump woman's thick wrist, tightening his grip like a steel hoop and pulling her to the side! His strength was immense, and the plump woman cried out in pain, involuntarily releasing her grip on Xu Xiaoyan's sleeve.

"Compensation?! Compensate my ass!" Manager Chen shouted, his booming voice filled with undisguised anger, instantly drowning out the fat woman's shrill voice. Several nearby residents also quietly peeked through their doors or windows. "You're just a tenant, thinking you're the landlord just because you rent a place? Mind your own business, even interfering with other people's repairs? How dare you!" He took a step closer, his tall figure exuding an intimidating aura. "What's wrong with the construction? Huh? Which written rule on the site says tenants can't reinforce their own houses? We're doing legitimate business, working within the permitted hours, we didn't steal or rob! You're making a scene here, interfering with our normal construction, delaying the project. Shouldn't you compensate for the losses?! Get out! Don't get in our way, or if you keep causing trouble, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Manager Chen was tall and strong, and having done manual labor for many years, he possessed a fierce and imposing aura that was far superior to that of a shrewish woman like the fat aunt. Moreover, the six or seven workers behind him, upon hearing their leader's shout, all grabbed their hammers, welding torches, crowbars, and other tools, and glared at him with hostile eyes. Although no one spoke, their silent stares and the "tools" in their hands created an invisible deterrent.

The plump woman's eyes darted around, no longer daring to meet Chen's gaze, much less look at the workers. She took a small step back, her bravado masking her inner fear, while muttering curses under her breath, her vocabulary consisting of nothing more than the same old vulgarities: "barbarians," "uncivilized," "what's with the arrogance of a laborer," and "may they die a horrible death."

Finally, she glared at Xu Xiaoyan fiercely, then twisted her fat body and retreated to her own door in a huff, slamming it shut with all her might.

Manager Chen then turned around, his fierce expression quickly disappearing and replaced with a slightly ingratiating smile. "Don't pay any attention to this shrew! There are plenty of people like her in the outer city. She's unhappy with her own life, so she can't stand seeing others do well. She always tries to squeeze some benefits out of others. She's just renting a place and she's already acting all high and mighty. She really thinks she's something special. She's spoiled rotten! Don't worry, our project will proceed as scheduled. We will not let this kind of person affect the progress."

Xu Xiaoyan nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, Manager Chen."

Without saying another word, she took out her key, unlocked the door, went inside, and locked the door tightly before carefully putting down the heavy sack on her shoulder.

Untying the hemp rope, a fresh, slightly sweet and pungent aroma of meat wafted out. The wild boar meat was a healthy dark red, with a glossy white layer of fat. It was cool and elastic to the touch. With a thought, she stored the eighty pounds of wild boar meat into her spatial storage.

After the kang (a heated brick bed) was heated, the room was filled with a comfortable warmth, along with the rhythmic construction noise coming from outside. Sitting on the edge of the kang, she unconsciously thought of Xie Yingtang and Wang Xiao, who had been out of contact since. She took out her phone to check, but the communication interface was still on the message she had sent a few days ago, asking about their location and situation, without any reply. This made her a little worried. Had they encountered trouble? Or were they in an area with no signal coverage? Or perhaps...? She shook her head, forcing herself to stop thinking in the worst possible way.

She switched her phone screen and opened the "Linchuan Trading Forum" APP. A red unread message notification was clearly visible, from the private message section. She clicked on it and found that her previous post seeking to buy coal had received a reply from a seller with the ID "Shugen".

The other party's message was very concise, getting straight to the point: "I can sell it at a ratio of 1 point to 1.45 tons. How many tons do you need? Send me your address."

Xu Xiaoyan raised an eyebrow upon seeing the message, somewhat surprised. Coal was a scarce winter commodity, and although the price she posted in her purchase request was slightly higher than some of the prices circulating in the market, she was prepared to haggle. She didn't expect someone to accept the price so quickly and reply so readily. In any case, this was good news, and she needed to determine the storage capacity of her backyard as soon as possible.

She got up and went into the yard. On the second-floor frame, workers were welding horizontal support beams, sparks flying. She found Manager Chen, who was supervising and occasionally shouting instructions, and asked, "Manager Chen, excuse me, if I buy a batch of coal now, can the seller deliver it directly to the backyard? Based on the current storage on the first floor, how many tons can the backyard hold?"

Upon hearing the sound, Manager Chen lowered his head, wiped the sweat from his face with the towel draped around his neck, then jumped off the bricks he was standing on and walked to the backyard area to take a closer look. The roof and walls of the first-floor backyard had been completely sealed with heavy boards and insulation materials, leaving only a small door for people to enter and exit and to move supplies. The ground had also been roughly leveled; although it wasn't perfectly level, it was fine for stacking goods.

He estimated the area and height, and quickly calculated in his mind, "The backyard on the first floor is now completely enclosed. If it is stacked more compactly, it can transport about 10 tons without any problem. However, if we want to store more," he pointed to the second-floor frame under construction above his head, "we'll probably have to wait two days until the second-floor frame and roof are completely sealed off and form a storage room."

Having obtained the exact data, Xu Xiaoyan had a clear idea of ​​what to do. She immediately returned to her room and contacted the seller named "Shugen" on the app. "I need 10 tons first. The address is in the Outer City North District, near the North Gate of the Central City. The house number is 12567. Please contact me when you arrive. I will now prepay the corresponding points to the platform's escrow account."

The other party replied incredibly quickly, as if they were always online: "Received, 10 tons of coal, will deliver it to you this afternoon."

The transaction went exceptionally smoothly, and as the transaction status changed to "awaiting seller to ship," she breathed a sigh of relief.

Listening to the rhythmic clanging and occasional chatter of the workers above her, she leisurely nestled on the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove), casually browsing the "Linchuan Trading Forum" app.

On the homepage, a post titled "[A Roundup of Survivor Winter Survival Essentials! Let's Talk About What You're Planning to Rely On to Get Through It?]" was highly upvoted, with thousands of replies and still increasing. Clearly, how to survive the upcoming harsh winter was the most pressing issue for all survivors. She clicked on it out of curiosity.

Upon looking at it, it was as if a door to a new world had been opened instantly; the posts were full of diverse and ingenious ideas.

The original poster first listed several common winter gear items, followed by survivors' practical tips and "pictures":

Someone posted a picture of a traditional brazier they made themselves from clay they found, which they then air-dried and fired in a traditional earthen stove. Although the shape was a bit crooked and the surface had cracks, the thick body of the brazier looked like it could retain heat well, exuding a rustic and practical feel. The original poster replied: "Do it yourself, and you'll have plenty! Just be careful of ventilation and carbon monoxide."

Someone showcased a "fire basket" made from a discarded stainless steel basin: several holes were drilled in the rim of the basin, and wire was threaded through them to serve as handles. Red-hot charcoal or coal was placed inside, and a mesh cover made of coarse wire was placed on top. It could be used to warm hands, place feet on the mesh to warm them, and even roast snacks like dried sweet potatoes. Someone commented below, "Same here! Just old pants, you'll easily burn a hole in them."

Some, seemingly from well-off families or originally residents of Linchuan, posted photos of their small electric heaters powered by their still-functioning independent fuel generators, or boasted about a Nordic brand fuel-powered fan heater that claimed to withstand temperatures as low as -50 degrees Celsius, drawing envious or skeptical replies like, "Wow! Does this thing still run on fuel?" and "Aboriginal, right? Outsiders are worshipping the big shot!"

But most of the responses still focused on the same core concern: "In the event of a large-scale power outage and a complete disruption of fuel supplies, what will be the most reliable and durable source of heating?"

The following answers were varied and full of regional characteristics and personal wisdom:

"It still has to be a heated kang! It's something passed down from our ancestors. As long as there's enough firewood, we don't have to worry! We come from Northeast China, and several families share a room, burning a big kang, and it keeps us warm all night!" This reply received a lot of likes.

"Firebox! The kind we use in the southern mountains, it's like a wooden box with a charcoal brazier inside, covered with a cotton quilt. It's so warm when you stick your legs in! You just have to be careful not to kick it over." The accompanying picture was a simple but clearly well-made wooden box.

"The firebox mentioned upstairs isn't powerful enough! It has to be a fire bucket! It's warmer and safer than a firebox!" This reply from a user with the ID "Old Carpenter" stood out. He seemed to be quite knowledgeable about this and had a good business sense.

He not only described in detail the structure of the "fire bucket"—usually bucket-shaped, about one meter high, with a charcoal brazier or ash burying the embers at the bottom, and partitions or iron frames inside to prevent direct contact with the fire source, but also included a photo that appeared to be of the actual object—a sturdy pine bucket with a smooth-polished rim, and the iron frame structure faintly visible inside, with a small bamboo stool next to it.

More importantly, he directly posted a sales link below the post, stating: "[Handmade winter fire buckets, made of pine wood, sturdy and durable, with safe heat insulation. Only 5 points each, limited quantity, pre-order now!]"

Looking at the photo and description of the fire bucket, and then recalling the official mention of the possible months-long cold snap, Xu Xiaoyan's mind immediately started racing.

A heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) can provide overall room temperature, but it is mainly concentrated in the sleeping area. This fire bucket, on the other hand, is the perfect complement to daily sitting activities! It is relatively easy to move, has concentrated heat, effectively warms the lower body, and its structure looks safer than an open brazier and retains more heat than a simple fire box.

"5 points..." Xu Xiaoyan clicked on the link posted by "Old Carpenter" and entered the transaction page. The page showed that there were 7 left in stock. She decisively chose to buy one and filled in the delivery address.

After successfully making the payment, she exited the post and browsed other sections of the forum. The trading area was still bustling with posts seeking to buy food, medicine, coal, and batteries. In the information section, some people shared locations where old supplies might be found nearby, while others alerted people to the movements of wild boars in the vicinity. There was even a "Mood Teahouse" section, which was filled with various complaints, reminiscences, messages about searching for lost relatives, and the occasional bit of humorous anecdotes.