Chapter 5: Continuing to Stockpile Supplies
Chapter 5: Continuing to Stockpile Supplies
They had the goods loaded onto the small truck, then went out to buy shoes—snow boots, rain boots, sneakers, slippers—anything they thought might be useful, leaving no type unchecked.
Since bedding was also needed, they bought it all at once: dozens of down comforters and quilts of various thicknesses, along with more than a dozen pairs of pillows.
They also purchased several folding beds and mattresses. They might have to move several times in the future, and even if they brought old bedding along, eventually new ones would be necessary to ensure quality sleep.
After packing everything, Gu Pan felt the quilts were taking up too much space. Pretending to organize on the truck, she discreetly stored some items in their hidden space. Soon, more room opened up in the vehicle.
Next, they bought a lot of fabric—good for making clothes or curtains. Better to have more than less. They planned to buy a sewing machine in the next few days so they could make anything themselves.
With that settled, they headed straight to the nearby wholesale market for small commodities.
They bought toiletries in bulk wherever they saw boxed sets. Aside from toilet paper and sanitary napkins, Gu Pan also picked up household items like thermoses, kettles, lighters, and hot water bags.
They heard that heating pads didn’t work well in extreme cold, so they skipped those and opted for rubber hot water bags instead—more reliable.
They bought a hundred emergency windproof lights, as these would be frequently used and consumed, so it was wise to have plenty.
They also purchased two boxes of red candles typically used for weddings—these would definitely be essential later on.
Alcohol stoves and lamps were bought in larger quantities too. When dining outdoors or with outsiders, these items were indispensable; there was no way to just pull them out from their hidden stash.
They stocked up on various rodent, cockroach, and ant poisons as well—after a natural disaster, there would be many pests, and these could prove life-saving.
Of course, they needed disinfectant too, but planned to buy that at the pharmacy for better reliability.
Afterward, they wandered along the market’s edge, picking up grills, hot pots, fish roasting trays, pots, pans—anything useful they could spot, even floor mats weren’t overlooked.
They actually found sewing machines there and bought five of them. These might become a good way to pass time later, and since they were prone to wear and tear, having extras made sense.
They would buy some, then get on the truck to pretend to organize, secretly stashing items in the hidden space. No one would know how much they had bought, nor notice if the load got heavier or lighter, especially with the truck covered by a tarp.
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By the time they left the wholesale market, it was afternoon. They had bought so much that counting everything and loading it onto the truck took quite some time, including getting help from the warehouse.
They decided to stop shopping for the day since they still needed to pick up shelves at the warehouse, collect home appliances purchased the day before from the old house, and finally retrieve the meals they had ordered yesterday. So food and vehicle arrangements were postponed until tomorrow.
They grabbed a quick bite at a roadside restaurant, then headed to the warehouse, which was located in the suburbs. After collecting the shelves, they went to the bungalow to receive the appliances, making efficient use of their time.
The warehouse had no workers; it was simply a storage spot for their miscellaneous items.
Inside, Lu Ruisheng said, “These shelves are all disassembled for storage. Put them into the hidden space first. Later, we’ll go to the hardware store to buy screws, wire, and tools. When things are quiet in the apocalypse, I’ll assemble them.”
Gu Pan agreed, “Good idea. We’ll also hit the building materials store to buy cement, sand, and such. You never know when we might need to build something ourselves.”
Lu Ruisheng nodded, “Exactly. We should buy lots of things from the hardware store. We’ll probably have to do most repairs and crafting ourselves in the future.”
They loaded everything suitable for storage into the hidden space—some sturdy iron frames and steel plates, even a few iron doors. Lu Ruisheng suggested installing these in stairwells for extra protection. Since they had space, they’d keep everything; if storage became tight later, they could discard what was unnecessary. It was better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
After leaving the warehouse, they went straight to the nearby hardware store and bought a large pile of tools, screws, and wire.
Next, they visited the building materials store and purchased cement, sand, putty powder, and so on. Gu Pan had a new realization—flooring vinyl was genuinely excellent. In her previous life, after going to the base, the house was all cement walls and floors. If they’d had vinyl flooring, the place would have felt much cozier. Foam-backed floor panels that insulated against cold and heat were also very useful. Things she once thought unfashionable suddenly became invaluable.
Once finished, they received a call that the appliances were being delivered. They went to the bungalow, opened the door, and the workers moved everything inside. Since the weather was bad, Gu Pan gave the workers some tips and warned them about the unusual weather, suggesting they prepare their own supplies. That was all she could say.
The workers tested the appliances, found them working well, and then took their leave.
After everyone left, Gu Pan stored all the newly bought items into the hidden space.
With night approaching, they went to the mall from the day before to pick up the meals ordered from various shops. On the truck, they transferred everything into the hidden space.
Then they went to the food street and placed new orders at the nearby stores, paying deposits to collect the next day.
By the time they got home, it was already past nine at night.
Today, they didn’t see Zhuang Jie—either he hadn’t come, or had left because no one was home. But Jing Xin was there.
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Once inside, the two of them went into the hidden space and roughly sorted and categorized the items. Then they took a shower.
Afterward, both felt they should buy water tanks to store water. Supplies were running low, and even if they fetched water daily, the amount they could get was uncertain.
So the first task tomorrow was to buy water tanks and wholesale bottled water—this was the highest priority.
While planning for the next day and making notes, they worked until past midnight before going to sleep.
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The next day, they went straight to the supplier and bought ten large water tanks, each measuring two meters by two meters. Delivery was scheduled for the bungalow in the evening.
Then they went to the water wholesaler and ordered a thousand large barrels of mineral water, as well as a thousand cases of bottled mineral water, all to be delivered in the evening.
With the water issue resolved, they headed to the farmers’ market, found a grain and oil store, and purchased a hundred bags each of rice, millet, and assorted coarse grains, plus a hundred bags of various kinds of flour. They also bought thirty barrels each of different types of cooking oil.
They bought ten boxes of dried noodles too, as these would be excellent for bartering later.
Though these supplies wouldn’t last a lifetime, they had the ordered meals and the base’s future planting to rely on, so this was sufficient.
Next, they went to the nearby spice wholesaler and bought ten boxes each of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.
They also bulk-bought dozens of pounds of dried seasonings.
Salt and sugar were their biggest purchases—five tons each, equal to ten thousand pounds. Iodized salt and sugar would become hard currency later, able to be traded for many supplies.
They also bought five hundred pounds of red pepper and rock sugar—both precious commodities.
Their truck couldn’t carry all this, so they arranged delivery for the afternoon to the old suburban house. Fortunately, no one knew about that place; it was Gu Pan’s private refuge, not to be shared with outsiders. Only the couple knew about it, and they visited regularly to tidy up.
(End of chapter)