Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

She looked at Wang Xiao, and in those eyes that were still clear despite the darkness and exhaustion, there was no wavering, only a calm seriousness based on a realistic weighing of pros and cons. "In this world, having food alone is not enough." Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear. "Information gaps are also a very important life-saving talisman, sometimes even more important than dry rations."

She leaned forward slightly, her gaze sweeping over Wang Xiao and then over Xie Yingtang, who was silent but clearly listening intently. "Dangers we don't know about, the military might know in advance through their reconnaissance equipment and the communication networks between units; roads we don't know about, where they're cut off, where large-scale riots have occurred, or where groups of malicious survivors are lying in ambush, the units might share information and be able to avoid them or choose safer routes in advance," she analyzed earnestly.

"Using the oranges we're destined to have more of than we can keep," she pointed to the still-blurred orange hillside in her imagination, "to exchange for a chance to gain their trust, for potential hints in the future. Do you think we're making a bad deal?"

The confusion and slight reluctance on Wang Xiao's face quickly melted away, replaced by sudden realization. He clicked his tongue, scratching the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly. "Xiao Yan, you think so far ahead! My brain... only thinks about the fruits that are right in front of me..."

Xie Yingtang, who had been listening in silence, slowly nodded. "Xiao Yan is right. We are outnumbered and rely entirely on the army. Maintaining good relations with them is far more important than a few more bags of oranges." He paused and then affirmed, "This is good, it's worth the price."

Just as the three were talking in hushed tones, Jiang Shan's figure appeared in a hurry ahead. He not only returned by himself, but also followed by a young soldier. The soldier was holding a military telescope that looked completely different from Xu Xiaoyan's children's toy.

Jiang Shan strode forward, offering no further pleasantries, simply introducing Xu Xiaoyan as "Xiao Chen," before eagerly turning his gaze to her.

Xu Xiaoyan understood and nodded to Jiang Shan and Xiao Chen. "Brother Jiang, Comrade Chen, please follow me." She turned around and led the group up the relatively open earthen slope.

After taking his position, Xiao Chen deftly adjusted the focus and interpupillary distance of the binoculars. His movements were practiced and clearly routine. Once the adjustment was complete, he handed the binoculars to Xu Xiaoyan.

Xu Xiaoyan took the binoculars. The first thing she felt was the cool metallic touch and the rough, non-slip leather covering. The weight and texture of the binoculars silently proclaimed that they were worlds apart from toys.

She steadily raised the binoculars, pressed the cool eyepiece against her eye socket, and then cast her gaze toward the mountainside of the second mountain. In an instant, the distant scenery was brought to her eyes with unparalleled clarity!

On the verdant mountainside, a dense and orderly grove of orange trees grew! Plump, round, and tempting oranges hung heavily on the branches, so close together that they almost bent the not-so-thick branches to the ground.

The orange-yellow expanse far exceeded her expectations, almost covering the entire sunny hillside as far as she could see! It was a huge grove of oranges, with the fruit ripe and ready for harvest!

Suppressing the rapid pounding of her heart due to excitement, and the almost uncontrollable cheer that threatened to burst from her mouth, Xu Xiaoyan tried her best to maintain a calm facial expression.

She handed the binoculars back to Jiang Shan, who was already impatiently waiting beside her, and stepped aside to make way for the best observation position. Pointing in the direction, she said in as calm a tone as possible, "Brother Jiang, look, it's right there, halfway up the mountain, in that darkest part of the area."

Jiang Shan almost snatched the binoculars and, as instructed, peered through them. When the lush, fruit-laden orange grove suddenly came into view with unparalleled clarity, his tall frame stiffened for a moment, his breath caught in his throat, and his knuckles turned slightly white from gripping the binoculars so tightly.

Immediately afterwards, a short, excited gasp escaped his throat: "Great! Fantastic! So many! This is fantastic!"

He abruptly put down his binoculars, turned to look at Xu Xiaoyan, his face flushed with immense surprise and excitement. His eyes, which had previously held a soldier's dignity, were now filled with undisguised admiration and a rapidly formed decision.

"Xu Xiaoyan!" His voice was loud and clear, with a resolute tone. "You've done a great service! The payment I mentioned before for taking you to Linchuan is no longer required! The troops will take you directly and safely to your destination!"

Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Yingtang, and Wang Xiao were all stunned by this unexpected surprise. Then, the three of them subconsciously looked at each other and saw disbelief and uncontrollable ecstasy in each other's eyes.

Before they could fully recover from this huge surprise, Jiang Shan continued rapidly, "I'm going to report this important discovery to my superiors right now! You all wait here, the troops will organize people to go and harvest the fruit soon, and you can come with them!"

"Okay! Okay! Thank you, Brother Jiang! We definitely won't run around!" Xu Xiaoyan quickly agreed, her voice trembling with barely suppressed joy. She took a deep breath to maintain her composure.

Jiang Shan patted Xu Xiaoyan's shoulder heavily, the force conveying both praise and entrustment. He then nodded to Xie Yingtang and Wang Xiao, who also looked excited, and said no more. He turned around, waved to Xiao Chen, and the two of them immediately rushed down the embankment towards the vehicles at the front of the convoy, which were clearly the command center's vehicles.

On the earthen slope, Wang Xiao couldn't help but pump his fist and roar into the air, "Fantastic! Now we don't even need a 'ticket' to Linchuan!" He excitedly spun around on the spot.

Although Xie Yingtang was a calm and composed person, he couldn't help but smile. "Xiaoyan, this time... it's all thanks to you." He knew very well that if Xu Xiaoyan hadn't insisted on reporting the discovery and successfully persuaded them, they might be secretly preparing to go up the mountain right now.

Xu Xiaoyan simply shook her head modestly, attributing the success to luck. "It was just a coincidence that we saw it; it was just luck. The most important thing is that we made the right choice."

They didn't have to wait long. Soon, a short and powerful assembly whistle sounded from the other side of the troops. A group of about a hundred soldiers rushed out from their resting positions and assembled in perfect unison at the officer's low shout.

They came prepared. In addition to the standard weapons and equipment, many of them carried thick hemp ropes tied on their shoulders and neatly stacked empty sacks in their hands, which was obviously in preparation for large-scale harvesting.

Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Yingtang, and Wang Xiao were led by a soldier and placed at the front of the picking team, closely following the officer leading the way and Jiang Shan, who had just returned. With a command from the officer, the team quickly set off, leaving the highway and plunging into the desolate path leading to the mountain.

Their movement immediately caused an uproar among the crowd behind them, who had been closely watching any unusual movements of the army. Many people saw the sacks the soldiers were carrying, and combined with the previous contact between Xu Xiaoyan and her two companions and Jiang Shan, they immediately guessed that something "good" might be happening. The restless crowd began to surge forward, and many people subconsciously followed the group, hoping to take advantage of the chaos.

However, their attempt was immediately thwarted. Several armed soldiers stood like rocks at the crossroads, expressionless, with cold eyes, and declared sternly, "Military on a mission! All unauthorized personnel must stand back! Do not follow!"

Someone shouted unwillingly, their voice filled with pleading and resentment, "Sir! We'll just follow behind, we promise not to interfere with your operation, okay? Let's share the food we find!"

"That's right! Why can they go but we can't? Let us go too! We can help!" However, the soldiers remained unmoved, like emotionless machines, simply lowering their gun barrels slightly and repeating the cold command, their voices even harsher, "This is military business! Step back! Take another step forward and you'll be treated as obstructing military operations!" The dark muzzles of their guns and their uncompromising attitude were like an invisible wall, firmly keeping the restless crowd outside.

Looking at the crowds who were blocked outside, their faces filled with disappointment, jealousy, and even resentment, and feeling the "privilege" of being inside the military's protection zone and able to move towards the resource area, Xu Xiaoyan and the other two felt even more deeply the immense value of the decision they had just made. This opportunity to be included as "one of their own" and to have priority access to resources was extremely precious.

The mountain path leading to the orange grove was far more rugged and difficult than they had anticipated. Night had completely fallen, with only the occasional beams of strong flashlights from the soldiers' hands and the moonlight on the horizon providing limited illumination.

The troops marched at a fast pace, and in order to keep up with the group, the three of them had to concentrate all their energy and move forward with difficulty. They often had to use their hands and feet to climb over steep slopes and ridges. Sweat quickly soaked their backs, and their rapid breathing was particularly clear in the quiet mountain forest.

After walking for about two hours, the leading officer finally raised his hand and made a gesture, and the entire group slowly came to a stop.

"We've arrived," Jiang Shan said softly, taking a slight breath. With the help of the powerful flashlights the soldiers were shining, they could see that the terrain in front of them opened up into a sloping area.

In the shadows, you can see the outlines of countless low trees, but what is most eye-catching are the fruits hanging heavily on the branches, reflecting an enticing orange-yellow color in the light!

The air began to fill with the unique, sweet yet slightly tart aroma of oranges, which wafted into the nostrils and tantalized the taste buds and hungry stomach.

Jiang Shan pulled the three aside and whispered, "Our people will start from the top of the hillside and advance down in a fan shape to pick the fruit. This is more efficient and less likely to miss anything. You three are free to pick around here, but be careful and don't stray too far from each other, and definitely don't wander out of this area." He paused deliberately, emphasizing in a serious tone, "Remember, you must be back here by 4:00 AM tomorrow. The troops will depart and return on time; latecomers will not be waited for!"

He looked at the three of them with a hint of concern in his eyes, lowered his voice even further, and added almost as if whispering, "Pick as many as you can, and pack them in your own bags. When we get to the next slightly more stable storage point or base, these fresh oranges can be exchanged for hard currency such as food, medicine, and even famous cigarettes and wines. It's a rare opportunity, and we have to make the most of this one night."

Xu Xiaoyan immediately understood Jiang Shan's meaning. This was not only allowing them to participate in the harvest, but also giving them an excellent opportunity to replenish their own supplies without having to compete with outsiders, thanks to the cover of the army!

A surge of heartfelt gratitude welled up within her, and she nodded solemnly, whispering, "Understood! Thank you for reminding me, Brother Jiang! We'll hurry and be back on time for the assembly!"

Jiang Shan nodded, said no more, turned around and strode towards the officers who were assigning tasks, throwing himself into the tense command and dispatch.

Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Yingtang, and Wang Xiao exchanged glances, all seeing intense excitement and an unprecedented sense of urgency in each other's eyes. They immediately sprang into action, tacitly choosing an area slightly off-center from the large-scale harvesting route of the troops, but which appeared to be just as densely laden with oranges. They quickly dispersed and began harvesting in a race against time.

The silent mountain forest was filled with various subtle sounds: in the distance, the orderly sounds of soldiers working together, the rustling of sacks being dragged, and the low whispers of commands; closer by, the rustling of branches being parted by the three men, and the crisp, pleasant "snap" of oranges being carefully twisted off the branches.

Wang Xiao was the fastest. He barely had time to pick them out. He reached for the orange-yellow fruits he saw, twisted them off, and quickly stuffed them into the largest snakeskin bag he had brought. His face was filled with an almost pious joy of harvest.

Xie Yingtang, on the other hand, was much more composed. With the help of his assistant, he carefully examined the ripeness of the oranges, picking only those that were deep orange in color and plump and firm to the touch, while keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings.

Xu Xiaoyan was somewhere in between. She was quick in her movements but even more quick-witted. While she was rapidly separating the heavy oranges from the branches and putting them into the open backpack and another snakeskin bag at her feet as a cover, her mind was racing.

Her space could hold a lot of oranges and keep them fresh. The orange grove in front of her was far larger than expected. Although the troops had a lot of manpower, it was impossible to pick them all in one night, and there would inevitably be a lot of surplus.

Such a large-scale opportunity for her to obtain fresh fruit is almost impossible to encounter again on her future journey. She must make full use of the space and stockpile as much as possible while ensuring the amount she openly harvests!