Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Carrying the box of supplies she had received, Xu Xiaoyan returned to her car and noticed an old woman on the opposite street corner carefully exchanging something with a young man using a bag of compressed biscuits.

The young man looked around warily, quickly stuffed the item into the old woman's hand, and then the two turned and left.

It seems that, outside of official channels, barter trade is quietly emerging.

Xu Xiaoyan started the small truck, but hesitated at the first intersection.

Several real estate agency logos were flashing on the navigation screen, but her finger hovered in mid-air, hesitant to press them.

In this extraordinary period when currency is gradually becoming ineffective and goods need to be rationed, the traditional intermediary industry has probably long since become a mere shell of its former self.

Even if it is still operational, her arrival as an outsider would not only easily expose her unfamiliarity and weaknesses, but she might also inadvertently violate some unknown new rules.

She turned the steering wheel around and decided to search for it herself.

The car window slowly rolled down, and Xu Xiaoyan slowed down, her gaze sweeping over the street-side bulletin board and the entrance to the residential building.

Sure enough, some handwritten rental notices were scattered in the corners, the ink still fresh, but they all subtly avoided mentioning specific amounts, only writing "negotiable" or "requires exchange of equivalent goods".

College town?

She had initially considered the area, as the presence of troops meant order and security, but she immediately dismissed the idea.

The operation of military zones is necessarily silent and discreet, with all important developments concealed under strict secrecy regulations.

As an outsider, she has no way of knowing anything about the situation, and getting too close could easily attract unnecessary scrutiny.

Unlike the military's stealth, the core of the municipal government's civilian system, once operational, cannot completely conceal its activities.

Officials, clerks, and their large families are not professionals capable of quietly transferring people.

Any disturbance, whether it's a large-scale mobilization of resources or an evacuation of people, will inevitably create ripples around the city hall, giving her valuable warning time.

With her destination clear, she drove towards the heart of Jinan District. The closer she got to the municipal government, the more orderly the streets seemed to become.

There were more uniformed patrolmen, and she avoided the imposing but conspicuous government compound, instead slipping into a quiet old neighborhood behind it.

The buildings here are not tall, mostly small apartments of seven or eight stories. The residents are mostly ordinary civil servants or long-term residents, which is close to information sources but not too conspicuous.

Her gaze finally settled on an apartment building with a beige exterior. On a corner of the bulletin board downstairs, there was a handwritten notice.

"Single room for rent on the seventh floor, facing east. Looking for someone stable, quiet, and with regular hours. No bargaining, serious inquiries only." There is no phone number, only a room number.

This rental advertisement, with its restrained tone and even a slightly commanding feel, actually stirred something in Xu Xiaoyan's heart.

She parked her car, straightened her clothes, and walked into the apartment building. What she needed was not a comfortable home, but a "sentinel post" to observe the movements of the Kim City government.

Xu Xiaoyan walked up the old stairs to the second floor and knocked on the door marked on the rental notice.

The door opened slowly, and an elderly woman wearing reading glasses and with her hair neatly combed appeared behind it. She looked Xu Xiaoyan up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

"What is it?" The old lady's voice was crisp and direct.

"Hello, I saw the rental notice posted downstairs and would like to see the single room on the seventh floor," Xu Xiaoyan replied politely.

The old lady pushed up her glasses, her gaze lingering for a moment on Xu Xiaoyan's clean and tidy clothes, her expression softening slightly. "Let's go, I'll take you to see her."

The old lady precisely picked out two keys from a bunch of keys and gestured for Xu Xiaoyan to follow. The stairwell was quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps and the slight clinking of the keys audible.

The corridor on the seventh floor was well-lit, and the dark green security door at the end was opened.

A simple and tidy space comes into view. The room faces east, and the morning sunlight shines through the glass windows, casting long patches of light on the floor.

The old lady went in first and briefly introduced, "One bedroom and one bathroom, that's all the stuff: air conditioner, bed, wardrobe, and desk."

Xu Xiaoyan looked around. The room was indeed extremely simple, with white walls and cement floors, but it was exceptionally clean, without any unnecessary items or decorations.

She reached out and wiped the desk surface, her fingertips free of any dust.

What captivated her most was the small balcony outside the bedroom; she pushed open the glass door and stepped outside.

A waist-high wall blocked the view, and the view suddenly opened up. Not far away, the office building of the Jin City Government stood clearly a few hundred meters away.

She could even make out the flags fluttering in front of the main building, the outlines of vehicles entering and leaving, and the figures of guards standing at the gate of the compound.

This distance is just right—close enough to observe the movements, but not so close as to attract attention.

"The view is excellent," Xu Xiao said calmly, suppressing her satisfaction, and turned back into the house.

The old lady keenly noticed her expression and subtly raised the corners of her mouth. "This building is very close to the city government. It used to be rented to a young man who worked at a company, but he was transferred later."

Xu Xiaoyan nodded, said no more, indicating that she had made up her mind. The two of them walked down the stairs one after the other and returned to the meticulous living room on the second floor.

After the old lady sat down, she got straight to the point: "You've seen the apartment. It's on the seventh floor, facing east, with good natural light. The monthly rent is two thousand, no bargaining, and you have to pay for at least a year."

Xu Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat. In this period when the currency was about to become obsolete, paying a large rent in cash was actually not a bad idea.

But she had just bought a lot of hot food and didn't have enough cash on hand, so she looked troubled.

"Auntie, given the current situation... paying a year's rent upfront is indeed difficult. I wonder if you would consider... bartering?"

The old woman frowned slightly. "Barter? What do you want to use in exchange?"

"Instant noodles," Xu Xiaoyan tentatively asked, "If you're willing to accept this, how many packs would it take to rent for a year?"

The old lady was clearly taken aback by the suggestion. She remained silent for a moment, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, as if she were performing complex calculations in her mind.

Finally, she looked up and said, "One hundred and twenty packs, they need to be in good condition and have at least two months left on the shelf life."

Xu Xiaoyan was overjoyed; the mountain of near-expiry instant noodles in her space could finally be put to use!

But on the surface, he pretended to be in a difficult position: "One hundred and twenty packs... I need to raise the money. Also, I have a favor to ask."

I have a small truck. Could you provide a parking spot? Even a corner spot would be fine.