Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Xu Xiaoyan stepped aside to block any possible gazes from him, and instantly shoved a compressed biscuit into the young man's dusty hand. The young man clenched it tightly, and the biscuit disappeared from his sleeve.

He immediately turned around and continued moving other timber as if nothing had happened.

As if she were just passing by and taking a break, she naturally walked behind the ruins, bent down, picked up the five heavy planks, and dragged them back.

There aren't many people choosing ready-made cave rooms right now, and we didn't encounter many people along the way.

After putting down the wooden plank, she went straight to the middle-aged man who was trying to stuff a huge GG sign into a hole on the second floor.

"Uncle," Xu Xiao said with a tone that carried just the right amount of envy and helplessness, "You're really lucky. This thing is better at blocking the wind than anything else. I've been searching for ages and haven't found anything good. The cave is still drafty."

The middle-aged man, sweating profusely from handling the plastic sign, complained irritably, "What's so good about it? It's huge and heavy, and I don't even know how to secure it!"

"Yes, it's not easy to handle if it's too big," Xu Xiaoyan agreed, then quickly changed the subject:

"Judging from the size of your hole, it doesn't need to be this big, does it? A lot of it must have to be cut off. Sigh, what a pity... If I could have those scraps, I could at least stuff that big gap above my hole."

The middle-aged man stopped what he was doing, looked at his enormous GG plaque, and seemed to think that what she said made sense; the scraps were indeed useless.

He nodded and said, "You can take the scraps, but what will you exchange them for?"

Xu Xiaoyan handed over a packet of compressed biscuits from her inside pocket. "How about you cut off enough fabric to cover a one-meter-wide hole, the thickest part?"

Her tone was earnest and desperate, subtly showing vulnerability.

The temptation of a whole bag of compressed biscuits was immense. The middle-aged man's eyes lit up, and he quickly took it and stuffed it into his pocket, his attitude immediately becoming much more enthusiastic.

"Alright! You're a good young lady! Wait here, I'll cut it for you right away!"

He found a sharp metal sheet, pointed it at the sturdiest and flattest bottom right corner of the famous GG brand, and forcefully cut it open, cutting off a large piece of thick plastic sheet that was 1.2 meters square.

"Here, this is definitely enough! Use the extra to fill the gaps!" He handed the plastic sheet to Xu Xiaoyan.

"Thank you, Uncle!" Xu Xiaoyan said, then picked up the plastic sheet and quickly left.

Back in the cave, she immediately set about modifying the entrance.

First, the four wooden planks of different lengths were firmly tied together with the hemp rope they found, fixing them into a slightly crooked but sturdy "口"-shaped door frame.

Next, a longer wooden strip was tightly bound along the diagonal of the door frame, forming a stable diagonal support that greatly enhanced the strength of the entire frame.

She then inserted the homemade wooden frame into the hole and forcefully wedged its top and bottom ends into the natural cracks in the earthen wall.

Where a tight fit was impossible, she patiently used sharp stones she found to carve shallow grooves into the hard, cold earthen walls.

Adjust and secure the frame little by little to ensure it is firmly held in place at the opening, forming a sturdy barrier.

Finally, Xu Xiaoyan unfolded the thick plastic sheet and completely covered the wooden frame.

She carefully wrapped the edges of the plastic sheet around the wooden frame, securing and pressing it tightly behind her back with the remaining rope and small stones to ensure it wouldn't be blown off even in a strong wind.

Xu Xiaoyan stood at the newly sheltered entrance of the cave, but she did not feel relaxed. The 2-meter depth of the cave clearly marked the boundary of her safety, and also constantly reminded her of the crampedness of this space.

Especially considering the upcoming cold wave heading south, this shallow cave simply cannot store enough heat. Once the temperature drops sharply, this place will be no different from an ice cave.

She took out a shovel and chose to start in the innermost corner of the cave, shoveling away at the hard, cold earthen wall.

The excavation was more difficult than expected. Small pieces of soil and rocks fell down and quickly piled up at their feet.

She had only been digging for less than twenty minutes when she suddenly heard two dull knocks behind her, right in the center of the plastic door panel she had just secured.

Xu Xiaoyan abruptly stopped, her whole body tensing instantly. She held her breath and listened intently. A slightly hesitant male voice came from outside, "Excuse me... is anyone inside?"

She gripped the shovel tightly, slowly walked to the door, and instead of fully opening it, she lifted the plastic sheeting a crack and peered out warily.

A man who looked to be in his early twenties was standing outside the door, wearing a thin coat, his nose red from the cold, and his face full of embarrassment and anxiety.

Not far behind him, several other people were peering in this direction. Their caves were just like hers, with empty entrances and no privacy whatsoever.

When the man saw Xu Xiaoyan, it was as if he had seen a savior. He hurriedly said, "Excuse me, I... I live in the cave next to yours."

He pointed to the cave next to him that had no door. "We just moved in and found that...this cave has no door! What are we going to do at night? I saw that you made a door here, so I wanted to ask you, where did you get this door from?"

His question immediately resonated with the people behind him, who chimed in, "Yeah, girl, it's so unsettling without any shelter!" "The wind's blowing right in, it's impossible to stay put!" "Can the camp provide some?"

Looking at the faces before her, tormented by cold and anxiety, Xu Xiaoyan understood.

She loosened her grip on the shovel slightly, but still kept her distance, and answered succinctly, "The camp doesn't provide them. I traded food for the materials and made them myself."

"Food?" The man paused for a moment, then his eyes flashed with great surprise, followed by understanding, and finally settled into a complex emotion that mixed envy and helplessness.

He turned and exchanged glances with the others, and they all fell silent.

"Food..." the man murmured, repeating it over and over, as if he had completely grasped the rules of survival here.

He sighed and nodded to Xu Xiaoyan, "I understand... Thank you, young lady, I won't bother you any longer."

They didn't ask any further questions about the specific food used or who they traded it with, because that was no longer important. What mattered was the weight and exchange value represented by the word "food" itself.

In this newly established and resource-scarce camp, this was almost an unimpeded rule: with supplies, you could exchange them for many things. The group dispersed dejectedly.

Xu Xiaoyan closed the plastic curtain, gripped the entrenching tool tightly again, and returned to the innermost part of the cave to continue digging. The sound of the shovel hitting the soil echoed in the cramped space.

The next morning, Xu Xiaoyan looked up at the gray sky. The cold wind swirled with withered leaves, and it felt like a knife against her face.

A cold wave is coming soon, which means that the temperature will drop sharply. If we don't prepare enough wood in advance, it will be difficult to survive this cold.

She shrank her neck and pulled her slightly thin coat tighter around herself.

Xu Xiaoyan put all her items into her spatial storage. Although the cave was well-hidden, it was hard to guarantee that no one would sneak in while she was out.

After packing up, she slung her backpack over her shoulder, made sure the entrance to the cave was concealed, and then walked out.

The mountain opposite is an area designated by the military for survivors to dig their own caves. From a distance, the mountain is covered with cave entrances of varying sizes, like a honeycomb.

Between the two mountains lies the trading square. Although the ground was ravaged by the earthquake, leaving it pitted and cracked, it is still evident that it was once a parking lot.