Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Just as Xu Xiaoyan was about to take a step, she suddenly noticed that several soldiers were directing more than thirty young men to dig a pit at the edge of the trading area.

They moved quickly and methodically, shoveling soil to create a deep pit.

She was a little puzzled. What was going on?

How about building a public toilet?

Should we build a security booth?

Dig a ditch?

Or does it have some other use?

She frowned, but quickly shook her head. This wasn't something she should concern herself with; survival was the most important thing right now.

She turned to look at the two sides of the cave where she lived; her area was already full of people.

The single cave on the right is inhabited by a male college student named Chen Yong. He had previously asked her about the curtain, and at that time he introduced himself.

He was sitting at the cave entrance wiping a tool when he saw Xu Xiaoyan looking over. He smiled at her and asked, "Going out?" His voice was very cheerful.

"Hmm, let's go gather some firewood. I heard a cold wave is coming." Xu Xiaoyan took a few steps closer and noticed that there were some supplies piled up in his cave, covered with a waterproof cloth, and neatly arranged.

"My roommate and a few classmates went to the back mountain to collect firewood," Chen Yong explained. "I'm staying here to guard the house." He smiled as he spoke, revealing a row of neat teeth.

Xu Xiaoyan looked at the cave on the left. Several thick branches were lying across the entrance, and it seemed that no one was inside. "He went out early this morning."

Following her gaze, Chen Yong said, "Before leaving, he asked me to keep an eye on his door for him."

Xu Xiaoyan nodded to him and smiled, "I also want to go out and collect some firewood. I wonder if you could help me watch the door?" She said sincerely, "I will try to come back before dark."

"It's alright, don't worry," Chen Yong waved his hand, his tone hearty. "Everyone in this area should look out for each other, it's only right."

Xu Xiaoyan nodded, said nothing more, and turned to walk along the mountain path towards the back of the mountain.

The back mountain was already bustling with noise, and countless hunched figures moved among the withered trees.

People scrambled to pick up the fallen branches and leaves on the ground, and occasionally a small argument would break out over a thicker section of tree trunk. Many people had bulging sacks piled up at their feet, which they carried towards the cave.

Xu Xiaoyan stood on the outside and looked around. She couldn't help but frown slightly. With so many people crammed here, there wasn't enough resource on the ground to go around.

Not wanting to join this chaotic struggle, she decided to venture deeper into the mountains. Along the way, she remained vigilant, listening carefully to the sounds around her, wary not only of wild animals but also of any ill-intentioned individuals.

The higher they went, the more rugged the mountain path became, and the fewer people there were. After walking for about half an hour, the surroundings finally quieted down. Everyone was reluctant to waste time on the journey, which benefited her, who was willing to walk a few more steps.

After confirming that no one was around, Xu Xiaoyan felt relieved and began to work.

She first deftly picked up the larger dead branches, and then, using her backpack as cover, took out a folded snakeskin bag and hemp rope that she had prepared beforehand.

She moved quickly and skillfully, clearly not for the first time. This was thanks to her experience working illegally, where she was clumsy and earned very little money, and Dean Wang would beat and punish her.

Three hours passed in the blink of an eye, and all the dead branches in her area had been picked clean.

Xu Xiaoyan used hemp rope to tie the withered branches tightly, making a total of seventeen bundles, which she then neatly stacked to the side.

Then she began collecting fallen leaves and pine needles, which were excellent kindling. She stopped after filling eight burlap sacks—that was enough; there was no need to be greedy.

Her storage space was already crammed full, and there was no more room for the newly collected firewood.

But she already had a plan in mind. A conjecture about the use of space needed to be verified. She searched around and finally found a relatively flat and hidden stone platform.

Xu Xiaoyan carefully took the small truck out, and the truck landed on the platform, startling a few birds.

She opened the back of the truck and stuffed in diesel fuel, bottled water, instant noodles, and other supplies, trying to fill the entire truck with these items. Then she put the entire truck back into the space.

"Success!" Xu Xiaoyan's eyes flashed with joy. Her guess was right. Packing loose items into boxes and then storing them in her space could save space!

After making room, she immediately put the firewood and the snakeskin bag full of fallen leaves into her space, leaving only two bundles of firewood outside as a mere formality.

After collecting the firewood, Xu Xiaoyan looked up at the sky. It was still early, so she decided to continue walking up the mountain.

After hesitating for a moment, he put the two bundles of firewood that he had left by his side as a mere formality into his spatial storage. Carrying such heavy things up the mountain was really a thankless task.

She took out the familiar folding entrenching tool from her spatial storage, unfolded it, and held it in her hand. She used it to clear away the waist-high withered yellow weeds and low shrubs in front of her, carefully carving out a path. The higher she went up the mountain, the fewer people she encountered.

After walking for about another hour, she finally approached the summit, where a desolate scene came into view:

Twenty or thirty houses are scattered on the gentle slope of the hillside. Most of them have collapsed, leaving only broken walls and ruins. The walls are mostly made of adobe or stone blocks, and after being eroded by wind and rain and damaged by earthquakes, they look like they are about to collapse.

The dilapidated roof beams are exposed, and one can still vaguely see the structure and layout of what was once a small village.

Xu Xiaoyan immediately understood. This must have been a small village in the mountains in the past. Later, it probably benefited from the government's good policy of moving the entire village down the mountain to a place with better conditions.

She sighed and was about to turn away when her gaze was drawn to the trees surrounding the abandoned houses. She walked closer to take a closer look, and her heart skipped a beat.

There are actually quite a few fruit trees planted here!

Although she had limited knowledge of fruit tree varieties and couldn't name many of them, she recognized the orange tree with its branches laden with green and yellow fruit at a glance.

Xu Xiaoyan walked quickly to the nearest orange tree, reached out and picked a fist-sized fruit. The peel was still green and yellow, obviously not yet fully ripe.

She wiped it slightly, peeled off the skin, broke off a segment and put it in her mouth. A refreshing, slightly sour juice instantly spread in her mouth, with a hint of sweetness that was barely perceptible.

The taste wasn't the best, but in this time of vitamin deficiency, it was undoubtedly a rare delicacy.

She suppressed her excitement and carefully searched around the abandoned houses. After a rough count, she found that there were actually twenty-six orange trees here!

Every tree was laden with fruit, bending the branches low. Clearly, no one had cared for them for many years, yet they still stubbornly continued to blossom and bear fruit.

We can't waste it!

Xu Xiaoyan immediately took action. She took out the prepared sack and began to pick the fruits quickly and efficiently, specifically choosing those that were larger and relatively ripe.

Soon, the ten sacks were filled with plump oranges, and she quickly put them into her spatial storage, which had been painstakingly cleared out earlier, and was once again stuffed full.