Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Xu Xiaoyan stood in the shadow of the withered tree, taking in all of this.

Her expression didn't change much, but she tightened her grip on the water bottle. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, not out of pity for the girl or contempt for her actions, but out of a sense of melancholy that she couldn't quite explain.

At this stage of life, who is more dignified than whom?

She lowered her eyes and stopped looking.

Just as Xu Xiaoyan was about to slip away from the shadow of the withered tree while no one was paying attention, she hadn't even taken a step when an even more mournful cry came from behind her.

"Young man, don't go!" The moment she turned around, she saw that the middle-aged woman had gotten up from the ground at some point, her movements so fast that she was completely unlike the person who had been crying and trembling just moments before.

She rushed to the short man, grabbed his arm tightly with both hands, and practically clung to him.

The short man stumbled as she pulled him, and the tin kettle in his hand clattered together with a jarring metallic sound.

He instinctively took a step back, trying to shake off the woman's hands, but she gripped them too tightly, her knuckles turning white, and she refused to let go no matter what.

"Young man, please listen to me, please listen to me—" the woman's voice was urgent and hoarse.

Her face was streaked with tears and snot, but she didn't bother wiping them away. She just looked up at the short man with an almost frantic plea in her eyes, "I have a daughter, very beautiful, only fifteen years old this year..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaoyan stared at the woman in shock.

"Please, have mercy and take her in!" The woman's voice suddenly rose. "Just feed her, give her some water, I really can't afford to raise her anymore..."

As she spoke, her knees buckled, and she was about to kneel down again, but her hands still wouldn't let go. She was half-kneeling and half-standing, hanging on the short man's arm, in a strange and awkward posture.

"She's only fifteen, she can learn anything, she can do anything, she's very obedient, really obedient..." the woman repeated incessantly, her voice growing softer and softer, but the force in her hands did not lessen at all, her fingernails digging into the fabric of the short man's sleeve.

The short man's expression changed several times.

At first, he was shocked, caught off guard by a strange woman suddenly hugging him; then came disgust, probably because he disliked the woman's sweat and dust getting on him; but then came a bit of pity and helplessness.

He took a deep breath and forcefully pulled his arm out of the woman's grasp.

"Thank you, but I don't want it." His voice wasn't loud, but it was unusually firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

"I can't even support myself." He glanced down at the woman, the pity in his eyes completely suppressed by reason, leaving only a cold-blooded clarity. "Let go of me, I'm going back."

After saying that, he ignored everyone else, picked up the two tin kettles, and turned to leave.

He took quick, long strides, almost jogging, as if fleeing from something, without looking back, and didn't even hear what the woman behind him was crying out.

After he threw the woman away, she collapsed to the ground, her mouth still opening and closing as she tried to say something, but her voice was so low that it was inaudible; only her shoulders twitched and shook.

The two girls, one still clinging to Old Chen's arm and the other still kneeling there in shock, were stunned by the sudden scene. For a moment, they forgot to cry, and a suffocating silence filled the air.

Xu Xiaoyan's gaze followed the short man's back as he walked past the row of bungalows and turned onto the road leading to the residential area.

She hurried to catch up, her steps quickening. At that moment, that figure was her only guarantee of returning safely to her neighborhood.

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Out of the corner of her eye, she warily scanned the base of the walls, the shade of the trees, and the alleyway on both sides. The short man in front of her seemed to sense the movement behind him, paused slightly, turned his head, and glanced back.

Upon seeing that it was her, he didn't say anything, turned around, and continued walking.

The two walked silently toward the residential area, one in front of the other and about ten steps apart.

The gate to the residential area was already in sight, but at this moment, the entrance was much more lively than usual.

Xu Xiaoyan could see a group of people gathered at the entrance from afar. They were scattered in twos and threes on both sides of the door. Some were squatting on the steps, some were leaning against the doorposts, and two were standing in the middle of the road, whispering to each other.

Their expressions were all similar, carrying a tense, hushed tone, as if something big had happened. Everyone was eager to share what little information they knew, yet everyone was also afraid that speaking too loudly would attract something they shouldn't.

Xu Xiaoyan slowed down, her gaze sweeping over the group of people before glancing at the heavy bottle of water in her arms. She quickly made a mental calculation.

I wasn't without the urge to watch the spectacle; after all, everyone has a bit of curiosity in their bones, especially in places like this, where any little thing could affect how I'll live my life from now on.

But she glanced down at the twenty-liter bottle of water in her arms. There were so many people gathered at the entrance, a real mixed bag; what if someone had some ulterior motive…

Xu Xiaoyan made up her mind: take the water home first, settle in, and then come out to see the excitement.

She lowered her eyes, hugged the water bottle tighter to her chest, and walked in along the wall with her head down, trying not to attract attention.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned; her appearance quickly attracted the attention of others.

"Which building are you from?" A voice came from not far away. Xu Xiaoyan paused and turned her head to look. She saw a middle-aged man walk out from beside the doorpost, blocking her way between the building and the residential area.

The man looked to be in his early forties, wearing a black vest. He had broad shoulders and several old scars on his exposed arms, suggesting he had done manual labor in the past.

His face was expressionless. He looked her up and down, his gaze lingering for a moment on the water bottle in her arms before returning to her face.

Xu Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't show it on her face. She just frowned slightly and looked confused.

She didn't want to answer; if she did, she would reveal her address.

In this place, your address is your Achilles' heel. If they know which building you live in, they can find out which floor and apartment you live on, break into your apartment when you're not there, and sneak in while you're asleep.

Needless to say, this person clearly had no intention of giving way.

She pursed her lips, glanced to the left and right, and was already planning her escape route. The people at the door also noticed the situation, and some of them had already raised their heads and were looking in this direction.

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