Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

With the sturdy door lock keeping danger and prying eyes out from the inside, Xu Xiaoyan's brief sense of security finally settled down.

She looked around the cave, which was still simple but already taking shape, and decided to take it a step further and decorate it to be more like a "home" that could withstand the cold.

With a thought, several items appeared on the ground one after another:

A simple double-layered rainproof tent

A fluffy down sleeping bag

A heavy cast iron pot

An old kettle

All of these things have been made public, so even if someone sees them, it won't arouse too much suspicion.

She cleverly propped up the tent, placing it close to the innermost side of the cave wall. This not only further blocked the cold air seeping from the stone wall, but the tent's fabric itself could also retain some heat.

She created a more private and warmer sleeping area, stuffing a fluffy sleeping bag into the tent, which looked quite cozy.

Then, her gaze fell on the open space in the center of the cave and the pile of unused cement and soil mixture next to it.

"Since we have the materials ready," she muttered to herself, "why not just build a simple stove?"

Without hesitation, she cleared a flat area near the cave entrance, then mixed the soil and remaining water with an entrenching tool, and began shaping it after putting on rubber gloves.

She had no formal training as a bricklayer, relying entirely on impressions and pragmatism.

The base should be wide and stable, with the middle hollowed out to serve as the furnace chamber. An opening for adding firewood should be left at the front, and the back should be gradually built up with gravel and mud to form the basic shape of a chimney, making sure it leads to the opening to facilitate the exhaust of smoke.

She did it very carefully, constantly using her hands to wet and smooth the inside and outside of the stove wall to make the structure more compact and solid. Although the stove looked rough and simple, it exuded a solid practicality.

After nearly an hour of work, a crooked but sturdy-looking simple stove finally took shape.

Xu Xiaoyan patted the mud off her hands with satisfaction, eager to try out its effects.

She opened the door halfway, then carefully stuffed some dry pine needles and firewood into the stove, lit it with a lighter, and the flame was small at first, but it quickly ignited as the ventilation improved.

She added more and more firewood, and the fire burned brighter and brighter. The crimson flames licked the dark furnace, and a wave of heat swept over her, dispelling the lingering cold and dampness in the cave.

Outside the cave, the sky was a dark gray, but many people took advantage of the last rays of light to walk and talk in the open space outside the cave.

Or they might be rushing to handle some miscellaneous tasks, and people generally maintain a cautious and distant distance from each other.

But the low murmurs of conversation and the occasional clanging of tools brought a fragile glimmer of life to this survivors' settlement.

The sound of Xu Xiaoyan pushing open the newly made, heavy wooden door immediately attracted a lot of attention.

Her cave rarely sees any activity, and now that its owner has appeared at this time, it naturally attracts the attention and scrutiny of those around her.

Those gazes held a mixture of curiosity, scrutiny, and a barely perceptible assessment.

In this environment, everyone is subconsciously gathering information to determine whether their neighbors are potential allies or objects to be wary of.

Chen Yong was standing by a campfire not far away, talking with several young men of similar age. When he heard the door open, he turned around.

Upon seeing that it was Xu Xiaoyan, he smiled, raised his hand in greeting, whispered a few words to his companion, and then walked towards her.

The young men behind him also stopped talking and looked over with some curiosity.

"Xu, are you done with your work?" Chen Yong approached and asked familiarly, then turned and pointed to the five young men who had walked over with him.

"Perfect timing, let me introduce you. These are my college roommates. We were all in the same dorm, all six of us are here."

He then said to his companions, "This is Xu Xiaoyan, whom I just mentioned and who lives next to me."

The five young people nodded to Xu Xiaoyan, their faces bearing kind, slightly tired smiles.

They all looked to be around Chen Yong's age, in their early twenties, wearing inappropriate and somewhat dirty clothes, their faces bearing the marks of time, but their eyes still retained a touch of youthful exuberance.

One of the boys, a tall and thin man wearing black-rimmed glasses, pushed up his glasses and took the initiative to explain:

"The six of us were playing games all night at an internet cafe when the earthquake struck... We were lucky; we ran fast and weren't buried in the building."

His tone carried a hint of relief at surviving a disaster.

Another boy, who looked more muscular, added:

"After escaping, we followed the flow of people all the way here. A few of us originally wanted to participate in the mission arranged by the military, but we thought that the cold wave was coming soon."

If we choose to go on the mission, we won't have time to go up the mountain to collect firewood and start a fire for warmth. We'll have to put the work points for buying the cave on hold until the cold wave passes before we participate in the mission to pay off our debts. The six of us will stick together so that we can at least look out for each other.

Chen Yong pointed to the three single-person caves dug side by side next to Xu Xiaoyan's cave on the right side. "Look, we'll make our home there. It's small, so it's a bit cramped."

Xu Xiaoyan looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that the entrances to the three caves had been simply covered, and some scattered supplies were piled up outside.

You can see signs of human habitation. This kind of mutual support is all too common nowadays, especially among familiar classmates, which can certainly increase a lot of sense of security.

"I see," Xu Xiaoyan nodded knowingly, and also nodded slightly to the new faces. "From now on, we'll be neighbors and look after each other." She paused, her gaze sweeping over the three adjacent caves.

He added, "By the way, I think it's really too much for the two of you to squeeze into a single cave. Since the six of you are together anyway, why don't you try to connect the interiors of the adjacent caves and make them one?"

This way, the space will be much more spacious, making it easier to look after each other. We can also truly stick together for warmth, which is much better than being squeezed into three small holes separately.

This suggestion caught the eye of Chen Yong and his roommates. They had only thought about having a place to stay and hadn't really considered how to improve their living conditions. Xu Xiaoyan's words suddenly enlightened them.

"That's it!" The boy with black-rimmed glasses slapped his thigh and excitedly pushed up his glasses. "This is a fantastic idea! If we knock down the wall, we'll have a large open space!"

"Indeed, three people digging one hole and taking turns would definitely be much more comfortable than it is now!"

Another roommate, who was quite burly, nodded repeatedly, his face showing an eager expression. The group immediately started discussing it and all agreed that the idea was feasible.

The listlessness on my face caused by the cold and fatigue has dissipated considerably, as if I have seen hope for a better life.