Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Seeing their excited expressions, Xu Xiaoyan thought for a moment and then said:

"Using sticks to dig the soil directly is too inefficient and too tiring. My folding entrenching tool is pretty good. If you want to start working tonight, you can take it and use it."

As she spoke, she took out the entrenching tool, which was covered in a little mud and dust but was still sturdy, from the hole behind her. After thinking for a moment, she added, "But you have to return it to me tomorrow, I still need it."

Chen Yong quickly took the entrenching tool. It felt heavy and substantial, far superior to the rudimentary tools they had. His face was full of gratitude.

"Sister Xu, thank you so much! This has been a huge help! Don't worry, I'll definitely return it to you intact tomorrow!"

The others also expressed their gratitude sincerely. In this time of scarcity, lending such good tools was undoubtedly a great act of trust and kindness.

Xu Xiaoyan waved her hand, indicating that there was no need to be polite. She looked at the group of young people who had just cheered up and started planning to explore new spaces, and didn't say anything more. She simply said, "Then you guys are busy, I'll rest first."

After saying that, she turned and retreated back into her cave, slowly closing the heavy wooden door from the inside, completely shutting out any sounds from outside.

Xu Xiaoyan was awakened in the middle of the night by a series of urgent but restrained knocks on the door.

She sat up in the makeshift tent, quickly put on a thick coat, turned on the flashlight, and the orange glow danced in the small space, illuminating her tense profile.

She didn't open the door immediately, but instead pressed her ear to the crack in the door. "Who is it?" she asked in a low voice, her right hand quietly pulling a watermelon knife out of the crack.

The person outside seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and quickly replied, "Sister Xu, it's me, Chen Yong!"

Xu Xiaoyan then opened the door a crack, squinting to look Chen Yong up. He was wearing a tattered coat, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.

"What happened?" She was still not completely at ease, her fingers still on the door latch. Chen Yong stamped his frozen feet, and his breath dissipated in wisps of white vapor in the darkness.

"The man living in the cave to your left is called Wang Qingshan. You probably haven't seen him before. That kid goes into the old forest every day, saying he's collecting firewood and stockpiling food. Just now, he knocked on my door, covered in frost, saying he found a huge chestnut grove on the north slope!"

Xu Xiaoyan's eyebrows twitched slightly. Chestnuts were filling and easy to store, making them a life-saving food during cold waves.

"He's already brought back two sacks of them himself," Chen Yong continued, his voice tinged with urgency.

"But there were too many fruits on the tree, and he couldn't pick them all by himself. With the cold wave coming, he wouldn't be able to harvest them, and the fruits would just freeze and be wasted."

"That guy from Qingshan is honest. He said he'd call on a few of us to pick them together, and whoever picks them gets to keep them. He also said that the world is going to get even tougher, and we need to stick together to get through this."

Looking at Chen Yong's face, which was blue from the cold, and the tiny spark of hope flickering in his eyes amidst his desperate situation, she smiled at him and said, "Thank you for taking me with you. I'll go get a few snakeskin bags."

Xu Xiaoyan stuffed several burlap sacks into her backpack, took out a pair of cotton gloves from her spatial storage, and held a watermelon knife in her hand, which she used for scouting and self-defense.

Outside the cave, Chen Yong was not alone; there were five other figures shivering in the wind and snow, waiting.

We had met just a few hours ago, and we didn't say much to each other, only nodding to each other. A silent understanding quickly formed in the cold wind.

Chen Yong whispered, "Let's go, Qingshan is waiting at the north slope pass."

The group braved the cold wind and made their way up the mountain. As expected, Wang Qingshan was waiting at the agreed location. The young man said, "The road is slippery, follow me closely," and then turned to lead the way.

That could hardly be called a road. Relying on his memory and the faint marks left during the day, Wang Qingshan led them through the dense forest and steep slopes.

Xu Xiaoyan was panting heavily, her sweat soaking her inner shirt, which instantly turned cold and clung tightly to her body. No one complained; only the heavy breathing and the creaking of the dry branches underfoot broke the silence of the forest.

Finally, Wang Qingshan stopped and parted a thicket of dead branches. In that instant, everyone held their breath.

In a sheltered mountain valley, dozens of chestnut trees grow tenaciously, their branches gnarled and twisted, and countless plump chestnuts with spiky shells hang heavily on the branches, some even bending the branches.

"Quick!" Wang Qingshan's low shout startled everyone. "While it's still dark and no one has noticed yet, let's hurry up and pick them."

The seven people quickly dispersed, each using their own long poles to tap or skillfully shake the branches, and then quickly picking up the fallen chestnuts with their gloved hands.

They didn't care that the thorns often pierced the fabric; the crackling sound of the falling fruit mingled with the suppressed gasps of joy from the people.

Xu Xiaoyan deliberately slowed her pace and, taking advantage of the moment when everyone was busy picking chestnuts, quietly turned into a secluded side road. The dense thicket of dead trees quickly swallowed her figure.

After confirming that no one was around, she quickly took off the snakeskin bag and, under the cover of the backpack, conjured up a dark baseball cap and a thick gray wool scarf.

She deftly tucked her long hair into the brim of her hat, then wrapped her head tightly with a scarf, fully prepared.

She chose a chestnut tree that was particularly laden with fruit, hugged the cold trunk with both hands, and shook it with all her might, using all the strength in her waist and abdomen!

Immediately following was an even more intense "crackling" sound, like hailstones falling!

Countless spiky chestnut balls slammed into the ground, some even hitting her head. Luckily, she was well-armored, otherwise she would have suffered some minor injuries.

Xu Xiaoyan didn't dare to delay. She immediately bent down and quickly picked up the heavy fruits with both hands, stuffing them into the empty snakeskin bag she had brought. The sharp thorns pierced her gloves, causing a slight pain, but she was completely unaware of it.

Once a bag is filled, the opening is quickly tied and the bag is set aside. This process is repeated continuously, making it both mechanical and efficient.

By the time the eighth burlap sack was filled, she was panting heavily, and the fine sweat on her forehead was quickly washed away by the cold.

Just then, Chen Yong's rough yet somewhat anxious voice faintly drifted from afar, "Sister Xu! Xu Xiaoyan! Where are you? It's time to go!"

Xu Xiaoyan paused, then immediately called out, "Hey! Brother Yong! I'm over here! I was so engrossed in picking them up, I'm coming right now!"

She held her breath and listened intently, confirming that the calling was fading away, and there were no other footsteps or sounds around her.

Without further hesitation, she quickly transferred six of the eight sacks she had just harvested into her spatial storage.

"Luckily, I put the tent, sleeping bag, and most of the firewood in the cave beforehand," she thought to herself, relieved that the space was once again crammed full.

Then, she bent down and laboriously dragged the remaining two heavy bags of chestnuts towards the meeting point.