Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

All eyes instantly focused on the little boy.

The little boy had never seen anything like this before. Startled by his mother's yelling, he burst into tears, his face streaked with tears and snot. Between sobs, he mumbled incoherently:

"I...I can't remember...I just remember it was a man...tall...he rushed in, grabbed the bread from the cave, and ran away...boohoo..."

His words were vague, and the description of "tall" was even more general. There were more than just one man who fit this description, and the crowd fell silent for a moment before bursting into even louder discussions.

This time, however, the focus shifted subtly to the woman: "Hey! After all that, you haven't gotten any clear answers?"

"This child is so frightened, he can barely speak. Can he be used as evidence?"

"Exactly! This is utter nonsense! They almost wrongly accused an innocent person..."

"To start beating someone up without even understanding anything is just too much..."

Hearing the whispers and pointing fingers around her, the woman's face flushed red and then paled. The hand that was holding the child fell limply to her side. She stood there, stunned, and opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

The wrongly accused man finally caught his breath, shook off the young man who was still grabbing his sleeve, straightened his disheveled collar, and looked indignant.

Xu Xiaoyan stood on the periphery of the crowd, taking in everything. She shook her head slightly, took a few steps back without making a sound, and turned to leave this noisy and chaotic place.

Unexpectedly, she had only taken less than ten steps when she heard a series of hurried footsteps behind her.

A woman wearing a bulky gray cotton-padded coat, her cheeks reddened by the wind, jogged up and blocked her way.

The woman had a forced smile on her face, her eyes fixed on Xu Xiaoyan's light and warm dark down jacket.

Before Xu Xiaoyan could speak, the woman reached out and tugged at the sleeve of her down jacket with her rough fingers, laughing in an almost shameless, affectionate tone:

"Oh, little girl, I've finally found you! The down jacket you're wearing looks so familiar, it's the one I accidentally lost a few days ago!"

Look at the color, the zipper, it's definitely right! Could you please take it off and give it back to me?

Ha, they took advantage of her being alone and a young girl, and are blatantly trying to extort her.

Xu Xiaoyan instantly understood, and a wave of disgust surged into her heart, but her face remained expressionless. She even smiled slightly, but the smile did not reach her eyes; instead, it revealed a chill.

She didn't slap away the woman's hand that was tugging at her sleeve, nor did she argue about who owned the clothes. In a place like this, it would be a waste of breath to reason with someone who was clearly trying to be a scoundrel.

Under the woman's slightly smug gaze, Xu Xiaoyan calmly and smoothly reached her hand towards her lower back.

The next second, a cold, metallic glint flashed as she drew a sharp-edged fruit knife. The blade wasn't long, but in the dim morning light, the light reflected from its edge was exceptionally dazzling.

Xu Xiaoyan pointed the tip of her knife lightly at the open space in front of the woman, without actually aiming it at her, but a chilling sense of threat instantly spread out.

Her smile deepened, and though her voice was soft, it reached the woman's ears clearly, carrying a chilling calmness: "What did you just say? I didn't hear you. Say it again."

The woman's smile froze instantly, and the color drained from her face at a visible speed, turning her deathly pale.

She recoiled as if burned, her hand gripping Xu Xiaoyan's sleeve, flailing frantically in front of her, her feet involuntarily taking a step back, her voice trembling:

"Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! Little girl, I was just joking, just saying! This dress... this dress is definitely yours! I mistook you for someone else, yes, I mistook you for someone else!"

At this moment, the crowd that was about to disperse was drawn back by this new conflict.

Seeing the gleaming knife in Xu Xiaoyan's hand, everyone's faces showed surprise and fear, and whispers began to circulate again:

"Hiss... This girl looks so quiet and gentle, why does she carry a knife with her?"

"That's too dangerous! What kind of behavior is it for a young girl to be using knives and guns like that!"

"Exactly, can't we just talk things out? The world is chaotic enough already..."

"But... that woman brought trouble on herself, going up there and trying to extort money from someone for their clothes. Who wouldn't be angry in that situation?"

Xu Xiaoyan ignored these criticisms and comments.

She didn't even glance at the woman who was so frightened she was almost paralyzed. With a flick of her wrist, she deftly sheathed the fruit knife in the scabbard at her waist.

Under the complex gazes of the crowd, he walked towards his cave without looking back.

It was only afternoon, but the sky had already darkened to the point of dusk, and the temperature had plummeted. The icy air stung when you breathed it in.

Immediately afterwards, tiny snowflakes began to fall softly, landing on clods of earth and dry vegetation with a rustling sound, and soon the ground was covered with a thin layer of white.

The cold wave arrived as expected, plunging the entire cave dwelling area into a deathly silence. Outside, wind and snow raged, and everyone retreated into their caves, with heavy curtains or simple wooden doors tightly shut.

The crevices were stuffed with anything usable: rags, dry grass, withered branches, mud. From the entrances of the caves, only wisps of smoke struggled to escape from the vents or cracks, only to be blown away by the gale, proving that life still existed inside.

Thanks to the frantic collection in the past few days and the supplies provided by the official exchange points, most people have a relatively sufficient supply of firewood and food in their caves.

People sat around the fire, warming their frozen hands, while pots either boiled a thin porridge or simply boiled water.

The air was thick with the smell of cooking fires and a tense silence. No one spoke; everyone was secretly glad they had made preparations in advance.

Xu Xiaoyan's cave was no exception; the fire burned brightly, warming the small space.

She sat on a small stool cracking chestnuts, carefully observing her temporary "home" as she worked.

The cave was too small. On one side, there was a pile of firewood and chestnuts, and on top of that, her backpack and a small amount of supplies that were visible to the naked eye.

A fire was lit in the middle, and the remaining space was only enough for her to turn around and move around.

"Sigh..." She sighed almost inaudibly. This kind of weather, this kind of time with nothing to do, should be the best time to hibernate.

If the cave had enough space, she would be lying comfortably in bed or sinking into a beanbag chair right now.

Holding your phone or tablet, reading a downloaded novel, with a hot cocoa or milk tea beside you—that's true peace of mind and enjoyment.