Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Old Wang's words reminded Xu Xiaoyan of her roommate who had disappeared without a trace.

This sudden tsunami swallowed up countless coastal cities and shattered countless once-warm families, separating them forever.

She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the surging grief. Now was not the time to wallow in sorrow; the living had to keep going.

Just then, a signal came from ahead to halt the march. It turned out that soldiers had discovered many potatoes growing in large tracts of abandoned fields on both sides of the road.

Commander Li made a decisive decision, ordering everyone to disperse on the spot for one hour and dig freely, digging as much as they could to replenish the grain reserves.

At the command, the crowd immediately dispersed and surged toward the field ridges like a tide.

Weng Beiyan carefully placed her still unconscious younger sister, Weng Nanque, on the roadside and, together with Wang Yuming, quickly dug potatoes.

Xu Xiaoyan did not join them immediately. She silently picked up her sack and walked alone towards the edge of the field, deliberately choosing a relatively quiet corner away from the crowd.

Although her space was already mostly filled, there was still plenty of room to squeeze in some potatoes.

The thick work gloves also provided good protection for her fingers, allowing her to dig into the slightly hard ground without any worries.

Her movements were quick and rhythmic. Grasping the stem, she broke through the soil, flicked her wrist, and a string of potatoes covered in fresh mud rolled out.

Xu Xiaoyan casually picked up the potatoes and threw them into the sack next to her, but in reality, she was using the sack as cover to secretly operate at a frequency of roughly "digging up four and throwing three into her space".

The gloves protected her from the friction of the sand and gravel, and also improved her efficiency, allowing her to stockpile as many potatoes as possible during that precious hour.

She stopped immediately when she felt that the last gap in the space was filled with potatoes.

The sack beside him was already more than half full; the amount was neither too little to arouse suspicion, nor too heavy to hinder movement.

Just then, a sharp whistle pierced the air above the fields, signaling the end of an hour.

She deftly slung the sack over her shoulder and returned to the group, where she saw two large sacks of potatoes piled up at the feet of Wang Yuming and Weng Beiyan.

When they saw Xu Xiaoyan's bag containing only a little over half a bag of produce, they all looked regretful. Wang Yuming even sighed softly.

"Don't sigh yet," Xu Xiaoyan said calmly, her gaze sweeping over the four large, heavy bags of potatoes. "After digging so many, do you still have the energy to keep going?"

She paused, then turned her gaze to the still weak Weng Nanque, who was placed by the roadside. "What's more, one of you will have to carry Nanque."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly sobering up the two people who had been blinded by their gains. Weng Beiyan and Wang Yuming looked at each other, their smug expressions freezing on their faces.

Looking at the four heavy bags of potatoes, and then at the Weng Nanque who needed care, they finally realized the seriousness of the problem.

Wang Yuming was the first to laugh bitterly, "I was so focused on digging that I forgot about this."

Weng Beiyan slapped his forehead in frustration, looking at his sister's pale face and then at the four bags of potatoes, not knowing what to do. Xu Xiaoyan shook her head gently as she watched their troubled expressions.

Weng Nanque had woken up at some point. Listening to her brother and his companions' troubled conversation, a bitterness beyond her years flashed across her small face.

Her voice was weak but clear: "Brother... put me here. Look, there are so many potatoes here, enough for me to live a good life."

"Nonsense!" Weng Beiyan interrupted her abruptly, his voice trembling with fear.

He hugged his sister tighter. "Your injuries haven't healed yet, you can't move at all. Staying here is no different from sending yourself to your death! Don't ever say such foolish things again!"

He took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision, and said resolutely, "At worst... at worst, we siblings can just give up these two bags of potatoes! I'll carry you!"

The atmosphere became somewhat somber for a moment. Seeing this, Wang Yuming quickly stepped in to smooth things over and proposed a more practical solution:

"Bei Yan, don't say such hurtful things. I think we should take two bags of potatoes with us and ask the soldiers ahead if they need the remaining two bags."

If they need it, we'll give it to them; it's a favor. If they don't need it, we'll leave it by the roadside for people who might pass by later. It's better than wasting it.

Xu Xiaoyan nodded, thinking the method was feasible. "I'll go ask Squad Leader Wang," she said, and walked towards Old Wang, who was coordinating the team.

Xu Xiaoyan briefly explained their predicament and plans to Lao Wang, who immediately understood and readily agreed.

"Give us the potatoes, I'll have someone take them." He then called over a soldier who carried the two heavy bags of potatoes away.

After finishing with the potatoes, Old Wang leaned closer to Xu Xiaoyan, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of elder's concern...

"Xiao Yan, it's not easy for you kids to be carrying an injured person. If you really run out of food on the way, don't try to tough it out. Remember to come find me. No matter how hard things get for our team, we won't let you guys starve."

This timely promise warmed Xu Xiaoyan's heart. She smiled sincerely and nodded, "Squad Leader Wang, thank you, we've got it."

Weng Beiyan glanced gratefully at Wang Yuming and Xu Xiaoyan, steadied her sister on her back, and followed the re-departing team.

The last rays of the setting sun had long been swallowed by the darkness, and the group stopped on a relatively open, leeward slope.

Commander Li's hoarse yet clear voice rang out in the night: "Attention! Halt! Rest in place! Patrol teams will rotate according to the pre-arranged plan; the rest of you, rest in place!"

At the command, the deathly silent ranks seemed to be infused with a bit of life, and the soldiers moved efficiently. Soon, small campfires lit up in the darkness.

The four sat around a small campfire. Weng Beiyan carefully placed his younger sister, Nan Que, on the ground covered with a coat, and then threw potatoes into the ashes at the edge of the fire.

Flames licked the potato skins, making a soft crackling sound, and gradually, a unique aroma mixed with the smell of burning wafted out.

There were no utensils and almost no seasonings. The roasted potatoes were piping hot. Everyone blew on them and peeled off the charred skin with their bare hands to reveal the golden or milky white core inside, and couldn't wait to take a bite.

The dry, sticky potato starch paste in my mouth wasn't exactly delicious, and was even a little hard to swallow, but the solid warmth flowing into my stomach brought me the only real sense of security and satisfaction of the day.