Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but revise her previous impression. She didn't say anything more, but simply hummed softly, indicating that she agreed with Xie Yingtang's judgment.

Wang Xiao seemed to still be immersed in that discomfort, keeping his head down and not saying a word.

Xie Yingtang glanced at him, reached out and patted his back gently, the movement conveying a sense of reassurance.

Then the topic naturally shifted to discussing the departure time for tomorrow morning and the sections of the road to be aware of.

As dawn broke, the three of them had already packed all their belongings and continued their journey along the main road.

After walking for about three hours, the roadside was still filled with large tracts of abandoned farmland, no different from the desolate scene we had seen before.

"Let's split up and search in these fields along the roadside," Xie Yingtang suggested.

His gaze swept over the field ridges half-hidden by weeds. "Maybe there are crops left over from before, or fruits and vegetables that have grown on their own."

Xu Xiaoyan and Wang Xiao both nodded in agreement. The three of them each chose an adjacent plot of land, bent down, and began to carefully search through the knee-high weeds.

This was no easy task. Withered vines and thorny weeds hindered their movement. Time passed by, and sweat dripped down their foreheads.

"Hey! Look what I found!" Wang Xiao was the first to cheer.

He struggled to pull a fist-sized, mud-covered object from the soil. It was vaguely shaped like a radish, but it was somewhat shriveled.

This was encouraging, and soon Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Yingtang also made some discoveries, but with little success.

After nearly two hours, the three of them met up and put what they had found together. It turned out to be just five or six small radishes, most of which were in poor condition.

Looking at the meager spoils on the ground, Wang Xiao wiped his sweat, feeling somewhat unwilling. "This little bit of stuff probably won't even get me a piece of jerky."

Xie Yingtang frowned slightly and looked deeper into the farmland. "The roadside may have been repeatedly ransacked. Let's go further in and check out those places that are farther from the main road and look more desolate."

This decision means stepping into a denser thicket of weeds that may conceal more unknown risks, but the risk is worthwhile in order to reap the rewards.

The three of them split up again and headed away from the road, deeper into the field that was almost completely covered by wild vegetation.

The path beneath their feet seemed even more difficult to traverse, with rotting plants and loose soil making their steps arduous.

Everyone was completely focused, using sticks they could find to clear away the tangled vines and weeds, not letting any possibility slip by.

Suddenly, a louder, more excited shout came from Wang Xiao's direction: "Pumpkin! It's a pumpkin!!"

The sound was like a shot of adrenaline, and Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Yingtang immediately rushed over. They parted a huge patch of almost dead vines, and the sight before them delighted all three of them.

In a relatively open depression, a large patch of pumpkin vines, already withered and yellowed, stretched out.

Many leaves had dried up and crumbled, but among these seemingly lifeless vines hung several large pumpkins!

Their skin is a deep orange-yellow or dark green, covered with dust, and some even have scars from being pecked by insects and birds, but overall they are quite well preserved.

"Great! So many!" Wang Xiao rubbed his hands together excitedly, almost jumping up.

"Don't just stand there, pick them!" Xie Yingtang also showed a rare smile and took the lead.

The three of them immediately got to work.

Xu Xiaoyan took out a watermelon knife from her backpack and carefully used the knife to cut the tough vines.

Wang Xiao caught sight of Xu Xiaoyan's watermelon knife and leaned closer in surprise. "You actually carry a watermelon knife? That's amazing!"

Xie Yingtang chuckled upon hearing this and patted Wang Xiao on the shoulder. "Use your simple brain. How could she have come this far on her own without some kind of ability to protect herself?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiao couldn't help but sigh deeply, "It seems that I'm the most useless person here."

Xie Yingtang pinched his ear and comforted him, "Don't say that. Aren't you known as the Golden Retriever? Look at how many pumpkins you found all at once, you deserve a first-class merit!"

"You dog Xie Yingtang, would it kill you to speak like a human being?" Wang Xiao yelled, punching Xie Yingtang. The two fought and argued endlessly.

Looking at the round, heavy pumpkins on the ground, Xu Xiaoyan was overjoyed, but a very real problem immediately arose in front of her: how should they take them away?

She subconsciously counted the stock in her space; she did have quite a few sturdy and durable nylon sacks.

But now, under the watchful eyes of everyone, she can't just be like Doraemon in the cartoon, reaching into that seemingly limited backpack and pulling out several large sacks out of thin air, can she?

This is practically a challenge to the intelligence and observation skills of the two temporary companions next to them.

A subtle sense of irritation welled up inside me. There were clearly more convenient methods available, but I couldn't use them. This feeling of being restricted was truly frustrating.

She had to suppress her instinct to rely on space, frowned, and spoke in a more logical way, her tone carrying a hint of genuine distress:

"We found the pumpkins, but... we have nothing to put them in, how are we going to move them?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Xiao next to her burst out laughing, as if he had heard something strange.

He patted his bulging backpack, then gestured with his hands, looking relaxed with an expression that said, "What's the big deal?"

"Oh, what's there to worry about! We have hands!"

His tone was cheerful, with the optimism unique to young people who simplify complex matters: "Look, these smaller pumpkins, we can always squeeze them into our backpacks. As for these bigger ones—"

He pointed to the large structures that required carrying in both arms and said, "Why not just carry them in your arms? The road is long anyway, and you can switch arms and rest when you get tired!"

Xu Xiaoyan was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then realized, yes! She was completely bewitched!

Upon seeing a pile of things, the first reaction is to look for containers, forgetting the most primitive and least suspicious method—carrying on one's shoulders or in one's hands.

In this chaotic world, how many people would risk their lives for food? What's a little bit of carrying heavy food by hand?

Wang Xiao's simple and direct approach is precisely the choice that best suits their current situation.

A self-deprecating smile flickered across her lips. She nodded, her tone much more relaxed. "You're right, I just didn't quite grasp it at first."

"Let's get started!" Wang Xiao enthusiastically began distributing the tasks:

"Xiao Yan, pick the smaller one and put it in your bag. Ying Tang is stronger, so he can carry the biggest one. I'll carry these two medium-sized ones..."