Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

She stood alone by the pile of pumpkins, her eyes scanning the silent road warily.

About half an hour later, the sound of rustling footsteps finally came from the darkness.

She immediately looked up alertly, only breathing a sigh of relief when Xie Yingtang and Wang Xiao's figures emerged from the night.

With barely suppressed excitement, Wang Xiao held up a section of lotus root covered in dried mud, yet still remarkably thick and plump, and presented it to Xu Xiaoyan like a treasure.

"Xiao Yan, sorry to keep you waiting! Look at the condition of these pants!" He pointed to his clean trousers and explained:

"When I dug it up, my legs and hands were covered in mud. I couldn't come back like that, so I waited until the mud was almost dry and cleaned it before coming over, which wasted some time."

"It didn't take long," Xu Xiaoyan shook her head. "I kept looking at the main road, and no one has passed by during this time." Her gaze fell on the section of lotus root, and a hint of joy flashed in her eyes.

Xie Yingtang picked up the thread, "Xiao Xiao followed the withered lotus stems downwards and easily found the lotus root nodes, which were quite large. This indicates that the yield below is very abundant, and the reserves are probably more than we imagined."

"When we go to the Huangsha Town market to negotiate a trade, we can use this information to exchange for more urgently needed supplies."

However, after hearing this, the joy on Xu Xiaoyan's face gradually faded, replaced by a deep worry.

She sighed softly. "In this world, can we really expect others to keep their promises?"

These words stunned Xie Yingtang. He looked sharply at Xu Xiaoyan. "You mean we should use information to exchange for things? Is that an inappropriate idea?"

Xu Xiaoyan nodded, her gaze sweeping over her two companions, and lowered her voice to express her concerns:

"There are only three of us now. My concern is that after they hear the news, they verbally agree to the deal, but once they get the specific location out of us, will they immediately go back on their word?"

Or worse, once we lead them to this lotus pond, they might harbor malicious intentions, break their promise at the last minute, and take advantage of their numbers to attack us…”

She paused, not saying the worst possible outcome aloud, but the meaning was already clear.

"How much can the human heart withstand in the face of something good enough to save one's life? I think we'd better not place our hopes on the conscience of others."

Her words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the excitement on Wang Xiao's face and causing Xie Yingtang to fall into deep thought. In the darkness of the night, the atmosphere among the three suddenly became heavy.

The excitement on Wang Xiao's face completely faded. He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found that Xu Xiaoyan's concerns were all reasonable. In the end, he just scratched his hair in frustration and whispered:

"Then... what should we do? We can't just sit here and starve, can we? The three of us can't dig up all these lotus roots, let alone transport them away."

Xie Yingtang was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Xiao Yan's concerns are valid; we cannot simply hand over our trump card."

He looked at the thick section of lotus root and said, "To directly state the location is like asking a tiger for its skin; we must find another way."

"What method?" Xu Xiaoyan and Wang Xiao looked at him at the same time.

"We don't sell the 'location'," Xie Yingtang said, emphasizing each word. "We sell the 'lotus root' itself."

He squatted down and used a twig to roughly trace patterns on the ground. "We need to hurry up and dig out all the lotus roots in the next couple of days, and then find a place to store them."

Each transaction involves a fixed quantity, and the transaction takes place at a fixed location after an agreement is reached. In this way, they only know the handover point and not the true origin of the lotus roots.

"I have a question," Xu Xiaoyan raised her head, her gaze sweeping over her two companions:

"If we make the transaction in batches, the chances of being followed are too high. If it is discovered that there are only three of us from beginning to end, the chances of being robbed are very high."

"I still think it's best if we complete the transaction in one go, and then run away!"

During the communication process, it's best to set a time and place for a second transaction, so that they might think we have an "organization" or a stable supply channel behind us.

"This will make them think twice and not dare to have any bad intentions," she suggested.

Wang Xiao's eyes gradually lit up. "I get it! You're trying to keep them hanging, making them hope for a second deal. Well done, Xiao Yan, you're cunning!"

Xu Xiaoyan smiled and added:

"The three of us should not go to make a transaction at the same time. It's best to leave one person in the shadows to observe. If something goes wrong, send a signal immediately, and the others will have a chance to evacuate."

"That's right," Xie Yingtang nodded approvingly. "Being cautious is never a bad thing. Now, we need to take advantage of the night to dig out as many lotus roots as possible."

After dawn, we'll find a place to store them. We'll sleep while watching over the lotus roots during the day and work at night, trying to dig up all the lotus roots within two days.

With the plan set, the three quietly returned to the lotus pond.

"Let's start from the outermost edge," Xie Yingtang said in a low voice, pointing to the less conspicuous side of the pond bank closer to the main road. "It's closer to the road here, so we can retreat quickly if anything happens."

Wang Xiao nodded in agreement and began to deftly unbuckle his belt.

Then, he paused, looking at Xu Xiaoyan somewhat embarrassed. Although it was inappropriate to bring up the difference between men and women under these circumstances, it was still a bit awkward to take off his pants in front of a girl.

Xu Xiaoyan immediately understood his hesitation. She pointed to the deeper part of the lotus pond and took the initiative to say, "I'll dig from behind the reeds at the innermost edge. If anything happens, just shout and I'll run away as fast as I can."

Her suggestion was concise and to the point, avoiding awkwardness while also allocating the area reasonably.

Xie Yingtang glanced at her, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Alright, it's settled then. Speak up if you need anything. Let's begin."

Without further hesitation, the three of them immediately took action.

Wang Xiao and Xie Yingtang carefully slid down the bank of the pond in the outer area.

The icy mud instantly submerged their knees as they carefully felt along the withered, fallen lotus stems to find the lotus roots underneath.

Xu Xiaoyan walked along the ridge towards the inner side of the lotus pond, the dense withered reeds brushing against her arms and cheeks, bringing a slight stinging sensation.

She took a deep breath, put down her backpack, and bent down to untie the rope around her ankle.

Then he rolled up the cuffs to his thighs and tied a large knot with the drawstring, which was equivalent to wearing a pair of shorts.

The dense, withered reeds almost completely swallowed her figure.

Xu Xiaoyan slowly squatted down on the slippery bottom of the pond. The muddy water was above her knees, and the biting cold made her shiver.

She was enveloped in sticky, heavy mud, making every step extremely difficult. She steadied herself, bent down, and reached her arms into the mud to search for something.