Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Wang Xiao rubbed his hands together and asked in a low voice, "Where is it safe to put all these lotus roots? We can't possibly carry them all on our backs, can we?"

Xie Yingtang looked around and pondered for a moment:

"Our hiding place must be well hidden. If someone comes here, we can't be noticed. It should be relatively dry to prevent the lotus roots from rotting and smelling bad too quickly."

"What do you think of those abandoned lotus-viewing huts?" Wang Xiao suggested. "I just saw one over there; half of its roof had collapsed."

"No," Xie Yingtang shook his head. "That place is too conspicuous. If someone comes to the lotus pond to check, they will notice it first."

Although the house structure has partially collapsed, the other half is still intact, making it easy for people to move there temporarily, which is very unsafe.

Xu Xiaoyan listened quietly, her gaze sweeping over the dense reeds at the edge of the lotus pond, and then looking towards the earthen slope that bordered the wilderness in the distance.

She recalled that when she was picking lotus roots earlier, the reeds were particularly dense at the innermost part of the lotus pond, near the earthen slope, almost forming a natural barrier.

"Below that earthen slope," she said softly, pointing inwards, "when I was picking lotus roots, I noticed that some parts of the slope had collapsed, forming several natural depressions."

It was covered by fallen reeds and wild grass, making it very secluded, and the terrain was higher than the pond bank, relatively dry, and most importantly—”

She paused for a moment, then said, "You can't see that spot from the main road at all. Even if someone comes to the lotus pond, they won't find it unless they specifically walk through the entire reed bed."

Xie Yingtang carefully observed the direction she pointed for a moment, and a look of approval appeared in his eyes. "That position does meet the requirements. It is naturally formed and not easy to be suspected."

Wang Xiao slapped his thigh excitedly, "Brilliant! Who would have thought something would be hidden right under our noses? This is what they call 'the darkest place is under the lamp'!"

"Then let's hurry," Xie Yingtang reminded him. "Before it gets too bright, let's transport the lotus roots over there. Xiao Yan, thank you for leading the way to the earthen slope."

The three quickly got to work, carefully moving the lotus roots to a depression on the earthen slope. Xie Yingtang and Wang Xiao then carefully camouflaged them with withered grass and broken reeds.

After hiding, the three retreated deep into the reeds. Only then did their tense nerves relax slightly. After the intense labor and stress subsided, fatigue and hunger surged up like a tide.

Wang Xiao rubbed his aching arm, and his stomach rumbled loudly, which was particularly clear in the quiet morning.

He grinned and suggested in a low voice, "We've been up all night, we're cold and hungry, practically glued to our backs. Let me see over there."

He pointed to a small patch of sparse woodland far from the lotus pond and close to the wilderness:

"There's a sheltered embankment over there. Let's sneak over, build a small fire, and roast a pumpkin. How about that? A hot meal followed by a good night's sleep will give us enough energy to continue working tonight."

Xie Yingtang nodded. "Okay, but you can't use an open flame, the smoke will be too much. Dig a small pit and cook it with charcoal. Be as quick as possible and try not to let anyone notice."

Xu Xiaoyan's eyes brightened slightly; her cold limbs and empty stomach filled her with a longing for a hot meal, and she immediately agreed:

"Okay, let's hurry up and go to the Dutch hut to rest after we finish eating. Half of the eaves hasn't collapsed yet, so it shouldn't be a big problem to block out the daytime sunlight."

Having reached a consensus, the three of them immediately carried pumpkins on their backs, crossed the withered reeds, and moved towards the sparse woodland.

Upon reaching the foot of the earthen embankment, it was indeed sheltered from the wind, and a few scattered stones could be arranged in a small circle.

Wang Xiao was in charge of clearing a small open space, Xie Yingtang quickly dug a shallow pit with the short knife he carried with him, and Xu Xiaoyan went to the vicinity to pick up relatively dry branches and kindling.

The embers were carefully lit and placed in a shallow pit. Some slightly thicker branches were added, and once the flames stabilized, a thin layer of soil was covered to suppress the open flames, allowing them to slowly smolder into charcoal.

Xu Xiaoyan took out a watermelon knife, cut the largest pumpkin into chunks, and then placed the skin side directly on the scorching charcoal fire and hot ashes to roast.

The air gradually filled with the unique sweet aroma of roasted pumpkin, mixed with the scents of earth and grass.

The three sat around the small charcoal pit, reaching out to absorb the meager heat, watching the pumpkin skin gradually soften and turn charred.

The residual heat of the charcoal fire simmered the pumpkin to perfection, and the golden-red, soft, and glutinous pumpkin flesh released a rich and sweet aroma.

The three of them didn't care that it was hot and started eating right away. The warm and smooth taste warmed their tongues and went all the way to their stomachs, greatly soothing their tired bodies and minds.

Wang Xiao swallowed the pumpkin flesh in his hand in a couple of bites, smacked his lips in satisfaction, and looked at the remaining round pumpkins when a sudden idea struck him:

"I said, let's go to the market in Huangsha Town to exchange for some things. We should have enough lotus roots, right? These pumpkins are heavy to carry around, and the stuff we get in return might not even taste as good as these pumpkins!"

How about... we figure out a way to make them all into dried pumpkin, or bake them into pumpkin pancakes and store them? They're filling and taste great!

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Yingtang and Xu Xiaoyan were both stunned, and then a look of sudden enlightenment flashed in their eyes.

Indeed, when carrying heavy pumpkins on the road, trading them may not be as good as using them as a delicious food source. Processing them into cakes that can be stored for a long time is undoubtedly a better choice.

"Xiao's words... hit the nail on the head," Xie Yingtang nodded slowly in agreement.

Xu Xiaoyan frowned slightly and pointed out the key issue: "To make pumpkin pancakes that can be stored, you usually need to mix flour and use the gluten in the flour to shape them and extend their shelf life. But where are we going to get flour now?"

The initial excitement was dampened by reality; without flour, even the best ideas are just wishful thinking.

After a moment of silence, Xu Xiaoyan's gaze swept over the surroundings and finally settled on the leftover pumpkin peel.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Perhaps... we don't necessarily have to use wheat flour." Her words immediately caught the attention of the other two.

"I was thinking," Xu Xiaoyan continued, "that in the absence of flour, some remote mountain areas would use other starch-rich materials to make food similar to dry rations."

Among the materials we have, lotus root itself can be ground into lotus root starch, which is pure starch, although we don't have the conditions for fine processing.

However, some lotus root can be cooked and mashed into an extremely fine paste, which should have a high viscosity and starch content.

As she spoke, she drew lines on the ground with a twig. "We can try mixing cooked and mashed pumpkin puree with steamed and thoroughly mashed lotus root puree in a certain ratio."

The starch in lotus root paste can act as a binder and shaper, so the resulting paste should be able to be slowly baked into thin pancakes over a low flame on a stone slab or clean leaves.