3: Stock up

“Excuse me,” the man in the baseball cap said as he stepped into the elevator.

He was very tall, probably over 185 cm, and with his mask and hat brim pulled low, no facial features were visible.

Seeing the man stand next to her, Jiang Fei instinctively took a step back, creating distance.

She didn't like being too close to strangers; if they suddenly attacked, it would be difficult for her to escape.

This was a habit Jiang Fei had developed during the apocalypse.

The man seemed not to notice Jiang Fei’s subtle movement and spoke first: “Hello, I’m a resident of 2203. Are you new here?”

Xiao Wu: “You could say that.”

Jiang Fei: “No.”

Jiang Fei and Xiao Wu spoke at the same time, their differing answers creating a subtle tension in the atmosphere.

The man seemed oblivious, his deep, pleasant voice tinged with a smile: “Yulan Garden has excellent greenery, and there’s a fountain in the small park downstairs. Residents can even have outdoor barbecues there…”

Listening to the man introduce the community on his own, Jiang Fei subtly glanced at Xiao Wu beside her.

This is what you meant by the 2203 resident being quiet?

Socially anxious?

Understanding the meaning in Jiang Fei’s eyes, Xiao Wu guiltily averted his gaze.

Everything was for making a sale!

Can’t say anything! The contract isn’t signed yet!

Ding—the elevator reached the first floor.

The man let out a soft sigh, as if still wanting to talk: “Perhaps we can chat again sometime.”

With that, the man exited the elevator.

Jiang Fei and Xiao Wu followed him out, only seeing the man’s back disappear outside the unit door.

As Jiang Fei walked out, she said to Xiao Wu: “The rental information you provided me doesn’t match the reality.”

No compensation?

Xiao Wu, being a shrewd person, immediately understood Jiang Fei’s unspoken meaning and offered a fawning smile: “Miss Jiang, this is my fault. How about I give you our employee discount for rentals, 40% off?”

Jiang Fei calmly nodded.

She was short on money and housing, and suitable high-floor apartments were simply too few, otherwise she wouldn’t have hinted at Xiao Wu.

The monthly rent at Yulan Garden was 15,000 yuan, so renting two units for a year would be 360,000 yuan.

Now, with a 40% discount, she saved over 100,000 yuan.

A good deal!

Can’t get complacent!

Jiang Fei calmly followed Xiao Wu, unaware that the man who had seemingly disappeared was now in the grove behind her.

Watching Jiang Fei and Xiao Wu’s backs recede, the man retracted the dagger hidden in his sleeve.

He had thought those annoying “rats” had found this place.

Turns out, it was just new neighbors.

—

At a certain real estate company.

After Jiang Fei and Xiao Wu signed the rental contract, she calculated the money she had. After deducting a year’s rent for two apartments and Xiao Wu’s commission, she had 1.33 million yuan remaining.

She hoped that after stocking up on necessities, there would still be some left to unlock the Supermarket.

As Jiang Fei was about to leave, Xiao Wu ran over.

“Miss Jiang, earlier at Yulan Garden, I noticed you changed your mind when you heard the apartment could be renovated. So, I wanted to ask if you need any renovation workers?”

“My brother is in the renovation business; he has his own shop. He has whatever materials you need.”

Jiang Fei was surprised: “A one-stop service?”

Xiao Wu scratched his head sheepishly: “Well, it’s better to keep business in the family, you know.”

“Don’t laugh, Miss Jiang, but actually, it’s because my brother and I have a father who is sick in the hospital and urgently needs money. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have hidden that resident’s information. But you didn’t mind and even gave me such a high commission. I want to be friends with you. Don’t worry, the renovation price will definitely be reasonable.”

“My brother is nearby; would you like to meet and discuss?”

Jiang Fei agreed.

If the price wasn’t right or they couldn’t do it, she could always find someone else.

Soon, Xiao Wu returned with a man in his late twenties.

Due to years of sun and wind exposure, the man’s skin was dark reddish, which made his eyes appear even clearer. His honest face was a complete contrast to the fair-skinned, smooth-talking Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu: “Miss Jiang, this is my brother, Wu Dayong. My name is Wu Xiaowei, but you can continue to call me Xiao Wu.”

Jiang Fei nodded, handed the floor plans of the two apartments to Wu Dayong, and stated her requirements: “I want to replace all the windows. The strength should preferably be able to withstand typhoons and heavy rain above level 12.”

“The entrance doors should be replaced with electric doors, and their quality must be the same as the windows. Both apartments need solar panels and a water purification system installed. All electrical wires should be wired separately for me, so that they can be used with a diesel generator in case of a power outage.”

“Units 2201 and 2202 should be connected by a small electric door.”

“Additionally, I need 5 more electric doors of the same quality, no installation required, just place them in the living room.”

She didn’t understand the residents of Yulan Garden, but she understood human nature, how deranged people could become for a bite of food.

If Yulan Garden fell, she could install electric doors at the stairwells to prevent people from lower floors from coming up, creating a safe house.

The walls of Yulan Garden were thick enough that they wouldn't be easily breached.

Even if she couldn't stay in Yulan Garden later, she would have an extra layer of security when moving to a new place.

Perfect!

Wu Xiaowei and Wu Dayong were dumbfounded.

Wu Xiaowei was the first to recover, smacking his lips: “Miss Jiang, your renovations are incredibly secure…”

Jiang Fei said seriously: “I live alone, I’m timid, and I’m scared.”

Wu Xiaowei looked at Jiang Fei, whose features were delicate and body frail, looking as if she could be made to cry with a single punch. She indeed needed more protection.

“Brother, can you meet Miss Jiang’s requirements?”

Wu Dayong looked hesitant: “Yes, I can, but the construction period will be long, about a month.”

“Miss Jiang, you want the best materials, which are expensive to procure. At most, I can give you a 20% discount, saving money on labor, so it would be about 350,000 yuan.”

“No.” Jiang Fei rejected Wu Dayong’s proposal: “I need to see results in a week at most.”

“You can hire more workers; I’ll pay for it. Otherwise, I’ll have no place to live.”

Seeing Jiang Fei’s insistence, Wu Dayong had no choice but to agree, finally settling on a price of 400,000 yuan.

Fortunately, the large factory he collaborated with had fast delivery and good quality at reasonable prices.

Jiang Fei swiped her card to pay half of the deposit: “Let me be clear upfront, if I find you cutting corners, you’ll have to refund my deposit and more.”

The girl’s gaze was cold and sharp, like bone-chilling ice. Wu Dayong involuntarily shivered and promised: “Miss Jiang, rest assured, such a problem will not occur.”

He himself was not the type of person to cut corners or be deceitful.

After settling the housing matters, with Wu Xiaowei’s help, Jiang Fei spent two thousand yuan to rent a large warehouse, and also rented a discreet truck, then headed to the largest wholesale market in Lincheng.

The variety here was so extensive that one could say, if you can think of it, you can buy it.

Jiang Fei first went to a hardware and building materials store, found the owner, and stated directly: “Boss, I need 10 household diesel generators, 10 maximum power solar panels, 20 ten-ton water storage tanks, 10 water pumps, and 5 small electric saws.”

Buying water individually was too expensive; it was better to buy water pumps and tanks and store water from a lake herself.

The boss, who was smoking behind the counter, was stunned. He thought Jiang Fei, being young, was there to play a trick on him. Just as he was about to chase her away, *smack*—

A bundle of 10,000 yuan in cash was placed on the counter.

Jiang Fei: “I have a lot more like this.”

The boss grinned, revealing a mouthful of large yellow teeth, immediately extinguished his cigarette, and pulled out a calculator:

“Look at my foolish eyes, I couldn’t even recognize a big customer.”

“Don’t rush, little girl. I’ll calculate how much all of this costs for you right now.”

A few minutes later, the boss put down the calculator: “A total of one hundred sixteen thousand eight hundred. Since it’s your first time here, I’ll round it down for you, so it’s one hundred sixteen thousand. I also offer free delivery service.”

Jiang Fei wrote down the address: “Deliver it here promptly at 9 PM tonight.”

She had only rented the warehouse for two days. She still had to buy other supplies later, so by setting a unified reception time, she could directly put them into the Supermarket.

The boss cheerfully agreed: “According to the market rules, you need to pay first. Cash or card?”

“Card.”

As soon as Jiang Fei left after paying, the boss, Crippled Wang, limped out from behind the counter and waved to a younger man smoking at the entrance:

“Go follow that young lady and see what she’s doing at the market.”

“She spends money so readily, I reckon she’s a fat sheep. Maybe we can pull off a job.”

—

Jiang Fei’s eyes flashed with a hint of coldness as she keenly sensed someone following her.

She couldn’t fight, she could only kill.

With so many people around, it wasn’t convenient to act, but as long as the other party dared to ambush her, she was confident she could kill them with one blow.

Jiang Fei felt the steak knife she had gotten from the hotel in her pocket, feigning ignorance of being followed. She went to the grain and oil store and directly ordered 100 bags of 100-jin rice, 100 bags of 100-jin white flour, 100 ten-liter barrels of soybean oil, and various other grains and coarse grains—red beans, mung beans, soybeans, potatoes, corn, brown rice, etc.—100 bags of 100-jin each.

In addition, Jiang Fei also purchased hundreds of different seasonings and dry ingredients. With the grain and oil store owner’s discount, it cost a total of 130,000 yuan, and it was also scheduled for delivery to her rented warehouse that evening.

After leaving the grain and oil store, Jiang Fei went to the largest daily necessities store in the market. She bought 100 large boxes each of shampoo, shower gel, toilet paper, tissue boxes, wet wipes, wet toilet paper, hand sanitizer, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, disposable bowls, plates, chopsticks, spoons, disposable underwear, lighters, and matches.

She didn’t want to live like her previous life, not brushing her teeth or washing her face, stinking enough to die on the spot every day.

As for overnight pads and sanitary napkins, Jiang Fei wholesale purchased one hundred boxes each of different sizes and lengths, leaving her with 650,000 yuan.

After taking care of basic daily necessities, Jiang Fei found an outdoor specialty store. Under the pretense of going on an expedition to a certain state and the Arctic, she purchased lightweight summer sportswear, waterproof and cold-proof jackets and pants, warm shoes, gloves, underwear, scarves, goggles, tents, sleeping bags, ice skates, sleds, assault boats, and inflatable boats, 50 of each.

Having spent 180,000 yuan, Jiang Fei left the outdoor specialty store feeling satisfied. She then went to an agricultural supply store and bought 80,000 yuan worth of various seeds and farming tools, a fruit and vegetable store for 50,000 yuan of fresh fruits and vegetables, and a butcher shop for 70,000 yuan of different types of fresh and frozen meat, all scheduled for evening delivery.

If the land outside the Supermarket couldn't be cultivated, she could still plant in the real world or donate to the authorities to solve part of the food problem.

She wasn't a saint, she just didn't want this world to be empty.

Jiang Fei worked until sunset, then returned to her rented truck to check the list of purchased supplies.

The conditions for unlocking and upgrading the Supermarket were all very expensive, and she didn't have much capital now, so she could only buy a little of everything, enough for her own use.

Fortunately, after the apocalypse, she could get things for free, making unlocking and upgrading easier then.

Buzz buzz—her phone vibrated.

It was a text message from Jiang Zhengkang, asking where she was.

There were also two missed calls from Li Yanping.

After the property transfer, Jiang Fei had deleted Li Yanping and her family’s WeChat accounts.

Li Yanping was probably calling her again, trying to find an excuse to get the money back.

Jiang Fei didn’t reply to Li Yanping or Jiang Zhengkang. She checked her bank card balance and had 270,000 yuan left, which was not enough to buy everything she needed.

Especially medicines, weapons, gasoline, and diesel. Buying them in large quantities not only required money but also connections and channels.

If it really came down to it, should she go on a free shopping spree after the heavy rain arrived?

Jiang Fei rubbed her temples, feeling a headache, and decided to find a place to eat first.

At this moment, in the hardware and building materials store at the wholesale market.

The boss, Crippled Wang, sat on a well-worn wooden chair, listening in shock to his subordinate’s report:

“You said she spent nearly a million here???”

The subordinate nodded: “The grain and oil store owner said she wants to open a large Supermarket, so she’s buying everything.”

“Looks like she really is a fat sheep.” Crippled Wang stood up excitedly:

“Notify the brothers, bring your gear to Warehouse 11 in Linbei District tonight!”