Chapter 19 There are still people waiting for her at home.
He Xin came running up, breathless, after waiting at the entrance for less than ten minutes.
"We've found a large quantity of food and water, but we can't carry it back on our own. We need your help. The supplies will be distributed according to the amount of effort put in. Are you willing to help?"
Yu Miaomiao had no objections. She had come out to find supplies, and if she could exchange her efforts for supplies, there was nothing wrong with that.
He Liang nodded, and the three of them walked to the top floor of the mall one after the other. There they found a snack shop that had not yet opened. The outside still had signs indicating that it was under renovation, but the inside was already almost fully stocked.
Various kinds of weighed snacks are displayed in small transparent boxes. Normally, buying these snacks would cost several hundred yuan, but now they can be purchased for free, which is indeed a windfall.
But how to bring it back? Everyone was stumped; none of them had expected to acquire such a large amount of supplies.
Liu Pei was the first to think of inflatable boats. By putting the supplies on the inflatable boats and having everyone pull and push them together, they were always able to get the things back.
So he left Lin Miaorong there, He Xin went to call for help, and he went back to the community to get the inflatable boat.
They discussed packing and stacking everything in the store's bags first, and then moving it directly onto the inflatable boat. The group quickly got to work.
Yu Miaomiao was in charge of the nut section, which contained small packages of pistachios, almonds, walnuts, apricot kernels, cashews, and more. She worked quickly and soon finished collecting most of the nuts, leaving the once-full countertop empty.
He Liang and his team also collected and gathered the supplies together.
Lin Miaorong was the only one who dawdled, and by the time Liu Pei brought the kayak, she still hadn't finished taking all the cookies and pastries from the area she was responsible for.
He Xin and Yu Miaomiao both noticed that she secretly stuffed cookies and pastries into her backpack, but they didn't stop her. They both understood the situation and decided to deduct the amount she had hidden when distributing the supplies later.
He Liang found two handcarts in the warehouse behind the store. Yu Miaomiao and He Liang loaded their goods onto the handcarts and then went ahead with Liu Pei to the exit with some of the supplies.
He needed to inflate the kayak first, as dragging too many sharp objects indoors could easily damage it, so the kayak could only be used on ice outdoors.
After they left, Yuan Yong and his son also passed by. Seeing that there were supplies to share, they hurriedly offered to do their part. So Lin Miaorong quietly handed over all the work she was doing to the father and son, while she stood aside doing nothing.
He Liang and Liu Pei stayed at the exit to guard the supplies, while Yu Miaomiao dragged two carts back the way they came to pick up He Xin and the others.
Seeing that Yuan Yong and his son were also there, Yu Miaomiao selectively ignored them, quickly put the supplies on the car, and pushed two carts of express delivery away by herself.
After making more than ten round trips, they finally finished transporting all the goods. Yu Miaomiao felt like a bodyguard, escorting the caravan more than ten times in one day; it was exhausting.
It started raining again on the way back, and the already slippery ice surface became even more slippery, muddy, and difficult to walk on under the wash of the rain.
The woman pulls from the front, while the man pushes from behind.
Lin Miaorong was visibly slacking off; everyone else's ropes were taut, but hers was limp and hanging loosely over her body.
Yu Miaomiao's daily exercise, combined with the physical benefits from the spring water, made her bowel movement relatively easy. Although she was annoyed, she figured she could deal with it when the supplies were distributed later. Right now, she just wanted to go home as soon as possible.
But the others were unhappy, so He Liang stopped and pointed at Lin Miaorong, questioning her about why she was slacking off.
Lin Miaorong had an attitude that seemed to say, "What can you do to me?"
"I'm so thin, and I haven't had enough to eat or wear these past few days. I'm too weak to pull it."
What kind of grand principle is this: "You're weak, so you're right; I'm strong, so I deserve it"?
"Sure, if you're not going to pull, you can stand aside. You don't need to share the supplies later. We don't need useless people who just coast along in the team."
He Liang's long-standing grievances finally erupted.
Lin Miaorong immediately put on a pitiful face and looked at the others, only to find that no one sympathized with or pitied her.
Everyone watched coldly, and the Yuan father and son looked particularly impatient.
Before the apocalypse, a delicate woman could easily have suitors swooning over her with a few sweet words and a flick of her wrist. But times have changed. In an era where you never know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first, who would care about her anymore?
"Hurry up! We're freezing to death. If you don't want to work, stay where you are. We're leaving now." In this freezing weather, people were shivering and in pain all over. Only by moving around could they feel a little better.
Everyone returned to their places and continued to drag the inflatable boat back. Lin Miaorong stomped her feet in frustration, but still followed the group back to their residence.
Pulling the rope back inside, the once bone-chilling hallway now felt surprisingly warm.
After dozens of transfers and deliveries, all the supplies, two trolleys, and the inflatable boat were moved into the building.
As everyone was discussing how to distribute the supplies, the door on the 9th floor opened, and a skinny little boy, about 6 or 7 years old, ran out and reached for the candy in the pile of supplies.
His parents quickly stepped forward to stop him, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, the child was hungry for too long, could you sell us some food?"
"no."
Just as Yu Miaomiao was about to speak, she heard Liu Pei firmly express his refusal. Well, there are still some sensible people out there.
Those who live in such houses are not short of money, especially since money is worthless now.
No amount of money can buy even a grain of rice.
They risked their lives to search for supplies, while their families at home were worried and anxious. He thought that if they didn't come back, no one would help his family.
At first, he slipped notes to everyone, but no one was willing to come.
Now that they've found food, they're starting to think about getting something for nothing.
Absolutely not.
Once this door is opened, it will be unstoppable, and we must not set a precedent for anyone.
The family turned away dejectedly and went back to their room, seemingly angry but unable to express it, and slammed the door shut.
"Mommy, you're finally back!" The little girl rushed up the stairs to He Xin. "Grandma said I'm a good girl, so she let me come out to greet Mommy and Daddy. Yaoyao can help Mommy and Daddy carry things."
"Okay." He Xin and Liu Pei both smiled and hugged the little girl tightly.
"Then hurry up and distribute the things." Yuan Lixuan's hand was numb with pain, and he urgently needed to go back to get it bandaged, otherwise his hand would be ruined. Thinking this, he glared fiercely at Yu Miaomiao.
Yu Miaomiao felt the gaze and coldly retorted, causing the other party to immediately back down.
The Yuan father and son were the final participants, while Lin Miaorong contributed the least and did little. They split the supplies equally between their two sides. The remaining four people each received one-fifth.
However, Lin Miaorong stole some supplies, so two-thirds of the supplies were taken by the Yuan father and son. Lin Miaorong was furious and tried to forcibly take other people's supplies. Not daring to attack the men, she set her sights on Yu Miaomiao, who was holding supplies in her hands.
I don't know who gave her the courage.
After all, Yu Miaomiao almost killed someone in front of everyone just a moment ago.
Perhaps it was her hatred for Yu Miaomiao that made her lose her mind. Seeing that Yu Miaomiao was full of things and probably wouldn't have a chance to get a knife, she felt she had a chance of winning, so she decided to grab it and run.
Yu Miaomiao dodged the moment she lunged at her, and she missed her target, crashing straight into the wall, her nose bleeding profusely.
"I don't have time to play house with you. I'm going home now; there are people waiting for me there. If you mess with me again next time, I'll definitely give you a good beating. After all, three strikes and you're out."
After saying that, he walked straight up the stairs. Lin Miaorong had suffered a loss and was still in shock, so she didn't dare to go forward rashly.
She rushed up the stairs to the 17th floor in two quick steps, where Lu An was already leaning against the iron gate waiting for her. However, she took the supplies she was carrying and went back to the living room first.
Ma Jiang enthusiastically nudged Yu Miaomiao with her front paws, while Tuanzi and Yuanzi affectionately rubbed their tails against her calves.
In the world of the three little ones, Yu Miaomiao had gone out hunting and hadn't returned for a long time. Just when they thought she would never come back, she returned in triumph with lots of food.
Cheers to the heroes!
"An'an, I'm so hungry, I could eat a whole cow."
"I knew it, I prepared it for you a long time ago." The food on the table was as plentiful as a New Year's Eve dinner.
Actually, someone was overly anxious, and when they're anxious, they want to do something, and before they knew it, they had cooked a table full of more than twenty dishes...
In my previous life, I returned home exhausted and weary from the apocalypse, only to find my sleazy uncle and mean cousin, or a dark and cold empty house.
Perhaps this life is God's way of compensating her. Sometimes she wonders if it's all a dream, but when she looks back, she sees the warm lights, the silhouettes of her sisters and the three little ones, and mouthwatering food. Everything feels so real.