Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 552 Returning Home

When Xu Xiaoyan came out of the West City Farmers Market, it was already dark.

The layout of the west side of the city is similar to that of the east side, with similar scale, number of stalls, and variety of goods.

She spent over an hour walking through the entire market from beginning to end, and got a general idea of ​​what was going on. The basic conditions on both sides were pretty much the same, and neither side had a clear advantage.

Given that, she naturally chose the East City Market, which was closer to her home, as it would be more convenient for her to set up and close her stall each day.

She walked back along the main road. By now, the streetlights were on, casting a warm glow on the asphalt road.

There were far fewer people on the street than during the day. Occasionally, one or two late-night pedestrians would hurry by with their heads down, their footsteps echoing on the empty road, carrying the unique tranquility of the night.

When she reached her street, she could see several dark figures loitering near the small building with its gray brick walls.

Having anticipated this, she slowed her pace and casually approached.

Four people, two men and two women, were standing under the streetlight, all around forty or fifty years old, huddled together and talking in hushed tones.

Seeing someone approaching, the group looked up warily. When they saw a young woman carrying a bulging backpack and showing no hostility, they relaxed and continued their previous conversation.

Xu Xiaoyan naturally moved closer to them and stood down, as if she had been passing by and had caught their attention. She then asked:

"Hey everyone, what are you talking about here? Are you thinking of buying land like me? Sigh, it's so hard to find sellers these days, everyone's avoiding it like it's a plague."

When she struck up a conversation, the men didn't resist; instead, they continued talking enthusiastically as if they had found a new conversation partner.

The middle-aged woman in black was a chatterbox, and she pulled Xu Xiaoyan aside to start telling her about what she had seen and heard that day.

They would tell you which street had a new construction site, or which plot of land had particularly easy-going residents who would even pour a cup of hot tea for someone passing by if they asked for a drink.

They also mentioned that a young couple lives in a certain area; the man is handsome and the woman is beautiful. They wonder if any of their brothers or sisters could introduce them.

The middle-aged man in the blue jacket next to him chimed in, saying that he had heard that a family had just moved from Qing City that afternoon and was asking around to see if there was any land for sale.

After asking around, no one was willing to make a purchase, which angered the family so much that they went to the trading center that very night to wait in line for their turn.

There are already dozens of people in line ahead of me, and it will probably be a long wait before I have a chance to buy land. There are too many people and not enough land, so you have to go through a lottery to buy land. Things are really different now.

The woman in the gray clothes lowered her voice and said mysteriously that she had heard about a family with two daughters, one in her early twenties and the other only seventeen or eighteen years old, neither of whom were married yet.

Recently, so many people have been coming to visit them that their doorstep has been worn down. The family is so annoyed that they've simply stopped going out and have closed their doors.

Several people clicked their tongues in amazement upon hearing this, saying that families with daughters are highly sought after these days, and those with land and houses are even more remarkable.

Xu Xiaoyan stood in the middle of the group, listening to them chatter about their respective families, a perfectly appropriate smile on her face.

Every now and then, they would chime in with a comment or two like, "Really?", "That's really great!", or "We should hurry up!"

She even proactively brought up several topics:

"I heard there's a young man in that area who's quite skilled; he can fix plumbing and electrical work."

"This plot of land is so nice, I wonder when a market will be built here."

Even casual, offhand remarks can attract a lot of agreement and discussion.

She found it amusing inside, but showed no sign of it on her face.

This group of people chatted for a full two hours, from everyday family matters to land market trends, from whose daughter was still unmarried to whose son was working.

Finally, someone said, "It's time to go back, we have to get up early tomorrow."

The others echoed this sentiment and dispersed in twos and threes in different directions, leaving Xu Xiaoyan alone in the open space under the streetlights.

Xu Xiaoyan stood there for a moment, making sure everyone was far away and showed no signs of returning, before quickly walking to her front door.

She took the key out of her pocket, inserted it into the lock, turned it, and with a click, the door opened. She slipped inside and locked the door behind her.

The room was pitch black, with only a sliver of moonlight filtering in through the window, vaguely outlining its shape.

She slowly groped her way to the wall and pressed the switch. The lights in the living room came on, and warm yellow light filled the entire room.

She stood in the center of the living room and looked around, a sense of peace and security welling up inside her.

During this time, those people outside will definitely continue to wander around the area.

She decided to stay home and avoid trouble for a while, closing the door and drawing the curtains, eating and sleeping as usual.

Once the hype subsides a bit, I'll go out and set up a stall at the East City Market to do business.

Anyway, there are still more than 200 square meters of open space in the yard waiting for her to improve the soil quality. Just turning this humus into the ground and tidying up the yard will keep her busy for several days.

She has plenty of things to do and isn't in a hurry to go out and meet those people.

Xu Xiaoyan climbed the stairs to the second floor.

The master bedroom on the second floor has white walls and brand-new light gray floor tiles. The room is empty, with only the moonlight coming in through the window casting a layer of dappled light on the floor tiles.

She stood in the center of the room and looked around. Then, with a slight concentration, she began to take things out of her spatial storage.

The first thing to appear was the big bed, an old item she brought from Xuan County. The Simmons mattress was just the right firmness and had accompanied her through countless peaceful nights.

Next was the air-conditioning quilt, its light blue cover neatly folded.

She unfolded the pillows and spread them on the mattress, then took out two fluffy pillows and stood them up at the head of the bed, patting the pillow cores to make them bounce back to their fullest state.

A wardrobe appeared against the wall, with dark gray doors and simple lines, and a few clothes were hanging inside.

The bedside table was placed right next to the edge of the bed, with a small table lamp on it.

Finally, there was a small, dark brown fabric sofa, about the length of a two-seater, placed against the wall by the window in the bedroom.

When she left Xuan County, she took the entire set of furniture with her.

Now, one by one, they were taken out and put back in their proper places, and the empty bedroom quickly felt like home.

She stood at the doorway of the room, looking at the familiar big bed, the small table lamp, and the low bedside table, and a strange sense of peace welled up in her heart.

These things have been with her for several years. Although they are not valuable items, each one carries traces and warmth of her life.

She turned off the light, buried her face in the pillow, and quickly drifted off to sleep.