I Hoard Supplies and Raise a Child in the Wasteland World by Drawing Cards (GL) - Chapter 2
Since the original owner was just an insignificant simp in the book, it never mentioned that she and the female lead lived next door to each other. Lin Ran had no idea that the woman she’d just seen was the female lead. After returning home, she grabbed a bottle of milk from the fridge and drank it, feeling a bit better.
Soon, the workers delivering the construction materials arrived downstairs, and someone called Lin Ran.
After answering the phone, Lin Ran opened her door upstairs and waited for the workers to bring in all the materials. Originally, she wanted to reinforce the entire house, but time was too tight, she didn’t have enough money, and the book mentioned that the military on Planet Q2 didn’t completely disappear after the zombie outbreak. They eventually built a shelter in Jiangbei City, so Lin Ran was only using this apartment as a temporary transition and might move to the shelter later.
The workers carrying the building materials entered one after another, stacking everything in the living room.
The foreman looked at Lin Ran’s apartment and discussed the plan with her. “Miss Lin, there’s a lot of stuff in your bedroom. Would you like us to help you pack it up and move it to the living room first? We need to reinforce all six sides of your bedroom and then weld the steel plate framework to the existing rebar in your walls to ensure stability. This means we’ll have to dismantle your custom closets and rip out half of the walls and floor. Once the steel plates are fixed, we’ll restore the room to its original state. Does that work for you?”
Lin Ran nodded. “That’s fine. When you weld the steel plates to the rebar, I don’t want you to just weld at certain points. I want you to weld it all the way around. Even if someone uses explosives, this room should not be able to detach from the building’s original rebar. Can you meet that requirement?”
The foreman gave Lin Ran an awkward smile. “Yes, of course. You’re one of our premium clients, so we can certainly do that.”
The foreman thought to himself, “These young people are so crazy. They actually want to turn their room into a fortress.” But his expression grew friendlier. Without these “crazy” clients, their company wouldn’t make as much money, as renovating a room like this was far more profitable than a standard renovation.
“Then please start as soon as possible. I have to go out, so I’m leaving the house in your hands. Remember, it must be welded all the way around. If the requirement isn’t met, I won’t pay the remaining balance,” Lin Ran said, looking at the foreman and emphasizing her point again.
“Don’t worry. I’ll send you a video call on WeChat during the welding to ensure you’re satisfied. Is this your WeChat number? I’ll add you and send you the videos later.” Their company’s prices were high, but their service was impeccable.
Lin Ran accepted his friend request, quickly added the foreman on WeChat, and hurried downstairs. Soon, a large truck from a supermarket drove into the complex.
The security guard at the gate, unsure of the situation, stopped the truck and questioned the driver. “Where are you going? No unfamiliar vehicles are allowed in our complex.”
“We’re just here to make a delivery. We’ll leave as soon as we’re done. We won’t be here for more than half a day.”
“No, that’s not allowed. You’re blocking the road for others,” the security guard insisted.
From a distance, Lin Ran saw the scene unfold. It was true what they said—it’s easy to deal with the king, but hard to deal with the underlings.
Lin Ran muttered to herself and immediately got a call from the supermarket driver. “Miss Lin, your complex’s security guard won’t let us in. What should we do?”
Lin Ran laughed and reassured him, “It’s alright. Wait for me there. I’ll be right over.”
“Okay, Miss Lin. Please hurry,” the driver urged.
Lin Ran turned and walked into a nearby convenience store. “Get me four packs of cigarettes, the Slim Lotus brand. Put two packs in each bag. Hurry.”
“Coming right up.”
Lin Ran quickly paid with the QR code, grabbed the two bags, and walked toward the security booth at the entrance. Even though she hadn’t lived in this world before, she knew that men, especially older men, generally loved flattery and acting like a father figure. With the apocalypse approaching, Lin Ran decided to just go with it for now. Getting her supplies sorted out was more important than anything else.
Lin Ran walked up to the gate’s barrier and asked, “Hello, Uncle. I’m a resident here. They’re just helping me deliver some things. Can they not come in?”
The security guard, in his fifties, immediately put on an air of authority. “Of course not. A huge truck like that will affect the traffic in the complex. Tell them to drive away.”
“Don’t be like that, Uncle. I know you have a tough job, but I really have an emergency at home. You’re such a good person, please just let it slide this once. I promise they’ll leave as soon as they’re done moving the supplies. They won’t hold anyone up,” Lin Ran said, handing the black plastic bags to the security guard’s seat and deliberately revealing the two packs of cigarettes inside.
Security guards usually earn a fixed salary of two thousand yuan a month and get no extra benefits. The two packs of Slim Lotus cigarettes were worth almost nine hundred yuan combined. The security guard was tempted.
However, since there were people watching, he pretended to refuse. “It’s true, we’re all neighbors, and it’s my duty to help. But I can’t accept this from you.”
Lin Ran smiled and placed the bags on the stool the security guard was sitting on. “Uncle, don’t be a stranger. Those are some local specialties I brought from home. If you don’t accept them, you’re looking down on me.”
“Alright, then. I can’t turn down your kindness. I’ll accept them. The truck is very big, so I’ll help you keep an eye out to make sure it doesn’t scratch any other cars.”
Security guard Wang Zhichao’s hard-line attitude from before disappeared. He put the two packs of cigarettes in his cabinet and locked it, then smiled and helped to watch over the truck. There was no more talk about not letting it in.
“Back up. Yes, that’s right… a little more…” Wang Zhichao, now with a vested interest, was very enthusiastic, directing the driver to back up the truck toward Lin Ran’s building.
Lin Ran sneered and shook her head. Was this what they meant by money making the world go ’round?
The truck was soon parked, and Wang Zhichao came over to chat with Lin Ran, still smiling. “Miss Lin, I have to go back to my post. If you need anything, just call me.”
“Okay, thank you,” Lin Ran replied politely. She then handed the remaining two packs of cigarettes to the moving workers. “Everyone, you’ve worked hard. Please share these. And could you help me move everything into the bedroom?”
The six movers earned commissions, so they were happy to get the extra cigarettes, and their attitude improved significantly.
Soon, the six movers followed Lin Ran’s instructions, putting the food and other items in the guest bedroom and stacking all the bottled water in the study. The apartment was still being renovated, but the two teams weren’t in conflict; the movers were moving, and the other workers were tearing up the floor.
Lin Ran stayed downstairs, watching the workers move the supplies. During this time, many people came to see what was happening.
“Lin Ran, what’s all this about? You’ve bought so much stuff. Are you going to go broke next month?”
“Yeah, this is a lot. Can you and your dad even finish all this?”
“Oh, it’s fine. We’ll eat it slowly,” Lin Ran replied calmly. With the apocalypse getting closer, Lin Ran didn’t care about drawing attention to herself. Stockpiling supplies was the priority.
When Mo Shuyu got off work, she saw Lin Ran standing at the entrance of her apartment building, watching the workers unload a truck. Confused, she looked at Lin Ran. Their eyes met, but Lin Ran just nodded at her, quickly turning her attention back to the truck.
Mo Shuyu wondered, “Is Lin Ran really not interested in me anymore?” That was great. She had already blocked several of her suitors, including Lin Ran, and deleted their WeChat accounts. Today at the hospital, she received calls from those suitors using different numbers, so Mo Shuyu just changed her phone number. The world was now finally at peace.
She only looked at Lin Ran a few times before heading toward the building’s entrance. After all, what Lin Ran bought was none of her business. Things were perfect between them now; they were just neighbors who nodded when they saw each other, no need for any extra conversation.
When Mo Shuyu got home, a chubby little girl in pink rushed to the door and hugged Mo Shuyu’s leg. “Mommy, what took you so long to come home?”
“Mommy was at work. Was Ruanruan a good girl and listened to Grandma?” Mo Shuyu put down her bag and picked up the little girl.
The little girl was wearing a pink cat onesie and a hat with pink ears, looking just like a cuddly little kitten.
Seeing her mother holding her, Mo Ruanruan rubbed her little head against Mo Shuyu affectionately. “Mommy, Ruanruan was very good. Did you bring me any candy?”
Mo Shuyu reached out and poked the little girl’s forehead, laughing. “Didn’t I tell you? You can’t eat too much candy every day, or your little teeth will turn black.”
“Waa~” The little girl shrank into Mo Shuyu’s arms, a little scared. She still wanted candy but was worried about her teeth turning black. This really worried the little pink dumpling.
Seeing how cute the little girl was, Mo Shuyu’s mood brightened. She took a strawberry candy out of her bag, unwrapped it, and gave it to Mo Ruanruan. “You can only have one a day, otherwise your little teeth won’t be able to handle it.”
“Yay! Thank you, Mommy!” The little girl immediately grabbed the strawberry candy with her chubby hands and put it in her mouth, her eyes squinting with joy.
Looking at the adorable little girl in her arms, Mo Shuyu’s mood improved. The little girl wasn’t her biological child; she was the daughter of her sister and her sister’s wife. Two and a half years ago, a car accident took her sister and her wife’s lives, leaving the baby all alone.
Mo Shuyu was afraid Ruanruan would be sad growing up without a mother or a mommy, so she took custody of the little girl, raising her as her own daughter.
Mo Ruanruan was only three years old, and Mo Shuyu didn’t plan on telling her anything at this age. She figured it would be better to tell her when she was older.
“Mom, I’m home,” Mo Shuyu called out. A woman nearing fifty came out from inside.
“Come to Grandma, Ruanruan. Let your mom change her shoes and clothes. Dinner will be ready soon.”
“Yay!” The little girl reached out for Cheng Yanhong, obediently letting Mo Shuyu go to change.