From the moment they picked up the supplies at the warehouse to returning home, everything went smoothly. Naturally, Lin Su had already finished setting up the warehouse inside. All that remained now was to wait for the “rabbit” to come.
But this rabbit proved to be surprisingly patient. For the next several days, everything remained calm and uneventful.
The previous recruitment for factory workers had gone smoothly, and workers gradually started reporting to work. Once the factories resumed production, some of the previously scarce supplies began to be manufactured, which helped curb the skyrocketing prices. Some merchants who had previously distrusted the purchasing power of money were now gradually willing to accept it again.
With people going to work, naturally, others came out to sell food, but the prices were outrageously high.
Because the outdoor temperature remained over sixty degrees, outdoor cultivation was out of the question. Indoor cultivation, in turn, was extremely costly under the current conditions.
As a result, only people with enormous wealth could afford to buy food.
Lin Su waited several days, and seeing no movement around the warehouse, she decided not to wait any longer. She quickly cleaned up the guest room on the first floor to use as a cultivation room. The two chickens she had previously bought for ten thousand yuan were also placed there.
Indoor cultivation relied on lighting, air conditioning, and humidifiers.
Lin Su didn’t plant anything particularly difficult, just water spinach and chives. Both of these plants could be harvested, watered, and regrow by the next day.
When Wen Shiyun came in, he saw the less-than-ten-square-meter room set up with four large shelving units. Each shelf held neatly arranged square wooden boxes, with a small section of green leafy vegetables already sprouting from each one.
The two old hens were free-range inside the room, wandering around pecking at scattered grains on the floor.
“Still no movement, huh?”
Wen Shiyun shook his head. “Seems like things have been quiet lately. Haven’t heard of anything being stolen.”
Nothing being stolen meant that the unknown person with a space hadn’t come out to continue their zero-cost shopping. That was a bit unusual. However, Wen Shiyun was also keeping an eye on Old Cheng, and so far there had been no abnormal activity.
Lin Su found it strange too. But with such a huge “fat target” of supplies in their warehouse, those people wouldn’t just let it go. Sooner or later, they’d show up. When that happens, they’d see what it meant to abide by the rules.
While the two of them were talking, they heard a guest arriving outside.
Lin Su went out and saw Lai Huaming.
“Hey, Lin Su, perfect timing! I heard your hens have started laying eggs, right?”
Lai Huaming said this with a slightly flattering expression on his face.
Lin Su didn’t have a bad impression of him, and besides, the two hens were just brought back as a showpiece. She nodded at his words. If the hens didn’t lay eggs, how could her family have eggs to eat?
“Then… could you sell me two?”
Hearing this, Lin Su frowned. Eggs weren’t easy to come by outside. The extreme heat had killed off many chickens on farms, and the remaining eggs were tightly reserved for hatching chicks.
Lai Huaming knew he was being bold, but for the sake of his daughter, he pressed on: “If eggs are inconvenient, could you take me to the person selling chickens? I’d like to raise two myself.”
His daughter was old enough for solid foods now. Although they had stockpiled some, eggs couldn’t be stored for too long, once eaten, they were gone. Earlier, when Lin Su had brought back two chickens from outside, he had thought about it. But since he had never raised chickens before, he was afraid of killing them. He figured he could always eat frozen chicken, and eggs should be purchasable.
But as time went on, eggs and chickens became harder and harder to get. That’s when Lai Huaming regretted not acting sooner.
Before the heatwave, Lai Huaming had been in international trade. Now that some factories had reopened, international trade was clearly impossible. After all, even contacting the outside world was impossible. No one knew what kind of disaster had come with that blood-red sky.
Listening to Lai Huaming’s sincere words, Lin Su finally nodded: “My hens lay eggs. I can sell you one a day. But you can’t tell anyone else in the neighborhood.”
The neighbors, just a few days ago, she had set up a little trap and brought back some supplies for them. They obviously weren’t satisfied and had been pestering her father again these past few days.
If the neighborhood found out she was selling Lai Huaming one egg a day, it would cause an uproar.
Once it was settled that she could provide one egg a day for his daughter, Lai Huaming relaxed. He then sat in the living room, chatting with Lin’s parents.
As a self-made small business owner, he had excellent conversational skills, making Lin’s parents laugh heartily.
Watching this, Lin Su felt even more positively about him. At least he wasn’t morally manipulative, he could enjoy her family’s generosity and also knew how to reciprocate in small ways.
However, this harmonious atmosphere was soon broken.
The person who arrived this time was none other than Zhou Mi, who had moved into Building 8 of the neighborhood before the heatwave but had never been seen since.
“It’s quite lively here.”
If she could choose, Lin Su wouldn’t have opened the door for Zhou Mi. But since Zhou Mi’s family had helped hers before, she had no choice but to let her in.
Lin Su was also curious to see why this woman, who had hidden in the villa all these days, was finally showing herself.
“Uncle Lin, Aunt Su.”
Zhou Mi warmly linked arms with Mother Lin and tried to charm Father Lin.
She was pretty, and when she spoke nicely, it was somewhat pleasant to watch, but Lin Su knew her motives were far from pure.
Sure enough, Zhou Mi immediately said, “Uncle Lin, I’ve eaten all the food I brought. I heard your family still has supplies in an outside warehouse. Can you give me some?”
As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at Lin Su. “I know Lin Su doesn’t really like me, but my father said our families are friendly. He helped you before, and now you’ll help me. Once transportation is restored, my dad will send a batch of food from Jingcheng to return the favor.”
“Hmph…” Lin Su snorted coldly, bluntly unconcerned. ‘Transportation restored,’ she thought. Maybe it would never be restored. If you wanted to move around outside, you’d better rely on your own two legs!
Before her father could speak, Lin Su was about to refuse. But then she thought of an even better idea.
Meanwhile, Father Lin, sitting nearby, gave his daughter a subtle look.
Lin Su understood, her dad meant she should help Zhou Mi.
The history between the Lin and Zhou families was rather dramatic. Simply put, many years ago, Father Lin and mother had come from the village with nothing. On the way, he helped Zhou’s father retrieve a stolen wallet, earning their gratitude. At that time, Zhou’s family provided Father Lin some assistance, giving him a chance to get ahead financially.
So, even though the two families’ fortunes weren’t all that different now, Father Lin still felt grateful to the Zhou family and had helped them out many times.
But such a favor couldn’t last indefinitely.
Lin Su spoke bluntly: “I’ll give you a batch of food.”
Hearing this, Zhou Mi’s smile turned triumphant. Lin Su, however, ignored her reaction and laid out the terms clearly:
“First, you handle the transport yourself. My family can’t help move your supplies. Second, after this, my family owes yours nothing. Don’t use this as an excuse to ask for anything later. Over all these years, my father has already given your family a lot of business concessions, more than enough to repay any favor.”
Lin Su’s directness, laying the families’ relationship bare, made Zhou Mi’s expression stiffen.
As an outsider, Lai Huaming found the whole wealthy-family drama quite entertaining.
Lin Su didn’t care. After stating her terms and seeing that her parents had no objection, she tilted her chin at Zhou Mi.
Zhou Mi stayed stiff for a long moment, then gritted her teeth and agreed, “Fine. I’ll pick the items. You take me to the warehouse.” She said it, but inside she worried about how her father would scold her for messing up the family’s relationship with the Lins.
Although she agreed, Lin Su still waited two days. It wasn’t until the third day, after 5 p.m., that she hurriedly notified Zhou Mi to prepare a vehicle. They would head to the warehouse right after sunset.
Besides Lai Huaming, no one in the villa community knew about this arrangement between the two families. Lai Huaming, for the sake of his daughter’s eggs, would keep his mouth shut.
The sun was almost fully set by nearly seven o’clock.
Lin Su and Wen Shiyun rode the electric bikes out together. On the road outside the community, they spotted a small truck. The truck had obviously been modified; even the tires looked very different from an ordinary truck. Zhou Mi was sitting in the truck with a man Lin Su didn’t recognize.
Lin Su didn’t waste any time. She signaled Wen Shiyun and led the way on their bikes, heading straight for the warehouse.
At the same time, about fifteen minutes away from the community, at the warehouse…
It truly felt like the perfect night for mischief: dark, windy, and eerie.
Under the dim moonlight, a shadowy figure moved like a scene straight out of a crime film, swiftly darting toward the warehouse’s main gate.
The warehouse complex wasn’t large, ten warehouses of varying sizes, all enclosed by a wall, forming a small storage area. At that moment, the main gate rattled loudly as the figure worked to get inside.
The figure didn’t bother picking the lock. Instead, it grabbed the bars of the warehouse door and climbed over.
Previously, someone had been on duty at the warehouse. But after the high-temperature outbreak, the guards had long gone home.
So the shadow easily climbed over the gate and landed inside. Following the instructions it had received earlier, the figure headed straight for Lin’s supermarket.
All of this was within Lin Su’s surveillance.
Riding her electric bike, Lin Su occasionally glanced at the screen of her smartwatch, which was connected to the warehouse cameras. When she saw the “rabbit” finally arrive, she couldn’t help but grin.
Now the “rabbit” had arrived, and that annoying Zhou Mi could be dealt with at the same time. Lin Su thought to herself how clever she was.
Wen Shiyun, riding beside her, also couldn’t help but smile.
Who would have expected Lin Su to plan it this way, waiting for the thief to show up tonight and arranging for Zhou Mi to appear at the same time.
At that moment, Zhou Mi would catch the thief red-handed in the warehouse, and the thief just happened to be using their space to collect supplies. The scene alone was enough to amuse Lin Su.
She couldn’t help but wonder how Zhou Mi would react when she saw all of this.
Even Wen Shiyun thought Lin Su’s plan was a bit mischievous. He had no idea how Zhou Mi and the thief would explode with anger once the truth came out.
The warehouse wasn’t far, and they arrived quickly. They opened the gate and drove in, everything proceeding quietly.
Zhou Mi had no idea about Lin Su’s plan. She simply didn’t want anyone to know she was here to collect supplies and hadn’t told anyone in the community.
Lin Su had deliberately exploited this weakness to set up the whole trap.
Keeping an eye on her watch and the surveillance screen while leading the way, Lin Su timed everything perfectly. Less than a minute after the thief entered the warehouse, she brought Zhou Mi over.
“All the supplies are in this warehouse. This is the last one we have. When you go in, take whatever you want. These are all the supplies my family has left,” Lin Su said.
Zhou Mi carried herself with a haughty air, dismissing Lin Su without a word. When Lin Su gently pushed open the warehouse door, Zhou Mi strode straight inside.
The lock had already been pried open by the thief, and Lin Su pretended to push the door open in a casual manner before following her in.
At that moment, Zhou Mi’s eyes widened at the sight of the warehouse packed full of supplies. Her smile hadn’t even faded before everything in front of her vanished from view.
“Ah…”