“There are surveillance cameras inside and outside the warehouse. If our cooperation goes smoothly this time, I’ll pay an extra 100 yuan.”
Wang Danian had never met such a generous buyer. To a man from a farming background, 100 yuan felt like a gift from the heavens. He immediately warned his two shop assistants:
“You two remember this: no matter who is making the delivery, make sure to close the door afterward. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, sir, we’ve got it.”
The vendors from the neighboring stalls watched this big business deal with envy and swarmed toward Shen Ruoran to recommend themselves.
“Little girl, my vegetables are all home-grown. No pesticides, very healthy! And with my large supply, I can definitely meet your needs.”
“Boss, look at us! We offer free home delivery. Please consider us; our price-to-performance ratio is unbeatable.”
“Ours too! Absolute best value!”
Shen Ruoran’s demand for vegetables was naturally high. She picked a few more stalls with large scales and plenty of staff, then handed them the warehouse address.
“Every day before 7:30 AM, your shop will deliver a hundred pounds each of broccoli, celery, potatoes, taro, cucumbers, pumpkins, shiitake mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and dried tribute vegetables. This will continue for a week. I’ll give you a 3,000-yuan deposit as well.”
“And for your shop, I’ll also give a 3,000-yuan deposit. I want a hundred pounds each of loofah, tomatoes, zucchini, lettuce, romaine, cauliflower, celtuce, asparagus, water spinach, bean sprouts, onions, water bamboo, okra, long peppers, bell peppers, and chili peppers.”
“As for your shop, I want…”
After finishing her orders there, Shen Ruoran went to the fruit market next door. She took out several slips of paper and selected a few suitable fruit shops.
In total, she wholesaled a hundred pounds each of watermelons, apples, tangerines, oranges, pears, grapes, bananas, dragon fruit, kiwis, jackfruit, durians, and more.
Having secured the supply of vegetables and fruits for the apocalypse, Shen Ruoran intentionally mentioned to the vendors that she wanted to raise chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, and pigs.
Most of these vendors were from rural areas. Their villages were not short of farmers raising poultry. Buying from an entire village was the most efficient approach.
Upon hearing this, one vendor immediately knew that a huge business opportunity was coming to his hometown, Shanhu Village.
Shanhu Village was a well-known breeding village in the area with many young, able-bodied workers; almost every household raised some livestock. Furthermore, there were two major households with hundred-acre farms that handled the meat supply for school cafeterias.
The vendor enthusiastically recommended his hometown to Shen Ruoran, taking out his phone to show her Baidu search results. “Why don’t I take you there today? Since you’ve already bought most of what I have to sell, we can leave right now.”
“Alright.”
The winding mountain roads were rugged, and the small stones on the ground made the large truck shake as it drove.
As soon as they reached the village entrance, the vendor couldn’t contain his joy. His voice boomed like a megaphone. “Folks! Bring out your chickens, ducks, geese, cattle, sheep, and pigs! A big business deal is here!”
Shen Ruoran gazed at the peaceful fields outside the window, enjoying the tranquility before her. A moment later, a shadow of gloom fell over her eyes, replaced by a touch of regret.
In a short while, such a pleasant scene would likely never be seen again.
Shen Ruoran looked at the happy vendor and paused, a flash of conflict crossing her face. She wondered if she should give him a warning.
Although she had once been called the “Doomsday Deviless,” she occasionally showed kindness to harmless ordinary people. She had bought so much fruit from him and was now about to buy most of the village’s livestock…
The villagers of Shanhu Village lined up to welcome Shen Ruoran, especially the two major breeders. With school vacations approaching, they were worried about having nowhere to sell their accumulated livestock.
Just then, their savior, the vendor Xiao Shi, arrived with Shen Ruoran.
The volume Shen Ruoran required was massive. Not only did it solve the major breeders’ urgent problem, but even the small-scale farmers who raised livestock could get a share of the profits.
The entire village was filled with a festive atmosphere, as if it were the Lunar New Year.
The village chief directed people to load the animals onto the trucks. In the end, chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, and pigs filled five large trucks each. Since there were fewer geese, they only occupied half of a truck’s space; the remaining gap was filled with extra chickens and ducks.
Six large trucks stood ready.
Affected by the warm and simple enthusiasm of the villagers, Shen Ruoran said half-joking and half-seriously:
“Village Chief, I’ve bought most of the living stock in your village this time. You’ll have to rest and recover for at least half a year. You might as well use the money I gave you to buy other supplies to stockpile. You might need them in the future.”
Shen Ruoran spoke very euphemistically. A normal person hearing this would never associate it with the coming apocalypse, ensuring she could still spend these few days in peace.
As for whether the villagers would listen and act on her words, that was their business.
The village chief of Shanhu Village showed no change in expression, but he was carefully pondering those words. He was an ambitious man who tried to seize every opportunity to climb the ladder while never missing a chance to learn from those more successful than himself.
The village chief felt that if a “wealthy person” like Shen Ruoran had specifically come to their small mountain village to purchase in bulk, she must have a business secret.
Naturally, he couldn’t guess that disasters would soon follow one after another. Instead, the village chief believed it was highly likely that Shen Ruoran had received insider information that meat prices were about to soar, carrying other supplies along with them.
The village chief gave the village clerk a look. They had to seize such a money-making opportunity. When the end-of-year evaluations for excellence came around, this could even be counted as an “official achievement.”
Before prices could rise, Shanhu Village inadvertently bought a large number of animal hatchlings and cubs.
Shen Ruoran saw off the fleet of trucks from Shanhu Village. As soon as she turned around, she collected all the animals into the second area of her space.
The time-stasis function caused the animals to stop all activity. They didn’t need food or waste disposal, indefinitely suspending their lifespans.
Shen Ruoran hadn’t expected to successfully buy so much livestock today. She immediately called to order 300 truckloads of animal feed and stored them in her space. In the future, she could take the animals and the feed out for breeding and reproduction.
During the seven days spent collecting vegetables and fruits, Shen Ruoran—who understood the principle of sustainable development—went to the wholesale market to purchase various seeds, large quantities of hardware materials, bedding, daily necessities, kitchenware, and snacks.
As long as it was a commercially available item with a clear price, Shen Ruoran stockpiled it in her space regardless of whether she currently needed it.
She even acquired a private hospital that was facing bankruptcy. Through their supply channels, she purchased tens of millions of yuan worth of medicines and equipment.
“Hello, is this Ms. Shen Ruoran? Your expedited passport application has been approved. Please come and collect it before 5:00 PM.”
Under a tree where willow catkins drifted in the air, Shen Ruoran hung up the phone. She booked a flight for 10:00 AM the next morning and rode a roadside electric scooter to pick up her passport.
There were very few people waiting in the hall. Shen Ruoran successfully obtained her passport. Looking up, she saw a hesitant expression on the staff member’s face. “Is something wrong? Do you have something to tell me?”
The staff member hesitated for a moment but finally decided to say one more thing: