[edited]

After yesterday’s chaos, the military and political departments promptly adjusted their strategies and decided to deploy the army to maintain stability. 

Unlike the police, the military won’t hesitate to use firearms; their mission is to uphold national stability. 

Jiang Ning remembered that in her past life, the military was also deployed and used iron blooded tactics to execute a group of wrongdoers, stabilizing the situation. 

She observed through her binoculars and indeed saw soldiers in military green uniforms patrolling with live ammunition on motorboats. 

The occasional shooting sounded throughout the morning and the world felt much quieter. 

The gas stove submerged in water wouldn’t ignite. It took Lu Yu half a day to dismantle the portable gas stove, replace several parts, and finally repair it. 

Feeling a sense of accomplishment, he happily offered to repair it for Jiang Ning and 1801. 

The two invited Jiang Ning to dinner, thanking her for finding a place for them to stay. 

They had braised dried vegetables and stir fried shredded potatoes with LaoGanMa chili sauce. 

Jiang Ning brought the potatoes, which had already sprouted. She cut off the sprouts and boiled them in hot water. 

The dishes were simple, but Zheng Weili and Lu Yu were almost moved to tears. 

In these twenty days, it was the first time they had eaten fragrant and soft rice and washed with comfortable hot water. 

The feeling of having a full stomach was really good; they felt alive again. 

“Anning, if it weren’t for you, we might still be squeezing in the shelter,” Zheng Weili said, clinking glasses with plain water, her expression serious. “Today’s meal is a bit simple. When things return to normal, I’ll treat you to a feast at a five star hotel.” 

“Sure, if there’s a chance.” 

While eating, Lu Yu spoke up, “With the appearance of the military, things have stabilized outside quite a bit. I heard the government has allocated supplies to the department store, and citizens can purchase them according to their needs. Shall we go tomorrow?” 

“Yes, we should go early.” 

“By the way, many people dived underwater today to salvage supplies.” 

Lu Yu continued, “Near the largest supermarket, it’s packed with people, but it’s too deep. Ordinary people don’t have equipment. I heard several were swept away, and although some skilled divers managed to salvage some items, most of them were damaged. Still, they couldn’t bear to throw them away.” 

Zheng Weili sighed, “If it weren’t for Anning’s reminder, we’d be starving right now.” 

The department store opens at 8 o’clock, so they set their alarms for 6 o’clock. 

They tidied up a little and left the door at half past six. 

1801 stayed behind, the task of looking after the house will naturally fall on him. 

Even though it was only half past six and it was still dim outside, many people were already out. It took them an hour to reach the department store. 

Entering directly from the fourth floor, they found the place was damp and crowded, with heads bobbing everywhere. 

The department store was located on the sixth floor, but the line had already extended to the fourth floor. Some had been queuing since last night, hoping to secure an entry opportunity. 

There were soldiers patrolling with live ammunition on site. Under the influence of yesterday’s iron blooded measures, although there was a commotion, no one dared to act recklessly. 

The three quickly joined the queue. 

As time passed, more and more people flooded in. 

At 8 o’clock sharp, the doors opened. They allowed 50 people in each batch and only gave 5 minutes, promptly clearing the area at the designated time. 

The purchase restrictions were extremely strict, with only 2 kilograms of grain per person allowed, and payment was made with cash upon presenting identification cards. 

Three hours of waiting in line for five minutes of shopping. 

In such a large department store, not only did they have to be quick with their hands, but they also had to be swift on their feet. 

After discussing, they concluded that rice and flour were the most filling, and they should avoid miscellaneous grains. 

Rice is eaten in the south, and flour is difficult to store in damp weather, Jiang Ning chose rice, while Zheng Weili and Lu Yu each opted for 2 kilograms of both. 

100 yuan per kilogram! 

Don’t think it’s expensive; even if you have money, you can’t buy it. 

The quality of the rice is average, but having it is already good. In the future, it will only get more expensive, and later on when the paper money becomes invalid, it won’t be too rough to use it to wipe your butt. 
 

Fengcheng has a large population, and rice and flour will soon be snapped up. The government will release more later, but they will all be salvaged from the water and dried. 

Don’t mention it going bad and being bad for your health; even if you want it, you won’t be able to grab it. 

2000 yuan isn’t much, so Jiang Ning decided to spend it all. 

Zheng Weili was afraid the rubber boat might break, so she thought about buying another as a backup, but it was unexpectedly priced at 10,000 yuan. 

Similarly, LaoGanMa and dried vegetables have also increased several times in price. The cost and risk of coming out once are too high. The three managed to spend 2000 yuan on a few items, but there wasn’t much in their bags. 

There were more and more people lining up outside, and there wasn’t much rice and flour left in the department store. 

While going down the stairs, Jiang Ning inadvertently saw Yang Weicong and Su Mengyao also lining up. The two were holding hands intimately. While the girl from 1202 was behind them, she was thin and haggard and looking listless. 

Looking at her, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but think of her past life. 

Seeing Jiang Ning, Yang Weicong instinctively let go of Su Mengyao’s hand and smiled, intending to greet her. 

Jiang Ning turned her face away indifferently and pretending not to notice. 

After leaving the department store, they left by rubber boat. 

Since there was still time, Lu Yu reminded, “Zhang Chao’s place is quite close. Shall we go, and see?” 

They had contact on the second day of the typhoon, but there had been no news since then. 

Jiang Ning thought about it and agreed. 

Apart from being blind to women, Zhang Chao didn’t have many faults as a friend. 

In her past life, she had received help from Zheng Weili, and she had only had two friends, Lu Yu and Zhang Chao, from childhood to adulthood. If conditions permitted, she would still extend a helping hand. 

It took an hour to get to the neighborhood where Zhang Chao lived, and they found the 8th floor based on memory. 

After knocking for a long time, a woman’s voice came from inside, “Who is it?” 

“Looking for Zhang Chao.” 

“There’s no one here by that name; you’ve got the wrong place.” 

When Zhang Chao moved, the three of them had helped out, so it was impossible to have the wrong address. 

The woman’s voice sounded not young; she should be a middle aged woman. 

“Mom, who is it?” a boy’s voice came from inside the house. 

“A stranger, they got the wrong door,” the woman replied. 

Jiang Ning frowned, feeling like something was wrong. 

But no matter how they knocked on the door, the people inside just ignored them, even causing a commotion next door. 

Seeing an elderly woman opening the door, Jiang Ning quickly went over and asked, “Grandma, is Zhang Chao living next door?” 

The old lady looked complicated and shook her head at the three of them, unwilling to say anything. 

Lu Yu had a bad feeling and took out three or two kilograms of rice from his bag. 

After hesitating for a while, the old lady finally let them in. “Are you looking for that polite and funny young man?” 

Lu Yu nodded quickly. 

“He’s a good lad, but a bit clueless. He lured a wolf into the house and got kicked out,” the old lady said, shaking her head. “When the typhoon first hit, that woman came with her parents and two children, and it was the young man who took the risk to pick them up. At the time, I thought the two were siblings, but he was kicked out after only a few days.” 

Lu Yu, “…” 

Jiang Ning, “…” 

Zheng Weili, clenching her fists, “…” 

“He knocked on the door several times, but the woman refused to open it. Later, when he had no other choice, he stayed in the corridor until he was rescued on the day of the evacuation.” 

The shelter was divided into areas, and the trapped residents of the neighborhood were taken to the Fengcheng Hotel for shelter. 

Lu Yu couldn’t imagine how Zhang Chao had survived these past ten days. 

How could there be… such a despicable woman! 

“What should we do now?” He was so angry that his liver hurt.