Chapter 17: The Neighborhood Flea Market

“What do you want? I’ve got no grudge with you—don’t try to bully me.”

That woman was just a paper tiger; she didn’t actually plan to hit anyone.
She just didn’t want to lose face in front of so many onlookers.

“I should be asking you! Which building are you from? Why are you causing trouble here?
The weather’s so hot, and there are viruses spreading everywhere. Didn’t they say not to go out unless necessary?
Are you carrying a virus and came here on purpose?”

As soon as she said that, the people around her all took a few steps back.

“No, no, ma’am, don’t misunderstand…”

“Pah! Who’s your ‘ma’am’? Drop the fox-spirit act and start talking!”

Dealing with unreasonable people like this was pointless—reasoning didn’t work. Jiang Yuan just enjoyed watching the drama.

“Really, no… uh, miss, I’m from Building 9. I just came to look for someone.”

Jiang Yuan kept a composed expression and casually raised her hands:
“Don’t look at me. I didn’t invite her here. You all carry on—I won’t get in the way…”

As she said that, she pulled out a can of insecticide from behind her, gave a few sprays, then turned around and closed the door—clean and efficient.

Bai Mengmeng was interrogated for a while longer before that woman, cursing under her breath, finally let her go.

Jiang Yuan had watched it all through the security camera. Serves her right—it was totally self-inflicted.

Still, the day hadn’t been completely fruitless: she now knew Bai Mengmeng was indeed living in Building 9.

She’d need to keep an eye on that in the future.

---

Jiang Xingzhi and Qin Yue were worried about her, so when she returned, Jiang Yuan comforted the couple briefly before heading to the bedroom to check on her daughter.

The extreme heat was expected to last about 20 more days.

During this time, the government would still have emergency measures in place.
At the very least, supplies could still be bought.

But after the rainstorms would come a deadly cold—and that would be the real catastrophe.

What troubled Jiang Yuan the most was that she hadn’t survived long in the extreme cold in her past life.
She had no idea what would come after.

---

At 9 PM, surprisingly, the electricity in the neighborhood came back on.

The weather was still scorching hot, and the transformer was unstable.
According to the news, it had been modified to handle up to 80°C,
but the high-voltage wires themselves were hotter than the surrounding air.

The system was still in a testing phase.
Building management repeatedly reminded everyone not to turn on their air conditioners or the power would trip.

Jiang Yuan found it laughable—human nature was the hardest thing to judge.
Wasn’t everyone ultimately just looking out for themselves?

Sure enough, within 10 minutes of the power coming back, it tripped.

Many households had appliances burned out.
The community chat group was full of complaints and frustration.

Jiang Yuan’s household fared better. They hadn’t plugged in much.
They had just two small fans running. During the day, everyone sat together reading or watching shows on a tablet.

At night, like usual, it was time to go out.

She and her dad went out to buy supplies; her mom stayed home to watch the child.

With the experience from yesterday, Jiang Yuan carried a knife for protection, and her dad brought a small hammer.

As soon as they stepped outside, a wave of heat hit them.

They were wrapped up tightly for sun protection, making it even hotter.

“Jiang Yuan, Uncle—heading out?”

Song Yi was also fully geared up, with only his eyes showing.

“Yeah, we’re going to get some supplies. You?”

“Me too. Let’s go together.”

Jiang Yuan thought for a moment, then agreed.

Going together meant more safety, and this guy had high combat skills.
Even though society hadn’t totally collapsed yet, it was better to be prepared.

She couldn’t completely trust him, but he was still more reliable than most people.

---

“Let’s take my car.”

In the underground garage, Song Yi invited them into his vehicle.
Jiang Yuan took one look—it looked like a sturdy off-road vehicle.

Seeing her hesitate, he quickly added, “My car’s AC is great—we’ll be more comfortable.”

“Well, thanks then.”

In this heat, every bit of comfort helped.
She didn’t want to take advantage of him, but some relief was worth it.

---

As the car exited the garage, Jiang Yuan noticed a crowd near the main gate.

Jiang Xingzhi also looked and commented with surprise,
“Sweetheart, are those people setting up stalls?”

“Looks like it… but kind of odd.”

Still focused on driving, Song Yi explained calmly,
“They’re residents of the neighborhood. It’s a self-organized market.
People trade supplies—food, water, stuff like that. If you’re interested, we can take a look.”

In a post-apocalyptic world, this was like a ray of light—a small but colorful scene of life.
Maybe she really could find something useful.

Jiang Yuan was intrigued.

---

At the supermarket, the place was still packed.
They were in the fifth wave of people allowed in.

Prices had skyrocketed.
Yesterday, 20 yuan could get you 5kg of rice.
Today, it only got you 2kg.

A yuan-per-kilo of rice—what kind of inflation was this?

Jiang Yuan didn’t hesitate to skip rice and flour.
Instead, she noticed there were still some instant noodles on the shelves.

Probably because no one knew when this disaster would end, basic staples like grains and noodles were in high demand.
Instant noodles, being less filling and more expensive, were lower priority.

She bought three packs at 30 yuan each.
With the rest, she got two jin (1kg) of potatoes and half a head of cabbage.

Yes—half a head. Not even a gram more than she paid for.

Jiang Xingzhi still bought more vegetables—those could never be too much.

Song Yi? He bought only dried noodles.
This guy really seemed like he was preparing for the apocalypse.

Jiang Yuan was now sure—if he wasn’t reborn like her, he definitely knew something.

They left around 10:30 PM. Thankfully, they hadn’t run into any trouble today.

---

At the gate, she stared at the electric baton the security guard carried.
That thing would be perfect for self-defense.

Song Yi noticed her gaze but said nothing.

In the apocalypse, no one was worth complete trust—especially not a neighbor you’d only seen a few times.

At the gate, Jiang Yuan asked her dad to head home first. She got out early.
She wanted to check out the flea market stalls—maybe she’d find something good.

They were right at the main entrance, along the roadside, with about 20 or so stalls.
Not formal stalls—just blankets laid out with various goods.

It was all bartering.
Food, water, medicine—whatever people had.

Jiang Yuan walked by slowly. Lots of browsing, little actual trading.

People would ask questions, but most things were just too pricey or not useful.

Then one girl caught her eye.

She wasn’t bundled up like everyone else.
Though she wore long sleeves and pants, her face was fully visible.