Chapter 58 – Exchanging Gifts

“It’s probably the neighbors. Mom, tidy things up a bit. I’ll go check…”

“Alright.”

Qin Yue moved quickly, immediately taking the plate of green vegetables into the kitchen.

She couldn’t let anyone else see that—otherwise, they’d definitely feel bad about it.

When Jiang Yuan opened the door, Song Yi appeared dressed in all-black athletic wear. Standing beside him was the ever-imposing Little Dot.

“What’s up?”

“Zhang Kaiyang and Ye Mianmian are here.”

As Song Yi spoke, he gestured toward the stairwell door.

Jiang Yuan didn’t know what was going on, but she still opened the door.

She was wearing three layers of quilted sleepwear, thick cotton slippers, and had her hair casually tied up in a messy bun.

She looked very homey—a stark contrast to Song Yi, who stood beside her looking neat and composed.

Click…

The door opened, revealing the smiling faces of Zhang Kaiyang and Ye Mianmian, though they were still behind a security door.

The upper half of that door was a metal grate, so everyone could see each other.

“Brother Song, Sister Yuan—we brought something for you!”

Zhang Kaiyang said excitedly, shaking the bag in his hand.

Song Yi opened the door and let them in.

“Look what we’ve got…”

Zhang Kaiyang was visibly thrilled as he opened the plastic bag—inside was a whole ham.

They’d found these before too, but usually they were prepackaged and only about two catties (about 1 kg).

This one was clearly from a different batch.

“Brother Song, Sister Yuan—my grandma made this smoked ham herself. We wanted you to try it.”

It still had a lot of meat on it—estimating by weight, it was probably seven or eight catties (~4 kg).

“And these drinks—I brought them. You probably already have some, but it’s the thought that counts!”

So it turned out—they had come to say thank you.

“You didn’t have to do this. These things are precious now. Hurry, put them away—don’t let anyone see.”

They had plenty of food at home, so Jiang Yuan wasn’t short on such things.

“Don’t be shy, Sister Yuan. We kept some for ourselves, too. My grandma is really good at making it—you should try some!”

Jiang Yuan hesitated slightly and looked at Song Yi, unsure what to do. He gave a slight nod.

“Alright then, thank you.”

“Oh, and Sister Yuan—this is especially for you. See if you can use it.”

Ye Mianmian handed over a bag, stuffed full of cosmetics.

“So many?!”

“Yeah, I had tons at home—way more than I could ever use. If you don’t mind, pick out what you like. If it’s not enough, I’ve got more at home.”

She did have a lot. Jiang Yuan had seen it yesterday during their move.

“Thanks, Mianmian! Perfect timing—I have something for you too.”

As she spoke, Jiang Yuan went over to the doorway and brought over some clothes.

She picked out a pink fur coat—fully lined with fur, very much like something you’d see on a runway.

Then she grabbed a military green parka with soft, cozy lining.

“Mianmian, these two are for you. These two darker-colored ones are for your grandma.”

She then pulled out a light brown and a black coat and handed them over.

“Whoa, Sister Yuan—you really bought this many fur coats? Weren’t they expensive?”

“Not really. I used to run a little business with a friend. We stopped later, and this is what I got as my share.

It’s been sitting at home unused. I figured since it’s cold, we might as well divide them up and wear some. The rest I’ll sell—maybe I can make some money off it.

Oh right—these quilted pajamas are great too. Super warm! Come pick out a couple sets.”

As Jiang Yuan spoke, she pulled out some three-layer padded pajamas, and Ye Mianmian joined her.

In the western city, even in winter, they’d typically just wear fleece-lined leggings during the New Year. They’d never experienced this kind of bitter cold before.

Ordinary homes didn’t usually have these kinds of pajamas. You’d only see them back in the countryside—warm enough to wear outside, even warmer than cotton jackets.

Zhang Kaiyang couldn’t help himself—he shuffled over, grumbling.

“Sister Yuan, do you have anything for me? I’m freezing too…”

“Uh… they’re all women’s styles. But if you don’t mind…”

“I don’t mind!”

Without another word, Zhang Kaiyang grabbed a black fur coat and slipped it on.

He was quite slim, so it didn’t look weird on him at all.

“Heh! It fits perfectly. I’ll take a pajama set too!”

He joined Ye Mianmian in picking out sleepwear.

“I saw that one first!”

Ye Mianmian snatched the light blue pajama set out of his hands—that was the one he had picked for his grandma.

“Then you take it. I’ll go with the purple one.”

These young people really didn’t hold back—but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. At least they were adaptable.

“Hey, Song Yi—you should pick out a set too. It’s freezing, and who knows…”

“Okay.”

Jiang Yuan had expected a guy like him to refuse, and was ready to convince him. Turns out she was the clown for overthinking it.

“Sister Yuan, thank you! These are really warm!”

Zhang Kaiyang tugged at the giant bunny ears on the hood of his sleepwear, looking like a tall, skinny StellaLou plushie. It was strangely fitting.

Ah, the youth of today—what can you even say?

“They just left earlier. Besides the kayak, it looked like they had two big tubs with them.”

At the mention of this, everyone grew serious.

“How many people?”

“About ten…”

Zhang Kaiyang began describing the situation.

“Yesterday, they knocked on the doors in the other building, saying all the men had to join the scavenging team. Anyone who didn’t… had to pay money.

In exchange, they’d get a share of the supplies later.”

“Oh?”

Jiang Yuan frowned. That sounded okay on the surface. But would those who didn’t go really get anything?

Even if they did—would it be a fair share?

And even if it wasn’t fair—who would know? Who would say anything?

Too many questions.

“Sun Yian is the one leading it. He claims he was elected as the building’s representative and says everyone has to follow his orders.

They didn’t knock on our building’s doors—probably don’t know we moved in.”

After all, the last people who lived there—their bodies were still soaking in the water downstairs.

“They didn’t come to our door either. I guess they’ve already ruled us out.”

Song Yi nodded. Even if they had knocked, they wouldn’t have opened the door anyway.

“I wonder if they’ll make it back. The wind is so strong today—I don’t even dare open a window.

Yesterday, a building nearby had all its glass windows shattered. You heard that loud crash, right? That was it!”

No wonder she’d heard that explosion-like sound!

“Everyone just be careful. With this wind, best to stay home and keep safe. Don’t go out unless you have to.”

“Yeah, but Sister Yuan—if you want to sell those clothes, who are you planning to sell to?”

“Just people in our building. No one else can get in or out.”

At this, Jiang Yuan looked a little worried again—she really needed money.