Chapter 84: Arriving at the Service Area

Song Yi was essentially the core of their group—what he said usually became the final decision.

Jiang Yuan pulled Ye Mianmian along to look for something they could cook. There was a tough night ahead, and they needed to replenish their energy.

But being out here, even the most resourceful woman couldn’t cook without rice.
Given the limited resources, instant noodles were the most practical option.

She tossed in some dried vegetables they had collected earlier—whatever they were, just to add some flavor.

Jiang Yuan also brought out some beef jerky from before. Song Yi contributed some he’d found at Ye Mianmian’s place.

Beef jerky, high in protein, was great for staving off hunger. Everyone ate it alongside the noodles.

Zhang Kaiyang pulled out a bunch of spicy snacks too—those were always crowd-pleasers.

After dinner, it was completely dark.

It had been a long and busy day. The group decided to rest for a bit.

“No big deal, I’m just going to walk around a bit.”

“Mianmian, don’t go wandering around—it’s already dark. There’s nothing else to see.”

Ye Mianmian meant well. She was worried about her safety.

“It’s fine. I just want to check if there’s a yogurt maker. My little girl keeps asking for yogurt.
Even if we don’t have all the ingredients, if I can find the equipment, I can figure something out.”

She laughed it off and turned to leave. But Song Yi stood up too.

“I’ll go with you.”

“No need—I’m just checking around this floor. It’s not a big deal.”

Song Yi crossed his arms, clearly not planning to back down.

Ugh, annoying man.

“Well, thank you then…”

The two of them started walking around the electronics store. Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but wonder if he’d noticed something. Her heart was uneasy.

“I’ll search over here, and you take that side. We’ll finish faster.”

“Okay!”

Finally, they could split up—thank goodness.

Still, she couldn’t go all out. Most of the items here weren’t things she needed.
Right now, her goal wasn’t collecting everything—just optimizing her storage space.

She needed a fridge and a washing machine, but not too many. Just enough.

The space she had maintained spring-like temperatures year-round, so air conditioners weren’t necessary.

And high-end places like this didn’t even carry basic items like electric fans.

As she walked, she spotted some gift items: rice cookers, air fryers, kitchenware sets, and—yes—yogurt makers! She really found one. Score!

“Song Yi, I found it. No need to keep looking.”

She called out, and he started walking toward her.

Jiang Yuan, ever sharp-eyed, noticed some tea leaves and disposable cups under the counter.

“They probably forgot about these. Let’s take them too.”

“Alright,” Song Yi said as he picked them up and walked off.

Seizing the moment, she swept the rest of the small items into her storage space.

She now had 2,000 square meters of it—plenty of room.

While he wasn’t watching, she snuck into a nearby shop and grabbed several four-door refrigerators.

All name-brand, top-tier quality—like walking piles of money.

There were also a few freezers near the entrance. She didn’t let those go either.

“You really found a yogurt maker, huh? Nice.”

“They probably meant to keep it as a gift. Lucky for me.”

Zhang Kaiyang, lying nearby, started grumbling, “Told you we should’ve brought the camping tents. It’s such a hassle now.”

Mentioning convenience, Ye Mianmian looked embarrassed.

She shyly walked up to Jiang Yuan and whispered something in her ear.

Jiang Yuan looked at her and sighed. Young girls, always so bashful—even now?

“What are you two whispering about?”

Hearing that, Ye Mianmian blushed instantly.

The two men weren’t stupid. They could read the room.

“Why do you need to know everything? Mind your own business. Come on, Mianmian—let’s head upstairs.”

With Jiang Yuan backing her up, Ye Mianmian felt much better. The two of them headed to the floor above.

The others didn’t follow.

“You go ahead. I’ll wait here.”

“Okay…”

Ye Mianmian blushed as Jiang Yuan handed her some tissues.

“Thanks…”

Earlier, while organizing, Jiang Yuan had noticed the restroom on this floor. She let Mianmian go alone.

And Jiang Yuan? She wasn’t wasting this opportunity.

She didn’t dare turn on any lights. Heading straight for the high-end brands, she began hoarding like crazy.

When Ye Mianmian came out and didn’t see her, she called out.

Jiang Yuan responded quickly.

“Over here…”

“Yuan-jie, aren’t you going?”

“Nope. If you’re done, let’s head down. It’s pitch-black up here.”

“Okay…”

She agreed. It really was too dark—time to go back.

After resting for about an hour, Song Yi gathered everyone to get moving again.

Their goal was to reach the highway service area first.

Transporting goods with inflatable boats took a lot of time, and once things were loaded, they had to be covered with tarps.

Otherwise, if anything got soaked, it would be a huge hassle.

The lead boat had a motor; the one behind was manual.

Song Yi was steering up front. Jiang Yuan held a map and binoculars, providing navigation.

The rear boat was doing fine, with Ye Mianmian and Zhang Kaiyang handling it.

The evening wind had picked up again, though it was still milder than before.

Bumpy as the journey was, it went smoothly overall.

By the time they reached the service area, it was already 9:30 PM.

Built against a hill, the terrain was high. The ground above was actually exposed, above the water level.

Their boats could only get to the highway entrance. From there, it was about 300 meters to the service area.

“I’ll go up and scout. Once it’s clear, you guys can come in.”

Song Yi looked for a place to dock.

But two inflatable boats appearing out of nowhere would be way too conspicuous—they had to be hidden.

“No. You guys head out first. This place is huge—we’ll be fine.
Once you get back, meet us in the service area.”

“Yeah, Brother Song, you better hurry. It won’t be early by the time you get back to the community—you’ll still need to make another trip. We’ll be okay.”

Ye Mianmian was thrilled. Jiang Yuan had chosen to bring her along—it made her feel like she wasn’t useless.

Like she belonged in this team. That was enough.

Song Yi looked like he wanted to say something more, but Jiang Yuan didn’t give him the chance—she jumped off the boat directly.

The water level here barely reached their knees. They were all wearing high waterproof boots—like the kind used for rice planting.

Once they reached dry land, they could take them off and stay clean.

Seeing her jump, Ye Mianmian quickly followed.

It was pitch dark. Not a single light.

Jiang Yuan took out a flashlight and led the way.

“Brother Song, so what do we do now?”

Watching the two women disappear into the dark, Song Yi gritted his teeth and said to Zhang Kaiyang:
“Let’s head back—to the community.”