“Hey, little sis, don’t go! Come back! Business is all about negotiation. Why are you getting up and leaving? Just tell me how much you want to pay!” The woman selling shoes quickly reached out and grabbed Ji He when she saw her getting up.

Ji He smoothly squatted back down.

“How about 100?”

The shoe seller rolled her eyes. “Sis, are you messing with me? That’s too much of a price cut. 100 bucks can barely buy half a pound of rice now.”

“Big sis, just give me a fair price. If it’s reasonable, I’ll buy it. If not, I’ll pass.”

The woman thought for a moment. “Alright, I won’t fool you. 300 yuan, and the shoes are yours. How about it?”

Ji He frowned. That would wipe out all her money.

“300, and I take three pairs. Deal or no deal, your choice.”

The woman hesitated. This was a huge loss for her.

But shoes and clothes weren’t selling well now. There were over ten other shoe sellers nearby. If she hesitated, Ji He might just buy from someone else.

Still, the price was really low…

“Sis, I really can’t do that. 300 is just too little. Can you add a bit more?”

“Then I’ll throw in a pack of pickled vegetables. 80 grams.”

“Alright… fine.” The shoe seller gritted her teeth and agreed. This price would’ve been laughable before the extreme heat. People would have thought it was a joke!

Who knew that pickled vegetables would become valuable now?

Ji He squatted down, pulled out 300 yuan and a pack of pickled vegetables from her pocket, and handed them over.

“I’ll pick three pairs, then.”

“Sure, sis, take your time. Just let me know when you’re done.”

The woman took the pickled vegetables, stuffed them into her pocket, and went to greet other customers.

Ji He nodded, picked three pairs of dark-colored shoes, and packed them into her backpack. Then, she stood up and continued browsing the free market.

The market was crowded.

The air was stuffy and stagnant.

Ji He could smell the sour stench coming from people’s bodies.

With the extreme heat and only two hours of water supply each day, even wiping oneself down was a luxury. Bathing was out of the question. It was no surprise that people started to smell.

Ji He kept a neutral expression. She could tolerate it, but that didn’t mean she wanted to.

She quickly finished buying what she needed and retraced her steps, leaving the market.

This time, she bought several winnowing baskets, bamboo baskets, disposable meal boxes, food-grade plastic bags, and a portable stove.

Once her vegetables matured in the space, if she couldn’t finish them in time, she could dry them using the baskets. That way, she’d have preserved vegetables as backup in case she ever needed them in reality.

Right now, food was the most expensive thing. The baskets together only cost her three taels of rice.

Disposable meal boxes were even simpler. With water so scarce, washing dishes every day was a waste. Using disposable containers saved both water and the hassle of dishwashing.

The line outside the supermarket was still long.

It was even longer than when Ji He first arrived.

If it weren’t for the extreme daytime heat, she figured some people would’ve brought tents.

After all, the government-run supermarket was the only place to buy food now.

Online orders were pointless—factories weren’t shipping anything, and logistics had basically shut down.

The small neighborhood stores had all closed down. If people didn’t come here to line up, what else could they do? Starve?

Ji He carried the baskets and walked home slowly.

Not long ago, the authorities had cracked down on a crime gang, so the street near the supermarket still had some working streetlights, and the security was relatively decent.

Of course, it was also possible that no one thought of stealing baskets.

Ji He stepped into a dark area, found a secluded spot, and stood there for a few minutes. After confirming no one was following her, she quickly stored the baskets into her space.

Then, she pulled out her tricycle and headed to pick up fish feed.

The warehouse of the feed seller wasn’t too far away.

With a few trips back and forth over half an hour, she managed to transport all the fish feed and wheat bran.

The seller cheerfully saw her off, telling her to come back if she needed more.

Ji He nodded.

She probably wouldn’t be coming back. After finishing this batch of feed, she planned to figure out how to make her own fish feed.

She rode her tricycle until she was two blocks away from home, then stored it away.

Walking the rest of the way would draw less attention.

She shined her flashlight as she walked to avoid stepping on anything dangerous. With no one working lately, the streets were littered with garbage, reeking terribly.

Seeing some discarded plastic crates that were originally used for fruits, Ji He picked up a few that looked clean. She tied them together with rope and planned to take them home—maybe she could use them to grow something.