Chapter 31: Preparing Supplies 3

The two of them navigated Nan City’s streets and alleys, determined to make their trip worthwhile. After some inquiries, they arrived at a fabric factory. Bi Qiao’an selected hundreds of bolts of fabric to her liking and arranged for the factory to deliver them to one of Shen Yanming’s warehouses.

As they left the fabric factory, Shen Yanming asked, “Why not buy ready-made clothes instead of so much fabric?”

Bi Qiao’an chuckled, “Honestly, I don’t really know. I remember reading novels where the protagonists, before a time-travel or apocalyptic event, always stockpiled fabric along with clothes. We have plenty of money, so I figured, why not? It might come in handy.”

Shen Yanming shook his head with a smile and let the matter drop, allowing Qiao’an to do as she pleased. “Anything else you want to buy?”

“We’ve gathered most of what we need. We’re just missing fresh produce and meat. We can grow our own vegetables, but stocking up on meat and eggs would be smart. Oh! And we should slowly start collecting fruit trees that we don’t have in the space. I think that covers it. Oh wait—southern province mushrooms are famous! We should buy some mushroom bags. They’d be good for growing our own or giving as gifts.”

Seeing her enthusiasm, Shen Yanming decided to call Zeng Yiming, a former business partner, about the mushroom bags. Zeng Yiming proved to be a loyal friend, arriving quickly to take them directly to a supplier.

Shen Yanming bought several thousand mushroom bags, mostly common edible varieties, and arranged for delivery to the warehouse. Feeling grateful, he invited Zeng Yiming to a meal and then asked for his help in finding local orchards.

Zeng Yiming, an expert on Nan City, was a wealth of knowledge. When he heard Shen Yanming’s interest in fruit trees, he offered to take them to an orchard.

Two hours later, in a suburban orchard, Shen Yanming successfully negotiated the purchase of two loquat trees, three lychee trees, one waxberry tree, two mango trees, two banana trees, one durian tree, one coconut tree, a pomelo tree, an orange tree, and a mandarin tree.

Expressing his sincere gratitude, Shen Yanming assured Zeng Yiming that he should not hesitate to seek his help if ever faced with difficulties. Zeng Yiming then departed for home.

The orchard staff carefully unearthed the saplings and loaded them into a truck, following Shen Yanming back to the warehouse. After unloading, the mushroom bag and fabric deliveries also arrived.

As they checked the goods and paid the balances, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an were left utterly drained, sprawled on the warehouse floor. They’d never felt this weary, even after their two-month shopping extravaganza abroad. 

Was it an aftereffect? Could they keep this up?

“Are you alright?” Shen Yanming asked through gritted teeth. “If you can hang on, let’s rest tonight and head to Chun Province. If not, we can go home.”

Bi Qiao’an paused, then replied, “Let’s go. We’re already out here; might as well finish. No telling when we’ll get the chance again.”

They collected the warehouse supplies, went into the space, and slept in the mobile villa; their first night spent there.

Early the next morning, they drove to Chun City. There was a large breeding farm there with pigs, sheep, cattle, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, and quails. It was famous for its strict management in terms of hygiene. Poultry and livestock were only allowed to leave the farm after passing inspection and quarantine. 

Shen Yanming ordered 500 pigs, 500 sheep, 500 cattle, 1,000 chickens, and 200 ducks. He paid extra to have them slaughtered and packaged. 

They also ordered 500 boxes of chicken eggs, 100 boxes of salted duck eggs, and 500 catties (250 kg) of five-spice quail eggs from the farm.

After agreeing on a pickup time, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an explored Chun City, stocking up on items they lacked in the space: watch batteries, solid alcohol, small charcoal stoves, candles, solar flashlights, and more.

After a day, the two of them bought quite a lot. The car was stuffed full, and this was the result of them constantly loading and storing in the space, only to end up filling it again.

The next day, Shen Yanming rented a truck for the breeding farm run. Everything was ready when they arrived.

The goods were loaded onto the truck, but a single vehicle couldn’t accommodate everything, necessitating a second trip.

Shen Yanming drove the truck to a nearby village, stopping at the entrance. Bi Qiao’an stood watch while he climbed into the truck’s rear compartment and transferred the goods into the space. They then circled back, loading the remaining goods and repeating the process.

Once they returned to the city, they returned the truck to the rental company. With this, their shopping trip had temporarily come to an end.

Utterly drained, neither could muster the energy for conversation. They closed their eyes and leaned back, now in their own car, to rest.

The silence stretched on until Shen Yanming, opening his eyes, noticed Bi Qiao’an had drifted off. Quietly starting the car, he began the drive towards Hai City. Seven hours later, around 3 a.m., they reached their home.

On the way, Shen Yanming had taken the opportunity to store the rest of the small commodities in the space. Now, it was just him and a sleeping Bi Qiao’an.

Perhaps their recent overexertion had caught up with her; even the car stopping hadn’t roused her. Shen Yanming smiled slightly and decided to let her rest.

“Mm, where are we? Back already? How long did I sleep? You should’ve woken me,” Bi Qiao’an stirred, awoken by the sounds of cars in the garage.

“Not long. You were out like a light,” Shen Yanming replied. “Catch a few more minutes, then we’ll head inside.”

Bi Qiao’an nodded, a wave of stiffness washing over her.

The next few days were spent at home, resting and preparing for the challenges ahead.

At last, the first day of work was upon them. Clad in fresh attire, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an sought to project an air of tidiness and self-assurance.

He dropped her off at her workplace before heading to his own office.

Bi Qiao’an arrived early but surprisingly found another new recruit already waiting. After brief introductions, they waited together until everyone was present.

The director of the Human Resources Bureau, Hong Lixia, was a woman in her forties with a refined elegance about her. She began, “Our entire Human Resources Bureau staff, including you two, currently numbers twenty-three, though only eleven of us have formal employee status.”

After the onboarding procedures were completed, Director Hong formally introduced the two newcomers, “Bi Qiao’an graduated from the Law Department of Qinghai University with a bachelor’s degree at 19 years old. Li Yueya, 23, holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Qinghai University of Finance and Economics.”

“Section Chief Wei will oversee Bi Qiao’an’s guidance, and Accountant Xu will be responsible for Li Yueya,” the Director continued. “I trust everyone will get along and quickly integrate into our workflow.”

With that, Director Hong returned to her office.