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Chapter 4: Stockpiling Supplies
Su Miaomiao’s gaze fell on the pile of welcome gifts stacked like a small mountain on the nearby cabinet, and her thoughts stirred slightly.
In her past life, she had been all alone—discovered by an organization and brought to a base for training.
She had no family, not even comrades, because she only trusted herself.
But when she first transmigrated, she was nothing more than a newborn baby, completely dependent on the world around her.
Butcher Su had used his rough, calloused hands to shield her from the world and raise her.
That cold and hardened heart of hers had gradually been softened by that old man.
She even developed something as unnecessary and dangerous as emotions.
Forget it. If she ran away, she’d have to change her identity again.
But the name Su Miaomiao was given to her by that stubborn old man. He didn’t leave behind many belongings in this world—she was one of the few things he did leave behind.
Besides, she had promised him she’d take a husband into the family (matrilocal marriage) to carry on the Su family name. She couldn’t throw away this identity.
Su Miaomiao closed her eyes. With a thought, a massive space instantly appeared before her eyes.
It was a power she’d gained during an experiment in the organization in her past life—a spatial ability that had somehow traveled with her soul into this world.
Inside, she could store items, and time stood still within it.
There were other special abilities as well.
Right now, Su Miaomiao was going through an inventory of the supplies in her space.
These were her savings from over the years.
A large portion of it had been left to her by Butcher Su.
There were grains, flour, oil, fabric, clothing, jewelry, and other essential supplies.
But it still wasn’t enough. After they were sent down, who knew how long it would be before they could come back? The old were old, the young were young.
She’d need to prepare even more.
With that thought, Su Miaomiao didn’t waste any more time.
Before leaving, Captain Liu had left two guards stationed at the Huo family’s front gate.
So the front door was off-limits—she had to go through the back.
Su Miaomiao walked to the balcony. It was the second floor, and below was a soft grassy yard. That height was nothing to her.
There were faint sounds from the neighboring rooms, but her room was the one furthest inside, out of view. No one could see what she was doing.
Once she confirmed everything was safe, Su Miaomiao pressed her hands on the railing and leapt down lightly.
Her body landed silently on the grass like a nimble cat.
Without pausing, she darted toward the wall. With a graceful jump, her hands grabbed the top of the wall, and with a swift motion, she flipped over and disappeared into the night.
Shili Alley, outskirts of Jing City.
In the narrow alley that should’ve been dark and deserted at this hour, faint lights flickered here and there.
Su Miaomiao pulled a headscarf from her chest and wrapped herself tightly, leaving only her bright, cold eyes exposed.
She slipped into the alley. After walking less than 100 meters, she spotted two burly men leaning against the wall. When they saw her approach, they straightened up defensively, their sharp eyes scanning her from head to toe.
“Tonight’s moon seems to be hidden by dark clouds,” Su Miaomiao said, her voice deliberately lowered.
“But tomorrow will be clear,” replied the taller man. His stern expression softened, and he lowered his voice. “Drop-off or pickup?”
“Pickup first, drop-off later,” Su Miaomiao answered crisply.
The tall man, seeing that she had responded with all the correct passcodes, finally stepped aside.
Su Miaomiao quickly walked in.
Another 200 meters in, the scene changed drastically.
The long alley was now lined with stalls on both sides, filled with all sorts of goods—from grains and oil to various meats and daily necessities. Everything one could need was here.
This was the largest black market in Jing City.
The phrase Su Miaomiao had used earlier—”Tonight, the moon is covered by dark clouds”—was a secret code.
“Bringing in water” meant you were restocking or buying supplies.
“Taking out water” meant you were here to sell goods.
At this time, private trade was strictly forbidden. All goods were government-owned.
But government supplies were limited. Many things couldn’t be obtained through legal channels, and so, the black market had emerged.
Su Miaomiao had only been here a few times. After all, Butcher Su had forbidden her from engaging in these dangerous trades.
He had forced her to cut off this path—so she had let it go.
But tonight, she had no choice but to break her promise to him.
Su Miaomiao found an empty stall and laid out everything in her bag.
All of it was the welcome gifts given to her by the Huo family.
Though those gifts were given with genuine care, in times like these, supplies mattered more than sentiment.
Even more importantly, during tomorrow’s relocation and at the destination, everyone’s belongings would be inspected. There was no way they could keep so many valuable items.
Rather than letting others confiscate them, she might as well exchange them for supplies herself.
Since she was in a hurry to sell, her prices were set low. And because everything was high-quality, it didn’t even take half an hour before everything was completely sold out.
Her arms were now stuffed with several hundred yuan.
From a modern-day perspective, that amount wouldn’t even cover a meal.
But here and now, pork only cost 0.8 yuan per jin, and rice was just 0.2 yuan per jin.
This money was a fortune.
Combined with her existing savings of nearly 1,000 yuan, her budget was more than sufficient.
But the quantity she needed was massive. These small-time vendors couldn’t meet her demands.
So, she went straight to the black market boss, explained her needs clearly.
“What… What did you say?” The man’s eyes nearly popped out of his head after hearing her list.
“Do you have pen and paper?” Su Miaomiao didn’t want to repeat herself.
“…Yes.” The man nodded, pulled out a sheet of paper and a pencil stub barely the size of a thumb.
Su Miaomiao began to write out her full list of supplies:
That pretty much covered the food. Given the current scarcity, there wasn’t much variety available.
Next came daily necessities.
Mo City was known for being freezing cold, so she needed all kinds of winter gear.
Cotton-padded coats and pants, hats, gloves, shoes—everything needed to be prepared.
The man beside her stared at the full page she’d filled out and realized she wasn’t done yet—she was still writing.
Finally, he came to his senses and quickly stopped her.
“Wait, wait, wait…”
“Hmm?” Su Miaomiao looked up at him.
Her eyes carried a slight chill—clearly displeased at having her train of thought interrupted.
“Miss… I don’t know if you’re playing some kind of joke, but even if you’re serious, I don’t have the ability to get you all of this,” the middle-aged man said awkwardly.
“You can’t?” Su Miaomiao frowned.