Chapter 14 – Knocking to Ask for Shelter

The severe convective weather that drew attention from higher-ups was indeed extraordinary.

All night long, the kettle-like howling of the wind through the window never ceased.

Xia Xiaoman had a very restless night. The intermittent thunder almost triggered a heart condition in her.

She had eaten something too spicy last night and her stomach was still uncomfortable.

After using a black plastic bag to take care of personal hygiene, tying it up and tossing it in the corner of the balcony, she washed up and ate a light bowl of wontons before heading to Room 704 to learn self-defense from Ye Xiaojie.

As soon as she opened the door and saw a whole crowd of people packed in the corridor, Xia Xiaoman immediately slammed the door shut with lightning speed and blocked it with two solid wooden wardrobes she pulled out from her storage space.

At the same time, dense knocking rang out.

“Little girl, open up! I’m Uncle Wang from 402. Our house is flooded—we just want to stay at your place for a couple of days. I can pay rent!”

“I can pay too! Five hundred a day—I’ve got cash! Please open the door so we can talk.”

“Five hundred? You dare offer that little? Girl, I’ll give you a thousand a day!”

“Get lost! A thousand a day—do you even have it on you? Anyone can make empty promises. I’ll say ten thousand a day!”

“Beautiful lady, don’t listen to them. They’re all bluffing. I’ve got gold—let me stay for a few days and it’s all yours!”

“……”

The door was surrounded by people all begging for shelter.

Xia Xiaoman was speechless. She took out her phone to message Sun Qing and ask what was going on, only to find there was no signal—couldn’t even send a text.

Annoyed, she suddenly heard knocking from the balcony window.

Sensing something unusual, she went over and saw someone from next door, Room 703, tapping rhythmically with a broom.

Her balcony and 703’s were on the same wall, separated by just two or three meters.

When she opened the window, rain instantly splashed in her face, soaking her like a drowned rat.

Zhou Qiuyang cupped his hands like a megaphone and shouted, “Don’t open the door! The fourth floor is flooded—the people in the hallway are all from the fourth floor!”

With the wind and thunder, he had to repeat it twice before she heard clearly.

She asked politely, “How are you and Sun Qing holding up?”

“Last night some people tried to break into Sun Qing’s place, but she and Ye Xiaojie beat them up. My door is blocked with a fridge, so no one’s getting in.”

Hearing that, Xia Xiaoman scratched her head. She didn’t remember hearing any commotion last night—had she really slept through it?

Maybe the stuff piled at her door soundproofed everything.

“Your neighbor in 702 was taken over by the guys from 404. They’re nasty—look dangerous. Be careful if you go out,” Zhou Qiuyang warned before quickly shutting his window, afraid lightning might strike him if he waited another second.

Xia Xiaoman sighed. Since she couldn’t go out, she’d have to entertain herself at home.

Yesterday’s confrontation had been an eye-opener about her own strength.

Back in the village, she often fought other kids her age, relying on her strength and the fact that no one really dared hurt her badly.

But now it was different—out here, people would kill her over resources.

Seeing Ye Xiaojie and Sun Qing fight so cleanly and decisively, she realized the gap between them.

Since she couldn’t get to Ye Xiaojie to train, Xia Xiaoman decided to work out at home.

Morning: high knees, jumping jacks, horse stance to train leg strength.
Afternoon: push-ups, lifting bottled water, handstands to build arm strength.
Evening: planks and crunches for her core.

When her arms were sore and her legs stiff, she massaged them with medicinal oil and applied pain relief patches.

Her motto: if training doesn’t kill her, she’ll train to death.

When she could barely go on, she thought about how her parents once tried to sell her off to an old man in the village. She gritted her teeth and kept going. She’d never go back to that mountain village again.

She trained the whole day, sweating buckets, flushing out the dampness in her body from all the flooding and humidity.

…

The sky seemed torn open, unleashing a waterfall of rain.

Streets turned into rivers, waves crashing against the walls.

The floodwaters rose visibly, and within a single day had reached the fifth floor.

At midnight, she was awakened by urgent knocking.

“Xia Xiaoman! I know you’re inside—it’s Qin Yali. The fifth floor is flooded. I’ve got nowhere to go. Can I stay at your place for a few days?”

Qin Yali kept repeating her plea again and again.

Xia Xiaoman took a deep breath and shouted back, “My place is flooded too. Can’t you see water leaking under my door? Go ask someone upstairs—I’ve got no room.”

“The 8th floor won’t let us in—they installed a metal gate at the stairway. We can only come to the 7th.”

Xia Xiaoman: “…”

Damn. The 8th floor people were so sneaky. If only they had installed one too.

Qin Yali kept knocking. “Xia Xiaoman, if you won’t let me stay, can you at least spare a sanitary pad? I’m on my period.”

As a woman, Xia Xiaoman understood that all too well. She’d been through it in middle school when her parents refused to buy her pads—she had to use thick layers of toilet paper, often staining her clothes and getting mocked by classmates.

She felt a pang of sympathy remembering it.

But as the saying goes: “Because I’ve been rained on, I’ll shred the umbrella to pieces.”

“Sorry, I have year-round amenorrhea. My last period was last month, and I won’t have another one for two months. I don’t have any pads. Try using toilet paper.”

Qin Yali: “…”

“How am I supposed to use toilet paper? Xia Xiaoman, can’t you show a little compassion? We’re both women—just lend me one pack!”

Xia Xiaoman answered firmly, “I’m cold-blooded. I’m heartless. I’m a woman with zero compassion. Not one pack, not even one pad will I give you.”

She wasn’t stupid—open that door and Qin Yali would definitely storm in.

Plus, Xia Xiaoman clearly remembered Qin Yali bought a whole box of pads online at the start of the month—probably during a shopping festival. No way she ran out this fast. Not even a hemorrhage could use that many.

Furious at Xia Xiaoman’s unyielding response, Qin Yali cursed and kicked at the door in anger.

Xia Xiaoman ignored her and grabbed a stick to tap on Room 703’s window, asking Zhou Qiuyang to warn Sun Qing not to fall for the “can I borrow a pad” trick.