Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 437 Turning Crisis into Safety

She didn't speak, but her eyes clearly told him to take his hand away.

The crowd did not disperse because of her refusal; instead, they gathered even closer.

More people started pushing forward, some craning their necks to look at the luggage, and some began to mutter complaints, "What's so great about it?"

Some people have even started discussing with those around them, "Why don't we just follow them and see who they're selling to?"

Seeing that the situation was spiraling out of control, Xu Xiaoyan steeled her resolve and decided to turn the tables.

She suddenly straightened her back and put the large bag of dried mushrooms she was holding on the ground.

She raised her voice, clear and bright, with the enthusiasm and confidence of someone hawking their wares at a market: "Don't rush! It'll be your turn soon!"

Her shout came so suddenly that it silenced the noise in the crowd, and several people instinctively stopped talking and turned to look at her.

Taking advantage of the break, Xu Xiaoyan spoke rapidly, her face bearing the kind of smile that is typical of business people—three parts genuine, three parts fake, and four parts practiced.

"Fresh black fungus! A bowl only requires one compressed biscuit! You won't regret it!"

As she spoke, her gaze swept quickly across the crowd, precisely locking onto the gray-blue overalls-clad man who had reached out to rummage through her bag.

Before the man could retract his hand, Xu Xiaoyan caught it in her gaze.

"Uncle," Xu Xiaoyan's voice suddenly became exceptionally friendly, and her smile blossomed at just the right moment.

"I see you want it the most; you've been holding it out. How many bowls of wood ear mushrooms would you like?"

All eyes in the crowd turned to the man in the gray-blue overalls.

The man's expression was priceless. He was stunned for a moment, then a wave of embarrassment washed over him from the base of his neck all the way to the tips of his ears.

The outstretched hand recoiled as if burned, and the person involuntarily took a step back, their steps hurried and chaotic, almost stepping on the foot of the person behind them.

"I'm just taking a look," he waved his hands repeatedly, his voice several decibels lower than before.

That self-righteous air had vanished. "I haven't decided yet, I haven't decided yet."

Xu Xiaoyan smiled knowingly. She didn't pursue the man any further, but instead raised her voice a few decibels and called out to the surrounding crowd:

"Everyone come and see! Fresh black fungus, just picked from the tree, only one compressed biscuit per bowl!"

"There's plenty of stock! Those who want to buy, hurry and line up. With so many people gathered around, I don't know who to sell to first!"

A slight commotion arose in the crowd, and several people unconsciously took two steps back, craning their necks to watch.

Lan Yue stood next to Xu Xiaoyan, watching her series of smooth and effortless actions, her eyes lighting up.

She immediately understood and followed suit, her eyes scanning the crowd before quickly locking onto a target.

The middle-aged woman in the black sweater had just reached into Lan Yue's luggage bag and was already pinching the drawstring at the top, almost untying it.

Lan Yue darted forward and gently grasped the older woman's wrist, her smile sweet, but the strength in her hand was anything but ambiguous.

"Auntie," Lan Yue tilted her head, her tone carrying the warmth and obedience of a junior to an elder, "How many compressed biscuits do you want to exchange?"

The middle-aged woman in the black sweater froze, her fingers still gripping the drawstring of the Blue Moon duffel bag, unsure whether to loosen her grip or not.

Looking around, she saw more than a dozen pairs of eyes fixed on her, some curious, some watching the spectacle.

There were also several middle-aged women of similar age with expressions that clearly said, "Why did you even touch her?"

She seemed to be under some kind of control.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she quickly pulled her hand back, wiped it on the hem of her clothes, and forced herself to say, "One piece."

Lan Yue smiled even more brightly, deftly released the old woman's wrist, turned around and rummaged through her backpack to find a plastic bowl.

She squatted down, took out a large handful of black fungus from her duffel bag, and filled a bowl until it was overflowing.

He pressed it down with his hand again, then added another piece to make sure the amount of wood ear mushrooms in the bowl was visually "seriously excessive".

"Here's your wood ear mushrooms, please take them." Lan Yue held the overflowing plastic bowl in both hands, smiling at the older woman.

Then, unhurriedly, he added, "Auntie, where are your compressed biscuits? We need to exchange money for goods."

The middle-aged woman's expression changed, and her lips moved a few times, as if she were making a final struggle.

But people around were watching, and a few were already whispering, "That girl has it tough too," "Yeah, yeah, what's the point of taking things without paying?"

She gritted her teeth, reached into her pocket, rummaged around, and finally pulled out a compressed biscuit, tossing it into Lan Yue's arms with a hint of resentment and unwillingness.

With quick reflexes, Lan Yue snatched it and stuffed it into her pocket.

Then she held the plastic bowl full of wood ear mushrooms in both hands and poured the contents into the old woman's hands.

The middle-aged woman glanced down and saw that the wood ear mushrooms looked fresh. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but held back and turned to leave.

He took a couple of steps and then stopped, looking down at the black fungus in his hand. Suddenly, he frowned, turned around, and spoke with a hint of nitpicking in his voice:

"How can you be so stingy? You didn't even include a container for the dried mushrooms! You expect me to hold them in my hands?"

Lan Yue knew perfectly well that this old lady was just looking for trouble. She didn't want to spend that compressed biscuit at all, but she was forced into it and had no choice.

But now that we've opened for business, we can't afford to lose this first deal.

Lan Yue's smile remained unchanged; in fact, it became even sweeter.

She bent down, grabbed a small handful of wood ear mushrooms from her duffel bag, walked over, and without a word, stuffed them into the older woman's hand, piling them up like a small, precarious mountain.

"Oh, Auntie, please calm down," Lan Yue's voice was soft, carrying the kind of obedience and patience one would show when coaxing an elder.

"We had no choice. It took a lot of effort to get it from the mountain. How could we have thought of such a comprehensive plan?"

"We didn't even prepare a container for the wood ear mushrooms, so I'm giving you some extra wood ear mushrooms as an apology."

Having received the benefit, the middle-aged woman's expression finally softened.

She looked down at the "small mountain" in the bowl, then at Lan Yue's genuinely smiling face. Her lips twitched, but she ultimately said nothing more.

I carefully squeezed through the crowd, my steps much lighter than when I came.

Lan Yue watched her walk away and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The commotion in the crowd was somewhat dampened by this buying and selling.

Some people started whispering to each other, "Why don't we buy a bowl and try it?"

Some people had already secretly taken out compressed biscuits and were holding them in their hands.

Someone pushed their way to the front and shouted, "Can that bowl be the same size as the one the person just had?"

Xu Xiaoyan and Lan Yue both laughed.

"OK!"

The two shouted it out almost in unison.