Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 436 Being Watched

Therefore, there will definitely be a period of calm around the trading point in the coming period. No one will dare to cause trouble, no one will dare to gather in groups, and no one will dare to be envious of other people's things. Everyone understands the principle that "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down".

After listening, Lan Yue remained silent for a moment, as if she had weighed Xu Xiaoyan's words over and over in her mind.

Then she hummed in agreement, drawing out the last syllable, and the worry on her face slowly faded, replaced by a sense of relief after being persuaded.

"That's true," Lan Yue nodded, her tone much more relaxed than before. "Shall we give it a try? If it works, great; if not, we'll move back up the mountain."

She paused, glanced down at the shallow footprints beneath her feet, then looked at the two tents in the distance, and couldn't help but sigh, a hint of reluctance in her voice.

"It's a pity that we got such a good spot. It's sheltered from the wind and the ground is flat. We spent a long time choosing this auspicious location."

Xu Xiaoyan didn't respond to that. She stood under the tree, took off her backpack and placed it against the trunk, then looked around.

This place is neither on the main road nor too remote; it's just the kind of spot where not many people pass by, but if you shout for help, you'll be heard.

"Blue Moon, hurry up and go to the camp and pack up those two tents and bring them back," Xu Xiaoyan instructed. "Put everything here, I'll guard this place." She responded, put down her things, and prepared to leave.

"Wait a minute," Xu Xiaoyan suddenly straightened up, as if she had remembered something, and called out to her.

"If anyone asks, just say we're planning to camp at the trading point. There are more people there, and there are officials around. It's safer than up in the mountains, and our stuff won't be stolen."

She didn't mention the wood ear mushrooms or the sale of them; she only said the word "safety," a reason that no one could refute and no one dared to ask further.

With sleeping bags stolen and tents overturned just now, anyone who says "safety isn't important" is just lying through their teeth.

After listening, Lan Yue's eyes darted around, and she quickly understood. She nodded, then turned and strode towards the camp.

About twenty minutes later, she came running over carrying two packed tents.

As they drew closer, Lan Yue carefully placed the things on her shoulder against a tree, let out a long breath, and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.

Then she plopped down on the tree root, turned her head to look at Xu Xiaoyan, and curled her lips into a wide smile.

"You guessed right," she said, her voice tinged with relief that she had prepared her explanation beforehand.

"Everyone kept asking me why I was moving. From the moment I packed up my tent to the moment I carried it out, I met seven or eight people along the way, and not one of them failed to ask me."

She mimicked their tone, lowering her voice as she asked, "Where are you moving to? Why would you leave when you're living here so well? Did you have a fight or something?"

They asked me so many questions that if I didn't explain myself clearly, they would have followed me all the way down the mountain.

Xu Xiaoyan smiled and replied, "So what did you say?"

"Just say it the way you taught me," Lan Yue said, wrapping her scarf around herself again to cover half her face.

Xu Xiaoyan bent down to put the backpack back on her shoulder, then pulled the two large tent packs closer to her chest, looked around to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

"Let's go. Wood ear mushrooms don't last long. We should get rid of them while they're still fresh."

Lan Yue nodded, hoisted the rest of the luggage onto her shoulder, and the two of them, one in front of the other, carrying, shouldering, and backing the huge pile of belongings, walked step by step along the path down the mountain towards the trading point.

Soon, the two of them came down the mountain with bags and packages. With such a large entourage, it would be hard for them to go unnoticed.

First, two or three people stopped to look, then those who were resting in the camp peeked out, one, two, three... and gathered around.

Immediately afterwards, whispers spread rapidly through the crowd.

"Two girls again?"

"Could it be the person who sold pine resin yesterday?"

"No way? Did they find something again?"

"Look at all those bags and packages, they're definitely not ordinary stuff!"

"I was there when they sold pine resin last time, it looks somewhat similar, let me take another look."

"What good stuff is it this time? Let's go see what they have!"

It's unclear who took the first step, but soon the crowd surged forward like a tide.

Before Xu Xiaoyan and Lan Yue could react, they were already surrounded.

Several loud-voiced middle-aged men blocked the way in front, while a few young women squeezed in from the side. More people kept joining from behind, and the human wall grew tighter and tighter, with breathing, footsteps, and questions all mixed together.

"Hey girls, what's in your bags? Tell us!"

"Did you find something valuable again? Pine resin? Or something else?"

"What are you planning to sell? Where are you going to sell it? Will you be going to the official trading points?"

"Were you the two of you selling pine resin last time? Whether you were or not, you missed out on a good price last time, so this time you'd better show us something in advance!"

"Yeah, yeah, we're all on the same side, so let's not hide the good stuff!"

A cacophony of voices rose and fell.

Some people have smiles on their faces, but the greed in their eyes is impossible to hide.

Some people speak in a friendly tone, but their words are full of inquiries.

Several other people didn't say a word, but just stared intently at the luggage on their backs, their eyes like hooks, as if they wanted to pry open the bags to see what was inside.

Xu Xiaoyan and Lan Yue were squeezed so close together that they were almost back to back.

Lan Yue's face flushed red, her lips were tightly pursed beneath her scarf, and she gripped the backpack strap tightly, her knuckles turning white.

She wanted to say something, but every word was drowned out by the barrage of questions.

"Make way, let us pass," Xu Xiaoyan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a calm tone amidst the noise.

She tried to take a step forward, but the crowd didn't budge; instead, several more people pushed their way up from behind.

Some people started to get restless. A man in gray-blue overalls squeezed to the front and reached out to touch the bundle of tents on Lan Yue's shoulder.

Lan Yue suddenly shrank back, and the man failed to get his hands on her. However, he did not withdraw his hand. Instead, he turned to the large bag that Xu Xiaoyan was holding in her arms, and his fingers had already pinched a corner of the bag.

"I'm just looking, I'm just looking, I'm not taking anything from you, what's there to be ashamed of?"

The man spoke with an air of self-righteous bravado, as if looking through other people's things was perfectly natural.

Xu Xiaoyan took a half step back, tightened the bag in her arms, and coldly swept her gaze across the man's face.