​​Chapter 006: Durian Offering​​

"Can I record a video?"

"Sure," Qin Qing said, bringing over a folding table and placing the durian on it. She watched Wei Xiaoshuang deftly set up a tripod and phone on the table. "Did you start doing social media?"

"Yeah. Lying flat, but not completely flat," Wei Xiaoshuang replied, adjusting the tripod and starting the recording. After smoothly delivering her opening lines, she chatted with Qin Qing. "Can't just live off the family forever. I still have some savings now, but if I do nothing, when the money runs out, having to ask for handouts would be miserable."

Qin Qing sat opposite her and pointed at the phone.

The phone lens was naturally aimed at Wei Xiaoshuang, but since it was recording, the sound would be captured too.

"No worries, I'll edit it out later, won't affect our chat," Wei Xiaoshuang said calmly. "Honestly, I'm not making money on social media. It's just a transition. Once I find a job, I'll have to go back out. What about you? Why come back? When Xie Hengliang told me, I thought he was lying."

Qin Qing, Wei Xiaoshuang, and Xie Hengliang were all elementary and middle school classmates, from the same town, so naturally, they all knew each other.

"Same as you. To lie flat," Qin Qing said with a smile, picking up a knife to open the durian.

"I envy you," Wei Xiaoshuang rested her chin on her hand. "If I had a supermarket like this, I could lie flat peacefully too."

"You think this supermarket can support lying flat?" Qin Qing looked up.

"Uh..." Wei Xiaoshuang glanced around, unable to lie convincingly. "It used to be possible. If this area got livelier, then definitely."

Qin Qing burst out laughing.

By then, she had opened the durian. Wei Xiaoshuang looked at it and gasped in surprise. "Wow! A gratitude durian! Did it get recorded? Let me see, let me see."

"It did. Go ahead," Qin Qing handed the knife to Wei Xiaoshuang, yielding the screen entirely to her.

Standing before the lens, Wei Xiaoshuang began describing the durian with dramatic flair, her voice rising and falling with emotion, speaking as if addressing a real audience.

Qin Qing went to a shelf and grabbed two bottles of cola. When she returned, Wei Xiaoshuang was wrapping up.

Wei Xiaoshuang hadn't eaten the durian yet. She adjusted the camera back to focus on the opened fruit and looked at Qin Qing: "I'll pay you for the cola later."

"Don't be polite! It's just a cola. You're eating the durian for free," Qin Qing teased with a laugh.

"Ugh, you treating me is fine, but taking it from your supermarket... feels bad taking it for nothing," Wei Xiaoshuang took the cola. "You run a small business."

"I knew the situation before coming back. It's not that tight," Qin Qing sat down opposite her. "Business is usually slow, picks up during holidays. On average, maybe two to three thousand a month? Enough for food and expenses."

"Envy... jealousy... hate," Wei Xiaoshuang unscrewed the cola. "Why didn't something this good happen to me? Two or three thousand a month? That'd be fine! I'd be so willing. Unbelievably willing."

"Didn't your last job pay over ten thousand a month?" Qin Qing looked at Wei Xiaoshuang. They hadn't kept in close touch after graduation, but she had a general idea.

"Boss was inhuman. Otherwise, I wouldn't have run," Wei Xiaoshuang hiccuped from the cola and sighed deeply. "That bastard called me at 3 AM saying it was urgent work. I slaved for two hours to finish it, and he didn't even come asking for it until 10:30 the next morning! Psycho!"

"Then take a break?" Qin Qing suggested.

"Yeah, rest for a while. I'll find a job after I recover," Wei Xiaoshuang said, seeing Qin Qing peeling durian flesh. "I'll record a few more lines later. You eat, don't mind me."

"Okay," Qin Qing nodded, handing the remaining half to Wei Xiaoshuang to handle herself.

While Wei Xiaoshuang spoke to the camera, Qin Qing sat beside her, contentedly eating the durian.

She'd only had a light lunch, then walked for over two hours. Her stomach felt empty again. Eating a big piece of durian now instantly soothed her mood.

"Oh my god, amazing durian! This isn't just a gratitude durian, it's a huge favor! I've never had durian this good, seriously! I know the comments will say 'don't believe it,' well... hehe, you can't taste it."

"Let me tell you guys..."

Wei Xiaoshuang recorded snippets for about five minutes, finally getting all the content she wanted.

Qin Qing couldn't help remarking, "Doing social media seems pretty hard too."

"That part's okay," Wei Xiaoshuang said, eating another piece of durian. "What's annoying is posting without knowing if it'll gain traction. Competition is fierce now. Honestly, I haven't made much money yet. Just trying it out. But seriously," she took another bite, "this durian is amazing. Where did you get it? I want to buy some too. Never had durian this good."

"A friend gave them to me. Just these two," Qin Qing pointed.

She could easily get more, but items sold over there could only be one type. Getting large quantities involved trading, but it was complicated to manage.

"Too bad. Friend gift, nothing you can do," Wei Xiaoshuang shook her head regretfully. "But ask your friend if they get more? I'd like to buy one. Just not too expensive, normal price is fine. Can't afford expensive stuff."

Qin Qing laughed. "Sure. If there's more, I'll definitely ask for you."

Wei Xiaoshuang stayed at the shop for over half an hour, catching up with Qin Qing, filming her video, and before leaving, bought a bag of snacks from the supermarket to support the business.

As soon as Wei Xiaoshuang left, Xie Hengliang arrived, this time delivering the newly arrived freezer.

"This freezer is pretty big! How much stuff are you planning to put in it?"

"All my own food needs storing! Summer's almost here. Bigger freezer is better," Qin Qing guided them to a corner she'd cleared earlier. "Yeah, put it right here."

"Don't worry, we'll set it down gently," Xie Hengliang said, carefully removing the freezer's packaging. "Keep this packaging somewhere for now. Easier to return if there's a problem. Hard to find matching packaging for something this big later."

"Just put it in that corner for now. Nothing else there," Qin Qing suggested.

"Should be fine after a few days. Freezers usually work or they don't from the start," Xie Hengliang said, clapping his hands. "I'll wash my hands. I remember there's a faucet out back."

Before Qin Qing could react, he opened the back door.

Qin Qing only managed an "Ah—" before Xie Hengliang was already turning the faucet handle outside and washing his hands.

"What's wrong?"

"The door's a bit rusty. Don't use it much," Qin Qing explained, looking out at the familiar river behind the door. "That faucet hasn't been used in ages either. There's a restroom inside the supermarket."

"All water's the same," Xie Hengliang washed his hands, shook them dry, and yielded the faucet to the guy who helped move the freezer. "You have my WeChat, right? Contact me anytime if you need anything."

"It's in the group," Qin Qing took out her phone, opened the middle school class group chat, found Xie Hengliang's WeChat, and sent a friend request. "I might need to send packages later."

"Ah," Xie Hengliang wiped his still-damp hand on his clothes, pulled out his phone, and accepted Qin Qing's request. "I handle packages big and small. Need anything, just ask."

"Definitely," Qin Qing walked with both men to the supermarket entrance, took two bottles of cola from the freezer, and gave one to each. "Thanks for carrying this big freezer over."

"Cola makes it worth it," Xie Hengliang joked. "We've got other things to do. See you later."

After they left, Qin Qing walked over to the freezer and opened it. She was very satisfied with its size and depth. She could gradually buy frozen foods to stock it, then slowly transfer them into her space.

The "apocalypse incoming" theory was generally considered alarmist. If she spoke out recklessly, not only would no one believe her, but it might also cause unnecessary trouble.

Fortunately, her dimensional space had ample capacity. Using the supermarket as a cover, she could stockpile plenty of supplies within a year.

Wait, not just a year. Although later reviews pinpointed the apocalypse starting with extreme weather a year later, the true collapse took several more years. She could continue stockpiling even after a year. If she could fill her entire space by the time the real apocalypse hit, her future life would be much easier.

No customers came in the afternoon. Qin Qing walked to the back door, opened it, saw the familiar dimensional supermarket, and breathed a sigh of relief.

The dimensional supermarket door was still open. Walking in, the first thing she saw were several large durians placed by the entrance, and a few people kneeling in worship.

Qin Qing: "..."

The people noticed her at that moment and instinctively bowed again. "Immortal Master."

Qin Qing's gaze swept over the durians on the ground, instantly understanding their purpose. They were offerings for her.

"All of you, rise. No need for this in the future," she said, forcing herself to sound composed. Once they stood, she looked at the durians. "These are for me?"

"Yes, thank you, Immortal Master, for guiding us to such excellent fruit," one person spoke. "These are for your enjoyment, Immortal Master. Please do not disdain them."

"Do you have enough for yourselves?" Qin Qing asked. While she liked durian, she wouldn't take food out of people's mouths. Compared to her eating it for pleasure, durian was life-saving sustenance for them.

Her question brought looks of delight to their faces. "Enough, plenty! We gathered many wild vegetables today. And there are still many fruits like this in that forest. We can go pick more tomorrow."

"Good," Qin Qing nodded, spotting Yu Niang holding a white stone nearby. "The instant noodles you exchange with white stones don't have to be taken all at once. You can store them. Taking out too much now risks spoilage. I'll teach you how to use the vending machine. That way, even if I'm not here, you can still use it."