Chapter 007: Take All Comers​​

"Mom, I don't feel bad tonight."

Yu Niang held her daughter. "Mom doesn't feel bad either."

"Did Mom feel bad before too?" The child nestled against Yu Niang, looking up. "As bad as me?"

"Mm, as bad as you," Yu Niang touched her daughter's forehead, leaning down to press her own against it. "Why didn't my little darling tell Mom before?"

"Mom was already so tired," the child clung tightly to Yu Niang. "Didn't want to make Mom more tired. And Mom didn't tell me she felt bad either."

"It won't happen again," Yu Niang grasped her daughter's small hand.

She knew exactly why her daughter suffered. Even though she gave her daughter most of the food, it still wasn't enough. She wasn't blind to her daughter's state, but she hadn't dared to ask, afraid that acknowledging it would shatter her remaining strength.

She looked up towards the beautiful building in the distance and smiled, holding her daughter closer. "Sleep now. Tomorrow, we'll go find more white stones."

"Okay, Mom. I'll be good," the child's soft, obedient voice reached Yu Niang's ears, making her grip tighten unconsciously.

Even Yu Niang herself didn't realize she was already crying silently.

Many others were also awake, but no one spoke. They just gazed quietly at the beautiful building, praying that everything that happened today wasn't a dream.

​**​*

Qin Qing (RainStopNoCloud): Check out what two moons look like! [Pic][Pic][Pic]

After sending the freshly taken photos, Qin Qing glanced at her earlier posts. Besides the moonlight, she'd shared some forest and cliff pictures.

She didn't plan to reveal anything specific, just wanted to share her experiences. No one would believe she could travel to another world anyway.

Posting the pictures, she pocketed her phone and continued gazing out the window.

Yesterday, both moons were full. Tonight, the two moons hanging in the sky had distinct gaps. Perhaps due to their positions, the gaps were on different sides.

From this window, she could clearly see the distant, rolling forest. It felt like she was living right in that environment, offering a unique charm.

If she hadn't been reborn, if there were no apocalypse, no dimensional space, or binding to a dimensional supermarket, all this would have thrilled her. But now, she felt calm, just hoping that one day she might find a way to prevent the true apocalypse from happening.

Waking up early the next morning, she immediately looked out the window to check. Confirming the forest view was still there, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. This was her sole hope for survival, after all.

Downstairs, she opened the shop first and went to the breakfast place across the street as usual.

Her phone rang just then.

"Hello?"

"Hello, hello! Is this Boss Qin? I saw your post online about buying near-expired food. Do you take all types?"

"What do you have?" Qin Qing's interest piqued.

"Three tons of rice. I saw your listing wasn't specific, so I called to ask," the voice said. "But this is top-quality rice. It's near expiration, but it's still excellent for feeding pigs."

"Hmm..." Qin Qing pretended to hesitate. "That's quite a lot. It would be troublesome to handle. What's your price? How long until it expires?"

Though feigning reluctance, she was internally excited.

Three tons of rice! Even if near expiration, stored in her space it wouldn't spoil. If the price was right, it was practically free! Three tons of rice, eaten sparingly, could last her a lifetime.

"The shelf life is a bit short. Five days left," the seller sounded slightly sheepish. "But you know, expiration dates are just guidelines. It'll still be edible past that date. For pigs, it's even less of an issue. If you're willing to take it, I'll give you a good price. Five cents a pound. This rice was originally expensive, premium stuff at over a dollar a pound!"

"Even so, it's practically expired," Qin Qing pressed the disadvantage. "At that price, I might as well buy decent pig feed. At least that fattens them up properly."

"Five cents a pound is dirt cheap! And I have to arrange transport," the seller argued earnestly. "Three tons is heavy, needs a big truck. That costs money too. Even if near expired, pigs can eat it, right? If you're willing to take it, I'll deliver it right to your door. Handle everything perfectly."

"Then you have to stack it properly," Qin Qing relented. Five cents per pound was incredibly cheap. "I'll give you a warehouse address. When can you deliver?"

"Immediately! Right away! If it's close, we can deliver today! Add my WeChat, send the address, I'll dispatch a truck instantly. Guarantee no delays."

"Okay, add me."

Hanging up, Qin Qing quickly received a WeChat friend request.

She sent an address over. Not the supermarket address, but a warehouse she'd rented before returning – an old factory building in town that had shut down years ago. She'd rented the space specifically as a storage warehouse.

Since it was in the town, the rent wasn't high, and the location was perfect for discreetly emptying the contents.

Once the seller confirmed, Qin Qing continued her breakfast. Their location wasn't far. With the highway built near the town a few years ago, the delivery should take only three or four hours.

Around noon, estimating the time was right, Qin Qing hung a "Closed" sign on the supermarket door. She wheeled an electric scooter out of the garage beside the shop and rode towards the warehouse.

Sure enough, she hadn't been there long before a large truck pulled up.

As it got closer, the truck stopped, and a head poked out the window. "Boss Qin?"

"Yeah, I'm the one you spoke to. Deliver the goods to that warehouse over there," Qin Qing pointed towards the open factory doors not far away. "Thanks for the trouble."

"No trouble at all! Just glad to sell this batch," the seller said with a smile, hopping down to direct the driver to park the truck near the warehouse. He then brought down several large carts from the truck. "Total three tons of rice, 6,000 pounds. Each bag is 20 pounds, so 300 bags total. Please count them later, Boss Qin."

"Okay," Qin Qing glanced inside the truck. "The amount looks less than I imagined."

"Then you don't have a strong sense of that weight," the seller said, smiling. "What do you do, Boss Qin?"

"I run a supermarket and have some collaborations," Qin Qing said casually. "I also work with some livestreamers, so I need a lot of near-expired food. If you have more, you can send it over too."

"Must it be near-expired?" The seller leaned against the truck, looking at Qin Qing.

Qin Qing looked up. "Expired doesn't affect eating, but it can't be sold."

Even if her space preserved freshness, it only maintained the current state. Near-expired food she could eat easily. Truly expired food, she wouldn't dare eat much of, in case it spoiled. Wouldn't that be courting death?

"Got it, got it," the seller chuckled, pulling out a cigarette. "Just near-expired, then. If you want it, Boss Qin, I'll keep an eye out. Anything?"

"Yes, anything. Not just food, other things too." Qin Qing said, thinking she should add to her purchase platform listing later.

Items with expiry dates weren't just food. Things like sanitary pads, tissues, toothbrushes, toothpaste – all had expiry dates. She had money from selling her apartment, but it wouldn't last forever with massive purchases. Buying needed items at low prices was definitely the most cost-effective.

The more perishable an item was, the more she needed to hoard it. Conversely, items without expiry dates weren't a priority now, like pots, pans, bowls. Even if productivity collapsed in the apocalypse, the existing supply of such items would last everyone worldwide a long time.

"That's quite a lot you want," the seller remarked. "Any amount?"

"Any amount," Qin Qing nodded again.

"No problem," the seller made an "OK" gesture. "My surname is Wang, single character Jian. I have access to a lot of near-expired food. Since you want bulk, how about I send it all at once next time?"

"Don't let it expire before it gets here," Qin Qing took out her phone, adding Wang Jian's name and the note "Supplier" to his contact.

"Won't happen. Agreed it's near-expired, I won't bring you expired stuff. I was joking earlier," Wang Jian shook his head. "Expired stuff is actually hard to find. Everyone's afraid of liability. One complaint call, not only do you not make money, you might have to pay compensation. That business isn't worth it."

Qin Qing smiled, put her phone away, and watched the men unload the rice.

6,000 pounds of rice, each bag 20 pounds, total 300 bags. It wasn't a small amount, but not massive either. Wang Jian finished talking and helped carry bags. Before long, all the rice was stacked neatly in the clean warehouse.

The count was easy. All bags were stacked uniformly in rows. Counting one row gave the total number.

After confirming, she took out her phone. "WeChat or Alipay?"

"Alipay, that's used more," Wang Jian said, also taking out his phone. Once Qin Qing transferred the money, he nodded immediately. "3,000 yuan total, correct."

Both parties confirmed the transaction. Wang Jian and his men got back in the truck.

Once in the cab, he leaned out the window again. "You're sure about this, Boss Qin? Daily necessities too, right? Any amount?"

"Yes, any amount. But it can't be unlicensed products," Qin Qing emphasized. "If you bring unlicensed products, no matter how cheap, I won't take them."

"Guarantee not. We run a legitimate business. How could it be unlicensed? Definitely all proper goods," Wang Jian stated firmly. "Then we'll head off. See you next time. You want a lot, Boss Qin, we're sure to meet again."

"Contact me anytime," Qin Qing said, watching the truck leave.

After Wang Jian left, she took out her phone, opened the procurement platform where she'd posted her listing, and added to her requirements: besides near-expired food, she also accepted near-expired daily necessities, at reasonable prices, legitimate products. She'd take all comers.