Lan Jin had no idea what that dog of a man and his mistress were scheming, nor did she care. With the apocalypse drawing near, she had no intention of wasting even a second on those two.
But right after leaving the pet market, a new issue dawned on her. She had already checked off every item on her supply list. But there was one thing that list had left out—vehicles.
Aside from an old solar-powered tricycle stored in her space, she only had the energy-powered car she was currently driving.
The energy car was efficient, and it ran fine for now. But in the apocalypse? Who knew if the charging stations would still work. If they didn't, this car would be useless. And the solar trike in her space? It could only go so far. What if the weather was bad and there was no sunlight?
Neither of her vehicles could carry her far once the world collapsed.
In her past life, Lan Jin hadn't driven at all after the apocalypse began. She'd stayed within a small radius around her neighborhood. But later, she had planned to head toward a base. And for that, she'd need a proper vehicle.
She did have solar panels and batteries in her space, but they wouldn't be enough to recharge a full-sized car. What she really needed was a gas-powered vehicle.
As for fuel? She could get that during the poisonous fog period. It wasn't a big worry.
With that thought, she couldn't sit still. She could take her time picking out a car, but fuel containers? Those were non-negotiable.
Without hesitation, Lan Jin drove to the farmers' market and bought 200 medium-sized fuel drums. On top of that, she picked up 100 extra-large garbage bins. That might've seemed strange, but she had used these same bins before to store cooked rice, porridge, buns, and fried food. They might be labeled as garbage cans, but it was all about how you used them. As long as they hadn't held actual trash, they were fine for food.
She'd only bought a few last time, just to be safe, and now every single one was already in use. Who knew what else she might need them for later? Better to get more now. Besides, she still had over two hundred thousand yuan in cash. If she didn't use it now, it would just turn into worthless paper later. Might as well convert it all into supplies.
Her warehouse rental had also expired, so she immediately contacted the owner to see if she could extend it for one more day. Thankfully, the space was still vacant, and the moment she called, the owner agreed.
The next morning, the goods she ordered the previous afternoon were delivered straight to the warehouse. As soon as the delivery workers left, she stored everything into her space. That afternoon, she started working on the vehicle situation.
Rental cars couldn't be taken on the same day, so she could only choose today and pick them up tomorrow.
Once she got home, Lan Jin flopped onto the sofa and scrolled through listings, trying to find the model she needed.
She'd read plenty of apocalypse novels and knew the general type of vehicles most people recommended. After browsing for a while, she settled on two vehicles that came up in almost every survival story.
She didn't even bother checking the prices. After all, she wasn't buying—just renting. It wouldn't cost her much.
And why was she renting instead of buying? The answer was simple. There were only a few days left before the apocalypse. The exact model she wanted might not be available for sale, and even if it was, she didn't have enough cash left to buy it.
Besides, with the end of the world about to hit, everything would turn into a free-for-all. Someone was going to take advantage anyway. If it wasn't her, it'd be someone else. So why not her?
The first vehicle she picked was a Hummer—an apocalypse classic. Even through the screen, she could feel it was leagues better than the car she currently owned.
The second was an RV. Another staple for end-of-the-world survival. Sure, she had houses stored in her space and could technically live anywhere. But traveling came with its own set of challenges. An RV would make things much more comfortable for her and her daughter.
Though both rentals were made through the same app, the vehicles came from different companies, so there wasn't any conflict.
The next morning, she went to pick up the Hummer. After driving it to a quiet place, she stored it in her space. That afternoon, she picked up the RV and did the same. In between, she also charged her energy car to full and tucked that into her space as well, just in case.
Once all three vehicles were safely stored, Lan Jin finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Now that the car situation was handled, she might actually be done with everything.
Back at home, she glanced at the calendar on the wall. Just two days left before the apocalypse.
The moment of peace she'd felt earlier was gone. A new wave of tension crept in.
Part of her was looking forward to it. Part of her still wished it would never come. But whether the apocalypse came or not, it wasn't something she could control.
Rather than overthink it, it was better to wait quietly.
There were still two days left. Since she wasn't planning to leave the house, she needed something to keep herself busy.
First, she took out a few of the large garbage bins and began filling them with water. She had nothing better to do anyway, and water was never a bad thing to have more of.
While the bins slowly filled, her stove roared to life.
She had plenty of raw food stored in her space, but not much that was cooked. It made sense to prepare more now. Not just for variety, but also for Qiao Qiao. After thinking it over, she decided on braised dishes.
The seasonings were ready. The ingredients too. All she had to do was fire up the stove and toss everything into the pot.
Since the food was for Qiao Qiao, she left out the spicy ingredients. She made a mix of meat and vegetables—braised chicken legs, duck legs, pig trotters, pork belly, beef, kelp, lotus root, dried tofu, regular tofu… and the must-have: eggs.
Add a scoop of sauce over rice and a few pieces of braised meat and vegetables, and it made a perfect, hearty meal. When they wanted a change of pace, they could just grab a bowl and enjoy.
As the braised pot simmered, the rich aroma filled the house.
Before long, both child and dog were glued to the stove.
Qiao Qiao pointed eagerly at the pot. "Mama, eat that."
"Woof!" the Rottweiler barked in perfect timing.
Right—Lan Jin had named the dog Nana. And Nana, despite the name, was actually a male dog. But no one ever said Nana had to be a girl's name, right? Thankfully, dogs didn't care about that sort of thing. If he did, she'd probably have a full-blown rebellion on her hands.
The pair—one child, one dog—waited next to the stove for what felt like forever until the fire finally went out.
Lan Jin pulled out three chicken legs first. While they cooled, both Qiao Qiao and Nana drooled beside them, unable to look away.
Luckily, April weather was still a bit cool. It didn't take long for the chicken to be ready to eat.
Each of them got a leg, and the sounds of satisfied chewing filled the kitchen. Nana also got to gnaw on the leftover bones, his tail wagging wildly the whole time.
Lan Jin made ten full batches of braised dishes in total. She packed them into four large bins, completely full.
It would last them a good long while.
Since the day wasn't over yet, she decided to try something new: homemade dog food.
Dog food and dog kibble weren't the same thing. Nana could eat dry food and canned meat, sure, but that would get boring fast. And if she wanted him to have a shiny coat and stay healthy, proper nutrition was key.
She had bought some dog supplements like calcium and fish oil, though not in huge quantities since time was short. But homemade meals could help fill in the gaps.
She pulled together the ingredients: broccoli, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and chicken breast.
First, she steamed the pumpkin and sweet potatoes and mashed them. Then, she blended the carrots, broccoli, and chicken breast separately. Once all the ingredients were combined, she mixed in a few eggs and steamed the whole thing.
The result?
Honestly, it didn't just smell good to Nana. Lan Jin and Qiao Qiao found it delicious too. That night, it even became their dinner.
Of course, that was just one version. Later, if she had time, she'd try out other recipes for Nana.
By the time they finished eating, the day had flown by.
Night had already fallen.
After storing the remaining dog food in her space, Lan Jin took Qiao Qiao to bed.