The sun was high in the sky, its light blanketing the earth, but a chill still lingered in the air.
The car radio reported that hailstorms of various sizes were occurring in different regions. Since these strange phenomena were all happening in mid-to-high latitudes, people attributed it to climate change, mournfully donating to disaster relief. No one realized it was a prelude to a much greater catastrophe.
The little cub in the child seat was chattering nonstop.
'Is hail as tasty as ice cream? I haven't tried either of those things yet.'
'What are mid-to-high latitudes? I think the geography teacher in the Underworld taught us about that... uh, I forgot.'
'We're almost at the supermarket! I've only read about them in modern storybooks. I wonder how delicious everything really is, hehe.'
Listening to her, Bai Jiao couldn't help but smile.
'She really is just a little cub. She's not illiterate, but she's not that smart either.'
When they got to the supermarket, Bai Jiao tried to put her in the child seat of the shopping cart, but the little fella kicked her legs and refused to cooperate.
Resigned, Bai Jiao had no choice but to put her down and walk with her, hand in hand.
The little cub moved at a snail's pace, but her mind was exploding with excitement.
'Wow! Can I put this giant lollipop swirl in the cart?'
Bai Jiao quickly grabbed the giant lollipop, along with the cheese sticks next to it, and put them in the cart.
Ye Yunyun's eyes were practically glued to the cheese sticks. She shot Bai Jiao a look of almost desperate hunger, silently begging for another bag.
Bai Jiao immediately grabbed another bag. Seeing the growing excitement in the child's eyes, she started grabbing more and more.
The whole point of coming to the supermarket today was to see what Xiao Yunduo liked. The plan was to contact a wholesaler later to stockpile, but if Xiao Yunduo really liked this stuff, stockpiling directly from the supermarket wasn't out of the question.
By the time Bai Jiao snapped out of it, she had nearly cleared the entire shelf.
A sales clerk composed her dumbfounded expression and walked over with a bright smile. "Miss, how about taking a look at these high-calcium milk tablets? All the kids love them..."
'Milk tablets? Hmm, we have enough already. I want chocolate!'
Bai Jiao shook her head, a little embarrassed. "No, thank you. We'll just pick things out ourselves."
She continued her sweep of the chocolate aisle, but she was more restrained this time, picking out a few items based on Ye Yunyun's inner voice.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.
"Are you guys stockpiling because of the messages in the group chat, too?" a clear voice asked.
Bai Jiao turned to see a fellow mom with a little boy of about five hiding behind her.
'What group chat message?'
Bai Jiao didn't know, but that didn't stop her from probing for information.
"Yes, we're stockpiling," she said vaguely.
The mother leaned closer, a worried look on her face. "I don't really get it either, but the group-buying chat said the weather is abnormal and that infectious diseases might break out. But surely it's not that serious. A little stockpiling should be enough, no need to go overboard."
"They're just saying that to boost sales. You shouldn't waste your money. Besides, it's not good for kids to eat too many snacks. This little girl looks like she hasn't even lost her baby teeth yet. You should show some restraint."
'What?! I can wear dentures!'
Bai Jiao said earnestly, "Thank you, ma'am, but I figure this stuff has a long shelf life. Even if we stockpile too much, we can just eat it slowly. Peace of mind is what's important."
The mother sighed and pointed to the discount section. "They have sale items over there. If you're really set on stockpiling, you should buy from that section. It's cheaper."
'That's right!' Bai Jiao had an epiphany.
'Dad and my brother are using rumors to get people to stockpile, but rational people won't believe them.'
'But a supermarket sale is different! If the discounts are massive, even the most rational person will go crazy!'
Overjoyed, she bowed deeply and grabbed the mother's hands. "Ma'am, you're brilliant! My god, you're a genius, a literary star incarnate!"
"Ah? Oh." The mother's limbs went stiff, taken aback by Bai Jiao's sudden burst of enthusiasm.
Ye Yunyun silently edged away from her aunt.
'Auntie is so weird. I really don't want to admit I know her.'
Bai Jiao turned around with a sinister laugh and scooped Ye Yunyun up.
'Little cub, you can't abandon your auntie. You have to be embarrassed right along with me!'
"It's alright, it's alright. You just keep shopping, little lady. I'll be going now," the mother said. By now, she also thought the student-like young woman was a bit odd.
Bai Jiao said, "Ma'am, to thank you for giving such a useful suggestion to a complete stranger, your groceries are on me today!"
The mother waved her hands dismissively. "No, no, that's too kind. I have a job, and you still look like a student. How could I take your money?"
She grabbed her son and tried to leave, while Bai Jiao did her best to memorize her face.
"Bai Jiao? What do you think you're doing now?" a shrill voice cut in.
A petite, middle-aged woman stood with her hands on her hips. "Now I see what they mean by 'favoring an outsider over your own family.' I never see you showing any respect to your aunt, but here you are, trying to treat a complete stranger."
Bai Jiao's face instinctively scrunched into a pained expression.
It was Third Aunt, an even more hopeless romantic than her Second Sister.
In college, she'd had a huge falling out with the family and eloped with some average guy, dropping out of school. The family elders had tried to support her husband, but while he was a master at sweet-talking women, he was completely useless when it came to his career. He was also a gambling addict and had gambled away Third Aunt's entire dowry.
Third Aunt didn't think her husband's gambling was a big deal; after all, the family was rich.
But the elders refused to give Third Aunt any more money, hoping she would see the error of her ways and come to her senses.
Still, Third Aunt refused to leave the man. Instead, she became incredibly stingy, often taking her children to relatives' houses to mooch off them. Her son and daughter both had timid, withdrawn personalities as a result.
"Third Aunt, if there's anything you like, just pick it out," Bai Jiao said quickly, wanting to get rid of this jinx.
Third Aunt's lips flapped even faster. "Do you take your Third Aunt for a fool? If I take it now, won't I be the one paying for it at the register?"
Bai Jiao took a deep breath. "Third Aunt, just give me a call when you're ready to check out, alright?"
'Third Aunt? I don't think this villain was in the plot... I think she was just cannon fodder who died pretty early on. And her children became zombies, I think.'
Bai Jiao breathed a sigh of relief. 'Good. Our Third Aunt is just an awful person with a broken brain, but her heart isn't evil.'
'Why does Third Aunt smell like Enchanting Fragrance? It's already seeped into her bones.'
'How is that fair! Even the Enchanting Fragrance has someone to carry on its legacy, but I have no descendants to burn joss paper for me!'
Third Aunt also noticed the little dumpling in Bai Jiao's arms. "Is this Bai Xi's daughter? She really is a little idiot, just stares blankly."
"And what about your parents? How did they raise her to run off with some white-collar worker? That guy... I could tell he was no good from a single glance. You all should really knock some sense into her."
Bai Jiao let out a dry laugh. 'The pot calling the kettle black. I can't believe I'm witnessing such a spectacle.'
'Hm? It seems Third Aunt is still lucid?'
Bai Jiao asked probingly, "Then what do you think of my Third Uncle-in-law?"
Third Aunt drifted into a sweet memory. "Him? He's as dependable as a god from the heavens. Whenever I'm tired, the moment I touch him, I feel filled with passion, like the blood is boiling in my veins."