Chapter Fourteen: Passing by the Courier Station

Before the world was frozen, a trip like this would have taken just two hours, but now, without at least six hours to spare, it was impossible to finish. She turned to see Jiang Xi still pedaling away. The child had likely found something new to do, and since she had told him that generating electricity could be used to heat the home, he was caught up in it and couldn't stop for the time being. Worried that he would keep at it even after she left, Jiang Huan called her brother over.

"I'm planning to find a time in the next couple of days to drive out and look for supplies. Do you want to come with me?"

"Yes!" Jiang Xi’s eyes sparkled.

Well, she had expected that answer. Her brother was just a bit different from other kids, not incapable of thinking things through. She started preparing a set of gear for him, inside and out, suitable for traveling in the bitter cold.

She was only waiting for the temperatures to stabilize into a strangely steady state in the coming days before taking him out, but there were still things that needed to be made clear.

"If you get out of the car with me, you have to stick quietly by my side. You can’t wander off alone. If you’re waiting in the car, unless I call you to open the door, you mustn’t open it. Understand? No matter if you see someone fall down, faint, or even bleeding, it could all be a trap set by bad people. We can’t let ourselves be fooled!"

Jiang Xi paused. Not even if someone’s bleeding? If he fell and bled even a little, it would really hurt. But what his sister said was the most important thing in the world. "Okay!"

With her brother being so obedient, Jiang Huan laid out a big spread for lunch. The food was from a Cantonese tea restaurant. Craving something with a kick, she served up a bowl of about five pounds of spicy crayfish. After Jiang Xi had eaten his fill, he came to help his sister shell the crayfish, threading the red meat onto bamboo skewers—a tasty and satisfying snack.

Another night passed. As the sun climbed, the temperature slowly rose from over minus forty to about minus thirty degrees. Though still low, some people could now let their fires go out, head downstairs to share the communal charcoal brazier, or take a walk to get some exercise.

Jiang Huan grabbed some sesame balls and water chestnut cakes—Cantonese breakfast treats—and ate with her brother. Suddenly, the loudspeaker downstairs blared again. It was Wu Gang, his voice as booming as ever.

He brought good news: among the survivors they had taken in, there was an electrician who’d brought a full set of tools from home. Now, anyone with a battery could trade food or drinks for a charge—power banks included.

This caused a stir among people whose phones had been dead for days. Standing by the stairs, it was easy to see everyone heading down, clearly ready to make trades.

Jiang Huan thought she might as well join in, so she grabbed a bag of bread and a bottle of mineral water, and went with her brother to Building Three to see what was happening.

The bread was from her automatic bread maker. She always shaped it into odd forms after baking, tossing it into bags so it looked unremarkable. There was no helping it—taking out soft, fresh bread wasn’t exactly a wise move.

On the way down, they ran into Wang Ping. When he saw Jiang Huan and her brother, he greeted them. Seeing that his sister wasn’t wary, Jiang Xi plucked up his courage and nodded at him, but he still couldn't bring himself to shake hands, hug, or start a conversation with a stranger.

“I’m hoping to trade for two fully charged power banks, but with so many people, who knows when I’ll get them back,” Wang Ping said.

Jiang Huan replied, “Better than having none. If someone’s maintaining the network, maybe we can even get some new information.”

The three of them headed outside, the cold wind making them want to lie down where they stood. The ground had been cleared the previous day, but refrozen overnight, making walking treacherous. With little else to say, they soon arrived at Building Three.

There was already a line. That household had taken in a dozen people to wait inside, with plenty more waiting outside. The homeowner was fiddling with the equipment; his two kids, both around ten, were handling registrations and collecting goods. At first, the wife was also counting supplies, but seeing the crowd grow, she simply tore a deck of cards into ten or so pieces and handed them out, saying only those with cards could get their devices charged that afternoon; the rest would have to come back tomorrow.

Jiang Huan got a ten of hearts. Learning she’d have to come back in the afternoon didn’t bother her; she took her brother and left. At the entrance, Wu Gang’s men were patrolling. Clearly, after yesterday, he had successfully asserted his authority and had become the de facto manager of Xingcheng Community.

“Miss Jiang, are you heading out?” Wu Gang asked politely.

Jiang Huan nodded. “Just going for a walk nearby. Noon is probably the warmest part of the day.”

Wu Gang let them through and reminded them to come back early—there were no weather forecasts these days, and any sudden change would catch them off guard.

“Thank you, Mr. Wu.”

Hand in hand, Jiang Huan and her brother walked slowly away. Many people noticed them leaving the complex, but with the bitter cold, no one had the energy to follow. Soon, everyone else went back inside.

After walking about a hundred meters, they turned a corner and slipped behind a cracked building.

Although modern concrete included new materials that made buildings less vulnerable to low temperatures, houses built before these advances couldn’t withstand the cold.

Minus thirty degrees had left many old buildings on the verge of collapse. Still, she was just cutting through to another street, not stopping.

Xingcheng Community was on the city outskirts. A few hundred meters inward, shops began to appear—a few small supermarkets and some logistics companies were the first things Jiang Huan saw.

She decided immediately to start with the logistics and collect the parcels.

Approaching a logistics store that was still locked, she took out her crowbar and got to work. With a few creaks, the rolling door opened. She pushed it up and found a glass door behind it. Using a pair of high-strength pliers collected from a hardware store, she snipped the chain lock. With a metallic clang, the chain fell away, and Jiang Huan brandished her pliers, alert for any signs of life.

But all was silent and empty.

She remained cautious, instructing her brother to stand in a corner. She pulled the rolling door down to about knee height before heading to the counter. Behind it were only computers and ledgers—nothing of value. She moved on to the back, a space of about thirty square meters, where parcels were neatly arranged—she estimated there were well over a hundred.

No matter what was inside, she put them all into her storage space, keeping only two light ones to carry in her backpack. Then she headed upstairs for a quick scan. It was a half-warehouse, half-living area; she swept up anything useful and all remaining parcels, finishing in under a minute.

She handed the backpack to her brother and repeated the process at a second courier station. This shop was bigger, with many parcels piled up right inside the entrance. The warehouse behind even had a small delivery vehicle, which she stored away—she’d use it to drive back to the complex later.

At the most expensive courier company, the number of packages was staggering—several thousand, some clearly containing fruit or rice by their packaging. She took them all, including the undelivered parcels in the back storeroom. But as she was about to head upstairs, Jiang Huan felt a change in temperature.

Someone was upstairs!

Definitely someone!

She quietly retreated, then took her brother outside, making sure they both put on thick masks. Before leaving, she locked the door behind them.