Chapter Sixteen: Why Are You Looking at Me?

The soda crackers in her hand were family-sized—a generous portion—and they were being offered together with sugar, a valuable source of energy. Instantly, some people grew restless with desire. Yet others hesitated, pondering whether it was wise to trade a gold bracelet for some biscuits and drinks if the freeze were to end in a few days.

Linda still wanted to bargain, but suddenly someone interjected. "I'll trade! Give them to me, please!"

A beautiful woman dashed out from a corner, slipping a gold chain off her wrist as she hurried over. After a moment's thought, she also removed her ring. "I don't have a bracelet, but this ring is quite heavy, and with the chain, it should be equivalent to a bracelet," the woman said, gazing at Jiang Huan with hopeful eyes.

"Ms. Wu, I brought Miss Jiang in to make this trade. What you’re doing is rather inappropriate, isn’t it?" Linda signaled with her eyes, and immediately a tall, imposing man stepped forward, as if to pull Ms. Wu away.

Jiang Huan raised her hand to stop him. "When you invited me in, you never said I could only trade with you. I accept her offer. If you have something I’m interested in, I still have instant noodles in my bag for trade."

Linda fell silent. No one knew what she was thinking in that brief pause, while the tall man stood by, waiting for her decision. It wasn’t until Linda saw Jiang Huan’s sleeve twitch that she realized—of course! Jiang Huan might appear naïve, easily convinced to accompany her into the hotel after a few words, but think about it: would a woman, traveling with a frail younger brother and daring to venture out in times like these, really be so gullible?

Glancing at the baseball bat Jiang Xi gripped tightly and recalling the recent presence of the military, Linda hesitated for a long moment but ultimately decided not to break the rules over a pack of instant noodles.

"Alright, I understand. I was just anxious earlier," she conceded.

With Linda’s approval, the man released Ms. Wu, who looked displeased but, focused on the exchange, quickly handed over the chain and ring. Jiang Huan handed her the crackers and a bag of sugar in return.

Ms. Wu immediately clutched them to her chest and hurried upstairs, with a few others trailing behind for a few steps.

Jiang Huan paid no attention to what happened next; the moment the trade was complete, the transaction was over.

Linda led Jiang Huan to the kitchen, but she showed no interest in the various utensils. Linda had no choice but to bring out items she might fancy: assorted gold jewelry—earrings, plain gold tail rings, necklaces with platinum chains and gold pendants, origins unknown.

Gathering over four hundred grams in total, Jiang Huan left behind a five-pack of instant noodles.

By the time she left the hotel, her backpack was nearly empty, but as she neared her apartment complex, it grew full again.

It was not that it refilled itself; Jiang Huan had simply stashed away some crackers, instant noodles, spare gas canisters for the portable stove, and now carried an extra bag containing the stove and a large block of frozen meat.

When she reached the entrance to her building, she noticed that the old security booth had been modified to fit a person for a proper shift. Spotting her return, the person inside, seemingly unfazed by the cold, leaned out.

"Miss Jiang, did you find all these yourself?"

What a question, she thought.

"Yes, most shops in the city have already been picked over, but we were lucky to come across a few things," Jiang Huan replied simply, then entered her building.

She had only just set her supplies out when someone knocked on the door.

Jiang Huan frowned. Had she not told everyone not to come above the fifteenth floor without good reason?

She opened the door with a blank expression. Standing outside was a rather unfamiliar face—a young woman with a princess-cut hairstyle, still youthful and quite polite.

"Hello, big sister. I live on the eighteenth floor of the building next door. My name is Wanwan. I saw you return with supplies today and wanted to ask—when will you go out next? Could you take me with you? Or, perhaps, could I trade for some food? Oh, and I don’t expect something for nothing. I bought some camping gear for a trip I was planning this summer."

As she spoke, she produced a moisture-proof mat and a multi-tool knife—her sincerity evident.

Jiang Huan asked what she wanted in exchange.

"Sugar, salt, or instant noodles. If you have any cola, that would be even better," Wanwan replied.

Still craving cola at a time like this—she must be a true cola enthusiast.

"I can give you two packs of instant noodles, a bag of sugar, and a bag of salt. I’ll take all your items," Jiang Huan said.

Wanwan was delighted, immediately handing everything over and then waiting eagerly. Seeing her trembling from the cold yet politely standing at the door, Jiang Huan quickly passed her the agreed goods and, on a whim, added two pieces of ginger.

"If you need to, chop it up and boil it with sugar. Next time, I’ll suggest to Mr. Wu that we form a group for outings. Keep an eye out for any disturbances outside."

Wanwan’s eyes instantly filled with tears. She wiped them away quickly and thanked her through the tears.

No one else came upstairs after that.

Jiang Huan and her brother enjoyed soft meat floss bread and hot cocoa, their bodies warmed. One of them powered the elliptical trainer for electricity, the other rummaged for weapons and familiarized himself with their use.

Jiang Huan began by training her agility and flexibility, warming up for forty minutes, then using a pear-shaped punching ball for dodge practice, a sandbag for hacking motions, and finally bringing out a crossbow to practice her aim.

Thwack!

Just at the edge of the target.

Thwack!

Still at the edge.

On her third, fourth, and who knows how many attempts, she finally found the right feel and began consistently landing near the bullseye.

Finding both shooting and hacking to her liking, she decided to practice both—one can never have too many skills.

Jiang Xi wanted to try as well, so Jiang Huan gave him a children’s set to start with.

Afterwards, she took a deck of cards downstairs to the apartment where electricity was being supplied, only to find the door tightly shut, with traces of blood at the threshold.

She knocked, and only after a long while did someone inside respond, "Who is it?"

"I was here earlier to queue—I drew half of the ten of hearts. I went back for a bit, and when I returned, the door was closed. May I still charge my batteries?"

After some discussion inside, someone peered through the gap and, recognizing her as the slender girl from that morning, let her in.

"Charging will take a while; it’s too cold to wait outside," the hostess said, pouring her some hot water—a more than gracious welcome.

Awkward as it was to sit in silence, the hostess—perhaps unintentionally—brought up the morning’s events.

"It was chaos this morning. Two people insisted on cutting in line, wanting to charge their batteries first to try to contact their relatives. Tempers flared, and they ended up fighting. The one who was cut in line got so angry he knocked out the other’s front teeth—hence the blood."

"Did Mr. Wu Gang step in?"

"He did. He took all three troublemakers away, but later let the one who’d been cut return to collect his power bank. It’s good to have someone keeping order, so things don’t fall apart completely."

Clearly, the hostess thought well of Wu Gang.

Jiang Huan waited over an hour; as the family was about to have dinner, both her power banks were charged, so she took them and headed back to her building. On the way, she saw a child speaking with Wu Gang. Wu Gang looked troubled, but upon seeing Jiang Huan, he pointed her out.

Jiang Huan was puzzled.

The child glanced back, seeming to wrestle with some inner dilemma, then bit his lip and walked over.