Chapter Nine: The Property Management Organizes a Firewood Gathering Trip

[Explosion-proof glass, capable of blocking temperature damage below one hundred degrees or above minus one hundred degrees; shatters into harmless granules.]
Ah, this is a treasure! She took it out and set it aside for emergencies.

[Twelve pieces of grade-one raw timber, burns fiercely, each log lasts forty-eight hours, produces low smoke, odorless and non-toxic.]
Excellent! This is good, too!

[A folding sun umbrella, shields from high temperatures below one hundred degrees, reduces temperature under the umbrella by thirty percent.]
The third one isn’t bad either. After labeling it, she put it away.

The fourth box: [Compressed fuel tank, a fifteen-inch three-dimensional container, comes with fifty tons of gasoline, refillable with the same capacity, can connect to any vehicle through a control port.]
“Damn! This is a big deal!” Jiang Huan blurted out, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

She had been worrying about the limited stores of gasoline and diesel. Now, not only did she get a compressed fuel tank, but it could be connected to any vehicle. She mounted it directly onto the heavy-duty RV, the most fuel-consuming of all the vehicles she had collected.

At last, she opened the medium-sized box she’d been looking forward to.

[Screaming chicken toy, can continuously emit chicken screams for one hundred and twenty hours.]
Jiang Huan: …

Is this the law of conservation of luck at work?

Never mind, she opened a small box next.

[Portable constant-temperature kettle, maintains liquid at set temperature for forty-eight hours, can keep ice water cold.]
[Automatic bread maker, add flour and ingredients, can bake more than ten varieties of bread.]
[Two hundred and fifty kilograms of aromatic long-grain rice.]
[Ten kilograms of beef jerky.]

Although these things were merely satisfactory, they were still useful. Jiang Huan opened the last box.

[Potent cough syrup, strengthens spleen and moistens lungs, no side effects, 500ml.]

Wonderful! She finally got what she needed most!

Without hesitation, Jiang Huan measured out the dosage as per the instructions and gave it to Jiang Xi to drink.

Almost as soon as it touched his lips, a wave of minty aroma cleared Jiang Xi’s stuffy nose instantly. His mouth tingled with a peppery heat, yet his breath felt fresh, and he no longer coughed or wheezed.

Jiang Xi’s eyes rounded in astonishment: “I’m cured!”

Jiang Huan let out a deep sigh of relief, collapsing onto the sofa.

Still concerned for Jiang Xi’s health, Jiang Huan didn’t prepare anything extravagant for dinner. She made a simple meat porridge, stir-fried vegetables for Jiang Xi, and for herself, two chive turnovers with a couple of pickled vegetable buns—fluffy, hot, the filling refreshing against the rich flavors, the turnovers fragrant. Both ate until they were full.

The night passed, and the temperature seemed to drop a little; the wind eased. Downstairs, the sound of a loudspeaker echoed once more.

But this time, it wasn’t someone delivering supplies or survivors seeking shelter.

It was the last three members of the property management team, rallying the residents to save themselves.

“Residents, residents, the community generator is confirmed to be beyond repair, water won’t be coming either. Now, only if we unite can we survive this ordeal. Each household must send one person downstairs to break ice and chop wood.”

Burning wood to melt ice, breaking ice to clear paths—one had to admit, the property staff here were truly dutiful.

But after four or five calls, not a single person responded—only the cold wind answered them.

The next moment, another man grabbed the loudspeaker.

“Listen up, everyone in Star City Community! The only reason we’re still maintaining order is because we’re kind-hearted. We know you can hear us, so stop hiding upstairs like turtles. I’m telling you, those who come down to help will get their fair share of ice and firewood to take home and use. If you don’t show up, well, you can starve or die of thirst for all we care! Last time I’ll say this: those who join in will get shares of any water and fuel we find. Those who don’t, freeze or thirst to death—it’s none of our business! Don’t count on any outside organizations to save you. If you want to live, you can only rely on yourselves!”

The rougher, thunderous voice boomed so loudly Jiang Huan guessed all six buildings in the complex could hear it.

A scuffle followed, the sound of two people struggling for the loudspeaker—one the gentle persuader, the other a wild beast.

With the curses echoing outside, the group chat, which had been quiet for a while, flared with anger. People cursed Wu Gang for his lack of manners, venting all their pent-up fear onto him.

Yet some, seeing reality clearly, began heading downstairs. Jiang Huan thought for a moment, then decisively dressed, layering herself with heat pads, grabbed a kitchen knife, and headed out.

Jiang Xi, sometimes still coughing, she dared not let him go—she pressed him to stay home and gave him the constant-temperature kettle.

“Hey, girl, over here!” Liu Ling greeted Jiang Huan enthusiastically when she saw her. “Why’d you bring a kitchen knife?”

“Aren’t we supposed to chop trees?” Jiang Huan asked on purpose.

“What are you going to chop with a kitchen knife? Ha, you’ve never worked in the countryside, have you? Look, the property staff prepared tools in the corner.”

Just as Jiang Huan settled beside her, a man with a dangerous look in his eyes arrived, clearly irritated. “Why are there so few people? Weren’t there twenty-eight households, and with the survivors, more than a hundred seventy people?”

Gathered at the property office were only sixteen, half of them later arrivals.

“Tch, at a time like this, and still hoping for luck,” the man sneered, then addressed the nine in front of him sternly. “I’m Wu Gang, security for the property management. Originally, we were going to split into two teams to collect water and fuel, but for now we’ll focus on firewood. The countryside is only a ten-minute drive away. Everyone, take your tools and get in the truck—we’ll cut dead branches and come back in four hours.”

“So, what we chop, we get to keep?” a man of about forty asked.

Wu Gang glanced at him. “If you drive yourself and don’t use our fuel or tools, of course, no one cares how much you collect.”

The middle-aged man, stung, looked around for support but found none. He could only grit his teeth and keep quiet.

“Alright, enough talk—grab your tools and get in the truck.”

Wu Gang and the man and woman beside him distributed the tools, all three shivering in the cold.

Jiang Huan yawned; with a blink, her eyelashes threatened to freeze. She quickly dabbed them with a tissue.

“This one’s yours,” Wu Gang handed her a crosscut saw, pairing her with Liu Ling. Clearly, he was looking out for the women.

But Jiang Huan had other plans. She didn’t want to work closely with anyone.

“Give me an axe or a spade. I’m strong.”

No sooner had she spoken than a lanky young man hurried over, eager to swap.

“Great! I’ll team up with this beauty on the saw. You take the axe.”

Wu Gang frowned but, seeing Jiang Huan had already taken the axe, let her be.

Once everyone had a tool, they climbed onto the truck, its tires wrapped with snow chains, and headed for the outskirts.

Upon arrival, Wu Gang instructed: gather whatever wood you can—cut or pick it up. “Don’t wander too far. I’ll blow the whistle in four hours. Start collecting firewood now.”

He seemed to have a military background, his tone crisp and commands efficient.