Chapter 43: Super Mold 7
Today, I mainly went out to buy some seasonings.
Because everyone is more concerned about food that can fill their stomachs right now, not many people are buying seasonings.
The large supermarket in the Shopping Mall was still open, and Chu Yian chose it directly; it was close, had many varieties, and offered a wide range of items to buy.
After two days, the supermarket had changed drastically.
The original counters for fruits, vegetables, and meat had all been converted into display cases for food.
To accommodate more people, many shelves around the perimeter had been cleared out, and the food section had several surveillance cameras installed, practically providing 360-degree coverage without blind spots. Furthermore, there were uniformed police officers, holding batons, guarding both sides.
However, these well-protected counters were almost entirely empty.
Chu Yian glanced at these counters, labeled with ‘compressed biscuits,”sealed rice,’ and ‘instant noodles,’ several times, not understanding the point of protecting them. But she didn’t dwell on it; she was just there to buy some seasonings.
She pushed a small shopping cart, grabbed two of each type of seasoning, and then prepared to leave.
However, just then, a loud voice boomed, and its content made everyone perk up.
“Sealed rice is here, everyone make way!”
“The sealed rice has arrived, everyone clear the path, you can only take it once it’s on the shelves!”
“Queue up, pay attention!”
“Don’t just grab it, each person is limited to two catties of rice, which is one bag. If you take an extra bag, you won’t be able to take it home, so everyone behave!”
Several stout, middle-aged women stood in the middle of the supermarket, shouting into megaphones, fiercely reciting the rules, and holding thick sticks (presumably rolling pins) to deter those who tried to reach out.
Soon, they set up a ‘queue here’ sign at the front.
Chu Yian didn’t quite understand what was happening, but her body moved faster than her thoughts, and she immediately joined the back of the line. There were more than twenty people in front of her, but even more behind her.
Soon, it was her turn.
The woman glanced at her, then deftly tossed a bag of rice into her shopping cart.
The woman next to her looked at the person standing beside Chu Yian, then coldly said, “Those who have already taken cannot queue again, come back tomorrow.”
Some people still tried to break the rules and buy two portions of rice, but they were almost all caught. If they refused to follow the rules, the police officers nearby would step in.
Not long after, all the freshly brought out rice was sold out.
Those who didn’t get rice began to wail, some even kneeling before the saleswoman, begging her to spare them a bag. Others targeted those who had received rice, pestering them to sell or share some.
And as long as these customers didn’t do anything too extreme, the police officers nearby wouldn’t even intervene.
Chu Yian was also targeted by a middle-aged couple.
The woman looked very shrewd, her eyes darting around, then she ran towards her with a wolf-like, green-eyed gaze, “Little girl…”
How could Chu Yian stay put?
She quickly paid and headed for the supermarket exit, but the couple followed closely behind, “Little girl, don’t run, we’re not bad people.”
The woman reached out to grab Chu Yian (mainly trying to grab the bag she was carrying), but Chu Yian reacted quickly, dodging her hand and pulling out the utility knife she had won in a lottery from her jacket pocket.
“Don’t touch me, or I’ll stab you!”
Chu Yian’s eyes were fierce, a bluff.
The woman following her was startled and pulled her hand back, “Little girl, don’t misunderstand, we have no ill intentions following you…”
Chu Yian wouldn’t listen to her finish. If she had no ill intentions, why would she follow her? She simply saw her alone, a girl, and wanted the rice in her bag.
Too lazy to talk to her, she quickly ran off, leaving the couple stunned in place.
“How about we go back first and queue tomorrow?” the middle-aged man suggested, seeing this.
But the middle-aged woman refused to give up, “Queue for what? If you had been smarter just now and cut in line, would you have ended up with no rice? And how can you be so sure we’ll get a spot tomorrow? The family is almost starving, and the rice is right in front of us, hurry and chase her!”
“But she has a knife,” the man said timidly.
“That little knife can at most scratch the skin, do you believe everything she says? How strong can a little girl be? Grab her and snatch it, you call yourself a man!”
The middle-aged woman cursed her husband fiercely, then moved her legs to chase quickly. However, during their hesitation, they had already lost sight of her.
“It’s all your fault! The duck that was almost in our mouth flew away.”
The woman stood on the street with her hands on her hips, cursing without restraint, “Damn short-lived ghost, I curse all the things you buy to go moldy. Damn it, shameless, if you don’t starve to death, you’ll choke to death!
Short-lived ghost, money pit, dead slut, rotten person standing on the street!”
The woman’s curses carried over, making Chu Yian, who had already shaken them off and was about to leave, pause.
She looked at the six or seven boys, sixteen or seventeen years old, sitting outside the nearby park, seemingly idle while guarding the supermarket entrance.
“Hello, did you guys offend that couple?”
A group of young thugs, bored, perked up when they saw a beautiful girl approach. However, they were startled by her words, “What?”
“That couple over there.”
Chu Yian pointed to the middle-aged couple, who were actually only about fifty meters away, “They just cursed you as short-lived ghosts and rotten people standing on the street, so fierce. Did you guys offend that auntie?”
As she spoke, the couple also spotted her.
“Damn short-lived ghost, there she is!”
The couple jogged over, their aggressive demeanor immediately annoying the young men. They all gathered around the couple, blocking them, “Who the hell are you cursing?”
The couple looked at the several half-grown kids and sternly rebuked, “Get lost, you little brats!”
The young men had been half-skeptical before, but now they were genuinely being cursed.
“Damn you! How dare you curse us, I’ll beat you to death!”
An impulsive teenager kicked the middle-aged woman’s knee, making her fall to her knees and then lose her balance, face-planting.
“Wah! Assault! Help! A bunch of short-lived little beasts are assaulting someone!”
The woman lay on the ground wailing, while the middle-aged man timidly hid to the side, not even daring to speak. i
“Damn you!”
“That’s what you get for having a foul mouth.”
“You think you can mess with me? I’ll beat you to death…”
Several teenagers kicked her several more times, only running off when people started to gather.
Everyone nearby had heard how vicious the woman’s mouth was, so no one was willing to help her up. Even her husband hid far away. It took her a while to get up on her own.
However, a leopard never changes its spots; she started cursing again.
Cursing the boys from earlier, cursing her husband for being useless, cursing her own wretched and difficult life… Her wails followed her all the way.
