"If your child really won't eat any vegetables or fruit," the pharmacist said, "then I'd recommend these two multivitamin tablets. We also have these vitamin gummies—they're quite popular."
Faced with the pharmacist's enthusiastic recommendations, Chu Yian took them all.
"I'll take ten packs of each," she said.
In no time, the medicines were bagged up.
Besides vitamins, Chu Yian also bought cold medicine, painkillers, and wound clotting agents.
Even though this wasn't a plague-themed round, she couldn't forget the chaos in the last game, when fights broke out outside the villa, and people were even killed.
With everything purchased, she finally prepared to head back.
A rickety tricycle in front of a luxury residential complex looked completely out of place.
If Chu Yian hadn't already become a familiar face to the security guard over the past two days, she'd never have gotten in.
"Hey, little sis, what's with the trike this early in the morning?"
The guard raised an eyebrow at her.
"Ugh, don't even ask."
Chu Yian saw her chance and put on a dramatic act.
"The supermarket was packed. I couldn't even squeeze in.
I just moved in recently, and stocked up on food, right?
Rice, noodles, veggies—all spoiled.
Now I'm living off instant noodles and crackers. This whole thing's driving me nuts."
Her performance was so convincing, the guard looked genuinely sympathetic.
"Well, at least you managed to buy something. Still, who would've thought we'd see a food shortage in this day and age?"
"Oh, this isn't food."
Chu Yian opened her bag to show him the medicine boxes.
"I've been sickly since I was a kid. These are just regular meds I always keep on hand."
"Ah, I see."
The guard gave her small frame a glance—no wonder she wasn't tall.
He felt even more sorry for her.
After chatting with the guard, Chu Yian parked the trike downstairs and jogged back to her building.
On the way, she passed a few grandpas and aunties hauling food, even whole families returning from frantic shopping trips.
Everyone had bags bursting with supplies.
Compared to them, Chu Yian's tiny figure with just a couple of bags looked pathetic.
But once she got home and opened her treasure chest, she was feeling a lot better.
She boiled water, cleaned everything, and began disinfecting her food items.
Her haul today included:
15 packs of instant noodles
8 boxes of self-heating rice meals
4 boxes of mini hotpots
3 cans of canned peaches
5 cans of spicy fermented fish
These were all new additions to her already limited supply room.
She didn't dare leave anything out—everything was neatly arranged inside the fridge.
She didn't even bother separating frozen from refrigerated. At this point, anything that fit inside was good enough.
To prevent mold from spreading, she made it a rule: only take out what she'd eat right away.
She also kept a logbook to record everything. So far, her supplies were:
Filling foods: 35 packs of instant noodles, 8 boxes of rice meals, 4 mini hotpots, 17 compressed biscuits
Quick energy boosts: 24 pieces of chocolate, 24 Snickers bars
Snacks: 3 cans of canned peaches
Other: 5 cans of spicy fish
Supplements: 20 boxes of vitamin tablets, 10 boxes of vitamin gummies
If she stuck to one pack of instant noodles a day and mixed in the rest, she probably wouldn't starve.
But she couldn't afford to gamble—if mold destroyed her stash later, she'd be in serious trouble.
After all her spending, she still had about 35,000 currency left.
And what now?
Stock up even more, of course.
Chu Yian grabbed a bowl to eat before heading out again.
Out of habit, she turned on the news.
"Hello viewers, this is your trusted news network. We interrupt our broadcast to bring you a breaking bulletin."
"A large number of households have reported widespread food spoilage and mold contamination.
There are rumors suggesting a possible leak of a super mold strain from a lab in Country X, which may trigger a major food crisis.
The government would like to clarify the following points:"
"First, the presence of a so-called 'super mold' has not been confirmed. Experts attribute the food spoilage to unusually high rainfall this monsoon season, combined with poor moisture control by sellers and consumers."
"Second, our country holds the second-largest grain reserves in the world, with over 102 national granaries, enough to feed the entire population for over a year."
"In short—there is no food crisis. Do not spread or believe rumors."
This official debunking came like a balm for thousands of anxious families.
But Chu Yian?
She saw an opportunity.
Now that people thought everything was fine, half the crowd would stop panic-buying.
Sure, it wasn't the most ethical move, but desperate times called for desperate strategies.
She boiled some water—didn't even put in the noodles—
just grabbed a Snickers and ate while jogging downstairs.
"Hey, back out again already, little sis?"
The guard waved as she passed.
"Something's up at my shop," she shouted, hopping onto the trike.
She pedaled so hard the pedals practically sparked.
The guard watched her go, dumbfounded.
"She's not that frail if she can move that fast…"
She made it to the supermarket!
There were fewer people now compared to the morning.
No long lines—but the place was still crammed.
Worse, the food aisles were completely cleaned out.
All that remained were condiments—and one bag of white sugar mixed in with the salt.
Sugar?!
Chu Yian's eyes lit up. She grabbed it instantly, hiding it under other seasonings like oil and salt to keep it from getting snatched.
Just one pack of sugar—normally worth 2 yuan—
and she'd gone through so much effort to get it.
Today's supermarket haul:
One bag of sugar and a bunch of useless condiments.
But Chu Yian didn't let it get to her.
She knew things were bad, and she didn't let a poor haul ruin her mood.
She tucked everything into her treasure chest, then pedaled even farther from her neighborhood.
Eventually, she stumbled upon… a wet market?!
The moment she stepped in, a nauseating stench nearly knocked her out.
The market was deserted.
Rotten vegetables and animal guts littered the floor.
Thick mold covered everything.
Just taking a breath felt like getting punched in the soul.
Chu Yian almost turned around and left—
but then, she spotted a lone shop still open deep inside…