Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Gratifying Results
Nearby, there was also a shipping container of cloth toys, crafts, and other items.
Xie Ning didn’t think they were of much use, but under her mother’s expectant gaze, she waved her hand and stored them anyway.
Moving to the other side, she stored three shipping containers of baby formula, two of infant and toddler supplies, and one of children’s toys. The girl’s face was practically scrunched into a knot.
She stared speechlessly at her mom, who wanted to take absolutely everything. "Let’s not take those! It’s a waste of Space."
"It’s not a waste! How could this be a waste? After the apocalypse, all of these will be scarce resources. You never know, they might be useful later!"
Xie Ning retorted mercilessly, "It’s good enough just to be alive. Who would bother raising a troublesome little thing like a child?"
’Not only are they a hassle, but they also drag you down!’
Xie Ning’s mom glanced at her daughter in silence, then shoved a case of baby bottles into her arms. "Store these properly. Don’t let them go to waste!"
Then, she went on to open and collect about six more shipping containers of rice, flour, and other food staples nearby.
As the two of them were heading toward the last row of shipping containers, they heard a woman’s short, sharp scream from up ahead, mingled with the sound of a dog barking, "WOOF WOOF!"
The mother and daughter exchanged a glance and quickened their pace, running toward the back.
There were fifteen shipping containers in the last row. Xie Ning opened one and peeked inside, her face immediately lighting up with a joyous surprise.
’Now this is the real prize.’
It was all canned goods—all sorts of them.
The canned fruits included yellow peaches, strawberries, grapes, oranges, fruit cocktail, and more.
The variety of canned meat was even greater. There were several types of luncheon meat alone, not to mention braised pork with preserved vegetables, pork ham, beef, and mutton—a complete spread.
Among the canned vegetables, the most common items were various chili sauces, along with canned corn and canned salad greens.
The rest were cans of salmon, sardines, and the like.
All fifteen shipping containers were filled with canned goods. Xie Ning felt like she’d struck it rich by stumbling upon a hidden treasure, and the joy was written all over both of their faces.
The production date on the cans was early August of this year, with a shelf life ranging from six months to two years.
They were practically fresh off the line—perfect.
This time, Ningning didn’t need her mother’s prompting. With a wave of her hand, she took every last one.
Her little Space now held three rows of shipping containers, each row a stack of fifteen, forming three towering mountains.
The sight of her bountiful haul was deeply satisfying.
Her little Space wasn’t completely full; there was still about twenty square meters of empty ground in the middle, ready for any other supplies she might need to store.
Xie Ning’s mom was beaming. "This should be enough to last us until the end of the year, right?"
’Seriously? Does she have no idea how long this will last? We could probably live off this for three to five years, no problem.’
’Mom’s expression and tone right now are just like some smug villain gloating over their loot.’
"I bet the stuff on those dozen or so cargo ships at the docks is just as much, if not more, than what we’ve gathered."
"Let’s head back and let Xiao Gu and the others know. What do you say we bring Tai Xian and come back with the main group tomorrow to scavenge whatever’s left?"
Song You’ai nodded with a straight face. "I think that’s an excellent idea. Let’s head back right now."
Xie Ning grinned, found a clear space, and pulled the RV out of a shipping container.
Xie Ning’s mom walked a circle around the RV, not forgetting to grab a few boxes of rice scattered beside it and load them aboard.
Fully loaded, the mother and daughter headed for home.
As they drove past a row of shipping containers that had been blocking their view, they saw a man with a cleaver, hacking wildly at several zombies.
Two were already on the ground. One had its arms and legs severed, leaving just a torso that was still trying to crawl.
The woman in the other car was frantically turning the wheel, trying to reverse. The car lurched and stuttered, nearly colliding with the RV Song You’ai was driving.
Xie Ning finished off the twitching, crawling zombie on the ground with a single Metal Spike, then glanced at the woman in the driver’s seat.
In the passenger seat next to the woman sat a white Bichon Frise, its fluffy head groomed into a small, round poof.
It was wagging its tail nervously, occasionally letting out a "WOOF WOOF!" at the scene outside the window.
Xie Ning gave them a look. Song You’ai stomped on the gas, and the RV scraped right past the rear of the woman’s car, speeding away without a second glance.
The woman quickly scooped up the little dog from the passenger seat and tried to soothe it, her face a mask of astonishment as she turned to watch Xie Ning and her mother drive away.
"Honey! Honey, they just... left."
By now, her husband had finally managed to cut down the remaining zombies and was panting heavily, gasping for air.
The man opened the car door, but the woman waved him away in disgust. "Don’t get in yet! Take off your jacket and throw it away. It’s covered in zombie blood and... bits of organs. It’s so disgusting."
With an angry look, the man took off his jacket. But instead of throwing it away as she’d demanded, he tossed it directly into the back seat.
The woman, holding her dog, pinched her nose. "It stinks! Why didn’t you throw it away?"
"If I throw it away, where am I going to find another jacket?!" the man growled, glaring at her impatiently. "Just hurry up. Where are those canned goods you were talking about?"
The woman pouted and drove forward.
As they drove, she saw several more felled zombies and her face twisted in anger. "Hah! That mother and daughter are real pieces of work. They could have easily finished off all the zombies, but they just had to leave a few for us. I bet they got a real kick out of watching us struggle."
The man’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t respond to her comment.
He could now see that the area ahead was completely empty. The few large shipping containers there were wide open, their contents gone.
"What is this?!" the woman’s sharp voice shrieked. "Impossible! The company’s shipping manifest clearly stated there were fifteen shipping containers of goods here."
"Where did it all go? Don’t tell me someone beat us to it and hauled it all away?"
"Maybe you remembered the location wrong!" the man roared, his face contorted with anger.
Coming all this way for nothing was incredibly frustrating.
The two of them jumped out of the car and searched the area.
They didn’t find any canned meat, but they did find a few boxes of rice and flour scattered next to a truck, which improved their mood slightly.
Xie Ning and her mother had no idea that the couple had come specifically for the canned goods in those shipping containers.
The pair, their haul bountiful, drove the RV home in high spirits.
Xie Ning pulled out a carton of soy milk, opened it, and took a sip. "Mom, want to do a face mask tonight?"
Song You’ai couldn’t help but smile. "With all these fancy-brand masks we have, why not? I’ve been so busy lately, my skin has definitely gotten too rough."
Xie Ning touched her own face. It felt no different from before the apocalypse.
Just as the mother and daughter were laughing and chatting, they heard several blood-curdling screams from the side of the road.
A woman’s shrill voice cried out, "Jia Bao! Jia Bao, quick, run!"
"Mom! Mommy!"
They turned to look and saw several people scrambling up a nearby slope. In their panic, a plastic bag one of them was carrying fell to the ground. The drinks inside—milk tea, green tea, soda—clattered and rolled everywhere.
"AHH!" The group scrambled in a panic toward a car parked on the side of the road.
Xie Ning’s mom pointed ahead. "Isn’t that Song Xue?"
Screaming "Auntie!" Song Xue yanked on the car door handle, trying to squeeze inside.
Her legs were still dangling outside as the car lurched forward and started to drive away unsteadily.
"Mom! Mom!" Song Zhaodi shrieked pitifully. She tripped while chasing after the car, tumbling to the ground and getting a face full of dust.
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