Chapter 416 - 406: Meeting
Chapter 416: Chapter 406: Meeting
Xu Yin’s home had a massive double-door refrigerator, and there was even a chest freezer next to it.
Tang Mo nodded in approval, thoroughly pleased with the large refrigerator and freezer.
But when she opened the refrigerator, Tang Mo’s smile froze.
Inside the huge refrigerator were only a few boxes of imported fruit. The door held some sauces and drinks, a far cry from the image Tang Mo had of it being packed to the brim with food.
She opened the freezer; it was also completely empty.
’What in the world are these two behemoths even doing in this house? Are they just for decoration?’ Tang Mo wondered.
In truth, Tang Mo didn’t know that the double-door refrigerator had been single-handedly chosen by the designer during renovations. As for the large freezer...
That story started with Mr. Xu. Xu Yin’s father, whose full name was Xu Jinsan, had once encountered a salesman at his company. Normally, the salesman wouldn’t have been able to get into the president’s office.
But as luck would have it, Xu Jinsan, who was just about to head out, ran right into him. Seeing the salesman’s woeful expression, he couldn’t help but ask a few questions.
Unexpectedly, the salesman, upon finally finding a sympathetic ear, immediately put his acting Talent to use and began a tearful performance.
Xu Jinsan was moved beyond words and ordered ten of the salesman’s products on the spot.
Which happened to be those freezers.
But there was simply nowhere to put ten freezers. He had no choice but to store some at the company, give some away to clients, and even use freezers as prizes for the year-end raffle.
When he still couldn’t get rid of the last one, he had to leave it at home for Xu Yin to freeze popsicles in.
Everyone at the company knew President Xu’s personality. Fearing that future year-end bonuses would consist of more of these dreadful appliances, they treated every salesman like a terrifying monster, never letting them get within a hundred meters of the company.
It was a mystery how President Xu, with his soft-hearted nature, managed to support such a large enterprise. The fact that he hadn’t donated it all away or been scammed out of it was already a miracle.
Tang Mo shook her head as she looked at the two empty behemoths. She finally had a chance to eat fresh meat and vegetables again. There was no way she would let her quality of life be dragged down.
Just as Tang Mo was shaking her head at the refrigerator, Xu Jinsan and his wife, Zhang Qing, returned.
The loving couple walked arm in arm, carrying a small bag of vegetables—tonight’s dinner, it seemed.
The Xu family had a maid, but none of the three were lazy or enjoyed being waited on. Moreover, since Xu Jinsan and his wife were so easygoing, the maid often took leave to go back to her village to see her children.
The maid had once again taken three days off, so after work, Xu Jinsan had gone with his wife to buy groceries for the day, as was their habit.
Looking at that small bag of vegetables and meat, Tang Mo finally understood why the refrigerator was so empty. ’So this couple only ever buys one day’s worth of groceries at a time? That won’t do. I won’t allow it!’
"Dad, Mom, I saw on the news today that another large batch of crops and livestock has died for unknown reasons. Things aren’t very stable lately. Should we maybe stock up on some food?"
Tang Mo said it outright, since the news reports were plain for all to see.
"Yes, when your mom and I went out just now, we also felt the air quality had gotten worse again. I don’t know what’s going on..."
Xu Jinsan sighed as he put down the groceries. The changes in the environment were something everyone could feel.
"Our daughter is right. We should stock up on some food,"
Mrs. Xu said, holding her husband’s hand. Food prices were skyrocketing, but because Xu Jinsan and his wife never paid attention to prices when they went shopping, they had never even considered stockpiling.
After all, even if prices went up, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t as if they couldn’t afford it.
But now that their daughter had suggested it, the couple immediately nodded in agreement.
’Even though we don’t really think it’s necessary,’ they thought. ’Maybe the environment will get better in a few days. Wouldn’t all that stockpiled food be less than fresh by then?’
They were used to eating fresh fruits and vegetables and weren’t short on money, so they saw no need to hoard anything.
But their daughter had brought it up, and the couple never disagreed with their daughter’s requests. It was just buying a few more things, right? As long as their daughter was happy, that was all that mattered.
Tang Mo saw the doting affection in the couple’s eyes and sighed inwardly once again.
’No wonder Xu Yin’s lingering attachment was so deep. Even at the very end, she never blamed her parents.’
’Xu Yin’s parents were simply foolish, but their love for their daughter was real and practically overflowing.’
"You two just got back, you should rest. I’ll go."
Tang Mo put on her coat and a mask, getting ready to head out.
"Aren’t we stockpiling? Yinyin, you can’t carry it all by yourself. Mom and Dad will go with you."
Worried their daughter would overexert herself, Xu Jinsan and his wife hurriedly started to put their just-removed coats back on.
"There’s no need, Mom and Dad. You two get some rest. I’ll be fine going with Xiao Wang."
Xiao Wang was the Xu family’s driver. With a car for transportation and a man to help carry things, Xu Jinsan and his wife weren’t as worried anymore.
"Go on then, but come back soon."
"Okay."
Of course, Tang Mo had no intention of taking Xiao Wang’s car. ’Are you kidding me? How could I let anyone else know about this shopping trip? That would be a huge liability later on.’
After leaving the house, she tied her hair up, put on a baseball cap and a mask, completely concealing her small face.
In the end, while Xu Yin had been very smart, there were some things she hadn’t considered.
When her family was attacked by villains, their relatives had come flocking not only because of her parents’ usual generosity, but also because Xu Yin hadn’t been discreet at all when she was stockpiling supplies.
For convenience’s sake, Xu Yin had taken Xiao Wang’s car and brought him along to buy supplies at the nearest imported goods supermarket.
Many neighbors and passersby saw her and the driver carrying things out of the supermarket.
With prices skyrocketing, such a massive purchase was enough to draw attention.
And who was Xiao Wang?
Xu Yin had probably forgotten that Xiao Wang was the person her relatives had recommended. He had long since told everyone back in their hometown that Xu Yin was stockpiling supplies.
That was why, even with the world shrouded in fog, those people had somehow found a way to "visit their relatives" and usurp their home.
Their hometown wasn’t far from the Xu family’s house. It was a feasible trip if you drove from door to door.
Xu Yin never considered that those people, dragging their families along and taking such huge risks, must have come because they were certain the Xu family had plenty of food.
And who had leaked this information? Naturally, it was Xiao Wang, who had gone shopping with Xu Yin.
The tragedy was a chain of interlocking events, and Xu Yin’s lack of caution was one of the links.
But at this point, trying to assign blame was meaningless.
Due to the deteriorating environment, everyone on the streets hurried along. No one would linger outside for long unless it was absolutely necessary.
This actually worked to Tang Mo’s advantage. She didn’t bother with a taxi. Instead, she boosted herself with her spiritual power and sprinted toward a large farmers’ market that was farther away.