Chapter 24: Stocking up on Seafood

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Stocking up on Seafood "I thought you were just busy buying food, I didn’t know you could get information from just buying fried octopus." Mocked Chu Hao. "What do you know, these sellers like to talk but no one gives them the time of day. So, once someone is willing to listen or even asks something, they can’t wait to spill everything they know." "Not only did I find out about the water reservoir, but also where we can buy boats and other gear." "Alright then, let’s rest. We will go to fetch water tonight and then check out the boats tomorrow." "I have to sleep for a few hours. Wake me up at six, we’ll go to the food street to eat supper and buy more to put in space. Tomorrow morning we should go buy fresh seafood first before going to buy the boats. The seafood is the freshest in the morning when fishermen are coming back from the deep sea." "Fine, I’ll listen to you." The two rested until 6.00 pm when they visited the food street. This time, they drove their Humvee and bought a lot of food from different stalls. They just pretended to put it in the car then after moving to the next stall, the quantity in the car would lessen as Chu Miao put it in the space warehouse. They did this until midnight before driving to the reservoir where they connected a water pumping machine and Chu Miao took out water tanks from the space. By 4.00 am, they had already filled ten water tanks, and after storing them in the space, they drove back to the hotel. In the morning, they left the hotel at 6.00 am and went to the docks to intercept the incoming fishing boats. They had rented a small warehouse near the docks the previous day and had all the seafood they bought delivered there. Luckily, all the warehouses in the area were cold storage rooms. Most likely because this area deals mostly with seafood and it needs to be kept fresh. It was a welcome surprise for the siblings. This way, they could buy as much seafood as possible and just visit the warehouse every evening to collect the seafood into the space warehouse before going to the water reservoir. Once the purchase of seafood was done, the two drove to the address Chu Miao got yesterday and found out that it was the biggest water sports shop in the city. After talking to the manager for an hour they had purchased ten inflatable boats that could be attached with small engines. Ten diesel-run motor boats and a small yacht with sleeping cabins. They also bought diving gear, oxygen tanks and masks, waterproof diving suits, and diving goggles. There were also spare parts and engines for the boats and yachts. They paid the extra money and had the shop deliver everything to one of the warehouses their father had rented in City A, the city they live in. The next five days were spent buying fresh seafood in the morning, street food in the evening, and stealing water from the reservoir at night. On the sixth day, four days to the apocalypse, they started their journey back home. This time, Chu Hao drove. They arrived at the villa around lunchtime as they had gone to buy live sea creatures in the morning before starting their journey. The fish and other creatures were in tanks in the space. Chu Miao had also used one of the fifty-ton water tanks to fetch seawater. They would excavate a fish pond for sea creatures in space, thus needing seawater. The job of excavating the pond was left to the butler as he had the earth element and could manipulate soil and rocks better than the others. He could also use this opportunity to learn how to control his spiritual energy. At the dinner table that evening, the family talked about packing whatever they could in the villa and moving to the penthouse. They would spend the following day packing and moving the day after. So, two days before the apocalypse, the Chu family moved to the penthouse in Garden Community Building C. The community was new and only had eight high-rise buildings, but not all the units had been sold yet. For instance, in building C where Chu Miao owned an apartment, the seventh and twelfth floors were still empty. The building manager lived on the fifth floor and had told Chu Miao that the price of the units was too high causing many people who wanted to live there to be unable to afford it. And the owner of the community refused to rent them. They could only be sold. After moving to the apartment, the family arranged their belongings and divided the bedrooms. Everyone insisted that Chu Miao take the master bedroom. They really pampered her. "But I am alone; how about Dad and Mom move into the master bedroom?" "No, Bunny, Daddy, and Mommy are okay with one of the smaller bedrooms. Besides, they are not really that small. They have a full-size closet, and one can even use a portable bathtub as long as you fold it after use." Father Chu was the first to argue. "That’s true, sweetheart. Your dad and I don’t need that big bedroom." "Then what about Grandpa? He’s old and needs more rest." Grandpa Chu was amused by Chu Miao and chuckled, "Hahaha...since I started cultivating, I don’t feel that old anymore. I feel more energetic than when I was thirty years old. So, don’t worry about Grandpa. Just take the master bedroom." "Okay then. Let’s arrange it that way. There are only two days to the apocalypse and we need to stock up on supplies that people can actually see. It would raise suspicions if we live comfortably while others are struggling if they never saw us buying anything. So for these two days, my brother and I will visit several supermarkets to buy supplies. From what I have seen on the internet, the weather has changed dramatically with temperatures rising worldwide. The government is urging people to stock up on food and water and many supermarkets are crowded."