Chapter 74 - 73: Gathering Ingredients

Chapter 74: Chapter 73: Gathering Ingredients

Yi Ronghao was weighed down by his thoughts as he stood up and left the dining room.

Their stockpile of sauerkraut fish was running low. Chen Momo checked her iPad. About seven or eight kilometers away from their current location, there used to be a wet market. A wet market would definitely have a fish stall. Besides this one, there were several other fish shops nearby. Chen Momo carefully marked down all their locations.

Early the next morning, Chen Momo, Xu Xiaoka, and Chen Xiaobao dressed warmly and prepared to head out. Chen Momo drove the RV out of the garage and had Xu Xiaoka and Chen Xiaobao climb aboard. As usual, Chen Momo took the wheel while the other two rode in the back.

She turned on the heater, making the RV’s interior exceptionally cozy. The fridge was stocked with all sorts of snacks, and the two kids each grabbed a tub of ice cream. As Chen Xiaobao struggled to pry off the lid with his chubby little hands, he happily announced in his sweet, soft voice, "Sister, Xiao Bao’s ice cream is chocolate-flavored!"

Xu Xiaoka glanced at her own tub. "Mine is vanilla!" Seeing how much trouble Xiao Bao was having, she smiled and took his ice cream. "Let me open it for you." She effortlessly popped the lid off. The ice cream inside was brown, unmistakably chocolate, while her own was a creamy vanilla white.

Chen Xiaobao took a bite with his little spoon, and his eyes instantly lit up. "Mmm, yummy! The ice cream is so yummy!"

He hopped off his seat and PITTER-PATTERED to the front of the RV. Scooping up a spoonful, he held it up to Chen Momo’s lips. "Mommy, yummy ice cream! Mommy, try some too!"

Chen Momo didn’t really have a sweet tooth, but seeing her son’s enthusiastic, angelic face, she couldn’t bear to turn him down. She opened her mouth and swallowed the bite Xiao Bao fed her.

Chen Xiaobao leaned in so close his head practically pressed against hers. "Mommy, is it good? Is the ice cream good?"

He was terrified that his highly recommended treat wouldn’t win Chen Xiaomu’s approval. Once Chen Momo gave him a positive nod, Xiao Bao breathed a sigh of relief. He wobbled on his short little legs, PITTER-PATTERING back to his seat across from Xu Xiaoka.

"The ice cream is too cold, so don’t eat too much," Chen Momo reminded them.

Chen Xiaobao nodded as he shoveled another spoonful into his mouth. "I’ll stop after I finish this tub."

Following the GPS, Chen Momo arrived at the first wet market. All that met her eyes was a vast expanse of white; the market was completely buried in snow. The building had only been three stories tall to begin with. With the snowpack reaching a height of nine stories, there was no way to find an entrance. She had no choice but to drive to the second location.

The second wet market was located inside a towering commercial complex. Above the mall sat an office building, standing at an impressive twenty stories tall. Chen Momo parked the vehicle. Once Chen Xiaobao and Xu Xiaoka got out, she winked at her son. Following their usual routine, Chen Xiaobao led Xu Xiaoka a distance away while Chen Momo stored the RV into her spatial dimension.

The trio smashed a window on the ninth floor and climbed inside. Just like before, they located the stairwell and made their way down. They descended all the way to the first floor, finally arriving at the wet market. Inside, all the shops were shuttered.

Armed with a hammer, Chen Momo quickly found a stall with a "Fresh Fish" sign hanging out front. Making quick work of it, she shattered the glass door, and the three of them stepped inside.

Sure enough, there were several large tanks inside! The water in the tanks had frozen solid, trapping all the fish in ice. The fish were frozen in all sorts of poses: some with their tails curled, some with their mouths open mid-bubble, and others, of course, floating belly-up.

Chen Momo did a rough count. There had to be at least one or two thousand fish in this shop alone, along with assorted seafood like crabs, lobsters, and clams—all equally frozen solid.

Xu Xiaoka looked troubled. "Sister Momo, how are we supposed to get these fish out?"

"We’ll each take a hammer and smash the ice," Chen Momo replied. She pulled two more hammers out of her bag—one large, one small. She handed the large one to Xu Xiaoka and the small one to Chen Xiaobao.

Knowing that Chen Momo was about to start sweeping items into her space, Chen Xiaobao proactively took Xu Xiaoka’s hand. "Sister Xiao Ka, let’s go smash ice over there!"

Chen Momo couldn’t help but chuckle, noting how seamlessly the little guy coordinated with her.

The two kids picked a tank and began earnestly chipping away at the ice. Chen Xiaobao stuck his little bottom in the air, putting on a grand show of chiseling ice to catch fish. While they were busy, Chen Momo put her hammer away and began absorbing the fish into her spatial dimension. Since the fish tanks weren’t built directly into the floor but sat on movable wheels, she simply stored the entire tanks into her space.

The temperature inside her space was perfectly regulated, so they could thaw out slowly. As for the crabs, clams, and other creatures kept in the transparent glass aquariums, she scooped them all up regardless of species. Her spatial dimension would automatically adjust its temperature to suit the ideal living conditions for these aquatic products. As long as they were stored inside, the solid blocks of ice would melt by tomorrow.

After Chen Momo had swept up a massive haul, she saw that the two kids had managed to chisel out quite a few fish themselves. Once the fish shop was mostly cleared out, the trio finally left. They took the opportunity to smash their way into several other stalls in the market, collecting large quantities of pork belly, beef, mutton, and other meats. These cuts were also frozen rock solid. Chen Momo stowed them all into her space to slowly thaw.

There were also plenty of vegetables and fruits. Originally, Chen Momo didn’t plan on taking them, figuring that even if they thawed in her space, they would be completely ruined. But then she reconsidered. What if they could retain their original freshness after thawing? The thawing process in her spatial dimension wasn’t like ordinary defrosting. It was worth a try—worst-case scenario, if they were ruined, she could just throw them away! Thus, she gathered all the fruits and vegetables into her space as well.

After finishing up at this market, Chen Momo drove Chen Xiaobao and Xu Xiaoka to the other wet markets on her list. Fortunately, they yielded bountiful harvests as well. Following a busy day of looting, her spatial dimension was significantly more stocked. Satisfied, Chen Momo drove the kids back to the base along their original route.

Throughout the ride, Chen Xiaobao was practically buzzing with excitement. He sang happily and told jokes, making Chen Momo laugh until tears welled in her eyes. With Xiao Bao by her side, surviving the apocalypse didn’t seem quite so unbearable.

Just as they reached the gates of the base, they spotted the familiar silhouette of a woman. She was pedaling a dilapidated bicycle, wobbling unsteadily as she struggled forward through the bitter cold.