Chapter 142: Not Idle

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Not Idle

Hua Buwan had been in less contact with Ling Qianjun over the past two days, but she certainly hadn’t been idle.

One of her most important tasks was keeping in touch with Teacher Lin to closely follow up on the donation matters. Beyond that, she was hoarding supplies. Once Ling Qianjun made it through this current drought-stricken region, the rest of his journey would be much smoother, and he would soon reach Lingnan. Arriving in Lingnan would mean starting entirely from scratch—a time when resources would be at their absolute scarcest. Food, clothing, water, shelter, and more would all be needed.

That was when her supermarket would truly shine. Therefore, starting now, she had to pick up the pace and work even harder to stockpile goods and materials! Moreover, she intended to establish a mutually beneficial exchange with Ling Qianjun to trade what they each lacked. Just laying the groundwork for all of this kept her incredibly busy.

To avoid drawing unwanted attention, Hua Buwan rented a large warehouse nearby to handle all deliveries and unloading. Since she had her spatial dimension, she could simply sweep everything inside with a wave of her hand when the time came, sparing herself the back-breaking labor of lifting and moving boxes. For smaller deliveries, she had the suppliers send them directly to the supermarket.

Her store didn’t typically see much foot traffic, so the frequent unloading of goods would inevitably make gossiping passersby suspicious. They would wonder where all that inventory was actually going. Whenever too many people asked, Hua Buwan would simply reply, "I’ve taken on some orders for corporate team-building events. They were all introduced by my old college classmates. Since I have a lot of classmates and they all work at different companies, there are plenty of events to cater to, which means a lot of food and drink orders. I’m just lucky to have such kind friends supporting my business."

Hearing this, some of the gossipy neighbors were skeptical, a few were a bit jealous, while others offered her words of praise.

"Oh my, Buwan, you really have a wide network, knowing so many classmates willing to help you out. Your supermarket business is just going to keep growing."

"I’ve watched Buwan grow up since she was just a little girl. She’s always been incredibly smart. See? I knew I wasn’t wrong about her."

"Keep up the good work, Buwan! Once you make big money, don’t forget to give us all some heavy discounts."

Hua Buwan responded to each of them with a polite smile, finally managing to deflect their curiosity. As for her other supplies, she carefully managed her purchase limits to ensure she wouldn’t raise any red flags with the authorities. Buying a little here and a little there, she slowly pieced her stockpile together.

Looking at the growing number of shelves, containers, and supplies securely stored in her spatial dimension, Hua Buwan felt a deep sense of reassurance.

Three or four days passed just like that. Hua Buwan calculated the dates and figured that Ling Qianjun and his group should be making it out of the drought-stricken wasteland today. According to unofficial historical records, a heavy rain would fall the moment they left the arid zone. The moment the people saw the rain, everyone across the land would fall to their knees in a truly spectacular sight. Nearby commoners had even heard their deafening shouts of joy.

Meanwhile, in Dongxuan Country.

It was already the seventh day since they had entered the drought region. Everyone’s energy and spirit seemed to have been completely drained away. With glazed eyes, they dragged themselves forward.

For the first few days, they still had some sour, stale steamed bread to eat, but later on, there was truly nothing left. They were hanging on by just a couple sips of water. If they hadn’t found that water source earlier, they would have died of thirst long ago—and if the thirst didn’t kill them, they would have perished at the hands of the vile human nature that surfaced in such desperation.

But they had endured.

Ling Qianjun counted the days; they would definitely make it out today! Supporting his mother and younger sister, who could no longer walk on their own, he trudged forward with great difficulty. His throat was so dry that even opening his mouth brought a tearing, agonizing pain. Beside them, Ling Qianfan shifted his feet forward, panting heavily.

Suddenly!