At that moment, Agent Sister Zhao sent a message. In this weather, landlords didn't want to cooperate with viewings. She advised Lin Mo to wait until the weather improved and browse online for now.
"If you're in a hurry, you can take a look at our self-operated product 'Super Hassle-Free Rental.' Once the snow stops, I'll take you to see it. If you like it, you can sign the contract online on the spot and get the keys immediately." Then she sent a few links.
"Okay." Lin Mo turned on her computer, found two or three large apartments, and sent them over: "I want to see these." They were close to her current apartment complex, so she could move the train there. Plus, the complexes were better; she felt the water pipes and electrical grid were more reliable.
Accustomed to the all-powerful internet, she thought of a serious problem: What would happen if there was no network in the future? She'd be completely lost encountering any problem.
Maybe she could download a local version of AI, which would become her personal Q&A teacher. Also download local maps so she wouldn't get lost.
The local version of AI came with a comprehensive database; fortunately, her network was gigabit fiber, 1G per second, so it downloaded quickly.
The snow was still falling heavily, but she couldn't stay cooped up at home because of it. There was no point driving during the morning rush hour; she'd just get stuck in traffic.
Better to go buy medicine. The system required building a simple shelter; medicine should be a necessity. Maybe she also needed self-defense tools?
But this was S City, not America. Lin Mo hesitated and decided to symbolically get a chainsaw and a multi-tool, then headed out to shop.
The windproof mask, snow-proof and waterproof down jacket, and waterproof warm gloves she had bought online came in handy. Dressed in these, she moved her limbs—still flexible. Wearing her thermal underwear, Lin Mo felt warm. She pulled her small cart and went out.
So far, the Basic Locker's preservation effect was excellent; things wouldn't spoil. Judging from the experimental fried chicken drumsticks, the taste suffered a bit, but if it got cold, she could reheat it. She had already stored plenty of leafy greens and fruits, so she could put some cooked food in the Basic Locker now.
In the neighborhood, the elderly who usually chatted and exercised in the morning were nowhere to be seen. Occasionally, hurried young people walked toward the subway station. Exiting through the main gate, a fifteen-minute walk across two low-traffic roads brought her to the familiar food street.
Oil fritters sizzled in hot oil. Lin Mo first ducked into the oil fritter shop at the corner, found a small table by the window, and ordered a steaming bowl of tofu pudding, paired with freshly fried, crispy oil fritters.
The tofu pudding was smooth, coated in a savory sauce. The oil fritters crunched as she bit into them. Chewing warmed her stomach and dispelled some of the chill. It was just a pity the sauce wasn't made with overnight-simmered bone broth...
Back in her hometown county, the tofu pudding outside her door was always made like that, especially fragrant when dipped in oil fritters.
"Boss, please pack fifty large oil fritters, twenty servings of tofu pudding, and fifty tea eggs. Put them in this little cart."
One large oil fritter for breakfast was about 70-80% filling. This batch would last her two months. The normally busy breakfast shop had few customers today. The boss looked at Lin Mo like she was a money god, packed up nimbly, and even threw in two fried cakes.
A couple steps ahead was the Hangzhou Xiaolongbao shop. Iron steamers were stacked on the stove. When opened, white steam mixed with the aroma of meat rushed out.
"Hello, I'd like ten steamers of pork and ten steamers of chive and egg to go."
As Lin Mo scanned the QR code to pay, the boss couldn't help but sigh: "Little miss, why are you buying so much?"
"Bringing some for my neighbors. They don't want to go out in the cold."
Across the street was her main destination: a Fuyang steamed bun shop. As the boss lifted a half-person-tall iron steamer, the scent of flour instantly filled the air.
Lin Mo said: "Boss, I want a hundred large steamed buns, and also five big oil pancakes. Weigh the pancakes and cut them for me, please."
"Hardworking little miss!" said an old man also buying buns, hands tucked in his sleeves. "Even my usual exercise buddies won't go out today. I have to bring meals for five or six people today!"
Lin Mo could only smile back. That's how introverts are; sometimes they don't know how to respond to extroverts.
The snow gradually stopped, so she could take off her snow cap. She skillfully turned a corner, heading straight for the pharmacy street next to the hospital.
At the street corner was a branch of Bank of China. Her current Bank of China card had a daily ATM withdrawal limit of 20,000 yuan. Lin Mo didn't want to trigger a card freeze from too many transactions, so she mixed cash and electronic payments. This kind of small pharmacy purchase was perfect for cash—it wouldn't trigger the bank's anti-money laundering monitoring.
Her first targets were multivitamin tablets in small white bottles and antibiotics. Her second targets were common cold and fever medicines and anti-diarrheal drugs.
Multivitamin tablets contained various vitamins, minerals, and trace elements needed daily, useful for maintaining normal physiological functions under extreme cold and scarcity. Common antibiotics like amoxicillin and cephalosporin were for potential bacterial infections.
Referencing information online, she covered levofloxacin for pneumonia and intestinal infections, metronidazole for anaerobic bacteria and periodontal infections, broad-spectrum antibiotics like amoxicillin and cephalosporin, ibuprofen for fever, and Tylenol for colds. She needed to buy all these.
But due to medicine regulations, she bought a little from each pharmacy, checking each drug name on her phone's DeepSeek.
Pudilan anti-inflammatory tablets, montmorillonite powder, probiotic tablets, loquat syrup—these didn't require registration or a prescription, so she stocked up on more.
For disinfectants like iodine, 75% alcohol, chlorine dioxide effervescent tablets, and bandaging hemostatic materials like sterile gauze, hemostatic cotton, tourniquets, and Yunnan Baiyao powder, she bought some from each store. After all, cuts and bumps were unpredictable. Also, frostbite ointment, otherwise hands would swell and turn red from the cold.
Author's note: