"Please, five catties each of Quzhou-style duck head, duck wings, and duck frame. Just put them in my cart. Thanks."
"Ten orders of pan-fried buns, ten orders of potstickers. Wrap them up, please."
"Ten guokui with pickled mustard greens and pork, ten with pork and green onions. Wrap them in oil paper, thanks."
"Five catties of egg puffs. I'll come get them later."
"Boss, ten portions of plain rice noodle rolls, ten with shrimp flavor. To go."
At the milk tea shop, she glanced at the menu and said to the young man: "Hi, our company wants to give warmth to employees. I'll take two of each fruit tea and milk tea on the menu, and make up the rest with the signature boba milk tea, 300 cups total. How much deposit should I give?"
The young man's face stiffened, then he said dryly, "Five hundred will do."
Lin Mo handed it over while discreetly slipping him a two hundred tip. "Thanks for your hard work, buddy. When you're done, please deliver them to the minivan on B3. Call me when ready. Thanks."
The young man's eyes lit up, quickly saved the number, and his world-ending expression from working so early disappeared, replaced with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll deliver on time."
As she passed McDonald's, she pushed open the door and went straight to the counter: "Ten Family Feast buckets. Extra ketchup packets, please."
The counter girl paused, then smiled and called to the back kitchen: "Prepare ten Family Feast buckets, prioritize them."
The Family Feast buckets contained quite a lot. Soon, the small cart was piled almost over her shoulder, with several bags of shengjian and guokui hanging from the handles. Lin Mo first moved everything to the minivan, neatly arranged, then headed to the B1 "Hot Sale" discount store.
Hot Sale is a discount snack shop popular with young people, not as cost-effective as big supermarkets, so it was ignored by the elderly, who wouldn't come here to scramble.
Lin Mo pulled all the family-pack milk into her cart, then went to the chocolate aisle with lingering excitement. Dark chocolate dominated the shelves, dark brown foil wrappers with gold cocoa bean patterns. Chocolate can quickly replenish calories. Lin Mo swept her hand across, regardless of concentration, and a whole row of chocolate bars slid into her arm with a rustling sound, the crisp foil rubbing clearly in the empty aisle.
Below were white chocolate, hazelnut chocolate, and matcha flavors. Lin Mo picked only large packages, thumping them into the cart.
"Everybody's scrambling at the supermarket, why come to us?" The staff was shocked by her intensity. They knew their products weren't as cost-effective as big supermarkets. The stock clerk nearby said, "Probably can't compete with the aunties and uncles. Those folks are too fierce."
"Miss, need any help?" The clerk felt like they might close early at this rate, so he quickly approached the big-spending customer: "How about I sign you up for a membership card? You can get a discount!"
"Okay, thanks," Lin Mo nodded, then pointed at an empty cart nearby. "Also, can I borrow another cart? I'll push everything to the parking lot and return it to you."
One small cart couldn't hold it all.
"No problem!" The clerk chatted while bagging: "Miss, did you also see a stockpiling guide online?"
"Yeah, my parents and grandparents kept nagging me to go out and buy stuff," Lin Mo replied casually.
"Old people blow hot and cold," the clerk shrugged, not taking the stockpiling seriously. "When the time comes, the government won't abandon us."
Lin Mo's expression was indifferent: "In a city this size, if extreme conditions hit, the government might not reach everyone. Better to prepare yourself than to wait."
But it was the clerk's choice to coast along; she could only hint.
After quickly loading the first batch of supplies into the car, Lin Mo wasted no time and turned back to Hot Sale.
She hadn't taken two steps when a sudden commotion erupted in the mall. Someone cried out in panic, "Somebody come quick! Two people collapsed!"
Lin Mo saw a few security guards rush over, so she didn't approach.
But the murmurs behind her drifted over intermittently:
"Could it be they froze from wearing too little?"
"Look carefully! They're both wearing down jackets! How is that too little?"
"I don't know. Their faces are white as paper, bodies like ice cubes. Pretty scary."
"Look at their eyes! Oh my god, their eyeballs changed color…"
Author's note:
Finished early, so updating ahead of schedule~~~~