Chapter 29: Hoarding Medicines

Qin Wei and the others, standing nearby, had also overheard Lin Buwan’s words due to their proximity. She abruptly turned her head, her gaze following the five who had walked away, an ambiguous light flickering in her eyes.

Wei Qu, oblivious to her strange expression, was silent for a moment before saying to Lin Buwan, “Judging by their demeanor, they’re not to be trifled with either. Let’s focus on gathering supplies for now. When the opportunity arises…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but Lin Buwan understood his meaning and let the matter rest.

Many people had not come prepared and could only roll up their trousers and wade directly into the water. Fortunately, the weather had turned hot, so it didn’t feel cold—if anything, it was rather refreshing. Still, the water was filthy, littered with floating debris and even animal corpses, which made Lin Buwan feel distinctly uncomfortable.

She wasn’t the only one; Qin Wei found it hard to accept as well. She stood on the steps, her face pale and hesitant as she stared at the water reaching up to everyone’s calves, her resolve faltering.

“What’s wrong, Weiwei?” Ji Dong, already in the water, noticed that Qin Wei hadn’t moved and turned to her in confusion.

“I…” Qin Wei opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. She had been the one to suggest searching for supplies, she had insisted on coming with Lin Buwan and the others, but now that they were here, she found herself unable to go through with it and was too embarrassed to back out.

At that moment, a sudden shove from behind sent Qin Wei stumbling, her foot splashing into the water. The cold, damp sensation made her almost lose her composure; she didn’t even notice that, if not for Ji Dong’s timely catch, it would have been more than just her foot that got wet.

“You’re blocking the way. If you don’t want to go, just say so—why put on an act here? Do you still think you’re some kind of princess? If you have the guts, then starve!” Wu Xiaofei looked at Qin Wei with contempt. Remembering how Ji Dong had sided with her yesterday, seeing her feigning now made Wu Xiaofei irrationally annoyed.

She had taken them in out of kindness, sharing her precious food, yet had received no gratitude in return. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Ignoring both Qin Wei and Ji Dong, she stomped into the water, splashing it so forcefully that it hit Qin Wei.

“Ah!” Qin Wei shrieked, recoiling in terror. Ji Dong, caught off guard, was used as a human shield and nearly got a mouthful of the filthy water. He spat in disgust at the ground, and by the time he’d recovered and looked up, Wu Xiaofei was already gone.

“Damn it, who does she think she is? When we get back, I’ll have a word with her,” he muttered, annoyed.

Lin Buwan, having witnessed all of this, was left speechless at just how clueless he could be.

With Wu Xiaofei’s attitude so plainly hostile, instead of trying to ease the situation, he was already plotting revenge. Did he not realize she could easily throw them out?

Lin Buwan ignored them, turning to pull Wei Qu away, seizing the opportunity to distance themselves from the pair. Whether the others were slow to react or simply uninterested in following, after a while, neither had caught up. Relieved, Lin Buwan and Wei Qu headed straight for the nearby pharmacies.

At the first pharmacy, nearly all the medicines had been swept away by the floodwaters, leaving only a few toppled shelves. However, the glass cabinet on the wall had miraculously preserved quite a few medicines.

They took out the remaining medicines, discarding the soggy boxes and saving the intact blister packs or plastic containers. Thankfully, modern medicine packaging is waterproof—a small foresight that made all the difference in dire times.

They managed to find a good amount of useful Western medicine, but Chinese herbal remedies were much harder to come by. After finishing up in the main area, Wei Qu discovered the storeroom, but the boxes inside had also been ruined by the flood.

“We might as well open them—what else can we do?” Lin Buwan sighed as she looked at the packed but waterlogged storeroom. Resigned, she went inside to sort through the mess with Wei Qu.

After much hard work, the two finally finished clearing out the pharmacy. When they emerged, sweat and dirty water soaked them from head to toe, and they looked utterly bedraggled.

Glancing up at the blazing sun, Lin Buwan realized the temperature was climbing dangerously high. They needed to collect as many supplies as possible and return quickly. As she turned to go, she noticed a maternity and baby store next to the pharmacy and pulled Wei Qu back.

“What is it?” Wei Qu, surprised by her sudden grip, turned to her in confusion.

Following her gaze to the baby store, he was momentarily lost for words, uncertain what she might be implying.

Seeing his expression, Lin Buwan immediately understood his misunderstanding. “What are you thinking? Baby formula is vital for us too. If there’s nothing else to eat, it can keep us going for a while.”

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes, exasperated by his inexplicable assumptions.

Only then did Wei Qu realize his mistake. He scratched his head awkwardly, his cheeks tinged with red, and glanced at Lin Buwan—he had almost thought…

“Forget it. It’s too hot. Go check the pharmacy across the street; I’ll gather what I can here and find you afterward,” Lin Buwan said, feigning impatience to send him off while she secretly planned to stock up her own supplies.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright alone?” Wei Qu hesitated. With so many people around, he thought it best not to split up, just in case.

But Lin Buwan had a point—the heat was unbearable, and dividing up would allow them to cover more ground and gather more supplies before others realized what was happening.

“We’ll be fine. The sooner we move, the more we’ll get before the rest catch on,” Lin Buwan said, squinting at the crowds swarming the convenience stores and other shops.

“Okay, then,” Wei Qu agreed after a couple of seconds. He gave her some final instructions before wading across to the pharmacy.

Only after he had gone did Lin Buwan enter the baby store, close the door behind her, wedge a stick into the glass door as a makeshift lock, and begin to collect everything she could into her space.

The cans of baby formula were made of aluminum and waterproof, making the job easier. Lin Buwan didn’t have time to be selective—she grabbed whatever she could and put it away.

Before long, she had cleared out everything from the front of the store and found her way into the storeroom at the back, where boxes were stacked neatly, all now at her disposal.

When she finally emerged onto the street, the baby store was empty, the shelves as barren as those in the neighboring pharmacy—a pair of desolate shops standing side by side.

While Lin Buwan’s efforts had gone smoothly, trouble had found Wei Qu. As he was gathering medicines in the pharmacy, several people hurried in, wading through the water.