Chapter 27: Searching for Supplies at Chunlan Supermarket

Chapter 27: Searching for Supplies at Chunlan Supermarket

The glass door had not been opened in a long time; when pushed, dust fell from the top of the door frame, and a stale smell hit them, characteristic of a place that had lacked ventilation for years.

Chu Ya, using the dim light, located the service counter and had Shen Juanjuan push him over to it, then began rummaging through the drawers.

Compared to the well-lit streets outside, the dark interior made Shen Juanjuan more afraid. He no longer held onto the cart's handle but instead sat close to Chu Ya, silently hugging his arm.

Chu Ya let him hold onto his arm while he used his right hand to sift through the items in the drawer.

The drawer contained only receipts and pencils. He took the pencils, opened the lower cabinet, and found a portable rechargeable lamp.

The bright light from the lamp startled Shen Juanjuan, who immediately hugged Chu Ya tighter.

"It's okay, it's just a portable lamp," Chu Ya said.

Shen Juanjuan didn't want to stay: "Are you looking for this? Can we leave now?"

"Can we wait a bit longer? I still need to find many things."

"Oh."

The supermarket's entrance was locked, and Chu Ya had initially thought there would be plenty of goods left. However, most of the shelves were empty under the lamp's light, clearly having been cleared out before, which disappointed him.

Fortunately, the supermarket had remained sealed since then, leaving some goods behind, and the dust wasn't too thick.

"Is it time to go yet?" Shen Juanjuan asked after pushing the cart past the service counter.

"Not yet, we've just started."

Shen Juanjuan sat next to Chu Ya again. Chu Ya pulled a flat object from an adjacent shelf, shook off the thin layer of dust, tore open the packaging, and unfolded it into a large woven bag.

He placed the woven bag at the foot end of the cart and put the rechargeable lamp in Shen Juanjuan's arms. "Hold this and shine it on me." Then he pulled out two iron rods and used them to move forward.

"I'm not scared; I just want to protect you," Shen Juanjuan whispered.

"Thanks."

Chu Ya first went to the daily necessities section, using the iron rods to pull down scattered items from the shelves. He picked up a few bags of toothbrushes, not caring if they were still usable, and put them in the woven bag.

"Toothbrushes," Shen Juanjuan said, holding the lamp with obvious disinterest.

Chu Ya felt a stack of towels, finding them still soft and intact, and added about seven or eight of them to the bag.

"Towels," Shen Juanjuan said, still uninterested.

Thanks to the dry air in the supermarket, Chu Ya also found usable soap. The soap had become harder, making a sound like stones hitting the ground when dropped, but otherwise was fine.

"Soap," Shen Juanjuan said, turning his head absentmindedly.

The shelves had three levels. When Chu Ya couldn't reach the top with the iron rods, he lifted Shen Juanjuan high to use the rods to knock items down.

With a series of clattering sounds, the woven bag filled up with scissors, light bulbs, clothes hangers, matches, candles, and other items, gradually bulging.

Chu Ya opened a bag of toilet paper; the paper inside looked slightly yellowed. He took a roll and smelled it—it had a faint musty odor. Normally, this paper would be unusable, but given their current situation, he took two large bags and placed them on the cart.

Passing by the food section, Chu Ya glanced at the dusty but still noticeable packaging, quickly changing direction to avoid it before Shen Juanjuan noticed.

These foods from years ago were no longer edible, and seeing them would only upset Shen Juanjuan.

There was originally a clothing section in the supermarket, but it was now empty. Chu Ya patiently searched and found a small door beside the shelves.

Opening the door revealed a tiny storage room filled with toolboxes, brooms, and shovels. There were also a few items stacked against the wall, which looked like several quilts.

"How much longer will this take?" Shen Juanjuan looked around, shining the lamp into the storage room but keeping his eyes on the dark corners.

"Maybe not much longer."

Chu Ya opened the outer plastic bags, revealing neatly folded quilts that felt dry. The cart couldn't hold too much, so he took only two bags and placed them on the cart.

"Look there, in the dark corner. Is there a ghost hiding there?" Shen Juanjuan whispered, leaning close to Chu Ya's shoulder.

"Shine the lamp there and see."

"I don't dare..."

Chu Ya took the lamp and shone it into the dark corner, revealing only empty walls.

"Hehe, no ghosts."

Chu Ya shone the lamp into the storage room. "Shen Juanjuan."

"Yes?"

"Can you go in and get something for me?"

"What!"

"The door is too narrow for the cart to fit. Don't be afraid, I'll watch you from here."

"...Okay."

Shen Juanjuan nervously entered the storage room and, following Chu Ya's instructions, dragged out the toolbox and handed it to him. Afterward, he tried to climb onto the cart.

"Wait, there are cables too."

"What!!"

"Just drag out that pile of wires next to the toolbox."

Chu Ya secured the cable Shen Juanjuan had dragged back onto the cart, which was now fully loaded.

"Is everything done now?" Shen Juanjuan asked.

This time, Chu Ya replied, "Yes, it's done."

"Then let's get out of here quickly."

"Okay."

Chu Ya pushed the cart out of the supermarket, but stopped again when they passed by the small goods section.

"Why did you stop again? Didn't you say everything was done? Why are we stopping!" Shen Juanjuan slapped the cart in frustration.

Chu Ya took down a measuring tape and a sewing kit from the shelves, saying, "There's just a tiny tail left to this task. Once we grab these few things, that little tail will be finished too."

Chu Ya felt that even if they were only staying for a short while, they should try to improve their living conditions to make them less unbearable.

Worried about revealing their presence, he turned off the energy storage lamp after leaving the supermarket and relocked the door with the chain.

The entire Mixin Town was eerily quiet and especially chilling at night. But once they reached the main street, Shen Juanjuan got off the cart and walked behind Chu Ya, pushing the handle.

"I feel like I'm pushing a baby," Shen Juanjuan said, much more relaxed after leaving the supermarket, his words flowing freely. "At the welfare home, there are lots of babies. The caretakers take them to the playground every day, and we older kids help push the strollers. Ha ha, big baby, Shen Miaomiao, you're a big baby."

Chu Ya, on the other hand, was surveying Mixin Town under the dim light.

They were on a commercial street at the edge of town, and to the left, deeper into the town, the buildings were taller and more densely packed, standing silently in the darkness like giants.

He remembered Gu Lin's words about the plague that had swept through the town, leaving almost no survivors, with bodies piled high and burned in the central square.

A gust of wind blew through the empty houses, producing eerie wailing sounds, as if ghosts were lamenting their fate. Although Chu Ya didn't believe in ghosts, he still felt a chill run down his spine and a cold sweat break out on his back.

"You thick-skinned bastard! You'd better not let me see you, or I'll stab you three times right through!"

A sudden shout from above startled Chu Ya. After the initial shock wore off, he found it somewhat amusing, and the eerie atmosphere around them dissipated.

"See, I scared them away," Shen Juanjuan whispered to Chu Ya.

"Yeah, but try to keep your voice down."

"Okay!"

Chu Ya noticed that Shen Juanjuan's voice sounded strange and turned to look at him, seeing his lips pouted out.

"What are you pouting for?"

"If I do this, my snot won't run into my mouth," Shen Juanjuan replied, still pouting.

Chu Ya paused, realizing that the air was cold and the child was starting to have a runny nose. He moved slightly away from Shen Juanjuan and grabbed a roll of newly opened toilet paper, tearing off a piece to hand to him.

"Wipe your nose."

"Oh."

Chu Ya knew the toilet paper was old and not very hygienic anymore, so he added, "Don't touch your mouth, just wipe your nose."

"Oh."

"…Never mind, come closer, I'll wipe it for you."

As Chu Ya wiped Shen Juanjuan's nose, he instructed, "If your nose feels itchy and you think you might have a runny nose, use the paper to blow it, don't wait for it—"

Chu Ya suddenly stopped, feeling a bit nauseous, and then continued, "—don't wait for it to drip out."

While Chu Ya was wiping Shen Juanjuan's nose, Shen Juanjuan kept his head tilted and stared at him without blinking.

"Done."

Chu Ya threw the paper away and looked up to see Shen Juanjuan still standing beside the cart, staring at him blankly.

"What's wrong?" Chu Ya asked.

Shen Juanjuan suddenly looked away, fiddling with the seam of his pants, and said nonsensically, "Wang Zhusheng's brother wiped Wang Zhusheng's nose."

Chu Ya didn't respond. After a couple of seconds, Shen Juanjuan suddenly jumped up, ran around the cart twice, and then pushed the handle hard, shouting, "Hey, little class two, go... hahaha, hey... hahaha."

Chu Ya didn't ask why Shen Juanjuan was suddenly so happy; he simply pushed the cart forward with the iron rod, his expression calm but his gaze softening.

They were heading to the courtyard where Shen Juanjuan had fetched water last night. When they passed the long bench outside the bakery, Shen Juanjuan quickly ran over and sat down, leaning back with a long sigh of contentment.

"Child, life is like this: instead of being unhappy, sing and bask in the sun with grandpa... Grandpa's little car goes vroom vroom, vroom vroom, vroom vroom..."

Shen Juanjuan made steering wheel motions with his hands and tapped his dangling feet to the beat. Chu Ya didn't rush him, waiting patiently on the street until Shen Juanjuan finished his song, stepped on the brakes, and jumped off the bench to continue pushing the cart.

When they reached an alleyway on the left, Shen Juanjuan, remembering what happened last night, refused to enter and held onto the handle. Chu Ya told him to sit beside him while he pushed the cart in with the iron rod.

The courtyard had no steps or thresholds, so Chu Ya pushed the cart all the way into the courtyard, stopping in front of the water trough.

"The footprints on the ground are gone. There were ghost footprints there last night," Shen Juanjuan pointed to the empty ground and told Chu Ya.

Now, the courtyard was filled with their footprints and the cart's tracks, with nothing else visible.

Chu Ya took out toothbrushes and towels from the woven bag, but when he removed the packaging from a pack of toothbrushes, the bristles fell out, leaving only the bare handles.

He tested all the toothbrushes and finally kept only two: one with a Mediterranean blue handle and another with a bald yellow handle.

"Which one do you like?" Chu Ya let Shen Juanjuan choose.

Shen Juanjuan picked the Mediterranean blue one, saying, "This color is so pretty." But then he immediately liked the bald yellow one too, "Actually, this one is pretty too."

"Just pick the green one, go with your first instinct." Chu Ya handed him the toothbrush and nodded toward the sink. "Go brush your teeth."

"Right now...?"

"Is there a problem now?"

"Here, there's no management. Why do we need to brush our teeth?"

Chu Ya explained, "Brushing teeth isn't for management; it's for our teeth—"

"I won't brush if there's no management around," Shen Juanjuan insisted.

Chu Ya pursed his lips and looked at him for a moment before calmly saying, "Actually, I am also management."

"Huh..."

"Didn't you see me before? I stood with your management because I am also management."

As Shen Juanjuan reluctantly brushed his teeth, Chu Ya surveyed the row of houses behind him and then pushed the cart to the farthest small house on the right.

He pushed open the door that had been sealed for a long time, waiting for the rust and dust to settle, then turned on the energy lamp to illuminate the room. It was indeed a toilet.

"What are you doing here?" he turned to ask.

Shen Juanjuan, still brushing his teeth, peeked inside. "What are you doing?"

"I'm using the toilet."

"I want to go in too."

"No, you have to go one by one."

"We always go together."

Chu Ya refused, "You are in the kindergarten class, so you can go together, but I am management and won't go with you."

Shen Juanjuan opened his mouth but finally didn't insist on going in.

Chu Ya refused Shen Juanjuan's request to follow him into the toilet. However, the toilet door was too small for the cart to enter, so he had to grab the door frame with one hand and struggle to stand up with the iron stick in the other.

"Ahh..." The pain in his leg made him let out a muffled groan, and Shen Juanjuan quickly supported him.

"You can't walk; you don't even have feet," Shen Juanjuan said through his toothbrush.

Bone injuries weren't that simple. Chu Ya stood for a while, supporting himself with both hands, but couldn't move his feet and had to sit back down on the cart.

Shen Juanjuan thought for a moment, then lay on his side facing outward next to Chu Ya. "Can you do this? Look at me; I'll show you. Can you see me? Just look at me once, like this."

Chu Ya's expression kept changing, sometimes embarrassed, sometimes helpless, but ultimately, he had no other choice and had Shen Juanjuan bring over an old flower pot filled with dirt.

"Go wash your face at the sink," Chu Ya said.

Shen Juanjuan squatted beside him. "I want to watch."

"If you stay here, I won't do anything," Chu Ya calmly met his gaze. "We'll just stare at each other."

Shen Juanjuan had no choice but to go to the sink and wash his face as Chu Ya instructed. The water was cold at night, so he only wet his fingers and touched his face, his eyes darting around.

"I'm washing, wow, my face is so clean." He pretended to be serious about washing and asked, "Can I turn around now?"

"No."

"Then you have to watch my back in case a ghost comes."

"Okay, I'll keep an eye out."

Chu Ya finally relaxed and went to the sink to brush his teeth and wash his face. Shen Juanjuan watched him calmly use cold water to wash and even take off his T-shirt to scrub his body, making him shiver and inhale sharply.

Chu Ya finally looked at Shen Juanjuan. "Come, wash your face."

Shen Juanjuan crossed his arms and twisted his body.

"Your face is too dirty. We'll only wash with cold water this time; tomorrow, I'll find a way to get you hot water," Chu Ya said.

Shen Juanjuan continued to twist unwillingly. "I've already washed."

Chu Ya rummaged through a woven bag and found a small round mirror, about the size of a palm. He examined it, puzzled, and let out a curious "hmm."

"What are you looking at?" Shen Juanjuan asked.

Chu Ya replied without looking up, "I'm looking at a big flower face."

"What big flower face?" Shen Juanjuan slowly moved closer, curiously stretching his neck to see. Chu Ya held the mirror towards him and swiftly grabbed him, pulling him over.

Shen Juanjuan immediately tried to struggle, but Chu Ya promptly cried out in pain, "Ah."

Shen Juanjuan stopped moving, and a cold towel was placed over his face.

"Ahh..." Shen Juanjuan kept crying out, twisting his head to avoid the towel, but ultimately didn't resist forcefully, allowing Chu Ya to wash his face thoroughly.

Chu Ya then rolled up the sleeves of his oversized coat, caught his hands trying to escape, and stretched them under the faucet, lathering them with soap and scrubbing carefully.

Shen Juanjuan asked pitifully, "Shen Miaomiao, can you not be management anymore? Can you?"

"There's no way. I am management, just like you can't stop being in the kindergarten class," Chu Ya picked up a toothbrush with a few bristles left and scrubbed every nail crevice.

After they finished washing up, Chu Ya filled two large plastic bags with water and hung them on either side of the cart handle before heading back to the landfill.

Initially, he didn't want to return to the dilapidated house; staying in this courtyard would be better than the tin shack. But since Yun Tuo came to fetch him, he must be searching nearby, and Chu Ya worried that staying here might make it hard for Yun Tuo to find him.

Shen Juanjuan was forcibly washed hands and face, feeling somewhat unhappy, and he didn't make a sound as he pushed the cart. But when they passed by the bench outside the bakery, he still ran over to sit down, mumbling and reciting lines while singing.

"Child, life is like this; instead of being unhappy, why not sing and bask in the sun with Grandpa." He frowned and reached out to turn the steering wheel, "Grandpa's little car goes beep beep, vroom vroom, beep beep..."

Chu Ya waited patiently, sitting quietly in the cart. After Shen Juanjuan finished his entire performance and came back, they continued walking towards the dumpsite together.

Back at the tin shack, Chu Ya looked around, unfolded a brand new woven bag, and began collecting the garbage scattered throughout the room.

"Why are you putting all these treasures away?" Shen Juanjuan asked warily.

Chu Ya pinched a colorful sock between two fingers and tossed it into the woven bag: "Our place is too small, they'll feel very cramped. Let them go live in the big house next door."

"But our dorm 16 has lots of kids, and I don't feel cramped at all."

Chu Ya asked, "Which dorm are we in?"

Shen Juanjuan replied randomly, "It's my office, also dorms one, two, and three."

"Dorms one, two, and three only have us two; they belong to the dorm next door, three, two, and one. Everyone needs to return to their own dorm; no random staying elsewhere. Don't worry, we live close by, and you can visit them anytime."

Chu Ya's expression and tone were always so cool and calm, yet utterly convincing. Shen Juanjuan didn't say anything more, pouting for a while before starting to help him clean up.

Chu Ya didn't clear out all the waste in the room, leaving items like plastic buckets, cups, and basins in the corner.

He also left toys for Shen Juanjuan, such as the bald teddy bear with a missing arm.

Since he couldn't bend down easily, Shen Juanjuan took care of the things under the bed and on the floor. Although the room was small, there were many things, and when the woven bag was full, they loaded the excess onto the cart and moved it to the neighboring room.