Chapter 31 This is Also Her Supermarket

Chapter 31: This Is Also Her Supermarket

Hua Diao clutched a large woven hemp bag, kindly provided by a mynah bird. Its weight made her grimace, her fingers going numb, yet she straightened her back, determined to maintain her boss-lady demeanor.

The formidable image she had just established in front of those edgy teenagers couldn't be tarnished!

To prevent future situations where she couldn't carry all her loot, Hua Diao resolved to work harder, hoping to unlock a storage space.

Huh? She had reached the park entrance.

Her eyes lit up as she scurried over. After confirming no one was around, she finally exhaled, tossing the heavy hemp bag into her pocket dimension.

Ah, she was fortunate now—even without touching the billions in supplies she had stockpiled before the apocalypse, she wouldn't starve. In fact, her provisions kept growing, though she worried they might eventually rot in her space.

Talk about a sweet dilemma!

Shaking her head, Hua Diao continued walking toward Jinxiu Huayuan.

Thanks to the swift actions of the Special Operations Bureau, the streets had been cleared of lycanthropes and goblins, making them temporarily safe—though plague mosquitoes still swarmed.

People who had been cautiously observing from their homes now ventured out, fully armed, cautiously exploring the streets.

The streets were desolate, shops shuttered and windows locked tight. The only signs of life were the stubborn crowds gathered in front of supermarkets or convenience stores, pleading with the owners to open.

Hua Diao passed by the entrance of a large supermarket called "Wen Tian," where a dense crowd had gathered, reminiscent of pre-apocalypse Black Friday sales, with housewives, elderly folks, and bargain hunters jostling for deals.

"Tsk, why are there so many people? Maybe we should just go back. These capitalists are heartless—I bet this supermarket won’t open no matter how long we wait."

"Brother’s right. I know the owner of this place—it’s the Jiang family. Those people are no good. The old couple looks down on the poor, especially their hick son-in-law from the countryside. They opposed their daughter’s relationship with him and even tried to break them up.

"I heard they once actively pimped out their own daughter to some big shot. If not for the second son-in-law arriving in time, their own flesh and blood would’ve been ruined by her parents. Truly a sin."

"Yeah, that scandal was infamous back then. Everyone around here knows about it. Later, those shameless old folks, in a fit of rage, kicked their second daughter out. But who knew that poor country boy would rise up? He became a self-made tycoon in Qingcheng, even making it onto the Forbes 100 rich list.

"Of course, once the old couple found out, they shamelessly tried to reconcile with their daughter. Ugh, their audacity was unbelievable. People around here had a good laugh at their expense."

"Oh, so it’s that Jiang family? My mother-in-law told me about them—they used to be neighbors. Those two gold-digging parasites never reconciled with their daughter, but they still managed to squeeze money out of their son-in-law over the years. Otherwise, how could the Jiang family afford to run this big supermarket after going bankrupt?"

"Wait, I heard they played the guilt card on their grandkid to get money from her. Their second daughter and son-in-law died recently, leaving everything to their daughter. If that girl is foolish enough to fall for their act, the Jiang family might just swindle away all that wealth."

"Ugh, with such parasitic owners, Wen Tian Supermarket won’t show any mercy. Let’s just leave—we’re not getting anything today."

"Screw this! The Jiang family, huh? Let them gloat for now. If industrial production doesn’t recover and the apocalypse continues, someone’s gonna break into this supermarket sooner or later."

Amid the grumbling, the crowd slowly dispersed.

......

Hua Diao blinked, standing still as the gossip sounded eerily familiar. Wasn’t the supporting actress’s maternal family surnamed Jiang?

So, the "star-crossed lovers" were the supporting actress Hua Diao’s parents?

She rubbed her chin, sifting through memory fragments left behind by the original Hua Diao. Sure enough, she found traces of the Jiang family.

Those two old Jiangs were indeed vile. In the memories, they had shamelessly buttered up the original Hua Diao, spoiling her rotten. Hua Diao suspected that the original’s spoiled, brainless personality was largely their doing.

Before her parents’ death, the original Hua Diao’s allowance had been limited. Though the old Jiangs had put on tearful performances, she hadn’t given them much. The real windfall came after her parents died—the Jiangs took advantage of her grief to swindle 80 million from her, supposedly to help her uncle open this supermarket.

Hua Diao’s eyebrows shot up as she glanced at Wen Tian Supermarket. So, this was the supermarket her uncle had opened with her money?

Heh, in that case… wasn’t this legally her supermarket?

Well then, she couldn’t let the Jiang family keep profiting from it. Hua Diao decided she’d visit the Jiangs soon to reclaim what was rightfully hers—otherwise, her 80 million would be down the drain.

Normally, she might write it off, but after hearing that gossip, she refused to let the Jiangs get away with it.

Those two old fossils should hurry up and kick the bucket—preferably after prostrating in apology to her parents in the afterlife.

But before she could confront the Jiangs, someone else sought her out over the supermarket.

That, however, was a story for another time.

After watching the show, Hua Diao left. Upon reaching Jinxiu Huayuan’s entrance, she sent a message to her roomie, Xie Tingsheng.

Hua Diao: Are you home? I scored an amazing stone pot rice today—bringing it back to share with you.

Ah, Xie Tingsheng had suffered so much because of the original Hua Diao. She owed him big time. Though she couldn’t share her pocket dimension, she could at least share good food. She'd always save him a plate.

Meanwhile, in the hills behind the gated community—

Xie Tingsheng paused mid-swing, his combat knife having just severed a werewolf’s neck, splattering him with hot blood.

Behind him, Zhu Bin, just as blood-spattered, wiped his face and hurried over. "What’s wrong, Brother Sheng?" he asked, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket.

He truly didn’t understand why Xie Tingsheng preferred hand-to-hand combat with a knife when guns were so much more efficient. Was it to stay sharp?