Two or Three Events in the Last Days 008
Chapter 8: Shopping
In the past, Jing Lin had also gone through periods of impatience while learning. When he was young, he endured it for the sake of snacks; after middle school, he continued because he could not bear to refuse the old man. Regardless, all of it had genuinely seemed completely useless to him at the time. The footwork and postures that Grandpa Zhang had constantly urged him to practice looked ridiculous, like the frenzied gyrations of a shaman. For a time, Jing Lin had felt that performing those movements was deeply embarrassing. Fortunately, aside from Grandpa Zhang, no one else had ever seen him practice them.
Now, he performed those strange steps once again in the main hall of his own home, feeling no psychological burden whatsoever. As he moved with a rhythmic, bounding gait, a mysterious qi field emerged between each step—something he could not see but could clearly sense. Drawing upon the mnemonic verses he had memorized long ago, he instinctively understood how to guide this unknown energy, connecting it to every formation node and core. Through those connections, changes gradually occurred, ultimately forming a complete array.
Arrays were divided into different categories: life arrays, death arrays, and illusion arrays. Each array formed a different miniature world. Some could lock in vital energy, causing it to circulate endlessly in a ceaseless, self-sustaining flow; these were life arrays. Others could generate malevolent energy and create various illusions—ghosts, demons, gods, monsters, or manifestations of one’s deepest unfulfilled desires. These were illusion arrays. As for killing arrays, their nature depended on how much malice the creator held toward the intended target. By modifying illusion arrays and transforming them into offensive formations, these were killing arrays.
Jing Lin stopped partway through the sequence. He had forgotten the next steps and the corresponding mnemonic verses. The qi surrounding him immediately dispersed. Steadying himself, he took out the three books and carefully put the box away again. Only then did his stomach begin to growl, reminding him that he had been distracted since the previous night and had not even eaten breakfast that morning.
Just then, Zhao Zhiwen called his name from outside.
Jing Lin put away the books and opened the door. He saw Zhao Zhiwen riding his family’s three-wheeled vehicle, carrying two bags. The moment he saw Jing Lin, he tossed both bags into his arms and said, “Let’s head into town and buy some supplies.”
Two or Three Events in the Last Days (TELD) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Jing Lin caught them. One was an ordinary plastic bag containing two ears of corn that were still warm. He then opened the brown paper bag and found a thick stack of hundred-yuan bills inside. Immediately puzzled, he looked at Zhao Zhiwen.
Zhao Zhiwen smiled and said, “You usually live in the city, so your house is probably missing a lot of daily necessities. My dad told me to lend you ten thousand yuan* for now.”
*about 1400-1500 USD
Although power outages and water shortages could happen anywhere, the inexplicable failure of vehicles was the greatest anomaly. Aunt Zhou had been anxiously stockpiling supplies, and Uncle Zhao had not objected much, showing that they both had some idea of what the future might hold. Even so, they had taken ten thousand yuan from their already limited cash reserves and lent it to him. Moreover, after personally experiencing that strange qi field moments earlier—something he had never been able to sense before—Jing Lin understood even more clearly that the world had changed. Their generosity at a time like this moved him all the more deeply.
Jing Lin suddenly did not know what to say. His grip on the paper bag tightened and loosened repeatedly. In the end, he simply thanked them. While he currently had enough food and water, he lacked many other necessities. Right now, he truly needed money.
Jing Lin dug out an old waist pouch from a storage box in his home and stuffed several thousand yuan into it before fastening it around his waist. Then he brought Le Le to Zhao Zhiwen’s house and asked Zhou Yu to look after him. Zhao Zhiwen rode the second-hand three-wheeler Jing Lin had bought in the city, while Jing Lin sat in the cargo bed, munching on an ear of corn. Zhao Chenghuai accompanied them as well, riding the three-wheeler that Zhao Zhiwen had previously used.
In their area, July was not an especially busy season for farming. As soon as they reached the village’s main road, they saw several three-wheeled vehicles emerging from the smaller side roads. They were all villagers, greeting one another as they passed.
Jing Lin greeted those people as well, politely acknowledging them. After that, he said very little, sitting silently in the three-wheeler and only occasionally chatting with Zhao Zhiwen.
The conversations along the way were somewhat heavy. With no electricity and no functioning vehicles, no one really knew what was happening outside. At most, people could travel to the county seat to take a look. In weather this hot, going any farther was exhausting. The village students in high school and below were relatively fortunate, as classes had already been suspended due to the power and water outages. But for those attending university or working far from home—people whose train journeys normally took more than thirty hours—how would they return if something truly happened?
There were two towns closest to Chashan Ridge: Jinhe Town and Huangtai Town. Chashan Ridge fell under the administration of Huangtai Town. Huangtai Town was fairly small, consisting essentially of a single main street that ran from one end to the other end. Its supermarkets were also quite small and offered a limited selection of goods. Jinhe Town, on the other hand, boasts several large supermarkets, so the group decided to head directly there, which took a little over twenty minutes.
Two or Three Events in the Last Days (TELD) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Quite a few people were shopping in town. Since everyone wanted different things, they split up after arriving. Jing Lin stayed with Zhao Zhiwen and his father, which worked out just right, as two of them would go off to carry supplies while the third stayed behind to watch the vehicles.
There were three banks in town, but all of them were closed. As they passed one of them, they saw many people using steel pipes, rocks, and other objects to smash the bank’s rolling shutter door while shouting for the bank to return their money. Many wore expressions of frenzied excitement that Jing Lin could not understand. Several police officers stood nearby trying to stop them, and the two sides looked close to coming to blows. The scene was so tense that Zhao Chenghuai, sitting in the cargo bed, repeatedly urged the younger two to pedal faster, worried that they might get caught up in the chaos.
Since they already had rice and grain at home, there was no need to buy food staples. Jing Lin purchased a large quantity of salt and stocked up on commonly used cooking seasonings. He bought plenty of white sugar and rock sugar, several large containers of blended cooking oil, and picked out some snacks that Le Le had enjoyed in the past. He also purchased several cases of instant noodles, canned meat, and biscuits.
Two or Three Events in the Last Days (TELD) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Many shoppers were stocking up just like they were. However, there were also people leisurely wandering through the supermarket with shopping baskets, casually browsing the shelves and looking at the panic buyers as though they were fools, believing they were overreacting. These people clearly did not believe in any end-of-the-world theories and paid little attention to the recent abnormalities.
Once they had purchased nearly everything they needed, the three of them visited a hardware store in town and bought a considerable amount of kerosene. During power outages, kerosene lamps were far more convenient than candles.
The cargo bed of a three-wheeler was small and could not hold much. Since it was powered entirely by human effort, they also had to be careful not to overload it; otherwise, hauling everything back would be far too exhausting.
They rode back to the village drenched in sweat, only to discover that the road was blocked by several horse-drawn wagons.
Indeed, horse-drawn wagons. Several sleek, well-groomed horses stood by the roadside, pulling modified metal-covered wagons. A group of unfamiliar men and women were unloading supplies from them. A well-dressed middle-aged man held a pack of cigarettes and was handing them out to several village elders who had also just returned from shopping outside the village. The group chatted and laughed together as if they were old acquaintances.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 2 of two for the week. Edited names of places to resemble how they sound instead of translating. Chashan Ridge = Tea Mountain Ridge
Translator: Miiya
Editor: MushroomKnight73
Proofreader: Yume
Avid BL reader, editor, and translator with 1 story completed (CLWP) and 1 story in progress (TELD). Support this translation with a Ko-fi. Three Ko-fis will add an extra chapter from the stockpile to the next weekly release.
