Chapter 429 The Streets Descend into Chaos

Bai Suxiang stepped out of the door and noticed something strange. In just a few hours, almost no one could be seen in the neighborhood. Her destination was the supermarket, and at first, she didn't pay much attention. However, the moment she entered the supermarket, she was stunned. Everyone was wearing masks, and long queues snaked in front of the checkout counters. Shopping carts and baskets were filled to the brim. Looking at the supermarket shelves, many areas were empty. Bai Suxiang quickened her pace, searching for some non-perishable food items. Considering the situation her uncle had mentioned, only items that could be stored for a long time and were easy to cook would be practical. But looking at the shelves, rice, flour, grains, and oil were all gone. The bare wooden planks displayed only a few scattered 5-liter bottles of soybean oil. There were still a few bags of flour, but no rice. It seemed many people knew to stock up on more durable and filling items. The fruits on the fruit stalls, however, still lay abundant on the display counters. Considering the scarcity of daily necessities, Bai Suxiang, who had initially planned to get them last, now had to put them in her shopping cart. People who had finished shopping were queuing at the checkout, while those who hadn't completed their purchases were continuously searching for the items they needed. Many goods were out of stock, and for the items that were available, people didn't seem to care about the price, just grabbing whatever they fancied and putting it into their carts. Sudan Novel Network. Bai Suxiang was not accustomed to this way of shopping. From a young age, her mother had set an example, carefully choosing items when shopping, and saying, "If you don't know how to manage a household, no man will marry you!" In the nearly empty seasoning aisle, after picking up the last item: salt, Bai Suxiang also began to queue for checkout. It was only two hours later that she returned home. "Why are you back so late? It's just the supermarket at the entrance of the neighborhood, where did you go shopping?" Guo Xiufang grumbled while taking the items from Bai Suxiang. This was already the second procurement trip; the quantity wasn't as much as the first time, and although the bags were a bit heavy, there was no need to trouble Liu Sandao and Furuhai again. Even worse, as soon as Bai Suxiang entered the unit's entrance, a seal was affixed to the door. "There were many people buying things, and many items were gone. I just picked up what was available and bought some." "Okay, okay, buy as much as you can! As long as it can last a few days!" Guo Xiufang comforted Bai Suxiang, and with a casual movement, helped her put the items away. "Tap tap tap!" Hurried footsteps sounded from upstairs. This unit building was an old residential building, only about six stories high, and Bai Suxiang's family lived on the third floor. "The unit door downstairs has been sealed?" a man asked from behind. "Really?" Guo Xiufang looked at him, then at Bai Suxiang with confusion. "It seems so. Someone was putting up a seal when I came back just now!" Bai Suxiang turned and explained the situation. The man didn't say another word and rushed downstairs. Just as Bai Suxiang was about to enter her apartment and close the door, a voice shouted loudly, "Why are you sealing the door? We haven't had a chance to buy anything! What will we eat and drink these days?" This was followed by a "thump thump thump!" sound. "If you have something to say, call the neighborhood committee. They will tell you the follow-up arrangements!" "What? Okay, okay, give me the number, I'll call right now, I'll go call right now!" The man's voice had calmed down. "6547..." Bai Suxiang couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, so she closed the door. "What's going on?" Bai Fuchi seemed to sense something unusual and asked. "The unit door downstairs is sealed, and upstairs people seem to be trying to go out for something!" Guo Xiufang replied casually. "What? Is it that serious, that they are sealing unit doors?" Bai Fuchi's expression became serious, and he added, "Quick, quick, quick! Turn on the TV. I just said not to turn it off, not to turn it off! Ai..." Hearing Bai Fuchi's words, Bai Suxiang quickly turned on the TV. The images on the screen were all focused on the death of "Li Langqing" and some comments and speculations from netizens online. Between the lines, it was clear that this storm was likely the second outbreak of the previous virus! As this matter continued to ferment and was visible on the TV screen, it seemed the authorities were no longer trying to conceal it. "Ring ring ring!" Bai Fuchi's phone rang again. Seeing it was his brother's number, he immediately picked it up. Bai Suxiang quickly lowered the TV volume so her father could hear the phone conversation clearly. "Hello! Brother, how are you guys? Are you okay?" "We're fine, we're fine! We're all okay!" Bai Fuchi echoed his brother's words. At least for now, the three of them showed no signs of anything wrong. "Ai, you don't know, here, on the streets, you can't even buy masks now! There are no masks in almost all the shops in the entire town! Not even cloth masks!" "Ah? Really?" "Of course, it's true. Aren't many people donating to Sandong City on TV? So I'm just asking you." Her uncle said whatever came to his mind on the phone, his words revealing an honest tone, without any pretense or avoidance of what should or shouldn't be said. However, they were all accustomed to this. Perhaps, this was what family was like, without pretense. "We only see the current situation on TV. The unit downstairs was just sealed!" "Really?" The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly raised, making Guo Xiufang flinch. "Thump thump thump! Thump thump thump!" Loud banging sounds came from outside the door, banging on the unit door. Even though the door was closed, it could still be heard clearly! "Open the door! Open the door! Let me out!" The entire voice echoed through the stairwell, penetrating the room door. "Alright, alright, don't worry, we are doing very well now!" "You must take care, you must protect yourselves, and don't go out if you don't have to!" "Okay, okay, don't worry, let's hang up, ah..." Bai Fuchi quickly ended the call before his brother could say more. The situation outside was unclear, and if his brother heard the sounds from outside, he would surely worry even more. As soon as the call ended, they heard arguing from downstairs. Some unpleasant Sandong dialect began to dominate. "Quick, quick, go see what's going on!" Bai Fuchi instructed. "Okay, okay, you, all of you, don't move, I'll go take a look!" Bai Suxiang said, comforting Bai Fuchi and then Guo Xiufang. Seeing her daughter had grown sensible and was taking care of herself and her husband, Guo Xiufang felt genuine joy in her heart. Her current feeling was: if there were some reason for it, it would be nice to live together as a family for a while. "Don't worry, don't worry, we will give you a response as soon as possible. We are waiting for notice from above now!"