Natural Disasters Arrive: Hoarding Supplies, Smashing Scums, and Eating Hotpot CH2
Chapter 2: Rebirth 02
Nan Xi crossed her arms and smirked. "I can't hit him? Well then, can I hit you instead?"
Sun Kexin was so choked up she could barely breathe. The little ancestor in her arms was still thrashing around, kicking and punching his own mother in a desperate attempt to make her go hit Nan Xi for him. A child doesn't know their own strength. Sun Kexin felt her vision go black with every blow she took from her own son.
"I’m in a bad mood. Tell him to stay out of my way, or I’ll beat him again." The smile vanished from Nan Xi's face, replaced by a cold stare.
"Don't think I'm joking. I mean every word I say."
"Nan Xi, Haoran is your brother—"
"Oh, and he’s your son, yet he’s literally screaming at you to drop dead. Why don't you follow his advice?"
Jiang Haoran was indeed having a full-blown meltdown, currently cursing Sun Kexin to go die.
"Whatever, I'm done talking to you. He’s bleeding, you better hurry and get him to the hospital before the wound heals itself!"
Sun Kexin was helpless. She was genuinely worried about the boy’s injury, so she could only coax him out the door and head for the hospital.
Meanwhile, Nan Xi had already ducked into the kitchen. There were no servants at the villa during the night, and Nan Xi had no intention of bothering anyone. During those five years in the apocalypse, she never once felt full; she’d been so hungry she wanted to eat herself. Seeing a kitchen packed with food now made her feel like a happy little mouse that had fallen into a grain bin.
Too bad she had zero culinary skills. In the apocalypse, the only thing she’d learned was how to boil water and throw everything into a pot to stew.
But food was food—who was she to be picky? Back then, if she could get a single hot meal with some broth, she’d have been floating on cloud nine.
So, Nan Xi decided to make herself a hot pot. It was the easiest thing to make and the hardest to mess up, especially with ready-made broth bases.
She started with two trays each of sliced fatty beef and lamb. She added a box of beef chunks and another of fish balls. Seeing some large shrimp in the fridge, she didn't hold back and dumped those in too.
And fresh vegetables! She hadn't seen those in years. In they went!
She didn't even need dipping sauce; she finished off the entire massive pot by herself. If her stomach hadn't been physically screaming for mercy, she felt like she could have kept going.
Her stomach, empty for five years, was finally full, but the psychological hunger and emptiness still clung to her like a shadow.
Nan Xi began sweeping the rest of the ingredients into her space: chicken, duck, fish, pork belly, the remaining beef and lamb, seafood, fresh leafy greens, and dry goods like dried tofu skin, wood ear mushrooms, and shiitake.
Oh, and the rice...
Nan Xi’s hand reached out, then slowly pulled back. Forget it, not yet. If the fresh ingredients vanished, she could claim she ate them. But if the rice, flour, and oil went missing, it would be hard to explain.
Now wasn't the time to alert Jiang Mingrui.
Full and satisfied, Nan Xi cleared out all the cold drinks from the fridge, grabbed a can of "Happy Water" and headed back to her room.
She wanted to hoard, but what about money? Just "shearing the wool" off this villa wasn't going to be nearly enough.
Nan Xi looked around her walk-in closet. Plenty of clothes and bags still had the tags on them. There was also a wall of luxury goods and jewelry. Anyone looking at this would say Jiang Mingrui treated her well; he truly was willing to drop money on her.
In her last life, she’d also thought that while her dad was a piece of work, he at least loved her. Unfortunately, reality had slapped her so hard she’d spun in circles.
She didn't know how long the disaster would last. She’d survived five years in that hell last time so this time, she wanted to make it fifty. The space wasn't huge so hoarding fifty years' worth of supplies wasn't going to be easy.
Nan Xi cleared out all the clothes from her cabinets, leaving only a few sets of practical, easy-to-move-in casual wear. Everything else she packed up neatly, planning to take it to a second-hand shop tomorrow. It should fetch a decent sum.
As for her bags and jewelry—ornamental junk. Later on, you wouldn't be able to trade all of it for a single loaf of bread.
Sell it! Sell it all! And turn it into bread!
When everything was shoved into the space, leaving only a few changes of clothes, Nan Xi noticed something was off.
A slight vibration seemed to be nudging her to check. When she looked, her jaw nearly hit the floor.
The space had grown!
The white mist surrounding the small courtyard had receded significantly, revealing a massive patch of empty land roughly the size of half a football field. Nan Xi tested it—she could place items there!
Moreover, the dilapidated wooden hut had gone from one room to two, and it looked much sturdier.
The patch of black soil next to the yard had split into four! It had jumped from twenty-five square meters to a hundred in an instant.
It was obvious: the black soil was for planting. This meant the space had a self-sustaining production capacity—a massive boost for long-term survival.
Her capital for staying alive had just increased!
As for the trigger for the expansion—Nan Xi realized a large portion of the gold, silver, and jade jewelry she’d put in the space was gone. What remained were just the "artistic" pieces with no real value. The actual precious metals and high-grade jade were all gone.
The space eats this stuff?
Nan Xi felt a fresh surge of motivation. She had a new hoarding goal: gold and jade to upgrade the space.
As she tinkered with her phone to draft a hoarding list, she noticed a barrage of messages. The little red notification dots were everywhere.
Suddenly remembering something, Nan Xi opened the [Rich Brat Squad] group chat. She saw Han Yingxi tagging her frantically, sounding like his grandfather had just died.
[Han Yingxi: Sis! My Dear Sis! Where did you go?!]
[Han Yingxi: Sis! I heard you ran into Jiang Yiran. Are you okay?]
[Han Yingxi: Sis? Did you go back?]
[Han Yingxi: Sis, you're home, right? You're okay? Can I call you?]
She had been at a party with this group earlier tonight until she got news about Tang Chu Xiao and ditched them.
[Nan Xi: I’m fine. Already home. Don’t call me.]
With Han Yingxi’s chatterbox personality, if she let him call, he’d yapped in her ear all night without stopping. She didn't have time for that!
[Han Yingxi: Sis! You’re definitely annoyed by my talking again! You’re afraid I’ll tie up the line! Didn't I give you that second phone? It won't get in the way!]
[Nan Xi: .…]
She’d completely forgotten. She did have a second phone, but it was in her bag, and her bag was still in the private room where Tang Chu Xiao and the others were. She’d forgotten to grab it.
[Nan Xi: Left my bag in Room 309. Go grab it for me.]
[Han Yingxi: Roger that!]
[Nan Xi: I’ll get it from you tomorrow. No need to drop it off tonight.]
[Han Yingxi: Oh...]
Nan Xi didn't bother to comment on how reluctant that "oh" sounded.
She scrolled through the rest: Tang Chu Xiao’s accusations against her, Jiang Yiran’s fake concern, and various "friends" on her list poking around for gossip.
None of it mattered.
Nan Xi pulled up her contacts and messaged one specific person.
[Introduce me to some part-timers.]
[What kind of work does the Eldest Miss want?]
[One or two people to help download things. Get the largest capacity mobile hard drives on the market. Download by category. 100 yuan per drive for the trouble. Content can be similar, but don't try to fool me with identical drives.]
[Understood, Miss. What kind of content?]
[Every movie, TV show, and variety show out there. Start with the highly-rated ones, then move to the low-rated trash. I want it all. Also, every kind of learning material possible—standard education, general knowledge, survival skills, DIY, technical crafts, intangible cultural heritage techniques, gardening, cooking, sewing... you get the drift?]
[Understood.]
Nan Xi chose to work with him precisely because he was the type to put his head down and work without asking "why."
[You have one week. If one person isn't enough, hire more. I only care about the result.]
[Got it.]
Switching back to the Rich Brat Squad group, Nan Xi started spamming links and recommendations.
Everything from apocalypse survival novels and wilderness exploration videos to nature documentaries. The "Survival Manual for the End of the World" was the top priority.
She completely took over the screen.
[Jin Tao: What’s up with our Sis? Did her phone get a virus?]
[Yan Jiayu: Interested in apocalypse novels lately?]
[Teng Heng: I’ve read a few of those. Not bad. Highly recommend.]
[Han Yingxi: Sis, don't scare me.]
Nan Xi ignored their chatter. After she finished the spam, she sent one final message.
[Nan Xi: You all better read these. I’m doing a random quiz later!]
[Everyone: ???]
A quiz? Are we back in school? What kind of school tests you on this stuff?
Nan Xi turned her attention to her assets. Aside from the high-end junk in her room, she only had her 20% stake in the Nan Corporation and this villa.
The shares had to go. Once the apocalypse hit, stocks and cash would be worthless. She hated to lose the villa, but there was no helping it. When the typhoons and rainy season started, the terrain here wasn't high enough—the entire luxury neighborhood would be submerged.
Back then, they hadn't been at the villa. To please her, her "scum dad" Jiang Mingrui had Tang Chu Xiao invite her to J-City for a vacation. Before the typhoons hit, both families had moved to a new development co-owned by the Nan and Tang corporations.
That place was on high ground, sparsely populated, and had excellent security. They’d spent the early rainy season and floods there...
Nan Xi cut off the memory.
She screenshotted her bank balance and sent it to her scum dad, Jiang Mingrui. The message was obvious.
No money. Starving.
Jiang Mingrui was likely still busy in his study. He wasn't asleep, so Nan Xi quickly received a notification.
The scum dad was actually quite generous with money; he sent 200,000 yuan without a second thought.
It looked like a lot, but it wasn't nearly enough!
Nan Xi took the money and immediately posted two updates to her Moments, visible only to a specific few.
[Fire sale: 20% stake in Nan Corporation. Fixed price: 4 billion. First come, first served. Don’t miss out.]
[Special promotion: Villa No. 2, Splendid Mountain Manor. Fixed price: 80 million. One of a kind. Buy it now or regret it later.]
Less than ten minutes after posting, Nan Xi’s phone exploded.
She knew it. The Jiang family, especially Jiang Yiran, kept eyes on her 24/7. Look how fast they’d seen her post.
But she wanted them to see.
Nan Xi didn't pick up the phone, nor did she reply to messages. Eventually, an impatient Jiang Mingrui came storming out of his study.
"Nan Xi, open this door! I know you’re in there, and I know you’re awake. Open up! I’m your father!"
"Dad, I’m getting ready for bed. It’s not convenient. We’ll talk tomorrow!"
"Nan Xi! Open the door! Fine, don't open it—but what was that in your Moments? Delete it right now! How could you sell the Nan shares? That’s the foundation of the company! And this villa—if you sell it, where is our family going to live?"
"Nan Xi, are you insane? By what right do you have to sell the Nan Corporation shares?!"
Nan Xi leaned against the door and chirped, "By the right that my last name is Nan!"
That one sentence completely broke Jiang Mingrui's composure. She could almost hear his heart skipping a beat through the door. Nan Xi had never been happier.
Chapter Notes:
Nan Xi crossed her arms and smirked. "I can't hit him? Well then, can I hit you instead?"
Sun Kexin was so choked up she could barely breathe. The little ancestor in her arms was still thrashing around, kicking and punching his own mother in a desperate attempt to make her go hit Nan Xi for him. A child doesn't know their own strength. Sun Kexin felt her vision go black with every blow she took from her own son.
"I’m in a bad mood. Tell him to stay out of my way, or I’ll beat him again." The smile vanished from Nan Xi's face, replaced by a cold stare.
"Don't think I'm joking. I mean every word I say."
"Nan Xi, Haoran is your brother—"
"Oh, and he’s your son, yet he’s literally screaming at you to drop dead. Why don't you follow his advice?"
Jiang Haoran was indeed having a full-blown meltdown, currently cursing Sun Kexin to go die.
"Whatever, I'm done talking to you. He’s bleeding, you better hurry and get him to the hospital before the wound heals itself!"
Sun Kexin was helpless. She was genuinely worried about the boy’s injury, so she could only coax him out the door and head for the hospital.
Meanwhile, Nan Xi had already ducked into the kitchen. There were no servants at the villa during the night, and Nan Xi had no intention of bothering anyone. During those five years in the apocalypse, she never once felt full; she’d been so hungry she wanted to eat herself. Seeing a kitchen packed with food now made her feel like a happy little mouse that had fallen into a grain bin.
Too bad she had zero culinary skills. In the apocalypse, the only thing she’d learned was how to boil water and throw everything into a pot to stew.
But food was food—who was she to be picky? Back then, if she could get a single hot meal with some broth, she’d have been floating on cloud nine.
So, Nan Xi decided to make herself a hot pot. It was the easiest thing to make and the hardest to mess up, especially with ready-made broth bases.
She started with two trays each of sliced fatty beef and lamb. She added a box of beef chunks and another of fish balls. Seeing some large shrimp in the fridge, she didn't hold back and dumped those in too.
And fresh vegetables! She hadn't seen those in years. In they went!
She didn't even need dipping sauce; she finished off the entire massive pot by herself. If her stomach hadn't been physically screaming for mercy, she felt like she could have kept going.
Her stomach, empty for five years, was finally full, but the psychological hunger and emptiness still clung to her like a shadow.
Nan Xi began sweeping the rest of the ingredients into her space: chicken, duck, fish, pork belly, the remaining beef and lamb, seafood, fresh leafy greens, and dry goods like dried tofu skin, wood ear mushrooms, and shiitake.
Oh, and the rice...
Nan Xi’s hand reached out, then slowly pulled back. Forget it, not yet. If the fresh ingredients vanished, she could claim she ate them. But if the rice, flour, and oil went missing, it would be hard to explain.
Now wasn't the time to alert Jiang Mingrui.
Full and satisfied, Nan Xi cleared out all the cold drinks from the fridge, grabbed a can of "Happy Water" and headed back to her room.
She wanted to hoard, but what about money? Just "shearing the wool" off this villa wasn't going to be nearly enough.
Nan Xi looked around her walk-in closet. Plenty of clothes and bags still had the tags on them. There was also a wall of luxury goods and jewelry. Anyone looking at this would say Jiang Mingrui treated her well; he truly was willing to drop money on her.
In her last life, she’d also thought that while her dad was a piece of work, he at least loved her. Unfortunately, reality had slapped her so hard she’d spun in circles.
She didn't know how long the disaster would last. She’d survived five years in that hell last time so this time, she wanted to make it fifty. The space wasn't huge so hoarding fifty years' worth of supplies wasn't going to be easy.
Nan Xi cleared out all the clothes from her cabinets, leaving only a few sets of practical, easy-to-move-in casual wear. Everything else she packed up neatly, planning to take it to a second-hand shop tomorrow. It should fetch a decent sum.
As for her bags and jewelry—ornamental junk. Later on, you wouldn't be able to trade all of it for a single loaf of bread.
Sell it! Sell it all! And turn it into bread!
When everything was shoved into the space, leaving only a few changes of clothes, Nan Xi noticed something was off.
A slight vibration seemed to be nudging her to check. When she looked, her jaw nearly hit the floor.
The space had grown!
The white mist surrounding the small courtyard had receded significantly, revealing a massive patch of empty land roughly the size of half a football field. Nan Xi tested it—she could place items there!
Moreover, the dilapidated wooden hut had gone from one room to two, and it looked much sturdier.
The patch of black soil next to the yard had split into four! It had jumped from twenty-five square meters to a hundred in an instant.
It was obvious: the black soil was for planting. This meant the space had a self-sustaining production capacity—a massive boost for long-term survival.
Her capital for staying alive had just increased!
As for the trigger for the expansion—Nan Xi realized a large portion of the gold, silver, and jade jewelry she’d put in the space was gone. What remained were just the "artistic" pieces with no real value. The actual precious metals and high-grade jade were all gone.
The space eats this stuff?
Nan Xi felt a fresh surge of motivation. She had a new hoarding goal: gold and jade to upgrade the space.
As she tinkered with her phone to draft a hoarding list, she noticed a barrage of messages. The little red notification dots were everywhere.
Suddenly remembering something, Nan Xi opened the [Rich Brat Squad] group chat. She saw Han Yingxi tagging her frantically, sounding like his grandfather had just died.
[Han Yingxi: Sis! My Dear Sis! Where did you go?!]
[Han Yingxi: Sis! I heard you ran into Jiang Yiran. Are you okay?]
[Han Yingxi: Sis? Did you go back?]
[Han Yingxi: Sis, you're home, right? You're okay? Can I call you?]
She had been at a party with this group earlier tonight until she got news about Tang Chu Xiao and ditched them.
[Nan Xi: I’m fine. Already home. Don’t call me.]
With Han Yingxi’s chatterbox personality, if she let him call, he’d yapped in her ear all night without stopping. She didn't have time for that!
[Han Yingxi: Sis! You’re definitely annoyed by my talking again! You’re afraid I’ll tie up the line! Didn't I give you that second phone? It won't get in the way!]
[Nan Xi: .…]
She’d completely forgotten. She did have a second phone, but it was in her bag, and her bag was still in the private room where Tang Chu Xiao and the others were. She’d forgotten to grab it.
[Nan Xi: Left my bag in Room 309. Go grab it for me.]
[Han Yingxi: Roger that!]
[Nan Xi: I’ll get it from you tomorrow. No need to drop it off tonight.]
[Han Yingxi: Oh...]
Nan Xi didn't bother to comment on how reluctant that "oh" sounded.
She scrolled through the rest: Tang Chu Xiao’s accusations against her, Jiang Yiran’s fake concern, and various "friends" on her list poking around for gossip.
None of it mattered.
Nan Xi pulled up her contacts and messaged one specific person.
[Introduce me to some part-timers.]
[What kind of work does the Eldest Miss want?]
[One or two people to help download things. Get the largest capacity mobile hard drives on the market. Download by category. 100 yuan per drive for the trouble. Content can be similar, but don't try to fool me with identical drives.]
[Understood, Miss. What kind of content?]
[Every movie, TV show, and variety show out there. Start with the highly-rated ones, then move to the low-rated trash. I want it all. Also, every kind of learning material possible—standard education, general knowledge, survival skills, DIY, technical crafts, intangible cultural heritage techniques, gardening, cooking, sewing... you get the drift?]
[Understood.]
Nan Xi chose to work with him precisely because he was the type to put his head down and work without asking "why."
[You have one week. If one person isn't enough, hire more. I only care about the result.]
[Got it.]
Switching back to the Rich Brat Squad group, Nan Xi started spamming links and recommendations.
Everything from apocalypse survival novels and wilderness exploration videos to nature documentaries. The "Survival Manual for the End of the World" was the top priority.
She completely took over the screen.
[Jin Tao: What’s up with our Sis? Did her phone get a virus?]
[Yan Jiayu: Interested in apocalypse novels lately?]
[Teng Heng: I’ve read a few of those. Not bad. Highly recommend.]
[Han Yingxi: Sis, don't scare me.]
Nan Xi ignored their chatter. After she finished the spam, she sent one final message.
[Nan Xi: You all better read these. I’m doing a random quiz later!]
[Everyone: ???]
A quiz? Are we back in school? What kind of school tests you on this stuff?
Nan Xi turned her attention to her assets. Aside from the high-end junk in her room, she only had her 20% stake in the Nan Corporation and this villa.
The shares had to go. Once the apocalypse hit, stocks and cash would be worthless. She hated to lose the villa, but there was no helping it. When the typhoons and rainy season started, the terrain here wasn't high enough—the entire luxury neighborhood would be submerged.
Back then, they hadn't been at the villa. To please her, her "scum dad" Jiang Mingrui had Tang Chu Xiao invite her to J-City for a vacation. Before the typhoons hit, both families had moved to a new development co-owned by the Nan and Tang corporations.
That place was on high ground, sparsely populated, and had excellent security. They’d spent the early rainy season and floods there...
Nan Xi cut off the memory.
She screenshotted her bank balance and sent it to her scum dad, Jiang Mingrui. The message was obvious.
No money. Starving.
Jiang Mingrui was likely still busy in his study. He wasn't asleep, so Nan Xi quickly received a notification.
The scum dad was actually quite generous with money; he sent 200,000 yuan without a second thought.
It looked like a lot, but it wasn't nearly enough!
Nan Xi took the money and immediately posted two updates to her Moments, visible only to a specific few.
[Fire sale: 20% stake in Nan Corporation. Fixed price: 4 billion. First come, first served. Don’t miss out.]
[Special promotion: Villa No. 2, Splendid Mountain Manor. Fixed price: 80 million. One of a kind. Buy it now or regret it later.]
Less than ten minutes after posting, Nan Xi’s phone exploded.
She knew it. The Jiang family, especially Jiang Yiran, kept eyes on her 24/7. Look how fast they’d seen her post.
But she wanted them to see.
Nan Xi didn't pick up the phone, nor did she reply to messages. Eventually, an impatient Jiang Mingrui came storming out of his study.
"Nan Xi, open this door! I know you’re in there, and I know you’re awake. Open up! I’m your father!"
"Dad, I’m getting ready for bed. It’s not convenient. We’ll talk tomorrow!"
"Nan Xi! Open the door! Fine, don't open it—but what was that in your Moments? Delete it right now! How could you sell the Nan shares? That’s the foundation of the company! And this villa—if you sell it, where is our family going to live?"
"Nan Xi, are you insane? By what right do you have to sell the Nan Corporation shares?!"
Nan Xi leaned against the door and chirped, "By the right that my last name is Nan!"
That one sentence completely broke Jiang Mingrui's composure. She could almost hear his heart skipping a beat through the door. Nan Xi had never been happier.
Chapter Notes:
- "Happy Water" (快乐水 - Kuaile shui): A common Chinese internet slang term for Coca-Cola or soda in general.
- "Kill with Kindness" (捧杀 - Pengsha): It means over-praising or over-indulging someone to ensure they grow up useless or arrogant.
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