Chapter 2: Beginning to Stockpile

Her heart stirred, and Nian Nian let out a small “Wow.”

“Mom, you can do magic! Are you a fairy?”

She fired off a string of questions. The five-year-old child wasn’t afraid at all upon witnessing the scene; instead, she was thoroughly fascinated.

Nian Nian ran back and forth between the small courtyard and the house, pointing at the white mist outside the yard.

“What’s over there? It seems like I can’t get through.”

Meng Ran didn’t know either. She stepped outside the courtyard gate and reached out, feeling what seemed like a solid wall blocking her from stepping forward.

“It’s nothing, Nian Nian. Let’s go out first.”

Meng Ran patted Nian Nian’s head and led her out of the space inside the ring.

Knowing she could bring Nian Nian in had already put her much more at ease.

She opened her browser and began searching online for strategies to survive the harsh winter, then made a long checklist.

The damage that nearly four months of blizzards and dropping temperatures could cause was beyond what she could imagine. The child’s descriptions were limited, so Meng Ran prepared herself to face all possible unknowns.

After finishing the list, Meng Ran got up to prepare dinner. Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Nian Nian sneakily ate two ice creams. Meng Ran pinched her daughter’s nose.

“No more ice cream tomorrow.”

Nian Nian pouted but agreed nonetheless.

The incident had put Meng Ran in a mood that spoiled her appetite, so she simply cooked stir-fried beef with yellow peppers and tomato scrambled eggs, and boiled a pot of meatball soup to keep things easy.

That night, Meng Ran didn’t sleep well. She wasn’t sure if it was because of Nian Nian’s words, but her dreams were fragmented and filled with thick snow, with nothing else in sight.

At six in the morning, Meng Ran woke up in a sweat. She looked up and saw the air conditioner’s cooling timer had ended. She hurriedly turned it back on. As the cold air blew, her eyes grew resolute.

Without a second thought, she washed up, dressed, and went downstairs to buy some breakfast. She woke Nian Nian and reminded her not to open the door for anyone. Holding a bag of steamed buns, she ate on the way to the garage, where she started the car and headed toward the place she had planned the day before.

Meng Ran remembered Xiang Yajing’s mention of cold medicine and went straight to the pharmacy. She bought not only for Xiang Yajing but also for herself and Nian Nian. She added anti-inflammatory medicine, frostbite ointment, and disinfectant. She tried to think of every common medicine she might need.

The pharmacy staff looked surprised. Meng Ran smiled and explained, “My friend lives in the neighboring province. They’re having an influenza outbreak, and the medicine prices there are sky-high, so she asked me to buy some here and send it to her.”

The suspicion on the staff’s face faded.

“I’ve heard about the flu over there. We’ve had a few cases here too, but it’s not serious yet. Don’t worry too much.”

Meng Ran nodded, took the items, and placed them on the car’s back seat.

She went to the courier station and sent the package to Xiang Yajing, then sent her a message.

Xiang Yajing replied quickly and transferred the money.

Meng Ran checked her bank balance. Over the years of work, she had saved quite a bit—originally tens of thousands meant for her daughter’s schooling, and then to buy a new car. But for now, ensuring their safety was more important.

She drove to the wholesale market, pulled out her list, tore off the first half, and handed it to the shop owner, asking him to prepare the items.

“So many things. Are you opening a store?”

Meng Ran replied, “Just a small business. Preparing in advance.”

The owner pointed at several items. “You’re ordering quite a lot of these. I’ll arrange for delivery tonight and have them ready for you by tomorrow. Is that okay?”

“That works.”

There was still time, and Meng Ran didn’t intend to get everything done in one day.

The list mainly consisted of staples like rice, flour, grains, oil, and water. She added water purification tablets and portable water filters.

The rest were high-calorie foods and quick meals: chocolate energy bars, frozen dumplings, instant rice, oatmeal, and honey.

She also bought plenty of daily necessities for herself and Nian Nian, even including diapers—both child and adult sizes.

Meng Ran was prepared to stay indoors for months. If the cold caused power or water outages, these supplies would be invaluable.

“Boss, do you sell alcohol stoves here?”

The owner pointed diagonally across the street. “That shop should have them. You might want to check it out.”

Meng Ran visited several stores before finding an alcohol stove and a backup generator—a pleasant surprise.

She glanced at her list and decided to buy just those items for now.

Once the owner had prepared part of the order, she loaded everything into her car by herself, politely declining his help.

Then, when no one was watching, she reached into the trunk and successfully transferred the items into the space inside the ring.

Within seconds, the trunk was empty.

Meng Ran marveled at the wonder of the ring. She drove back to the mall, where the beggar from yesterday was nowhere in sight.

She even pretended to search for something to check the mall’s outside surveillance footage. The cameras only caught her muttering to herself and pulling out a bill from her purse yesterday afternoon.

The staff gave her odd looks, and Meng Ran smiled awkwardly before turning to leave.

If it weren’t for the ring on her finger, everything would have felt like a dream.

Not wanting the trip to be wasted, Meng Ran bought more supplies at the mall and brought them back. She also prepared several sleeping bags, high-capacity power banks, spare batteries, and lighting equipment—all in case of power outages.

By the time she finished shopping and returned home, it was noon. Sweating heavily, she locked the door behind her.

Nian Nian came out holding her doll and watched in amazement as Meng Ran seemed to pull items out of thin air.

Meng Ran smiled at her. “This is our secret. Don’t tell anyone.”

Nian Nian nodded solemnly. “I understand! If anyone finds out, Mommy will be taken away.”

Meng Ran sighed and organized the items inside the space, keeping some outside and some inside.

Staples like rice and flour would spoil if stored too long, so she bought them in moderation.

Before having Nian Nian, Meng Ran had read many novels. She placed a piece of meat inside the space to see if time there stood still.

After organizing everything, mother and daughter ordered takeout for a quick meal.

Meng Ran surveyed her home. Nian Nian said the windows were all cracked from the cold. She tapped the glass and planned to call a repairman on Monday.

She sat with Nian Nian watching TV and placed an order on a shopping app for down jackets, blankets, scarves, snow boots, gloves, and also added fifty packs of heat patches and a dozen hot water bottles.

She bought plenty of warm clothing and took out the buried winter clothes from the back of the wardrobe to air them out—seventy percent of their needs for food, clothing, and shelter were now prepared.

Meng Ran checked off the items she had purchased on her list.

That night, she took the meat out of the space. Its texture had changed slightly, proving that time inside the space wasn’t frozen but probably flowed similarly to the outside world.

Yet, Meng Ran quickly conceived another idea.