Chapter 96: Sorry, Not for Rent or Loan

Jiang Yan’s inflatable raft stopped about a kilometer away from Shallow Water Bay.

The rain was getting heavier, and visibility around her was visibly dropping.

As usual, she took out her binoculars for a look.

At the window of the stairwell on the 16th floor, there were now a bunch of people crowded together, clutching buckets and bags of rice.

Judging by how long they’d been there, everyone’s hair and clothes were soaked through.

There were also two boys, about eleven or twelve, their thin, dark faces flushed red from the cold.

In the water outside the window and around the building, especially on the side facing the main street, there were scattered groups of people everywhere.

Some wore life vests or clung to tires, while others had nothing at all, bare-chested and bare-legged, paying no mind to the cold or the garbage in the water.

Some acted alone.

Others formed groups of seven or eight, arms submerged, bodies arranged in a U-shape, working together as if trying to catch something.

The other four buildings were in similar situations.

Suddenly, not far ahead of one U-shaped group, a hand shot up from the water, fingers clenched into a fist, making a signal.

“Pull in the net!” someone in the U-shaped group shouted.

At the command, everyone quickly closed in, gathering up a floral bedsheet full of tiny holes that had been spread underwater.

Jiang Yan understood instantly. They must have found a lot of fish here too.

They’d sewn bedsheets and mosquito nets into makeshift fishing nets, and were working together to catch fish the old-fashioned way.

Judging by the scene, there were plenty of fish here as well.

Although the water quality around the complex was questionable, fish were clearly much tastier and more acceptable than those mutated leeches.

If it weren’t for the terrifying storms forecasted, and the fact that her best bet was to get back to her home on the 32nd floor, she might have turned around and joined them.

She watched for a while as the rain intensified, but none of the people showed any sign of heading home.

Jiang Yan took a sleeve arrow from her storage space and strapped it to her arm, then picked up her paddle and continued forward.

As she got closer, she saw that the fish being caught were even bigger and fatter than the ones she’d collected at the power plant.

But they weren’t tilapia.

They looked like carp and grass carp—some even had whiskers on their mouths.

There were no more signs of mutated leeches on the walls.

It seemed they’d all been collected as treasures.

Someone among the busy fishers noticed Jiang Yan paddling her raft back.

They looked surprised for a moment, but quickly went back to fishing.

The fish were so big that, if rationed, one could feed a family of three for a day or two.

Processing was simple: gather some wood, light a charcoal fire, sprinkle on some salt, and roast—a protein-rich delicacy.

“Wow, miss, you actually have an inflatable raft? Can I rent it from you? Just for an hour! I’ll pay you a thousand yuan! Cash!”

A man fishing alone had just caught a wildly wriggling water snake. After handing it to his son to deliver to his wife waiting at the window, he spotted Jiang Yan, wiped the rain from his face with his arm, and called out politely.

Judging by the direction his son swam, they must be from Building B.

As soon as he spoke, everyone else’s gaze instantly shifted to Jiang Yan.

Only then did Jiang Yan notice that many people’s arms were covered in goosebumps, and some had bluish faces and pale lips.

Different places breed different people.

Anming had always been a southern city with a mild climate—unlike the north, where people might swim in icy rivers even when it snowed.

Working in such cold water in this weather was truly a last resort for most.

People here weren’t afraid of hardship or cold, but while their spirits were willing, their bodies clearly hadn’t caught up.

“Sorry, not for rent or loan,” Jiang Yan replied, expression unchanged as she kept paddling.

She’d left early, and news traveled slowly in the buildings—many in Building A didn’t even know she had a raft.

Besides, most of these people were unfamiliar faces from other buildings whom Jiang Yan had never met.

A man with naturally curly hair joked from the side:

“Oh come on, Old Zhang, you just wanted to chat up a pretty girl, didn’t you? The official rescue boats will be here to pick us up tomorrow—what do you need a raft for? And a thousand in cash? You got money to burn?”

“Money’s worthless now anyway! Old Zhang, you’re just trying to fool the young lady!” another chimed in.

The man called Old Zhang wasn’t angry. He just sneered at the curly-haired man in front of him:

“Ha! Old Niu, if you really believe that, you should be lying at home waiting for the rescue boats tomorrow. Why are you out here fighting us for fish? Is your wife’s warm bed not cozy enough, or is this water not cold and filthy enough for you?”

Jiang Yan paused her paddling.

The official boats had already been here?

But they hadn’t evacuated people—was it due to limited capacity?

Or was it like what Qi Mengnan said, just someone with a loudspeaker making announcements?

Old Niu laughed awkwardly, “Ahem, I just saw you guys having fun fishing, and I couldn’t stand being cooped up at home anymore! Damn, these days stuck at home feel like prison!

At least in prison you get three meals a day. At home, it’s feast or famine! The supplies the officials handed out today weren’t even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth!”

Someone nearby sighed, “I think whether the official boats come tomorrow or not, it’s best to be prepared.

Everyone thought the weather would clear up, but here comes the rain again. If it pours like last time, we’re really screwed!”

Old Zhang listened to the others, shook his head with a bitter smile, then looked sincerely at Jiang Yan:

“Miss, if a thousand isn’t enough, name your price. As long as it’s something I, Zhang Dalei, can do, I’ll do it! If you won’t rent it for an hour, how about half an hour?”

Jiang Yan glanced at him and replied coolly, “Not happening.”

Old Zhang, rejected again, gave an awkward laugh, “Come on, miss, you don’t have to be so stingy, do you? And it’s not like I’m not paying! If you’re worried about damage, I’ll pay double the deposit, how about that?”

“Would you lend your wife or your car to a stranger?” Jiang Yan replied, surprisingly patient.

Zhang Dalei choked, “You—”

“Tsk, this girl’s really something. The guy even humbled himself in front of his son to ask, and she’s still so cold! She’s got a heart of stone!” another man commented, trying to stir things up."