vstars Chapter 198 Preparations
Chapter 198 Preparations
This way, people can sit in a relatively warm, windproof tent, and the fishing line can be extended directly through the holes into the pre-drilled ice holes below, achieving "indoor" fishing. This modification is not difficult. She can use a watermelon knife to cut open the bottom fabric of the inner and outer tents, singe the edges with a lighter to prevent the lines from coming loose, and then reinforce them with several layers of waterproof tape inside and out. That should be enough, as the tent floor fabric already has a certain degree of waterproofness, and with the tape, there shouldn't be any major problems.
For food, she prepared noodles, which are lightweight, don't take up much space, cook quickly, and provide a good amount of calories and carbohydrates. For side dishes, she prepared dehydrated dried vegetables and sausages.
She didn't have a fishing rod or special bait, nor did she plan to go through the trouble of getting them now. Since Xie Yingtang said that they could be rented or bought there, she didn't plan to do it herself and would decide based on the situation when she got there.
In terms of medicines, in addition to the usual cold medicine, antidiarrheal medicine, band-aids, and disinfectant alcohol, she specifically brought some frostbite cream and heat packs, because frostbite is one of the biggest threats in that environment.
She mentally reviewed all the equipment and supplies she needed to carry, and then directly retrieved the required items from her storage space: a single tent, a battery box, hand warmers and foot warmers, a stainless steel thermos, a heat-resistant mat, a folding charcoal stove, a small pot, noodles, dried vegetables, sausages, a medicine kit... But Xu Xiaoyan was stumped when it came to "transportation tools".
She currently has two "vehicles": one is a supermarket shopping cart; the other is a trailer she got from the sea buckthorn factory last time. In terms of functionality, the trailer is undoubtedly better in terms of load capacity and stability. The flat steel plate platform is also convenient for stacking and fixing materials of various shapes. If only transportation efficiency is considered, the trailer is the better choice.
However, simply tying relatively conspicuous supplies like tents, stoves, and battery boxes to a trailer flatbed with ropes and then pushing it to the city gate to gather... is like sticking a note on your forehead that says, "I have some good supplies here, I'm going out of the city to do a heist, come and rob me!" Parading around in the city is tantamount to asking for trouble.
In contrast, the supermarket shopping cart, although slightly inferior in load capacity and stability, and with smaller wheels, making it more difficult to push in deep snow, is well-concealed. It had been modified before, with the sides well covered and concealed, forming a relatively private storage container. Pushing it on the street is far less conspicuous than a trailer.
Without much hesitation, Xu Xiaoyan loaded everything into the modified supermarket shopping cart! Safety and concealment are always the top priorities, and sacrificing a little load-bearing capacity and increasing the effort required to push it is perfectly acceptable.
She carefully categorized and packed all the supplies, placing the heavy and pressure-resistant items at the bottom, and the pressure-sensitive and frequently needed items on top or in easily accessible locations on the sides. The tent was rolled up and tied to the side, the charcoal stove and small pot were wrapped in cloth and tucked into a corner, and the battery box and food were placed in the middle... She strived to securely place all the items within the limited space.
When everything was ready, it was almost midnight. She set her alarm for 4:10 a.m., then climbed onto the still-warm kang (heated brick bed) and forced herself to fall asleep as soon as possible.
The next morning, the shrill sound of an electronic alarm clock shattered the silence in the room. Xu Xiaoyan was awakened almost reflexively from her not-so-deep sleep. She groped in the dark and accurately turned off the source of the noise next to her pillow.
After a brief moment of confusion, her senses quickly returned—today was the day for ice fishing. She scrambled to her feet and, in the dark, began to put on the clothes she had prepared beforehand: underneath, she wore close-fitting cashmere underwear; in the middle, a thick fleece jacket and a down liner; on top, she wore a heavy but life-saving military green thick cotton overcoat; on her legs, she wore fleece-lined ski pants; on her head, she put on a Lei Feng hat with ear flaps; around her neck, she wrapped a thick wool scarf; on her hands, she first put on thin fleece-lined gloves, then on thick, waterproof and windproof gloves; on her feet, she wore thick wool socks, then tucked them into her heavy-soled, fur-lined snow boots; finally, she covered her mouth and nose completely with a windproof mask and goggles that covered most of her face, leaving only her slightly dry eyes showing due to lack of sleep.
After being fully armed, she tried to move her joints. Fortunately, although she was clumsy, she could move around normally.
She turned on her phone's rear light and used the dim light to check if the items on the shopping cart were securely tied. After confirming that everything was in order, she grabbed the metal handle of the supermarket shopping cart and prepared to leave.
However, as she approached the gate, before her hand even touched the doorknob, her gaze fell upon the familiar iron gate—the doorknob and the surrounding seams were covered with a thick layer of ice that shimmered with a faint blue-white luster in the dim light! It was her "masterpiece" from the night before, but now it had become the first obstacle to her leaving the gate. She couldn't help but sigh helplessly, a sense of absurdity welling up inside her.
Resignedly letting go of the cart, she took out a thermos from her storage space, unscrewed the lid, and let the white steam rise into the cold air. Then, she began to repeat that familiar and tedious process—patiently pouring hot water little by little onto the thickest parts of the ice layer in the keyhole and door cracks.
"Hiss... hiss..." The ice melted and quickly refrozen upon contact with heat. The process was mechanical and slow. In the quiet early morning hours, there was only the faint sound of hot water being poured over the ice and her own breathing, which gradually became clearer.
About ten minutes later, the lock cylinder finally made that eagerly anticipated, slight "click" sound as it loosened! Overjoyed, she immediately grabbed the doorknob, turned it forcefully, and pulled it outwards. "Squeak—" The door was finally opened!
A chill far colder than the indoor air instantly filled the area near the doorway. Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but shiver. Even though she was wrapped up so tightly, the cold still penetrated through her layers of clothing, giving her goosebumps.
Outside the door, there was an impenetrable darkness, with only a faint glimmer of deep blue on the distant horizon, a harbinger of approaching dawn.
She didn't dare to delay, quickly dragged the supermarket trolley full of supplies out the door, slipped out herself, and then closed the door behind her. The door lock made a dry "click" sound in the low temperature, locking itself automatically. She tried it, but it didn't budge—a new layer of ice would soon form again.
Just before leaving, a sudden, unprovoked wave of self-doubt washed over her. "My 'water-to-ice' defenses... were originally intended to prevent outsiders from getting in, but now it seems like I've trapped myself inside! I have to melt the ice to get in, and I have to melt the ice to get out... The most crucial thing is, if I hadn't put up this ice layer, and the door hadn't been locked so tightly... I might have actually sneaked a crack in the door last night and peeked out to see what was going on outside..."