"No, I can't get a car to leave the city!" Bai Suxiang said casually.
"What? Really? Usually, it's easy to get one. If not, we can just go to the street and hail a couple of taxis! I'll pack a few clothes!" Guo Xiufang urged, busy looking for clothes.
"I'll try to get a car within the city!" Bai Suxiang said, and quickly managed to hail one.
She changed her approach, thinking she would add extra money to the driver to take them out of the city once the car arrived.
"Got one! It'll be here in ten-plus minutes!" Bai Suxiang said excitedly.
"Okay, okay, you pack too. See what you need to bring!" Guo Xiufang instructed.
"Bring less. We're only going for a few days and will be back soon. No need to pack too many clothes!" Bai Fuchi said.
For a city as large as Sandong City, a lockdown would be disastrous. Traffic control was probably temporary and would be restored soon.
"Right, right! You're quite worried, aren't you? Should I let you pack?" Guo Xiufang gave Bai Fuchi a glare and raised her voice, deliberately retorting.
A moment later, Bai Suxiang's phone rang.
"They're here, they're here! They're at the entrance of the residential area. Mom and Dad, I'll go downstairs to get the car first, then I'll come back up to get Dad!"
"Alright, alright, go meet them. Don't want them to have trouble finding the place!" Guo Xiufang instructed.
Bai Suxiang changed her shoes and headed downstairs.
A black sedan entered the complex, and the driver was on the phone, "Hello, how do I get there? Turn right... after entering the complex gate, turn right... then turn left... Okay, okay, I'm almost there, almost there!"
Bai Suxiang directed the driver into the complex over the phone. Bai Fuchi's health had recovered significantly, but his mobility was still unstable. Having the car drive to the building would be most convenient.
"Here, here!" Seeing the car, she waved her hand.
"Where are you going? Bringing so much stuff?" the driver asked, seeing Bai Suxiang with a suitcase.
"A lot? Just one suitcase?"
"Heh, you're not thinking of leaving the city, are you!" The driver smiled faintly, and the hand he had raised to help with the trunk lowered.
"To be honest, Master..."
"No, no, no! You'd better find another car!"
"Ah, why? I'll pay you extra, okay? How much do you want?" Bai Suxiang saw his demeanor and assumed he was making an excuse to jack up the price since it was hard to get a taxi.
"It's not about the money!"
"Then what is it about? Don't you drivers go out to work to make money? Just take us out of the city, name your price!" Bai Suxiang was reluctant but couldn't offend the driver. After all, it was extremely difficult to get a car to leave the city right now. Her carefully planned detour strategy couldn't be easily abandoned; if they couldn't leave before midnight, they wouldn't be able to at all.
"It's really not about the money. It's that you can't leave the city at all right now. All the highway exits have long queues, and you can't move. I advise you to give up. If you really want to leave, you'll need a different car. My car isn't going!"
"Ah, why?" Bai Suxiang asked, confused. She had thought it was just a ploy to charge more. Why was he genuinely refusing to leave the city? Everyone was rushing to leave, why wasn't he in a hurry?
"There's nothing I can do. I know I could earn a lot of money at this time. Normally, it's thirty yuan to leave the city, but now people would pay a thousand!"
"A thousand?" Bai Suxiang was shocked. That price was indeed too high! These people were truly greedy, charging exorbitant amounts without batting an eye.
"Heh! To put it bluntly, people would even pay two thousand, believe it or not?" the driver said with a smile.
Bai Suxiang was skeptical and said nothing.
"If it weren't for my family, I couldn't leave. My mother is bedridden and needs care. Otherwise, I'd also take this opportunity to go out and make money!" the driver said, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. It seemed he really couldn't leave.
In such a situation, Bai Suxiang didn't know what to say!
"You'd better cancel the order. I only take orders within the city, not out of it. Or you can find another car! However, I advise you not to bother. The situation on the road right now is not ideal. You might not even be able to leave the city before midnight. Based on my judgment, it's better to stock up on some dry food and wait and see!" the driver said sincerely.
Bai Suxiang couldn't refute him. In the half-hour it took to get from the hospital to home, the situation had drastically changed, catching them off guard.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Master. Sorry to bother you!" Bai Suxiang said, watching the driver drive away. After canceling the order, she carried her suitcase and hurried back upstairs.
"Why are you back with the suitcase?" Guo Xiufang asked as soon as she entered the door.
"I'm afraid we can't leave. The driver said all the roads out of the city are blocked, and it's impossible to get through."
"Blocked? He's probably just trying to scare you. It can't be that bad!" Guo Xiufang didn't believe it at all.
"It shouldn't be. He wouldn't go even for two thousand yuan, think about it!"
"Two thousand? For a road that's only a dozen kilometers long? These drivers are really desperate!" Guo Xiufang said indignantly.
"Two thousand? For two thousand, I might as well buy some things and stay home. No need to go anywhere!" Bai Fuchi also complained. Although their family's financial situation was decent, their money was hard-earned and diligently saved. Spending so much on a taxi was something they couldn't easily accept.
"Oh, right, right. The driver also said to stock up on things. I saw an aunt downstairs say the same thing earlier. Maybe we shouldn't bother trying to leave. Let's buy more things and be prepared in case we really can't get out." Bai Suxiang mentioned another plan.
"Hmph! That's the only way, I guess. Looks like I packed these clothes for nothing! Xiao Xiang, go buy some flour and rice! We don't need oil for now, and buy some vegetables!" Guo Xiufang said as she put the packed clothes back into the wardrobe.
"Okay, okay. Don't worry about it, I know!" Bai Suxiang replied and rushed out the door. Originally, Bai Fuchi was the most suitable person to buy groceries. But now, with his injury not fully healed, only Bai Suxiang could do it. Fortunately, there was a large supermarket at the entrance of the residential area.
But as soon as she entered the supermarket, Bai Suxiang noticed significantly more people than before. However, people were still browsing and selecting items as usual. Bai Suxiang was not in the mood to linger and went straight to the rice and flour section as instructed by Guo Xiufang. Looking at items she normally didn't pay much attention to, Bai Suxiang felt strange. "Do we have to be so neurotic? Am I being too sensitive?"