Joyce Lawson silently rubbed her face, composing herself before answering, "It’s a few sweet potatoes... Since the charcoal fire is already going, let’s roast and eat them."

Then, Joyce Lawson turned around and prepared to place the sweet potatoes on the charcoal stove.

Hearing that there were sweet potatoes, Gregory Lawson’s eyes instantly lit up with excitement!

He shot up in bed, threw off his blanket, and cheered, "Sweet potatoes? This is great! We get to eat sweet potatoes!"

The others were also thrilled to hear about the sweet potatoes. After all, Joyce Lawson had spent all her savings buying the apartment. They had no money for other food and had been eating nothing but sand vine cakes for several days straight.

Mason Lawson stared at the sweet potatoes on the stove and asked doubtfully, "Joyce, where did these come from? Did you buy them on the black market?"

Yvonne York also asked gently, "My dear daughter, didn’t you say you didn’t have a single penny left after buying the apartment? How could you afford sweet potatoes? Did you get paid again?"

Gregory Lawson’s beady eyes darted about. He then climbed out of bed, grabbed Joyce Lawson’s arm, and whined, "Sis, how much did you get paid this time? ...I want to eat pork. Please, Sis, just buy some for me! I only want a small piece. I promise, I’ll do whatever you say from now on."

Joyce Lawson pushed Gregory Lawson’s hand away with a helpless sigh and replied, "I haven’t been paid, and I didn’t buy the sweet potatoes."

Joyce Lawson then turned to her parents and said, "I forgot to tell you. I saw my aunt downstairs when I went out this morning. She and her family just moved into 1501, the unit right below us. She’s the one who gave me these sweet potatoes."

Yvonne York was taken aback. "Your aunt? Which aunt?"

Joyce Lawson replied, "It’s Miss Yvonne. Her family of four already lived in this complex. They moved from a lower floor to 1501 because it’s supposed to snow in a couple of days. She also said our families can look out for each other from now on."

Hearing this, an excited smile spread across Yvonne York’s face. She immediately threw off her blanket and climbed out of bed.

Straightening her clothes, she said to her husband and son, "What a coincidence! Yvonne married the best out of all of us sisters. Her husband is incredibly capable! If she can casually give away sweet potatoes, it means her family must have a stockpile of food! We have to go visit her!"

At Yvonne York’s words, Mason and Gregory Lawson’s eyes also lit up with excitement. Ignoring Joyce, they threw on some clothes and headed out the door toward 1501.

******

Melody Summers and Tate walked out of the apartment building together. Since it was an overcast day with no sun, the complex’s public square was deserted, with no one outside.

The sky was so gloomy it looked like it had been smeared with gray paint. A cold wind howled past, carrying a bone-chilling cold that seemed to herald the impending blizzard.

Melody Summers couldn’t help but duck her head, pulling her scarf tighter.

Tate glanced up at the sky and remarked, "They say a huge blizzard is about to start."

Melody Summers nodded. ’This is the calm before the storm.’

The two of them entered the sales office. As they pushed aside the heavy door curtain, a wave of warm air washed over them. Tate first added a few pieces of charcoal to the coal stove in the office before sitting down to work at the computer.

A few minutes later, Tate pointed to the monitor and said to Melody Summers, "Miss Summers, 1603 is currently unsold, but a tenant has a short-term, one-month lease. 1604 is also unsold, but that unit has been leased for three months."

Melody Summers nodded. After a moment’s thought, she added, "Could you also check if there are any unsold units on the 15th and 17th floors?"

Tate tapped a few more times on the keyboard. He then looked up and replied, "The 15th floor is completely sold out. On the 17th, only two large units, 1705 and 1706, are left unsold. The other four smaller units are all sold."

Whether for renting or living, smaller units were more desirable these days. During a disaster, just having a shelter was good enough; a large apartment served no extra purpose.

Melody Summers mulled it over for a moment, then said to Tate, "I’ll take all four of them!"

"Huh?!" Tate stared at Melody Summers in shock, wondering if he had misheard.

’All four of them??’

Seeing Tate’s dumbfounded expression, Melody Summers assumed he hadn’t heard her correctly and clarified, "Units 1603 and 1604 on the 16th floor, plus 1705 and 1706 on the 17th. I’ll take all four of them. And I’ll be paying in full for all of them!"

Hearing her words, Tate sucked in a sharp breath, so shocked he could barely believe it. "M-Miss Summers..." he stammered, "are you planning on becoming a landlady?"

Melody Summers let out a laugh. Waving her hand, she replied, "I’m not planning to rent them out. It’s just a simple investment."

’Melody Summers wasn’t short on cash. She could earn back the several million for an apartment just by selling some of the produce from her space.’

’Besides, when the floods hit next year, apartments in The Metropolis Residences will be nearly impossible to find. Stockpiling a few extra units is just being prepared.’

Hearing her explanation, Tate hesitated for a moment but decided to offer some advice. "Miss Summers, to be honest, investing in real estate has become extremely risky since the disasters started. Property values have been plummeting for the last two years... If you’re looking to invest, I’d suggest converting your money into Gold!"

Afraid she wouldn’t believe him, Tate quickly added, "I have a friend who works at the Bank of Cathaysia. He told me that given the current situation, the price of Gold is guaranteed to keep rising."

As the saying goes, "antiques in times of peace, Gold in times of chaos." During a disaster, Gold was always the best way to mitigate risk.

Since the disasters began, the governments of many smaller foreign nations had collapsed. When a country went bankrupt, its currency became worthless paper. Rich and poor alike, everyone was scrambling to convert their cash into food, energy, and Gold. As a result, the prices of Gold and energy had been skyrocketing.

In contrast, housing prices were in a freefall. During the heatwave last year, a high-rise apartment worth several million had depreciated to just a few hundred thousand. Even after the weather cooled, prices never recovered. It was only with the recent news of the impending blizzard that the value of high-rise units had started to creep back up.

’Even though selling four apartments would earn him a huge commission,’ Tate thought, ’I don’t want to see Miss Summers’s money go down the drain.’

’It’s not easy for anyone to make money these days.’

Melody Summers smiled slightly and replied, "I know, but I have a large family. Buying a few more units is just being prepared."

Seeing that Melody Summers was insistent, Tate didn’t press the issue. He took her to complete the purchasing procedures.

After watching Melody Summers sign the purchase agreements, Tate asked, "Miss Summers, the rent for 1603 and 1604 is currently being collected by our property management center. We’ll transfer the money to you along with the rental agreements. When it’s time for the tenants to renew, you can just collect the rent directly from them."

Melody Summers recalled the look in the eyes of the burly man from 1603 and frowned slightly.

For some reason, Melody Summers subconsciously wanted to avoid contact with these tenants.

So, Melody Summers asked Tate, "Tate, I’d rather not have much contact with these tenants. Would it be too much trouble for your office to continue collecting the rent on my behalf?"

Tate puffed out his chest and replied, "No problem, Miss Summers! I’ll personally handle these two tenants for you from now on."

Melody Summers breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled at Tate and said, "Thank you. I’ll leave it in your hands then."

Tate quickly waved his hands. "It’s no trouble at all, Miss Summers!"

’It was no trouble at all,’ Tate thought. ’Melody Summers just bought four apartments at once. Based on the commission, he was about to get a massive bonus! He was more than happy to help collect a little rent in return!’

Tate turned, took out two rental agreements, and handed them to Melody Summers, explaining each one. "The tenant in 1603 is named Titus Lowell. It’s a short-term, one-month lease. He paid a one-month security deposit and will pay rent monthly."

"The tenant in 1604 is named Caleb Summers. He has a three-month lease and paid three months’ rent in advance, plus a one-month security deposit."

Melody Summers’s head snapped up at the name, and she blurted out, "Who?!"