Chapter 21: Food Supplies
Once Grace had made orders for canned vegetables and fruits, she made another order, this time for food that were rich in protein.
100,000 cans of each of the following - Tuna, Salmon, Chicken, Sardines, Beans, Pork, Tofu, Turkey, Ham, Clams, Crab meat, Sausages, Meatballs, Corned beef, and Shrimp.
The next order was for canned soups and stews. And just like the other orders, she went with 100,000 cans each for - Chicken Soup, Tomato Soup, Vegetable Soup, Broccoli Cheddar, French Onion Soup, Beef Stew, Chicken and Dumplings Stew, and Chili Chicken Stew.
Then she added sauces and condiments like - Tomato Sauce, Pasta Sauce, Gravy, and Coconut Milk. There were also ready-to-eat meals canned food, broths and stocks, and Pickled Vegetables.
By the time she finished telling them all the canned food she needed, nearly half an hour had passed. Once she was done, it was the manager's turn to do the hardwork and calculate the total cost of all the food.
Fifteen minutes later, he presented big numbers in front of Grace who immediately made the down payment through one of her many bank accounts and made deal to make the rest of the payment in cash upon receiving the goods at her warehouse.
Before leaving the warehouse club, she handed the manager her business card with the address of the warehouse and her phone number.
It was around half past three when she drove out of the warehouse's parking lot and headed toward her next destination. This one was also a warehouse club and the only reason she came here was because she didn't want to spend billions of money in just one place.
Just like what happened at the previous warehouse club, the employee called the manager as soon as Grace stated that she was there with a big order.
This time, she started with dried goods such as - Rice, Pasta and noodles, Beans, Lentils, Peas, Rolled oats and Instant oats. Grains like quinoa, couscous, and barley. Powdered potatoes and dried vegetables.
Then she moved ahead to Staples and Baking Supplies - All-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal and baking mixes. Granulated, brown, and powdered sugar. Salt, baking powder, baking soda, yeast, vinegar, apple cider, cooking oil, honey, maple syrup, nut butters, egg powder, condensed and powdered milk.
After that, she moved on to cooking tools and equipment - knives, cutting board, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, peeler, grater, can opener, heat-resistant spatula, tongs, ladle, whisk, stirring spoon, colander, cast iron skillet, medium and large pots with lids, oven, baking sheets and muffin tins, instant pots, portable stoves, firestarter kits, airtight storage containers, zip lock bags, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, heat-safe bowls, plates, mugs, and cutlery.
She also added seasonings and flavor enhancers in the list - salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, dried rosemary, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, fish sauce, chili paste, powdered broth, dried lemon/lime powder, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, dehydrated butter powder, and cheese powder.
Lastly, she added some miscellaneous items - waterproof matches, lighters, flint, steel, charcoal briquettes, wood logs, kindling, snacks, high-calorie meal replacement bars or energy bars, protein powder, towels, wipes, soap, hand sanitizer, and trash bags.
Once again, she was given a big number since she bought a lot. She quickly made the down payment and headed out of the warehouse. It was late in the afternoon and she was tired after driving around the city since morning, hence she decided to return to her condo and rest for the remaining of the day.
But she soon realized that even if her mind signaled her to rest, her body was ready for more work. After having a cup of coffee upon her return to the condo, she once again started working.
First, she marked down the supplies she had already ordered and added more items in the lists of supplies she still had to buy... and there were a lot of the latter.
After finishing that work, she opened the tablet and started searching for some residential areas in Sunspire City that was located on an elevation. Not only that, but it was also at a safe distance from water bodies.
After looking for a while, she finally found the perfect residential area to keep herself safe for the coming disasters... at least for the time being. It was hard to find such a perfect place that was safe from bothering the upcoming flood and the earthquakes.
It was at a safe distance from fault lines. It had rocky, stable ground, which could handle seismic waves better than loose or soft soils. Most importantly, the residential area she had chosen claimed that it was built with earthquake-resistant designs.
After considering all these factors, her chosen residential area within Sunspire City was indeed the best place for her to stay for the coming eighteen months that would be filled with heavy rainfall, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and eventually the first Shadow Rain.
She took her time to look through the photos and videos of the apartments available for rent or sale. After a while, she finally picked the apartment she wanted to rent and filled up all the required details.
The rent for the apartment was 10,000 per month which was a really big amount. Yet, Grace was planning to pay the rent for whole of eighteen months so that no one could snatch the apartment away from her by paying higher rent in future.
It took around ten minutes for the real estate company to call her.