Chapter 192: Chapter 192
After all, it was already the fourth dish, and everyone stopped wolfing down their food, adopting another method of eating instead.
The high school classmates no longer cared about the strange looks they were receiving from across the table; they had given up. After all, this dish was extraordinary even before the apocalypse, and they probably wouldn’t get a chance to taste it again in their lifetimes post-apocalypse.
The fourth auction item, unexpectedly, was aloe vera. Aloe vera is an extremely hardy plant that can survive just by pinching off a corner to replant. Sadly, many died in the first-year drought, so there weren’t many left.
There’s no need to mention the benefits of aloe vera—beautification and skin care, dabbing on wounds as a hemostatic, and also very useful for treating inflammations and frostbite. Jing Shu planned to grow some to have on hand for when the temperature dropped to minus 70 degrees.
Jingshu’s house courtyard had one major advantage: its constant temperature allowed for the cultivation of many things.
And constant temperature was exactly the most luxurious comfort in the post-apocalyptic world, as the extreme difference in temperature between day and night inhibited the growth of many crops and plants.
"A segment of an aloe vera plant for 200 Virtual Coins; grow it for a while at home, and it can even be used as medicine."
Jing Shu said, "Then... I’ll take one."
The fifth auction item was premium tobacco, 50 Virtual Coins a carton. Hearing that it came from a family that owned a tobacco company, Jing Shu thought about asking after the trade fair whether they had any tobacco for planting, as Mr. Jing was quite a smoker.
Jing Shu asked, "How about, give me ten cartons?" Before the apocalypse, there was no chance to buy them; I never thought that post-apocalypse, Mr. Jing would actually get the chance to try premium tobacco.
Moreover, Mr. Jing had been unable to get any tobacco from Mr. Jing lately. He had been in low spirits and argued with Mr. Jing every day. For this reason, Jing Shu felt it was better to revert to the old ways.
Seeing that the looks from the people around her were getting more and more peculiar, Jing Shu decided not to buy anything else; she was the sort of person who would spend every penny in her possession.
Luckily, Jing Shu wasn’t interested in the subsequent auction items. Most were luxury furniture, perfumes, face masks, and other oddities—all requiring Virtual Coins or food, and some even oil or coal.
Only a few were precious foods and Domestic Poultry, among which a white goose sold for 1,000 Virtual Coins, a hen for 1,000 Virtual Coins, and 10kg of frozen beef went for the high price of 2,000 Virtual Coins.
Jing Shu fell into a thoughtful pose. How much could a live black pig sell for now? she wondered. Right, speaking of black pigs, that reminds me of Aunt Jing Pan’s family. After checking the geographical location not long ago, I found that my elder aunt’s house is situated on high ground and, luckily, wasn’t flooded, so I hadn’t called them to evacuate.
A few days ago, Grandma Jing had called. As expected, everything was alright—they had even saved many animals from the livestock farms, making a significant contribution. They would definitely stand on their own two feet at the livestock farm in the future; the days ahead wouldn’t be too bad, especially since they had a sow that could farrow. Thanks to Jing Shu’s earlier support, they were now well-established. She had to admit, Aunt Jing Pan’s husband was a remarkable man.
Looking at it this way, the lives of the rich weren’t as great as Jing Shu had imagined. They were exchanging their overstocked items for food. It was conceivable that everyone was pessimistic about the future and wanted to store more provisions.
"This is the 14th dish now. BURP. I can’t believe I’m full."
"This is the dessert."
"Wow, is this the legendary Macaron? Mmm, so sweet!"
"Idiot, you’re supposed to savor Macarons slowly; one should last at least half an hour."
As the meal drew to a close, all the presentable auction items had been sold, with three or four failing to find a buyer.
"With that, this phase of the auction has come to an end," the host announced. "Next, we’ll move on to the free exchange phase. Please look at the item list on the big screen and pick out anything you’re interested in. If you encounter items that need appraisal or wish to trade Virtual Coins, you can ask Ah Yu for help."
"Oh, before we begin, could everyone please settle their Virtual Coin transactions with Ah Yu first," Su Malie added.
Since Ah Yu was the only person present with access to the trading system, anyone wanting to deal in Virtual Coins had to go through her. Nevertheless, it was still much more convenient than going to a supermarket.
"Who wants to go first? Let’s start with the buyer who spent the most. Jing Shu, car materials 800, steel 4,000, aloe 200, tobacco 500—totaling 5,500 Virtual Coins," Ah Yu announced, taking out her mobile phone’s QR code. "Just scan it, and you’re all set."
The people gathered around, all eager to see, especially Jing Shu’s high school classmates. For them, 20 points was the equivalent of more than a dozen days of meal expenses, yet Jing Shu had spent 5,500 Virtual Coins in the blink of an eye—it was as if she possessed wealth equivalent to tens of millions before the apocalypse.
Jing Shu hesitated. Li Yuetian had said the funds would arrive within 24 hours, and there were still three hours left. But the Virtual Coins should have been in my account by now, right? Please don’t let them be missing, that would be seriously embarrassing.
Jing Shu scanned Ah Yu’s QR code...
Murphy’s Law was truly unassailable; the very thing Jing Shu didn’t want to happen, happened.
Ah Yu coughed lightly and said in a low voice, "Your Virtual Coin balance is insufficient."
A wave of commotion immediately swept through the crowd.
Nima Sang exclaimed loudly, "What’s going on? She bought so much and doesn’t have enough Virtual Coins?"
"Yeah, thankfully we haven’t traded our goods yet. Is it still possible to back out now?" another questioned.
Yao Zixin interjected, "Don’t make a fuss. Maybe the coins are in her parents’ account."
Nima Sang said gleefully, "Look at Jing Shu. The higher she’s held, the harder she falls. Let’s see how she handles this—after all, she can’t return the items she’s bought."
Su Malie immediately stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Jing Shu, you found those Chinese herbs for me last time, and I still owe you 5,000 Virtual Coins. I’ll transfer them to you right away."
The truth was, not many people were actually making a commotion. The buyer Chen Nan, in particular, said, "Oh, come on, it’s no big deal. I’ll waive my 800 Virtual Coins." Official source is noveⅼfire.net
"Let’s stick with the steel. How about you throw in a pair of lobsters for me? I’ll pay you an extra 1,000 Virtual Coins. How does that sound?" he offered.
Well, the situation wasn’t as awkward as I had imagined. In fact, it revealed the true character of some people.
She wondered if it was because her own character had developed or if she had become stronger internally. What would have been a grave humiliation in her previous life strangely felt like no big deal when it happened in this life. After some contemplation, Jing Shu understood why. It was because she had the Magic Cube Space in this life—she had plenty of food and resources and wasn’t worried at all. Even if the 6,000 Virtual Coins failed to arrive, she could still make up the amount by grabbing a few hens to sell. That’s how confident she felt.
"Why don’t you process others’ Virtual Coin transactions first?" Jing Shu proposed. "I expect mine will take another hour or two to arrive. Don’t worry—I still want all the items I bid for; I’m not backing out."
"Who does she think she is? Do we even have bank transfers anymore?" Nima Sang murmured under her breath. Initially, she might have just felt Jing Shu was getting too close to Yao Zixin, but now it was pure feminine jealousy. Jing Shu’s performance was so perfect that it made Nima Sang want to tear down everything about her.