Chapter 212: Chapter 212
It seems there was still some connection. Back then, I also decided to play it safe and didn’t disclose the method of selecting the old worms. So, even though everyone saw the solution, they didn’t know the secret behind it and naturally wouldn’t know how to remove the Insect eggs.
When Jing Shu and Zhou Bapi arrived, Xiao Xiao was desperately defending herself, "I didn’t falsely claim the reward; I was claiming it on behalf of our Medicinal Materials Association!"
It was then that Jing Shu saw the young man standing beside them—Zhu Chuangshi, who was interviewed in her past life. The reason she remembered his name was that while others had names like Jianguo, Jackie Chan, or Construction Materials, his father was particularly ambitious, aiming straight for ’Creator of the World.’
Meanwhile, the relevant personnel clarified the situation. The previous night, Xiao Xiao had brought in some gastrodia with their Insect eggs removed, claiming she had found the method and had detailed the process in writing. The inspectors asked her to experiment with other plants, but it was futile. After several attempts, Xiao Xiao stated it would take half a day to be effective. She claimed this was the method she used for the gastrodia and asked the staff to confirm her as the first to discover it.
Since the reward was very generous, including various foods and Virtual Coins, as well as honors and position awards, it naturally made many people envious. Xiao Xiao, after learning about the reward, waited half a day. When she didn’t see Jing Shu’s friend disclose the method, she came forward herself.
The staff naturally refused, saying they would wait until there was an effect. This waiting lasted a while, and during this time, Xiao Xiao anxiously experimented with various methods without success.
At this time, the young man, Zhu Chuangshi, arrived, bringing a bucket of red earthworms. He used the same method as Xiao Xiao and managed to remove the Insect eggs. The government decided right then to certify this man as the first to solve the problem.
But why, with the same method, had hers no effect while this man’s did?
Faced with the immense reward and after confirming the man wasn’t Jing Shu’s friend, Xiao Xiao finally admitted that the Medicinal Materials Association had devised this method the morning two days prior. She argued the reward should belong to their association. In doing so, she inadvertently revealed Jing Shu’s involvement, likely hoping to secure a share by attributing the discovery to the Medicinal Materials Association. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novᴇlfire.net
Regarding Xiao Xiao’s inconsistent claims—first saying she came up with the method and then slipping up and attributing it to the Medicinal Materials Association—the government officials called in a police officer to assist with the investigation.
"Based on your situation, this constitutes suspicion of fraudulently claiming a reward in someone else’s name."
Even if your association had used the method long ago, after all this time, it wasn’t something you personally came up with!
Since Xiao Xiao belonged to the Medicinal Materials Association and held a special position, the police could only summon the person in charge from the association. As the other presidents weren’t available, Zhou Bapi came.
So that’s what happened, Jing Shu thought, realizing Xiao Xiao craved the reward so badly she had presented her half-baked ideas, a futile attempt. Unwilling to let the reward slip by, she had ultimately attributed it to the Medicinal Materials Association.
Xiao Xiao, that troublesome girl! She’s made it impossible for me to maintain my little deception.
The Medicinal Materials Association certainly wouldn’t take the blame, nor would they snatch a reward that rightfully belonged to someone else. After inquiring about Zhu Chuangshi’s method, Jing Shu applauded enthusiastically, strongly affirming that his method was more appropriate and effective, and that he deserved to receive this reward.
The government officials also started to get busy publicizing the new method, leaving them no time to deal with other matters.
Xiao Xiao was brought back to the Medicinal Materials Association. Due to the severity of her attempt to falsely claim the reward, Zhou Bapi stripped her of her official position, causing an uproar within the association.
Now that everyone knew Xiao Xiao had tried to steal Jing Shu’s method to claim the bounty, their gazes towards her were always filled with a strange mix of curiosity and disapproval. They also viewed Jing Shu, whom they had only met once on the first day, differently.
What goes around comes around. I’ve seen people like Xiao Xiao court disaster before, and I have a feeling she’ll continue to bring ruin upon herself.
Finally, the affair came to a close. Jing Shu adjusted her mood and started her busy life. Chu Zhuohua had already driven the RV to Chen Nan’s modification factory to begin the major transformation of the vehicle.
On this day, Jing Shu transported lightweight steel from Li Yuetian. At Chen Nan’s modification factory, she checked which materials were available and which were missing. After taking note of this, she went to the city center to look for more materials; it was a veritable treasure trove.
Jing Shu still remembered Chen Nan’s shocked and pained expression upon seeing the list of materials. But for Chu Zhuohua’s sake, Chen Nan forced a smile when she heard Jing Shu wanted to modify another vehicle. Jing Shu couldn’t let Chen Nan suffer a loss, so she provided materials worth 600 coins per vehicle as the modification fee, which somewhat compensated for the RV’s material costs.
I’m still so poor, Jing Shu suddenly thought. If she hadn’t salvaged that yellow bed and obtained some Virtual Coins, she wouldn’t have been able to afford these material costs. With Virtual Coin beginning to circulate again through big data trading, I need to focus on earning more quickly.
Right, the items she had auctioned off at Su Malie’s event were delivered one after another the next day. Jing Shu transplanted the aloe into the villa’s garden, and it had already taken root.
As for the cigarettes, Mr. Jing and Mr. Jing had already split them. Now that they had cigarettes, they argued less, which made Jing Shu consider growing a batch of tobacco leaves herself.
However, Jing Shu first planted a batch of grapes in the Magic Cube Space, planning to brew some wine. Once it was ready, she could bring it out openly; after all, she could claim she had bought wine before, but fresh grapes would be much harder to explain.
Jing Shu was incredibly busy these days, so much so that she had forgotten she even worked at the Medicinal Materials Association. It wasn’t until someone at an elder’s birthday banquet asked her what she did that she remembered, exclaiming, Oh crap, oh crap! I work at the Medicinal Materials Association! But I don’t think I’ve been there in ages...
But, of course, that’s a story for another time.
Every day, Jing Shu had to take the Shark Submarine first to Chen Nan’s modification factory to discuss the progress of the modifications with Chu Zhuohua, and then search the flooded city for usable materials.
Since the emergence of Blood Mushrooms, many people’s enthusiasm had increased. Batches of Blood Mushrooms were found almost every few days. However, this discovery always came with the loss of lives. Despite the dangers, the eagerness remained unabated, revealing the desperation for food in the apocalypse and people’s reliance on sheer luck.
When the first batch of red earthworm-grown Mushrooms was produced and supplied, Zhu Chuangshi’s method—though widely adopted—proved useless for treating the Seeds. Consequently, Mrs. Jing’s vegetable plantation faced a significant crisis, leading the government to encourage everyone to experiment with new solutions.
"Try boiling the water before irrigating. Boiling water can kill 99% of bacteria, but the red earthworm fungus seems to be like that resistant 1%; it’s not afraid of high temperatures," someone suggested.
"I’ve applied for an ultrafiltration system, but now the materials are all underwater, and I don’t know how long it will take to install. Until then, we might not be able to grow any vegetables," another lamented.