Chapter 214: Chapter 214
Wang Qiqi was fully prepared. He had spent these days tirelessly recruiting people; in addition to rallying the former residents, he had also attracted many new ones and had made who knows how many promises.
No one else was optimistic about Wang Qiqi, who had suddenly qualified to compete for the Director position. For instance, Zhao Shupi didn’t need to recruit people; he could gather many votes simply with his wheat paste.
Jing Shu was quite surprised, yet it was also within her expectations. Last year, when organizing people to go retrieve external resources, Wang Qiqi had received a threefold share. He must have saved some of it, and by borrowing a bit more, he had amassed this large sum, which ordinary people would certainly consider a fortune.
But what could 500 Virtual Coins really do? It was only enough for 250 people to have one meal of white rice. With tens of thousands of residents in the Banana District, how could that possibly be enough?
Well... since the last incident, Third Aunt Jing Lai had successfully become a supermarket Director. She was now managing the front hall, the kitchen, and the serving of dishes at the newly opened large communal canteen here every day.
Of course, the distribution of white rice was now managed by the government.
Right, besides Third Aunt, this Director, there were two other Directors from supermarkets that had been flooded. The canteens in the Banana District had also been divided into the Ai Jia canteen, the Patriotic Restaurant, and the Love Smile Canteen. Furthermore, a manager was appointed above them to oversee the affairs of these three large communal canteens in the Banana District.
Generally, Third Aunt’s power had been diluted. She now only managed the common populace, as civil servants were outside her jurisdiction. However, since the population base had increased severalfold, she still held some power.
Seeking her help for matters that were within budget... that wouldn’t be impossible to arrange. Jing Shu blinked, a plan already forming in her mind.
More importantly, all three canteens were covertly competing, comparing daily sales and launching new dishes or methods each day to vie for the top spot.
Zhao Shupi was advertising at the Patriotic Restaurant, and now it was packed with people all day long.
So, helping Third Aunt attract more customers wouldn’t be a bad choice either.
But then again, what could 500 Virtual Coins really accomplish? Someone as flashy as Zhao Shupi would probably invest thousands of Virtual Coins; he was blatantly buying votes with them.
Jing Shu narrowed her eyes as a famous dish came to mind: Fried Mushroom Worm Eggs.
A thin layer of oil was brushed onto the pan. Torn strips of mushrooms, along with the insect eggs, were placed over low heat to slowly pan-fry, allowing their moisture to evaporate. Once they turned golden brown and the roasted insect eggs released their unique meaty aroma, a layer of chili powder and salt was sprinkled on top... SLURP!
The mushrooms were tender, the insect eggs burst with flavor, and everything was fried to a delightful crispness that crunched with every bite. Adding a bit of chili powder—an apocalyptic luxury—to dispel the dampness on a rainy day was simply wonderful.
「The next day.」 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ noⅴelfire.net
"Damn, where’s that delicious smell of fried meat coming from?"
"Quick, go check it out! The Ai Jia canteen has a new dish: Fried Mushroom Worm Eggs! This aroma is amazing!"
"It must be expensive. I can’t afford it."
"It’s free! The Ai Jia canteen is giving this dish away for free! Limited portions available!"
Just as mealtime arrived, a long line formed at the entrance of the Ai Jia canteen. Everyone had been drawn by the fragrance, and upon hearing it was free, they all rushed over at once.
Wang Qiqi, holding a megaphone, broadcast the rules for receiving the dish while giving a serving of Fried Mushroom Worm Eggs to those who had voted for him. Since each person only had one vote, those who had previously voted for Zhao Shupi could only purchase it.
Moreover, those who had just eaten a serving of Fried Mushroom Worm Eggs would typically return to the Ai Jia canteen to buy another serving for 0.5 Virtual Coins, further boosting the canteen’s business.
Jing Shu scratched her nose. Actually, I really did want to help Wang Qiqi secure the Distribution Director position this time, and also help Third Aunt Jing Lai boost her canteen’s popularity a bit. But somehow, I ended up earning 1,000 Virtual Coins from the two of them. COUGH COUGH. Let’s just say that covered the cost of their materials.
Jing Shu had provided several dozen pounds of last year’s Chili Noodles, and the oil used consisted of several large barrels of leftover lard from home that her family didn’t eat. Her family had accumulated all that oil by saving what was rendered from braised pork and fat trimmings. Jing Shu’s family typically cooked with vegetable peanut oil and rapeseed oil, so the lard was leftover. Grandma Jing had initially been wondering how to dispose of it, never expecting that this very lard would be exchanged for 1,000 Virtual Coins.
So this time, apart from Jing Shu’s Chili Noodles and lard, only a small amount of salt incurred any actual cost; labor wasn’t factored in. Truthfully, the per-serving cost of her dish—just a bit of oil, a sprinkle of salt, and some chili powder—was far less than Zhao Shupi’s wheat paste. The wheat paste was made from actual flour, real grain.
But the key was that the Fried Mushroom Worm Eggs tasted extremely good and received unanimous praise. After trying it once, people wanted a second helping. Lately, everyone had a little spare cash, earned from salvaging goods or collecting Five Grain Worms from outside. In the early days, when people ventured outside, they could go anywhere, and as long as they found scraps—anything on the official list—they could exchange it for Virtual Coins. That’s why, at this time, people were still willing to spend 0.5 Virtual Coins to buy a tasty dish.
Wang Qiqi leaped into the top three on the leaderboard. Following Zhao Shupi, he too became a popular figure, and everyone was curious about this person who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Here, credit must be given to Wang Qiqi. He had cleverly spread stories about his past achievements beforehand: how, as an original resident of the Banana District, he had led people to earn vast amounts of Virtual Coins back in the day, ensuring everyone in the Banana District ate and drank well. He also hinted at connections with a powerful figure from the Banana District villas—a figure of immense influence—and implied that this influential person was sponsoring him this time, or something to that effect. In short, he projected an image of someone with a strong background, capable of leading everyone to tangible benefits.
Jing Shu thought, Could that ’powerful figure’ he’s talking about be me?
Speaking of powerful figures, Jing Shu also had different plans for this year. If the first year was about ensuring the whole family achieved moderate prosperity, then this year, I plan to begin a round of capital accumulation. COUGH COUGH. To put it bluntly, it means amassing wealth, making money! And having enough power to protect that wealth!
This current year, the tenth year of the apocalypse, was relatively stable, and currency circulation was at its fastest. It would become more difficult later. Once the mass exoduses began and life devolved into a constant scramble, fleeing from one place to another, the speed of currency circulation would slow significantly.
Jing Shu had already taken her first step. This year, I must at least attain the position of vice president. Only then will I have enough power to ensure my family isn’t a target for just any random nobody. As for my family, they certainly aren’t dragging me down. It would be best if Mom, as a Director, could climb another rung up the ladder. And it would be quite remarkable if Dad could become the head of the animal husbandry farm. The second step: earn more Virtual Coins! There are still so many things that require money! As for my plan to make money using Blood Mushrooms...
The two segments of Blood Mushroom roots, previously used for soup and now planted in the field within the Magic Cube Space, still hadn’t shown any signs of sprouting. This was a bit disappointing. Can Blood Mushrooms not be cultivated even in the Magic Cube Space? Or is my method wrong?
Then, on the day of Yang Yang’s grandfather’s birthday celebration, Jing Shu suddenly had a flash of inspiration.