Chapter 216: Chapter 216

Kids really do grow up fast. It had been just over two months since Jing Shu last saw Niu Yanben, and he had shot up again. "Sis can’t save you," Jing Shu said, "All I can do is hold you down and maybe hand over a belt while I’m at it."

This set off a round of laughter.

Niu Yanben twisted his head again. "Dad, assert your position in the family!"

Niu Mou’s face turned pale. They say women in their thirties are like wolves and in their forties like tigers. His wife has been practically possessed lately. While unlocking various positions with her was exhilarating for a while, who could endure it three times a night, each session lasting as long as an incense stick burns? All he can do now is try to avoid eye contact with his wife...

"COUGH, COUGH." Niu Mou feigned ignorance, pretending to be engrossed in the drama on stage.

Finally, everyone was seated at the table. Niu Mou quietly asked Jing Shu, "Did you set up that pond for your mom?"

Jing Shu neither denied nor confirmed, instead asking, "How is it? Enough for her to level up?"

Niu Mou pondered for a moment. "Still a bit short."

Jing Shu nodded, understanding.

Niu Mou whispered, "Remember Secretary Zhang from last time? The one who suddenly had an epileptic seizure at your villa and died on the way? He was even interviewed by the press and ended up with a posthumous title for dying in the line of duty. Then another one was assigned, and he’s going to leave soon too."

Jing Shu raised her eyebrows. "Are you getting promoted?" The rightful source is novelFirｅ.net

"Not sure yet," Niu Mou replied, "but rest assured, I’ll definitely make arrangements for your mom before I leave. However, she needs to put in more effort too. I had strong connections that pushed me into the minister’s role back then, which stirred up a lot of resentment. They’re definitely planning to place someone else this year, but your mom has a shot at deputy minister."

Jing Shu gave a thumbs-up. This man truly is a rising star with great potential from her past life, steadily promoted once a year. As long as her mom follows Niu Mou’s lead, she definitely won’t fall far behind.

This was also Niu Mou’s way of returning the favor for the ice cream Jing Shu’s family had traded with Qian Duoduo. The two families had grown quite close over the past year, exchanging various gifts on holidays. Strawberries were delivered once every one or two months, sometimes with eggs and milk. In these times, giving ten eggs as a gift was a significant gesture. Never mind someone of Niu Mou’s status; while he wasn’t lacking vegetables, meat and eggs were surely in short supply. Jing Shu’s family had really hit the mark with their gifts. He’d never seen such a considerate subordinate; they always sent what his family needed most.

Of course, Niu Mou knew how to reciprocate. He sent electricity during the holidays, which was precisely what Jing Shu’s villa lacked most. Thanks to the electricity from Niu Mou, coupled with her ten UBC bacterial solar panels, Jing Shu’s villa could now largely meet its energy demands, saving about a liter of oil each day.

Electricity, natural gas, and oil were still not available to the public.

The courtyard soon filled to capacity. After one opera performance concluded, an old man in a traditional Tang suit strode briskly onto the stage and took the microphone. The atmosphere instantly became charged. With a gesture from the old man, the crowd fell silent.

"I really didn’t want to host this tiresome birthday banquet—chasing wealth can shorten your life," the old man began. "But if I didn’t, all the gift money I’ve shelled out over the years would go to the grave with me, and that would be too much of a loss!"

"Old Zhang, when your grandson got married, I gifted a painting. Old Xie, for your wife’s ninetieth birthday, I gifted a jade stone symbolizing ’Longevity.’ Even in the apocalypse, the value of the gifts you return must be greater than mine, not less! If anyone’s gift today is of lesser value, I won’t consider them an old friend anymore!"

"So, before we begin the meal, I want to ask all you old Undead, and you younger ones too: have you prepared your gifts for this old man’s eighty-eighth birthday?"

The crowd erupted in laughter, accompanied by the clicking of several cameras. The old man, however, seemed entirely unconcerned, even flashing a proud smile at the lenses.

"Alright then, everyone please eat and drink your fill. Then we’ll start today’s main event! For those who haven’t prepared a gift, no worries—just have your Virtual Coins ready! HAHAHA..."

Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. Things never seemed to go as she expected. Or were today’s pragmatists really this open-minded? She had to admit, when Mr. Yang said that, she’d almost lost her grip on her forty-meter-long blade.

She turned to see Yang Yang sighing as he picked up a piece of carp that had just been served. Munching on it, he said, "It’s called ’Thirty-Six Scales.’ Even after I plucked thirty-six of its scales, it could have lived for a long time. It was on the verge of a breakthrough, too. What a pity."

"These are the chives I grew," he continued, pointing to another dish. "See the nine serrations on each stalk? That’s my mark."

Jing Shu was speechless. Yang Yang really must be unhinged.

The dishes were quickly served: a steamed carp, stir-fried chives, and a plate of lettuce stir-fried with meat. The staple food was a bowl of Longevity Noodles with an egg for each person. Altogether, there were ten dishes, large and small. The food tasted alright; perhaps catering to the many middle-aged and elderly people present, everything was cooked very soft and easy to chew. It was also the first time Jing Shu had seen so many elderly people in one place, indicating that their families were all quite influential.

Truthfully, Jing Shu felt she could have eaten it all herself, but an average person would probably be about eighty percent full.

These dishes might have been considered average before the apocalypse—certainly not as lavish as Su Malie’s—but in these times, serving twenty tables was quite impressive, a significant expense indeed. Jing Shu listened to Yang Yang grumbling endlessly about how there would be no more vegetables or fish to eat in the future, his face a mask of distress.

And Jing Shu quickly understood why Yang Yang looked so pained, and also what he had meant about Mr. Yang having to kneel on a washboard.

Jing Shu felt it wouldn’t be polite to compete with them for food, so she ate slowly and deliberately, heeding Chu Zhuohua’s advice to chew each bite twenty-eight times.

The meal finished quickly, and the two opera acts on stage also concluded. Mr. Yang invited everyone to tour the courtyard. During this break for digestion, the tables in the yard were cleared and cleaned.

Everyone resettled at their tables, where tea had already been laid out. The stage was also reset. Just then, a man in a black suit tapped the auction table. "Please quiet down, everyone."

The noisy courtyard gradually quieted. Many people seemed puzzled. What was going on? Wasn’t this Mr. Yang’s grand birthday? Shouldn’t this be the time for presenting gifts?

"Alright, I’ll dispense with the pleasantries," the man said. "I am Shen Sanqiao, the auctioneer invited by Mr. Yang for today. Three strikes of the gavel will seal the deal for an item. And what are we auctioning? We’ll be auctioning the gifts you all brought for Mr. Yang today! All Virtual Coins earned will be used to purchase rice from the government!"

"Mr. Yang has declared that his birthday gifts are for universal celebration! The entire Wu City should rejoice with him. The rice Mr. Yang purchases will be distributed for free to those who haven’t consumed rice in the last ten days, with priority given to pregnant women, the elderly, and children!"

Some in the audience were clearly aware of this plan and remained unfazed, but many more were undoubtedly caught by surprise, exclaiming in disbelief.

Jing Shu let out a long breath. Good thing I held back my forty-meter-long blade, or I might have misjudged a good man.