Chapter 221: Chapter 221

Of course, after observing in the space, Jing Shu found that leeches enjoyed eating insect larvae, and they ate a tremendous amount. After the apocalypse struck, some species went extinct, while some inconspicuous creatures evolved and rose. There might even be species invasions. The Earth became riddled with holes, and who knew when it might perish.

And what was most abundant this year? The sheer number of red earthworms, enough to sustain over a billion Huaxia people, spoke volumes; no wonder these leeches were all incredibly fat.

Jing Shu stroked her chin, suddenly recalling the four huge water collection tanks at the villa’s entrance, designated for collecting red earthworms and rainwater. Each day, Mr. Jing now had to clean out the drains, check the filters, and perform other similar tasks. He also had to transport batches of the filtered red earthworms to the canteen to sell.

The downpour had already lasted nearly a month, and the price of red earthworms had plummeted from 1 Virtual Coin for 10 jin to 1 Virtual Coin for 200 jin. A family of three collecting red earthworms could earn 1 Virtual Coin a day, at least enough to exchange for some other food and avoid starvation. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ ⓝovelFire.net

Mr. Jing could earn about 3 Virtual Coins daily, and he worked tirelessly. Since he had handed over all his Virtual Coins, this was his only source of pocket money now. Saving up pocket money was a hope cherished by every man.

Jing Shu knew that, from this point forward, she might have to crush Mr. Jing’s hope.

This was because Jing Shu intended to breed leeches. Ordinary leeches naturally couldn’t eat that much, but with the nourishment of Spiritual Spring water and large-scale breeding, it might just be enough. After all, whether people or livestock, anything nourished by Spiritual Spring water became a glutton.

Even the two snakes in the space had insatiable appetites. She wondered when these snakes would give birth. She needed to hurry and make medicinal liquor. The rain had continued for a month now, and even the villa was starting to feel damp. She was a bit worried about the elderly couple’s health.

Li Yuetian had also asked a few times when the medicinal liquor would be ready, as his chronic leg pain had started acting up again. Because of this, Jing Shu considered whether she should improve the snakes’ living conditions.

Oh right, speaking of the government’s endless collection of red earthworms, Jing Shu couldn’t help but admire their strategy. At the start of the second year of the apocalypse, the rain had poured for a month. With Insect eggs failing to mass-produce crops, everyone thought that if they couldn’t grow food, they could at least eat red earthworms and wouldn’t starve. Yet the government still purchased red earthworms at low prices.

Firstly, it was to give ordinary people something to do, to stimulate everyone’s desire to work. The government never provided free food for extended periods, to avoid fostering laziness.

Secondly, it was a precaution. Just like last year’s rotten corpse insects and maggots—wasn’t their quantity shocking? Just when everyone thought they had enough to eat for the next generation, the world was dominated by red earthworms after only a few days of heavy rain. The government was worried the next insect might not be as palatable as red earthworms. It was a pity they hadn’t made a batch of Five Grain Worm Dried last year. That would have tasted much better than red earthworms.

Thirdly, emergency food reserves were vital for survival. Now, it was time to bolster these reserves—nobody knew how long the darkness would last. Thus, upon receiving orders from above, local governments began to process a food product named ’Compressed Red Worm Cake.’

Every day, tens of tons of red earthworms were sent to factories to be mashed by machines, cooked, and then compressed into pancakes. This type of pancake was a staple government provision during evacuations because it was convenient and low-cost. Indeed, the government had managed to store a large quantity of these Insect Cakes this year.

But frankly, at times of extreme hunger when even feces could smell appetizing, eating this felt nauseating to Jing Shu. The strong fishy smell was unbearable. When whole, one had to swallow them along with their excrement. When ground up, their guts were broken, squeezing out a mass of feces. Jing Shu felt ’Compressed Feces Cake’ would be a more apt name.

However, by relying on Insect Cakes, the Huaxia people persisted for a long time.

So, Jing Shu planned to breed leeches for a year. Conditions probably wouldn’t allow for it afterward, so she would breed as many as possible this year. Later, she could trade the pickled leech meat for free labor, COUGH COUGH.

Jing Shu was most concerned about the Blood Mushroom matter. After transplanting the two Blood Mushrooms, which only had their roots left, into the midst of the dozen or so already in the space, Jing Shu dripped in a drop of spiritual spring water.

She also separated three thousand of the ten thousand leeches and put them in the collection tank in the yard to raise them. This way, she wouldn’t need to feed them, and it was also convenient. All she had to do was periodically check the health of the leeches and clean up their feces.

The Banana District was completely packed with people. Consequently, Mr. Jing had the fence around the villa built high, essentially adding another protective loop. Now, outsiders couldn’t even see into the villa, so there was no worry about anyone stealing leeches from the collection tank.

"What? You got a batch of leeches out of the water to raise? Those things are terrifying! Several people in the district have been drained of their blood."

"So, it’s your idea to raise these things? And they’re also considered a type of medicine?"

At dinner, when Jing Shu announced her leech-raising venture, she initially faced opposition from Mrs. Jing, who thought the creatures were too dangerous. After some persuasion, Mrs. Jing reluctantly agreed but admonished Jing Shu to be careful.

"Whatever you do, your parents won’t oppose it, as long as you protect yourself," Mr. Jing said seriously. "Since you’re going to put them in the collection tank, I’ll check on them daily, just in case they jump out and harm anyone in the family."

Jing Shu nodded her head like a pecking chicken. "Just putting a sieve on top should be fine."

And so, Jing Shu successfully implemented her plan to raise leeches and Blood Mushrooms. Things were now on the right track.

It was also at this time that Wang Qiqi’s election entered the homestretch. Wang Qiqi, who achieved instant fame from a single battle, was successfully promoted to a top-Seeds contestant, truly a dark horse.

Just as the election was about to end, Zhao Shupi played his trump card: anyone who voted for him could enter a lottery with a 100% chance of winning a reward ranging from 300 to 3,000 Virtual Coins.

And it was a platform lottery!

This meant that anyone from Banana District could vote. With this move, Zhao Shupi firmly secured the support of those who had previously disdained eating at the cafeteria, as well as members of the middle class.

Every day, everyone had to check the big data on their phones, which included daily news, auctions, various information, and more.

Many people saw this voting option and reflexively cast their votes. Afterward, they would try their luck with the lottery. Even though they didn’t know who Zhao Shupi was, it didn’t stop them from trying to win a prize. Whether they won 0.3, 0.5, or even 1 Virtual Coin, no matter how small the amount, it was like grabbing a red packet. Whether one was a millionaire or an ordinary citizen, one would always tap it to try their luck.

Therefore, within just two days, Zhao Shupi was on track to surpass Wang Qiqi. With only one day remaining, Wang Qiqi had exhausted all her efforts. She went door-to-door offering fragrant fried Mushroom Insect eggs, but it was futile; the market was saturated, and everyone who could vote had already done so.

In desperation, Wang Qiqi found Jing Shu. "Jing Shu, please think of something. Otherwise, all our efforts will be for nothing."