Chapter 229: Chapter 229

Speaking of the RV modification, Chu Zhuohua was the perfect example of someone driven purely by inspiration.

At first, he was full of energy and completed his favorite part: a major overhaul of the hybrid power system. Afterward, he seemed to hit a wall—his inspiration vanished, his ideas grew poor, and his execution faltered.

Now that the vehicle’s power system was fully modified, Chu Zhuohua was slowly working on the first layer of the interior.

The most mysterious part was that Chu Zhuohua seemed to be secretly planning a new vehicle modification. He wouldn’t let Jing Shu see it, merely saying she could pay for it once it was finished. Fine by me... it’s just one modified vehicle, after all, Jing Shu conceded internally.

Meanwhile, Third Aunt Jing Lai had also been busy. In the past few days, besides sewing a new set of red, festive bedding, she had also made new clothes for Grandma Jing, Grandpa Jing, Jing Shu, Mrs. Jing, Mr. Jing, and Wu You’ai—crafting outfits for the entire family.

They had almost used up all the home’s cotton fabric and raw cotton. This forced Jing Shu to consider planting a batch of cotton once her space was upgraded and the planting land expanded. In the increasingly cold weather, cotton was a lifesaver.

Right, we can probably start sericulture this year, Jing Shu mused. We need to produce more silk to prepare for the coming harsh weather.

Last year, Wu You’ai’s mentor had given her a few Indian silkworms. Jing Shu had kept them in the second-floor flower room but hadn’t bred them. Consequently, only a few dozen silkworm babies were produced last year. At that rate, it would take a very long time to gather enough silkworms for a silk quilt. This year, with plentiful rain and food, it was the perfect time to properly nurture the silkworms and stockpile silk. At the same time, it would give Grandma Jing something to do, as processing silk—from cooking cocoons to reeling the threads—was no easy task.

It was only the second year of the apocalypse, and everyone still had clothes. The daytime temperature wasn’t too cold yet, so these items weren’t a priority. But in a few years, when it grew colder and people desperately wanted more clothes and bedding, such things would be long gone.

Besides these preparations for food, clothing, housing, and transport, Grandpa Jing, representing the older generation, also penned a few couplets and "Fu" characters. These would be stuck on the door before they left, to invite good fortune for the new year.

Considering the family would be away for at least three days, the chickens, ducks, cows, and pigs at home needed to be fed. Thus, Mr. Jing, inspired by popular internet designs, DIYed an automatic feeder to ensure their domestic poultry had water and food.

All the vegetables in the field and the fruits in the second-floor flower room had to be watered as well.

Regarding whether to take the fat chicken with them, everyone unanimously agreed to bring it along.

"It lays eggs every day that we can eat."

"If we don’t take it, it might ruin my apricot tree by the time we get back. Who knows, there might not be any fish left in the pond."

"If we don’t take it, the chickens at my workplace will be tormented."

Well, the fat chicken seemed quite proud of these sentiments.

The fat chicken, drinking Number 1 Spiritual Spring daily, had grown as large as a small calf and successfully broken the 50-pound mark. Since its eyes evolved the last time, there had been no further changes. Jing Shu speculated that it might need some kind of catalyst.

The fat chicken’s intelligence had increased. Realizing it was also leaving, it began to organize its "luggage." First, it devoured all the favorite foods it had secretly hoarded in its nest: vegetable roots, bones, and nutshells.

Next, it patrolled the chicken coop, warning the other chickens not to even think about challenging its status. After all, "fine feathers make fine birds." So, the fat chicken donned the floral outfit Third Aunt had knitted for it. Although a bit snug, its owner explained it away as "postpartum shapewear."

Finally, it made a daily effort to charm its owner, presenting itself as a principled, non-troublemaking, adorable, and cute chicken.

The whole family also had to use these days to finish their pending work. After all, it was the apocalypse; weekends and holidays were a thing of the past. They were as busy as spinning tops, whirling around for several days.

The busiest of all was Wu You’ai. Several more buildings full of residents had come under her supervision, in addition to over 70 original residents already in her jurisdiction. With deaths occurring daily, she had to verify information, report to the authorities, and maintain population statistics.

Next busiest was Mrs. Jing. Ever since Jing Shu had shown her how to filter out the red earthworms, Mrs. Jing’s work performance had skyrocketed. Moreover, Mrs. Jing had shared the method with other Management Departments, receiving unanimous praise and rewards. After the government installed these filters, Wu City’s Agricultural Department was finally able to cultivate some crops.

Apart from consuming Mushrooms and Insect eggs, the general public could at least sprinkle some green onions on their food.

Jing Shu had also planned to visit the Medicinal Materials Association, but then the snakes in her Magic Cube Space laid eggs! This news made Jing Shu ecstatic; she had been counting on the snakes to reproduce quickly so she could make medicinal wine.

To rear the snakes properly, Jing Shu had diligently studied the subject.

After daily nourishment with Number 5 Spiritual Spring, if they still hadn’t laid eggs, Jing Shu would have begun to suspect the pair were infertile.

Jing Shu carefully monitored the snake eggs at home for several days. With the enhancement from the Spiritual Spring, they were bound to hatch soon. Snake egg incubation required a constant temperature, so Jing Shu placed them directly into the Magic Cube Space. She made a comfortable nest for them there, incubating them according to methods described in books.

Five-step Snakes generally lay about 30 eggs at a time. However, Jing Shu’s snakes were extraordinary, laying 70 eggs this time—clearly a result of the Spiritual Spring.

Another point to mention was the issue of communicating with the two Five-step Snakes. There was still no progress. It seemed it would require at least half a year of cultivation, just like with the Bees back then.

Using snakes as an offensive measure would apparently take another half a year to achieve. The time investment was too high. Though it pained her, Jing Shu decided to keep over thirty Little Snakes to cultivate as "living" concealed weapons. The remaining snakes could be used for medicinal wine or cooking.

They say Dragon and Phoenix Soup prolongs life and is an exceptional tonic... SLURP, Jing Shu thought, practically drooling.

Finally, on the day Jing Shu’s family was due to leave, the snake eggs hatched in the Magic Cube Space. Many hatchling flower snakes appeared. They were curled tightly around each other, writhing in unison. They look quite delicious... Ahem, when you get old, everything starts to look tasty! Jing Shu thought with amusement.

Jing Shu separated the adult snakes from the juveniles. The newborns didn’t need feeding yet, so Jing Shu only gave them some Number 8 spiritual spring water.

She would wait until the young snakes shed their skin for the first time before feeding them.

Jing Shu planned to accelerate the maturation of one batch. That way, she could make medicinal wine when she returned after the New Year.

It was 4:00 a.m. on February 8, 2024. Jing Shu’s family enjoyed a comfortable breakfast before conducting their final checks, and then they set off on their journey.

The day before their departure, Jing Shu had installed the pinhole surveillance system she’d scavenged around the villa’s perimeter. She even set up a few in Building 25—naturally, to keep an eye on that Lin Yi, she reminded herself.

Mr. Jing checked everything else, Mrs. Jing ensured the safety of all doors and windows in the villa, and Grandpa Jing checked all the traps. After making sure everything was secure, the family set off, with Mr. Jing driving the energy car and Jing Shu driving the Shark Submarine. Discover more novels at ⓝovelFire.net

For the villa’s protection, besides activating various traps, Jing Shu also installed an electric net inside the main gate. She notified Li Yuetian, asking him to help keep an eye on the villa’s security. Furthermore, she hired four security guards from Su Malie’s household, agreeing to pay each of them 4 Virtual Coins per day.