Chapter 275: Chapter 275
Jing Shu did some calculations. While the Spiritual Spring in the Magic Cube Space still produced one gram (20 drops) per day, the six new fields brought an increase. The Magic Cube Space would automatically send one drop of Spiritual Spring to each new field daily. In other words, this added an extra six drops to the daily production, bringing the total number of fields in the upgraded Magic Cube Space to 24.
From the initial six fields, she now had 24. Jing Shu felt an ineffable sense of achievement, much like the pride of a gamer whose virtual farm, starting with just six plots, expanded into the vast holdings of a high-level tycoon.
Especially in this apocalypse where nothing could be grown, having a high-yield farm where she could grow whatever she wanted was so reassuring that it almost brought Jing Shu to tears.
However, there was a drawback with the fields in the Magic Cube Space. Even if nothing was planted, the Spiritual Spring would still automatically dispense one drop into each field every day. This led Jing Shu to suspect that the land needed the daily nourishment of the Spiritual Spring to maintain its current productivity, which doubled crop yields.
Therefore, the fields in the space must not be wasted; something has to be planted every day!
Of course, as the space upgraded and expanded, Jing Shu’s needs also grew. Currently, there were no issues of overproduction or unusable surplus because the number of fields was limited. Although the yield was high, Jing Shu’s demand was also considerable. Moreover, growing a batch of crops generally took about ten days. Not to mention, Jing Shu often fed all vegetable scraps like roots and unwanted leaves to the livestock. Any woody stalks were used as firewood.
Now, Jing Shu’s arrangement for the 24 fields was as follows:
Six fields would still be used for various vegetables. The produce from these, harvested every ten days, would be stored for a month or two before being processed into finished products.
Six fields were dedicated to fruit crops, which Jing Shu would turn into juice. The unwanted pulp was fed to the livestock, and some plants were transplanted to the second-floor greenhouse for her family to enjoy. Any occasional surplus was made into dried fruit.
Six fields were for growing medicinal herbs. It had only been half a year since the Magic Cube Space’s last upgrade. During this time, some of the herbs had matured, and Jing Shu stored them all in the space, planning to dry them next year, as this year was too humid.
However, items like ginseng and Ganoderma needed time to grow, so they couldn’t be rushed.
With the addition of six new fields, Jing Shu now used three to grow cotton and the other three to grow tobacco.
Since the Magic Cube’s fields were few and its production capacity limited, Jing Shu knew that if she wanted to build up her reserves, she still had to rely on the luxury goods of the apocalypse. After all, those who directly traded in rice and flour during the apocalypse were courting death—weren’t they basically announcing to the world that they were grain merchants? Even the government would likely become envious and find reasons to confiscate their supplies, I figure.
But one could certainly deal in high-end goods, like tobacco and alcohol.
Jing Shu had started two red earthworm factories. Before the apocalypse, their product was as common as corn—astonishing yields but of little value—mostly used to feed livestock and not drawing much attention. However, these two factories were seasonal; she could operate them during the current rainy season, but they wouldn’t be viable in a few months. After that, their output would be purely for sales or personal use.
But tobacco is different, she mused. It’s a sustainable, risk-free business. Only the wealthy, with full bellies and idle time, would seek to continue enjoying life’s pleasures. And naturally, they would have the money to spend on such luxuries.
In the apocalypse, luxury items are the easiest way to make money, she thought. It’s a world of stark contrasts: some die of drought, others of flood, and many starve, while the well-fed rich have money but nothing to spend it on. They have food, yes, but low production capacity means many other goods are simply gone. If they want to buy something, it’s invariably out of stock! Whenever a desirable item does appear, everyone scrambles for it!
Therefore, with her affiliation to the Medicinal Materials Association, Jing Shu could justifiably engage in these activities. To satisfy market demand, she planned to specifically create products for the high-end market: cigars. She would aim to exchange the fewest possible cigars for the greatest amount of capital. How many cigars could be grown in three fields, covering 18 square meters? Of course, some will be set aside for personal use, like for Mr. Jing and Mr. Jing, who are desperate for a smoke, she thought.
As for planting cotton, it was because she hadn’t expected her family to grow so large, which had led to a shortage not long after the apocalypse began. Later, when the weather turned colder, they would need even more cotton. Cotton will eventually be as good as currency, she considered. Gifting a cotton garment in the cold winter could be a way to solicit favors and solve almost any problem.
Of course, there was another significant reason: the cow in Jingshu’s space was pregnant, and this time, she might get a few more calves. Jing Shu planned to breed more cows and make shredded beef jerky, beef energy bars, and braised beef. In period dramas, people always entered an inn and called out, "Waiter, a pound of beef, please!" This highlighted its importance.
In the future, when I’m hungry, I can enjoy cumin-flavored, spicy, or scallion shredded beef, slowly chewing the fragrant meat strips perfectly combined with seasonings. Or I could thinly slice braised beef and dip it into chili sauce... SLURP! Just thinking about it makes me drool!
Last year’s beef jerky was already finished, and there had hardly been enough to go around. Now that the space was larger, Jing Shu had the room to breed more livestock and produce more processed meat. Read complete version only at novel✦fire.net
Cottonseed and other cotton by-products were the best fodder for cattle and sheep. Planting cotton would solve the feed problem for her expanding livestock operation. If the cattle and sheep only ate red earthworms, their milk quality and overall condition would drop significantly. So, since she had the means, Jing Shu planned to feed her livestock the best fodder available.
Some might say that with my surplus food, I should be rescuing those who can’t afford to eat, instead of feeding my animals so well, Jing Shu mused. But one-off rescues don’t last a lifetime. In my previous life, I never saw any rich people tossing rice my way.
But for anyone who helped me, I will repay them a hundred, even a thousand times over in this life! As for those who framed me, I no longer demand hundredfold repayment. I’ll simply let them struggle to survive in this apocalypse, watching me eat and drink well, listening to the envious talk about how my family’s life is getting better day by day.
If someone felt life was too hard and wanted to die, Jing Shu would kindly save them. If they still wanted to die, Jing Shu would save them again. Su Meimei was a case in point—but that was a story for another time.
To prevent some deaths, I will also store some red worm cakes, she resolved. The most I can do is provide this food during the hardest times—of course, in exchange for labor. It won’t be charity, and I won’t expect gratitude.
It was just like in my past life when I was on the brink of starvation, she recalled. I often thought that if I had plenty of food, I would do the same. Simply offering to exchange a little food for fair value is the greatest respect one can show others.
Jing Shu had Mr. Jing set up racks and lights on the third-floor terrace, as she planned to grow tobacco and cotton. After all, these crops needed a plausible, visible origin outside her Magic Cube Space. Hearing about the tobacco cultivation, Mr. Jing and Mr. Jing refrained from their usual arguments and quickly finished building the racks. Only then did Jing Shu plant the tobacco and cotton on the terrace, which was over 20 square meters in size.