Chapter 286: Chapter 286

It was great. The living arrangements for everyone in the family had been settled, and the current functional areas also met Jing Shu’s requirements.

Coming out of the space capsule, right next to it was the greenhouse Jing Shu had requested, now modified and equipped with various light strips and five-tiered shelves for planting.

This was where Jing Shu planned to farm—not too big, nor too small. The plants, along with the dried vegetables from last year, would certainly be enough to feed the family.

If possible, she could also plant some easy-to-grow fruits that didn’t take up much space. She would consider that later; for now, it would be best to transplant everything from their old home here.

The area at the rear of the RV’s second floor, which originally housed the solar panels, now featured a skylight. This was the multi-functional breeding area Jing Shu had mentioned. Chickens and ducks would definitely need to be brought along during the migration. It was deadly cold outside, so they could only be kept inside the vehicle. As for the smell, Chu Zhuohua had thought of that too, and had installed the skylight to help disperse it as much as possible.

To summarize the second floor of the RV: the rear housed chickens and ducks; the middle section was for planting; then there was Wu You’ai’s space capsule; the front section was for storing supplies; and Jing Shu’s bedroom was at the very front of the vehicle.

On the first floor of the RV, the driver’s seat was at the front. Grandma Jing and Grandpa Jing’s bedroom was in the front section, next to Jing Gu’s hidden single bed. The middle of the vehicle housed the kitchen, dining room, and bathroom, while the rear contained Mr. Jing and Mrs. Jing’s bedroom.

That was the entire layout of the RV. Jing Shu filed away Chu Zhuohua’s explanation and pondered Qian Duoduo’s promised surprise. With the RV’s functions now so comprehensive, she really couldn’t think of what Qian Duoduo could do to repay this favor.

When a big shot makes a move, it’s bound to be extraordinary, Jing Shu thought, somewhat looking forward to it.

Anyway, the West Mountain base was almost ready; she would find out then. Jing Shu walked around the massive truck-like RV again, growing more delighted with each look. She even got into the driver’s seat to get a feel for driving it.

Eventually, Mr. Jing will be the main driver, while I can practice the Magic Cube in my bedroom and enjoy the distant scenery, she mused.

Speaking of the Magic Cube, Jing Shu sensed something odd. It had been two months since its last upgrade. Given her diligence, she should have been practicing with it every spare moment, aiming to upgrade the Magic Cube Space before her trip to the United States next year.

At first, Jing Shu was indeed very diligent. Having built a solid foundation, she progressed rapidly and could soon solve the Magic Cube. She could now even solve it at the professional speed required by the Magic Cube Space.

However, she didn’t know when it started, but she kept forgetting to practice. Sometimes, days would pass before I suddenly remembered I hadn’t practiced!

Because of this, Jing Shu even set an alarm to practice at a fixed time daily. But every time she started, something would interrupt her. After the interruption, she would forget about practicing the Magic Cube all over again.

Could this be related to the Eighth Order Magic Cube Space’s ability? Jing Shu wondered.

It reminded her of when she was challenging the Seventh Order Magic Cube’s Illusion ability. In the beginning, her practice would always be interrupted by illusions, significantly slowing down her solving speed. Later, a Curse had even forced her to practice the Magic Cube every day at 4 a.m...

However, the Magic Cube keeps interrupting my practice and making me forget. Does this First Order ability cause memory loss? Generally, Magic Cube Space abilities are beneficial for planting and breeding. What does memory loss or forgetfulness have to do with that?

Jing Shu took out the Magic Cube and started practicing while pondering. Before long, her phone rang insistently. Jing Shu sighed. See? Just as I thought. So strange.

"Jing Shu, why don’t you come to the factory? We, uh, we have something to discuss with you," said the voice on the other end of the phone. It was Wang Fang, her aunt.

It was June, and red earthworms were becoming increasingly rare, whether due to the weather or from being constantly caught by the Huaxia people. Scientists in the United States and Australia had predicted that red earthworms would become a global disaster, and their predictions were coming true.

The viscosity of the red earthworms around the world had reached over 80%. They consumed everything and could grow on anything. Fortunately, European countries had more developed water purification systems and could still cultivate some crops.

But while the number of red earthworms was increasing exponentially everywhere else in the world, only in Huaxia were they becoming scarcer. Previously, one could scoop up handfuls, but now, only a few could be found.

So, when Jing Shu arrived at the feed factory, the workers were sitting lazily on the ground with nothing to do; half of them were sorting through red earthworms.

Her aunt, Wang Fang, was pacing back and forth. When she saw Jing Shu, she looked troubled and asked, "Jing Shu, you’re here! Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet," Jing Shu replied.

Her aunt coughed twice. She had only been making polite small talk; why was Jing Shu being so blunt? "Jing Shu," she began, deciding to get straight to the point, "I won’t beat around the bush. I just want to ask, when is this factory going to close down? Not only are the red earthworms becoming fewer, but look, in each batch, half of them are dead or stinky worms. We’re doing as you said, picking them all out and discarding them... This is getting expensive, and we can barely collect any red earthworms in a day."

Jing Shu squatted down and poked around with a stick. Sure enough, these red earthworms are carrying the disease from the Australian zombie deer, she thought.

Her uncle glared at her aunt, then smiled at Jing Shu, saying, "Don’t listen to your aunt’s nonsense. How could we close a factory we’ve invested so much in? You’re the big boss. We’ll do whatever you say."

"Su Yiyang, it’s easy for you to talk standing there!" her aunt retorted, growing anxious. "We’ve got so many workers to support! It’s been almost half a year, and they’re about to bankrupt us! If we keep paying people for nothing and don’t make a profit, I’m not doing it anymore!"

Uncle retorted irritably, "You woman! Long hair, short on insight! If we work with Jing Shu, we’re sure to make money. Even if we don’t, after all the help Jing Shu has given us, we should stick with her even if it means jumping into a pit!"

"My hair’s been short for ages!" Aunt Wang Fang shot back, pointing at her husband. "You’ve got some nerve, daring to shout at me in public now, huh?"

"Alright, Uncle, Aunt, please stop fighting," Jing Shu interjected. "It’s my fault too. I’ve been too busy lately and haven’t had time to manage things here. Let’s do this: starting today, I’ll buy red earthworms at three times the previous price. However, we won’t accept any dead or stinky worms. Let them sort it out themselves. Your people can just do the inspections. Let’s work hard for another month. I’ll cover the meals this month."

"Yes, three times," Jing Shu affirmed. "Think about it: red earthworms are becoming scarcer, so won’t their price go up in the future? Anyway, that’s my decision."

Her uncle stepped forward, looking embarrassed. "Jing Shu, don’t worry about the meals. Since we’ve taken on the responsibility, we’ll see it through. Otherwise, we’ll feel too ashamed to take our share of the profits."

Red earthworms could still be collected for another month. Jing Shu knew she had to make the most of this last opportunity, gathering as many as possible. After leaving her uncle’s place, Jing Shu immediately called her elder aunt. Communicating with her was much simpler; Jing Shu only stated her requirements, and that side immediately got to work.

After settling the red earthworm matters on both sides, Jing Shu had a nagging feeling. I feel like I’ve forgotten something important.

Oh well, I’ll just go home for dinner, she decided. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍