Chapter 450: Chapter 450
After hanging up the phone, Wang Fang pinched Uncle excitedly and yelled, "Su Long, I’m giving you one minute to get dressed! Bring all your spare clothes and toiletries, and don’t forget your garlic and green onions. We’re going to stay at your elder aunt’s house for the next few days!"
Uncle sighed, feeling a bit helpless. "If we’re going to bother them, we should bring some decent gifts."
"Definitely. Your brother-in-law’s chickens are truly excellent, but it’s a pity I don’t even think about it anymore. The old lady values them more than life itself. During New Year’s, I got snubbed just for suggesting I buy a chicken above market price. Now we can only hope your brother-in-law can pull some strings to get a couple of officially licensed chickens. We can’t take the ones from the Black Market; you never know what kind of Zombie disease they might have. Eggs from those chickens hatch into chicks covered in tumors, and eating them could give you the Zombie disease."
It’s already the third year of the apocalypse. No one would say something like, "Give me a chicken," anymore, just like before the apocalypse no one would say, "Give me a Mercedes." Still, some rich folks might give an old hen as a wedding gift.
Recently, when Wang Congsi’s friend got married, Wang Congsi was the best man. He gave a cow worth a Rolls-Royce as his gift—and it was a heifer. The picture he posted online drew countless envious and resentful comments. The entire wedding was exceptionally lavish, with the hall full of gifts: four pairs of live chickens symbolizing great prosperity, a pair of softshell turtles suggesting longevity, a pair of black pigs for a perfect union, and at the very least, everyone brought a bag of Daoxiang Village rice. No one would bother with something as intangible as Virtual Coin.
"PHEW!" Jing Shu let out a breath of relief. Thankfully, I made it in time. I’d forgotten the exact day in my previous life when Uncle’s house was destroyed and his family was buried alive in an earthquake, but it was within these few days, maybe even today. Anyway, once their house collapses, I can let them go back. As for them possibly wanting to live in the RV... Hmm, I’ll nip that idea in the bud.
I’ve also fulfilled one of my past life’s regrets. Most importantly, I spared Mom from heartache... Yes. Jing Shu found herself recalling the scene of her family reunion...
The climate in Wu City was much colder than in the United States. The ground was frozen solid, and many creatures had perished. After months apart, and having experienced earthquakes and lightning storms, Wu City was battered and riddled with holes. The city center’s habitable buildings had been sucked away by subterranean tornadoes. Those that weren’t sucked away had collapsed in earthquakes. Many buildings were devoured, making living spaces in Wu City even scarcer.
Jing Shu never expected that upon hearing news of her return, Mr. Jing would drive the German MAN RV. He waited for her with the entire family at the run-down little airport—the same one she’d used when flying to the Imperial Capital—for three whole days. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝗂𝗋𝖾⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥
Jing Shu was moved to the brink of tears.
"You’ve grown taller," Mrs. Jing said, covering her mouth.
"And you’ve gained some weight," Mr. Jing said, extremely relieved.
"It finally grew feathers!" Grandma Jing ran over from a distance, yelling, "My little darling, Grandma was so worried about you!"
Jing Shu thought, Huh? The first two comments were normal, but what’s this about growing feathers? Little darling?
Jing Shu mechanically looked down. She saw the fat chicken flapping its wings and scurrying with two little chicks toward Grandma Jing, finally nestling into her embrace. Grandma Jing lovingly stroked the once-bald fat chicken, which now had a full coat of feathers. The feathers were even softer and longer; it truly had grown its feathers back.
"Look at what Jing Shu fed you! It even came back with two little black chicks. We’ll have more precious breeds now. We can apply for them to be first-class national protected animals and get a license," Mrs. Jing said, pointing at the two little black chicks.
Grandma Jing’s eyes disappeared into her smile. "Yes, yes, we must apply! Oh, look, there are two more following behind! Are those geese?"
Mr. Jing gestured, comparing the fat chicken’s current size to how it was before. "This means it’s probably going to lay a few more eggs every day, right?"
Grandma Jing confirmed with certainty, "The bigger it is, the more eggs it’ll lay. It seems our granddaughter’s trip to the United States didn’t shortchange you!"
Only then did everyone suddenly remember to turn and look at Jing Shu, who stood there, her hair disheveled by the wind.
"Snowflakes flutter, north wind howls... the world, a vast expanse of white... a single sprig of winter plum, standing proudly in the snow..."
They must have missed me so much, and were afraid they couldn’t contain all their energies, so they transferred their affection to the fat chicken. Jing Shu thought.
Indeed, as soon as they boarded the RV, their true focus was revealed.
The moment Jing Shu sat down, the table was laden with all her favorite foods.
"Daughter, these are the braised pork trotters your mom made for you these past few days. I know you like them tender, so I cooked them extra soft," Mrs. Jing said.
"My dear granddaughter, try some of your mom’s pork trotters first. Grandma has steamed some pork ribs with green bean stewed noodles for you. After the trotters, have the noodles; they’re very filling. There’s also your favorite crucian carp soup simmering in the pot," Grandma Jing cooed.
Grandpa Jing, however, didn’t say a word. He had already used tweezers to shell a bowlful of plump hairy crab meat for Jing Shu. A large pile of crab shells indicated that this task, involving at least dozens of crabs, must have taken him a significant amount of time.
Jing Shu picked up a large piece, dipped it into the sauce, and took a bite. The tender leg meat, the fragrant and rich crab roe, the savory juices... SLURP! It was so delicious! But the greatest joy was the happiness of having someone peel shrimp shells and pick crab meat for you; that was even more satisfying than eating these delicacies!
Just then, Mr. Jing pulled a roasted duck, golden and dripping with oil, from a makeshift earthen oven. He had already sliced scallions and cucumbers, and set out sweet bean sauce and the thin pancakes Grandma Jing had made. Jing Shu sliced the duck herself, wrapped it in a pancake with the trimmings, dipped it in sauce, and devoured it in big bites, her mouth glistening with oil.
"This trip wasn’t just about treating my illness. I also brought back many things you’ve never seen before. The technology in the United States is truly advanced; my headaches were gone in just a few days.
"Afterward, we collected many things from various places in the United States. Yes, they’ve been sent to Li Yuetian’s place. In a few days, we’ll go retrieve them and store them properly. The guns there were just lying around, so I brought back quite a few for you all. Once you go to Li Yuetian’s place, get them insured and registered, then you can carry them...
"Oh, and have you ever seen live crabs as big as millstones? I heard they taste amazing. Don’t worry, I brought back a lot of live seafood. Yes, yes, we’ll raise and breed them first.
"Have you ever seen a tuna that weighs a ton? It’s that super delicious kind of salmon! These ones are already dead, so we can eat them. Tuna are almost extinct, you know. Okay, okay, okay, we’ll definitely eat them sparingly. Only when we have guests or during festivals.
"And there’s caviar that costs tens of thousands of US Dollars a spoonful! I haven’t tried it either, so this time, let’s all have a taste."
"Don’t worry, of course, I brought gifts for everyone. Each of you gets one! I guarantee they’re novelties you’ve never seen before."
"What? These geese? Oh, right, I rented these two. They have quite a backstory. Let me tell you..."
The family’s happiest moments were watching Jing Shu devour the food they had lovingly prepared, listening to her animatedly recount all the interesting and fun things she encountered in the United States, what she had gained from this trip, and all the miscellaneous items she had brought back.
Danger? What danger? That was absolutely non-existent as far as they were concerned. In their minds, other people encountered dangers, but their Jing Shu was always kept safe and sound. No one would dare target her, and she had certainly never been injured or faced any life-threatening situations.