Chapter 528: Chapter 528
It was the fourth year of the apocalypse, and food was scarce. Even well-off full-time workers and officials dared not openly display their grain, let alone their chickens and ducks, which were all hidden away. The leader of this operation, Jun Bao, along with Hong Bin and Lu Liu, were people whose characters were unknown, so Jing Shu had to be cautious.
But as mealtime approached, there was no activity from anyone; not a peep from Hao Yunlai or Yang Yang.
Jing Shu had originally planned to decide what to eat based on what everyone else was having. However, after quietly waiting and finishing a pound of fried dough twists on her own with still no word from the others, she finally emerged from her private tent to retrieve her luggage from the luggage carriage.
Ah, those familiar with Jing Shu knew all too well: the boss was about to start cooking.
Hao Yunlai then poked his head out from the upper bunk, while Yang Yang coughed twice and struggled to drag two large, vacuum-packed bags of rice from the luggage carriage.
"What for? This is Daohuaxiang long-grain rice, good quality."
"Well, we’re short on time and have urgent tasks. I was thinking of making some rice balls for the road... I wonder if this rice is enough for Hao Yunlai and me for a few days?"
Hao Yunlai looked over hopefully.
They had all experienced life-and-death situations, and Jing Shu’s cooking was truly exquisite. If they could share a meal together... it would be so delicious they’d practically bite their tongues off.
Making rice balls isn’t difficult, but even the tastiest ones would pale in comparison to Jing Shu’s.
"It’s enough; there’s even some extra," Jing Shu said, casually hefting the bags. They weighed dozens of pounds, enough for her whole family for nearly half a month.
"Not much at all! We’re just contributing grain; we’re still getting the better end of the deal." Not to mention the issue of fuel, or the eggs and various meats—which of those wasn’t more expensive than rice? Even with nothing else, food made by Jing Shu was incredibly fragrant.
"Alright then, we’ll stick to the old rules: whatever I eat, you eat," Jing Shu declared. Anyway, she had a large appetite herself and didn’t mind sharing a bit.
When dealing with friends who were afraid of taking advantage of her, Jing Shu wouldn’t let them be disadvantaged either.
"Then let’s just have something simple tonight."
"Just whip up whatever. Call me when it’s ready," Hao Yunlai said before turning over and falling back asleep.
Seeing that Lu Liu and the others had no intention of cooking, Jing Shu didn’t bother waiting. She truly made something simple: she cooked a full pot of white rice and casually sprinkled it with sausages, braised meat, dried scallops, and dried shrimp. That was it. She then used the water from washing the rice to wash her face, and after her, the fat chicken used it for a feather bath; it was too precious to discard.
When the aroma of rice began to fill the air, she added some Dried Vegetables and a fresh egg just laid by the fat chicken, then hurriedly turned off the precious flame and let it steam for five minutes. The semi-cooked, tender, sunny-side-up egg mixed in was the most delicious.
She then poured a sauce thickened with oyster sauce and seafood soy sauce into the full pot of rice and stirred it. The mingled aromas of egg, meat, and rice instantly filled the entire minibus!
Jing Shu scraped the crispy rice from the edges of the pot and heaped it on top of the servings. Of course, when eating clay pot rice, you had to eat the crispy part first.
After dishing out the rice, Jing Shu, pot in hand, was about to retreat into her tent to savor her meal. Only then did she notice Jun Bao. He was dressed in fluffy pajamas, hugging a hand warmer, and had been squatting cheerfully beside the fat chicken for who knew how long. On the ground nearby were five or six empty pet meat pâté cans, several empty energy bar wrappers, and a large, open bag of pet food.
The fat chicken was eating happily and soon laid a fist-sized egg. Jun Bao was astonished. He picked it up, studied it for a long time, and pondered for a while longer, until a cough from Jing Shu behind him broke the silence.
Jing Shu felt her blood pressure soaring; she was probably about to explode. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by 𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕·𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎·𝚗𝚎𝚝
The fat chicken froze, then rigidly lifted its head to see Jing Shu’s stern face. Like a guilty child, it CLUCKED and waddled over to Jing Shu, affectionately rubbing against her leg.
Jing Shu ignored the chicken and walked straight past it. The fat chicken then knew its master was truly angry. But weren’t feedings by Master’s friends always normal before? Besides, there was no way anyone could poison it; it was immune to all toxins! Even if an enemy fed it, Master would probably be happy to save on its food.
Regarding the fat chicken, Jing Shu didn’t want too many people to know about its numerous abilities. Possessing a treasure invites disaster. This was especially true since Jun Bao was the nephew of the powerful Jin Tianci and hailed from the Imperial Capital. What if he took a liking to her chicken?
"The world is indeed full of wonders. It seems each new generation is more outstanding in every way..."
Jun Bao rose without a hint of embarrassment and even handed her the three freshly laid eggs.
"These eggs are a result of your grain; you should keep them," Jing Shu said, glaring at the fat chicken. It wasn’t as if their relationship was so good that it could just freeload off someone else’s food in this apocalypse.
Jun Bao handed the eggs to Lu Liu, then glanced at the rice in Jing Shu’s pot and said honestly to Lu Liu, "I’m hungry." He didn’t know exactly what he wanted to eat, but he was definitely hungry.
Undisguised surprise flashed in Lu Liu’s eyes. Someone with such extreme anorexia actually felt hungry and said so? The same person who would vomit after eating even the most exotic delicacies now felt hungry just from looking at rice? Could it be true? If Grandma Jing knew, she’d be overjoyed!
The problem was, they hadn’t brought a chef, and cooking on the road was inconvenient. They had figured it would only be for a few days, and since Jun Bao could barely eat anything anyway, relying on energy bars to get by, they had simply packed more energy bars, snacks, and pastries.
But now that Jun Bao said he was hungry, it clearly wasn’t energy bars he craved.
He glanced at the rice in Jing Shu’s pot. Could it be...?
But Lu Liu simply said, "I’ll go get some food."
Jun Bao then turned to Jing Shu with renewed interest. "Is this the Dinosaur Chicken, the one that has undergone atavistic mutation? It’s a pity it’s too difficult to breed and can’t be widely propagated. The second-generation chickens at my uncle’s place have much lower metabolic and feed conversion rates. If bred normally, their unique genes are lost, which is quite a shame."
Oh, so he calls Jin Tianci ’uncle.’
Jing Shu quietly exhaled, relieved that Jun Bao apparently hadn’t specifically investigated her. The real Dinosaur Chickens were still at the villa, where Grandma Jing was carefully raising them as breeding stock, ensuring they were well-nourished and actively reproducing.
"Indeed, they’re not easy to breed," Jing Shu responded vaguely. As long as she had enough Spiritual Spring water, she could produce as many as she wanted, even create many monstrous creatures. Not to mention, if she had an unlimited supply of Spiritual Spring water, she could make it rain Spiritual Spring every day and save the world without an issue.
Unfortunately, even though her Magic Cube Space had been upgraded to its current level, the daily supply of Spiritual Spring water was still minuscule. She had to use it sparingly every day, and she was becoming increasingly reliant on it. Jing Shu understood its importance more than ever.
"I have some ideas I’m experimenting with. If I genuinely find a way to propagate them, I’ll let you know."
Jing Shu nodded again, feigning agreement. Anything was discussable, as long as it didn’t involve her Spiritual Spring. Besides, why was a grown man so concerned about these things...?
While they were talking, Lu Liu returned with a large pile of pre-packaged, long-shelf-life snacks and laid them out in front of Jun Bao and Jing Shu.