Chapter 566: Chapter 566

Jing Shu remembered that the last time she had visited Jin Tianci’s government district neighborhood was the previous year. This area was part of the old city, situated at the edge of the basin. Although it hadn’t been completely submerged by mudslides, life there was difficult, with mud and water constantly seeping out. It was an absolute slog, like trying to cross a river by wading through waist-deep mud.

Vehicles couldn’t enter the neighborhood, so they had to walk. The mud already reached Jing Shu’s waist. Jin Tianci’s secretary led the two of them across precarious plastic planks. If Qian Duoduo hadn’t had a bodyguard supporting him, he would have fallen into the mire long ago. Entering the neighborhood was as thrilling as playing an adventurer’s game.

The secretary, familiar with the path, walked ahead, waiting for Jing Shu and Qian Duoduo. Shining a flashlight for them, he said, "Be careful, you two. Our district isn’t too bad; at least the second floor and above are still habitable, and the mudflow is very slow. The mudslides in the surrounding cities are like actual floods—terrifying."

Qian Duoduo was cold and tired, his nose an alarming shade of red. The group had to expend a great deal of effort before finally reaching Jin Tianci’s house. Only after drinking a bowl of hot milk tea, topped with a thick skin of milk, did Qian Duoduo finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Jin Tianci, wrapped in a blanket and holding a cup of goji berry and date tea, smiled at Qian Duoduo and Jing Shu. He sipped his tea occasionally. Once Qian Duoduo had rested, Jin Tianci amiably asked a few routine questions, paying neither special attention to Qian Duoduo nor ignoring Jing Shu.

Jin Tianci was always like that; he consistently made you feel valued. Jing Shu had discovered that with people like him, if you didn’t state the purpose of your visit, he could chat about trivialities indefinitely. He inquired about the current situation in Jing Shu’s Banana District and the general cost of living. He even gossiped about how the older women were managing their food supplies in the current weather.

"Ah, those older women are always resourceful," Jing Shu commented. "The women in our district collect their entire family’s feces daily, which they can sell for several Virtual Coins. Then, they send out workers to dig earth, trade it for more Virtual Coins, and use that to buy more Earth Worm Cakes, and perhaps some steamed buns or rice. They take it home, mix it with boiling water to make porridge, and that’s how they manage to get by for many days."

"The cafeteria’s Insect Cakes are becoming scarcer now," she continued. "Many families have started converting their Virtual Coins into food to store away. Everyone realizes that even Insect Cakes are in short supply."

Jing Shu could also talk endlessly about these matters. When it came to getting by, women who managed households always had their methods. Mr. Jing was very gossipy; nothing major or minor in the Banana District escaped his notice. He would always discuss current events over peanuts at the dinner table, so Jing Shu naturally knew all about it.

Qian Duoduo was asked similar questions, such as how the wealthy class, to which he belonged, had been affected.

Finally, Qian Duoduo couldn’t hold back any longer and began to reveal the purpose of their visit. Although he would lose the initiative, he knew that if he didn’t speak up, this old fellow Jin Tianci could keep the conversation going until morning. Jin Tianci’s wife had already come over several times to refill their milk tea, each brew stronger than the last, until eventually, it was just plain tea. They needed to finish their business quickly and leave. If they stayed for dinner, Jin Tianci’s wife served wheat bran mixed with soaked rice, a dish so coarse it scratched the throat and was difficult to swallow.

After that, Jing Shu couldn’t get a word in. She sipped her milk tea, her attention divided as she tended to the fruits and vegetables in her space.

She had previously designated six of her fields for growing medicinal herbs. Her original intention was for them to be used by her family if needed, or to contribute them to the Medicinal Materials Association in times of urgent need. However, she realized she had completely overthought the matter.

Before the apocalypse, Jing Shu had bought various common medicines. Since her family started drinking water from the Spiritual Spring, they rarely fell ill. Except for a few occasions when she gave medicine to others or to her elder aunt’s family, she had hardly used any of her stock. This was even truer for the precious medicinal herbs she had been cultivating in her space. Over the years, she had intermittently grown valuable Lingzhi and ginseng, but there had been no real opportunity to use them. Taking them out rashly would be unwise, and Jing Shu felt no need to risk exposing them just to trade for supplies.

Looking at the plump ginseng, which appeared to be at least several decades old, Jing Shu steeled her resolve. She harvested all the medicinal herbs and stored them in her space. These precious herbs weren’t needed at the moment, so she would preserve them. It was time to stop wasting valuable field space.

The freed-up land can be used to plant a new batch of spices, like star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, black pepper, and cinnamon. Oh, and I’ve run out of curry powder. Baidu Encyclopedia has recipes, so I can try making it. Most importantly, I don’t have much hot pot base left. Before we migrate, I should stealthily stock up on more spices and braise more food. Later, when we’re on the road, we can have hot pot more often. It’s so convenient! Just add the base and throw in whatever ingredients you want to eat. It’s fantastic! Ah, if that’s the case, should I prepare more hot pot ingredients too? It’s been so long since I’ve had tripe, yellow throat, or pork brain. Should I...?

Gradually, Jing Shu’s mind began to wander. Before the apocalypse, she had bought hundreds of pounds of spices wholesale. However, between her constant braising as a webcaster and preparing several cubic meters of food after the apocalypse began, she had used up a large quantity of them. As a result, some commonly used spices were almost gone. Fortunately, she had later bought thousands of pounds of vinegar and salt for pickling food; otherwise, she wouldn’t have enough now.

"Jing Shu? Jing Shu? What are you thinking about so intently?" Jin Tianci laughed heartily. He was clearly pleased with their recent conversation and even patted Qian Duoduo on the shoulder.

"There’s no time like the present! Let’s do it today. The old city district just received 50,000 people from Lin City, and we’re struggling to find places for them. I haven’t even eaten today, yet I still need to allocate grain and distribute supplies for them. Mr. Qian, you’re saving Wu City a lot of resources!"

Jing Shu was surprised. Jin Tianci seemed almost frantic in his eagerness to proceed.

Qian Duoduo gave a bitter smile and shook his head, an expression Jing Shu had anticipated. "Then I’ll go back and make the arrangements immediately."

"Go on, go on. These people are all yours now. You can do whatever you want with them, even act like a local emperor. I have only one condition: ensure these people survive until the disaster ends or your Stone Garden can no longer operate," Jin Tianci said seriously.

Qian Duoduo waved his hand and stood up. After a moment, as if reluctant to leave something behind, he drank all the remaining milk tea and tea before preparing to depart.

"Oh, Jing Shu, please stay. I have something to discuss with you," Jin Tianci said. Then he called out to Qian Duoduo’s retreating figure, "Oh, and Mr. Qian, those people haven’t eaten yet. Remember to prepare food for them first. Starving people can be terrifying."

Qian Duoduo waved again and made a somewhat awkward escape. A cold wind swept in as the door slammed shut. Jin Tianci smiled and shook his head, then turned his gaze to Jing Shu. Thıs content belongs to 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩

"Now then," Jin Tianci began, "let’s talk about those Seeds. They were all stored in the warehouses this morning, and the personnel have been temporarily settled."