"You mean you're telling everyone that Lao Sun not only owes me money, but also making me issue a statement saying he doesn't?" Jing An had been irritated these past days over his quarrel with Wang Zhong. He had never done anything to abuse his authority, so he would not admit fault. At worst, he could withdraw his shares and work independently, making up the profits from tempered glass. He didn't know why the short video had gone viral in Sun Yinrui's social circle, and he couldn't understand Lao Sun's motives.
No sooner had he finished speaking than his phone rang.
Sun Yinrui had never connected the debt with the public exposure of his misdeeds. It was obvious someone was organized and deliberate in targeting him. After more than twenty years of knowing Lao Jing, he realized Lao Jing didn't understand these tactics at all.
Most importantly, Sun Yinrui had only ever boasted to his son. Seeing every word appear in social circles proved that this unlucky kid had leaked the information! And the person exposing him was a master—most likely a competitor.
This master only revealed one scandal per day, first stirring public opinion, then arousing outrage, hiring online supporters, and finally dropping irrefutable evidence that would leave Sun Yinrui with no escape. Sun Yinrui had to start by refuting the debt to try and clean his reputation, handling each matter one by one.
Today, Sun Yinrui returned home and brutally whipped his son Sun Zijian with a belt, leaving him bloodied. Still unsatisfied, he realized that this unlucky kid had been bragging to his girlfriend, Xiao Cao, about his father's business acumen. Now Xiao Cao had been bribed by the other side!
"Spend money! Throw it all! Make Xiao Cao testify that she only said that because she was paid! You unlucky kid!"
Sun Zijian wailed. He honestly could not remember if he had told Xiao Cao, but if he did not admit it, he would be beaten to death. Sun Zijian really was innocent.
…
Jing Shu saw the call was from Uncle Sun and immediately answered while starting to record. Then came Uncle Sun's indecent tirade—complaints about taking money and failing to perform duties, claiming he was trying to save face, and warnings to delete posts from social circles or face consequences.
Jing An's face darkened. "I don't understand why you gave me 200,000 yuan and asked me to fabricate that you never owed me money. I'll keep 100,000—that is what you owe me—and return the rest to your Alipay. That's it, Lao Sun. You go your way, I'll go mine."
Beep beep.
Jing An hung up, and 100,000 yuan was returned.
After calming down, Sun Yinrui began to panic. He had lost his rationality in anger, believing Lao Jing to be upright and incorruptible, someone who would not use underhanded methods against him. But the words circulating in social circles clearly did not come from Lao Jing.
Sun Yinrui frantically called Jing An and bombarded him with WeChat apologies, but it was too late. The call had been recorded and posted online, including threats about being shot. That night, it caused a huge public outcry, and by the next day, the Wu City police department social account announced that the case had been officially registered.
Sun Yinrui's first step did not clear his name but instead confirmed the bribery attempt against Jing An with irrefutable evidence.
One scandal per day, with a surprise at the end—let the situation slowly ferment and release its enticing aroma.
This day was the scheduled day for Jing Shu to pick up Grandma Jing and Grandpa Jing from the countryside. Since the plan was made in advance, there were no unexpected issues.
They lived in a town more than 100 kilometers from Wu City. The eldest aunt, Jing Pan, married into a local fruit-farming family. The second aunt, Jing Zhao, married into a city 50 kilometers away and ran a tobacco and alcohol shop.
The third aunt, Jing Lai, had married into Wu City over twenty years ago. She had one daughter five years later and damaged her health in the process, unable to have more children. Her husband's family favored sons and looked down on her and her daughter. Jing Lai, being strong-willed, divorced and moved in with Grandma Jing and Grandpa Jing to care for the elderly couple.
Jing Lai owned a two-bedroom apartment in Wu City, part of her divorce settlement. Her daughter, Wu You'ai, now a graduate student, stayed there on weekends.
So today, Jing Shu not only picked up Grandma Jing and Grandpa Jing but also brought Jing Lai back to her Wu City apartment to care for her daughter for a while.
The drive to the town took an hour and a half. Grandma Jing and Grandpa Jing packed extra items, since they would stay for over a month. Their accustomed belongings had to be taken along.
"Child, take some apples and bananas for the road."
"Your third aunt made some fried twisted dough sticks, just in case you get hungry."
"Here are some fried fish pieces, so you won't starve on the way."
"Drink a little crucian carp soup first. I made it early this morning." Grandma Jing handed over the soup with hands covered in wrinkles and blue veins.
The love of the elderly is often expressed by feeding you constantly.
With elders, there is no need for long-winded concern. One word: do. Whatever they give, eat it. If they say have some more, just nod.
Jing Shu drank a whole pot of crucian carp soup, ate a fish, a plate of fried fish pieces, and five large twisted dough sticks before Grandma Jing's mouth opened. "Stop eating now. Wait until lunch at home, and I'll cook for you!"
"All right." Jing Shu smiled widely, feeling immense joy. After ten years, seeing her grandparents again felt wonderful. Her eyes glistened, and she said, "You guys settle in, I'll go for a walk," before running off.
After collecting herself, Jing Shu drove several kilometers to a beekeeping farm. The beekeeper was very professional and asked Jing Shu numerous questions: types of nectar sources, area, pollen sources, etc. Jing Shu didn't know much.
Finally, following the beekeeper's advice, Jing Shu chose Italian bees, known for the highest honey production and royal jelly secretion. They required long nectar flow periods.
She purchased a box of bees and tools: uncapping knife, bee brush, feeding device, foundation, honey extractor, beehive, and frames. Each box contained a queen bee. The beekeeper gave many instructions: place the farm close to nectar plants and not far from water sources.
Jing Shu combined a 1-cubic-meter Cube Space room with six plots of farmland, added water nearby, and a drop of Spirit Spring so the bees would have food and water immediately upon hatching.
The farm needed abundant nectar and pollen, which the Cube Space fields provided every day, year-round.
The hive was located in flat, dry, sunny terrain. The Cube Space satisfied these conditions perfectly. The bees quickly adapted, flying around Jing Shu's fields.
Another major task completed, the post-apocalyptic living conditions improved further. Jing Shu returned to Wu City with Grandma Jing, Grandpa Jing, Jing Lai, and a car full of luggage.
After drinking the diluted Spirit Spring, Jing Shu's appetite clearly doubled, her digestive system strengthened, and her body changed noticeably.
She felt stronger and more alert. Her speed in practicing fifth-level Cube Space exercises improved daily. At this rate, she was confident she could activate the fifth-level Cube Space in a month.
That evening, Grandpa Jing and Jing's Dad argued again. They had not seen each other for a month and missed each other. After some minor consolation, they drank tea together, watched the news, and discussed national affairs.
The problem lay with those national affairs.
===
Since some of the narration is from Jing Shu's POV, I've decided to mix the usage of "Jing's Dad" and "Jing's Mom" with their actual names, like Jing An and Su Lanzhi, depending on the situation.
If a passage is clearly from Jing Shu's perspective, I'll use "Jing's Dad" and "Jing's Mom." That said, please forgive me if I 'accidentally' use Jing An or Su Lanzhi in spots where it's still from Jing Shu's POV. I'm trying to be as consistent as possible, but sometimes it really comes down to perspective. In some cases, maybe my version of Jing An might have been better rendered as "Jing's Dad" in your opinion. It's all about perspective, after all (￣▽￣)ゞ
Who knows—in the end, I might just bulldoze everything and stick with Jing An and Su Lanzhi throughout anyway.