"The government has issued a statement: any supermarket or business found inflating prices, citizens hoarding goods, or spreading panic will have their political rights revoked and materials confiscated upon discovery or report.
The government will distribute relief supplies. From December 15 to December 31, citizens with no criminal record can present their ID and face recognition at community centers or major supermarkets to receive one pre-packaged set of supplies per day. Each set includes 2 jin (1 kilogram) of corn and 2 jin (1 kilogram) of rice or flour. Only the individual may collect; proxy collection, fraud, or violations will result in disqualification and record of offense.
Kang Shifu will also distribute instant noodles for the Earth's Dark Days. From December 15 until the end of the Dark Days, under the same conditions, each person can receive one randomly flavored pack per day. Starting at 10:00 a.m. daily, 2 million free packs will be distributed at major supermarkets via face recognition. During The Earth's Dark Days, each person may collect up to three packs."
The day had come, just like in the previous life, though this time she could not compare the news to a typhoon like Mangkhut.
Back then, everyone thought it was a disaster similar to Mangkhut. After over a month, life returned to normal: school for students, work for adults. In her previous life, Jing Shu had not even had time to collect the government relief supplies and regretted it bitterly. If given a chance, she would not miss it again.
At the supermarket, daily lines consisted mostly of retired seniors or housewives with children collecting double rations, along with some freelancers and unemployed individuals.
For a set of supplies worth just over ten yuan, most men were too lazy to queue and simply bought a few bags of rice or flour to take home. But diligent women could not resist free items.
The government issued four jin (2 kilograms) of grain per person each day for seventeen days, equivalent to two months' worth of food for one person. This ensured everyone had grain while limiting individual purchase amounts.
Similar to withdrawing cash at a bank, each person was restricted to spending no more than 500 yuan per day on grains at supermarkets or food stores. The policy encouraged multiple small purchases, forbade hoarding or resale that could incite panic, and aimed to stabilize prices. Snacks and other meats were not included.
"Let's go collect some rice at the supermarket." Grandma Jing grabbed Grandpa Jing, and Jing Shu, along with Jing An, went together. Jing Shu felt a little excited; in this life, she would finally get the rice and make up for the regrets of her previous life.
They drove seven kilometers to Aijia Supermarket, where patrol cars were stationed. Security blocked the entrance. Every entrant had to pass security, face recognition, and ID verification. Knives, lighters, and other dangerous items were held at the security gate until leaving.
Jing Shu gave a silent thumbs-up. This left no room for troublemakers.
Though there were many people, the process moved quickly. On one side, ten cashiers worked continuously. On the other, pre-packed food filled the warehouse, with staff using megaphones to announce rules: no resale, proxy collection, or fraud.
Five automated collection points operated like train ticket kiosks. After scanning an ID and performing face recognition, the neatly packed rice and corn would pop out. Staff assisted the elderly, and in five minutes, it was Jing Shu's family's turn.
"It's getting more high-tech," Grandpa Jing said curiously as he scanned his ID. The rice and corn emerged from the outlet, with collection time recorded.
At that moment, a machine nearby sounded an alarm.
Two staff members rushed over to check a man's ID information.
"Sorry, sorry, I took the wrong ID! This is mine."
"You'll have to explain that to the police."
He was taken away without further discussion. The previously noisy atmosphere fell quiet. Whispers spread, and the megaphone now emphasized: "Any fraud, proxy collection, or resale will result in disqualification. Disabled or seriously ill individuals will be served personally."
The minor incident passed quickly. Within five minutes, the supermarket returned to its usual bustle. Most people buying grain also stocked a few other items. Short-shelf-life items were not hoarded. Instant noodles were popular but supplies were sufficient. Shelves remained mostly stocked, with high-demand items replenished continuously.
The crowd was slightly larger than a normal weekend. Not like five or six months later, when people queued from 5 a.m., waiting days with food and lodging at the supermarket.
Jing Shu would never forget that scene. Daytime temperatures exceeded 40°C, dropping to a few degrees at night. She and her father took turns staying at the supermarket entrance to queue. Prices had already soared, and only meager old stock was available inside.
Most households had stored grains, but after six months of the Earth's Dark Days, with all Kang Shifu and similar food production halted, no one complained about having too much grain.
The heat and drought caused many to suffer from heatstroke, including Su Lanzhi. Medicine and hospital beds were extremely hard to come by.
Seeing the supermarket too crowded and the wait long, Jing Shu and her grandparents returned home. Unfortunately, they arrived too late; the free Kang Shifu instant noodles had been claimed nationwide in under thirty seconds.
Social media buzzed that morning, alerting people to prepare for the Earth's Dark Days and compete for free instant noodles. By the time Jing Shu traveled so far with her grandparents and her father, there were none left.
Back at the villa, the family focused on the day's main task: the sheep.
Southern-style hotpot lamb and Northern-style roasted lamb were both delicious. After butchering, they stored the whole sheep in the freezer, ready for sliced lamb or meat buns. In cold weather, they could make lamb and carrot soup.
Other offal was cleaned, cooked into soup, and frozen. Jing Shu secretly kept some hot portions in her Cube Space for late-night snacks. She now ate four meals a day to feel full.
She prepared lamb trotters as spicy lamb trotters, kept intestines for rice sausages or noodles. Two lamb legs were marinated and roasted in the heated kang stove as rack of lamb, golden and juicy on the outside, tender inside. She sprinkled chili powder and cumin on them, and served flatbreads with sesame around them. In Wu City, this was called nang-keng meat.
Remaining meat was air-dried. Sales were moderate, though many fans preferred roasted nang-keng meat.
The Earth's Dark Days were approaching. Jing Shu planned to stop livestreaming. Before the apocalypse, she had enough food, and the livestream mainly justified preparing semi-finished or cooked foods for easier consumption during the disaster.
She had now stored large quantities of cooked food and earned considerable money from livestreams. She intended to use it for a final spree of essential goods purchases.
As for borrowed money, Jing Shu would not repay it yet. Money would lose value in a few months, and repayment before the apocalypse was pointless. After the disaster, she could use it to buy rare materials. She considered the borrowed money a way to pre-stock supplies for herself.
These debts would be repaid with food or supplies during the apocalypse. Relatives willing to help before the disaster would not be disappointed afterward.
The next morning, Grandpa Jing proudly led a beef cow outside, asking the livestream audience if they had ever seen a muscular cow. He patted the cow's legs and said with satisfaction, "This shank meat will be delicious."
At that time, cows were not valuable for show. Some people flaunted hundreds or thousands of pigs, or warehouses of food and supplies. Before the apocalypse, this was normal. No one thought the end was coming.
Jing Shu shook her head and prepared to disappear after finishing her tasks.
Her dairy cow remained at the villa for milk. It had given birth to one male and one female calf, kept in her Cube Space for breeding. The remaining bull was destined for slaughter to provide meat.