Third Aunt Jing Lai supported Eldest Aunt Jing Pan, who entered the house bruised and swollen. Wu You'ai pulled a suitcase behind her, holding several rotting apples in her arms. Jing An carried the broken cart, hauling in two damaged cardboard boxes.
"Oh dear, what happened? Eldest, are you alright?" Grandma Jing dropped the kitchen knife and rushed over, pulling her dust-covered eldest daughter to sit down. Only after carefully questioning her and confirming she was not seriously injured did Grandma Jing finally relax.
"When we arrived, Eldest Sister was in the stairwell struggling with a few women over the apples. When those women saw reinforcements coming, they grabbed what they could and scattered. They should be tenants from that building, but I did not see clearly what they looked like," Jing An said regretfully.
Jing Lai brushed dirt off her clothes in the stairwell before wiping herself clean with a damp towel inside. She added, "We called the police. They said they would just take a record and settle things later. Now there are too many robberies, and they do not have the manpower to handle cases where no one was injured. They told us to be more careful when we go out."
Jing Shu thought to herself that in the early days of the apocalypse, all police resources were focused on requisitioning supplies. They had no time to deal with petty theft, which was why two or three months later robberies and murders grew increasingly rampant.
Eldest Aunt Jing Pan, though honest and strong from years of farm work, now looked shaken. "If they had not been women, I would have run already. But alone I could not beat them. The apples scattered everywhere, and I only managed to bring back two boxes. Such a waste."
Grandma Jing wiped the dirt off Eldest Aunt Jing Pan with a damp towel. "Rotten apples can be mashed into paste, mixed with flour, and fried into sweet and sour pastries. Delicious, nothing wasted. Next time do not act without a word. Is the countryside still fine?"
"The city is worse than our town. Back home every household has plenty stored in their cellars, grain and vegetables too. Soldiers deliver water every day. The government requisitioned our apples, but we kept half a cellar, enough to eat until next year. Liu is too busy to leave, so I came alone. Mom, why don't you return to the countryside for a while? Here even apples get robbed," Eldest Aunt Jing Pan said.
Grandma Jing explained the situation on this side. "Eat a cooked meal here today. Tomorrow I will have Jing An drive you back, and we will also go home to gather more things and bring them here. Did you deliver apples to Second Sister? Is she doing alright?"
Eldest Aunt Jing Pan hesitated for a few seconds. After Third Aunt Jing Lai gave her a discreet kick, Eldest Aunt Jing Pan finally said, "Yes, I delivered them. Everything is fine."
Jing Shu noticed this reaction. Something was definitely going on. She pulled Wu You'ai aside and asked, "What happened with Second Aunt?"
Wu You'ai, eyes still on her comic book, whispered, "She sold tobacco and liquor at high prices. Got caught. Everything was confiscated, and she was dragged in herself. I heard they also bought a villa in Wu City, and now they are strapped for cash. Who knew house prices in Wu City would crash to the bottom? Second Aunt lost several hundred thousand."
Jing Shu's expression showed sudden understanding. No wonder Second Aunt had been dropping hints about repayment earlier. Luckily Jing Shu had already returned the money in advance, or who knew how they would slander her later.
Still, being caught like that, Jing Shu wondered whether Second Aunt's name had been recorded. If she was blacklisted, it would be disastrous. In her previous life, Jing Shu had been too busy surviving to ever pay attention to Second Aunt's fate.
That night's cooked meal was extravagant. Su Lanzhi worked overtime until six before Jing An picked her up. The promotion results had not yet been announced, but her old leader often took Su Lanzhi to inspect work at the crop cultivation center.
"Mom, this looks promising. That leader probably wants you to oversee that section," Jing Shu guessed. She knew the power here was enormous. Whoever controlled the distribution of crops in the apocalypse essentially held real authority.
Su Lanzhi sighed. "Wu City's thirteen districts are competing. If things grow well, everyone is happy. If not, I will be the scapegoat."
"Do not worry. Our family has already grown excellent crops."
…
The dinner table was filled with spicy crawfish, braised pork knuckle, crispy fried fish fillets, sweet and sour pork, pork rib lotus root soup, dry-fried potatoes, and stir-fried crown daisy. For the main dish, Grandma Jing made pastries fried from flour mixed with apple puree.
Su Lanzhi poured red wine for everyone. The whole family happily enjoyed their celebratory meal. Only Jing Shu was not full. Back in her own villa that night, Jing Shu ate two bowls of seafood congee, a whole vacuum-sealed braised chicken, five tea eggs, and one large watermelon.
The watermelon rind, chicken bones, and eggshells went straight to the pigs, nothing wasted.
Her Cube Space of 125 cubic meters was down to just 2 cubic meters of free space again. The old 64 cubic meters had once felt enough, but now even the fifth-level 125 cubic meters was too small. Jing Shu knew she needed to work harder to level it up. She still planned to stuff more inside.
It had taken Jing Shu two months to master the fifth-level cube. She had now spent another two months practicing the sixth-level cube and had only reached proficiency. Promotion was still a long way off.
So Jing Shu decided to devote an extra hour each day to Cube Space practice, hoping to advance soon.
The twelve plots of farmland inside were incredibly productive. Not only could Jing Shu eat fruit every day, she could also secretly replenish the family's vegetables.
Jing Shu juiced watermelons and oranges, preparing enough to serve as water for the next eleven months. She planted six coconut trees in six plots. Considering the large root system, she decided to start with just six. If later she could fit more fruit crops around them, she would add strawberries or other plants that did not take much space.
She planned to harvest coconuts in a month and make fresh coconut milk blended with the surplus of milk. Not only was it delicious, it would save water during this dry year. Watching the water tank slowly empty still made her anxious, but she did not want to lower her quality of life. Preparing a variety of drinks was a very good solution.
The remaining six plots she planted with corn, planning to make various corn-based foods later.
The next day, Jing An took Grandma Jing, Grandpa Jing, and Third Aunt Jing Lai back to the countryside to gather supplies, and also dropped off Eldest Aunt Jing Pan in town. Wu You'ai stayed at Grandma Jing's new house reading comics, while Jing Shu worked tirelessly at her villa.
With the Spirit Spring, Jing Shu's strength was becoming terrifying. She could easily knock down several grown men. But her appetite had grown too, requiring constant filling. She needed something filling, easy to eat on the go, and not suspicious.
So Jing Shu focused on making Thai-style fried rice. first steamed, then stir-fried, the grains turned golden and crispy. A handful popped into her mouth released a fragrance of rice mixed with flavor, with a taste similar to crunchy scorched rice. It was so addictive, the more she ate, the better it tasted.
Jing Shu used two woks at once. After several days and ten full bags of fragrant rice, she finally produced one cubic meter of fried rice. These would serve as her snacks, enough to last for some time.