The car's air conditioning was blasting on the coldest setting, yet the temperature inside was still thirty degrees. Jing Shu's sweat poured down her back, and of course, she was parched.
She had had enough of sipping water drop by drop in her previous life. In this life, she had earned her supplies through her own ability, so why should she ration her water? She used to drink juice every day. Jing Shu thought this to herself but said nothing aloud.
Su Long licked his cracked lips and stared enviously at Jing Shu. His aunt was actually letting her drink like that without scolding her.
"Our water is all provided by Jing Shu. She can drink as much as she wants," Su Lanzhi said as she scrolled through the management group chat, reviewing updates from the Planting Industry R&D Management Department. They had reduced water allocations. Even the irrigation for crops was insufficient now, and the vegetables looked wilted, but there was nothing to be done.
"The other districts are using contaminated water to grow those moldy mushrooms. It smells like an open sewer," Su Lanzhi said, shaking her head. Who knew if eating mushrooms grown in that water would cause problems?
Auntie gave an awkward laugh. "I was just worried you might be running low on water. I forgot Jing Shu is technically employed by the management department. She's got so many frogs and pigs, and I heard from my brother she traded for a lot of water. Guess you're not lacking at all. Su Long really loves frogs, though. Too bad he's never had one."
Uncle tugged Auntie's sleeve, but she slapped his hand away. "What? Did I say something wrong? Jing Shu has skills. We should look up to her."
"Uncle, do you have a lot of bugs at home?" Jing Shu asked. Auntie was practically fishing for her to give them a frog.
"Yeah, there are plenty, but we don't have the water to raise frogs," Uncle said quickly. "Ignore her. We don't need frogs."
Although Su Lanzhi disliked Auntie's attitude, she felt sorry for Uncle. "Big Brother, a frog only needs a mouthful of water a day. I'll have Jing An send some to you later. Better that than letting carrion scavengers ruin your food stores."
"Great! Su Long, hurry and thank your aunt," Auntie said excitedly.
"Thank you, Auntie." Su Long's eyes drifted toward the trunk. "Mom, I want a marinated egg too."
"You brat. Those are gifts from your grand-uncle. You can't eat them."
…
Even though Auntie scolded Su Long, he still ended up eating a marinated egg, then another, until he had devoured four in a row. He ate too quickly to savor the flavor, only registering that they were unbelievably good.
Of course, it wasn't because his grand-uncle was generous.
In her previous life, Jing Shu had never met her second grand-uncle, nor heard news about him. She only knew that he and her grandfather had been sent to the countryside as educated youth, but Second Grand-uncle used his connections to return to the city and advance his career, while her grandfather stayed in Wu City. After her grandfather's death, the families never kept in touch.
Su Meimei's family also lived in a civil service community, but it was far less prestigious than the community of Minister Niu. It was the lowest tier of civil servant housing, with no extra power supply, though at least police still patrolled the area.
After parking, Uncle carried a half-kilo of pork, while Jing Shu brought the sealed marinated eggs she had made last year and some pickled vegetables as they went upstairs.
Opening the door was Auntie's daughter, Zhang Hanhan, who looked surprisingly well. "Uncle, pork is so hard to get now. How come you didn't bring us more?"
Auntie rolled her eyes. "One kitchen knife only gets you a small piece of meat. You're lucky you got this much, silly girl. Most of the pig was traded away, and we only kept a little."
Zhang Hanhan's gaze fell on the marinated eggs, and her eyes lit up. "Those are rare! Let me eat a few."
"They're not for you. They're for Second Grand-uncle," Jing Shu said, pulling the container back.
"Grandpa, Uncle and Auntie are here, and they brought food. They won't let me eat it because it's for you!" Zhang Hanhan shouted toward the back, glaring at Jing Shu and making the atmosphere awkward.
Uncle corrected her, "That's your Second Grand-uncle. You can't call him that."
"Second Grand-uncle, Grandpa, it's all the same. If they brought food, we should all eat it." An elderly man stepped out from the dimly lit room.
It was Jing Shu's first time meeting him. His jet-black hair was neatly combed behind his ears. He looked under sixty and wore a clean Zhongshan suit, exuding refinement.
The three-bedroom apartment wasn't cramped, even with the entire family inside. But the heat made everyone dress lightly. In the dim light, Jing Shu noticed a balcony lined with potted plants—garlic shoots and mushrooms—and even a frog. Another room had stacks of bottled water piled high.
Su Meimei emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of something blackened. "Have some dried radish."
Su Long grabbed a piece and tried to bite it. It was as hard as a rock and reeked of something unpleasant.
Auntie discreetly spat hers out. "Cough, cough. What a hot and tiring trip."
Su Meimei pretended not to hear. Auntie grew irritated. "Meimei, even if you don't have tea, at least give us some water."
"Oh, Sister-in-law, I'm so sorry. Water is scarce lately. We don't have a drop left. I could go to the supermarket and trade for some, but it'll take hours in line," Su Meimei said.
"Forget it. They had come to see the old man. They would leave quickly. That piece of pork might as well have been fed to a dog."
Jing Shu sneered silently in the dim room.
The conversation naturally shifted to Second Grand-uncle. He was a lively talker, and in no time, he was praising Su Meimei, saying the family should be close and united.
"Not to criticize you, Eldest, but you handled this very poorly," the old man said to Uncle. "Meimei went through that ordeal with Zhang Zhongyong, and you weren't there to support her. And you, Lanzhi, you're Meimei's older sister. How could you kick her when she was down?
You lost your parents early, Meimei's had it hard. No help at her wedding, no family backing after marriage. That's why Zhang Zhongyong found a mistress. I've already scolded him harshly, and he promised to change. I even pulled strings to get him promoted.
Lanzhi, Meimei may have made mistakes, but as her sister, you should let things go. I heard about that car incident. In the end, you came out ahead, didn't you? You sold the car for over a hundred thousand yuan, but Meimei lost more than a hundred thousand. If anyone should be upset, it's Meimei, not you. Yet you profited and still act aggrieved?
Lanzhi, I hear you're working at the Planting Industry R&D Management Department. That's a cushy place. I know Minister Niu personally, and his boss is an old classmate of mine. I also heard you got a few pigs and shared them with family, even traded for more. Why didn't Meimei get one? Playing favorites like this makes you look petty."