Su Lanzhi frowned.
Jing Shu felt a headache coming on. Even though she had added doors to the kitchen and other areas of the villa, and the dining hall had been remodeled into a completely separate main hall right at the entrance so no other areas were visible, what about the chickens, ducks, pigs, rabbits, and cows in the courtyard?
Not to mention the fish pond and the pool of water.
For outsiders, seeing all this—even if her eldest aunt's elder brother seemed like a proper man—money and supplies could easily tempt people. It was never wise to test human nature. She could not let anyone start eyeing their resources.
"For heaven's sake, why are the cows mooing so loudly every day. Aren't you afraid the neighbors will hear? They really should be slaughtered for meat"
"Ugh, these fish are so annoying, jumping out and splashing water everywhere. One of these days when we're out of water, I'll just drain the pond and use it."
Su Lanzhi had been thinking of a polite way to refuse their visit without hurting feelings. But after hearing Jing Shu's loud complaints, she shivered. The villa held too many secrets. Her her sister-in-law's husband worked for the government. A meal was nothing, but if the villa's secrets were exposed, the consequences would be serious. No, she needed to talk to her brother and tell him to keep his wife in check.
"Give me the phone. I'll talk to her."
Jing An handed her the phone. "Lanzhi…"
"Sister-in-law, we just do not have enough space for more guests today. Please let your brother know. We will definitely visit and apologize another day."
There was silence on the other end for a long time before her sister-in-law finally mumbled an awkward "okay." Su Lanzhi hung up, exhaled deeply, and felt an unexpected surge of satisfaction.
Jing Shu gave her a thumbs-up. Finally, her mother was not being softhearted like in their previous life, when she felt guilty for refusing family and let herself be taken advantage of. It seemed her mother was improving this time around, but Jing Shu planned to push her even further.
Her rule was simple: If you respect me one step, I'll respect you ten. But if you try to take advantage of me, I'll make you pay dearly. Of course, her eldest aunt might not have meant harm this time; she had brought gifts to show sincerity after all.
From the outside, the villa was just a pitch-black shadow, nothing special. But stepping inside, even without lights on, the entire family was stunned by what they saw.
"Wow, it's so cool in here! And there's a refreshing smell of floral mosquito repellent," Su Long sighed. The courtyard was so much cooler than outside, like stepping from a steaming cauldron into an air-conditioned room.
"What is this place? Why do I hear cows mooing?"
"Look, cucumbers! Oh my god, they are cucumbers! Dad, Dad, I really want to eat one!"
"Huh, why is that area covered with fabric? What's underneath?"
Like Grandma Liu touring the Grand View Garden, Su Long wandered around wide-eyed. Suddenly, a pair of glowing green eyes flashed at him. A massive creature rushed forward, flapping its wings, and started pecking him all over.
Su Long screamed and burst into tears, crying as he ran behind his mother. What kind of place was this villa?
"Xiao Dou, back!" Jing Shu shouted from afar. Xiao Dou the chicken turned with a haughty strut, tail feathers bobbing proudly, and returned to its coop. Jing Shu explained, "That chicken eats bugs on sight. Su Long probably had some on him. It's good to get rid of them."
"You naughty boy, running around like that!" Her eldest aunt inspected him and sighed in relief when she saw he was fine, though her heart still pounded. What kind of monster was that? A chicken? Could a chicken even get that big?
At last, the family stepped into the brightly lit villa.
There was a foyer for changing shoes, then the remodeled dining hall. A round table stood ready, covered in dishes. Su Long, freshly dried of tears, started drooling again.
"There's electricity and air conditioning too. This temperature is perfect," her eldest aunt murmured. A pang of shame swept over her. The floors here were cleaner than their clothes. If they took off their shoes, their black, grimy feet would probably be dirtier than the soles.
"Wash up and let's eat," Su Lanzhi called. They all washed their hands in a basin. The water turned black after the first round, but their hands were still far from clean. Then they sat at the table, which was just big enough for everyone.
Su Lanzhi introduced everyone, "These are Jing Shu's grandparents. This is Jing Shu's third aunt. Jing Shu's cousin is away working on a research project."
Her eldest aunt took out a gift box of zongzi.
"I should have thought it through better. My brother had work and couldn't come, but he sent these zongzi for everyone. These are real meat zongzi from when the government seized freezer stock after the Earth's Dark Days began." At least she hadn't come empty-handed.
Under the bright lights, her fingers looked rough and dirty, the nail beds stained black with grime that would not wash away.
Su Lanzhi accepted the gift with both hands and thanked her, promising to visit another day. "We made zongzi today too. Let's eat ours first."
The contrast between their hands was stark. Su Lanzhi's were pale and soft. She wore no makeup, yet she looked prettier than ever. In comparison, her eldest aunt looked years older. Before the apocalypse, her family had lived better than Su Lanzhi's, who was crammed in an 80-square-meter apartment. But now everything had changed.
When no one else could afford air conditioning or lights, they had them. When there was no natural gas, they cooked a full feast. When water was scarce, their floors were spotless and their hands clean.
"Jing Shu's family is really thriving," Aunt Wang Fang thought, sneaking glances. They were living even better than her brother's family. She had heard it was all thanks to Jing Shu's frogs and pigs that she traded for supplies, and that she had saved plenty of food from her days as a food livestreamer before the Earth's Dark Days.
"All the vegetables are homegrown. Eat without worry!" Jing Shu said. She had cooked today, mostly reheating dishes from her Cube Space.
"Jing Shu is so capable now. And she cooks so well. If only she were my daughter," Aunt Wang Fang gushed nonstop.
They all raised glasses of milk to start the meal. The dishes were simple but plentiful, each one flavorful. The main course was homemade zongzi wrapped in lotus leaves, fragrant and varied in flavor.
The more Aunt Wang Fang ate, the more ashamed she felt. The twelve zongzi she brought as a gift were not even enough to fill Jing Shu's stomach. Jing Shu herself ate more than twenty big ones. Raising a family like this was beyond her means.
At first, her side of the family tried to eat with restraint. But Jing Shu's speed was shocking. The food disappeared almost instantly, so Wang Fang dropped all pretense and dug in. The meal was lively and satisfying, and Su Long finally drank his fill of milk.
After dinner, Aunt Wang Fang wanted to see more of the villa, but every hallway was lined with closed doors, and she could not see a thing. By the time they left, she still had not gotten another glimpse, which became one of her biggest regrets.