Jing Shu frowned. "That's just your personal opinion. I really do need PVC plastic, otherwise why would I need to change it with water?" She vaguely recalled that Nima Sang liked Yao Zixin. Perhaps she was panicking and thought Jing Shu was also interested in Yao Zixin.
[Nima Sang]: "Maybe you're trading that free 300ml of water for some plastic just to catch the school hunk's attention. Oh, come on, stop pretending. I can see right through your little tricks. They're just a bit cheap, that's all."
Meanwhile, Yao Zixin, who had been silent, added Jing Shu.
[Yao Zixin]: "Jing Shu, what kind of PVC plastic do you need? How much? And what water are you offering in exchange?"
Jing Shu watched as Nima Sang's words became more outrageous. She had originally wanted to save her some dignity, but now she decided otherwise.
"@Nima Sang, you like Yao Zixin, right? Aren't you worried that Xie Zihao, the one who shared that couple's bath with you back in high school, might get jealous?"
That piece of gossip had only come out later, but Jing Shu didn't mind revealing it early to make a splash. As someone reborn, her methods were far more sophisticated. She didn't even consider playing at the same level as people like Nima Sang.
[He Shouwu]: "Whoa, is that for real?"
[Nima Sang]: "That's bullshit!! You're just a cornered dog frantically trying to drag me down with baseless accusations!"
Jing Shu laughed. "You insisted on getting a private mixed-gender bath at the bathhouse back then. Xie Zihao paid 200 yuan to get you in. I happened to be next door, and your moaning was especially loud. It was even secretly recorded. Did you forget that?"
Jing Shu's words hit the group chat like a bomb, exploding with reactions.
"This is explosive news. Xie Zihao is so ugly, with all those pimples, yet she was with him."
"He may be ugly, but he's rich."
"I never thought NiMa would be that kind of person."
"I want to see the video. High school sweetheart porn, anyone?"
[Nima Sang]: "Enough! I have nothing to do with that ugly bastard anymore. The apocalypse has already come. Let's focus on surviving. And Jing Shu, I advise you to be kind."
See? If you try to talk about feelings with someone like her, she'll lecture you about ideals. Bring up ideals, and she'll philosophize about life. She always twists it to make herself look right.
At this point, Xie Zihao stepped in: "A moonlit night at the Twenty-Four Bridges, where is the jade beauty who taught me to play the flute? Nima, those are your words. It hurts to think about it. You didn't dislike me when we were in that couple's bath, playing the flute."
If Jing Shu's words had been questionable before, the fact that one of the parties involved was now speaking out made it undeniable.
"666."
"Respect. Completely shattered the image of pure Nima in my mind."
[Su Mali]: "What's the connection between flute playing and a couple's bath?"
Everyone: "..."
[He Shouwu]: "Come, let me explain the connection to you."
…
The chat, which had started out about trading goods, had now completely derailed into gossip about Nima Sang. People were chatting excitedly. Zhang Lingling also took the chance to re-count the class members: 56 in total, but only a little over half were still active in WeChat or updating their steps. The rest were unaccounted for. Some of their WeChat moments were forever frozen on a certain day.
On her end, Jing Shu had successfully gotten in touch with Yao Zixin. Fortunately, Yao Zixin's family's workshop was quite professional and could fulfill her request. She wanted an integrated PVC plastic ceiling, high in the middle and low at the sides, so rainwater could naturally flow down.
To prevent red nematodes from clinging to the ceiling, Jing Shu also asked for PVC wipers to be installed. She would have Grandpa Jing set up a manual wiper system similar to pulling down roller blinds, so that any pests could be scraped away.
Rainwater collection tanks were also necessary. Jing Shu requested four, one at each corner, plus one for the RV garage. Speaking of which, the garage had been built for so long already. Why had there been no word from Wang Dazhao and Yang Yang in the US?
She had tried calling them several times, but all she got was "out of service." Now that roaming services were gone, international calls were out of the question. But surely they could find Wi-Fi and send a message to confirm they were safe, right? Jing Shu decided to wait another month. If there was still no news, she would go ask Minister Niu.
As for the PVC ceiling color, Jing Shu wanted it in black.
At first, Yao Zixin had wondered if Nima Sang was right and Jing Shu was showing interest in him. PVC was versatile, but nobody was asking for it these days. When Jing Shu laid out her detailed request, Yao Zixin swallowed hard. This was a huge order.
"Ahem. Sure, I can do it. But how much water are you offering in exchange?" Yao Zixin worried she might try to shortchange him.
"Do you want mineral water or regular water?"
"Regular water. I can get more that way," Yao Zixin said after some thought.
"Fifty liters, then," Jing Shu said. That amount would keep his family supplied until October. By then, water scarcity should have eased somewhat. For her family, fifty liters was just about what a single cow drank daily. The gap between rich and poor was staggering.
"That's about 300 points worth of water credits. Deal." Yao Zixin calculated quickly. His family had traded most of their supplies for food earlier and now barely had a few dozen points left. Even after collecting firewood day and night, he only earned about ten points' worth. This deal was worth a fortune. Though his family ran a factory, nobody could have predicted water would become so precious.
"I'll give you ten liters as a deposit first. Is that fine?"
"Perfect. Thanks a lot. We'll get it done quickly."
After wrapping up negotiations, Jing Shu saw that Zhang Lingling had successfully brought the chat back on topic. They agreed to prepare tradable items and meet three days later at an abandoned shopping mall in the new city district.
[Zhang Lingling]: "That's settled then. Send me your needs and what you're offering. I'll put everything in the group announcement so everyone can see clearly."
Jing Shu closed the group chat. She had nothing else to request, and she wasn't planning to attend the class gathering. Dressing too neatly would make her a target, but downplaying her strength wasn't realistic either.
Every day, countless people teetered on the edge of life and death. Many died. Citizens were protesting loudly, demanding underground shelters like those in Africa, which were more than ten meters deep. The temperature would be lower underground, less water would be needed, and fewer people would die.
However, Chinese experts predicted the extreme heat wouldn't last long. But the longer it continued, the higher sea levels would rise. When the floods came, they would be devastating, and underground shelters would become watery graves.
African savannas wouldn't flood, which was why they built shelters there.
Under this cursed weather that kept people trapped at home, Jing Shu finished dinner, got in her car, and drove off with several large buckets of water to attend the dreaded class gathering. She swore she really didn't want to go. She swore Su Mali was her nemesis. Otherwise, how could it be that the one person with what she needed was Su Mali?
===
你妈 (Nǐ mā), which literally means "Your mother." However, "你妈" is often used in vulgar insults.
妮玛桑 (Nīmǎ Sāng),
妮玛 (Nīmǎ): The pun on "你妈" (your mother).
桑 (Sāng): The Japanese honorific "-san".