Wu City was not like the magic city or Guangdong where every inch of land was worth gold. If you had real money, buying a few mountains was not a problem at all. No wonder it was called Xishan Villa. It turned out all the mountains west of Wu City's western side belonged to Qian Duoduo.
The villa sat halfway up the mountain like a castle. From afar, Jing Shu felt stunned. She could not help thinking of that ridiculous talk during the Zhetian robbery about hitting Qian Duoduo. They probably could not even find Qian Duoduo's home, which was why they later switched to the oil base.
"Thirteen calling, where is the young master? Over."
"Eleven here. The young master is in the haunted house. Over."
So Jing Shu was led to the haunted house. It was really just a set of props, though everything was as lavish as before the apocalypse.
According to the driver, when there had still been sunlight, routine expenses for water, electricity, labor, and so on ran about 300,000 RMB. If they held a banquet or opened any amusement projects, that was an extra charge. After the apocalypse, they had trimmed the budget a bit.
"Criminal. It is you."
The sudden shout made Jing Shu jump. The figure sitting with his back to the table whirled around and pointed at Jing Shu, roared.
Jing Shu: "???"
"Reasoning has no real hierarchy and no winners or losers. Because… the truth is always only one." The fourteen or fifteen year old boy was completely absorbed in his own world.
Jing Shu suddenly realized this must be the landlord's foolish son. Compared to that baby-faced chubby type, he looked far more delicate and refined. He did not much resemble his father. He stood about 1.6 meters tall, the same height as Jing Shu.
Still, this bear cub looked like he deserved a spanking.
"Why aren't you clapping?" Without the expected praise, the landlord's foolish son pouted.
When dealing with a child whose brain might not be screwed on straight, patience was essential.
Clap clap clap.
Jing Shu applauded hard and offered a compliment. "Bravo."
Only then did the landlord's foolish son crack a smile. "See, foolish children are easy to coax. Yeah, right."
Oh, and thanks to the driver, Jing Shu learned his name was Qian Shengqian, and he had an older sister named Qian Qianjin.
"Does she weigh a thousand jin (about 500 kg)?" Jing Shu asked in mock surprise.
The driver wore an indescribable expression. Jing Shu understood. The whole family's names were something else.
"Where are your tools for eating?"
Jing Shu set the cooler on the dining table. "The ice cream is inside."
Qian Shengqian pressed a bell. A group of people in costume entered, each carrying a plated dish.
Emmm. Jing Shu had a line she was not sure she should say. By "tools for eating," did he not mean the life-saving ice cream? So they were actually having a meal?
Qian Shengqian pulled a pair of chopsticks, apparently ivory, and a small bowl from his pocket. "No personal utensils, no meal. Guests must bring their own bowls and chopsticks. House rules. My dad said to thank you for making such delicious ice cream, but I still have to follow the rules."
Qian Shengqian looked a little pleased with himself.
Played.
Wasn't the landlord's son supposed to be foolish? Maybe Jing Shu's definition of "foolish" was off.
Fortunately, Jing Shu's Cube Space had everything.
Jing Shu smiled, opened the cooler, and pulled out her own chopsticks and bowl. "Good thing I brought them."
Qian Shengqian burst out laughing. "Those dishes are fake." He flipped one of the lifelike plates over and shook it hard. It was a prop.
Jing Shu: "Heh." I will not stoop to argue with someone this dim. Calm. Stay calm.
But it was getting hard. Why did this brat love pranks so much?
Qian Shengqian clapped smartly. "Change the set." Then with a click he hit a switch. "Now we start the Tom and Jerry scene. You are Jerry the mouse. I am Tom the cat. I am going to catch you. In a minute you let me catch you, then %@#?!"
Jing Shu's expression turned strange. "You sure?"
…
Forgive Jing Shu. Playing the mouse, Jing Shu accidentally gave the cat, Qian Shengqian, a few thorough beatings. Jing Shu even let herself be caught, then flipped him and pinned him to the floor for a pounding.
Qian Shengqian cried until tears streamed. "That is not the plot we agreed on."
Jing Shu exhaled in satisfaction. "On TV, whenever the mouse gets caught, doesn't the mouse beat the cat up?"
Qian Shengqian hiccuped mid-sob. "I think so."
"Miss Jing, so sorry." A burly man with a nasal, ducklike voice burst into the haunted house and explained the situation. "Mr. Qian originally invited you for dinner, but the young master somehow found out and intercepted you. Mr. Qian searched all over before learning you were here. The young master did not make you do anything strange, did he? Oh my little ancestor, why are you crying?"
They were in the middle of playacting when the brute arrived and laid it out.
Jing Shu suddenly felt like she had entered a mental hospital where the director ordered her to do bizarre tasks, only for the real director to rush out and say, actually, the person who received you just now has mental issues.
Jing Shu kept a straight face. "The young master is performing a crying scene. Is he not doing well? Shouldn't you clap?"
The burly man blinked, then applauded at once. "Young master, that was very realistic."
Qian Shengqian beamed.
Jing Shu covered her face on the side. No wonder she had been summoned for no reason and told to act for no reason. The landlord's foolish son was not just foolish. The wiring upstairs was also a bit off.
As it turned out, Jing Shu had indeed been meant to dine directly with Mr. Qian. But the schedule got delayed, something urgent came up, and the meal was canceled. At least Qian Shengqian was very satisfied with the spicy-strip ice cream. To apologize, Qian Duoduo added extra diesel and promised to host Jing Shu properly next time.
"Next time we switch. You play the cat, I will be the mouse."
That was what Qian Shengqian said at parting.
Jing Shu smiled with crescent eyes. If there was a next time, Jing Shu would make it unforgettable for Qian Shengqian.
For now, Qian Shengqian did not need more ice cream, and Jing Shu did not need more diesel.
Jing Shu's own ice cream stash would be enough for this lifetime. When the days turned bitterly cold, Jing Shu would not be eating it anyway. The milk stored at home should be turned into milk powder and milk tablets.
During this stretch, Jing Shu became a diligent little bee. In the last two scorchingly hot months of the decade-long apocalypse, Jing Shu dried every vegetable, fruit, and food that could be sun-dried, to prepare for migration and daily use later.
For example, Su Lanzhi's favorite little white apricots were picked in one batch to eat and another to dry. The yard had apple chips, and the greenhouse had strawberry chips and raisins and more.
Coconuts had been growing for half a year, maturing every five days with astonishing yields. Besides drinking them constantly, Jing Shu processed the remaining coconuts into a total of three cubic meters of coconut milk and pulp. Then Jing Shu felled six coconut trees, planted six cubic meters' worth of assorted fruit, and went into a frenzy of making dried fruit.
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钱多多 (Qián Duōduō). 钱 is the surname Qian (money), and 多多 means "lots and lots," so the name implies "Lots-of-Money Qian."
钱生钱 (Qián Shēngqián): 生钱 (shēngqián) means "to generate money" or "money makes money."
钱千金 (Qián Qiānjīn): 千金 (qiānjīn) literally means "a thousand pieces of gold." It's a classical term for a large amount of money, but it is also a very common and elegant way to refer to a daughter or young lady (e.g., 千金小姐 - "a young lady of a good family").