"Thank goodness Jing Shu set up that plastic mega-canopy, and there's a layer of tempered glass beneath it. No way the water will flow into the house."
Just as the family breathed a sigh of relief, Grandma Jing suddenly grew anxious.
"Oh no, Jing Lai went out to work today! There are so many bugs in this rain. What do we do?"
Remembering what happened to Xiao Dou, everyone's faces changed the moment they heard Jing Lai was still at work.
People were terrified of these unknown bugs. They were not like they would be a few weeks later, once they fully understood the red nematode and, since it would become part of the daily menu, could grab a handful any time for a snack.
"Should I go pick her up?" Jing An asked.
Jing Shu quickly stopped her father. "Grandma, did you forget the fully sealed raincoat I prepared for Third Aunt? The scientists said a torrential downpour was coming, so I put a raincoat and an automatic life jacket in Third Aunt's bag. You even asked me how many automatic life jackets we had and said we should suit up the poultry too."
At the mention of the sealed raincoat, everyone remembered.
When Jing Shu first brought that eyesore of a raincoat home, the whole family resisted. Grandma Jing said, "In weather this hot, wearing a non-breathable raincoat will suffocate you."
Jing Shu had only shrugged. "This was all I could get. Everything else was out of stock. We'll have to make do."
Today, when Jing Shu took it out, Grandma Jing had no choice but to give a thumbs up. "My granddaughter is a lucky star. This raincoat is perfect. Even those bugs can't get in. So thoughtful."
With the sealed raincoat, Grandma Jing finally relaxed about Jing Lai.
"Everyone should just stay home. Don't go anywhere in this weather. It's too scary."
Jing Shu handed the raincoat to Jing An. "Dad, we should install a collection bag at the filters to hold these bugs, and clear it regularly. Otherwise they'll clog the purifier."
"You're meticulous as always, girl. I'll get on it."
In the second year, there would be no water shortage, but the pipes would be full of red nematodes and their eggs. If the eggs were not filtered out, they would hatch into red nematodes in no time.
So Jing Shu installed six stages of filtration, fine enough to strain out microorganisms and produce drinking water that met international standards. The downside was the short lifespan of the cartridges, which needed frequent replacement.
Fortunately, Jing Shu had planned ahead and stocked plenty of cartridges.
The system had cost two hundred thousand yuan, and today it finally proved its worth.
In this life, Jing Shu was determined to keep every red nematode outside the villa. Not a single one was allowed in, no matter what. She had suffered enough from red nematodes in her previous life. Emmm.
For Jing Shu's family, this was a minor episode. They had the PVC waterproof canopy. If anything got tangled up, salt could kill the red nematodes. Even Jing Lai, who worked outside, had a sealed raincoat.
The family, still shaken, finished their hot pot mutton and then went about their tasks.
The group chats, however, were exploding. Wu You'ai rubbed her temples while staring at the stream of messages. Jing Shu, beside Wu You'ai, kept tossing out ideas.
Fatty Niu sent a voice message through tears. "What do I do? I can't get these bugs out of my hair. My scalp itches so bad, like tens of thousands of ants are crawling all over it."
Yes, that feeling was right. The eggs had hatched, and the party had begun on her head. They would settle on her scalp, tangle completely with her hair, and slowly grow into a brand-new brood of red nematodes.
[Chou Chou]: "Thankfully I've got short hair, so there aren't too many. But my blanket and clothes are ruined. I only had one set, and now my bedding is full of bugs. They're jumping all over my bed. I'm going crazy."
[Wang Qiqi]: "@Wu You'ai, can you report this up the higher-ups? What are we supposed to do?"
[Wu You'ai]: "They're working on it. Salt can quickly kill soft-bodied bugs."
Wang Cuihua sent a voice message. "But we already traded all our seasonings for work points."
[Wu You'ai]: "Use scissors and cut your hair."
[Fatty Niu]: "We traded the cleaver and the big scissors for work points too. The little scissors can't cut it!"
[Young Madam]: "I've got electric clippers, but we don't have power right now."
[Luo Zhu]: "Going bald will look awful. Is there no other way?"
While everyone argued over solutions, a distress call came in.
[Zhang Bingbing's Husband]: "Help us, please! The three of us are tangled together and can't get free! Zhang Bingbing is about to give birth!"
[Wu You'ai]: "Stay put. I'm on my way right now."
A pregnant woman's needs came first. Even if Zhang Bingbing was out of her mind, they had to take care of her.
Jing Shu and Wu You'ai put on sealed raincoats, grabbed the clippers, and headed to Zhang Bingbing's home.
Their boots squelched on the slick ground, which squeaked underfoot. That meant they were stepping on red nematodes. No need to worry. Red nematodes had silky, flexible bodies. A few stomps would not kill them.
Wu You'ai eyed the raincoat for a long moment, then said to Jing Shu, "Your luck is ridiculous. Heaven favors you."
When they arrived, the three people were twisted together in a bizarre pose, with the heavily pregnant Zhang Bingbing wedged in the middle.
Zhang Bingbing made a rough huffing sound as she grabbed the red nematodes from her head and ate them, laughing with delight.
"Beast," Wu You'ai spat.
None of the three could move. The red nematodes in their hair had bound all three together.
Jing Shu used the clippers to shave Zhang Bingbing's head first, then shaved the other two. Only then was the problem solved.
"Don't throw those hair-tangled red nematodes away. Take them to the supermarket tomorrow and trade them for work points," Wu You'ai told the shameless husbands on the way out. "The policy just came down. They've officially named it the red nematode, and they've started collecting them."
"I got it. When Zhang Bingbing's about to deliver, I'll call you again."
Wu You'ai muttered a quiet curse at the pair. After Zhang Bingbing gave birth, she would call Li Yuetian and have them taken away.
"@Everyone, I've got clippers in the basement. If you need a shave, come down and I'll shave you bald. Also, fresh policy update: it's officially named the red nematode, and the supermarket will accept red nematodes for virtual currency."
[Fatty Niu]: "Oh no. If the government's collecting them, does that mean our future meals will be red nematodes?"
[Luo Zhu]: "The temperature's dropping lately. The maggots aren't as active. We've been relying on stored supplies. I think it's very likely our meals will switch to these red nematodes."
Correct. Very clever.
[Fatty Niu]: "Ugh, these worms are as thin as hair. They don't even look edible. I finally got used to maggots. At least maggots have more meat. I don't know if these red nematodes taste any good. Either way, I hate them."
===
I'm not sure if you'll get what I mean, but for me, the introduction of the red nematode in these chapters was hilarious. Yes, it's supposed to be terrifying—and if I translated it as "bloodworms," the sense of horror would definitely be stronger.
But reading it as red nematode just gives the whole thing a completely different flavor. Instead of pure terror, it almost feels like comedy. I couldn't help but feel delight and laugh every time it showed up (≧▽≦).
Don't you think so?