Zhou Dafu never expected that sometimes reality doesn't follow your plan. For instance, you might be plotting a three-birds-with-one-stone strategy, but the stone vanishes, and the birds fall on their own. That's awkward.
When you're exhausted from fleeing disaster, weighed down by gloom, how do you lift your spirits? Eat! Eat something delicious! Drink! Drink something nourishing!
Lunch was sandwiches: slices of bread with crisp lettuce, slathered in rich cheese, layered with thin cuts of ham, and topped with a freshly fried egg laid by Xiao Dou. One bite, and the savory meat and wheat's aroma mingled. Jing Shu closed her eyes in delight, savoring it, unknowingly finishing seven or eight sandwiches.
The smoked ham hung right there in the shelter. Whenever she felt like it, she sliced off a piece. Standing by the ham leg, she carved away, and soon, its plumpness visibly dwindled. A steaming bowl of rich, milky bamboo shoot and old duck soup, simmered all morning, completed the feast. Jing Shu felt like she had reached the pinnacle of life.
The family's gloom from fleeing disaster evaporated. Eating well, drinking well, this almost felt like an outing, not the misery they had imagined.
Jing Shu's uncle's family gained a new perspective too. Poor folk fled disasters; rich folk went on vacation. Not only did her family have plenty of food, but their travel gear was top-notch. It was enviable.
"Stick close to your sister. Your dad and I are busy," her aunt finally said, too embarrassed to freeload. She had plenty to arrange anyway. Later, when she came back, Su Lanzhi said,
"I left sandwiches for you and Big Brother. Eat quickly."
"That's too kind. The three of us can't possibly—"
"Just eat. And remember, when we've got something good, we'll think of my sister first."
"Alright."
After that, her uncle's standing in the family rose. He stood straighter, spoke with more authority, and people actually listened.
After lunch, no one was idle. Jing An went off to move bricks, and Grandpa Jing dug dirt. The two planned to build a kiln with concrete bricks, roast some sweet potatoes, and have some warmth when temperatures dropped at night.
Jing Lai was summoned by Li Yuetian to a meeting. It seemed they'd be organizing a large canteen. With so many people, they needed daily rations. Living off raw red nematodes alone was brutal.
Those things took forever to chew raw. Three meals a day would leave your jaw aching.
Su Lanzhi was busy rallying the Planting Industry R&D Management Department; another batch of vegetables had to be distributed.
Grandma Jing sorted their supplies and planned dinner.
Wu You'ai organized labor crews, promising everyone a hot meal at five o'clock to calm nerves.
Jing Shu, of course, wasn't idle either. She headed back to Cave No. 4. She had her reasons… cough.
The luxury container Zhou Daheng had brought was fully set up, while the workers ate their porridge nearby. Jing Shu counted heads—same number as this morning.
Though not as fancy as a mobile mansion, this container was no worse than a house.
Most importantly, it cost over a million yuan. Its lightweight steel shell was its greatest value: easy to fold and transport, light, stable, earthquake- and wind-resistant.
If she could install this steel on her RV, it'd solve a major flaw. The Conqueror RV's second floor was a liftable terrace. Sure, it offered a luxurious open-air bar, but it was open on the sides. Like a balcony, it leaked wind, snow, and dirt.
She wanted to turn it into a sealed, liftable living room. Adding this steel would make it warmer during their migrations.
She coveted it badly, but Jing Shu wasn't the kind to kill someone for their belongings.
Twenty minutes later, she changed her mind. "Taking stuff off a corpse isn't illegal, right? I didn't kill anyone out of greed. Heaven may forgive fate's cruelty, but no one survives their own sins."
"No, wait. Isn't the saying 'a woman's heart is the most venomous'?"
Even Jing Shu had to marvel at fate's strange coincidences.
Within minutes, she had formed a bond with a stranger, a relationship stronger than friendship or love. In plain terms, a mutually beneficial arrangement.
She hadn't expected anyone here. She assumed Zhou Daheng had relocated, as the container sometimes emitted unmentionable noises, and all workers were away eating. When she climbed in, she found Qin Feifei holding a knife, poised to kill the snake in a cage. But she hesitated; the snake was large, flicking its tongue, radiating danger.
Qin Feifei turned, equally shocked. Both women froze. She had seized this rare chance while everyone was distracted.
"You… came to steal the snake?" Qin Feifei asked, seeing Jing Shu staring at it.
Jing Shu had only come to scout the place but stumbled upon this. Did Zhou Daheng have more than one woman? Was there someone else inside? "You're going to kill it?" Jing Shu asked, reading her stance.
"If you want snake meat, wait until I kill it. Just please don't tell anyone." Qin Feifei gritted her teeth. Time was short, and she had to act.
"Why kill the snake? If you hate the man, kill him instead," Jing Shu said, suspicion blooming.
Qin Feifei's tears flowed as she choked out her story: Zhou Daheng's threats, her misery, the horrors he inflicted daily. She explained he'd raised two snakes to brew aphrodisiac snake wine to fuel his lust, tormenting her endlessly. Killing the snake was her way to stop him.
She begged Jing Shu to take the meat and leave. She couldn't kill Zhou Daheng herself. This was a law-abiding society; killing him would only ruin her. But killing the snake would ruin his plans and maybe save her life.
"You deserve an Oscar for this performance."
"???" Qin Feifei blinked.
"You're planning to extract the venom and frame someone else for Zhou Daheng's death, aren't you? My arrival forced you to improvise, offering me snake meat so I'd get blamed when his death was investigated."
Jing Shu's grin turned sharp. "But I like your style."