Boom!
The giant rocks finally wedged tightly into the deep pit. Following the pit's angle, they locked together into an upside-down V shape, with the gaps filled with cement. Once the mudslide came down from the mountain, it would automatically split to both sides.
This was the most crucial step in preventing the fourth-year mudslide disaster. When the time came, if the mudslide erupted from the mountains without being redirected or slanted, the flow would pile up higher and higher until nothing could stop it.
No matter how large or solid the rocks were, they'd never withstand that amount of force. So Jing Shu's only solution was to guide the flow. By letting the mudslide crash into the V-shaped barrier, the momentum would be split and flow naturally to both sides.
Both sides were lined with angled boulders like fences. The mudslide would rush down those slopes, sweeping along like a stream, bypassing her villa, and eventually pouring into the final destination she'd dug out—the three collapsed buildings that had become a massive black hole.
Speaking of that black hole, Jing Shu had spent 2,000 virtual coins to explore it. The Second Squad often sent five people down there to scavenge for valuable meteorites. So far, they'd only found a bunch of useless stones and junk, all stored on the squad's side. Jing Shu never really expected much anyway. The pit was dangerous and could collapse again at any time.
But at least it was deep enough to swallow endless amounts of mud. That alone solved her biggest problem: what to do with all the redirected sludge.
If the mudslide was nature's excrement, then Jing Shu basically dug another hole for it to... well, do its business in. Kinda weird when you think about it. Ahem.
The rock barriers would take about ten days to finish, and the channels would be dug once the mudslides started, so the flow could rush more smoothly toward the black hole.
After the busiest days finally passed, Jing Shu could breathe again. Her grandparents handled the household matters, her Maternal Eldest Uncle took care of the factory, and for once, she could relax and focus on practicing with the Rubik's Cube Space. It was nice to enjoy a bit of farming life in the apocalypse. Honestly, there were still tons of things she hadn't tried eating yet, and she really wanted to experience them all—end of the world or not.
But trouble always found its way back.
Small or big, something always happened.
For example, Wu You'ai decided to move out for a while. Her Third Aunt Jing Lai was totally against it, but Wu You'ai said she wanted to study the synthetic meat recipe that Jing Shu had brought back from America. After promising over and over that it'd be beneficial, she finally got permission to move to Xingfu Shiyuan, taking leave from her job here and promising to call Aunt Jing once a day.
Then there was the other matter—the Lion Head goose finally laid an egg. Normally that'd be something worth celebrating. But this time, it got... complicated.
Hard to believe, but the goose was having a difficult birth.
Yeah, you heard that right. A goose, having trouble laying an egg.
At first, Da Hua kept making low honking sounds, and both Jing Shu and Grandma Jing ignored it. Grandma Jing even muttered,
"That goose's been here so long and only laid a few damn eggs. What is it, gold or silver nuggets now? Eats more than a pig, look at that fat belly! Waddles like a boss but can't lay more eggs. Eat, go on, eat more! If you laid more eggs, we'd have goslings by now. I was even planning to make braised goose soon."
Despite the nagging, she still fed the two geese extra meals. Jing Shu even mixed in diluted Spirit Spring water.
But soon, Da Hua started running around the courtyard, crying out in distress. That's when Jing Shu and Grandma Jing realized something was wrong. Even Gou Dan, who usually fought with Da Hua all day, didn't dare to mess around. He just flapped along behind her, lost and anxious.
"Let's hope nothing goes wrong. If she dies, that's gonna be a problem. We're still renting her, remember?" Jing Shu frowned. With all the poultry she'd raised using the Spirit Spring, she'd never seen this kind of thing before.
She caught Da Hua, who had gained several kilos since arriving. Although Da Hua and Gou Dan used to be picky eaters, demanding premium feed, after moving here they ate whatever the chickens ate. Maybe it was the Spirit Spring, but they'd stopped being picky and started eating even more.
Da Hua flapped her wings helplessly, still crying. Jing Shu opened her Rubik's Cube Space, calmed her down, and examined her condition. The goose's emotions were a mess—anxious, agitated, restless, and... strained?
Strained?
She wanted to lay an egg but couldn't? Too big?
Jing Shu touched her belly. Good lord, it was swollen with eggs.
"Grandma, Da Hua might be in trouble. She can't lay! Her belly's full of eggs!"
"What? Geese can have trouble laying eggs? I've lived this long and never heard of that!" Grandma Jing looked utterly shocked. Even the hens never had trouble—they just went cluck cluck and popped them right out.
"Well, who knows. Maybe it's her constitution. Geese from the Capital are probably pampered," Grandma Jing muttered, rubbing her chin. "So what now? Want me to give her a little massage?" She started kneading the poor goose's rear.
"It might be because she only laid a few eggs back in the Capital, but here she's been eating Spirit Spring food every day. The eggs probably got too big. Plus, Grandma been feeding her too much, so she's absorbing all that energy too fast. A goose that hasn't laid in a long time suddenly trying to lay several huge eggs... her body can't handle it." Jing Shu squinted at the goose, wondering if she should, well, help stretch it out a little.
"Maybe I should just check online."
She searched the web.
There were tutorials—some said to crush the eggs inside, some said to do internal cleaning.
And others... suggested a C-section. Just cut it open, and afterward, if you feel like it, sew it back up. If not, pluck it and make stew. What kind of nonsense was this?!
"Laxative? That might actually work." Jing Shu's eyes lit up. "Grandma, do we still have any laxative at home?"
Grandma Jing shook her head. "Your grandpa and I used to, but after the apocalypse started, our health just got better. No more constipation."
Jing Shu hadn't used that stuff in years either. These days, with her daily meals, everything... flowed just fine.
After searching the whole house and finding nothing, she pulled out her phone and posted a message in her circle:
["My goose's egg's stuck, she can't lay! Offering a high price for laxative! Send me your location if you've got any!"]
She even messaged Li Yuetian and the others directly, asking if anyone had a bottle to spare.