"Huh?" Jing Shu blinked. "There's no other choice?"
Zhou Bapi nodded. "Only those at vice president level or above can lead the team, and you're the only one who's free right now. You heard it too, I've got to prepare for the possible parasite outbreak. It's pretty much certain that Wu City and the nearby areas will be hit next. If we don't stop the virus before it spreads, things'll get really bad."
Jing Shu shrugged. "Fine, I'll take the lead then." Last time she went to the Capital, she barely stayed long enough to transfer flights. She hadn't even stepped off the plane properly, so she didn't do anything at all. She'd just been thinking about whether she should have a little fun this time, maybe see what the Capital looked like after the apocalypse. That would've been nice, but it looked like she wouldn't have the time anymore.
This trip was all business.
Zhou Bapi gulped down another pot of milk tea. "Lao Jin, I'll head back to the Medicinal Herb Association. Send a few people from the Disease Control and Prevention Center to assist us. If we spot any patients infected with parasites, we'll be ready to handle it."
Jin Tianci waved him off. "Go on already."
"Jing Shu, come on, you're coming back to the Association with me."
"Wait, I still need to meet Li Dayou and the others," she said quickly.
Jin Tianci smiled. "Ah, right, I forgot to tell you. Li Dayou's group is taking the same flight you're on for the competition in the Capital. You'll all be heading there together. If you've got any gifts for them, just bring them along. Saves you the trouble, doesn't it?"
Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. "What a coincidence. Alright then, I'll surprise them when we meet." She hadn't known Li Dayou's team was already there, and she hadn't prepared any gifts yet. Now she could just pack something nice and give it to them on the plane.
That way, no one would feel awkward refusing anything too valuable either.
Jing Shu really didn't stop for a second that day.
The trip back to the Medicinal Herb Association was a mess too, full of delays and chaos. By the time she got home, it was already after midnight. Everyone was asleep, but Grandma Jing had left her a pot of rice in the kitchen. She'd reheated it several times through the night. Anyone else wouldn't have wasted precious fuel like that, but Grandma Jing always spoiled her favorite granddaughter. Eventually, the old lady had fallen asleep waiting.
Jing Shu didn't bother turning on the lights when she got in. She rubbed her hands and blew on them to warm up her frozen fingers and ears. It was freezing outside, but warm in the villa, so after a while her skin started to itch and sting. Her body had this annoying old problem—she got frostbite easily. No matter how careful she was, her skin always flared up red when it got cold.
After a long while, the pain eased. She reheated the leftovers and started eating quickly while thinking about the task Zhou Bapi had given her.
The competition in the Capital was all about showcasing their cultivated herbs. It had two parts: team and individual. As long as the Medicinal Herb Association's records could verify that the herbs were grown by you or your team, you could enter them.
The judges would score based on various factors like quality, data, usefulness, and value to decide the rankings.
But it wasn't as simple as who brought the most expensive herbs. It wasn't like you could just show up with a ginseng and automatically win.
For both the team and individual rounds, the more useful herbs you presented, the better.
"But I'll let you in on a secret," Zhou Bapi had whispered earlier, looking around to make sure no one else was listening. "The Capital's Medicinal Herb Association announced this competition too suddenly. According to some inside info, it's not as simple as it looks. The rules aren't exactly what they told us. I had to bribe that damned ghost with half a pack of cigarettes to get one important detail."
Jing Shu had raised an eyebrow. "A competition was a competition. Just like before, whoever contributed the most would get the most resources. What tricks could there possibly be? Was there some hidden scheme behind it?"
"That ghost said to bring as many herbs as you can," Zhou Bapi had said. "Take everything you can carry. The more you bring, the better your chances. Looks like quantity matters this time. Bring not just the raw herbs, but any processed semi-finished products too."
So that was why they'd arranged a large aircraft, just for transporting herbs.
The next morning, Jing Shu started preparing for the trip to the Capital. She'd already handed over her duties the day before, so all she had to do now was meet the group at the scheduled time.
She pretty much played the hands-off manager role while her assistant, Wang Danai, who used to be her little apprentice and was now a full-time supervisor, ran around managing the site.
One after another, the modified trucks arrived to load the herbs onto the plane.
The Association was buzzing with activity. Once word got out that Wu City's Medicinal Herb Association was sending a delegation to the Capital, everyone got excited. After several rounds of selection, nine pharmacists out of more than six hundred had been chosen. Today, they were all bringing their best herbs for transport.
"Danai-jie, the trucks are already full. There's still a pile of herbs left and nowhere to put them!"
"And whose pile of Bodhi Trees is that? They're not even high-value herbs, just trees. Can't we move them out of the way?"
"Yeah, the Bodhi Trees are taking up way too much space."
"Who in their right mind brings Bodhi Trees to a Capital competition? They're worthless! If the Capital people see them, they'll think Wu City's run out of real herbs."
Wang Danai rubbed her temples, glancing at the manifest. Then someone else rushed over. "The Medical Family's ginseng can't fit! Should we take down some of those Bodhi Trees to make space?"
The workers were already moving toward the pile when Wang Danai panicked. "Put those down! All of them! Those Bodhi Trees were personally requested by Vice President Jing Shu, no one's allowed to unload them!"
The moment they heard Jing Shu's name, the chatter died for a second—then the place erupted again.
"Wait, you mean the Jing Shu? The one who's responsible for like half of our Association's herb supply?"
"I came in late, but I heard she filled in tons of missing herb types for us."
"Yeah, she's the one providing the fertilizer every day, right? She's amazing. Too bad I've only seen her a few times in two years."
"I've heard she's done all kinds of legendary stuff. Ruthless too. She even kicked the last vice president out of his position. Must have some serious backing."
"Back in the day, she'd punch people without blinking. Never talked nonsense either. You know Qin Feifei? Even someone like her stays out of Jing Shu's way."
"Anyone stupid enough to mess with her things is asking for it. You don't even want to know what happened to the last few idiots who tried."
"Right, right, if Vice President Jing wants those trees brought, there's a reason for it. We'll just squeeze the other trucks tighter."
Within seconds, the same group that had been ready to unload the trees chickened out. Everything went back to calm again.
Wang Danai blinked, half relieved and half confused. Jing Shu only came to the Association a few times a year, but somehow the rumors about her were terrifying.
She smiled wryly to herself. "Jing Shu was actually really sweet—how did everyone end up thinking she was a scary boss?"