Although the Medicinal Herb Association members were curious about why so many Bodhi seeds were being taken to the Imperial City for the competition, in the end, Jing Shu's reputation was just too formidable, so it didn't stir up any real trouble. All the herbs going to the Imperial City were carefully sorted and loaded onto the plane.
The association was in a frenzy of activity, but Jing Shu hadn't been idle at home either.
The fourth year's mudslide had changed the land in her fields, so her family rebuilt vegetable greenhouses on the villa grounds.
No sunlight? Then use artificial daylight lamps for eight hours a day. Too cold? Turn the greenhouse into a warm house. These vegetable greenhouses were the Jing family's pride and joy. With the electricity, coal for the boilers, air conditioning, and all the other equipment, anyone without a strong family background couldn't manage it.
Jing Shu planned to grow a batch of crops destined for the Ming Road here, which meant she needed her grandparents to cooperate.
Her seeds were still stored with the ones for the government, but Jing Shu had already taken out a portion. Most were stored in her Cube Space, and the rest were placed in front of her grandparents.
These were professional seed storage boxes, filled with tiny compartments, each carefully labeled by Jing Shu.
"These are the seeds I brought back from the US. There are just too many kinds, dozens of varieties for each species. Anything you can think of, including stuff you've never eaten, never seen, or never even heard of, it's all here."
It was a sacred, solemn moment. Grandpa Jing carefully put his cigarette aside, they washed their hands, and slowly opened the boxes, excitement evident on their faces.
Grandpa Jing's hands trembled slightly. "Good child, good granddaughter. You're not only leaving a future for the Jing family but hope for the country. With these seeds, there will always be hope, even in the apocalypse."
He rarely praised anyone this seriously. Even though Jing Shu had done countless incredible things before, bringing food and prosperity to the family, Grandpa Jing was a simple man. As long as there was enough to eat, that was all he wanted. Life in the apocalypse didn't need luxuries—just enough food and some reserves.
Grandma Jing was different. She was stingy, greedy, and hoarded everything like a hamster. No matter how much she stored, it was never enough.
She jabbed Grandpa Jing lightly, then grinned with excitement. "Well, well, look at all these seeds. Our family's short on a lot of vegetables. I've heard the ones from the south are tender and smooth. We never got to eat them in our lives, but at least we can taste them before we go to the grave."
Jing Shu laughed and nodded. "Grandpa, there's even several types of tobacco in here. I'll find some land and plant a few for you."
Only then did Grandpa Jing wipe away the sadness and smile. More tobacco was useful since there wouldn't be opportunities to grow any on the migration route.
"Grandma, Grandpa, I've been thinking about our next plan," Jing Shu said, getting to the point.
"Go ahead," Grandpa Jing said, serious now.
"Our vegetable greenhouse is huge. After the improvements, we can grow twice as many crops. Right now, this level alone meets our daily needs. But I'm thinking—this year it was a mudslide, next year, who knows what disaster will come? If we can't grow anything later, or the power goes out, what will we eat?"
Both nodded in agreement.
"So, while we still have the conditions, we need to grow as many vegetables and fruits as possible. Vegetables can be dried or pickled, just like the year before. Dried or pickled, they take up less space, store well, and are easy to eat. Fruits can be made into dried fruits or frozen fruit. You wouldn't believe how good the frozen pears from Second Aunt were. I've been wanting to taste them for ages, and I heard there's frozen peach too." Jing Shu swallowed, excited.
Grandma Jing nodded enthusiastically. "The pickled vegetables from the year before are all gone, and the chili sauce too. We definitely need to make more. The dried vegetables from the first year were really convenient. There's barely any left now. On the few times we fled, it was thanks to our granddaughter we could eat fresh vegetables. We need to plant more and prepare."
Grandpa Jing spoke little, just saying, "We'll follow whatever you decide. The land here is fertilized well. Starting today, while Jing Shu is still around, let's identify the seeds and start planting."
Some seeds needed soaking, some hot water treatment, and some could go straight into the ground. Jing Shu and her grandparents spent two busy days sorting everything, setting new planting tasks and targets based on harvest times.
They prioritized high-yield crops like corn and potatoes. With so many livestock at home, cornmeal mixed with vegetable roots and red nematodes made high-value feed. The tons of feed Jing Shu had bought were almost gone after just three years. There was no way they could survive on red nematodes alone, so feed was a major concern. She'd plant more in her Cube Space to supplement gradually without anyone noticing.
She'd also used another plot in her Cube Space for spices. Once harvested, she'd secretly transport them to the basement, which didn't require passing through Ming Road, since no one knew how much she had bought.
Next, she'd grow vegetables rarely seen in their area, secretly planting in her space to later bring out when possible.
Grandma Jing and Grandpa Jing were thrilled, full of energy. In just a month or two, they'd get to eat vegetables they'd never had before, some even rare in their region.
Jing Shu didn't slow down. She took over the entire second-floor flowerhouse, already filled with some hardy fruit plants, but she wanted more varieties.
"Too bad, things like durians are probably gone forever. Maybe I can find a chance to bring back one or two?" Jing Shu pondered. Grandma Su loved durian but had never eaten it because of the smell. Before the apocalypse, durians in Wu City were insanely expensive, tens of yuan per 500 grams, so she rarely got any. Jing Shu planted one seed from the seed bank just to try it. Dried durian might turn out great.
"I'll try the durian after the competition," she decided.
Time flew by. Jing Shu assigned tasks to her grandparents, completed almost all the household preparations, and then, amid the family's blessings, carried her bags onto the plane to the Imperial City.
Once again, Jing Shu caught everyone's attention. Not because of her luggage, or her simple cotton coat, but because she wasn't traveling alone.
She brought a "team," only it wasn't a football team of people—it was made up of chickens.
When a huge, fat Xiao Dou led the way, followed in formation by the others, Jing Shu knew that today, her chickens were the stars of the plane.
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The term 明路 (Míng Lù) is an idiom that means "the bright and correct path," "the proper way forward," or "a clear and promising future."