What's the rarest thing these days? Definitely chickens and ducks that are already listed as endangered!
And that's not even counting the Darklife species that only the upper class knows about, the dino-chickens.
As soon as these clean, gorgeous hens stepped into the bright interior of the plane, everyone on the fully modified aircraft saw them at once. It was like a boulder crashing into a pond, sending waves splashing everywhere.
The pharmacists on board heading to the Imperial Capital for the competition all widened their eyes, staring at this walking flock of luxury birds and swallowing hard in disbelief.
"My God, are those really chickens? Living, breathing chickens?"
"These chickens are even fatter than the ones I've seen owned by tycoons! What on earth are they being fed? We can't even fill ourselves up, and someone's feeding these chickens?"
"And that first one up front, so fat!"
"How many eggs does that one lay a day? If I could eat one egg a day, I'd die happy!"
"Look, President Jing is here! Are all these chickens hers? Wow, she's really that rich!"
"Yeah, and she provides the chicken manure too. No wonder she must have a ton of chickens at home."
"I want to touch a chicken. It's been ages since I've seen one and I forgot what they even look like."
"Damn, this chicken bites! So fierce!"
"I want a feather from one, wonder if President Jing would hit me."
"Danai, you're closest to President Jing, can you get a few spare feathers for us?"
The crowd chattered endlessly, wanting to get close to the walking flock. But after getting pecked once, they kept a safe distance, eyes filled with a messy mix of longing to touch, wanting, and hunger.
Thankfully, this was a private plane with no outsiders. If these chickens had been out in the open, the feathers would probably have been stripped bare by now.
Jing Shu spotted Li Dayou and his group seated at the front, each of them desperately trying to control the flood of saliva threatening to escape.
Wang Dan wiped away the drool and whispered excitedly to Li Dayou, who was pretending to rest, "Captain, captain, look! Chickens! A whole flock of chickens! Remember when we were trapped back there and promised ourselves that if we ever got to eat chicken again, we'd die happy? This is it!"
Li Dayou subtly swallowed to hide his own excitement and said calmly, "Can you not see? But yes, you've got a clear view. That lead chicken belongs to Jing Shu. You want to eat it? Keep dreaming."
Everyone in Li Dayou's team knew just how formidable Jing Shu's chickens were. If they tried to eat that one, their lives wouldn't be enough to pay the price.
Jing Shu laughed out loud as she heard Wang Dan's words, "Haha, your wish to eat chicken again in your lifetime? Pretty impossible. But getting an egg every now and then? That's doable."
Her dino-chickens weren't ordinary. As long as they could lay fertile eggs, they could hatch more. They were clearly evolved for the apocalypse, able to eat anything and survive. Even if humans starved, these chickens wouldn't. If left alone, they'd live for a very long time.
The downside? This second generation of dino-chickens couldn't reproduce a next generation.
Wang Dan scratched his head, blushing, "Hey, you heard all that? By the way, last time we parted, how did the seed thing go? Heard you were sick, and we couldn't do much to help. Sorry about that. Oh, you're heading to the Imperial Capital too? We didn't get a proper farewell, such a regret."
"All smooth, everything went fine. Thanks to you guys handling the follow-ups and escorting, that really helped me out. Yes, this trip, I'm bringing the Wu City Medicinal Herb Association pharmacists to the competition. And, to thank you, I have a small favor to ask. Let's call it mutual benefit," Jing Shu said with a warm smile.
Li Dayou opened his eyes and smiled. After over ten days together, they'd already bonded for life, and Jing Shu had saved him. He couldn't forget her kindness. "What do you need? Just say it. If we can help, we will."
Jing Shu grinned, "So, you know how food's tight, and my family can't really raise all these chickens. I've been wanting to repay you for guarding my things all this time, but never found the chance. Perfect timing—you each get one chicken. It eases my burden and gives you some extra nutrition too."
Wang Dan's drool started flowing again. He glanced at Captain Li Dayou in envy, knowing Jing Shu was loyal and thoughtful.
What she was really saying was, 'I'm giving these chickens to you to lighten my load,' but anyone with eyes could see she was taking care of them, worried they might refuse if called a gift.
With Jing Shu's wealth, could she not afford a few chickens?
Even if caring for them was hard, those chickens produced luxury eggs!
Li Dayou shook his head, "No, no, no, these are too precious! Everyone knows how rare chickens are now. Giving us one each is like giving a luxury car. We can't raise something this expensive. And what we've done is our duty, nothing more."
He didn't even know yet that these weren't ordinary chickens. Ordinary chickens Jing Shu wouldn't even bother giving them. Feeding fragile chickens would waste tons of food. What she wanted was a reliable daily food source for them—eggs even in a food shortage.
Giving fish feeds the hunger today, but eggs last much longer.
Murmurs of admiration rippled through the plane.
"President Jing really is a tycoon, I heard about her, but this… giving away all these chickens, just like that."
"And these people are crazy to refuse. If it were me, I'd take them in a heartbeat. Starving and still worrying about manners?"
Jing Shu gave the proud Xiao Dou a gentle kick.
The hen clucked in understanding.
Then the dino-chickens went in order, each finding its new owner, flapping and hopping up.
The plane erupted into chaos, feathers flying, everyone holding a chicken and looking completely helpless, innocent, and a bit stunned.
'How did this chicken end up in my arms?' they thought, careful not to squeeze too hard for fear of killing it.
The plane began to taxi, the announcement came over the speakers, telling everyone to return to their seats as takeoff was imminent. Those who'd collected feathers headed back.
Jing Shu smiled and winked, "See? They've found their homes. Make sure you treat them well."