"Holy shit!"
"Damn, this guy's not simple at all. She even has spices like these."
"I can smell them from way over here. Smells amazing."
The whole place instantly grew restless. Even President Gong's throat bobbed as he swallowed, his eyes squinting as he already pictured himself digging out a little cumin and chili powder later.
Jing Shu had timed everything perfectly. She'd just harvested a batch of star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, dried tangerine peel, and all kinds of other spices grown inside the Rubik's Cube Space. She figured the black market would definitely have some big shots who wanted rare seasonings, so this worked out well.
Even the normally calm young man was stunned. He crouched down and fanned the air with his hand like a pro. The fragrance of those spices drifted richly in the air.
Step two of his appraisal was to check the color and appearance.
After the young man carefully examined everything inside the crate, he stood up with a deadly serious expression and said, "I'll take all of these. Name your price."
Anyone who still pursued the highest quality of life in times like this, and actually understood the value of real spices, was definitely no ordinary person.
Jing Shu's eyes lit up like she'd just found a kindred soul, so she didn't hold back at all. "I want iodophor, alcohol, saline solution, disinfectant effervescent tablets, gauze, all of that."
Not a little. She meant the boxes stacked right behind him.
The two men helping the young man carry items had never seen anyone bargain like a hungry lion before. Their mouths curled into mocking smiles. Sure, spices were rare now, but this tiny bit, how could it possibly be worth that much life-saving medical stuff?
Medical supplies were even harder to find than food. What was that saying? You don't need them often, but the moment you do and you don't have any, you're screwed.
That was exactly why the young man obviously wasn't short on food. Rich people trading premium ingredients for resources wasn't unusual at all. The two bodyguards knew perfectly well how valuable medical supplies were now.
They didn't expect the young man to pause, then nod. "The goods are excellent, even better than before the apocalypse. So I'll give you everything you asked for. I'll also throw in some military-grade insecticide and a box of mugwort. But if I need more next time, how do I find you?"
The two bodyguards' eyes widened. Extras? For this tiny handful of spices?
President Gong clapped happily. Another successful deal.
And the young man's words reminded Jing Shu about something important. Mugwort was amazing. It was a medicinal herb used for fumigation and treatments, and its vitality was insane. Even after the apocalypse, it could still grow. Right now it was one of the most cost-effective herbs available.
Especially when bugs, snakes, and ants ran rampant. Lighting some up worked wonders for repelling pests.
Jing Shu pointed at Fan Jianqiang and said, "Find him. Since you know how rare this batch of spices is, use them sparingly. I don't have that much stock left." She did, but there was no reason to say it. If there was a next trade, she'd squeeze out a little more.
Who didn't know how to keep people hungry for more? If you feed them all at once, there's no follow-up deal.
The young man looked a little disappointed but didn't push it. He personally transferred every container of spice, then had the two bodyguards carry over box after box of medical supplies. That sealed the deal.
President Gong patted Fan Jianqiang, whose face looked completely lost in life. "Congrats, you've been upgraded to platinum membership. Sometimes, making the right choice matters."
Fan Jianqiang nodded, then shook his head, his mind buzzing like a hive.
Jing Shu calmly sat in her chair, framed by the small mountain of items piled behind her. It made her presence look even more intimidating, and that enticing ham didn't hurt either.
The trade fair continued. It was basically a massive secondhand marketplace where you could swap anything. Only those with some real power could bring out brand new, unopened items.
But at this point, no one cared whether something was new or ninety percent new. As long as it was practical, you could trade it for a good price.
But Jing Shu had her quirks. Maybe she'd suffered too much in her previous life, but this time around she refused to use other people's old clothes, used daily necessities, or opened personal items. Besides, she'd be heading back to Wu City soon, and opened supplies weren't reliable.
It was a bit of a shame since she passed up some things, but even so, she still traded for plenty of brand new odds and ends, even a lot of snacks that had basically disappeared from the world.
The giant ham shrank visibly with every deal, but the pile of supplies behind Jing Shu grew into a real mountain.
Soon, the trade fair entered the gold-member exchange segment. The overall standard dropped a lot.
There was nothing Jing Shu cared to look at anymore, and everyone else quickly realized her bar for trades was unbelievably high.
"It's just a pity about the leftover ham. I wonder if it'll even trade," President Gong muttered, his eyes darting like crazy.
But in the end, they weren't disappointed.
When a brand new radio communicator and a drone appeared in front of Jing Shu, her eyes lit up instantly. She had her space, her snake scout, and her bees that acted as flying eyes, but drones could scout the open paths better and cooperate with her animals.
Otherwise, she couldn't exactly say, "Hey, I'll send my snake to go check things out," could she?
And radio communicators were crucial during migration.
There was only a little more than a year left before the deadly mass migration began. Jing Shu had already started preparing in every direction, listing everything she'd need based on all the horrible things that happened in her previous life. This time she intended to make it through safe and sound. No more life-or-death struggles.
The young man trading the equipment looked let down. He called out a few times, ready to step down from the stage, when Jing Shu stopped him. "I want everything you brought. Want to trade for the ham?"
He froze, troubled. "But... I want more food."
Everyone: "…"
The guy who'd just traded for rice jumped up immediately. "Here, take a bag of rice." Then he told Jing Shu, "Give me a piece of meat?"
President Gong cut off a little more ham, and that deal was done.
The black market continued, but the diamond-tier big shots had already started leaving. The later it got, the fewer valuable items there were.
What could the silver-tier members possibly offer?
But Jing Shu didn't leave. Even though the later exchanges were mostly tiny trinkets, she still wanted to look around.
And it really didn't disappoint her. A batch of cheap modification materials appeared, and nobody wanted them. Hardly anyone in the capital tinkered with modifications anymore, and ordinary people didn't need them at all.