No matter what, having one more card up her sleeve made Jing Shu feel a lot more at ease. And as her collection of cards grew, she'd already arranged each one neatly in her mind so they'd play their part at the exact moment she needed them most.
When she returned home, Tank's little sister was happily chasing Xiao Dou around the courtyard. Wanzi hopped along behind the bird, giggling as the three of them darted back and forth in chaos.
Tank was wearing an apron and cooking dinner. He blew into the stove every now and then while checking the bubbling broth in the pot, then shouted for his sister to slow down. His whole face glowed with contentment. It'd been so long since life felt this peaceful and warm. When had he last enjoyed something this simple?
Maybe most people still didn't feel the full weight of the situation. As long as they had work or even if things got difficult, the government always found ways to hand out food, whether it was bug cakes or some other strange creation.
Ordinary folks worried, but deep down they trusted the government. They knew the officials would think of something and would never let them starve.
Tank was different. His entire department handled food supply. No matter how tight they cut the quotas, the reserves had been shrinking year after year. And no one knew how long this darkness would last.
It wasn't like they'd hit absolute desperation, but when even full-time workers couldn't eat rice anymore, that meant if humanity didn't develop a new large-scale food source soon, what awaited them was famine. How many would die? How much panic would it spark? How many riots would break out? When would this calamity finally end?
"Throw these in too, then cook some noodles. Let's just keep it simple today and turn it all into one big stew."
Jing Shu hauled out a huge bag from her warehouse, the one she'd already made official, and dug through it. She pulled out dried vegetables, spam, smoked sausage, ham sausage, and finally a whole bundle of long dragon-beard noodles.
She glanced at the pale broth and didn't even bother pretending anymore. She tossed in an entire packet of hot pot seasoning. Whatever. They'd make do.
"This pot won't fit all these noodles." Tank scratched his head in confusion.
"Just cook as much as you can. You know how much I eat."
"Oh…" His nose stung a little. Even someone as slow as him finally picked up on it. She was always like this. Every time she helped someone, she never said she was helping. She always turned it into a request for help, making it feel like she was the one who needed the favor.
Of course, if she didn't want to do something, she'd never do it. She had her own ideas, her own courage, and most importantly, her combat ability was off the charts.
Tank silently thanked her in his heart. From now on, whatever she needed, he'd never hesitate.
They didn't even end up eating stew. Because she added so many things, the pot boiled dry, and they accidentally made a spicy dry pot instead. Jing Shu sprinkled chopped scallions and cilantro on top, then dipped everything in garlic sauce and sesame paste. The flavor was unexpectedly fantastic. The noodles basically turned into stir-fried noodles, which were amazing too. It felt like she'd just uncovered a whole new food universe.
For some reason, it reminded her of Mala Xiangguo back before the apocalypse. Too bad she didn't have dozens or hundreds of duck claws to indulge herself with now. All she could make was a mixed mishmash.
After dinner, Jing Shu went to check on Wang Danai's work.
She was so busy she barely knew which way was up. Everything was falling into place, and once all the related responsibilities got transferred, Jing Shu didn't even need to sign off on anything anymore. Seeing that everything was running smoothly, she didn't disturb her. She just stuffed some food into her hand and quietly left.
Patrolling was still part of her daily routine. Not just outside, but in her space as well. Jing Shu checked the growth of every plant and animal daily. After all, if the vegetables in that field stayed unharvested for too long, they'd get old. After four years of farming in the space, she was an expert. She knew exactly when each crop tasted its best. Though some things did taste better the older they got.
Farming was an art.
On the third day, Jing Shu made the most of her time and set out with Tank. This was her last chance to sweep supplies from the Imperial Capital.
Before shopping, though, she had to run an errand for Jun Bao. He asked her to bring some documents to the Biological Research Institute, along with this round's reward, the crimson mysterious liquid.
She used to have a huge stash of the stuff. Originally it was in crystal form, but after her cube upgraded, it sucked all the crystals dry. That loss still hurt her.
"This stuff's a little different from the liquid we found in the American mountains." On the way to deliver it, Jing Shu frowned. They were clearly the same type of substance, so why did they feel slightly different?
In terms of quality, the crystals were obviously the best. As for liquid, the ones she had and the ones the town government collected felt about the same.
Even though the reward amount was fixed and the contract was signed, meaning she wasn't allowed to skim, Jing Shu still secretly swapped some of the mission reward liquid with her own supply.
Once she got home, she planned to test the differences. She'd practically cleared out all the crystalline energy in those American mountains last year, so this crimson liquid must've come from somewhere else.
Two places producing four-dimensional material? Interesting.
She originally thought she was only delivering items, but she ended up picking up a bonus opportunity. The research institute had been experimenting on everything recently, and suddenly Jing Shu remembered how every time the two mutant vampire leeches finished breeding, they'd leave behind a huge pool of shimmering fluid. It was disgusting, sure, but maybe that shiny stuff had a use?
If it did, then those mutant vampire leeches might have by-products too. Just like Xiao Dou laying eggs or snakes being used for medicinal wine.
Since she hated waste, Jing Shu brought the liquid for them to analyze.
"Oh right, check these fluids for me too."
The researchers happily accepted the samples and told her they'd have results in a couple days. Only then did Jing Shu hurry off with Tank to stock up.
She'd come all the way to the Imperial Capital. She had to bring more back. That mountain of goods from the other day? She wasn't satisfied at all.
But this time, she wasn't heading to the black market. She was going somewhere far more proper, bright and legitimate.
The Imperial Capital's high-end market, a place completely different from the black market in every way.