Wang Gang’s ntion of chickens was intended to showcase his knowledge and capabilities, such as his access to chicken at. Now that the governnt’s livestock farms were intensifying the breeding of chickens and ducks, who else could still get their hands on chicken at? This also subtly underscored his status and power in the apocalypse.
However, he misjudged the situation. Jing Shu’s family not only failed to grasp his underlying ssage, but the young woman even questioned him about the storage warehouse.
"Hey, the reserve warehouse was a major pre-apocalypse national project, equipped with various security systems, and it holds the entire food supply for Wu City. It’s generally not open to the public, but well..." Wang Gang smiled and shifted the topic, "Jing Shu, what kind of feed is this? It’s already the apocalypse; where did you manage to get such a large quantity of feed? Roughly how many tons do you have?"
Jing Shu understood then. "We recently opened a Red Worm Feed Factory. We probably have several hundred tons of finished product."
Everyone at the table was astonished. Uncle Su Yiyang voiced his concern, "Is there really any point in producing so many red earthworms? Currently, red earthworms are the least valuable things around."
This highlighted the difference between family and outsiders; Uncle’s first concern was that Jing Shu might suffer a loss.
Wang Gang shook his head. "Not necessarily. According to official docunts, Wu City must stockpile ten million tons of red worm cakes this year as a precaution against disasters in the coming three years. Your Red Worm Feed won’t have much of a market in the short term, especially since red earthworms are currently overabundant. A market might only erge once the red earthworms disappear and no new alternatives are found."
Aunt Wang Fang, very animated, waved her hands vigorously, "Oh dear, working with those red earthworms is a bad idea! A friend of mine in scientific research told that red earthworms are inexhaustible. Even if the Huaxia people eat most of them, they can still be cultivated. As long as there’s water, their reproductive capability is so strong—a single clutch can yield thousands in just a few days. They’re even easier to raise than mushrooms."
"And the price of red earthworms in Wu City has dropped again, down to 220 pounds per Virtual Coin."
The reproductive ability of red earthworms is indeed formidable. Even their Insect eggs are heat-resistant; boiling water can’t kill them. This is why mass cultivation has still not been possible this year. However, they also have a weakness.
Furthermore, in about six months, the zombie deer and zombie cattle virus from Australia will spread worldwide. By then, red earthworms will be inedible; whoever eats them will contract the zombie disease, their bodies will rot piece by piece, becoming necrotic flesh. Dostic Poultry that consu red earthworms will also contract the zombie virus, leading to another wave of invasive species evolving into new creatures.
The zombie disease itself isn’t what’s terrifying; its rapid spread and transmission capabilities are. Rain and red earthworms are key factors in its global dissemination.
Jing Shu simply smiled without speaking, as so things required no explanation.
Wang Gang asked gravely, "Actually, Jing Shu, I think you have a great mind for business. Your current venture might not be profitable now, but who knows what could happen in six months or a year? If a famine strikes, the value of your grain could increase tenfold. Have you considered opening another Red Worm Feed factory?"
Jing Shu was surprised. "I barely have ti to manage this one factory, let alone handle collecting hundreds of pounds of red earthworms and recruiting workers. It’s quite troubleso, and finding storage is also difficult. After all, if it spoils, it’ll be worthless."
Wang Gang said, "To be honest, my friend who manages the reserve warehouse initially hired people to raise a large batch of red earthworms, and they also salvaged them from various places. They could gather dozens to hundreds of tons a day and made a good profit at first. However, now red earthworms are worthless. So he approached to see if the governnt would buy them. As you know, we primarily collect from the public as a form of welfare, but because the quantity is too large, we’ve already lowered the price. If you could open another factory to process this daily batch of red earthworms, I can handle the storage in the reserve warehouse for you. I can arrange a dedicated private storage unit for you, and you can store them for as long as you need."
A dedicated private storage unit? Jing Shu beca interested. Didn’t that an she could store as much as she wanted? The national reserve warehouse was enormous, after all.
"Starting another factory is an option, but I definitely won’t have ti to manage it myself. If Uncle and Aunt are willing to invest, or if I pay you a salary to manage the factory, I’d be happy to be an absentee owner," Jing Shu suggested.
Jing Shu felt that stocking up on more Red Worm Feed was definitely a good idea in the apocalypse. Why? Because rice and cooking oil were far too conspicuous.
If word got out that Jing Shu possessed tens of thousands of tons of grain, making her a walking granary, she estimated that the number of people wanting to assassinate her daily could form a chain long enough to circle the Earth.
But if she were known as a Red Worm Feed tycoon... *cough cough*, even if it sounded a bit low-brow, at least it wouldn’t attract too much attention. Besides, if she also had grain, RVs, and so on, it wouldn’t seem so out of place, especially since the amount of feed she had sold in the past could supposedly encircle the Earth twice if laid end to end. Plus, she had her connections with the Pharmacist Association...
Aunt remained silent; this sounded like a losing proposition to her.
Uncle Su Yiyang, however, said, "Jing Shu, we’re family. Do you think this business can work?"
Jing Shu nodded. "Farming will be impossible for the next few years, so a food shortage is foreseeable. If red earthworms remain available, that would be manageable. But what if it’s like last year—a year of drought followed by a year of torrential rain, and then the year after, the world is sealed by ice and snow? There’s no sun now; how low will the temperatures drop then? Food and red earthworms would be out of the question. Besides, while the reserve warehouse can store supplies for a year or two, perhaps even three, no one can guarantee that things will be fine for three whole years."
Yes, what if it snows...
"Alright, we’ll do it! We’ll invest as you suggested," Uncle declared.
Aunt wanted to object but didn’t dare, as her elder brother was glaring at her.
Wang Gang recovered his friendly deanor, "In that case, let invest as well. I’m really optimistic about this venture."
Regarding Jing Shu’s seemingly impulsive decision to open another factory, Mr. and Mrs. Jing said nothing. Their daughter was grown up and had her own judgnt; crucially, Jing Shu was financially independent.
Ultimately, the family agreed on the following terms: Jing Shu would provide the Fuel and 10,000 Virtual Coins for a 70% stake. Wang Gang would provide the site, equipnt, and cover all labor costs and als for a 15% stake. Uncle and Aunt would be responsible for managent, daily operations, and all other affairs, contributing 1,000 Virtual Coins, for a combined 15% stake.
This factory would be larger and more specialized than the one in Wu County, employing more people. So Wang Gang’s stake was very reasonable. Food was currently the most expensive commodity, and providing als for so many people was a significant expense.
As for the 1,000 Virtual Coins from Uncle’s family, they borrowed it from Wang Gang. Uncle’s family lived practically paycheck to paycheck, especially since their precious son, Su Long, needed to eat rice every day.
Thus, all arrangents for storing the Red Worm Feed were settled. The purchase price for the collected red earthworms would be 10% below the market rate—a wholesale price, essentially—which was much more convenient than daily collections.
Even Jing Shu hadn’t expected it. She had only wanted to find a storage facility, but she ended up starting another large factory. It was like when a girl goes shopping intending to buy just a pair of shoes but ends up buying a whole load of things.
As for the 10,000 Virtual Coins, Jing Shu naturally didn’t have them; she had already emptied her pockets. However, she then noticed so new activity from the leeches and Blood Mushrooms in her Magic Cube Space.
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