"Now that our family isn’t short on Virtual Coins, we should just save the at. I’ll trade the piglets for sothing else next ti. If we process this at and store it in the cellar, it can last three to five years. Rice is getting harder and harder to trade for; even the governnt only has old rice. It looks like you were right, we really need to stock up on food," Uncle said. He had clearly been jolted by Jing Shu’s reality check. He had initially planned to heavily invest in breeding black pigs.
After all, the couple had a bit of a reputation as skilled pig breeders at the livestock farm.
Jing Shu nodded in agreent; stocking up on food now was certainly the right move.
Slaughtering so many pigs would have been a big deal before, but now, nobody had the ti to concern themselves with such matters. The elder aunt and Grandma Jing peacefully took care of Qiao Lian, while Wei Zheng and Uncle were busy processing the pigs. In this apocalypse, food was so precious that not a single part of the pig could go to waste.
Afterward, Uncle brought over thirty pigs’ feet that had been singed and processed. "Uncle knows you enjoy braised pigs’ feet with soybeans, so I brought them for you. You have your RV, so cook them yourselves. Please don’t refuse. Wang Mazi still charges for the offal when he slaughters pigs, and you’ve been such a great help, I must thank you properly. Besides, you ca to help us, and we even had you cook your own food. That really isn’t right."
Uncle looked as if he would be very upset if she refused, so Jing Shu happily took the pig’s feet to the RV. She and Wu You’ai then discussed having roasted pigs’ feet for dinner and marinated ones the next day.
It was only when Grandma Jing ntioned wanting to go back to the RV to cook lunch that everyone realized Jing Shu had co in the RV this ti.
"That RV is so small, how can you even cook in it? Mom, it’s absurd for you to co to our place and then go back to cook your own food. You’re just shaming ," the elder aunt insisted, forcibly pulling Jing Shu to stay for a al of their local specialty: a paste of flour mixed with green vegetables.
In these apocalyptic tis, that was indeed a rare treat. But Jing Shu vigorously shook her head at Grandma Jing—it was only one pot. Never mind the taste, the quantity definitely wouldn’t be enough for her alone.
The younger aunt said enviously, "Mom, I want to see what the RV looks like too."
"As if I’d show you! You’d just go showing it off everywhere. I know your mouth," Grandma Jing glared at her. "I know you just want to eat the food from it. I’ll bring so down for you all later." The younger aunt giggled.
However, the RV truly captivated the rural folk. Eventually, even the elder aunt wanted to see what Jing Shu’s RV looked like and how cooking was possible in it. Jing Shu led the elder aunt, Uncle, Wei Zheng, and the younger aunt outside for a walk around it, and they stood at the entrance to take a good look.
"TSK, TSK, it’s really big, and even two-storied. Goodness."
Leading them onto the RV, the first thing that caught their eye on the left was the kitchen and dining area. The younger aunt’s mouth fell agape; she hadn’t expected it to be so luxurious and well-equipped inside.
However, they all stood at the vehicle’s entrance and didn’t co further in.
Uncle rubbed his hands, saying apologetically, "Jing Shu, I didn’t expect it to be so clean—it’s nothing like our earthen houses. We better not co in; we’re all covered in mud and pig blood. We’ll just look from the doorway."
"Right, it’d be too hard to clean if we dirtied it," the younger aunt chid in. "Just bring us so of the food from the RV later." She was, in the end, only thinking about eating.
As rural folks, they truly didn’t understand the significance of such a luxurious vehicle; they only knew it was very expensive. A house full of rice placed before them would have been more astonishing and enviable. They were, after all, practical people.
Jing Shu didn’t insist.
Originally, Grandma Jing was supposed to cook. But now, with Qiao Lian’s dire situation, her thoughts were entirely focused on the child. So, Jing Shu personally took to the kitchen and prepared a whole table full of dishes. Grandma Jing didn’t eat much, but Jing Shu had a good appetite and ate everything cleanly, wasting nothing.
The day passed quickly. In the evening, Jing Shu thoroughly enjoyed the feel of the two-story RV. It had to be said that, apart from the small bathroom that needed daily cleaning, everything else was very comfortable.
Jing Shu’s bedroom had 270° panoramic glass, offering an expansive view. When the RV activated the defensive electric grid gifted by Qian Duoduo, sleeping beca incredibly serene, especially on the silk bedding Grandma Jing had recently prepared. Being enveloped by it felt absolutely wonderful.
After the electric grid was set to defensive mode, Jing Shu had Little Snake and so insects test it from the outside. Approaching it for just a few seconds would result in a shock; the longer they stayed close, the stronger the electric current. Jing Shu conducted an experint: it took less than five or six seconds for a snake to be electrocuted until it was charred black.
Jing Shu was very satisfied with this defense, except that it consud a bit too much fuel...
...
Jing Shu had thought Qiao Lian giving birth would only take a few days. Unexpectedly, more than ten days passed as she waited. By mid-November, Jing Shu also began to worry.
Uncle searched daily for things like Oxytocin and even made a trip to Wu City, but he found none. However, he did manage to trade for several other kinds of dicinal herbs.
The Doctor visited three more tis. Each ti, his expression was graver than the last. Finally, he left with a sigh, after quietly telling Uncle that they could either use external force to make the child co out, or continue waiting. However, a difficult birth was now certain. When the ti ca, there would be no question of choosing to save the mother or the child; it was almost certain that neither could be saved.
Upon hearing this news, the family couldn’t sit still any longer. They imdiately rushed Qiao Lian to the hospital, ultimately deciding on external intervention.
There were no skilled traditional Chinese dicine practitioners here who knew acupressure techniques for childbirth. So, as the saying goes, they were treating a dead horse as if it were still alive—a desperate asure. Jing Shu had no solution either; after all, her Spiritual Spring wasn’t the Spring of the Kingdom of Won—one couldn’t just drink it and give birth.
The whole family accompanied them to the hospital, while the younger aunt was responsible for watching the house and cooking. In the afternoon, after Jing Shu had eaten, she took a lunchbox and went with Wu You’ai to deliver food to the others.
Upon arriving at the makeshift hospital—which was actually just a series of prefabricated huts—they heard continuous screams. It felt as if they had entered a living hell. Jing Shu searched for a long ti before finding Qiao Lian, the elder aunt, and Grandma Jing by a bed. She couldn’t help but frown.
In the apocalypse, naturally, there weren’t many requirents. The place was open-style and allowed free entry, but only for won. Uncle and Mr. Jing were smoking at the main entrance.
Inside, it was all won in labor. It was unexpected that so many won were giving birth in such a small rural area. But now, with a definite lack of dication, they could only rely on natural childbirth.
Yi Qiao Lian’s situation was worse than others because the Doctor was forcefully pressing on her abdon. Qiao Lian was tied to the delivery bed with her legs raised high. She scread continuously, wailing that she didn’t want to live, didn’t want to give birth anymore... The screams around her were much the sa.
"It’s still not working... Why don’t we just cut her open?"
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