The elder aunt wanted to bring more streaky pork for Mr. Jing, as he used to have bad teeth and could only eat fatty at. However, ever since his teeth grew back in his "second spring," everything tasted delicious. Even Mr. Jing, who never used to brush his teeth, began to care for them. So, in the end, she decided not to bring the streaky pork. Grandma Jing also felt sorry for her daughter, knowing how hard-won it was to be able to save up so food.
"Then you take good care of your younger sister; your dad and I are leaving now," she said.
"Oh, Mom, co again for the New Year," Jing Pan said.
Grandma Jing replied, "Next New Year, you all should co stay in Wu City. Jing An bought us a house for our retirent; it’s quite spacious. It’s about ti we celebrated the New Year at your brother’s place."
"Oh," Jing Pan quietly wiped away her tears, her heart aching with reluctance to see them go.
Before leaving, her uncle inquired whether Jing Shu had any channels for selling piglets. Jing Shu arched an eyebrow. "Next door to is an auction house. I’ll take them there to be auctioned when the ti cos; I guarantee they’ll fetch a better price than in the countryside."
Those who had to leave eventually departed. The RV slowly navigated the pitted, water-filled road, at last leaving the rural houses behind as it headed toward the main road. Grandma Jing sighed, sipping jujube and goji berry tea while gazing at the pitch-blackness outside. Mr. Jing smoked his dry pipe. The two seed lost in thought. Wu You’ai, however, gathered the snacks she had earned through her own efforts and headed to the space capsule to begin her work.
Soft music played in the RV. The fat chicken stood on the glass platform, gazing into the distance and occasionally letting out a nervous cluck. For the past twenty-odd days, the fat chicken hadn’t left the RV even once, as if sensing sothing frightening was about to happen outside.
Jing Shu’s heart also skipped a beat. It was said that before a major disaster, Dostic Poultry were the most sensitive, and the fat chicken was the most nourished by the Spiritual Spring among all of them. It must have sensed sothing to be so anxious, she thought. It seems I have to accelerate my preparations as well.
After more than twenty days, Jing Shu finally returned to her villa in Wu City. She couldn’t help but feel cooped up from living in the RV. Although the RV had everything, its downside was the confined space where she couldn’t stretch out. So, upon returning to her spacious villa, she found it almost too empty for a mont.
The complete extinction of the red earthworm had mixed consequences. The downside was that the vigorously developed livestock industry was cut off from its feed source. Of course, the country had already stockpiled enough Red Worm Feed cakes, but this wasn’t a sustainable solution and couldn’t maintain production for long. Consequently, the decision had been made from above to swiftly cull half of the Dostic Poultry, which had kept Mr. Jing extrely busy recently.
The upside, however, was the opportunity to grow vegetables inside greenhouses. This had recently kept Mrs. Jing very busy at the Agricultural Departnt, trying to expand production. The cascading effects even made Jinglai’s cafeteria overwhelmingly busy.
「By mid-December」
The temperature in Wu City dropped to just a few degrees above Zero Celsius. Though the red earthworms were gone and the torrential rains seed less severe, the floodwaters had not receded. Everyone thought this situation might persist, that this was the worst-case scenario.
But what nobody anticipated was that, in just over ten days, Earth’s tectonic plates would begin to move wildly, ushering in a year filled with frequent earthquakes.
Jing Shu vividly rembered the exact day the earthquakes suddenly began. In her past life, it happened just as the heavy rains stopped and the world seed to regain its calm and peace. Everyone thought the nightmare was ending and started making new plans. That was when the earthquake struck—a terrifyingly massive earthquake.
That year was truly panic-stricken; people lived in a constant state of fear. In the beginning, when soone died, there were still tears. Later on, however, most people beca numb. If you were lucky, you survived; if not, an earthquake could kill you at any mont.
Those who survived had to confront the problem of living on. In the increasingly cold weather, they had to strip clothes from the dead to keep warm, gather new supplies, and even worry if the ground beneath their feet might suddenly collapse as they walked.
Jing Shu watched the rain grow lighter and lighter. When the downpour stops, that will be the mont the great earthquake strikes, she thought. In the face of natural disasters, all creatures are insignificant.
The preparations I need to make right now mainly involve two things, Jing Shu mused. First, I must ensure my family safely makes it through the upcoming year of earthquakes. This ans having enough food without appearing too wealthy, and avoiding known earthquake sites for the next year. Second, I need to prepare for my trip to the United States and ensure my family’s safety while I’m away.
「Back at the villa」
Jing Shu began by drafting a detailed plan. She then started working through the items, carefully noting the locations of major earthquakes from her mories. Since the areas she frequented in her past life were significantly different from this one, encountering sudden ground collapses and even major earthquakes seed inevitable.
I also have to take adequate precautions for such situations; I can’t rely solely on my mories from my past life, Jing Shu considered. That was why she had entrusted certain tasks to Mr. Jing early on, which was one of the reasons he had returned early.
Jing Shu had been thinking that in the event of an earthquake, the safest thod would be for her family to live in the RV and then drive it to a flat area to avoid disaster. But sotis, fate plays cruel tricks, she mused. So people would be walking along and then suddenly disappear. So vehicles would be driving and then vanish. Earthquakes are terrifying, but hollow ground is even more so.
In the past, Jing Shu had acquired a large quantity of steel bars. This ti, she was inspired by the Deadly Grid from Qian Duoduo, which was why she suddenly thought of creating sothing similar for her family.
The item itself was simple, but the difficulty lay in the craftsmanship. As a craftsman of the older generation, Mr. Jing was not unfamiliar with such a device.
The device operated on the sa principle as a parachute or an umbrella. In tis of danger, it would suddenly open into a large net for support. Additionally, it would launch two tethered steel dart-like harpoons that would embed themselves in nearby walls or into the ground.
This way, if soone were to suddenly vanish while walking, a large umbrella-like net would deploy to support them, and two tethers would shoot out to suspend them in mid-air.
This tool was just Jing Shu’s first step: a small protective device for her family. Of course, so as not to surprise Mr. Jing with this sudden request and to make him realize its importance, Jing Shu had specifically gone out with him and orchestrated a "fall" into a large pit. This was how she introduced the concept to him.
Later, Mr. Jing, based on his own understanding, modified and lightened the entire "Bone Dragon" frawork and its materials. He eventually fashioned it into the shape of an ergonomic backpack that could be worn for warmth and also function as an umbrella.
Jing Shu was very satisfied with this ingenious device. However, thinking about the impending earthquakes, I’ll need other defenses too, she considered. So, she decided to add more features to it, further increasing its complexity.
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