"Huh?" Jing Shu was a little dazed for a mont, glancing around; indeed, Grandma Jing was only talking to her.
Jing Shu gripped her sour plum drink with so difficulty and took a sip, pursed her lips, then looked around again. Mr. Jing, the livestock farm manager, was busy with work, and Mrs. Jing, since her promotion to director, was even busier and rarely at ho. Wu You’ai and her ntor were at Stone Garden every day, researching synthetic at formulas. Third Aunt was even busier, so there was no need to even ntion her. Now, Jing Shu was the only one at ho with significant free ti.
"Grandma, why are you suddenly thinking of going back to Wu County for the New Year? Celebrating here in Wu City is quite nice too. Didn’t we plan to have everyone over for the festivities?" Jing Shu gently furrowed her brows. At this crucial juncture, she feared they wouldn’t be able to return to Wu County for the New Year. Besides, more disasters lay ahead – they were about to enter the fourth year of the apocalypse.
Although she was well-prepared, that preparation was limited to the villa. If they moved around recklessly, she couldn’t guarantee everyone’s safety, whether driving there or back. When a mudslide hit, even the most impressive RV would get stuck.
As Grandma Jing scattered feed, she ticulously checked her precious charges for anything unusual. "It’s nothing really," she said, "I just miss it since it’s been so long. Also, about celebrating the New Year here in Wu City..." Grandma Jing hesitated.
"What is it?" Jing Shu pressed.
Grandma Jing cautiously looked around before explaining, "The weather is getting colder, and food is becoming even scarcer. Your elder aunt’s family is afraid of causing us trouble; they think they’d waste too much food coming over to eat and drink, so they don’t want to co. Your second aunt’s family, especially her husband, is afraid of missing out on an advantage – they just want to co and freeload, waste our resources. And if anyone with a loose tongue lets slip any information, we could end up being targeted."
Indeed, food was becoming increasingly scarce. Even the governnt’s coffers were thinning, and the common people felt the crisis more acutely. Even those who used to flaunt their chickens and ducks had started to keep a low profile.
Jing Shu smiled. "Grandma, your concerns are valid, and I understand them. We’ll just set so ground rules with them in advance. I’ll also make ample preparations to ensure that nothing you’re worried about will happen. Just look forward to a worry-free New Year!"
There would be no New Year to celebrate next year, the thought struck Jing Shu. She couldn’t help but squint, her mind replaying scenes of them shivering and desperately searching for food during the migration that awaited them next year. This year is the last respite for everyone, the final chance to catch their breath. After this, we’ll face the true challenges of the apocalypse, and the ti I have left to prepare is indeed running short.
"Ah! Oh, it’s almost twelve! I must hurry and cook – I’m so swamped every single day." Grandma Jing washed her hands, wiped them dry on her leg, and hurried into the kitchen. Mr. Jing grumbled from the side, "Can’t you use a towel after washing your hands? Look, that spot on your pants is all shiny from you wiping your hands there..."
***
"Sigh." Jing Shu also sighed quietly, once again lost in thought. One of her main worries: no money! Not only did she have no money, but she also owed the governnt several million...
Who could have imagined that a tycoon who ran factories employing thousands, managed landfills, and had various side businesses would end up penniless and heavily in debt? I never dread that after everything got on track, I would sohow owe even more.
It was indeed a bitter story. Just when the Red Earthworm Factory had started to generate inco, she had to initiate more construction to prevent mudslides. To further increase red earthworm storage, they also had to expand the factory’s scale. Consequently, she implented a series of asures during this period, purchasing large quantities of boulders and various materials from Qian Duoduo again, transforming the Red Earthworm Factory into a truly enclosed, fortified establishnt.
However, both the governnt and Qian Duoduo understood Jing Shu’s hefty investnt in reinforcing the Red Earthworm Factory with a closed system. As the factory grew larger, it eventually attracted a group of fugitives with no official identities, aiming to rob them. This band of people was similar to those they had encountered on the day Jing Shu’s elder aunt got married. They ca ard with guns, kerosene bottles, black powder, self-made bows and arrows, and drove several pickup trucks intended for hauling cargo, apparently planning to steal tons of products.
Although a single red earthworm cake wasn’t worth much, several truckloads of red earthworm cakes were indeed valuable.
Fortunately, Jing Shu’s factory was well-prepared and had a strong ard force. With a high reward offered, the factory was successfully defended. The attackers, seeing they couldn’t break through after a long siege, left behind a few bodies and retreated. The factory didn’t suffer much damage, but the incident indeed served as a wake-up call for Jing Shu and gave her an even better excuse to continue arming the Red Earthworm Factory.
"Those people are hiding right among us. We found the identities of the few corpses they left behind, but there’s no connection between them."
"They have dual identities, living their own lives by day while secretly being part of an organization."
"They’re hard to catch, even hard to track. With the satellite and monitoring systems shut down to power the Artificial Sun, and without their information in any big data, once they run, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack."
This was the conclusion Heng Jin provided after Jing Shu asked him to investigate. But Jing Shu hadn’t given up. These people might co back, especially when everyone is out of ammunition and food, their eyes green with hunger.
Ever since opening this factory, I anticipated this step. The seemingly insignificant Insect Cake Factory would eventually attract envious eyes; that’s why I made so many preparations.
If the disasters of the first few years of the apocalypse ca like a tempest, striking fear and panic, then among all these years of disaster, the one in the fourth year is the quietest and most unnoticeable. It’s like a spring rain that moistens things silently, an imperceptible threat that will slowly eat away at everything. By the ti anyone notices, it will be far too late. The floods of the second year subrged so many supplies and caused such imnse property loss. The mudslides of the fourth year will completely obliterate the last glimr of hope, eroding the entire land!
"Here it cos. So the fourth year of the apocalypse has begun this early," Jing Shu murmured, standing on the hilltop behind the villa. She gently touched the mud seeping from the ground; it felt like water heated past 90 degrees, on the verge of boiling.
Right now, it hasn’t caught anyone’s attention. Everyone is still celebrating the end of the earthquakes. No one would think that in such cold weather, the mud bogs on the ground wouldn’t freeze solid.
"Let’s go, ti to head ho!" Jing Shu, wrapped in a heavy cotton coat, breathed out a puff of warm air and called to Fat Chicken. She turned and ran down the hill. Fat Chicken hung its head, clearly unhappy. For several days now, its master had been running from the foot of the hill to the top, for reasons unknown to the chicken. But it couldn’t find a single edible thing anymore—not the delicious insects, not even the rotten corpse insects that disgusted its master. They had all vanished.
The whole mountain was eerily quiet, pitch-black, incredibly silent.
Fat Chicken shivered. It felt a sense of danger looming, sothing it couldn’t quite pinpoint, as if sothing was about to erge.
Scattered tents and traces of human habitation still remained at the foot of the hill. Since the earthquakes had stopped, the authorities had reassigned these people to their designated areas, and the Banana District was bustling with people once more.
"Going out in such biting cold? Be careful you don’t freeze!" Mrs. Jing said with dissatisfaction, handing Jing Shu a cup of hot milk. Looking at Jing Shu’s nose, red from the cold, she couldn’t help but feel distressed. "You’re so susceptible to sores, stop running around like this. Your grandma was asking about your plans for the upcoming New Year."
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