Grains and fruits would only grow scarcer as the apocalypse dragged on. Jing Shu wouldn't sell them unless absolutely necessary, and even then only as a favor.
Since her own resources were never enough, she had to rely on cultivating rare, unusual items to accumulate capital. The benefit of this approach was that it wouldn't attract too much envy and could help her build connections with people in higher positions.
That was why blood mushrooms were one of the things Jing Shu hoped to succeed with most.
It had been more than ten days since she harvested them. Aside from the two blood mushrooms she had eaten, four remained. Jing Shu had transplanted two into the fields of her Rubik's Cube Space.
But even after all these days, with the nourishment of the Spirit Spring, the eggplants and papayas had already matured, yet the blood mushrooms hadn't grown even a millimeter.
So today, when Jing Shu brought out the largest blood mushroom from her Cube Space, a sudden thought struck her. Why not recreate the mushroom's natural habitat?
Others might not be able to do that under the current conditions of the apocalypse, but Jing Shu had the Cube Space. Planting was her most reliable and presentable skill right now.
Each Cube Space could simulate the optimal survival environment for different creatures. Even if blood mushrooms were considered nearly impossible to cultivate artificially, she had the best chance of succeeding.
Blood mushrooms usually grew only where leeches and red nematodes were found.
Their relationship was like that between venomous snakes and the detoxifying herbs that grew beside their nests: mutually contradictory, yet mutually dependent.
Jing Shu didn't need to understand the intricate details. If she just caught a batch of leeches and red nematodes to raise in the space, then placed blood mushrooms with them, she'd quickly know whether her idea worked.
If it did, she could even nourish them with diluted Spirit Spring water to increase their vitality. Blood mushrooms also had grades: the larger and more vibrant the color, the higher their value.
"That's right!" Jing Shu suddenly remembered. Leeches themselves had great medicinal value. Alive, they could be applied to the body to draw out pus and toxins, reduce blood stasis, and improve circulation.
Dried, they could treat a range of illnesses, invigorating blood and unblocking meridians. Injected with honey, they could even treat corneal opacities and cataracts. Truly, every part of a leech was valuable. She even recalled a doctor loudly demanding leeches for medicine not long ago.
Jing Shu rubbed her hands together. More importantly, if she raised leeches, they'd count as medicinal herbs, which meant another business line for her with the Medicinal Herb Association.
Raising leeches was practically killing three birds with one stone: easy to manage, profitable, and it would provide both leeches and blood mushrooms. Of course, this was just her ideal scenario. Whether it would work remained uncertain.
She quickly began jotting down her latest plans. Lost in thought, she didn't even realize how she arrived at Old Master Yang Yang's house. By now, Jing Shu was itching to try it. She wanted to head straight to the city center and wait for someone to vanish again, so she could rush to find a batch of leeches. Ahem, she meant to save people, save people!
But reality proved Jing Shu wasn't as lucky as Su Mali. Even after several trips to the city, she never again witnessed someone vanish. Clearly, she needed another plan instead of waiting passively.
Old Master Yang Yang lived in the old district of Xishan, in a residence built entirely of stone. The house looked at least a hundred years old. At the entrance stood a pair of stone lions: the male with a ball, the female with a cub, exuding cultural richness.
On this stormy night, a huge canopy had been set up over the house, doubling as a large parking shelter. The gate had a retro style, with two red lanterns hanging beneath. Crowds bustled in and out, lively and noisy.
At Su Mali's auction, everyone had arrived in luxury cars, chauffeured like nobility. Tonight, however, most of the vehicles outside were ordinary black Audis and Volkswagens, understated and low-key. Still, a few high-profile luxury cars stood out.
Jing Shu drove her amphibious shark submarine to the venue and was received at the door by Wang Dazhao.
The moment she entered, she could feel the cultural heritage and class of the place. It felt like stepping into a landlord's mansion from a century ago. Everything looked old, even shabby, yet carried immense value. The structure itself was modeled after a late-Qing three-courtyard residence.
But many details had been cleverly modernized. The central air conditioning was hidden within the beams. The electric lights were designed like candleholders. The furniture was all rosewood, antique and elegant, cracked with age but still beautiful.
The floor was paved with aged green bricks, some areas obviously repaired. Every detail testified to its long history.
In the courtyard, there were rockeries, pools with dozens of koi and crucian carp.
The pavilion seemed newly built. Former flowerbeds had been converted into vegetable plots, with simulated lighting above. Only the roots of freshly harvested leeks and lettuce remained.
This house was even older than most courtyard homes in the capital, yet seamlessly integrated with modern technology. Jing Shu thought Old Master Yang Yang was someone who, like her, valued quality of life deeply.
If conditions allowed, he never compromised. Otherwise, he wouldn't have roofed the entire courtyard, nor added so many considerate details.
"This must be someone with real power," Jing Shu thought. After all, few could host a birthday banquet in the apocalypse.
Wang Dazhao led her to the main courtyard where the banquet was held. It was huge, with a stage in the center, where performers were actually singing opera!
Dining followed Chinese tradition: ten people per table. Over twenty round tables were set in the courtyard, each draped with bright red festive cloth. It was luxurious, more extravagant than anything Jing Shu had ever attended, even before the apocalypse.
The scale was far beyond what she imagined, the kind of scene she'd only seen in television dramas.
Jing Shu was seated at a table in the upper right. Most seats were already filled, the air buzzing with noise. Yang Yang was sipping wine slowly, squinting in melancholy. Only when he noticed her did he yield his seat.
"Your grandfather really knows how to put on a show."
"Yeah, all for appearances. You'll see soon enough. He'll definitely be kneeling on a washboard tonight.
Come, sit here. The view's good. Everyone at this table is one of us. These folks went to America together. The last three seats are for Lao Niu's family."
As soon as the words fell, Niu Mou came lugging bags, dragging his wife along while holding his son's hand.
In the crowd, Niu Yanben immediately spotted Jing Shu. With teary eyes, he rushed over to grab her hand. "Sister Jing, Sis! Save me, my mom said she's going to punish me hard when we get home!"