Wang Qiqi had already analyzed the voter base. Those who could not afford white rice made up about eighty percent. Over the past half month, Wang Qiqi and Zhao Shupi had basically split that group. Add in some middle-class civil servants and staffers, plus a handful of rich folks and the daily salvage crews, and there was hardly anyone left in the community.
Now that Zhao Shupi had scooped up the last batch of voters, Wang Qiqi truly had no more ideas. Even so, he felt Jing Shu would.
He stared at Jing Shu, nervous she might just shrug helplessly.
Thankfully, Jing Shu only narrowed her eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "You owe me a big favor for this."
"Absolutely, absolutely." Wang Qiqi wiped his sweat. There was hope.
What did Jing Shu plan to do?
She turned home, returned carrying a platter of fresh green garlic sprouts and a kilogram of milk. "Come with me."
"You're bringing gifts?"
"You think you can get this done with only a token gift?" Jing Shu rolled her eyes. "This is the standard for paying a visit right now." The garlic bulbs were neatly arranged, their sprouts over twenty centimeters long. Pinch a little at dinner, and it was delicious.
This was the post-apocalypse equivalent of visiting a leader or relative before the apocalypse with a bunch of bananas and some milk. When asking a favor, even if you were calling in an old debt, you could not show up empty-handed. It was an etiquette passed down from their ancestors, and even the apocalypse could not erase it.
Besides, more gifts never hurt.
"High-end setup these days. Folks at our level are lucky to bring a bit of thin porridge."
Jing Shu led Wang Qiqi to Li Yuetian's place. He still owed Jing Shu a big favor.
Li Yuetian welcomed them warmly. Li Bailong happily took the garlic. "Jing Shu, you're thoughtful. My uncle was just craving garlic sprouts."
Li Yuetian chuckled and kicked Li Bailong lightly. "Look at the bad habit you've developed. Every time she comes, you wait for her to bring something."
Jing Shu laughed. "It's all from home, no big deal. Actually, I came to ask a small favor."
"Sit. Say it straight. If I can help, I will. If I can't, I'll find a way. I won't let what happened last time happen again." Li Yuetian's expression turned serious. For Jing Shu to come in person, it could not be trivial.
"It's really a small thing. This is an old neighbor, Wang Qiqi. We get along. I figured if someone is going to be Distribution Director anyway, better it be one of our own. He signed up for the election, and right now Banana Community is voting on the Big Data app. He managed to snag first place and was about to hold a celebration, but he is about to be overtaken. So…"
Li Yuetian glanced at the numbers and understood. "What are the rules? Can I vote?"
"Anyone registered under Banana Community can vote. Of course you can."
Li Yuetian slapped his thigh. "Easy. Li Bailong, get over here. Help me vote."
Li Bailong scampered over and cast a vote for Wang Qiqi.
Wang Qiqi felt constipated with awkwardness. One vote from Li Yuetian was not the missing piece.
"How's that?" Li Yuetian asked.
Jing Shu flashed a bright smile, snapped a quick screenshot, and sent it to Li Bailong. "Perfect. Done."
Li Bailong posted the screenshot of "Li Yuetian voted for Wang Qiqi" to the three stationed groups of the Second Detachment. He added no extra words, but Wang Qiqi suddenly understood. It was as if the voice message read: The boss has voted. What are you waiting for?
Within moments, Wang Qiqi's phone exploded with notifications.
His numbers surged, and in no time Zhao Shupi was left in the dust again. He gaped, feeling like happiness had fallen from the sky.
Of course. He had forgotten the thousands of soldiers still stationed around Banana Community and their families. They were a special, massive group, often overlooked precisely because of their status. They lived in the big mall outside Banana Community. The living conditions were average, but they never lacked good food. If Wang Qiqi had waited any longer, Zhao Shupi would have snapped them up first.
With business finished, Jing Shu rose to leave. Seeing Li Yuetian rubbing his thigh, she added, "Half a month at most. The medicinal wine will be ready." Li Yuetian finally smiled in satisfaction.
After a brief scare, Wang Qiqi ascended to the supposedly "pre-decided" seat of Distribution Director, slapping quite a few faces in the process. Wang Qiqi had stepped on everyone to reach the top. Especially since Zhao Shupi had burned a pile of virtual coins and still failed, one could only imagine how Zhao Shupi would come after him.
"That chair won't be easy to sit in," Jing Shu said.
"I know. But I still have to fight for it," Wang Qiqi said.
As Distribution Director of Banana Community, Wang Qiqi, squeezed by three levels of government, still managed to purge three people and fill three slots, promoting fellows like Young Madam I have a Baby and Wang Xuemei.
With help from locals of the original community, he finally had some say. Wang Qiqi even planned to bring over his younger brother, Wang Baba.
But while Wang Qiqi was still struggling in the political whirlpool of Banana Community, Jing Shu suddenly remembered she had not visited the Medicinal Herb Association in over ten days.
She had been busy hunting materials, then going to Chu Zhuohua to refit the RV, all while worrying about cultivating blood mushrooms. She had practically forgotten her main profession.
Zhou Bapi had also disappeared lately. Rumor had it he had found something good and ran off after it. Fine. Time to swing by the Medicinal Herb Association.
At four in the morning the next day, Jing Shu's eyes snapped open. Her mind was crystal clear as she lay in bed and began Rubik's Cube practice.
The 4 a.m. "curse" had lasted a month. In the past, whenever she failed to get up, strange things would happen. Lately, as long as she woke at 4 a.m., her mind turned razor sharp. If she went back to sleep and skipped practice, trouble followed. If she practiced, nothing happened.
Jing Shu took it as heaven's reminder. Practicing the Rubik's Cube at 4 a.m. helped her grow stronger.
Her Rubik's Cube recovery speed had indeed improved lately. It would not be long before she could level up. Then she would finally unlock all the secrets.
At six, after a hearty breakfast at home, Jing Shu piloted the amphibious shark submarine to the Medicinal Herb Association. Her parents both headed to work. Both had been busy. Third Aunt went to the canteen for her shift. Wu You'ai got coaxed out of bed by the smell of tangyuan and ate breakfast too.
Everything looked normal, a fresh start to a new day. But this day would prove anything but ordinary for Jing Shu's family.
"Oh, look who finally showed up since getting hired. President, aren't you going to rein in this so-called Jing Shu?"
"Who is she, so full of herself?"