Several people in the high school group who were introduced by Jing Shu agreed to the suggestion right away, and the others who were already planning to hand over bags of bugs to Su Mali also nodded their heads in agreement.
Jing Shu raised an eyebrow as she scrolled through the messages. Coincidentally, she was already going to meet Qian Duoduo tomorrow anyway to pick up some benefits, talk business, and maybe recruit a few more people for her factory, so she agreed to attend the event too.
But in this harsh apocalypse... what were you even supposed to bring as a proper wedding gift?
"What are you giving for Xie Zihao's wedding?" she asked Su Mali, who was still living quite comfortably inside the specialized shelter.
"I will bring a kilogram of black pork. We just butchered half of our remaining black pigs, as those things simply eat too much to justify keeping. Red nematode feed is hard to find now, and if you don't feed them enough, they lose weight fast. A few even died during the last quake, so I figured I would just turn them into cured meat," Su Mali said. Even a wealthy woman like her was feeling the mounting food pressure now—so it was easy to imagine how bad things were for everyone else.
The country had stored red nematode patties all of last year, but with this year's frequent earthquakes and failed harvests, those reserves were being eaten up fast. Food control would only get stricter next year. People were already pulling out whatever minced meat they had left at the bottom of their storage boxes. They had hit rock bottom.
Thankfully, she had Wei Chang butcher all their black pigs, leaving only a few essential breeders. Selling piglets twice a year and living off the stockpile of red nematodes she had saved was enough to keep her family in comfort.
"Then I will bring a kilogram of cured meat too," she decided after thinking it over. There was still plenty of cured and dried meat stored at home. Beef was more valuable, sure, but since she and Su Mali were on the same side, matching their gifts would look more coordinated.
The next day, she bundled up in a thick, insulated cotton coat, pulled on her modified leather hat to block the biting chill, and carried a neatly wrapped string of sausages tied with a red "double happiness" knot. In her other hand was a professional-looking briefcase. She got into the Maybach Qian Duoduo had sent to pick her up.
It was the same old driver as before. He opened the car door for her and grinned. "Miss Jing, you're bringing sausages? Headed to a wedding?"
"Yeah. A classmate is getting married, so I'm going for the banquet. These days, if you bring cash instead of food, you will probably get beaten up, so sausages it is."
The driver chuckled as he pulled onto the road. "That's actually a pretty generous gift now. Most people just bring a small bag of old rice if they can spare it. By the way, Xingfu Shiyuan has been opening new businesses lately, even a banquet hotel. Anyone holding a wedding there must have some status."
"Is that so?" she smiled faintly. In the second half of the third year after the apocalypse, anyone who could afford a wedding really was doing well.
Xie Zihao's wedding started at noon. She had arranged to meet Qian Duoduo at one, figuring she could attend the ceremony first and talk business right after.
The wedding was held in the main canteen at Xingfu Shiyuan. They had set up over a dozen round stone tables and stools for the guests. The stone wasn't cold, since magma flowed underneath the facility, so it actually felt quite warm to the touch.
There was even a stone stage draped with bright red curtains, with red lanterns hanging everywhere. For the apocalypse, this setup was practically luxurious.
At the entrance, a big photo of Xie Zihao and his bride in formal wedding attire hung on display. Two women sat behind a table collecting gifts, with QR codes taped up and a counter filled with various offerings. Most people had brought small bags of rice or flour.
The most valuable items were seasonings—bottles of aged vinegar, Haitian soy sauce—each bottle worth hundreds of virtual coins. Some guests had even brought rare vegetables or unopened daily goods. It all looked like a mini convenience store, and for the apocalypse, this counted as a pretty high-end wedding. Still, compared to real elites like Su Mali, who could host extravagant parties whenever she wanted, this was only middle-class level at best.
When she arrived, the two women at the door were arguing loudly with a group of people. As she got closer, she realized, huh, weren't those her high school classmates? And why were they fighting?
Someone spotted her and immediately called out, "Jing Shu is here! Let her judge this!"
She blinked, confused by the sudden attention. "What is going on? Hold on, hold on. Mu Xiaoxuan, you explain."
The crowd quieted down. Mu Xiaoxuan looked embarrassed and pointed at the two women behind the gift table. "So, we all talked it over and decided to help out classmates who are struggling. We agreed to bring these affordable red nematode gift packs with the double-happiness design, each worth three virtual coins. It's the usual thing people do now for weddings. And we even said anyone close to Xie Zihao could bring an extra gift if they wanted. But when we showed up, these two wouldn't let us in. They said our gifts were too cheap and embarrassing, not fit for display. They even told us that since we are friends of the groom, we can't eat for free."
She looked at the long strings of red nematodes woven into festive "double happiness" shapes. Honestly, they were kind of cute—both edible and decorative. Given her classmates' situation, it wasn't a bad gift at all.
But the two women at the gift table crossed their arms and snapped, "Come on, who brings bugs as gifts? Are you trying to gross people out? If you really want to go in, fine, but head over to the side hall. You can watch the ceremony, but don't expect to eat."
"Hey, if you think we're too poor for your fancy wedding, you shouldn't have invited us!" someone shouted back from the crowd. "We spent everything we had to make these gifts! Some people can't even afford to eat bugs, you know!"
"Exactly! Xie Zihao knows we aren't doing well. He could have at least told us what to bring!"
She gestured for everyone to calm down, then asked, "Where is Xie Zihao? And why can't the groom's friends eat, but the bride's can?"
One of the women glanced at her neat, well-fitted clothes, noting her healthy complexion and the expensive sausage in her hand. Clearly, she was doing well. So the woman softened her tone and explained, "The bride's guests can, of course. It's her wedding. Didn't Xie Zihao tell you? He is marrying into her family. Everything from now on belongs to the bride, so his friends don't get free meals."
For a moment, everyone just stared. Even she was a little stunned. Sure, Xie Zihao had been a rich second-generation before the apocalypse, but afterward, he hadn't done much. He hadn't done much. He had burned through all his resources and, rumor had it, even sold his place in Banana Community for over a thousand virtual coins recently.
"Who said that after I married into her family, my friends aren't allowed to eat?"
A sharp voice cut through the noise. Everyone turned to see the groom, Xie Zihao, in a bright red wedding robe. His complexion looked decent enough—still quite healthy.
Behind him stood the bride, wearing a slightly worn wedding gown, looking awkward. She was… well, on the heavier side—over a hundred kilograms at least, which was pretty rare these days.
Instantly, the classmates understood the situation. So Xie Zihao really had married a rich woman.
"Who said that?" he demanded, glaring at the two women. Then he turned toward his bride. "Was it you?"
The bride looked flustered and shook her head quickly. "Zihao, let me explain. Food is so scarce now, and people do try to sneak in for free meals. As long as they're really your friends and here to congratulate us, of course they can come in." She shot the two women a meaningful glance.
"It is just a misunderstanding, really. Leave the gifts here and write your names down. I will take you to your seats."