Jing Shu wasn't the kind of person who'd borrow money from the government just to make it harder for them to "butcher the pig" later when they still hadn't gotten their investment back.
Borrowing from the government was like borrowing a hen to get its eggs. As long as the interest rate was lower than inflation, virtual coins would only get less valuable, and the stuff she used to pay back would be worth more. For example, say she borrowed a thousand virtual coins today. If annual inflation was six percent and the government's interest rate was four, while her assets appreciated at six percent per year, then by next year, that same money would only be worth nine hundred sixty coins, while prices would've gone up six percent. In other words, she'd be earning about eight percent in real value.
Ahem... wait, why did that sound like she was taking advantage of them?
"How much are you borrowing?" Jin Tianci asked.
"One million virtual coins," she said, blinking innocently.
He almost choked. "How much?"
"One million virtual coins," she repeated.
"That much?" He stared at her suspiciously. "Four percent interest. How long's the loan term?"
"Thirty years? Okay, twenty? Fine, fine, five years, alright? I'll pay sixteen thousand coins a month."
Jin Tianci narrowed his eyes. "You don't have some terminal illness, do you? If you die in five years, I'm screwed."
"Relax, I'll definitely die after you," she said confidently, then paused. "Wait, that doesn't sound right. I'll definitely die before you." No, that wasn't right either. "Okay, okay, I'll definitely finish paying you back before I die, how's that?"
Only then did he nod in satisfaction. "Let Jun Jia handle the paperwork. Use the factory as collateral. If you miss three payments in a row, the factory's repossessed."
"Perfect. With this money, I can buy all kinds of stone and hire more workers. I'll even have enough left for some working capital."
Just transporting those massive boulders from Xishan to Banana Community would cost a fortune in fuel and labor. And she wasn't talking about one or two rocks, but enough to encircle the entire villa and withstand a huge mudslide. After doing the math, she figured both sides combined would cost tens of thousands of coins in total.
But now, all those problems were solved, and she could finally breathe easy.
When she got home, she started crossing off tasks from her little notebook. Her progress had been fast—almost everything was done. Now she finally had time to seriously practice with her Rubik's Cube Space and check out the new crops growing inside.
She'd brought a full set of seeds from the US, and knowing her gluttonous tendencies, she'd planted things like big cherries and other fruits she'd never tasted before. She'd even thought about planting durian, since somehow, she'd never had one in her life, but the smell might expose her secret. Maybe next time.
She bit into a plump, black-red cherry, and sweet, tangy juice burst across her tongue. The tender flesh made her taste buds sing with joy.
"So sweet!"
These were American cherries—dark red, almost black when ripe, full of juice and a crisp sweetness that lingered in her mouth. Delicious!
"Pfft—ha!" She spat out the pits one by one, sending them flying. Xiao Dou, the fat hen, clucked as she flapped her wings and led her two little chicks to snatch them up.
Lately, she'd been feeling heaty, so she'd stopped drinking her usual goji and red date tea. Grandma Jing decided to brew something special instead—Wu City's signature drink, kvass. They had jars of honey stacked at home, after all. The ones she gave out to close friends were only the size of a matchbox, yet everyone was amazed. Honey was ridiculously rare these days, and she still had whole jars of it.
Fermented with honey, the kvass had a rich aroma that lingered. After chilling it overnight, one sip of the icy drink filled her mouth with a faint hoppy flavor and the wild floral sweetness of honey. It wasn't quite beer, but it was intoxicatingly fragrant.
Well, since they already had budget beer, why not go all out with premium barbecue?
Her father came home early that day and started a fire in the naan pit behind the villa. Grandpa Jing had already butchered a one-year-old lamb. The meat was tender and fresh, and he'd cleaned the organs thoroughly for braised dishes. Even the hide would be tanned into a warm, fur-lined coat—nothing went to waste in the apocalypse. Her grandparents were meticulous like that.
Grandma Jing marinated the entire lamb with onions, then stuffed the cavity with ginger slices, peppercorns, star anise, and ground fennel. She slashed the legs to help the seasoning soak in, brushed the skin with soy sauce, sugar glaze, and a little sesame oil for shine.
Her father hung the whole lamb in the pit using iron hooks, letting it roast slowly over the crackling fire.
The fruitwood burned with a gentle hiss, releasing that irresistible smoky aroma.
Fat dripped from the lamb and sizzled onto the tray below. That oil was precious—Grandma Jing used it to make oil tea. She'd fry flour, peanuts, and walnuts in it until fragrant, then mix it into a thick, savory paste that stayed good for years if sealed properly. A spoonful stirred into hot water turned into a rich, salty drink full of flavor and nutrition.
Jing Shu planned to have her make more. That way, when they migrated later, their breakfasts would be more varied—milk, soy milk, milk tea, oil tea, sesame paste—they could switch between them to avoid getting sick of the same thing.
"Ding-a-ling~"
Just as she was munching on cherries and sipping her kvass, her phone started ringing like crazy. She sighed. The crops in her home garden could never keep up with what grew in her Cube Space. Plus, with one parent in the Planting Industry Department and the other managing the Livestock Breeding Center, she couldn't just take out fresh fruit whenever she wanted. Her parents knew exactly what existed in Wu City.
Take Xingfu Shiyuan, for example. Her mother, soon to be a minister, knew every single plant there like the back of her hand. That meant some fruits could only be enjoyed secretly inside her space until the ones at home grew naturally.
Still, she'd brought out plenty of flat peaches as cover. Shi Mu and Xiao Xuan had transplanted their own peach trees to the villa, and her mother had been craving them. Jing Shu even brought back a small sapling today, secretly watering it with Spirit Spring so it'd bear fruit in half a year.
"Hello?"
"Boss Jing, this is Manager Tuo," came the anxious voice on the other end. "I just wanted to ask, when's the finance department starting work? We really can't hold on much longer! Everyone's so fired up, but since we're short-staffed, some people are cutting corners, and others are still waiting to see what happens."
She thought for a moment. "A batch of people will arrive tomorrow morning. Supplies will be delivered too. A new lawyer's also coming to finalize our regulations. Alright, I'll go there myself tomorrow."
"There's one more thing," he said nervously. "A lot of people somehow heard about us, and they're crowding in, trying to get hired. Some even look like they're here to stir trouble. What should we do?"
"You've got a fixed quota, right? Stick to the old rule. Anyone who doesn't earn points for thirty straight days or has less than one percent of total points, cut them. As for those who want to join, fine—charge twenty virtual coins each, limit to a hundred people. Oh, and let them take loans from the factory if needed."