"Huh? Is there really no other choice?" Jing Shu asked, her voice echoing in the quiet, warm room.
Zhou Bapi nodded, his expression unusually grave as he leaned forward. "Only those at the vice president level or above can lead the team, and you are the only one who is free right now. You heard it too; I have to prepare for the possible parasite outbreak. It's pretty much certain that Wu City and the nearby areas will be hit next. If we don't stop the virus before it spreads, things will get really bad."
Jing Shu shrugged, feeling the weight of the responsibility settling on her shoulders. "Fine, I will take the lead then."
Last time she went to the Capital, she had barely stayed long enough to transfer flights. She hadn't even stepped off the plane properly, so she hadn't managed to do anything at all. She had just been thinking about whether she should have a little fun this time, maybe see what the Capital looked like during the apocalypse's fourth year. That would have been nice, but it looked like she wouldn't have the time anymore. This trip was all business.
Zhou Bapi gulped down another pot of the cooling milk tea, the porcelain clinking against his teeth. "Lao Jin, I will head back to the Medicinal Herb Association. Send a few people from the Disease Control and Prevention Center to assist us. If we spot any patients infected with parasites, we will be ready to handle it."
Jin Tianci waved him off, his gaze already returning to the thick files on his desk. "Go on already."
"Jing Shu, come on. You are coming back to the Association with me."
"Wait, I still need to meet Li Dayou and the others," she said quickly, standing up from the plush sofa.
Jin Tianci smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening in the soft light. "Ah, right, I forgot to tell you. Li Dayou's group is taking the same flight you are on for the competition in the Capital. You will all be heading there together. If you have any gifts for them, just bring them along. It saves you the trouble, doesn't it?"
Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. "What a coincidence. Alright then, I will surprise them when we meet."
She hadn't known Li Dayou's team was already there, and she hadn't prepared any gifts yet. Now she could just pack something nice and give it to them on the plane. That way, no one would feel awkward refusing anything too valuable either.
Jing Shu really didn't stop for a single second that day.
The trip back to the Medicinal Herb Association was a mess too, full of frustrating delays and mechanical chaos. By the time she finally got home, it was already after midnight. Everyone was asleep, but Grandma Jing had left her a pot of rice in the kitchen. The old lady had reheated it several times through the night. Anyone else wouldn't have wasted precious fuel like that, but Grandma Jing always spoiled her favorite granddaughter. Eventually, the old woman had fallen asleep while waiting.
Jing Shu didn't bother turning on the lights when she got in. She rubbed her hands together and blew on them to warm up her frozen fingers and ears. It was freezing outside, but the villa's interior was warm, so after a while, her skin started to itch and sting. Her body had this annoying old problem; she got frostbite easily. No matter how careful she was, her skin always flared up red when it got cold.
After a long while, the burning pain eased. She reheated the leftovers and started eating quickly while thinking about the task Zhou Bapi had given her.
The competition in the Capital was all about showcasing their cultivated herbs. It had two parts: a team round and an individual round. As long as the Medicinal Herb Association's records could verify that the herbs were grown by you or your team, you could enter them. The judges would score based on various factors like quality, data, usefulness, and overall value to decide the final rankings.
But it wasn't as simple as who brought the most expensive herbs. It wasn't like you could just show up with a piece of ginseng and automatically win. For both the team and individual rounds, the more useful herbs you presented, the better your score would be.
"But I will let you in on a secret," Zhou Bapi had whispered earlier, looking around the room to make sure no one else was listening. "The Capital's Medicinal Herb Association announced this competition too suddenly. According to some inside info, it's not as simple as it looks. The rules aren't exactly what they told us. I had to bribe that damned ghost with half a pack of cigarettes to get one important detail."
Jing Shu had raised an eyebrow at that. "A competition was a competition. Just like before, whoever contributed the most would get the most resources. What tricks could there possibly be? Was there some hidden scheme behind it?"
"That ghost said to bring as many herbs as you can," Zhou Bapi had said, his voice hushed. "Take everything you can carry. The more you bring, the better your chances. It looks like quantity matters this time. Bring not just the raw herbs, but any processed semi-finished products too."
So that was why they had arranged such a large aircraft, specifically for transporting bulk herbs.
The next morning, Jing Shu started preparing for the trip to the Capital. She had already handed over her duties the day before, so all she had to do now was meet the group at the scheduled time. She played the hands-off manager role while her assistant, Wang Danai, who used to be her little apprentice and was now a full-time supervisor, ran around managing the site. One after another, the modified trucks arrived to load the heavy herb crates onto the plane.
The Association was buzzing with activity. Once word got out that Wu City's Medicinal Herb Association was sending a delegation to the Capital, everyone got excited. After several rounds of selection, nine pharmacists out of more than six hundred had been chosen. Today, they were all bringing their best harvests for transport.
"Danai-jie, the trucks are already full! There's still an herb pile left and nowhere to put them!"
"And whose Bodhi Tree pile is that? They are not even high-value herbs, just trees. Can't we move them out of the way?"
"Yeah, the Bodhi Trees are taking up way too much space."
"Who in their right mind brings Bodhi Trees to a Capital competition? They are worthless! If the Capital people see them, they will think Wu City has run out of real herbs."
Wang Danai rubbed her temples, glancing at the loading manifest. Then someone else rushed over. "The Medical Family's ginseng can't fit! Should we take down some of those Bodhi Trees to make space?"
The workers were already moving toward the pile when Wang Danai panicked. "Put those down! All of them! Those Bodhi Trees were personally requested by Vice President Jing Shu; no one is allowed to unload them!"
The moment they heard Jing Shu's name, the chatter died for a second. Then the place erupted again.
"Wait, you mean the Jing Shu? The one who is responsible for like half of our Association's herb supply?"
"I came in late, but I heard she filled in tons of missing herb types for us."
"Yeah, she is the one providing the fertilizer every day, right? She is amazing. Too bad I have only seen her a few times in two years."
"I have heard she has done all kinds of legendary stuff. Ruthless too. She even kicked the last vice president out of his position. She must have some serious backing."
"Back in the day, she would punch people without blinking. She never talked nonsense either. You know Qin Feifei? Even someone like her stays out of Jing Shu's way."
"Anyone stupid enough to mess with her things is asking for it. You don't even want to know what happened to the last few idiots who tried."
"Right, right, if Vice President Jing wants those trees brought, there's a reason for it. We will just squeeze the other trucks tighter."
Within seconds, the same group that had been ready to unload the trees chickened out. Everything went back to a calm state again. Wang Danai blinked, half relieved and half confused. Jing Shu only came to the Association a few times a year, but somehow the rumors about her were terrifying.
She smiled wryly to herself. Jing Shu was actually really sweet; she wondered how everyone had ended up thinking she was such a scary boss.