Although the Medicinal Herb Association members were intensely curious about why such a massive quantity of Bodhi seeds was being transported to the Imperial City for a competition, Jing Shu's reputation was simply too formidable for anyone to voice a complaint. No one wanted to stir up trouble with the girl who hadn't single-handedly reshaped the association's supply chain. The herbs destined for the competition were carefully sorted into heavy wooden crates, labeled with precise calligraphy, and hoisted into the belly of the plane.
The association was a frenzy of activity, with workers shouting over the roar of engines and the clank of machinery, but Jing Shu hadn't been idle at home either.
The mudslides of the fourth year had fundamentally changed the soil composition in her fields, so her family had spent weeks rebuilding vegetable greenhouses on the villa grounds. They had reinforced the structures against the wind and sealed every gap.
Since there was no natural sunlight, they used high-powered artificial daylight lamps for eight hours a day, bathing the interior in a persistent, violet-tinged glow. When the temperature dropped outside, the greenhouses were converted into warm houses. These greenhouses were the Jing family's pride and joy. With the constant draw of electricity, the piles of coal required for the boilers, and the hum of the air conditioning units, anyone without a truly strong family background couldn't never hope to manage such an operation.
She planned to grow a specific batch of crops here, which meant she needed the full cooperation of her grandparents.
Her primary seed stock was still stored in the official government warehouse, but she had already taken out a significant portion for her own use. Most were tucked away safely in her Cube Space, but the rest she placed on the table in front of her grandparents.
These were professional seed storage boxes, their metallic surfaces cool to the touch. They were filled with hundreds of tiny, transparent compartments, each one carefully labeled in Jing Shu's neat handwriting.
"These are the seeds I brought back from the US," she explained, her voice quiet. "There are just too many kinds to count. There are dozens of varieties for each species. Anything you can think of, including things you have never eaten, never seen, or never even heard of, is all right here."
It was a sacred, solemn moment. Grandpa Jing carefully put his smoldering cigarette aside so as not to ash on the collection. They both washed their hands with soap and water before slowly opening the boxes. Their faces were lit with visible excitement as they looked at the colorful array of husks and grains.
His hands trembled slightly as he touched the edge of a compartment. "Good child, good granddaughter. You are not only leaving a future for the Jing family but hope for the entire country. With these seeds in our hands, there'll always be hope, even in the middle of this apocalypse."
He rarely praised anyone with such heavy seriousness. Even though Jing Shu had performed countless incredible feats before, bringing food and sudden prosperity to the family, Grandpa Jing was a simple man at heart. As long as there was enough to eat, he was content. Life in the apocalypse didn't need grand luxuries; it only required enough food and some deep reserves for the hard winters.
Grandma Jing was different. She was naturally stingy and greedy, hoarding every scrap of resource like a frantic hamster. No matter how much she managed to store in the basement, it never felt like enough to her.
She jabbed Grandpa Jing lightly with her elbow, then grinned with sharp excitement. "Well, well, look at all these seeds! Our family is short on a lot of vegetables lately. I have heard the varieties from the south are tender and smooth. We never got to eat them in our lives, but at least we can taste them before we go to our graves."
Jing Shu laughed and nodded, feeling the warmth of the room. "Grandpa, there are even several types of tobacco in here. I will find a small patch of land and plant a few rows just for you."
Only then did Grandpa Jing wipe away the lingering sadness and smile. Having a supply of fresh tobacco would be incredibly useful, as there'll be few opportunities to grow anything on the upcoming migration route.
"I have been thinking about our next plan."
"Go ahead," Grandpa Jing said, his expression turning serious again.
"I'm thinking about the future," Jing Shu said.
"If we can't grow anything later, or if the power finally goes out for good, what'll we eat?"
"Vegetables can be dried or pickled, just like we did the year before. Once they're dried or pickled, they take up less space, they store well for years, and they're easy to eat. Fruits can be made into dried snacks or even frozen. You wouldn't believe how good those frozen pears from Second Aunt were. I have been wanting to taste them for ages, and I heard there's frozen peach as well." Jing Shu swallowed, her appetite stirred by the thought.
Grandma Jing nodded enthusiastically. "The pickled vegetables from the year before are all gone, and the chili sauce is running low too. We definitely need to make more. The dried vegetables from the first year were really convenient during the moves. There's barely anything left of them now. On the few times we had to flee, it was thanks to our granddaughter that we could eat fresh greens. We need to plant more and prepare our stocks."
Grandpa Jing spoke little, merely stating, "We will follow whatever you decide. The land here is well-fertilized and ready. Starting today, while Shu'er is still around to help, let's identify the seeds and start the planting process."
Some seeds required a long soaking, some needed a specific hot water treatment to sprout, and others could go straight into the dark soil. Jing Shu and her grandparents spent two busy days sorting through the bins, setting new planting tasks and targets based on the expected harvest times.
They prioritized high-yield crops like corn and potatoes. With so many livestock at home, cornmeal mixed with vegetable roots and red nematodes made for high-value feed. The tons of feed Jing Shu had bought years ago were almost gone after just three years of consumption. There's no way their animals could survive on red nematodes alone, so securing a feed source was a major concern. She'll plant more in her Cube Space to supplement the supply gradually without anyone noticing the extra weight.
She'd also used another fertile plot in her Cube Space for various spices. Once they're harvested, she'll secretly transport them to the villa's basement. This didn't require passing through any official checkpoints, and no one really knew exactly how much she had bought before the fall.
Next, she intended to grow vegetables rarely seen in their specific area, secretly planting them in her space to later bring them out when the timing was right.
Grandma Jing and Grandpa Jing were thrilled and full of a new kind of energy. In just a month or two, they will get to eat vegetables they had never tasted before, some of which were incredibly rare even in the old world.
Jing Shu didn't slow down her pace. She took over the entire second-floor flowerhouse. It was already filled with some hardy fruit plants, but she wanted to introduce even more varieties.
"Too bad, things like durians are probably gone forever. Maybe I can find a chance to bring back one or two?" Jing Shu pondered as she worked. Her other grandmother loved durian but had never eaten it because of the pungent smell. Before the apocalypse, durians in Wu City were insanely expensive, costing tens of yuan per 500 grams, so she rarely got to indulge. Jing Shu planted one experimental seed from the bank just to see if it'd take. Dried durian might turn out to be a great survival snack.
"I will try the durian after the competition," she decided, wiping her brow.
Time flew by in a blur of soil and seeds. Jing Shu assigned the remaining tasks to her grandparents, completed almost all the household preparations, and then, amid her family's heartfelt blessings, carried her bags onto the plane bound for the Imperial City.
Once again, Jing Shu caught everyone's attention at the hangar. It wasn't because of her heavy luggage or her simple, oversized cotton coat, but because she wasn't traveling alone.
She had brought a team with her, only it wasn't a group of people; it's made up entirely of chickens.
When a huge, fat Xiao Dou led the way with a confident strut, followed in perfect formation by the others, Jing Shu knew that today, her chickens were the undisputed stars of the plane.