Grandma Jing froze, the spoon halfway to Xiao Guagua's beak. The tiny bird chirped, blissfully unaware, still nestled against her chest.
Jing Shu sighed and repeated herself, slower this time, as if the word needed time to sink in. "Grandma. Xiao Guagua is a male."
The weight of that word hung in the air for a moment.
Male.
What did that mean in the Jing household? It meant he couldn't lay eggs.
In their pragmatic world, failing to lay eggs was practically a sin. It meant the animal was eating and living for free, wasting precious food that took significant effort to secure. This was the fundamental law for all their livestock, from the tiniest hen to the massive Da Hua and Gou Dan. Every single morning, Grandma Jing would perform her ritual, checking under Da Hua's tail to see if a fresh egg had been delivered. She would even spoil the goose when she was productive, feeding her extra bug patties and stroking her feathers to encourage more.
Gou Dan, being male, never received such royal treatment. In the Jing family, male animals were considered mostly useless unless they were prime breeding stock. The only exception was the mutant dino-chicken; because a single male had to service dozens of hens—a task that looked exhausting—Grandma Jing would occasionally throw him some extra scraps out of pity.
"Just a male?" Grandma Jing froze, her hand hovering over the bird's fuzzy head. She peered at Xiao Guagua, scanning him from his beak down to his tiny, webbed feet.
Jing Shu added with a slight grin, "And he is a male goose, specifically."
Jing Shu had fully expected Grandma Jing to huff and put him down, or at least mutter about him 'eating food for nothing' while she looked for a cage.
But to her complete surprise, Grandma Jing clicked her tongue in delight, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "This must be some new breed of male goose, right? I have never seen one quite like this. Let's see. When he grows up, maybe he can mate with Da Hua. We can see what kind of special hatchlings they produce."
"Oh my, just talking about this is making your meal get cold. Hurry up and eat." Grandma Jing finally seemed to remember that her granddaughter had just traveled across the country. She smiled warmly and shooed Jing Shu toward the dining table, all while holding Xiao Guagua tight against her chest, clearly unwilling to let the little creature go.
Jing Shu clicked her tongue twice, watching them. It seemed Xiao Guagua possessed a strange charm—he was already a favorite with Grandma Jing. She looked down at Xiao Dou, who was standing there with her wings drooping sadly and her head held low. Feeling a bit bad for the bird, Jing Shu gave her a gentle, playful kick. "I will give you something tasty later. Come on."
Only then did Xiao Dou cheerfully follow her into the house.
As expected, her mother was already out at work, and Wu You'ai was still buried in research at Xishan. Her third aunt was occupied with her own heavy duties. Food supplies in Wu City were tightening by the hour, and the stored grains were dwindling. The only solution for the masses was to produce dirt patties.
It was a massive, gritty project. The city used vast amounts of virtual currency to purchase raw earth, then hired teams of workers to filter out the stones and debris. More people were hired to process the silt into edible dirt patties, which were then sold at a slightly higher price to keep the virtual currency circulating and store the surplus for the lean months ahead.
The government was acting with foresight. They were entering the fourth year of the apocalypse, and dirt patties were still a viable, if unpleasant, food source. The urgency now was the mudslides. As long as the earth was soft, dirt was relatively easy to harvest. But everyone knew that once the cold deepened and the mudslides stopped, even the dirt would become inaccessible.
The temperature in Wu City was dropping with a sharp, biting edge. The mudslides would eventually harden into frozen stone. Without enough stored food, many would starve before the next generation of post-apocalypse food could be fully developed. Even digging through the dirt had become a difficult chore.
Jing Shu listened intently as Grandma Jing recounted the recent news, her voice low and serious, while Jing Shu devoured the food on the table. Every dish had been tailored to her tastes. There was plenty of meat, and a steaming pot of hen soup sat in the center of the table because Grandma Jing knew she liked the rich broth.
"Your third aunt's task is heavy this month. She has quotas to meet for the winter reserves. She has to store enough food before the ground freezes solid, so she has been working hands-on in the warehouses these past few days. Your mother's life isn't easy either. In this world, food isn't easy to find. I heard they are even spending huge amounts of energy to activate an artificial sun, rushing to grow crops before the deep freeze."
Grandma Jing sighed, her fingers absentmindedly scratching Xiao Guagua's neck. In the past, the family believed the government was an unbreakable backbone. They felt that as long as the officials were in charge, the common people would never truly starve. China had always maintained its grain reserves, and that knowledge provided a sense of stability.
But things had changed in the recent months. Even her third aunt admitted the situation was becoming dire. The people might be happy enough digging dirt for virtual currency as long as their bellies were full, but the elders saw the cracks in the foundation.
Jing Shu felt like a pillar of strength for her family. Grandma Jing looked at her with a new sense of safety in her eyes. The old woman glanced toward Jing An, who was busy outside, then leaned in and whispered to Jing Shu, "Our food... we can't let anyone know about it. No one. Especially now, with the situation this serious. I keep feeling like the sky is falling. Even if we store a lot, it might not be enough. I hope I'm just imagining things."
"Of course, Grandma. I brought back a lot of supplies this time. I have secretly stored most of it where no one can find it. I will show you what I got in a bit. You will see." Jing Shu laughed, her mood lightening the heavy atmosphere of the room.
After she finished her soup, she began organizing the treasures she had brought from the capital. She pulled items from the Cube Space that she had officially brought back, like fresh fruits and other rare edibles, perfect for improving their daily life in the villa.
When the vibrant fruits were laid out on the table, Grandma Jing's eyes widened to saucers. Even Jing An and Grandpa Jing, who were usually quiet and stoic, stood there with their mouths open. They hadn't seen fresh fruit in what felt like a lifetime.
"Melons, peaches, durians, cherries... we can eat these now, and then I will try to plant some of the seeds. From now on, we can have them whenever we want."
Their villa only had a small greenhouse, a few dozen square meters of space with bees and some common grafted fruits. In this world, such a variety was a king's ransom. Jing Shu moved through the rest of the items, showing off the towers of toilet paper and daily necessities. She explained which gifts were for her father and which were for her grandfather, watching Grandma Jing's face light up with every discovery.
But when she finally revealed the heavy machinery, everyone was stunned.
"What is this for?" Grandpa Jing asked.
Jing Shu explained the function of the freeze-drying equipment. "Now we can make nutritious powdered milk and dried vegetables. It will remove the moisture so the food won't spoil for years. We won't have to worry about the milk going to waste anymore."
Having the freeze-dryer was a massive upgrade for the household. Grandpa Jing immediately set Xiao Guagua aside on a cushion and, with Jing An's help, began hauling the device toward the backyard to set it up.
"Huh, it seems the men don't care much about Xiao Guagua after all." Jing Shu glanced at Grandma Jing, who was still cradling the tiny bird in her arms.