I Am Cultivating in the Apocalypse

Chapter 677: Welfare Distributed Before Handover

Jing Shu opened her mouth but could not respond for a long time. How dare this person, how dare they? After taking over her factory, did they really think they had succeeded in stealing the trade secrets and just started setting up large-scale production? This was too...

Wang Dazhi shifted the blame. "This was clearly an idea Jun Bao from Wu City gave us. Our boss originally thought that since Jun Bao is from the Imperial Capital and also part of the Wucheng Town Government—and most importantly, he’s currently acting in Jin Tianci’s position, which is equivalent to owning thirty percent of the Insect Cake Factory’s shares—surely he’d know how much can be produced? Bah! This guy made it sound so good, saying that once factories opened everywhere and shares were distributed, everyone would make a fortune together. That man is just rotten to the core!"

Did Jun Bao not know? No, the Wucheng Town Government was very clear. Due to raw materials and various other factors, this was already the limit. She had said so initially. Knowing this and still giving these people the idea to open more factories? Jing Shu’s expression turned a bit strange. Could it be Jun Bao intentionally set them up? At such a critical moment, under the watchful eyes of many, if they couldn’t produce Insect Cakes, wouldn’t their failure be catastrophic?

Soon, Jing Shu smiled. She understood what Jun Bao meant. Well, might as well cooperate with him.

Wang Dazhi had one thing right: Jun Bao indeed was rotten to the core, wearing an innocuous smile while engaging in infuriating actions.

This issue was no longer something Wang Dazhi could resolve; it involved the interests of many more people.

"Then I’m helpless too. Now that you know the formula, you can collect some of the blood from the pools for testing to find it. Leave the rest of the handover tasks to the original factory manager. I’m exhausted; I need to go home and rest properly." Since Wang Dazhi was not in charge, there was no point discussing it further with him.

Wang Dazhi knew this situation too. He had to report up first and see what could be done.

Jing Shu then turned and instructed Liu, "First, tidy up the factory. Expose everyone who sold out the factory to the Township Government for processing under the new law. Uncle, you go first to coordinate with West Mountain and the gas supply to arrange all the materials. I’ll bring the formula over later, and then we’ll aim to restart within three days." Even if there wasn’t much technical skill involved, since they’d been bought out, they should be ready to pay the price for betrayal.

Several people nodded repeatedly.

Finally, Jing Shu added, "Right, this new factory manager mentioned giving benefits to the employees. When you transfer the responsibilities, have this manager distribute the benefits and the promised Virtual Coins first, then proceed with the handover."

Wang Dazhi: "..." Who is he, where is he, what is he doing? Had he come to this factory just to distribute benefits to everyone?

Seated in the BYD Song driven by Mr. Jing, Jing Shu bumped her way back to the villa. Most of the landslides on both sides of the road had solidified due to the cold weather. The suspension system of the hybrid car was also broken, making the ride extremely bumpy. For the first time, the ride was so bumpy Jing Shu nearly threw up; it was her first time getting motion sickness in her own family’s car!

She had previously thought that with her storage space enlarged, she should at least try to move the car into it for relocation. Now, it seemed unnecessary. After five years, the car had accumulated a host of minor problems, lacked parts, and the battery wasn’t durable anymore. Jing Shu even considered changing her vehicle. She would think about it when she got the chance. Now, she didn’t have much time left and had to prepare for a long relocation.

"CLUCK-CLUCK!" The fat chicken, seeing Jing Shu, flapped its wings, overcome with emotion, making even more of a fuss than Grandma Jing or Mr. Jing. Who knew how it had survived these past few months without the Spiritual Spring? It was as if it was suffering withdrawal, becoming irritable and temperamental. The first month was fine. Later, however, it began to feel something was missing. It grew more and more anxious, a gnawing feeling at its core, and its temper became even more irritable. But the fat chicken knew that at home, there was an even more irritable Mrs. Jing, as well as Grandma Jing, who treasured it dearly. So the fat chicken dared not lose its temper. It would only sneak out during the day to vent and return at night to sleep. However, after not laying eggs for a few days, and before Grandma Jing started giving it strange looks, the fat chicken would make sure to lay a full 40 eggs before going out. It feared it might lose Grandma Jing’s affection otherwise.

Fortunately, even without the Spiritual Spring, as long as it ate enough food, the fat chicken was still able to lay many eggs and maintained its place in the household.

The outside world was dangerous, and the daily venting exposed the fat chicken to some incidents. Not to mention, it also stumbled upon some curious things.

The fat chicken flapped over, seemingly conveying all its thoughts. Jing Shu knew this was probably a drawback of the Spiritual Spring. However, to gain something, one must pay a price. The Spiritual Spring had many benefits; it was impossible for it not to have drawbacks. These she could accept.

"Curious things? When I’m free, you can take me to see them," Jing Shu soothed the fat chicken, already smelling a scent of roasted meat.

"My dear granddaughter, this mission was a bit too long, wasn’t it? You came back in such a rush. Your grandpa secretly roasted a lamb leg in the house for you. Have some to tide you over, and tonight I’ll make you a feast!" If not for Jing Shu’s return, they would never indulge in such flavorful food, but with their child away for so long, they all wanted to make Jing Shu’s favorite dishes.

"You silly girl, if you make us worry like this again, you might as well not come back!" Mrs. Jing handed her a box of apricot kernels she had smashed herself—her favorite. "You must have been hungry out there. Have something to eat first."

Mr. Jing chuckled on the side. "The child looks clean and even fairer than before, not thin at all..." He knew his daughter hadn’t been mistreated.

"Hmph, just don’t be away for so long again. We were worried sick."

Jing Shu relaxed at home for two good days, indulging in several hearty meals. Heaven knows how stifled she had felt being trapped over there; she hadn’t dared to eat anything flavorful, let alone roasted meats or even hot pot. These two days, she hid in her room, savoring every dish one by one until she was satisfied.

The fat chicken also stayed in, waddling after Jing Shu, expressing the affection it had missed during those three months she was away. After Jing Shu fed it Spiritual Spring water, the fat chicken truly recovered. It wasn’t irritable anymore; the whole chicken seemed at ease, as if ready to soar into the clouds again.

It was then that Jing Shu finally had the time to reorganize the household’s food supply. During her absence, the most consumed items were rice and flour; the openly stored supplies were nearly depleted. The vegetables and fruits, however, were plentiful, thanks to Grandma Jing’s foresight in drying the excess and making them into dried goods.

If there was a surplus of chickens, ducks, sheep, or pigs in the household, Mr. Jing would butcher them and cure the meat into smoked delicacies, sausages, or hams.

They didn’t dare raise too many, as feed was also a concern.

Overall, their farming and breeding efforts not only avoided depletion but actually yielded a surplus, which was turned into reserve food supplies. Foods that couldn’t be processed, grown, or raised locally were basically all consumed.

"We thought we’d eat through what we had openly first. If you still hadn’t come back after that, we were planning to break the locks on the basement..."

"There’s no need to open the basement. Actually, we could also trade for rice and flour, but we need to keep a low profile. Many people in Xinlan are already starving to death!"